In this episode of The Unstoppable Marketer Podcast, Trevor and Mark chat with Mallory Stevens, co-founder of Taft and founder of Tuff Pops, about her entrepreneurial journey and new protein popsicle venture. Mallory shares insights on transitioning from a D2C shoe company to a CPG frozen treat brand, discussing the challenges of frozen distribution and her innovative marketing approach using a retro ice cream truck. The conversation explores the potential of protein-packed treats for adults and children alike, highlighting the importance of brand storytelling and taking risks in business.
Please connect with Trevor on social media. You can find him anywhere @thetrevorcrump
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
People look at numbers and I'm looking at my
life and what's happening?
By the time we sold I was justlike so ready.
It's obviously hard to leavethe business, but people would
be like, do you miss it?
And I was like no like 0%,missing it.
Even though it was incrediblefully ready to be done.
It's like getting to the end ofa marathon and someone's like
do you want to keep running?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
And you're like I think.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
I'm good, I think I'll stop His brother's a junior
.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Really I'm not.
Is he your dad Like?
Is it named after your dad,Nice Junior?
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Nice, I'm great, got all my camping stuff ready.
We're going to go hunt for somegeodes on Friday.
Oh nice, are you going to thatone place?
Yeah, we are, you guys likethat place With my little boys
we got the picks and the axesand the, we have some dwarf
songs to sing from Lord of theRings.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Oh, because you just read it to them.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Man, what a.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
They're excited.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
What an event.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
I got to get them some goggles, just in case you
know Safety glasses.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah Well, I'm excited for our episode today,
me too.
We got a fun guest.
I'm actually way excited tohave her on, so should we
introduce her?
Let's do it.
I'll do it, I'll introduce.
I always introduce, you do you?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
do a good job.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
I guess I'll do it again.
So I want to introduce ifyou're watching, you've seen her
, If you're listening, you don't.
But anyways, I want tointroduce our guest.
Her name is Mallory Stevens,which they have recently-ish
sold.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Yeah, 2022.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah a couple years ago and now the founder and CEO
of a brand new CPG company brandcalled Tough Pops.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Welcome, Mallory.
How are you?
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I'm so good I have to know about the geodes, though.
Where do you go?
Oh, the geodes are in Dugway.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Okay, is it near Delta?
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Yes, Well, no yes and no Kind of.
If you take the back roads from.
Delta up to the West Desert youknow where, like the fish the
Bird National Refuge, like thefish and bird National Refuge
areas you do.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
My mom is from Delta, so this is like our Her neck of
the woods.
Oh yeah, so if you know how, toget to that.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
She's there every week for Sunday dinner, if you
know how to get to that refuge.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
The Dugway Geode is like a little northeast from
there.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
I grew up hearing about the Dugway Like the old
people would talk about like oh,he's at the Dugway this weekend
.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
And I'm like what is the Dugway?
Proving Grounds are no.
Do you know that Utah has someof the highest UFO reportings of
any state.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I know that because you have told me that.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Okay, it's because Dugway Proving Grounds is a
military base where peopletheorize that they use
experimental aircraft.
Out there I do a lot of campingand we do camping in the West
Desert a lot and I have seenlike remember when everyone was
freaking out about the drones inNew Jersey I mean I saw those
(03:15):
things Years ago, like two yearsago, yeah, in the desert, I'm
not even kidding Like the exact,like very strange flight
patterns in the night.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
It's fun.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
You didn't think anything of it, I was like it's
obviously like some kind ofmilitary thing going on here.
Yeah, that's what I would say.
So it's fun, but anyways, thegeodes are there.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
So if your mom's from Delta, then you know about the
trilobite dig.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yes, yeah, that was what.
So we 4th of July every year isDelta, and it's I mean, this is
a hot topic in Utah becausethere's a lot of strong feelings
about where is the best placeto celebrate the 4th.
Oh yeah, but it's Delta.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
It is Delta's fun.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
It actually is Like crop dust or flyover library,
throwing books in the paradelike just wild stuff.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
I just never even heard of this.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
It's the best.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Small towns are the best place to be on the 4th, but
there's a rock shop where theysell geodes and trilobites.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
I mean we did the trilobite hunting when I was a
kid and it's the best not at theDugway at U-Dig well, no,
you're getting it mixed up,trevor, it's Dugway Geode and
then there's the trilobites, thetrilobite digs at the U-Dig.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Yeah, that's Delta, a little further out towards
what's the national park outthere with the cave?
You've been to the big caveit's crystal ball caves.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah yeah, it's very cool, but anyway, or in Kemmerer
.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Wyoming.
There's also another fossil dig.
Yeah, we're going there thisyear.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
So cool.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
And fossil dig.
Yeah, we're going there thisyear so cool, and then we're
gonna do you dig again.
Jude would think it's awesome,my girls wouldn't.
Oh, roma would.
Maybe no roma would love it itdoesn't.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
It doesn't matter boy .
Speaker 3 (04:53):
I mean look, boys do have a little like obsession
with rocks, like yeah, yeah, howmany kids you have, we have
four yeah boys, three boys, onegirl, awesome yeah.
Three, and then the girl.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
No one.
Then our daughter, another boyand then our fourth passed away,
but little boy.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Little boy yeah, okay , so you've got.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah, we get the rock obsession.
Yes, for sure.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
The boys, yes, have a rock obsession, but girls they
can get into it.
I mean, they might not be intoit for as long, but, dude, it's
like Easter egg hunting, exceptyou find a fossil, you just
crack these things open.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
She'd probably be stoked once we were there.
