June 17, 2021 • 31 mins
When Kara Goldin began cooking fruit at home and adding it to water, she was merely looking for a healthful, flavorful drink for her family. She soon had a hit on her hands. We revisit this episode in which Kara reveals the struggles and setbacks behind the success.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Made by Women, a new podcast by the
Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio. At a
moment when businesses face some of the biggest challenges in
recent history, we bring you inspiring stories, practical insights, and
shared learnings to help you successfully navigate in today's environment.
(00:24):
Every Thursday, Made by Women will showcase the experiences of
legendary women, entrepreneurs, fierce up and comers, and everyday women
who found success their own way. Consider this your Real
World MBA designed for the New Now. I'm Kim Azzarelli
and thanks so much for joining us today. Sometimes you
(00:48):
need just a little hint of something sweet to improve
your entire day, and if you're like millions of people,
you may be enjoying that touch of sweetness without calories
because you're drinking Hint flavored water. Kara Golden, the woman
behind Hint, is a former diet soda addict who discovered
a gaping hole in the beverage market. She brewed her
(01:08):
first batches of Hint by boiling fruit skins in her kitchen,
but the road to success wasn't easy, and now karas
sharing the lessons she learned in her new book, Undaunted
Overcoming doubts and Doubters. She's also the host of the
podcast Unstoppable, featuring conversations with disruptors and innovators. So how
can we persevere despite doubts, debts and fear. I sat
(01:32):
down with Kara Golden to find out how we can
find strength even in the most challenging times. Enjoy our conversation.
Thanks so much for joining us today. Thank you excited
to be here. So for those who don't know, which
I think are probably very few, tell us a little
bit about hint. Yeah. So I started hint in my
(01:53):
kitchen a little over fifteen years ago to help me
drink water because water, to me, was very boring. And
one day, when I realized how many ingredients were in
um my diet soda, I decided, huh, I don't think
I really should be putting that into my body. So
I started drinking water. But was just so bored that
(02:17):
in order to drink water, I started slicing up fruit
and throwing it in water. And I didn't come from
the tech industry, so I really had no idea what
I was embarking on by by really tapping into this
this uh you know, my curiosity side. But but also sure,
like I think I'll just go create this product and
(02:38):
try and get it on the shelf at my local
Whole Foods, which had just come into San Francisco. And
that's when I really realized that I found this hole
in the market that you know, somebody if I didn't
do it. I felt like, um, I wasn't sure who
was going to do it. I was way ahead of
where the consumer was. But really decided that since I, um,
(03:03):
you know, had not only achieved drinking water, but I
had also fixed some of my health issues that I
have been trying to fix for years, including UM, I
lost in two and a half weeks, I lost twenty
four pounds, UM, my energy levels went up. Yeah, I
mean it was pretty dramatic. And my skin issues. I
(03:23):
had developed terrible adult acne over the last uh ten
years and I couldn't figure out what was going on.
And and then I realized like I had this sensitivity too,
must have had a sensitivity to diet sweeteners and it
was just wreaking havoc on my system. And that's you know,
that was really my kind of aha moment that because
(03:46):
something was called diet, I really felt like it had
permission right to sort of I had permission to be
able to um drink it. So that that is the backstory.
And fast forward fifteen years, were in thirty thousand locations.
We sell direct online and I'm proud to say we
are the largest independent non alcoholic beverage in the country
(04:10):
that doesn't have a relationship with co Pepsi or dr
Pepper Snapple. Wow. Congratulations, that's a huge, huge accomplishment. Well,
we want to go through that journey with you, so
I want to kind of take you back. I'm just
so curious. So you know, you're you're drinking water, you're
finding it boring, you put some fruit in, and then
you sort of change your profession. What what was your
professional background at that point? So prior to hint, I
(04:34):
ran the e commerce and shopping partnerships at A O.
L and so UM basically for seven years. I mean
it was there since until UM just basically into almost
two thousand two and uh. And during that time, UM,
(04:56):
you know, no one really thought that e commerce and
shopping was going to happen, and and so we were right.
We were, you know, in a time when we're building
and so anyway, when it was a billion dollars in
revenue to A O L. I decided maybe I should
go do something else. Um. It had been an amazing journey,
a much bigger company than when I had started there. Um.
(05:19):
But also I was really looking for something. I lived
in the Bay Area, and I was looking for something
a little closer to home. I had started my family. Um,
I was just about to have my third child when
I left A O L. And I thought, I want
to take a little time and just you know, have
a family and spend some time with them and enjoy
where I live in the Bay Area. So that was
(05:40):
really where my head was at. And prior to that,
I was in mediate both TIME and CNN, and so
I didn't have any beverage experience at all. But um,
but really saw, like I said, this hole in the
market from a consumer perspective that I thought I need
to go and tackle. You call yourself an accidental entrepreneur,
(06:03):
and I guess by that you mean you really weren't intending,
You weren't setting out to start a company, but you,
as you say, realized that water just needed to be
cooler for lack of a better word. Yeah, no, absolutely, Yeah,
I called myself an accidental entrepreneur, primarily because, unlike many
other entrepreneurs out there, I didn't intend to actually go
(06:24):
start a company. I mean a lot of people said, oh,
you left a O L and you know, I bet
you had all these ideas, not even slightly. I mean
I was, I was, you know, really trying to figure out,
um when I left, like what kind of tech role
would I take? And I didn't even think about starting
a tech company. I mean, that was that wasn't it
at all? Um. But what I realized is that just
(06:49):
by kind of living my life as a consumer, I
started seeing these problems that really needed fixing. And and
so that's why I I decided to go tackle it.
I think there are entrepreneurs that I've met over the
years to where they know when they're a kid, or
they know when they're in college that they should, you know,
(07:11):
go develop something. And but that just wasn't me at all.
