Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is coreted entrepreneurship. It's a very uncomfortable place to
be pretty much all the time. And because you're constantly
doing things that haven't been done before or you haven't
done before. And that was the epitome of it. You know,
standing on that stage in front of Mark Cuban is
(00:20):
the epitome of you know, being very uncomfortable. But then
you do it and you realize, wow, I can do this,
and then it makes it easier to do the next thing.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Welcome to the Warriors at Work Show. This is Genie Komber,
your guide and host. This is a show for men
and women in the workplace who want to move from
the predictable to the potent. This is your weekly dose
of inspiration with an edge. I talk with CEOs and shaman's,
sports marketing executives and therapists.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
All of us are.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Like minded thinkers and doers who tell stories, share wisdom,
and challenge each other to have the best life possible
inside and outside the office. Welcome to your Warrior Conversation. Hey, everybody,
it's GD Today. We are unpacking the topic of risk.
(01:16):
I invited a dear friend and colleague, Sonya Hatzel, to
have this conversation with me. Because of her deep experience
in management, marketing, branding, entrepreneurship. She's also had various C
suite leadership roles in consumer package goods, consumer healthcare, Mackenzie
just to nhim a few. She's also the founder of
(01:38):
Fletcher Road Capital and the CEO and co founder of
funk Off, which is a lifestyle brand company that is
disrupting the personal and oral care category with innovation. In
July twenty twenty one, funk Off launched their first flagship product,
funk offf Teeth Refreshers, which is the first and only
(02:00):
two and one toothbrush and tooth based that's reusable to
keep your teeth white and fresh on the go. In
February twenty twenty three, Sonya appeared on Shark Tank and
received a deal from a Shark. Since then, Funkoff has
won numerous awards. It's also been recognized by leading press
organizations like the NBC News, Travel and Leisure, La, Time, Shape,
(02:24):
just to name a few, and as part of Fletcher
Road Capital, Sonya is leading the operations and growth of
Serp Agency, a digital marketing services company. Sonya's education includes
Boston College, University of Virginia Darden Graduate School of Business,
Harvard Business School Executive Education. So she's really well rounded,
(02:45):
and she's on the board of Women's Business Development Council,
which supports women entrepreneurs and small business owners. She's also
on the board of UVa's Darden Business School Alumni Association
and the board of Rye Arts in Rhyney, Or, where
she lives with her husband Patrick and her twenty year
old twins an eight year old black lab So it
(03:07):
is my pleasure to bring to you this conversation Sonya.
Thank you so much for joining me here at Warriors
at Work. Boy, have we been planning and talking about
this conversation for some time. So excited to have you here.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
I'm so excited to be here. I'm really looking forward
to this. It's a Friday, it's the end of the week,
started a weekend, and I just I love being with Eugenie.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
So oh, thank you. Well, where I want to start?
Speaker 1 (03:36):
You have?
Speaker 2 (03:36):
You have such an interesting story and background, and obviously
this is this is all going to be around your
entrepreneurial journey, but I would love for you to share
what was your journey to becoming an entrepreneur?
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Sure? Sure, well Actually, my dad was an entrepreneur, and
so I grew up in a house where I was
exposed to entrepreneurship, and I actually never thought I would
be one because my dad kept pushing me into other
things like law school, which I did not end up doing.
(04:13):
But when I was young, I do have this funny story.
I was a sister and older sister, and we were
very close and did a lot of things together. We
started a little business when we were really young. So
even though I didn't think I was going to be
an entrepreneur, I started this little business and it was
the funniest thing. It was a a company that helps
people get jobs, and for some reason, it was for
(04:36):
people who had come out of the Army. We lived
in the DC area, so we were around, like you know,
the armed forces and the government, and so it was
called Army Helped to Get a Job center. And we
had a whole like a whole system and process. We
had forms and we literally played this game for years
(04:59):
and it was such a fun thing to do because
it was running a little business. So there was something
inside me even though I didn't think I was going
to be an entrepreneur, there was something inside me that
was kind of pushing me in that direction. Fast forward,
I went to business school and ended up in the
business world and worked in big companies, big corporations and
(05:20):
consumer packaged goods. And in those companies, I was running
little businesses because that's what brands are. They're basically businesses
within big companies. And so it was a bit entrepreneurial
in that sense. So I was getting comfortable with running
a business and all the components of a business. And
so then when you know, when I started talking to
(05:44):
a friend of mine from middle school about the idea
and invention, it sparked something in me. It sparked that
little seed from years ago, and it tapped into the
experience that I have as a marketer working for consumer
packaged goods. Basically, we were looking to launch a consumer
package good and I knew how to do it. I
(06:05):
loved doing it, and so I just decided, Okay, I'm
ready to do this. Wow.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Now, by the way, the company you started as a child,
First of all, how old were you?