I don't think she'd be excitedif we told her what we were
doing.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
No, she would because , you will see wild horses on
the way there.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Fair.
Maybe, I don't know she mightbe into horses.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
What little girl doesn't love horses I don't know
she might be into horses.
What little girl doesn't lovehorses?
I don't know if my little girldoes.
They're majestic Majesticalhorses.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
I was assuming you knew something I didn't.
I don't love horses Like that.
She's super into horses.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
No, just like little girls, like you see horses and
like who Horses?
Speaker 2 (05:57):
freak me out Really.
Like oh yeah, it's weird, canyou ride one I?
It's weird, can you ride one?
I would never ride a horse,never, I will never ride a horse
.
I don't even like to get near ahorse, that's a hot take.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
What?
Speaker 2 (06:08):
I think they're beautiful creatures from a
distance.
You would never ride a horse, Iwould never get on a horse and
it makes me sad because thecowboy life sounds awesome to me
.
I go herd cattle Horses arecool Every Thanksgiving in like
outer Colorado City because mygrandfather-in-law owns a bunch
(06:30):
of land.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
This is southern.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Utah desert.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Very cool.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
And they all take horses, and I take a
four-wheeler.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
I have done one cattle drive on horseback.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
That's rough, because sometimes you're out there for
like eight hours.
It was long, yeah, like you canbe out there for a long time.
It's cool, though, right.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
It was very cool.
We were staying at a ranch andit was kind of expected.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Yeah, pull your weight.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Yeah, and so they were just like hey, grab a, you
know how to ride a horse.
And I was like I mean not well,yeah, like, but you've, like
rid, got to move the cows up tothe upper pasture.
I was like, okay, so theywatched our kids.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
There are horses can have attitudes.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Yeah, okay, here's the thing.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
So like there's some work horses out there that like
are a little tooty yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
My horse was the like beloved family horse and I rode
it the whole time andeverything's fine.
And then we get to the end andit just lays down and rolls over
.
I jumped off its back and rollsover.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
And I jumped off its back Well, luckily, but I was
like Like it was just like I'mdone, this is yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
I think if there was, I think if I was up in Montana
and there was a group ofYellowstone-esque cowboys that
were like, hey, you gotta get ona horse, I would do it for them
.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
You'd feel like obligated yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
This was that moment for me.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
But anyways, yeah, anyways, mallory.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Mallory, so okay so let's give us a little history
Of the entrepreneur journey.
Yeah, she's like big timeentrepreneur journey.
So you guys started Taft.
What year did you start Taft?
Speaker 1 (07:57):
2014.
I mean, we graduated in 2013from college and we started
working on it then.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
That's right Launched in 2014.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
2013, from college, and we started working on it.
Then that's right.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Launched in 2014.
I was pregnant.
We had no job prospects.
Can I?
Tell you my favorite storyabout the beginning of Taft.
Yes, it started as socks andthen something happened where,
like people were getting alittle creepy with the feet.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Oh yeah, oh my gosh Weird pictures, weird pictures.
Like we were getting yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
We posted pictures of like.
I mean, we were selling no-showsocks.
That's what Taft started as.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
And we posted some pictures of the product being
worn and we were like gettingfeet pictures just show people
in shoes with like the socklesslook right and that's kind of
what changed everything, becauseeventually everyone thought we
were a shoe company, yeah, andwe just became one, yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Incredible.
We had her husband Corey on,who was also a co-founder of.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
Tap.
So if it wasn't for the creeps,probably two years ago, maybe
you guys never would have madeshoes.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
It.
It might have been like themonth you guys sold.
We had cordy on, I think.
Oh, really it was.
It had to have been within 30to 45 days.
I would imagine wild um and and.
But fun fact uh, we don't needto jump into the whole journey
of it, but like the fun fun factwas like, uh, I bought no show
socks in 2014 or 2015.
I believe yeah, like I in fact,and you guys did like a big
warehouse sale out in.
Bluffdale yes, we did, and Iremember going to it and I
bought probably like $200 worthof socks?
Speaker 1 (09:31):
No way.
That was really more like $700worth of socks, because of the
deal I got, because you guys, Ithink were just at that time.
You guys said Moving on toshoes probably.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
And so I.
Actually, when I interviewedCorey, I still had brand new
pairs that I had never used.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Oh my gosh, no way, that were just like in my, and
now I don't anymore, because Inever do no-show socks anymore.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Yes, yeah, the no-show socks kind of faded.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
That look is a little yeah, you want longer socks now
, or else you'll be made fun of.
That's true, you're amillennial.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
So you guys sold Taft and then you've kind of been in
a state of limbo maybe, likejust kind of like, what are you
guys going to do next?
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Yes, we sold Taft in 2022, which was just like super
wild.
Our son passed away the samesummer, so it was just all super
intertwined, and so I feel likepeople would be like, oh my
gosh, you so excited, this is abig, a big deal, and we were
just like we're not.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
This isn't the last thing on our minds, like we're
just grieving totally livinglife, not concerned about
business at all in that momentand but also probably a good
time to have gotten rid of itfor sure.
For sure, I mean it was.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
It was hard, it was awesome and it was kind of
thrilling like we kind of got inthat perfect, you guys know
sweet spot of we started onInstagram at the perfect time.
Like it was just you postedanything and someone would
repost it and someone else wouldyou know.
It was just easy on Instagram.
You know, people would be likeman tell me about startup life
(10:59):
and we were like it was not hard.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
This is the easiest thing I've ever done this was
awesome, right?
Speaker 1 (11:09):
I mean, when we were in school, we made twelve
thousand dollars a year that wasour salary combined.
