May 31, 2024 • 33 mins
Motherhood, Memories, and Business Insights: An Interview with Kodiak Cakes' Cameron Smith
In this re-aired episode from a few years ago, the host navigates the busy 'Maycember' period with a nostalgic interview featuring her children. The episode captures charming conversations with her sons Rowan, Brant, and Emerson about their favorite toys and daily experiences. Following these sweet segments, the host has an inspiring discussion with Cameron Smith, co-founder, and president of Kodiak Cakes. Cameron shares his journey from joining Kodiak Cakes in 2009 to growing it into a successful brand, along with insights into entrepreneurship, balancing work and family, and the importance of believing in oneself. This episode is an engaging blend of personal family moments and valuable business lessons.
00:00 Introduction and Episode Re-airing 01:57 Interview with Rowan 04:54 Interview with Brant 06:56 Interview with Emerson 07:23 Recognizing Adjustments with Cameron Smith 13:24 Family Dynamics and Personal Background 14:15 Joining Kodiak Cakes: The Early Days 16:32 Growth and Success of Kodiak Cakes 20:27 Empowerment and Overcoming Obstacles 24:39 Balancing Work and Family 27:54 Advice for Entrepreneurs 30:11 Inspirational Quotes and Final Thoughts 32:05 Conclusion and Farewell
#Podcasts #BusinessTips #FamilyMoments #InspiringStories #SuccessMindset #PodcastEpisode #Motivation #Innovation
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:23):
Hey there!
Welcome to the podcast this week.
I am re airing an episode from afew years ago because, as you may
have experienced, it is Maycember.
Or, in other words, the crazy timeof the year when it's the end of
the school year and there are allthese concerts and activities and
(00:43):
needs and in my family birthdays.
So we just are staying busy overhere and I am also editing my book
which is a lot harder than the fivedays it took to write the book.
So I am in the thick of it and I amoffering this episode as a replay
(01:04):
that you may have not heard before.
In this episode, I started out by talkingto my oldest son, Rowan, and at the time,
he was three, or he had just turned four,so he was just barely four, and in this
time, I decided to interview him again,and so he just turned six, and it's
(01:24):
been so neat to compare the differences,I didn't realize it would be so easy.
A time capsule of sorts, but that isone of the benefits of podcasting.
So, there was a little bit of historyembedded with Rowan and I'm excited
to have you hear from him again.
My two younger boys are also old enoughto somewhat talk on the podcast, so I had
them share some of their thoughts as well.
(01:45):
So, it's neat to hear thelittle guys every so often.
And, uh, I am in the thick of mothering,but I still continue my podcasting hobby.
So thank you for being along with meon the ride and enjoy this episode.
Hi Rowan, how are you today?
It's good to have you on my podcast again.
How old are you now?
Six.
When was your birthday?
(02:06):
May 27.
Which was?
Last, last time.
Yeah, last night, huh?
Yesterday.
And you just finished what grade?
Um,
I almost finished kindergarten.
And wait, Mom, look!
(02:27):
Oh my goodness!
You lost another tooth!
Yeah, it's in a box that's like this.
This big in my backpack.
Oh my gosh, so you lost your first toothat school about two weeks ago, and now
you lost your second tooth at school?
Oh my goodness, man.
One of these days I'll get towatch you lose a tooth, but so far
they've all happened at school.
(02:48):
Yeah.
Okay, well, the last time Ihad you on here, I asked about
your favorite toy, so it'll beinteresting to hear how it's changed.
What's your favorite toy right now?
Uh, shape shifting cube.
Ooh, and what does that do?
It starts as you deliver itas a cube and then you can
(03:09):
like shapeshift it into stuff.
That is so cool.
That's awesome.
So I know that you like a lot oftoys that transform, so pretty much
anything that changes you love, huh?
And I'm also strong.
You are super strong.
What's on your shirt today?
Yeah, and you've been liking toplay Super Mario Bros Wonder, huh?
(03:33):
Is there anything else youlike to play with right now?
Dad, my dinosaur transformer.
Yep, transformers all the way, huh?
And what else did you get for yourbirthday that came in the mail today?
Rollerblades!
Yeah, and we just have to wait for theknee pads before you can try them, huh?
Yeah, and the elbow pads.
(03:53):
Yep, so true.
Okay, well, one thing that we've beendoing lately is every day we say,
What was the best part of your day?
So, what was the bestpart of your day today?
Yeah,
so what happened was we ordered hispresents from Amazon yesterday because
we let him pick them out and then theycame today So that was super fast I was
(04:15):
telling him that we didn't really haveAmazon when I was growing up or if we
did it was different Nice, and then whatwas the hardest part of your day today?
When Pram was just so jealousabout my roller blades.
Yeah, that was a really hard part Hewas upset that it wasn't his birthday
because he wanted some too, huh?
(04:37):
Maybe when he's older.
Maybe.
Have you felt that way before?
That you're jealous thatsomeone else got some presents?
Mm hmm.
But now you got to be theone that got presents.
Was that nice?
Yeah.
And I can And we have a cake!
Mm hmm.
Cool.
Well, thanks for being on here, Rowan.
It was good to talk to you.
Mm hmm.
So Hi Brant, how are you?
Good.
(04:58):
Can you tell them how old you are?
Uh, three.
Yeah.
And what toys do you like to play with?
Uh, Paw Patrol.
Mm hmm.
What other kind of toys?
Um, Like, like microphones.
Oh, you like this?
This is pretty fun.
(05:19):
It seems like you like vehicles right now.
You like, oh, let's not touch it.
Why?
Because it makes it too noisy.
What kind of other toys do you like?
Do you like cars?
Yeah.
Especially What kind of cars?
Like, like me are going now?
Maid Lightning, McQueen, andMater and Monster Drugs, huh?
(05:42):
Yeah.
Yeah.
What's your favorite color?
Um, wood.
Yeah, it's a good one.
And what do you likeabout bedtime routines?
Doing talk time.
And sometimes you like to stay up laterand play a little bit longer, huh?
Yeah.
(06:03):
Yeah, you say just a little bit, huh?
What else do you want to tell our friends?
What's your favorite kind of food?
Slurpee noodles.
Slurpee noodles.
Oh, and chicken nuggets.
Okay, one last question,and then I'll let you go.
(06:26):
What's your favorite thing to drink?
Blue juice, which is Gatorade, huh?
Okay, thank you, Brant!
Moms.
Yeah.
What are these?
Yeah.
You like m and ms, huh?
Moms?
Yeah.
(06:46):
What other things do you like to eat?
Moms.
Do you like fruit loops?
Emerson?
Can you say hi?
Hi.
Can you say how old are you?
Can you say two?
Can you say two?
(07:07):
No.
You're just going to eat your treat thatI had to use to bribe you to come on here.
Can you say hi?
Okay, say bye.
You say bye?
Bye.
Hey, I'm Jen.
(07:28):
In life, I've learned thatadversity is a stranger to no one.
The way we cope is a hugeindicator of our character.
We want to make choices from confidence,empowerment, and trust, instead of
letting our circumstances control us.
Let's talk about how.