And and uh, you know, so I think there's entrepreneurs
come in all shapes and sizes, I guess, you know.
And and for me, um, you know, I'd say that
the closest thing to actually being an entrepreneur that I
had been around was my father, who was kind of
(07:31):
a frustrated entrepreneur. He had actually started a company within
a large company, UM called UH or I should say,
a product within a large company. UM. He started a
company called Healthy Choice within Knagra and so um the
food ground. And so I had watched him over the years,
(07:52):
you know, be really excited to bring a product to
market and you know, and do all these things. But um,
and definitely it was it was healthier than the men alternatives.
But I you know, again, I sort of didn't know
the aspect of actually starting a business, raising money, you know,
figuring out how to not only start a company, but
(08:13):
started brand new category in a very you know, competitive
um marketplace. So that is what I embarked on. So
a lot of people have great ideas and I think
maybe even a lot of people see holes and markets,
but still to cross over and actually do it is
a different thing. Your book is called Undaunted Overcoming Doubts
(08:35):
and Doubters. How did you cross over to decide to
start the company And did you have doubts early on? Absolutely? Um, Yeah,
it's you know one of the things that I felt
in and really the reason why I wrote the book
was that I think there's this uh, misconception that that
entrepreneurs are are you know, very confident and they don't
(08:59):
have fears, and they never have doubts or don't have doubters,
or don't have failures. And you know, especially when I
was out speaking about building my company over the last
few years, I would run into these people who would
articulate that and almost you know, site that I was
so different than they were because they had all these
insecurities and walls up around them. And one day I
(09:22):
just it really dawned on me that I was no
different and and successful people that are business people or
athletes were really no different than anyone else other than
the fact that they actually tried and that they knew
that there was a chance that they were going to fail,
but they felt like they would go and try. And
(09:43):
so that is really the essence of my book is
that just by sharing my story of not only building
UM the company, but also a little bit of autobiography
to on you know, growing up as a kid and
and kind of the things that you know, I thought about.
And you know, somebody who read my book, garling on
(10:06):
UM as a preview of it, said that, you know,
just you don't actually say in this book, you don't
talk necessarily about parenting, but you definitely describe this environment
that you grew up in, which was go and try right, like,
it doesn't matter if you fail, you need to just
go try. And I think it's a lot of what
(10:27):
I do you know as a parent too, I for um, teenagers,
and you know that's that is what I'm constantly saying.
I want them to be happy and have passion for
what they do, but also know that being being able to,
you know, go out and try is more important than
even if you do fail. And so this book really
(10:49):
is UM. It's great for entrepreneurs, but I think it's
also for It's also great for people who might feel
stuck like you know, might feel especially in today day's
day and age, where they're not really that excited about
doing what they do every day, or you know, they've
got fears um that they really need to tackle. UM.
(11:09):
So my hope is that by reading this book, it
will inspire them to to go out and really try
and knock those things off the list as being afraid of.
So I want to dig into that a little bit
more because it's super interesting and I love the thesis
of your book and your life. Um, And I think
what you said about parenting is so important. So so
(11:31):
in trying, um, do you also sort of you know,
obviously in the Valley, and I think it was Steve
Jobs who was big on saying fail forward and fail fast. Um,
you know, it's it's about trying, but it's also about
expecting on some level that you're going to fail. Have
you built that? I mean, what do you tell yourself
when you're when you're taking on that next big challenge?
(11:51):
I mean obviously not everything you do that everything anybody
does is going to be successful. So what do you
tell yourself? What did you tell your younger self? And
what do you tell your kids today about that? I
try whenever anything is a little bit scary for me,
I try and figure out how to break it down
a bit, And so I don't allow myself to sort
of get into a headspace of making it so big
(12:15):
that it's you know, it's gonna freak me out right,
and so that I can't move forward. And so I
think that that is such an important piece for for
people to recognize, is that when things do start getting
really scary, and again, like I still fear things, I
still you know, doubt myself on things that I'm doing,
(12:36):
but just know that if you can actually just break
it down a little bit and start to make steps forward,
things start to seem easier. And even when you do fail,
right this, this is another thing that I've really learned
to appreciate that the next hard thing that you encounter,
you'll probably have greater strategies and way is to kind
(13:00):
of you know, move forward and learnings just from that
last failure um in making you know, this next scary
thing successful or you know, really less daunting. I feel
that it's really important to sort of reinterpret these things
that are deemed negative. So even thinking that failure is
(13:21):
a negative thing when it can in fact be a
positive thing. I mean, obviously, in science we know that
you know, you're constantly failing until you find the next breakthrough.
So if we can reinterpret that for ourselves, I think
that helps a lot too. Yeah. I mean, obviously we're
in a very difficult moment right now, being in COVID
and all different issues that are going on in our
country and around the world. How has that impacted, um,
(13:42):
what you're doing with hint. Yeah, So we've been very
fortunate actually because we're in a UM category, uh that is,
UM considered essential. But we definitely had challenges at the
beginning because a lot of our business about one of
our business was through offices at the beginning, you know
(14:04):
of COVID, when we were shutting down offices throughout the US,
I mean, we made some big predictions that offices were
going to close down until at least the end of
this year, and so in order to make up for
that fifercent of revenue, we made some fastest decisions, including
that we would UM put more resources behind our director
(14:27):
Consumer Business UM, which by the way, has tripled in
size since March. Fantastic, Yeah, which is amazing. But then
in terms of employees, we didn't want to furlough or
lay anybody off who might have been servicing UM these
these offices and food service, and so we reallocated those
(14:49):
roles for merchandisers. So I was proud to say that
we didn't lay an amity off. But also I think
it's a lesson to that I try and share with
entrepreneurs UM and business owners, which is that I think
what the pandemics should have taught people, amongst other learnings too,
but is that having multiple revenue streams into your company
(15:12):
is like, I mean, you have to write it's just
when it was a business that you know, of the businesses,
while that's not the majority, it still was a big
chunk of business, and you know, it's you just never know.