And so then taft like, but payus fifty thousand dollars, and
we were like, whoa like look out.
You know, this is the bestthing ever, and so we were young
.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
It didn't have to do like three hundred thousand
dollars in today's oh my gosh,$50,000 a year in 2016.
Get out of here.
It was.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
I mean, our rent was $600 a month, right Like we,
just it didn't feel.
It felt scrappy because we hadno hires and we were every
position.
You know we were photographer,model, like everything, but it
was.
Instagram was a much easierplace to be then, and so we just
grew quickly, um, but as wewent on, it just gets tougher
(11:49):
and tougher like it was reallyhard on Corey mentally.
You know he's been veryoutspoken about his depression.
But just like tough to run abusiness, tough to have.
We had just opened stores andthen COVID hits like.
We opened our New York storeNovember 2019, which is just
like just comical timing, youknow so we had this whole team
(12:10):
in Soho that we were just likejust stay on, like don't go to
work obviously you can't, butwe'll, you know, pay you to
watch, do whatever you can, andso it got tough to run it, and
then, by the end, for you was itstressful because you you
played more like a behind thescenes role totally so was it
stressful.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
I mean because, court , you know, corey, your husband,
who was also like kind of themore of the face of the brand,
totally the face of the brand,but was?
It stressful, like kind of notbeing able to do certain things,
like you were kind of likebehind the scenes but like
couldn't go places I feel like,I feel like it wasn't stressful
Speaker 1 (12:47):
to be behind the scenes, except that I'm such a
feminist that when people wouldbe like you're a wife, I was
like I'm, yes, I'm the wife,like so nice to meet you, you
know.
But I was kind of like you know, and cory would be like oh,
she's my co-founder.
We do this together like yeah,this is um, but you get kind of
tired of doing that.
So eventually you're just likeyeah, I'm the wife, sure, nice
to meet you, like you get tiredof giving the spiel.
(13:10):
I feel like the biggest stressorfor me was I could just see
Corey's mental health tankingand you know we have.
I had this moment, which ourinvestors were incredible, but I
had this moment that was prettypivotal for me with Taft, where
Corey I was like going tohospitalize him and I'm calling
around and I'm like we need tosell Taft.
Like this is too much, like I'mI'm just seeing this through
(13:32):
the lens of like watching myhusband try and manage this and
I'm trying to help him manage itRight and and the stress of
kids and yeah, just everything.
And so I called one of ourinvestors and I was like I think
we need to consider selling.
This, is like probably I guesswe had just raised I don't know
a year before, and he's justlike, well, we just raised money
(13:54):
and it had felt like everyonewas on our team but I had this
moment and, to be clear, greatinvestors, but like not the most
human moment for them.
You know where I was kind ofcalling desperate and it was
like it would be a disaster tosell right now.
We just raised money and I waslike my husband is like I'm
taking him to the hospital.
So I don't care if it's adisaster, you know but it was
(14:15):
this moment and we didn't end upselling at that moment.
But it was this time for mewhere I realized we're kind of
on our own, like if we're goingto do what's best for our health
, no one's going to do that forus, like we have to make this
work for ourselves.
And so eventually, when we sold, that was kind of in the back
of my mind where it's like noone's going to tell us when it's
the right time, no one's goingto.
(14:36):
Really, you know, people lookat numbers and I'm looking at my
life and what's happening, yeah.
And so by the time we sold I wasjust like, so ready, I thought
it was just the best thing ever.
And it's obviously hard toleave the business.
But people would be like, doyou miss it?
And I was like, no like 0%missing it Just fully.
That's awesome, though.
(14:57):
Fully ready to be done.
Um, even though it wasincredible profitable fully
ready to be done.
It's like getting to the end ofa marathon and someone's like
do you want to keep running?
And you're like, uh, I thinkI'm good.
I think.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
I think I'll stop.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
That's a really good analogy.
Do you want to run another?
Speaker 1 (15:11):
marathon.
But was it that?
Thrilling Like you want tostart one now?
Speaker 2 (15:14):
No, that was awesome, but I don't want to, but I, but
we crossed the finish line andI'm so happy we did yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
And so it was.
I guess it's been two years.
So we sold in like August of2022.
And then April of 2023, I wassitting in our mudroom and I,
just out of nowhere, was like Iwonder if anyone's doing protein
popsicles, like texted.
Corey was like hey, I have areally good idea.
(15:40):
I don't dare look it up becausesomeone's probably doing it,
sure, and and.
So he's like man, this is areally good idea.
I don't dare look it up becausesomeone's probably doing it, or
, and and, so he's like man,this is a really good idea.
And we start googling it andit's just like it's just mom
bloggers giving their ownrecipes of what they do for
their kids, but there's nothing,and so I just get super fired
up about this because to me,nutrition matters a lot more to
(16:05):
me than shoes.
Right, like this is a lot morein my wheelhouse, totally, and
so we just kind of like switchedto tough pops.
Um, cory had another job atthis point.
I'm doing interior design, butI'm like I can leave, that I can
do this and um, we just getcranking like find some great
food scientists because we Imean, we tried, sure, we tried
(16:28):
like it was like because youguys are both, very, uh, handy
in the kitchen.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Yeah, yeah, it sounds like yeah.
So we're like how hard can itbe right, like take some greek
yogurt, mix in some stuff likeit was not, it was bad like
inedible chalky.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Horrible.
We're like this.
Is there's a reason?
Food scientists?
Speaker 2 (16:45):
do what they do.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
So found an incredible team of food
scientists, and then they getcranking on Tough Pops.