This is episode R, RecognizingAdjustments, with Cameron Smith.
(07:52):
Hello!
This is my first episode thatwill be published post baby, so
we now have a family of five, Ihave three boys, and we're just
doing our best adjusting to that.
I have two very important andspecial guests for you today.
The first is my son Rowan.
(08:13):
I figured it would be a good time to havehim on the podcast again because this
is episode R and his name begins with R.
He will do our segments for us.
I don't explicitly say them, butwe talk about his favorite toys,
that's his list, and then wetalk about emotions a little bit.
(08:33):
After you hear from Rowan, I am excitedto announce my guest for this week.
It is Cameron Smith, co founderand president of Kodiak Cakes.
We have a fabulous conversation and I'mexcited to share it with you, so we'll
just go right into it, as this episodeis already pretty lengthy, so enjoy!
Hi, Rowan.
How are you today?
(08:54):
Good.
Good.
Where did you just get back home from?
Preschool.
Do you like preschool?
Yeah.
Yeah, you have some good friends there.
I have a question for you.
What are some of your favorite toys?
Um, airplanes.
Oh, those are good.
Yep, airplanes.
What else?
What else do you like?
Um, cars.
Mm hmm.
(09:14):
And?
Fish.
Fish.
That's fun.
Mm hmm.
I was going to say, it sounds like youlike vehicles and things that move.
Well, I guess fish kind of movetoo, but you can't ride in a fish.
Uh, any other toys that you like?
What do you like to playwith when we're at home?
Um, these cat balls.
(09:35):
Balls.
Yeah.
Those are fun to throw and kick and roll.
Good.
And bounce.
Yes, that's true.
Uh, how are you feeling today?
Sick.
Oh, you feel a little sick.
Yeah.
Is your throat a little scratchy?
Yeah.
How do you feel when you're sick?
(09:57):
My voice sounds scratchy.
Mm.
And maybe you don't have a lot of energy.
Yay.
Yeah.
Does it make you morehappy when you're not sick?
Yeah.
Remember you gotta say the words.
You can't just nod your head else.
They won't hear you.
. So right now you're feelingsick in your throat.
(10:18):
Sometimes do you feel sick other places?
Yeah, preschool.
Oh yeah, well I mean likeother places in your body.
Have you ever felt sick in your tummy?
Or sick in your head, orsometimes your legs hurt?
My legs do hurt.
Yeah.
(10:39):
So, you're getting a newbaby brother this week.
How does that make you feel?
I don't know.
Happy.
Why does it make you happy?
Look what face I'm doing.
Yeah.
It's a happy face.
Why does it make you happyto have a new brother?
Because it's gonna come in your tummy.
(10:59):
Yeah.
So you're excited that mommy won'thave a baby in her tummy anymore?
Yeah.
Why else?
Does it make you excitedto have a baby brother?
Do you like being an older brother?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Sometimes it's hard, right?
Like Brant just turned off the computerand we had to start this again, huh?
Was that a little frustrating?
(11:20):
What happens when you feel frustrated?
Um, he takes toys from me.
Yeah.
And how does it feel in yourtummy when you feel frustrated?
Happy.
It makes you happy to feel frustrated?
What does, what does itmean to be frustrated?
Oh!
(11:41):
Um,
Um, Um, Is there a, isthere not a toy in this bag?
Here, we're not talkingabout toys right now.
Can you come finish this?
We're almost done.
Maybe we can talk about something else.
Uh, sometimes you have to bepatient with other brothers, huh?
(12:01):
Yeah.
What does it mean to be patient?
Wait.
To wait, yeah.
Is it easy to wait?
Blane!
Yes or no?
Yes.
Oh, it's easy to wait.
Yeah, sometimes you'rereally good at being patient.
But sometimes it's really hard, huh?
What can we do when we need tobe patient and it's hard to wait?
(12:23):
Um, I don't know.
What do you do when you're waiting?
Be patient.
Yeah, do you do anything to pass the time?
Yeah.
Like play with a toy orthink about something else?
Yeah, I play with my train.
His name's Percy.
(12:45):
Mm hmm.
That's a good thing todo to pass the time.
Okay.
Um, do you want to sing a song?
No.
Is there anything else you wantto say into the microphone?
No.
Okay.
Thank you for being here, Rowan.
You're welcome.
Hello.
(13:05):
I am here today with Cameron Smith, theco founder and president of Kodiak Cakes.
How are you today?
I'm doing great, Jen.
It's good to, good to chat with you.
Yeah, you too.
Just for my listeners, I knowCameron's youngest sister, Kaylee.
She and I met in junior high.
And so I, I know Cameron through that.
So yeah, no, Jen, that'snot, that's awesome.
(13:27):
So Kaylee is, she's, you're right.
She's my youngest sisterand I have six sisters.
So she's, she's one of, uh,five other sisters that I have.
So no, she, that's.
Great, love the connection.
Yeah, and no brothers,you're the only boy, right?
That's exactly right.
So I have four little kids, and my oldestis a boy, and then I have three girls.
(13:49):
So it's just kind of trickle down, beingthe only boy, and then my son's the only
boy, so at least I know how to do it,so I can help him navigate around it,
and my dad was the only boy too, so Ithink it's It's just what happens to us.
We get surrounded by, surrounded by girls.
So true.
Yeah.
I, I have two boys and thenthe third boy on the way.
So I'm, I know the, I know the feeling.
(14:11):
Awesome.
Well, congrats.
That's exciting.
Boys are, boys are fun.
Yeah.
So if you wouldn't mind just tellingus a little bit about yourself and, uh,
then I have a few questions for you.
Yeah, sounds great.
So I, um, I joined Kodiak in 2009.
I was just finishing up myundergraduate degree from the
University of Utah, just in business.
(14:32):
I, I didn't know where I wantedto focus in business necessarily.
So I did like business administration,which focused on each function.
from finance to operations and marketing.
And I, I was looking for a job,looking for something to do.
I had just gotten done selling foodstorage over the summer and I saw
a job posting for Kodiak cakes.
(14:55):
I didn't know what the business was.
I Googled it.
I remember looking at the websiteand thinking, Oh man, this is
not sure about this company.
And I actually passed up on thejob a handful of times until I
was finally like, all right, Ineed to, I guess I'll apply there.
I just keep seeing that job.
I guess I'll apply there.
And so I sent in a resume to Joeland then went and met with him.
(15:17):
And I remember after meeting with Joel,and I actually met with he and his dad,
his, his dad had retired from teachingand, and was, and was actually working
with Joel, I met with both of them.
And I remember walking out of theoffice and it was a really rundown
office right by the city mission.
But I remember calling my wifeafter we had just been, we had
just got married a year earlier.
(15:38):
Remember calling her after thinking,Hey, this would be pretty cool.
I didn't be a really cool company and notbecause it was a huge company or growing.
I mean, sales were lessthan a million dollars.
And so for me, it was more.
All right, this, this would be anopportunity to get into a company
that's really small and be able toinfluence a lot of different areas.
It would really scratch thatentrepreneurial itch that, that I had
(16:02):
kind of grown up with, not necessarily.