I mean, I did not predict that that business would
go away tomorrow. Like maybe I predicted that some of
(15:34):
the companies would UM start, you know, putting less product
into their micro kitchens maybe, but not literally overnight. So
I've talked to many UM brands, beverage brands and food
brands that you know, really had kind of hung their
hat on this one, you know, channel of getting that
(15:56):
revenue in the door, and I feel like the ability
to have the relationship directly with the customer UM was
just magnified. I think it's it's UM you know, a
real lesson, just not only in terms of leadership, but
also in terms of you know, kind of turning quickly
(16:16):
and being able to you know, figure out what part
of your business is UM you know, is working, and
can you put more gas on it while others are
having you know, struggles that are beyond your control. That's
a really important lesson. So what did you do to
accelerate your DTC business during this time and did you
(16:38):
have to pivot? Well, we already had it going, so
we started going six years ago and um, and so
that was we were fairly prepared from from that standpoint.
And you know, we when we talk about direct to consumer,
it's not just our site, but we're also on Amazon too.
(16:58):
But um, but Amazon, you know, for those who don't know,
if you're a product like hint, I mean, Amazon's amazing
and lots of people go there to buy products, but
you know, if you have twenty six products like we do,
they're not going to put all of them on there,
just like a retailer where where they'll pick a few
because they want to have selection. So um, so for us,
(17:21):
just actually, you know, the store really kind of ended
up happening in the first place because we wanted everything
that we did on you know, on the shelves and
um somewhere, and so that's how it initially started. But
at the beginning of COVID, I mean, we just decided
we were going to try and do what we could
(17:42):
to fix some of these issues. But then, um, the
direct to consumer business, we had over a million people
in our database that we could go out and email
and say you know, not only hey, we have plenty
in stock, but also show you know, the humility. Right
Like I was scared. I was afraid of what was
going on, and you know, and seeing how people consumers
(18:04):
were reacting and hoarding and and you know, they were
stockpiling product and it was just like, I mean, I
couldn't believe it. Um, But I also felt like we
had to calm people down a little bit and know
that there was plenty in stock and that they should
just go to our site and buy Hint. And it
was nuts. Like when I sent out an email to
our database, it was like six responded with you know,
(18:28):
buying a buying a case of Hint. I mean, it
was insane. So what I realized is that, you know,
and I've talked a lot about this over the years too,
that actually being the i mean call it the face
of the brand, or you know, being authentic or there's
a lot of different angles to this, but actually being
a product that has a mission and a brand story
(18:51):
of why you ultimately created this, but also sharing that
story and really having a line of communication with your customer,
um is just it. I mean it's real, and it's
a competitive advantage to you know, new companies versus older
companies because those those companies can't you know, typically the
person is no longer alive at the you know, large
(19:14):
companies or no longer there or whatever. Um. And so
I really think that this that was another piece that
we really saw in this in this process as well.
We'll be back with Seneca's Made by Women after this
short break. So another great success you've had and I
(19:42):
think people would benefit from, is your experience raising capital.
You've been quite successful to date. We know that it's
not easy for women, or hasn't traditionally been easy for
women to break into the venture capital space, and you've
done that very successfully. Again, your book is called Undaunted.
How did you go about raising capital? And are there
lessons scar Tissue anything that you can share with others
(20:04):
scar Tissue. I love that. Um. Yeah, you know, we initially,
uh we the first two years kind of an unconventional
way to do things. But I can only share what
I did. I we did not actually raise money. I
used a lot of the money that I had made
off of stock from a O L to actually fund
(20:26):
the company. And you know, the main thing that I'm
happy about is I still own a very large chunk
of the company because of it, because I was able
to invest money UM up front. But then as we
went along, we really decided, gosh, you know, we need
a lot more money in order to scale. And it's
funny because a lot of Silicon Valley, especially after we
(20:48):
got into Google, knew about Hint and we started getting
phone calls from Sandhill Road saying, oh my gosh, I
love your product. We stock it. You know, we will
you know, sit down own and invest in you guys, etcetera.
And so we had all those meetings and it's fascinating
because we could not raise money on Sandhill Road because
(21:09):
I you know, it's I share this in the book
as well, that what I've learned about fundraising UM is,
you know, I never really know if it was harder
for me to raise money because I'm a woman, because
I've never been a man. But what I can share
with you is that investors don't invest in things that
(21:29):
they feel like they can add value to, right. And
so here there's a bunch of men that I'm talking to.
They just didn't get it. I'm sure. Sarah Blakely from
spanks like would say the same thing right like, and
so I think, you know, at what where when I
finally decided to you know, kind of figure out like
(21:50):
who else would potentially be a good candidate for this
UM and started sharing with people UM about that we
were raising money. We actually on the whole group of
women who were fans of the brand and UM. So,
I mean this was kind of even before the term
angel investors was really out there, or there was Angel
(22:11):
Networks UM out there. So again, I started the company
fifteen years ago, so this was twelve thirteen years ago.
I mean angels, I guess we're out there, but there
wasn't sort of the official kind of grouping of them.
And so what we found and and frankly still to
this day, the best investors that we've had have really
been the fans of the brand. And you know, I
(22:33):
still get emails from people every day saying, hey, are
you guys like raising money? Are you on the stock exchange?