Wild and then now, I mean thatwas two years ago, and just now
is when we're like ready to roll?
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Tell us where you are at in the journey.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Okay so samples took a long time journey.
Okay so samples took a longtime.
Like the first ones wereinedible to the point that we
were like is this, like is?
Speaker 3 (17:10):
this a bad idea?
Like is it even possible tolike?
Is?
Speaker 1 (17:11):
it even.
Yeah, exactly, and, and and itwas.
I mean I got a grant like.
I got a grant from like I sayit's big dairy.
I got a grant from big dairybecause they want people to make
stuff with milk sure and so Iget a grant to cover the food
science like 50% of this right.
So we're like, even if thisisn't going, to work.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
Let's just see it through.
It's not, we're not in it toodeep.
Thanks, big.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Dairy.
Thanks, Big Dairy.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Yeah, it was wild I'm a Big Dairy fan, I'm all about.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Big Dairy, but then we get to the point where by the
time we finished the recipes,they send them to our house.
They're sending them in pintsand we get on a Zoom call and I
start crying because I'm justlike.
These are so good.
They don't taste like they haveany protein in them, it just
tastes like really good icecream which is what I had
requested, and then kind of justbegins the hard work of, like,
(18:00):
you feel like you've crossedthis huge finish line, but then
there's patents.
Well no, then there's patentswell no, there's no patents.
It's just, it's so hard toproduce.
I'm okay.
I have to get one thing clearpopsicles is trademarked by
unilever.
I'm saying popsicles becausepeople know what.
What a?
Speaker 2 (18:15):
popsicle is protein pops.
I don't know, don't yeah?
Speaker 1 (18:18):
like sorry to unilever, you know, but it's but
it's um, but it's just reallyyeah it's just it's hard to make
.
It's hard to make this productright, like that's the
realization we've come to.
Nobody has line time before thefood scientists would even work
with us at all.
They're like, look, do you havesomeone who can make these?
(18:39):
Because there's a chance.
Just no one will.
And so I actually have a callwith the creamies guy and he's
in Utah yeah, they're in Utah.
I'm like, will you make them forus?
And he's like, no, we don'tmake for anybody, but there's
this one place that might, ohamazing, we get hooked up with
them.
They're willing to make them,you know.
But it's just, cpg is so hardand like we knew that and
(18:59):
everybody warns you.
But you're kind of like, yeah,but we can do this and we can.
But holy smokes, yeah, not d2cat all, which is what what we
loved about it.
Right, like it's, it'sdifferent.
But frozen everyone was likefrozen's hard, cpg's hard,
groceries hard yeah, and I thinkwe, our approach to it, has
(19:21):
been to plan to be the exceptionlike it was frozen hard, just
because I mean, when you'retalking about logistics.
Yes.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Is it hard because to get onto a frozen truck?
Oftentimes those shipping lanesare already owned by just
creamies.
Yeah, I mean, it's acombination of everything, one
of the big ones you can't justthrow it all in like a pallet
and like bring it over fromchina, right yeah?
Speaker 1 (19:48):
and when you think of a whole grocery store, I mean
for one you can't ship right.
So we have these differentcalls and people are like you
know you can restock yourselfand we're like you know we're
gonna ship it.
So you're trucking everythingright, so like where you could
ship other things we can't shipto anything.
But also you think of a grocerystore and you've got that one
section that's available forfrozen as a whole, but also,
(20:11):
like you whittle that down tothe ice cream section and then
to the popsicle section, andyou're looking at like two doors
that someone needs to say yourproduct deserves to be in these
two doors.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
And also you don't get front-facing space in
grocery stores.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
No, you get tipped on the side, just like just
ingredients is right now theycan put that protein powder at
the front of a Harman's or anystore.
You can merchandise it right.
You can make it look beautiful.
No this is like someone's goingto put you on a shelf.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Although I haven't noticed with Harman's lately,
they do have like the those,like rolling freezers.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Like right now they have Mochi is what it's called.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
So in that situation you're buying your own, like
Mochi is buying a freezer sayingHarman's.
Can we put it at the front ofthe store?
Which is another like a routeyou can take, but then I've just
got to go buy a ton of freezers, and so you're investing in
that and saying, okay, I'mhoping that, so actually they're
the ones who buy those, they'rethe ones who buy it, and then
they just are allowed to putthem in.
certain they're allowed to putit at the front.
They're like, hey, this is agood point of sale product.
(21:12):
So you're going retail, onlynot direct-to-consumer no, and
that's what's scary For productthat we could take direct
consumer still thinking aboutthat, but like having your legs
cut out from under you in termsof like this is what we know,
this is what we've done yeah weknow how to market this, we know
how to advertise this if we'reshipping it.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
But if we're not shipping it and you, we can't
even get it to you all of asudden, this is like a
completely different ball gamethis episode of the unstoppable
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go check them out right now at bffcreativeco so
have you talked with people likeat true fru, or yeah, yeah, and
we've had conversations withanybody who will talk to us, and
that's one of the great thingsabout being a second time
founder is people will liketotally take your call a little
bit more readily and so sobefore it was like we promise,
we got a lot of grit, you knowlike please talk to us.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
But but now it's like , okay, people will give us a
bit more of their time.
And so we've talked to a ton ofpeople.
Everyone has great advice, butultimately you just have to like
start and just hope you catchyour lucky breaks and that your
unit economics work out, becauseyou're kind of shooting in the
dark a little bit in thebeginning.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Which we did with Taft.
We priced our shoes before weknew our cost.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Like we just launched them on pre-order and we were
like they haven't gotten back tous.
On cost, like should we justset them at $189?