Because of myself, but because, you know,because I came from a bigger family,
my dad was always doing odds and endsjobs to, to make a little extra money.
And so for me, when I, after I metwith Joel, I was like, Hey, that would
actually be pretty fun because there'sa lot of different opportunities and
you're wearing a lot of different hats.
(16:22):
And then I, I started working with Joeland his dad was able to fully retire.
I guess this would have been the secondtime retiring and you know, the rest is.
I guess a lot of, I'd say history, butthere's a lot of history there from
us getting on sharp tank in 2014 to uslaunching a high protein pancake mix
called power cakes, which is now ourtop item and the number one selling
(16:46):
pancake mix at target and a handful ofother retailers to now a business where.
You know, we have about 115 peopletotal and our revenue, uh, is,
you know, just over 300 million.
So there's, there's a lot of thingsthat have happened over that,
those, these last 13 years, buthave learned a ton along the way.
(17:08):
Yeah, that is so neat.
I'll put this in the show notes, butI really enjoyed the podcast, How I
Built This, where, where Joel kind ofexplains how Kodiak Cakes came to be,
and it's fascinating to listen to.
So I'll put that down.
But I, I remember that he's,that Joel said, suddenly
everyone wanted to be our friend.
It just kind of took off.
And so it seems like failureis seen within a small sphere,
(17:31):
but success is widely known.
So you mentioned that you didn'treally know where this company
was going, but How does it feelnow that it has become so big?
Yeah, you know, it's, it's, it's crazy.
I remember when I first started workingwith Joel, I just had this entrepreneurial
itch and I know Joel had it too.
(17:52):
And I was actuallylooking past Kodiak cakes.
I wasn't looking at where we werecurrently at because we were kind
of hitting our head against thewall and trying a lot of things.
It wasn't totally working.
Joel had a cookie store at over atthe gateway mall here in Salt Lake.
And I, I remember we'd go over thereand I'd have different ideas of
things we could try and things wecould do to get more sales there.
(18:16):
I remember he and I had a bunchof other random, my business
ideas of, of things we could do.
And so So there in the beginning,I was thinking, all right,
let's get, let's dump Kodiak.
It's not going anywhere and we'll dosomething else was kind of in my mind.
And Joel had been doingKodiak for a while.
So I think that was a little bitharder for him to fully digest.
And so I didn't fully see that happening.
(18:37):
And then.
Things just started working.
We picked up Target.
We picked up a few other retailers.
We landed on Shark Tank.
And then we picked up some moreretailers and then we brought on outside
financing to help grow the business.
There's some private equity groups.
And as it continued to grow, westarted to think, wow, maybe Maybe this
(19:00):
business actually could go somewhere.
Maybe it actually could growto the point that it is today.
We didn't then have the foresightto say, Hey, Kodiak is going
to be this big of a brand.
That's going to do this and that.
And by this many people on the team,like we never thought that, but I think
the turning point for us was when webrought on our, when we brought on
our first private equity partners.
They, they told us, look, I thinkKodiak, I think you guys, you
(19:25):
guys have a huge opportunity.
I think this is it.
This big of a brand.
I think you could dothese types of things.
And so what it did is it helpedexpand what we thought was possible.
We almost had this limited vision,just based on what we knew.
And through that exposure of otherpeople, we were able to see more than we
even thought could happen with Kodiak.
(19:46):
Which then helped us to achieve morethan we thought possible because
someone first believed that more couldbe possible, if that makes sense.
Yeah, that's really neat.
And it speaks to the importance ofhaving those outside ears and advice.
And, uh, it's neat to hear you talk aboutit too, because a lot of times I feel
like we look from the outside and wow,it just happened, but like you mentioned,
(20:07):
it was little things along the way andlooking back at it all came together.
So that's a good perspective to have.
So Joel said, and you mentioned justbarely too, that you were hired in 2009
and he said that you were a lot likehim when he got back from his mission.
Enthusiastic and confident, fearlesswith blinders on, you didn't see
the obstacles or you didn't care.
So why do you think we are more empoweredto try new things when we're younger?
(20:31):
Oh, that's, that's such a good question.
You know, it's something that I, thatI've, that I've thought about recently.
Like, like I mentioned,I have four little kids.
They're my oldest daughter.
She's eight.
And, you know, as, as Ithink about, you know, why.
Why it's okay to fail when we're younger.
(20:52):
And I think that's because we see failureat that time as learning and adjusting
and not limiting on what we can do.
So like I mentioned with my, withmy eight year old daughter, she
loves to do flips, hang from bars.
She, she constantly says that she'seither a professional gymnastics girl
(21:12):
or that she's going to be gymnastics.
And it's almost, it's, it's a.
It's not even like a question ifthat's going to happen for her.
She is so adamant thatthat's going to happen.
As a result of that, she'slike, she'll try a flip.
She'll try a cartwheel.
She'll try these different things.
She'll fall and she'll hurt herselfcountless times, but because she's
(21:35):
so passionate about gymnastics, everytime she falls, She gets back up.
She adjusts.
She learns.
Then she applies thatlearning to get better.
And so I think what happens is when we'reyounger, we have in our minds of who we
want to be and we drive towards that.
We don't limit it.
And what's unfortunate is sometimeswhat happens and then you see this in
(21:58):
other people is that they start to limitthemselves based on what other people
think they can do or based on what otherpeople believe they should be able to do.
And so it starts to crusha dream that you have.
And I mean, imagine if I told my daughter.
Hey, you're never going to be a,uh, professional gymnastics person.
You're too tall.
Are you, uh, it's not in our genes or,or, or, or any of that type of stuff.
(22:23):
One of two things willhappen to her, right?
Or she'll go one of two directions.
One direction will be.
She'll go harder into gymnastics becauseshe's just that passionate about it and
doesn't care what anyone says or things.
Now, I'll be honest, that's my hopefor my kids and that's, that's my
hope for most everyone is that they,they are so passionate about what
(22:44):
they believe they can accomplish.
That they don't limit themselves.
So she either goes that directionor she goes the direction of
she stops doing what she loves.
She stops dreaming and shesettles on something else
that people say she should do.
And so all this to say is we have to knowwhat our dreams are and we have to go
(23:08):
out and achieve our dreams on our dreams.
And like when I, when I joined Kodiak.
I didn't know what wasand wasn't possible.
Just like my eight year old daughter.
She doesn't know what isand what isn't possible.
And so in her mind, she has thisdream of I'm going to do this
and I'm going to become this.
(23:29):
And the best thing I can do for heris to say, yeah, you can go for it.
And the best thing that Joeldid for me is he said, cool.
Yeah, let's, let's try it.
Yeah.
Let's, let's, let's do this.
And so I didn't feel limited by what hesaw as what was possible and what wasn't
because he didn't project that onto me.
So I was able to believe inwhat I thought was possible.
(23:50):
And as a result, I, I, for myself, I said,you know, If other people figured this
out, I'm sure we can figure it out too.
And so knowing that we mightnot know where things could go.
I figured if other people can, we can too.
And I didn't, I tried mybest not to limit myself.