Are you? I mean, people like love the product. And
you know, one day I got a phone call years
ago from John Legend and I had no idea who
John Legend was ten years ago. I mean, he's really
(22:54):
in the last ten years, it's been insane. You know,
his popularity has risen. But John was a fan and
he had bought it at Starbucks and he just called
the eight hundred number. And you know, I got a
little secret for entrepreneurs that are out there, like it's
okay to actually answer the phone once in a while
and see he was on the other line, right, and
(23:14):
because because it was John, and John was like, hey,
I love your product and just wondering if you guys
are taking investments. And I was curious, as this like
one of the big soda companies companies. I said, no,
you know, not at all. So anyway, John has been
a long term investor and is very excited about what
(23:35):
we're doing and how we're really helping people, um to
enjoy water and get healthier. So I again, I think,
you know, having people that really love the brand and
are supportive. And you mentioned k copple Bits too, she's
part of, you know, one of the funds that has
invested in Hannah as well. But I think we have
(23:55):
like eighty percent of our cap table as women. I mean,
it's it's yeah, it's amazing. I mean it's wild, right, Yeah,
So it's definitely really exciting. I mean, that's that's so
interesting because I was going to actually bring up K
and Springboard, and that is what we hear, right that
a lot of women when they go to pitch their
ideas are not understood because they had they're not sharing
(24:18):
the same experiences as those were making the investment decisions,
and so they just don't get it. Um. And then
of course these companies become huge successes when there are
women or you know, men who are you able to
look beyond their own personal experience and say, well there
is a hole in the market for that or that
makes sense. Um, So how are you finding um now
that we're having a lot more women investors. I think
(24:40):
K has really led the way on this actually in
trying to really emphasize the need to have more women
in venture capital. And we see that there are more
women getting into venture capital. Are you seeing a shift? Yeah? Well,
you know Springboard in particular is um. They just let
our last round actually, which was very, very exciting for
us and for them. I mean it was really the
(25:01):
kind of the first one that they've actually lead. But
I think it was so unique about Springboard, and frankly,
I wish there were more of more like Springboard out there,
but they're a later stage female not only female group
in terms of the three you know head partners are female,
(25:22):
but also they invest in companies that have female entrepreneurs,
founders and um and ceo s. And so, you know,
when I've talked to females along the way who had
sold out to private equity or you know, ultimately sold
or closed down or whatever ended up happening UM that
(25:44):
I I find I found that most of the time
it was because they just couldn't find that later stage
capital coming from you know, women. And I didn't believe
this was the case ultimately until I really started looking.
And so I have said this to k as well,
that I think that, you know, it's really tough to
(26:06):
find the female you know groups that are out there,
and I think that, you know, I wish there were
more of those because I think that, you know, when
some of these founders end up selling off to private equity,
they end up you know, getting a difference CEO, they
end up you know, kind of losing the essence of
(26:27):
of really what the company is and what it was
meant to be. And I think that it's um you know,
that could that really shouldn't be happening as much. In
some cases, maybe it should be maybe it is time
for the founder to move on. But I think that
there's many many stories if we just had more UM investors,
(26:48):
female investors that were focused on on you know, this
later stage growth UM that we still need many many more.
Well we are. We're so excited to see where you're
going this and we do look forward to being on
an exchange if that's what you end up deciding to
do UM. But obviously you are definitely leading the way
in this category and also for women entrepreneurs. I know
(27:11):
it's a very difficult time for everybody UM, but is
there something that's making you optimistic in this moment? You know?
I think that the key thing that I not only
share with with you know friends and entrepreneurs, but also
UM my own kids and and some of their friends
are that you know, during this time where everybody is
(27:37):
UM is kind of holding off on doing anything UM,
whether that's finding a new job or UM or you know,
going out and raising money. I think there's no better
time to go and ultimately make these changes and build
when so many people think that it can't happen. And
(27:58):
you know, it really is the word of hint, which is,
you know, go out and and really overcome any doubts
that you had about moving forward and go try because
you know, great businesses in history have been built during
times when you know, you've got craziness going on in
(28:20):
the economy, or you know, people are you know, thinking that,
oh there's lots of people laying off, but there's you know,
nobody hiring. It's just not true. People are doing that.
Yes they are laying people off, but I think you
have to figure out some creative way and ultimately, I
believe find your own passion and maybe that is start
(28:41):
your own company. Maybe that's going and joining something. But
don't let these doubts and these blocks really prevent you
from ultimately moving forward. Well again, we so look forward
to reading your book, Undaunted. Um, your last piece of advice,
I think really says it all and I think in
this moment um, everybody needs to hear that. So thank
(29:02):
you for what you're doing. Thank you so much. Yeah,
I'm very excited and uh yeah, and if you want
to grab a copy, it's you can go on Amazon.
The book again, it's called Undaunted Overcoming Doubts and doubters,
or you can also pick it up on our website
at Undaunted the Book dot com. Wonderful, We'll be sure
(29:23):
to do that, and also we go to hint dot com. Um,
we all know where we can get our next our
next supply of water. Definitely, definitely yes, pick up a
case as well. Okay, thanks so much for joining us.
Thank you such great advice from Kara Golden. Here are
three lessons I took from the conversation. First, know that
(29:48):
you can do the thing that scares you, As Kara says,
you just need to break things down into small steps
that will carry you forward, and the hard things you
do today we'll leave you better prepared for the next challenges. Second,
for women in business, for anyone in business, frankly, staying
close to your customers is key. And don't forget Kara's secret.
(30:09):
Answer your phones once in a while and see who's
on the other end of the line. In Kara's case,
she picked up a call one day and found John
Legend on the other end of the phone, now one
of her most loyal and trusted investors. Finally recognize that
even though things are incredibly challenging right now, there is
also great opportunity when everyone else is pulling back and
(30:32):
clinging to doubt and fear. That's the moment to build
or rebuild, says Kara. After all, some of the greatest
businesses were born out of the most difficult times. Made
by Women is brought to you by the Seneca Women
Podcast Network and I Heart Radio, with support from founding
partner PNG
Welcome to Made by Women, a new podcast by the
Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio. At a
moment when businesses face some of the biggest challenges in
recent history, we bring you inspiring stories, practical insights, and
shared learnings to help you successfully navigate in today's environment.