And it's like fur, I guess.
Like that sounds good, yeah,which was too low.
Um, so you correct, but it'sjust yeah.
And and protein, especiallyprotein, is so expensive, like
the powder itself that we use isjust incredibly expensive yeah,
(23:32):
it's a whey protein isolate andit's grass-fed, yeah, and and
there's not a lot of wiggle roomon it, right, like so, on all
of our other ingredients, as wescale you get price breaks.
I think at max scale we get adollar off per pound which is.
We'll take it For sure.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Not a lot.
Well, there's no reason forthem to give any because,
there's so much demand for whey,isolate Absolutely.
It's not even a question ofquantity.
And are you getting it here in?
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Utah.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
No, we're ordering everything in.
But even that, like we're like,can we order?
You know, like, do you havestock?
And they're like yeah, we'llcheck, we'll let you know.
You know like, we're just ateveryone's mercy.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
Well, if I may, I never would have tried a mochi.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Yeah, If I had not seen it Front of store In the
front, like as I'm checking out.
That's one of my favoritethings to do at Harmon's on the
way out.
I'm like this is my perfectlittle.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
I'm not telling you to go buy a bunch of freezers
and put them in Harmon's, butI'm not opposed to it.
I never would have tried amochi if it wasn't right there
near the checkout.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Ready.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
I'm a big ice cream.
I like ice cream Mochi'sawesome, isn't it?
It's fine.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
He never would have tried it, though I think it's
great I wasn't wearing that forreason.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
I'm not like I don't know, I don't love like the
rubbery texture of the ricething.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Yeah, that's the best part.
That's what I like about it.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
Like I don't love that on ice cream, On a mochi
guy Well like ice cream's.
Okay, it's not phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
It's a little.
It's more of a frozen treatthan ice cream.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
Seems like more of a frozen treat than a category of
ice cream.
I think they call themselveslike an ice cream sandwich.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Yeah, that sounds about right.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Yeah, so I mean it's ice cream, yeah, with a weird
layer.
I like it, it's fine.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
All right, moving on.
It.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Yeah, I take a creamy over that any day though.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Creamies are tough.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
I love a good banana creamy.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
But you said you're into nutrition.
Yeah, I think.
Perhaps, if I may throw astereotype out there, a lot of
mothers become into nutrition.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
As they start feeding their kids.
Yeah, and dads are usually kindof dragged along.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
It's like I'm eating healthier now, I guess.
Okay, I guess we have no moregluten in our house.
We don't buy cereal anymore, orwhat's happening?
Yeah, literally that's how I am.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
I'm like I guess we have no sugar, Like where?
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Where are the treats?
Speaker 3 (25:52):
Where is sugar?
I need sugar now, but did thathappen?
Have you always been interestedin nutrition?
Was it like?
Kind of like hey, I'm feedingmy kids and now I'm interested
in my own nutrition and it kindof evolved.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I think it for sure happens with motherhood, Also
with mental health, like justtrying to like anything that's
in your control.
You have to seize it because somuch is out of your control.
No-transcript cook it yourself.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
I've seen the clip of this.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Yeah, and that's kind of the approach we take, right,
like we have.
We have cookies and browniesand bread and but we just, and
so that's an important piece ofour lives.
And I think for me, for ToughPops, the opportunity that I saw
is that protein feels like abro space and Tough Pops is not
a bro brand.
I trust that, like gym broswill find it right Because it
(26:52):
has protein in it.
So they will find it becausethat's what they're looking for.
But protein does so much morethan build muscle.
It's so important to your body.
It's like oxygen transport.
It's so important to your body.
It's like oxygen transport,it's hormone regulation, it's
gene expression, right, likeit's these big things.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
Well, also it's becoming bigger in female
nutrition.
For sure it's huge in femalenutrition for the last five
years, right Because of what youjust said with hormones.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Yeah, it's like this matters, right?
Speaker 2 (27:15):
There's so many ties to eating more protein and
getting your hormones regulated.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
Absolutely.
And now creatine too, rightyeah, totally Like I take
creatine.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
Creatine pops is next .
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Yeah, creatine pops Throw it in there, but I do feel
like.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
I don't know how you could ever make a cheesecake.
It's just impossible.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Creatine would be rough.
I feel like I'm just takingdust.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
Yeah, but I feel like that was the space that I saw
where it felt like the brandsthat were focusing on women, I
don't know, weren't veryexciting to me.
It's like, yeah, these are here, I know I can buy them, they're
great, they're geared towardsme, but it felt very like bland.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
And then on the other side I mean, like I go to the
store and you see Bucked Up andI know it's not for me and no
hate to Bucked Up, but I'm nottheir customer, you know they're
not even trying to get me andthey wouldn't take offense to
that.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Yeah, they're like yeah, we know You're not, you
really aren't.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
And so, for me, I'm kind of obsessed with this, like
the people who work out but notin a gym, and the people who
care about their nutrition, butmaybe, like you're not counting
every macro.
Maybe you are, but you justwant in general to be better.
You know and you know you don'twant these certain ingredients,
but you're not obsessing overlike the fact that, like these
have sugar.
You know, like they're a treat.
It's ice cream, um, and so forme, I felt like there was this
(28:33):
space that has kind of beentapped into, but not in a very
fun, energetic, exciting way.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
I mean I know that's my wife.
Oh, my wife will.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
Would will eat this up because she does all of her
exercising at home.