Speaker 1 (06:17):
We were pretty young. I mean we were like eight, nine,
ten years old.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
That's incredible.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
I Mean it wasn't a real it was a play company,
you know.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Right, But it was such an interesting concept. IM very
very forward thinking. And so then you decided to partner
with a friend you grew up with in the creation
of funk Off. So tell us about the brand and
tell us a little bit about the early days of
(06:50):
when you decided to do this.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Okay, sure, yeah, Well, branding was my passion and so yeah,
we we had this great invention and we wrapped a
brand around it, and that was extremely fun for me.
I had launched brands. Well, I launched one brand from
(07:15):
scratch before when I was with Mandalize, which is rare
and a lot of work, but it's so fun. And basically,
we put this wrapper around this amazing product that helps people,
you know, keep their teeth clean and white on the go.
And so it was a very innovative delivery of in
(07:36):
solving a problem. And you know, the early days were
a lot about getting the product ready for market to
commercialize it, as we say in the business, and then
figuring out how to bring it to all the consumers,
communicate it, you know, build a website, build a marketing plan,
(07:59):
build a distribution platform to do that. Thank goodness for Shopify.
And this was also part of the entrepreneurial journey. It
was twenty nineteen and e commerce was just starting to
take off, and things like Shopify were coming into existence
that would allow an entrepreneur just you know, you know,
(08:23):
not a corporation to bring the products to market, but
you know a couple of women who came up with
a business plan and brought this to market. So things
like Shopify and Amazon as well kind of helped entrepreneurs
deliver on, you know, their business plans.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
So I just want to peel that back a bit,
because you had to have known a lot about your
skills and attributes to decide to do something like that.
Like you gave a little context there. You really knew brands,
you really understood how to do that, But what did
you know about yourself as a risk taker that you
knew was going to be really important in that journey.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Yeah. I think the thing that when I think about
risk for myself, I am a risk tape taker, but
I also very actively manage risk and it's actually one
of the things that I learned how to do when
I was working in big companies. You have to manage
(09:28):
risk in order to be successful, and so it's one
thing to take risk but it's you've got to do
a lot of analysis. There's a lot of data that
goes into what decisions you make. And so I think
one of the things that I feel I brought to risk,
you know, the risk taking decisions, was that I was
(09:49):
not just taking the risk, but managing it and keeping
things in control.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
And when you say manage it, like be specific with me, like, so,
how do you manage risk? Is it wellal, is it
particular principles, practices? What is it?
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Well, it's it's a lot of analysis. I love, you know,
business planning, doing financial models, you know, uh, scenario planning
around Okay, well if we do this, this will happen.
If we do that, that will happen. And and also
making decisions with partners or with contracts in a way
(10:28):
that gives us flexibility to to to minimize our risk,
you know, not entering into you know, a year long contract,
but negotiating you know, a shorter term. Negotiation actually was
a is a part of it too, because you've got
you're always you know, as an entrepreneur, you're constantly working
with people on the other side, and you're constantly negotiating
(10:50):
with them, and you know, you always want to make
a win win and I think that's part of managing
the risk and negotiating to get to a win win place.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
And so so I want to just build on what
you just said. So you consciously made a decision you
were going to enter into relationship for the launch of
this brand. Take us into the early days. So now
we know a little bit about you, how you think,
some of your skills and attributes, Like walk us through
like that a little bit of that first year.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Like what was it like.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
To say we're doing this and we're going to launch this.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Yeah, it was super fun because we had, you know,
a blank page and we were building something from scratch,
and it was super fun to basically be creative. It
was a very creative time, right because we were creating
what the brand looked like. We were honing what features
(11:49):
we wanted for the product. We were listening to what
consumers were saying about the product because in the early days,
we did market research and we did some focus groups
with the product and the features try and understand what
we needed to do. We were meeting a lot of
people who were gonna potentially and eventually did work with
(12:12):
us to bring the product to market. We're still working
with one of our co manufacturers, and that was super fun. Like,
we went into the lab to formulate the gel that
goes inside, and it's our formula, it's a proprietary formula.