(00:24):
Every Thursday, Made by Women will showcase the experiences of
legendary women, entrepreneurs, fierce up and comers, and everyday women
who found success their own way. Consider this your Real
World MBA designed for the New Now. I'm Kim Azzarelli
and thanks so much for joining us today. Sometimes you
(00:48):
need just a little hint of something sweet to improve
your entire day, and if you're like millions of people,
you may be enjoying that touch of sweetness without calories
because you're drinking Hint flavored water. Kara Golden, the woman
behind Hint, is a former diet soda addict who discovered
a gaping hole in the beverage market. She brewed her
(01:08):
first batches of Hint by boiling fruit skins in her kitchen,
but the road to success wasn't easy, and now karas
sharing the lessons she learned in her new book, Undaunted
Overcoming doubts and Doubters. She's also the host of the
podcast Unstoppable, featuring conversations with disruptors and innovators. So how
can we persevere despite doubts, debts and fear. I sat
(01:32):
down with Kara Golden to find out how we can
find strength even in the most challenging times. Enjoy our conversation.
Thanks so much for joining us today. Thank you excited
to be here. So for those who don't know, which
I think are probably very few, tell us a little
bit about hint. Yeah. So I started hint in my
(01:53):
kitchen a little over fifteen years ago to help me
drink water because water, to me, was very boring. And
one day, when I realized how many ingredients were in
um my diet soda, I decided, huh, I don't think
I really should be putting that into my body. So
I started drinking water. But was just so bored that
(02:17):
in order to drink water, I started slicing up fruit
and throwing it in water. And I didn't come from
the tech industry, so I really had no idea what
I was embarking on by by really tapping into this
this uh you know, my curiosity side. But but also sure,
like I think I'll just go create this product and
(02:38):
try and get it on the shelf at my local
Whole Foods, which had just come into San Francisco. And
that's when I really realized that I found this hole
in the market that you know, somebody if I didn't
do it. I felt like, um, I wasn't sure who
was going to do it. I was way ahead of
where the consumer was. But really decided that since I, um,
(03:03):
you know, had not only achieved drinking water, but I
had also fixed some of my health issues that I
have been trying to fix for years, including UM, I
lost in two and a half weeks, I lost twenty
four pounds, UM, my energy levels went up. Yeah, I
mean it was pretty dramatic. And my skin issues. I
(03:23):
had developed terrible adult acne over the last uh ten
years and I couldn't figure out what was going on.
And and then I realized like I had this sensitivity too,
must have had a sensitivity to diet sweeteners and it
was just wreaking havoc on my system. And that's you know,
that was really my kind of aha moment that because
(03:46):
something was called diet, I really felt like it had
permission right to sort of I had permission to be
able to um drink it. So that that is the backstory.
And fast forward fifteen years, were in thirty thousand locations.
We sell direct online and I'm proud to say we
are the largest independent non alcoholic beverage in the country
(04:10):
that doesn't have a relationship with co Pepsi or dr
Pepper Snapple. Wow. Congratulations, that's a huge, huge accomplishment. Well,
we want to go through that journey with you, so
I want to kind of take you back. I'm just
so curious. So you know, you're you're drinking water, you're
finding it boring, you put some fruit in, and then
you sort of change your profession. What what was your
professional background at that point? So prior to hint, I
(04:34):
ran the e commerce and shopping partnerships at A O.
L and so UM basically for seven years. I mean
it was there since until UM just basically into almost
two thousand two and uh. And during that time, UM,
(04:56):
you know, no one really thought that e commerce and
shopping was going to happen, and and so we were right.
We were, you know, in a time when we're building
and so anyway, when it was a billion dollars in
revenue to A O L. I decided maybe I should
go do something else. Um. It had been an amazing journey,
a much bigger company than when I had started there. Um.
(05:19):
But also I was really looking for something. I lived
in the Bay Area, and I was looking for something
a little closer to home. I had started my family. Um,
I was just about to have my third child when
I left A O L. And I thought, I want
to take a little time and just you know, have
a family and spend some time with them and enjoy
where I live in the Bay Area. So that was
(05:40):
really where my head was at. And prior to that,
I was in mediate both TIME and CNN, and so
I didn't have any beverage experience at all. But um,
but really saw, like I said, this hole in the
market from a consumer perspective that I thought I need
to go and tackle. You call yourself an accidental entrepreneur,
(06:03):
and I guess by that you mean you really weren't intending,
You weren't setting out to start a company, but you,
as you say, realized that water just needed to be
cooler for lack of a better word. Yeah, no, absolutely, Yeah,
I called myself an accidental entrepreneur, primarily because, unlike many
other entrepreneurs out there, I didn't intend to actually go
(06:24):
start a company. I mean a lot of people said, oh,
you left a O L and you know, I bet
you had all these ideas, not even slightly. I mean
I was, I was, you know, really trying to figure out,
um when I left, like what kind of tech role
would I take? And I didn't even think about starting
a tech company. I mean, that was that wasn't it
at all? Um. But what I realized is that just
(06:49):
by kind of living my life as a consumer, I
started seeing these problems that really needed fixing. And and
so that's why I I decided to go tackle it.
I think there are entrepreneurs that I've met over the
years to where they know when they're a kid, or
they know when they're in college that they should, you know,
(07:11):
go develop something. And but that just wasn't me at all.
And and uh, you know, so I think there's entrepreneurs
come in all shapes and sizes, I guess, you know.