Yeah, and she does it everymorning like she gets up 6 30,
she works out.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
You're on it.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
She has celiac, yeah, so like there's certain food
restrictions obviously with thatand then, but she's not like a
macro person.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Yeah, she's not counting and there's this whole
tier of people that care abouttheir health without being
extreme, about it yeah, and Ithink that tier is kind of
overlooked right like wherethey're looking at certain
things and they're like that Idon't know what that supplement
does, like I don't, and I don'teven have time to research it
because I've got to be with amillion things.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
I have so many things to do but the thing I want to
point out, though she's not amacro person, but I guess she is
, because she does count proteinyeah, yeah, she wants like
proteins like the one thingshe's like I have to get I have
to get enough x amount ofprotein in a day or else I feel
miserable yeah, and I also andshe also is like always craving
like I just want like a littlemore sweet at some point.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yes, yeah, it's the perfect for me, yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
You're in a real.
I love the spot right now, LikeI've been thinking about
protein CPG companies outside ofprotein powders.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Because it's having such a moment with you know, I'm
seeing protein cereals.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
Pretzels popcorn.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Protein popcorn.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
Yeah, I got an ad for protein popcorn the other day.
Popcorn, yeah, protein popcorn.
I got an ad for protein popcornthe other day.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Yeah, and then I saw your LinkedIn thing like protein
pops.
I'm like, okay, let's talk tothis gal.
And so one.
I think you're having a momentbecause I think you're seeing a
lot of women who actually arestarting to care a little bit
more, like where you say youused to have the extremists, the
CrossFitters, who are the macrocounters yes.
And now you're starting to havemore women say, hey, I actually
(30:23):
want to do that, maybe not tothe extreme.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
But I think every woman not everyone, but a lot of
women are paying a little bitmore attention to that 100%.
My wife is there 100%.
I bet she counts her macros atlike 80%.
Yeah, she's not letting acookie on a Sunday distract her
yes you know from accomplishingher macro goal yes.
But she's also paying very,very close attention to it and
(30:49):
because of just the recentstudies that have come out on
how important things likecreatine and things like protein
are for women's health.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
In general.
So protein has a moment, andthen you also have this branding
moment of right now in thepopsicle-esque space, the ice
cream-esque space.
It's very colorful, it's verykid, it's cows.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Yeah, I wanted nostalgic Bright colors.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
But you have the.
You know like I'm not a hugefan of this gal, but it was
really smart.
I don't know why I keep sayinggal Like.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
I'm 80 years old, these gals?
Yes, you are.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
But there's the girl the Call Her Daddy.
Girl just came out with theUnwell brand.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
You know, and so you have this brand, this really
like cool, different aestheticthat can stand out in those two
doors that you have AbsolutelyFor your branding.
That I've kind of seen and so Ithink the moment's really cool.
My question for you you justcame from six years of, or was
it?
Speaker 1 (31:49):
eight years of D2C, I mean it was like almost 10
years by the time, I meanbecause Corey stayed on for two
more years.
That's right, that's right.
So, a decade of D2C now.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
I know you did retail .
Speaker 1 (32:03):
I know you had some stores, but my guess is 70% of
your revenue probably came fromonline sales or more.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Yeah, so you're moving to the exact opposite.
What are your thoughts on howyou are going to get
distribution and get awarenessaround this?
What are you guys thinking?
Speaker 1 (32:22):
So one of the things that's been so important to me
is that I feel like when you'rea second time founder, there's
this feeling that you can skipsteps right, like we know how to
do this, we'll just skip ahead.
We have connections, which istempting because you're like we
can just take some shortcuts,and the thing I've realized is
that the most irreplaceablepiece is having that brand story
(32:44):
built out early.
Like you can't, I think.
I think people skip it thesecond time around, like they're
just kind of like let's justget going.
And to me, what made Taftspecial was people were really
on board with it, like peoplewere emotionally invested in the
story of it, beyond just shoes.
You know, we always said it waslike we were a mental health
company that sold shoes Like weweren't.
(33:05):
Shoes wasn't what we caredabout.
Yeah, and I feel like ToughPops has a lot of heart and I
just want to build in a very funway, right, because I think
Taft was more serious, becauseit is mental health, sure, and I
do think trends have shifted towhere maybe people don't want
serious from brands anymore,like they want a little bit of
levity.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
I think that started in 2020.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, totally, just give me some, give
me a little fun, right?
Speaker 3 (33:32):
I'm calling the 2020s is the 1980s again.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
Like people want fun, like pull me out, like just
give me something exciting Likethe Game of Thrones era, like
everything was just so dark andserious, like the Walking Dead,
yes.
Everything was just Give me TedLasso.
Yeah, give me joy Like Ted.
Lasso comes out and like peopleare like oh, that's the biggest
show on TV now, absolutelyTotally.
Yeah, and that's what for me.
(33:56):
Tough Pops has this opportunityto be joyful.
Right, like it's fun.
Food should be fun.
That's like I believe in thepower of food, but I also
believe people can get tooserious about it.
Right, like this should be thebest part of your day, like this
should be what you're lookingforward to.
This should be community.
This should be joyful, but I dothink the over like, not the
(34:23):
overemphasis, but I think thebig health shift has made food
really serious and I think weneed to get back to where food
feels fun.
And so, for me, what's excitingis, at this beginning, as we
have no D to C, like we can'tship anything, I'm calling it
the summer of 24,000 pops.
24,000 pops is our minimum forour first run.
Nice, we bought an ice creamtruck and we're just going to
sling pops locally and, justlike, build this community as
(34:45):
much as we can, because I think,no matter what you do, you need
your local community to be onboard with your brand.
Like don't underestimate thepower of just Utah before you go
anywhere else, and so I want tojust like win at home first,
and so that's step one.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
We've talked about this with Utah, so we haven't
coined a real term yet.