And so I think that's the biggest thingis if we just don't, in some ways we call
(24:12):
it blinders and also call it limiters.
Are we limiting ourselves?
Or are we really letting ourselvesbe the best version of what we want
to be, not what others want us to be?
Yeah, that's really good.
I love that comparison.
Because it's true, we're, we're taintedby knowledge or things cloud our vision as
we As we find out more or as we get older.
So I love that idea of justremoving that and staying
(24:35):
focused on what we really want.
That's great.
I love that.
So how do you balance work and family?
I know a lot of people I'm sure arevying for your attention or, you know,
the company and, and things like that.
How do you feel like you balance that?
It is, it's, it's something that I.
Something that I think about, youknow, I'm, I'm fortunate in that I
(24:59):
married the perfect person for me, youknow, the, the, the only title that
my wife cares about for me is dad.
Um, and not, not to sound weird,like dad for like our, for our kids.
Yes.
She, she's incredibly supportive andall my goals and aspirations for me
personally and professionally and whatnot.
(25:22):
She cares so much about the developmentof our children and both her and I
love to learn and develop ourselves.
And as such, we care about ourchildren learning and we care about
them developing and we care about thembeing approachable, authentic people.
And if we're not staying close tothem Then we're relying on others to
(25:45):
teach them and others to raise them.
And sometimes those others are TV.
Sometimes those othersare school teachers.
Sometimes those others are peers.
And that's not to say that allthose others are negative or
bad, or they're all positive.
They're a little bit of everything.
And so for us, my wife and I care so muchabout who our kids turn out to be and
(26:08):
the memories that we're making with them.
So it causes me to want to have thatmuch more of a work life balance
and make sure that I'm present.
Make sure that I'm aware ofwhat's going on in their life.
What's making them happy right now?
What's making them sad andwhy and staying close to it?
At the end of the day, my kids don'tcare that I am a co founder at Kodiak.
(26:31):
They don't even know what that means.
They don't care that I'm a president.
They don't know what that means.
All they care is, Hey, dad's here andhe's jumping on the tramp with us.
Hey, dad's here and he'sthrowing the football with me.
Hey, dad's here and he's watching me do myflips and my, my tricks or, or whatever.
And so it's more just, I thinksometimes we lose sight of which title
(26:53):
is most, most important in our life.
I think sometimes the titles that we feelare most important become CEO, President,
Director, VP, or anything because thathelps define who we are externally.
I think the title of Dad, Husband, Son,Brother are probably more meaningful
(27:14):
and life changing than potentiallysome of these others can be at times.
Yeah, that's so great.
I love that.
I can tell you have your prioritiesspelled out and I love that
you're sticking to them thus.
That was really cool.
Sometimes.
You know, as we always have to adjust,we always have to course correct
(27:35):
when we take a step back and realize,oh shoot, my priorities aren't
in line with where I want to be.
Okay, I need to, I needto, I need to adjust back.
So yeah, there's always that.
There's always that adjustment.
Yes, thank you for remindingus because we are human.
So true.
But I love that little reminderand the plug to the video.
So think about our titles.
That's really good.
So what advice do you have to buddingentrepreneurs or someone who is
(27:58):
in a business type of situation?
You know, this, this is somethingI think, think about a lot.
And I think about what wouldI want someone to tell me?
And it's similar to what I shared earlier.
You can tell when someone believes in you.
And you can tell when they think thatyou're going to do something great and
(28:21):
you can do whatever you want to do.
And so the biggest thing that I'dsay for an entrepreneur is first,
you have to believe in yourself.
If you believe that you can do it, thenmost often you're going to accomplish
more than you thought was possiblebecause you first believed in yourself.
And the second thing is whentimes get hard to keep pushing
(28:45):
forward, you know, just like mydaughter and learning gymnastics.
I listened to this, uh, YouTube on, hewas talking almost about like gamifying
life and just about how when you fail,when you're playing Mario, you don't
toss the controller and say, I'm nevergoing to play this again, but you pick
the controller back up and say, okay, nowI know that there's a pit right there.
(29:07):
And, and so you adjust the way you playbecause now you've taken that as learning.
And so I love that because I love thethought about thinking about life as, am
I approaching life like I would Mario?
Did I approach that setback or thatdisappointment or that challenging time
as a learning time that now I'm goingto adjust and pivot and avoid that pit
(29:31):
this next time around, or is it damagingto us and we toss the controller of life
and say, And nothing ever works for me.
And so I think for entrepreneurs,I'd say, like, you're going to get
hit with stuff on the left and right.
You're going to hit a lot of pits.
You're going to hit a lot ofturtle shells and, and those
Goombas will come up pretty quick.
So it's all about, are youlearning in those moments?
(29:52):
Are they happening for you?
Are they happening to you?
That's so good.
Yeah.
I love that word that you'veused throughout this interview,
adjust, because I feel like that'sa much healthier way to look at.
Setbacks or failure, you know, insteadof just throwing in the towel, we just
adjust and we, we learn and move forward.
That's great.
Okay.
And then my last questionfor you is what's one of your
(30:13):
favorite inspirational quotes?
You know, there's, I'm, I'm the typeof person that I love self help books.
I love like quotes.
And so, you know, trying to nail itdown to one, I'm like, Oh man, that's
so hard because there's a couple.
With that said, I, I, I most recently readthe book, Personality Isn't Permanent.
(30:36):
And it's, it's, it's becomeone of my most favorite books.
And in there, he said this, and this hasbecome like a quote that I just love.
Be authentic to your futureself and who you want to be.
And what I love about that isoftentimes people say, Hey,
be authentic to who you are.
Don't try and be someone thatyou're not or anything around that.
(30:59):
And, And this quote is talkingabout who do you want to become?
Who do you aspire to be?
Be authentic to that person.
What does that person care about?
What does that person think?
What does success looklike for that person?
And if you focus on that and whatwill happen is at the end of the day,
you'll start to become that person.
(31:21):
Because you're being authentic, notto who people said you were, or not
to who you thought you should be.
You'll be authentic towho you wanted to be.
And I think if more of us became authenticto who we wanted to be, I think we'd see
incredible things happen in the world.
Wow.
Yeah, that's good.
That's forward motion thinking.
I like that because it's true.
You, you become who you practice to be,or you know, who you are working to be.
(31:46):
So that's, that's really good.
Mm hmm.
Totally agree.
Yeah, and I can totally relate toyou as well with the favorite quotes.
I recently shared mine on an episodeof my podcast and I left number one
blank and I shared my top five favoritequotes, but I couldn't commit to like
my top one, so I just shared the rest.
Yeah.
That's awesome.
Yeah.
Well, thank you so much for your time.
(32:07):
Do you have any like last wordsor anything else that people
can do to support you guys or?
Yeah, no, I mean it's love, love thatpeople actually know what Kodiak is now.
There were years ago when peoplehad no idea what, what Kodiak was
and I have, you know, I have somegood stories around that that are,
Definitely top of mind, but yeah, Imean, reach out with me on, on LinkedIn.