And and for me, um, you know, I'd say that
the closest thing to actually being an entrepreneur that I
had been around was my father, who was kind of
(07:31):
a frustrated entrepreneur. He had actually started a company within
a large company, UM called UH or I should say,
a product within a large company. UM. He started a
company called Healthy Choice within Knagra and so um the
food ground. And so I had watched him over the years,
(07:52):
you know, be really excited to bring a product to
market and you know, and do all these things. But um,
and definitely it was it was healthier than the men alternatives.
But I you know, again, I sort of didn't know
the aspect of actually starting a business, raising money, you know,
figuring out how to not only start a company, but
(08:13):
started brand new category in a very you know, competitive
um marketplace. So that is what I embarked on. So
a lot of people have great ideas and I think
maybe even a lot of people see holes and markets,
but still to cross over and actually do it is
a different thing. Your book is called Undaunted Overcoming Doubts
(08:35):
and Doubters. How did you cross over to decide to
start the company And did you have doubts early on? Absolutely? Um, Yeah,
it's you know one of the things that I felt
in and really the reason why I wrote the book
was that I think there's this uh, misconception that that
entrepreneurs are are you know, very confident and they don't
(08:59):
have fears, and they never have doubts or don't have doubters,
or don't have failures. And you know, especially when I
was out speaking about building my company over the last
few years, I would run into these people who would
articulate that and almost you know, site that I was
so different than they were because they had all these
insecurities and walls up around them. And one day I
(09:22):
just it really dawned on me that I was no
different and and successful people that are business people or
athletes were really no different than anyone else other than
the fact that they actually tried and that they knew
that there was a chance that they were going to fail,
but they felt like they would go and try. And
(09:43):
so that is really the essence of my book is
that just by sharing my story of not only building
UM the company, but also a little bit of autobiography
to on you know, growing up as a kid and
and kind of the things that you know, I thought about.
And you know, somebody who read my book, garling on
(10:06):
UM as a preview of it, said that, you know,
just you don't actually say in this book, you don't
talk necessarily about parenting, but you definitely describe this environment
that you grew up in, which was go and try right, like,
it doesn't matter if you fail, you need to just
go try. And I think it's a lot of what
(10:27):
I do you know as a parent too, I for um, teenagers,
and you know that's that is what I'm constantly saying.
I want them to be happy and have passion for
what they do, but also know that being being able to,
you know, go out and try is more important than
even if you do fail. And so this book really
(10:49):
is UM. It's great for entrepreneurs, but I think it's
also for It's also great for people who might feel
stuck like you know, might feel especially in today day's
day and age, where they're not really that excited about
doing what they do every day, or you know, they've
got fears um that they really need to tackle. UM.
(11:09):
So my hope is that by reading this book, it
will inspire them to to go out and really try
and knock those things off the list as being afraid of.
So I want to dig into that a little bit
more because it's super interesting and I love the thesis
of your book and your life. Um, And I think
what you said about parenting is so important. So so
(11:31):
in trying, um, do you also sort of you know,
obviously in the Valley, and I think it was Steve
Jobs who was big on saying fail forward and fail fast. Um,
you know, it's it's about trying, but it's also about
expecting on some level that you're going to fail. Have
you built that? I mean, what do you tell yourself
when you're when you're taking on that next big challenge?
(11:51):
I mean obviously not everything you do that everything anybody
does is going to be successful. So what do you
tell yourself? What did you tell your younger self? And
what do you tell your kids today about that? I
try whenever anything is a little bit scary for me,
I try and figure out how to break it down
a bit, And so I don't allow myself to sort
of get into a headspace of making it so big
(12:15):
that it's you know, it's gonna freak me out right,
and so that I can't move forward. And so I
think that that is such an important piece for for
people to recognize, is that when things do start getting
really scary, and again, like I still fear things, I
still you know, doubt myself on things that I'm doing,
(12:36):
but just know that if you can actually just break
it down a little bit and start to make steps forward,
things start to seem easier. And even when you do fail,
right this, this is another thing that I've really learned
to appreciate that the next hard thing that you encounter,
you'll probably have greater strategies and way is to kind
(13:00):
of you know, move forward and learnings just from that
last failure um in making you know, this next scary
thing successful or you know, really less daunting. I feel
that it's really important to sort of reinterpret these things
that are deemed negative. So even thinking that failure is
(13:21):
a negative thing when it can in fact be a
positive thing. I mean, obviously, in science we know that
you know, you're constantly failing until you find the next breakthrough.
So if we can reinterpret that for ourselves, I think
that helps a lot too. Yeah. I mean, obviously we're
in a very difficult moment right now, being in COVID
and all different issues that are going on in our
country and around the world. How has that impacted, um,
(13:42):
what you're doing with hint. Yeah, So we've been very
fortunate actually because we're in a UM category, uh that is,
UM considered essential. But we definitely had challenges at the
beginning because a lot of our business about one of
our business was through offices at the beginning, you know
(14:04):
of COVID, when we were shutting down offices throughout the US,
I mean, we made some big predictions that offices were
going to close down until at least the end of
this year, and so in order to make up for
that fifercent of revenue, we made some fastest decisions, including
that we would UM put more resources behind our director
(14:27):
Consumer Business UM, which by the way, has tripled in
size since March. Fantastic, Yeah, which is amazing. But then
in terms of employees, we didn't want to furlough or
lay anybody off who might have been servicing UM these
these offices and food service, and so we reallocated those
(14:49):
roles for merchandisers. So I was proud to say that
we didn't lay an amity off. But also I think
it's a lesson to that I try and share with
entrepreneurs UM and business owners, which is that I think
what the pandemics should have taught people, amongst other learnings too,
but is that having multiple revenue streams into your company
(15:12):
is like, I mean, you have to write it's just
when it was a business that you know, of the businesses,
while that's not the majority, it still was a big
chunk of business, and you know, it's you just never know.