I called it the pioneer beltway.
Okay, right, it's a good andbad thing.
It's good because, if you catchon, the Mormon movement the
Mormon and Mormon adjacentcommunities because they're all
intertwined, right yeah?
(35:21):
It starts in the Relief Societyroom and then it just spreads.
But you will kill it in thiscorridor of Utah, idaho and
Arizona and then the OrangeCounty areas of California.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
San.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Clemente.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
San Clemente yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
But then it's like you kind of have a
misunderstanding of what youractual cost is for acquiring
customers, absolutely, because,like you're not accounting for
this like organic movement yeah.
But for retail that's wonderful.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Totally Right, because if you're in a store
like your cost per acquisitionis just very different, like
you're not going to be trackingit.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
The way you would for D2C.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
Yes, Like your cost per acquisition is just very
different, like you're not goingto be tracking it the way you
would for D2C.
So if you can just get thatmomentum building and then
really narrow down what yourstory is, you're not really
thinking of it in this likeconfined, like what's my ROAS
today?
Speaker 1 (36:12):
Absolutely, which is exciting, right, because we
that's where we came from islike just watching the metrics
and every day and you're tryingto adjust and do this and that
we came from is like justwatching the metrics and every
day and you're trying to adjustand do this and that.
And for me, I think now I'mlooking at it more holistically
of just I want to build thisgreat brand story that can kind
of carry over outside of Utah,but it can start here, sure, but
that there's some feelingbehind the brand, right, because
(36:34):
my favorite food brands I don'tfollow on Instagram, yeah, but
the heart is still there.
I still grasp it.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
What are some of your favorite brands?
Speaker 1 (36:43):
Olipop, I mean sorry to Poppy.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
We're Olipop fans too .
Those were four for $6.
Those were four for $6.
And I have nothing againstPoppy.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
I just love Olipop.
The crisp apple is just top.
I mean I don't really drinksoda at all unless it's Olipop,
like the crisp apple is just top.
I mean I don't really drinksoda at all, yeah, unless it's
Olipop.
Chris.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Apple is your favorite, chris Apple Number two
is what.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
Strawberry vanilla, really, yeah, that's it
surprises even me.
That's one of a kind we had awe had, we had a family Olipop
taste test.
Yeah, we bought all of them.
So like I know this, like wedid this.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
What's your kids' favorite?
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Tropical Punch was the winner.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
What Not?
Speaker 1 (37:22):
cream soda.
Blind taste test right.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
Grape and tropical soda for my kids too.
So good, Not cream soda androot beer?
Speaker 1 (37:28):
No, because the root beer is earthier than a normal
root beer Root beer is so good.
I think it tastes like a rootbeer though I think it does A&W.
Yeah, the kids like thefruitier stuff in my yes, yeah,
same thing with our kids.
I guess my kids have never hadthey like the orange yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
They like the orange a lot.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
They do like the strawberry vanilla a lot and I
probably have kid taste buds,because that's.
Speaker 3 (37:48):
I guess my kids have never had an A&W.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
I say that as if my kids like drink a lot of root
beer.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
But no.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
Yeah, then they're like this isn't root beer?
Speaker 3 (37:58):
We've never not.
They've had homemade root beerand stuff.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Which is the best?
It is the best.
Speaker 3 (38:02):
That is the best root beer.
I love Olipop.
Olipop's my favorite.
Olipop is so good.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
I love Soli.
Have you guys had Soli Like theSoli gummies, or the Soli like?
It's just the little like jerkystrips of pineapple?
Oh, Sully yes.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
The mango guava gummies.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
I have five boxes in my drawer at any given time.
Oh yeah, same here.
Because when I first wasgetting into this, we're asking
about hurdle rates.
Right, like what?
Do we need to move in a storefor it to be considered like
we're doing?
Speaker 2 (38:34):
a great job.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
And all of a sudden I'm like I think I'm hitting
people's hurdle rates for them,like on my own every week from
multiple stores.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Solely being one of them.
Like we for sure hit theirHarmon's hurdle rate every time
we shop there.
Like I'm, like you, it made mefeel so proud Like I was, like
you are welcome.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
Do you want to know what's funny?
We're solely all about justingredients.
Yeah, yeah, we just I don'tknow what those hurdle rates are
exactly low but I have.
Speaker 1 (39:05):
I'm like a big drink, weird drink guy like I always
have like a new weird drink hedoes.
Speaker 3 (39:07):
Yeah, I'm a.
I single-handedly create salesno on products.
Because, like I'll, I'll buysomething a lot consciously for
like two weeks, then I'll stopand then in like within a week
it'll be like two, four,whatever yeah, and then I'll go
back and get it on.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
You're gaming the system, yeah, so I, I do it's
something like with the drinks.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
It's something like 60 or something like that yeah,
all the pops right now aren't onsale have you noticed that,
like you can't get them on saleright now and that's why I've
moved over to poppies, becauseI'm like I can't spend 250 when
they're usually a buck 60.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
No, we're friends with the distributor and for a
while he would send us cases ofthem and I was like this is they
awesome.
They were sponsoring me for alittle bit, and so they were
sending me cases and cases andthen they got them in the
background of tough.
Then this is if you'relistening.
Speaker 2 (39:53):
I'm mad because they used to send me, like you know,
crate, not cr, but I used to get12 packs boxes all the time.
And, and you'd always have one.
And then they got a new socialmedia director and now they
don't think I'm as important aseveryone else's, and so now I
don't get them.
Speaker 3 (40:10):
So now we're drinking poppies, but really quick
talking about the story of toughpops.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (40:15):
This is.