(32:31):
I love connecting with people andthen, um, yeah, if, if you see Kodiak,
hope that you, you pick up product.
We, we, I still lovehearing from people that.
Say they love Kodiak.
And even as you said, Jen, like,Oh yeah, we love it all the time.
I'm like, sweet.
Okay.
People still like it, Kate.
We're still doing good.
Right.
It's so crazy.
We all still need thatreassurance once in a while.
(32:52):
Perfect.
Well, have a good rest of your day.
And thanks again.
Yep.
Thanks, Jen.
Appreciate it.
Thank you as always to Blanefrom Ride the Wave Media for
the production of this podcast.
If you are interested in startingyour own podcast, reach out to me
or him and we will get you set up.
Check out all the other podcasts on thenetwork and I will talk to you next week.
Hey there!
Welcome to the podcast this week.
I am re airing an episode from afew years ago because, as you may
have experienced, it is Maycember.
Or, in other words, the crazy timeof the year when it's the end of
the school year and there are allthese concerts and activities and
(00:43):
needs and in my family birthdays.
So we just are staying busy overhere and I am also editing my book
which is a lot harder than the fivedays it took to write the book.
So I am in the thick of it and I amoffering this episode as a replay
(01:04):
that you may have not heard before.
In this episode, I started out by talkingto my oldest son, Rowan, and at the time,
he was three, or he had just turned four,so he was just barely four, and in this
time, I decided to interview him again,and so he just turned six, and it's
(01:24):
been so neat to compare the differences,I didn't realize it would be so easy.
A time capsule of sorts, but that isone of the benefits of podcasting.
So, there was a little bit of historyembedded with Rowan and I'm excited
to have you hear from him again.
My two younger boys are also old enoughto somewhat talk on the podcast, so I had
them share some of their thoughts as well.
(01:45):
So, it's neat to hear thelittle guys every so often.
And, uh, I am in the thick of mothering,but I still continue my podcasting hobby.
So thank you for being along with meon the ride and enjoy this episode.
Hi Rowan, how are you today?
It's good to have you on my podcast again.
How old are you now?
Six.
When was your birthday?
(02:06):
May 27.
Which was?
Last, last time.
Yeah, last night, huh?
Yesterday.
And you just finished what grade?
Um,
I almost finished kindergarten.
And wait, Mom, look!
(02:27):
Oh my goodness!
You lost another tooth!
Yeah, it's in a box that's like this.
This big in my backpack.
Oh my gosh, so you lost your first toothat school about two weeks ago, and now
you lost your second tooth at school?
Oh my goodness, man.
One of these days I'll get towatch you lose a tooth, but so far
they've all happened at school.
(02:48):
Yeah.
Okay, well, the last time Ihad you on here, I asked about
your favorite toy, so it'll beinteresting to hear how it's changed.
What's your favorite toy right now?
Uh, shape shifting cube.
Ooh, and what does that do?
It starts as you deliver itas a cube and then you can
(03:09):
like shapeshift it into stuff.
That is so cool.
That's awesome.
So I know that you like a lot oftoys that transform, so pretty much
anything that changes you love, huh?
And I'm also strong.
You are super strong.
What's on your shirt today?
Yeah, and you've been liking toplay Super Mario Bros Wonder, huh?
(03:33):
Is there anything else youlike to play with right now?
Dad, my dinosaur transformer.
Yep, transformers all the way, huh?
And what else did you get for yourbirthday that came in the mail today?
Rollerblades!
Yeah, and we just have to wait for theknee pads before you can try them, huh?
Yeah, and the elbow pads.
(03:53):
Yep, so true.
Okay, well, one thing that we've beendoing lately is every day we say,
What was the best part of your day?
So, what was the bestpart of your day today?
Yeah,
so what happened was we ordered hispresents from Amazon yesterday because
we let him pick them out and then theycame today So that was super fast I was
(04:15):
telling him that we didn't really haveAmazon when I was growing up or if we
did it was different Nice, and then whatwas the hardest part of your day today?
When Pram was just so jealousabout my roller blades.
Yeah, that was a really hard part Hewas upset that it wasn't his birthday
because he wanted some too, huh?
(04:37):
Maybe when he's older.
Maybe.
Have you felt that way before?
That you're jealous thatsomeone else got some presents?
Mm hmm.
But now you got to be theone that got presents.
Was that nice?
Yeah.
And I can And we have a cake!
Mm hmm.
Cool.
Well, thanks for being on here, Rowan.
It was good to talk to you.
Mm hmm.
So Hi Brant, how are you?
Good.
(04:58):
Can you tell them how old you are?
Uh, three.
Yeah.
And what toys do you like to play with?
Uh, Paw Patrol.
Mm hmm.
What other kind of toys?
Um, Like, like microphones.
Oh, you like this?
This is pretty fun.
(05:19):
It seems like you like vehicles right now.
You like, oh, let's not touch it.
Why?
Because it makes it too noisy.
What kind of other toys do you like?
Do you like cars?
Yeah.
Especially What kind of cars?
Like, like me are going now?
Maid Lightning, McQueen, andMater and Monster Drugs, huh?
(05:42):
Yeah.
Yeah.
What's your favorite color?
Um, wood.
Yeah, it's a good one.
And what do you likeabout bedtime routines?
Doing talk time.
And sometimes you like to stay up laterand play a little bit longer, huh?
Yeah.
(06:03):
Yeah, you say just a little bit, huh?
What else do you want to tell our friends?
What's your favorite kind of food?
Slurpee noodles.
Slurpee noodles.
Oh, and chicken nuggets.
Okay, one last question,and then I'll let you go.
(06:26):
What's your favorite thing to drink?
Blue juice, which is Gatorade, huh?
Okay, thank you, Brant!
Moms.
Yeah.
What are these?
Yeah.
You like m and ms, huh?
Moms?
Yeah.
(06:46):
What other things do you like to eat?
Moms.
Do you like fruit loops?
Emerson?
Can you say hi?
Hi.
Can you say how old are you?
Can you say two?
Can you say two?
(07:07):
No.
You're just going to eat your treat thatI had to use to bribe you to come on here.
Can you say hi?
Okay, say bye.
You say bye?
Bye.
Hey, I'm Jen.
(07:28):
In life, I've learned thatadversity is a stranger to no one.
The way we cope is a hugeindicator of our character.
We want to make choices from confidence,empowerment, and trust, instead of
letting our circumstances control us.
Let's talk about how.
This is episode R, RecognizingAdjustments, with Cameron Smith.
(07:52):
Hello!
This is my first episode thatwill be published post baby, so
we now have a family of five, Ihave three boys, and we're just
doing our best adjusting to that.
I have two very important andspecial guests for you today.
The first is my son Rowan.
(08:13):
I figured it would be a good time to havehim on the podcast again because this
is episode R and his name begins with R.
He will do our segments for us.
I don't explicitly say them, butwe talk about his favorite toys,
that's his list, and then wetalk about emotions a little bit.
(08:33):
After you hear from Rowan, I am excitedto announce my guest for this week.
It is Cameron Smith, co founderand president of Kodiak Cakes.