So we were you know, taste testing gel flavors and
taste testing different kinds of ingredients that we wanted to
(12:36):
put into it. So it was very fun.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
And then the moment came. So here you were started
the product, doing all these things. You're really beyond the
critical moves. You've started this product. It's doing well. Shark
Tank comes up in conversation talk to us about A
how did that come to you? And B like what
was the process like to prepare for a Shark Tank?
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Yeah? Yeah, so they scout out interesting entrepreneurs and products
and so they reached out to us and invited us
to apply. And at first, well, I was very intimidated
by the process. I'm I'm a borderline introvert, so the
thought of going on stage to pitch wasn't something that
(13:29):
I felt super comfortable with. Also, I had never watched
Shark Tank and a way seriously, yeah, I had never
watched it because I thought it was a reality show
and I'm not a big reality show person, so I
didn't really understand that it's not really reality show because
(13:50):
and this is the reality the Sharks don't know anything
about your product before you step on that stage, so
you are one hundred percent pitching them. And when we
pitched there, you know, we pitched for about an hour
and we went back and forth. They only show about
ten minutes, but I guess there was My interpretation of
(14:14):
reality shows was that there might be some manipulation around,
you know, the message that might come out. That was
not the case at all. So anyway, it was just
not what I expected. And in the end, it was
an amazing experience. It was intense. It was a full
time job, another full time job for six months preparing
because they have a lot of stage gates that you
(14:35):
have to go through, and even once you film, they
tell you that you may not air, and so it
was we were constantly on the edge of our seats.
I was constantly thinking, Okay, well we made it through
that round. I don't know if we're going to make
it to the next round or even get on air,
but we did and it was great.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Did they actually help you hone your pitch?
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Yes, you are paired with producers that basically hold your
hands every step of the way. Yeah, they have it
down to a nice system and rhythm, and you know,
because they're trying it's TV. They want you know, they
want you to come across as best as possible. One
(15:21):
of the things that I struggled with with the pitch
was they want you to be very over the top
with the pitches, like that first ninety seconds. And for
anybody who watches Shark Tank, you know what I'm talking about.
That first ninety seconds when you're doing that pitch, it's
it's entertainment, and that wasn't natural for me. So that
really took me out of my comfort zone.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
And when you went through that experience, first question is like,
did anything surprise you about yourself after having gone through that.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Yeah, the fact that I actually did it surprise myself,
just because it it's you know, even now when I
think about it, I mean, I was pitching and debating
with Mark Cuban, like I.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
Know, people can say that by the way, right.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
And I can't sometimes believe that I actually did that.
And even when I was standing on the stage, I
felt almost like I was having an out of body
experience because it was so surreal. But but yeah, I
mean it was. It was Uh, I learned a lot
about myself and I and and and this is this
is coret an entrepreneurship. It's a very uncomfortable place to
(16:36):
be pretty much all the time, and because you're constantly
doing things that haven't been done before or you haven't
done before. And that was the epitome of it. You know,
standing on that stage in front of Mark Cuban is
the epitome of you know, being very uncomfortable. But then
you do it and you realize, wow, I can do this,
(16:59):
and then it makes it easier to do the next thing.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
And you got a shark.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Yeah, yeah, we yeah, we did it.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
And then so now it airs, you come back into life.
What what was the reaction and how did you you shift?
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Yeah, I mean it was it was literally overnight because
once it airs, you know, it has such a huge
audience that you know, we sold out that night and
then we had we took pre orders, and then there
was all of this press interest, right which we wanted
to take advantage of as much as possible because we
(17:42):
knew it wasn't gonna you know, last there was a
you know, there's a there's diminishing you know, returns on it,
and so that you know, that year, that's first six
months was really intense. It was very busy. We were
doing a lot, we were doing a lot of press stuff,
a lot of podcasts, and then we were at the
same time trying to get more inventory figure out how
(18:05):
to really scale the business. So it was it was
a very pivotal time. And and it's not and it's
an unusual thing for most entrepreneurs because you know, there's
very few things like Shark Tank where the button switches
the business like.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
So interesting because there's no way you could possibly be
the same after going through an experience like that, right, correct,
And so that all happens you're in the middle of
this big level of attention inventories, like selling out. Everything
is like so intense. So when you think then onto
(18:48):
the highs and the lows of your of your business cycle,
what comes to mind? So first let's talk about the highs,
like when you think about triumphs, like moments where you're like, wow,
we took an idea and look where we are.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Yeah, yeah, I mean Shark Tank is the obvious triumph, right,
and the triumph of you know, and not all Shark
tank products find this success, but the response that we
got was so powerfully good, you know, from the sharks.