I mean, I did not predict that that business would
go away tomorrow. Like maybe I predicted that some of
(15:34):
the companies would UM start, you know, putting less product
into their micro kitchens maybe, but not literally overnight. So
I've talked to many UM brands, beverage brands and food
brands that you know, really had kind of hung their
hat on this one, you know, channel of getting that
(15:56):
revenue in the door, and I feel like the ability
to have the relationship directly with the customer UM was
just magnified. I think it's it's UM you know, a
real lesson, just not only in terms of leadership, but
also in terms of you know, kind of turning quickly
(16:16):
and being able to you know, figure out what part
of your business is UM you know, is working, and
can you put more gas on it while others are
having you know, struggles that are beyond your control. That's
a really important lesson. So what did you do to
accelerate your DTC business during this time and did you
(16:38):
have to pivot? Well, we already had it going, so
we started going six years ago and um, and so
that was we were fairly prepared from from that standpoint.
And you know, we when we talk about direct to consumer,
it's not just our site, but we're also on Amazon too.
(16:58):
But um, but Amazon, you know, for those who don't know,
if you're a product like hint, I mean, Amazon's amazing
and lots of people go there to buy products, but
you know, if you have twenty six products like we do,
they're not going to put all of them on there,
just like a retailer where where they'll pick a few
because they want to have selection. So um, so for us,
(17:21):
just actually, you know, the store really kind of ended
up happening in the first place because we wanted everything
that we did on you know, on the shelves and
um somewhere, and so that's how it initially started. But
at the beginning of COVID, I mean, we just decided
we were going to try and do what we could
(17:42):
to fix some of these issues. But then, um, the
direct to consumer business, we had over a million people
in our database that we could go out and email
and say you know, not only hey, we have plenty
in stock, but also show you know, the humility. Right
Like I was scared. I was afraid of what was
going on, and you know, and seeing how people consumers
(18:04):
were reacting and hoarding and and you know, they were
stockpiling product and it was just like, I mean, I
couldn't believe it. Um, But I also felt like we
had to calm people down a little bit and know
that there was plenty in stock and that they should
just go to our site and buy Hint. And it
was nuts. Like when I sent out an email to
our database, it was like six responded with you know,
(18:28):
buying a buying a case of Hint. I mean, it
was insane. So what I realized is that, you know,
and I've talked a lot about this over the years too,
that actually being the i mean call it the face
of the brand, or you know, being authentic or there's
a lot of different angles to this, but actually being
a product that has a mission and a brand story
(18:51):
of why you ultimately created this, but also sharing that
story and really having a line of communication with your customer,
um is just it. I mean it's real, and it's
a competitive advantage to you know, new companies versus older
companies because those those companies can't you know, typically the
person is no longer alive at the you know, large
(19:14):
companies or no longer there or whatever. Um. And so
I really think that this that was another piece that
we really saw in this in this process as well.
We'll be back with Seneca's Made by Women after this
short break. So another great success you've had and I
(19:42):
think people would benefit from, is your experience raising capital.
You've been quite successful to date. We know that it's
not easy for women, or hasn't traditionally been easy for
women to break into the venture capital space, and you've
done that very successfully. Again, your book is called Undaunted.
How did you go about raising capital? And are there
lessons scar Tissue anything that you can share with others
(20:04):
scar Tissue. I love that. Um. Yeah, you know, we initially,
uh we the first two years kind of an unconventional
way to do things. But I can only share what
I did. I we did not actually raise money. I
used a lot of the money that I had made
off of stock from a O L to actually fund
(20:26):
the company. And you know, the main thing that I'm
happy about is I still own a very large chunk
of the company because of it, because I was able
to invest money UM up front. But then as we
went along, we really decided, gosh, you know, we need
a lot more money in order to scale. And it's
funny because a lot of Silicon Valley, especially after we
(20:48):
got into Google, knew about Hint and we started getting
phone calls from Sandhill Road saying, oh my gosh, I
love your product. We stock it. You know, we will
you know, sit down own and invest in you guys, etcetera.
And so we had all those meetings and it's fascinating
because we could not raise money on Sandhill Road because
(21:09):
I you know, it's I share this in the book
as well, that what I've learned about fundraising UM is,
you know, I never really know if it was harder
for me to raise money because I'm a woman, because
I've never been a man. But what I can share
with you is that investors don't invest in things that
(21:29):
they feel like they can add value to, right. And
so here there's a bunch of men that I'm talking to.
They just didn't get it. I'm sure. Sarah Blakely from
spanks like would say the same thing right like, and
so I think, you know, at what where when I
finally decided to you know, kind of figure out like
(21:50):
who else would potentially be a good candidate for this
UM and started sharing with people UM about that we
were raising money. We actually on the whole group of
women who were fans of the brand and UM. So,
I mean this was kind of even before the term
angel investors was really out there, or there was Angel
(22:11):
Networks UM out there. So again, I started the company
fifteen years ago, so this was twelve thirteen years ago.
I mean angels, I guess we're out there, but there
wasn't sort of the official kind of grouping of them.
And so what we found and and frankly still to
this day, the best investors that we've had have really
been the fans of the brand. And you know, I
(22:33):
still get emails from people every day saying, hey, are
you guys like raising money? Are you on the stock exchange?