We have a fabulous conversation and I'mexcited to share it with you, so we'll
just go right into it, as this episodeis already pretty lengthy, so enjoy!
Hi, Rowan.
How are you today?
(08:54):
Good.
Good.
Where did you just get back home from?
Preschool.
Do you like preschool?
Yeah.
Yeah, you have some good friends there.
I have a question for you.
What are some of your favorite toys?
Um, airplanes.
Oh, those are good.
Yep, airplanes.
What else?
What else do you like?
Um, cars.
Mm hmm.
(09:14):
And?
Fish.
Fish.
That's fun.
Mm hmm.
I was going to say, it sounds like youlike vehicles and things that move.
Well, I guess fish kind of movetoo, but you can't ride in a fish.
Uh, any other toys that you like?
What do you like to playwith when we're at home?
Um, these cat balls.
(09:35):
Balls.
Yeah.
Those are fun to throw and kick and roll.
Good.
And bounce.
Yes, that's true.
Uh, how are you feeling today?
Sick.
Oh, you feel a little sick.
Yeah.
Is your throat a little scratchy?
Yeah.
How do you feel when you're sick?
(09:57):
My voice sounds scratchy.
Mm.
And maybe you don't have a lot of energy.
Yay.
Yeah.
Does it make you morehappy when you're not sick?
Yeah.
Remember you gotta say the words.
You can't just nod your head else.
They won't hear you.
. So right now you're feelingsick in your throat.
(10:18):
Sometimes do you feel sick other places?
Yeah, preschool.
Oh yeah, well I mean likeother places in your body.
Have you ever felt sick in your tummy?
Or sick in your head, orsometimes your legs hurt?
My legs do hurt.
Yeah.
(10:39):
So, you're getting a newbaby brother this week.
How does that make you feel?
I don't know.
Happy.
Why does it make you happy?
Look what face I'm doing.
Yeah.
It's a happy face.
Why does it make you happyto have a new brother?
Because it's gonna come in your tummy.
(10:59):
Yeah.
So you're excited that mommy won'thave a baby in her tummy anymore?
Yeah.
Why else?
Does it make you excitedto have a baby brother?
Do you like being an older brother?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Sometimes it's hard, right?
Like Brant just turned off the computerand we had to start this again, huh?
Was that a little frustrating?
(11:20):
What happens when you feel frustrated?
Um, he takes toys from me.
Yeah.
And how does it feel in yourtummy when you feel frustrated?
Happy.
It makes you happy to feel frustrated?
What does, what does itmean to be frustrated?
Oh!
(11:41):
Um,
Um, Um, Is there a, isthere not a toy in this bag?
Here, we're not talkingabout toys right now.
Can you come finish this?
We're almost done.
Maybe we can talk about something else.
Uh, sometimes you have to bepatient with other brothers, huh?
(12:01):
Yeah.
What does it mean to be patient?
Wait.
To wait, yeah.
Is it easy to wait?
Blane!
Yes or no?
Yes.
Oh, it's easy to wait.
Yeah, sometimes you'rereally good at being patient.
But sometimes it's really hard, huh?
What can we do when we need tobe patient and it's hard to wait?
(12:23):
Um, I don't know.
What do you do when you're waiting?
Be patient.
Yeah, do you do anything to pass the time?
Yeah.
Like play with a toy orthink about something else?
Yeah, I play with my train.
His name's Percy.
(12:45):
Mm hmm.
That's a good thing todo to pass the time.
Okay.
Um, do you want to sing a song?
No.
Is there anything else you wantto say into the microphone?
No.
Okay.
Thank you for being here, Rowan.
You're welcome.
Hello.
(13:05):
I am here today with Cameron Smith, theco founder and president of Kodiak Cakes.
How are you today?
I'm doing great, Jen.
It's good to, good to chat with you.
Yeah, you too.
Just for my listeners, I knowCameron's youngest sister, Kaylee.
She and I met in junior high.
And so I, I know Cameron through that.
So yeah, no, Jen, that'snot, that's awesome.
(13:27):
So Kaylee is, she's, you're right.
She's my youngest sisterand I have six sisters.
So she's, she's one of, uh,five other sisters that I have.
So no, she, that's.
Great, love the connection.
Yeah, and no brothers,you're the only boy, right?
That's exactly right.
So I have four little kids, and my oldestis a boy, and then I have three girls.
(13:49):
So it's just kind of trickle down, beingthe only boy, and then my son's the only
boy, so at least I know how to do it,so I can help him navigate around it,
and my dad was the only boy too, so Ithink it's It's just what happens to us.
We get surrounded by, surrounded by girls.
So true.
Yeah.
I, I have two boys and thenthe third boy on the way.
So I'm, I know the, I know the feeling.
(14:11):
Awesome.
Well, congrats.
That's exciting.
Boys are, boys are fun.
Yeah.
So if you wouldn't mind just tellingus a little bit about yourself and, uh,
then I have a few questions for you.
Yeah, sounds great.
So I, um, I joined Kodiak in 2009.
I was just finishing up myundergraduate degree from the
University of Utah, just in business.
(14:32):
I, I didn't know where I wantedto focus in business necessarily.
So I did like business administration,which focused on each function.
from finance to operations and marketing.
And I, I was looking for a job,looking for something to do.
I had just gotten done selling foodstorage over the summer and I saw
a job posting for Kodiak cakes.
(14:55):
I didn't know what the business was.
I Googled it.
I remember looking at the websiteand thinking, Oh man, this is
not sure about this company.
And I actually passed up on thejob a handful of times until I
was finally like, all right, Ineed to, I guess I'll apply there.
I just keep seeing that job.
I guess I'll apply there.
And so I sent in a resume to Joeland then went and met with him.
(15:17):
And I remember after meeting with Joel,and I actually met with he and his dad,
his, his dad had retired from teachingand, and was, and was actually working
with Joel, I met with both of them.
And I remember walking out of theoffice and it was a really rundown
office right by the city mission.
But I remember calling my wifeafter we had just been, we had
just got married a year earlier.
(15:38):
Remember calling her after thinking,Hey, this would be pretty cool.
I didn't be a really cool company and notbecause it was a huge company or growing.
I mean, sales were lessthan a million dollars.
And so for me, it was more.
All right, this, this would be anopportunity to get into a company
that's really small and be able toinfluence a lot of different areas.
It would really scratch thatentrepreneurial itch that, that I had
(16:02):
kind of grown up with, not necessarily.
Because of myself, but because, you know,because I came from a bigger family,
my dad was always doing odds and endsjobs to, to make a little extra money.
And so for me, when I, after I metwith Joel, I was like, Hey, that would
actually be pretty fun because there'sa lot of different opportunities and
you're wearing a lot of different hats.
(16:22):
And then I, I started working with Joeland his dad was able to fully retire.
I guess this would have been the secondtime retiring and you know, the rest is.
I guess a lot of, I'd say history, butthere's a lot of history there from
us getting on sharp tank in 2014 to uslaunching a high protein pancake mix
called power cakes, which is now ourtop item and the number one selling
(16:46):
pancake mix at target and a handful ofother retailers to now a business where.