(19:23):
Everybody loved the product, and then you know, there words
purchase interest, but then there was just emails people coming
in telling us how much they liked the product. It
was brilliant, it was great, you guys were great. You know.
So it was just it was wonderful positive feedback that
(19:45):
just felt so rewarding and valid and building upon that.
Part of the triumph has been for me is knowing
that people are using this product and enjoying it and
it's you know, so solving a problem for them. One
of the most special experiences was when someone asked me
(20:08):
if I had ever heard of funk Off. No, yeah,
because I was like, you know, it was yeah, I
guess it felt like, you know, it was it was
out there people were talking about they were spreading the word,
you know, spreading the word, and and somebody was telling
me how cool this new product was. Have you ever
(20:29):
heard of it? And I was like, oh, what did
you say when they said that to you? I just
I laughed.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
I was like that, I yes, I had I know
a little bit about that problem.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
It's amazing. And actually before I told them, I remember thinking,
I was like, well, how did you learn about it?
Because I wanted to know, Like, yeah, yeah, I did
find out about it. What they thought before they knew
who I was?
Speaker 2 (20:51):
And if you were thinking about this now and you
were in front of a room with people who were
aspiring onnors and they were like, you know, I really
want to do this. Yeah, what are the dos and don'ts? Like,
what are the give me the brass tacks?
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Well, the big one is what I've been I've mentioned
a few times, which is just be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
That is just huge. You just you have to you
have to really find ways to deal with that. It's
and it's very stressful, right, So, I mean I I
(21:32):
started doing things like meditating, journaling, I make I make
sure i'm you know, exercise, because there's just so much stress.
It's just unavoidable. I think the other thing I would
say is think big and I I and I don't.
(21:53):
This wasn't a mistake. Just back to your other question,
but one of the things that I wish I had
done was thought bigger. And my philosophy has always been.
I'd rather be a smaller part of a bigger pie
than a big part of a small pie. And and
I think if you're an entrepreneur, well, everybody has to
find their own path. But for me, I would recommend
(22:16):
think big, have a big vision, and really go after
it and don't be afraid to bring people in to
help you get there.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Did you have anybody that were well, did you have
people that were naysayers going, what are you doing?
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Why?
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Why are you leaving a big corporate job, what do
you what? Are you doing this thing on your own?
Speaker 1 (22:33):
For no one ever outright said that, but I sensed.
I sensed that people were like you are. Well, I
think they most people, most people admire it because I
think it's it is a really hard decision and and
(22:54):
and I have to, you know, just be transparent. I
have had huge support from my husband to do this
and was in a position where, you know, we could
do it financially, so and I'm lucky in that regard.
And I was also at a stage in my life where,
(23:15):
you know, my kids were getting older and I could
do this because it's it's I mean, it's more than
a full time job. It's like two full time jobs.
So you know, everybody has to make their their path
and their decisions. But for me, there was a timing
component to this that made it made it work for me.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Is there one question that you're asked often about your
connection to funk Off and the journey, Like, what's what's
the most common question you get asked?
Speaker 1 (23:45):
What was it like to be on Shark Tank.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
When you think back on who you were when you
began this journey versus now, Like, tell me that what
that looks like? Where who were you then versus now?
Speaker 1 (24:01):
Yeah? I think you know, I mentioned I was kind
of a borderline introvert, So I definitely think especially because
of Shark Tank and the visibility of that and the business,
I'm definitely much more comfortable on a stage. You know.
(24:23):
I'm definitely more extroverted, I guess I would say, which
I actually enjoy because one of the most important things
is networking, and I think that's a big difference. I
network much much more now because I actually understand how
to do it and the value of it. Before I
(24:44):
think I thought of it as it didn't feel comfortable.