Are you? I mean, people like love the product. And
you know, one day I got a phone call years
ago from John Legend and I had no idea who
John Legend was ten years ago. I mean, he's really
(22:54):
in the last ten years, it's been insane. You know,
his popularity has risen. But John was a fan and
he had bought it at Starbucks and he just called
the eight hundred number. And you know, I got a
little secret for entrepreneurs that are out there, like it's
okay to actually answer the phone once in a while
and see he was on the other line, right, and
(23:14):
because because it was John, and John was like, hey,
I love your product and just wondering if you guys
are taking investments. And I was curious, as this like
one of the big soda companies companies. I said, no,
you know, not at all. So anyway, John has been
a long term investor and is very excited about what
(23:35):
we're doing and how we're really helping people, um to
enjoy water and get healthier. So I again, I think,
you know, having people that really love the brand and
are supportive. And you mentioned k copple Bits too, she's
part of, you know, one of the funds that has
invested in Hannah as well. But I think we have
(23:55):
like eighty percent of our cap table as women. I mean,
it's it's yeah, it's amazing. I mean it's wild, right, Yeah,
So it's definitely really exciting. I mean, that's that's so
interesting because I was going to actually bring up K
and Springboard, and that is what we hear, right that
a lot of women when they go to pitch their
ideas are not understood because they had they're not sharing
(24:18):
the same experiences as those were making the investment decisions,
and so they just don't get it. Um. And then
of course these companies become huge successes when there are
women or you know, men who are you able to
look beyond their own personal experience and say, well there
is a hole in the market for that or that
makes sense. Um, So how are you finding um now
that we're having a lot more women investors. I think
(24:40):
K has really led the way on this actually in
trying to really emphasize the need to have more women
in venture capital. And we see that there are more
women getting into venture capital. Are you seeing a shift? Yeah? Well,
you know Springboard in particular is um. They just let
our last round actually, which was very, very exciting for
us and for them. I mean it was really the
(25:01):
kind of the first one that they've actually lead. But
I think it was so unique about Springboard, and frankly,
I wish there were more of more like Springboard out there,
but they're a later stage female not only female group
in terms of the three you know head partners are female,
(25:22):
but also they invest in companies that have female entrepreneurs,
founders and um and ceo s. And so, you know,
when I've talked to females along the way who had
sold out to private equity or you know, ultimately sold
or closed down or whatever ended up happening UM that
(25:44):
I I find I found that most of the time
it was because they just couldn't find that later stage
capital coming from you know, women. And I didn't believe
this was the case ultimately until I really started looking.
And so I have said this to k as well,
that I think that, you know, it's really tough to
(26:06):
find the female you know groups that are out there,
and I think that, you know, I wish there were
more of those because I think that, you know, when
some of these founders end up selling off to private equity,
they end up you know, getting a difference CEO, they
end up you know, kind of losing the essence of
(26:27):
of really what the company is and what it was
meant to be. And I think that it's um you know,
that could that really shouldn't be happening as much. In
some cases, maybe it should be maybe it is time
for the founder to move on. But I think that
there's many many stories if we just had more UM investors,
(26:48):
female investors that were focused on on you know, this
later stage growth UM that we still need many many more.
Well we are. We're so excited to see where you're
going this and we do look forward to being on
an exchange if that's what you end up deciding to
do UM. But obviously you are definitely leading the way
in this category and also for women entrepreneurs. I know
(27:11):
it's a very difficult time for everybody UM, but is
there something that's making you optimistic in this moment? You know?
I think that the key thing that I not only
share with with you know friends and entrepreneurs, but also
UM my own kids and and some of their friends
are that you know, during this time where everybody is
(27:37):
UM is kind of holding off on doing anything UM,
whether that's finding a new job or UM or you know,
going out and raising money. I think there's no better
time to go and ultimately make these changes and build
when so many people think that it can't happen. And
(27:58):
you know, it really is the word of hint, which is,
you know, go out and and really overcome any doubts
that you had about moving forward and go try because
you know, great businesses in history have been built during
times when you know, you've got craziness going on in
(28:20):
the economy, or you know, people are you know, thinking that,
oh there's lots of people laying off, but there's you know,
nobody hiring. It's just not true. People are doing that.
Yes they are laying people off, but I think you
have to figure out some creative way and ultimately, I
believe find your own passion and maybe that is start
(28:41):
your own company. Maybe that's going and joining something. But
don't let these doubts and these blocks really prevent you
from ultimately moving forward. Well again, we so look forward
to reading your book, Undaunted. Um, your last piece of advice,
I think really says it all and I think in
this moment um, everybody needs to hear that. So thank
(29:02):
you for what you're doing. Thank you so much. Yeah,
I'm very excited and uh yeah, and if you want
to grab a copy, it's you can go on Amazon.
The book again, it's called Undaunted Overcoming Doubts and doubters,
or you can also pick it up on our website
at Undaunted the Book dot com. Wonderful, We'll be sure
(29:23):
to do that, and also we go to hint dot com. Um,
we all know where we can get our next our
next supply of water. Definitely, definitely yes, pick up a
case as well. Okay, thanks so much for joining us.
Thank you such great advice from Kara Golden. Here are
three lessons I took from the conversation. First, know that
(29:48):
you can do the thing that scares you, As Kara says,
you just need to break things down into small steps
that will carry you forward, and the hard things you
do today we'll leave you better prepared for the next challenges. Second,
for women in business, for anyone in business, frankly, staying
close to your customers is key. And don't forget Kara's secret.
(30:09):
Answer your phones once in a while and see who's
on the other end of the line. In Kara's case,
she picked up a call one day and found John
Legend on the other end of the phone, now one
of her most loyal and trusted investors. Finally recognize that
even though things are incredibly challenging right now, there is
also great opportunity when everyone else is pulling back and
(30:32):
clinging to doubt and fear. That's the moment to build
or rebuild, says Kara. After all, some of the greatest
businesses were born out of the most difficult times. Made
by Women is brought to you by the Seneca Women
Podcast Network and I Heart Radio, with support from founding
partner PNG
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