You know, we have about 115 peopletotal and our revenue, uh, is,
you know, just over 300 million.
So there's, there's a lot of thingsthat have happened over that,
those, these last 13 years, buthave learned a ton along the way.
(17:08):
Yeah, that is so neat.
I'll put this in the show notes, butI really enjoyed the podcast, How I
Built This, where, where Joel kind ofexplains how Kodiak Cakes came to be,
and it's fascinating to listen to.
So I'll put that down.
But I, I remember that he's,that Joel said, suddenly
everyone wanted to be our friend.
It just kind of took off.
And so it seems like failureis seen within a small sphere,
(17:31):
but success is widely known.
So you mentioned that you didn'treally know where this company
was going, but How does it feelnow that it has become so big?
Yeah, you know, it's, it's, it's crazy.
I remember when I first started workingwith Joel, I just had this entrepreneurial
itch and I know Joel had it too.
(17:52):
And I was actuallylooking past Kodiak cakes.
I wasn't looking at where we werecurrently at because we were kind
of hitting our head against thewall and trying a lot of things.
It wasn't totally working.
Joel had a cookie store at over atthe gateway mall here in Salt Lake.
And I, I remember we'd go over thereand I'd have different ideas of
things we could try and things wecould do to get more sales there.
(18:16):
I remember he and I had a bunchof other random, my business
ideas of, of things we could do.
And so So there in the beginning,I was thinking, all right,
let's get, let's dump Kodiak.
It's not going anywhere and we'll dosomething else was kind of in my mind.
And Joel had been doingKodiak for a while.
So I think that was a little bitharder for him to fully digest.
And so I didn't fully see that happening.
(18:37):
And then.
Things just started working.
We picked up Target.
We picked up a few other retailers.
We landed on Shark Tank.
And then we picked up some moreretailers and then we brought on outside
financing to help grow the business.
There's some private equity groups.
And as it continued to grow, westarted to think, wow, maybe Maybe this
(19:00):
business actually could go somewhere.
Maybe it actually could growto the point that it is today.
We didn't then have the foresightto say, Hey, Kodiak is going
to be this big of a brand.
That's going to do this and that.
And by this many people on the team,like we never thought that, but I think
the turning point for us was when webrought on our, when we brought on
our first private equity partners.
They, they told us, look, I thinkKodiak, I think you guys, you
(19:25):
guys have a huge opportunity.
I think this is it.
This big of a brand.
I think you could dothese types of things.
And so what it did is it helpedexpand what we thought was possible.
We almost had this limited vision,just based on what we knew.
And through that exposure of otherpeople, we were able to see more than we
even thought could happen with Kodiak.
(19:46):
Which then helped us to achieve morethan we thought possible because
someone first believed that more couldbe possible, if that makes sense.
Yeah, that's really neat.
And it speaks to the importance ofhaving those outside ears and advice.
And, uh, it's neat to hear you talk aboutit too, because a lot of times I feel
like we look from the outside and wow,it just happened, but like you mentioned,
(20:07):
it was little things along the way andlooking back at it all came together.
So that's a good perspective to have.
So Joel said, and you mentioned justbarely too, that you were hired in 2009
and he said that you were a lot likehim when he got back from his mission.
Enthusiastic and confident, fearlesswith blinders on, you didn't see
the obstacles or you didn't care.
So why do you think we are more empoweredto try new things when we're younger?
(20:31):
Oh, that's, that's such a good question.
You know, it's something that I, thatI've, that I've thought about recently.
Like, like I mentioned,I have four little kids.
They're my oldest daughter.
She's eight.
And, you know, as, as Ithink about, you know, why.
Why it's okay to fail when we're younger.
(20:52):
And I think that's because we see failureat that time as learning and adjusting
and not limiting on what we can do.
So like I mentioned with my, withmy eight year old daughter, she
loves to do flips, hang from bars.
She, she constantly says that she'seither a professional gymnastics girl
(21:12):
or that she's going to be gymnastics.
And it's almost, it's, it's a.
It's not even like a question ifthat's going to happen for her.
She is so adamant thatthat's going to happen.
As a result of that, she'slike, she'll try a flip.
She'll try a cartwheel.
She'll try these different things.
She'll fall and she'll hurt herselfcountless times, but because she's
(21:35):
so passionate about gymnastics, everytime she falls, She gets back up.
She adjusts.
She learns.
Then she applies thatlearning to get better.
And so I think what happens is when we'reyounger, we have in our minds of who we
want to be and we drive towards that.
We don't limit it.
And what's unfortunate is sometimeswhat happens and then you see this in
(21:58):
other people is that they start to limitthemselves based on what other people
think they can do or based on what otherpeople believe they should be able to do.
And so it starts to crusha dream that you have.
And I mean, imagine if I told my daughter.
Hey, you're never going to be a,uh, professional gymnastics person.
You're too tall.
Are you, uh, it's not in our genes or,or, or, or any of that type of stuff.
(22:23):
One of two things willhappen to her, right?
Or she'll go one of two directions.
One direction will be.
She'll go harder into gymnastics becauseshe's just that passionate about it and
doesn't care what anyone says or things.
Now, I'll be honest, that's my hopefor my kids and that's, that's my
hope for most everyone is that they,they are so passionate about what
(22:44):
they believe they can accomplish.
That they don't limit themselves.
So she either goes that directionor she goes the direction of
she stops doing what she loves.
She stops dreaming and shesettles on something else
that people say she should do.
And so all this to say is we have to knowwhat our dreams are and we have to go
(23:08):
out and achieve our dreams on our dreams.
And like when I, when I joined Kodiak.
I didn't know what wasand wasn't possible.
Just like my eight year old daughter.
She doesn't know what isand what isn't possible.
And so in her mind, she has thisdream of I'm going to do this
and I'm going to become this.
(23:29):
And the best thing I can do for heris to say, yeah, you can go for it.
And the best thing that Joeldid for me is he said, cool.
Yeah, let's, let's try it.
Yeah.
Let's, let's, let's do this.
And so I didn't feel limited by what hesaw as what was possible and what wasn't
because he didn't project that onto me.
So I was able to believe inwhat I thought was possible.
(23:50):
And as a result, I, I, for myself, I said,you know, If other people figured this
out, I'm sure we can figure it out too.
And so knowing that we mightnot know where things could go.
I figured if other people can, we can too.
And I didn't, I tried mybest not to limit myself.
And so I think that's the biggest thingis if we just don't, in some ways we call
(24:12):
it blinders and also call it limiters.
Are we limiting ourselves?
Or are we really letting ourselvesbe the best version of what we want
to be, not what others want us to be?
Yeah, that's really good.
I love that comparison.
Because it's true, we're, we're taintedby knowledge or things cloud our vision as
we As we find out more or as we get older.
So I love that idea of justremoving that and staying
(24:35):
focused on what we really want.
That's great.
I love that.
So how do you balance work and family?
I know a lot of people I'm sure arevying for your attention or, you know,
the company and, and things like that.
How do you feel like you balance that?
It is, it's, it's something that I.