But the thing about networking is is everybody benefits from
it and I didn't realize that. I always felt like
if I was asking somebody for something or trying to
get advice from somebody, that you know they weren't going
to get anything out of it. But I am actually
in this mentor mentee relationship and you get just as
(25:08):
much out of it as the other person. And I
think it's made me less hesitant to network. I'm definitely
more confident, and I think my ambitions are much broader
because I have this whole different world that opened up
to me from being an entrepreneur. Because an entrepreneur is
(25:30):
a very broad term, right, you would be an entrepreneur
in so many different ways. But one of the things
that I didn't realize was out there were not just startups,
but there's a lot of small companies out there, early
stage companies, within VC and PE companies, there's family office,
investment companies. There's all sorts of entrepreneurial places that you
(25:55):
can be an entrepreneur and it doesn't necessarily mean you're
starting your own.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Right, that's such an important distinction, such an important distinction,
And you touched a little bit on this, but I'd
love for you to expand, Like, tell me what's inspiring
you now.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Yeah, you know, actually kind of what I was just
saying is really what's inspiring me is is how much
how much potential there is in business and and a
lot of stuff is happening in oral care and dental
right now. In that world, there's a lot of growth.
And obviously with funk Off, which is is an oral
(26:34):
care product, I've learned a lot about oral care in
the dental industry and there's a lot going on there.
There's a lot of growth, there's a lot of potential.
So I get a lot of inspiration from companies in
that industry, you know, that help us on funk Off
and then also help us think about, you know, where
it can go and so what's next for you? Well,
(27:03):
still working on it. It's still a work in progress.
But I do think because I have this broader perspective,
I am excited about using the experiences that I've had
and the skills that I've gained to work in smaller companies,
again not necessarily a startup, but maybe an early stage company,
(27:27):
maybe you know, in oral care or dental, maybe in
other industries. But there's just there's this great opportunity I
think for people who have been entrepreneurs and done what
I've done to tap into that to help other businesses.
And I'm also really excited about continuing to volunteer and
(27:50):
help other women. That's actually one of been one of
the great things because of the exposure with Shark Tank,
I've been become connected with a lot of of organizations.
I mentioned WBBC, there's another one called Dental Entrepreneur Women,
and it's a great organization that I'm excited to continue
(28:13):
to be a part of.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
So my last question is for anybody watching or listening,
what do you want them to remember about this conversation?
Speaker 1 (28:24):
For you, trust your gut. I think an important part
of entrepreneurship is taking risk and managing risk and doing
(28:44):
analysis and looking at data and doing research. But at
the end of the day, we all have gut reactions,
and I think they're much more powerful than I ever thought.
And that's actually one of the things that I learned.
One of the mistakes. Actually I didn't trust my gut
(29:06):
a few times, and I should have.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
So was it more your intellectual mind took over and
was like trying to make it logical and reasonable, but
you were feeling or sensing like hmmm, something's not right
here exactly.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
I was feeling or sensing something wasn't right, and I
wanted so badly for some for it not to be right. Yeah,
So I and I think I thought I could control
speaking of managing the risk, I think I could control
things to address what was kind of giving me, you know,
(29:41):
the feeling that maybe it wasn't the right thing to do.
So I should have listened to that and not fought it.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
For the entrepreneurs right now coming into the workplace, let's
think of all the students in college, what are you
most excited to see coming from this generation of potential
business owners or or potential founders of startups or like
(30:12):
you said, potential owners of small businesses. What are you,
as a really successful, smart entrepreneur, most excited to see.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
I'm excited to see their creativity. It's a very if
I think and I have two gen z children, it's
they're very creative and they're very resourceful, and I hope
they use that two you know, to to advance, you know,
(30:43):
advance things, and you see it on TikTok, and it's
unbelievable how creative people can be and the things that
they can accomplish, and I'm excited to see where where
they can take that. I hope it's gonna, you know,
be for good, and I hope it's it's gonna, you know,
create opportunity for a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
What a great way to end the conversation, Sonya, Thank
you so much for being here with me, sharing your story,
sharing your insight. I can't wait to see what is
next for you, and I'm very very grateful for you
being in my orbit.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
Well, thank you. I feel the same, and like every
time I talk to you, I always feel so much
better afterwards. So thank you.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Thank you for joining me for another episode of the
Warriors at Work Show. If you are interested in learning
more about what we do at the Warriors at Work
Show and platform, be sure to go over to my
website Jeanie Coober and subscribe to my monthly Warrior Playbook newsletter.
I share everything that I'm up to month by month,
(31:52):
as well as some lessons and insights that I've learned.
I'm also interested in hearing any feedback you have about
this conversation or future time topics, so reach out to
me directly on JC at Geniecomber dot com or on LinkedIn.
Be sure to tell your friends and your colleagues about
this Warriors at Work, Conversation, Subscribe, review and rate us.
(32:16):
It's the best way to get this message out into
the world.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Be well,