Something that I think about, youknow, I'm, I'm fortunate in that I
(24:59):
married the perfect person for me, youknow, the, the, the only title that
my wife cares about for me is dad.
Um, and not, not to sound weird,like dad for like our, for our kids.
Yes.
She, she's incredibly supportive andall my goals and aspirations for me
personally and professionally and whatnot.
(25:22):
She cares so much about the developmentof our children and both her and I
love to learn and develop ourselves.
And as such, we care about ourchildren learning and we care about
them developing and we care about thembeing approachable, authentic people.
And if we're not staying close tothem Then we're relying on others to
(25:45):
teach them and others to raise them.
And sometimes those others are TV.
Sometimes those othersare school teachers.
Sometimes those others are peers.
And that's not to say that allthose others are negative or
bad, or they're all positive.
They're a little bit of everything.
And so for us, my wife and I care so muchabout who our kids turn out to be and
(26:08):
the memories that we're making with them.
So it causes me to want to have thatmuch more of a work life balance
and make sure that I'm present.
Make sure that I'm aware ofwhat's going on in their life.
What's making them happy right now?
What's making them sad andwhy and staying close to it?
At the end of the day, my kids don'tcare that I am a co founder at Kodiak.
(26:31):
They don't even know what that means.
They don't care that I'm a president.
They don't know what that means.
All they care is, Hey, dad's here andhe's jumping on the tramp with us.
Hey, dad's here and he'sthrowing the football with me.
Hey, dad's here and he's watching me do myflips and my, my tricks or, or whatever.
And so it's more just, I thinksometimes we lose sight of which title
(26:53):
is most, most important in our life.
I think sometimes the titles that we feelare most important become CEO, President,
Director, VP, or anything because thathelps define who we are externally.
I think the title of Dad, Husband, Son,Brother are probably more meaningful
(27:14):
and life changing than potentiallysome of these others can be at times.
Yeah, that's so great.
I love that.
I can tell you have your prioritiesspelled out and I love that
you're sticking to them thus.
That was really cool.
Sometimes.
You know, as we always have to adjust,we always have to course correct
(27:35):
when we take a step back and realize,oh shoot, my priorities aren't
in line with where I want to be.
Okay, I need to, I needto, I need to adjust back.
So yeah, there's always that.
There's always that adjustment.
Yes, thank you for remindingus because we are human.
So true.
But I love that little reminderand the plug to the video.
So think about our titles.
That's really good.
So what advice do you have to buddingentrepreneurs or someone who is
(27:58):
in a business type of situation?
You know, this, this is somethingI think, think about a lot.
And I think about what wouldI want someone to tell me?
And it's similar to what I shared earlier.
You can tell when someone believes in you.
And you can tell when they think thatyou're going to do something great and
(28:21):
you can do whatever you want to do.
And so the biggest thing that I'dsay for an entrepreneur is first,
you have to believe in yourself.
If you believe that you can do it, thenmost often you're going to accomplish
more than you thought was possiblebecause you first believed in yourself.
And the second thing is whentimes get hard to keep pushing
(28:45):
forward, you know, just like mydaughter and learning gymnastics.
I listened to this, uh, YouTube on, hewas talking almost about like gamifying
life and just about how when you fail,when you're playing Mario, you don't
toss the controller and say, I'm nevergoing to play this again, but you pick
the controller back up and say, okay, nowI know that there's a pit right there.
(29:07):
And, and so you adjust the way you playbecause now you've taken that as learning.
And so I love that because I love thethought about thinking about life as, am
I approaching life like I would Mario?
Did I approach that setback or thatdisappointment or that challenging time
as a learning time that now I'm goingto adjust and pivot and avoid that pit
(29:31):
this next time around, or is it damagingto us and we toss the controller of life
and say, And nothing ever works for me.
And so I think for entrepreneurs,I'd say, like, you're going to get
hit with stuff on the left and right.
You're going to hit a lot of pits.
You're going to hit a lot ofturtle shells and, and those
Goombas will come up pretty quick.
So it's all about, are youlearning in those moments?
(29:52):
Are they happening for you?
Are they happening to you?
That's so good.
Yeah.
I love that word that you'veused throughout this interview,
adjust, because I feel like that'sa much healthier way to look at.
Setbacks or failure, you know, insteadof just throwing in the towel, we just
adjust and we, we learn and move forward.
That's great.
Okay.
And then my last questionfor you is what's one of your
(30:13):
favorite inspirational quotes?
You know, there's, I'm, I'm the typeof person that I love self help books.
I love like quotes.
And so, you know, trying to nail itdown to one, I'm like, Oh man, that's
so hard because there's a couple.
With that said, I, I, I most recently readthe book, Personality Isn't Permanent.
(30:36):
And it's, it's, it's becomeone of my most favorite books.
And in there, he said this, and this hasbecome like a quote that I just love.
Be authentic to your futureself and who you want to be.
And what I love about that isoftentimes people say, Hey,
be authentic to who you are.
Don't try and be someone thatyou're not or anything around that.
(30:59):
And, And this quote is talkingabout who do you want to become?
Who do you aspire to be?
Be authentic to that person.
What does that person care about?
What does that person think?
What does success looklike for that person?
And if you focus on that and whatwill happen is at the end of the day,
you'll start to become that person.
(31:21):
Because you're being authentic, notto who people said you were, or not
to who you thought you should be.
You'll be authentic towho you wanted to be.
And I think if more of us became authenticto who we wanted to be, I think we'd see
incredible things happen in the world.
Wow.
Yeah, that's good.
That's forward motion thinking.
I like that because it's true.
You, you become who you practice to be,or you know, who you are working to be.
(31:46):
So that's, that's really good.
Mm hmm.
Totally agree.
Yeah, and I can totally relate toyou as well with the favorite quotes.
I recently shared mine on an episodeof my podcast and I left number one
blank and I shared my top five favoritequotes, but I couldn't commit to like
my top one, so I just shared the rest.
Yeah.
That's awesome.
Yeah.
Well, thank you so much for your time.
(32:07):
Do you have any like last wordsor anything else that people
can do to support you guys or?
Yeah, no, I mean it's love, love thatpeople actually know what Kodiak is now.
There were years ago when peoplehad no idea what, what Kodiak was
and I have, you know, I have somegood stories around that that are,
Definitely top of mind, but yeah, Imean, reach out with me on, on LinkedIn.
(32:31):
I love connecting with people andthen, um, yeah, if, if you see Kodiak,
hope that you, you pick up product.
We, we, I still lovehearing from people that.
Say they love Kodiak.
And even as you said, Jen, like,Oh yeah, we love it all the time.
I'm like, sweet.
Okay.
People still like it, Kate.
We're still doing good.
Right.
It's so crazy.
We all still need thatreassurance once in a while.
(32:52):
Perfect.
Well, have a good rest of your day.
And thanks again.
Yep.
Thanks, Jen.
Appreciate it.
Thank you as always to Blanefrom Ride the Wave Media for
the production of this podcast.
If you are interested in startingyour own podcast, reach out to me
or him and we will get you set up.
Check out all the other podcasts on thenetwork and I will talk to you next week.
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