I want to transition this orsegue the olipop conversation
because I I think olipops Ithink, poppy's dr pepper is the
best quote yeah, soda for sure,but I think olipops, root beer
and cream soda are the best rootbeer and cream soda options.
But I don't really buy olipopfor me.
(40:36):
I buy them for my kids reallybecause I don't have to worry
about a sugar crash yeah, forsure so like when we go camping,
I get ollie pops for my kidsbecause they get to have this
like sugar experience.
Yeah, yes, you know, without mebeing like okay, it's eight
o'clock and what have we done?
Yeah, I'm gonna be like justregretting this in two hours
(40:57):
when they're still like freakingout on sugar.
So is there any angle, withtough pops, of thinking about
hey, I know moms are thinkingabout this but, like, sometimes
it's really nice to give yourkid a treat that you don't have
to worry about.
Speaker 1 (41:09):
The sugar spike With protein and a popsicle it's
going to balance those insulinspikes right Absolutely, and
that's what I was going to sayis the biggest thing is just
like we have sugar but we havethat protein to balance it in a
vacuum.
The best use case is breakfast.
Like as a mom, I'm grabbing oneof those on the way out the
(41:30):
door and I'm like, okay, this is180 calories, this is 12 grams
of protein.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
Like the, the macros aren't too different like the
tough pop yeah, the tough poptotally like it's got 12 grams
of protein.
Speaker 1 (41:41):
Yeah, and so the macros aren't too different from
like when I was, when we weredeveloping the recipes, and
they're telling us the nutritionlabels like this one has this
much sugar, this one has thismuch that you know I'm trying to
figure out anything toreference it against because
there's not other protein popsright.
And so I'm going and I'mlooking at like this cliff bar,
that's an energy bar, and it'sgot like 12 grams of protein and
380 calories and I'm like okay,I mean we're beating that right
(42:04):
.
Like 380 calories, we're at 180.
You know the perfect bars, samething, really high calorie
counts, slightly more protein,but like very calorie rich and
at the end of the day doesn'tfeel like dessert, which is like
what I love about it.
And so then I'm looking at itcompared to like my greek yogurt
or just my normal yogurt, andI'm like not too far off, so
like a very justifiablebreakfast that is a really cool
(42:26):
thought.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
We use, use because we use.
We're huge ninja creamy people.
Speaker 1 (42:30):
Yes, yeah.
Speaker 3 (42:31):
You know it's a weird thought though, because I've
never considered popsicles inthe morning.
Speaker 2 (42:35):
But our kids eat ice cream for breakfast all the time
, but donuts Because of it.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
Donuts are way worse.
Speaker 3 (42:42):
I know that's what I'm saying.
You're going to tank.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
It's so fast, give it at least some fat, some protein
to balance it out.
Speaker 2 (42:47):
What we'll do is we will make a strawberry, just
ingredients with freshstrawberries, and maybe we'll
put some graham cracker in it asa little sweet For breakfast
yeah for breakfast, and it'llhave all of this protein in it.
Speaker 3 (42:59):
That's not that far off from a smoothie either, is
it?
No, exactly no.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
this is when you start looking at the actual
nutrition labels.
I'm in love with that.
Speaker 2 (43:05):
The Tough Pops is awesome because it's grab and go
.
Speaker 1 (43:08):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (43:08):
This is like I got to make it the night before it's
got to freeze.
I got to remember.
It's a whole thing, you know itis an experience and so there's
this grab and go piece.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
that is so awesome Because I always have my yogurt
in the car and then, like I'm,finding spoons under chairs.
You know, have you tasted?
Speaker 3 (43:23):
it with the kids.
Sorry, you have taste testedwith your kids.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
Kids love it.
Yeah, that was like it wastough because for a long time
samples were so sparse that wewere like you can have like one
spoonful of this you know, butlike you can't, you can't really
have it.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
It's like literally like a taste test.
Yeah, it's like literally, hereyou go.
Speaker 1 (43:39):
But that was the first samples.
They tried them and they werelike these are bad.
I'm like we know they're bad,like that that's like there's
kind of not supposed to be bad,but it's science, you know.
Like they're like.
They're like, tell us what'sbad about them, you know the
food scientists.
I'm like they're bad and they'relike but what's bad?
I'm like they're gummy, they'rechalky and they're like okay,
this is good.
Like we know how to reversegumminess, we know how to
(44:03):
reverse chalkiness.
I'm like, like not say names,but we went to the home of the
president of a major grocer withour kids because we happened to
be on a trip where they lived,happened to have a crazy
connection, overnighted somepops and like, brought them to
his house and one of them weneeded to test just to make sure
it was not.
Like nothing went wrong, right,like no one had tested him.
Speaker 3 (44:26):
We don't want to take a batch.
It's like a bad batch, yeahRight.
Speaker 1 (44:28):
And we just gave it to you know the person we most
need to connect with, and so ourkids are like fighting over it
in the backseat and we're likeyou guys haven't ever really had
tough pops.
Like they're like chocolateyfaces, like dripping everywhere
and like piranhas Right, like Ineed some, like I need this for
(44:50):
my kids.
I'm like you need this for you.
Like, yeah, your kids will haveit too.
Kids have a much lower proteinthreshold than adults and so,
geared towards adults, flavorsare for adults.
We have cha cha chai, cremebrulee, double dutch cocoa.
They're not flavors that screamgive them to your kids, but
kids can have them.
Speaker 2 (45:10):
Chocolate, vanilla and kids love them.
Yeah, what I love about whatyou're doing here, like going
back to the marketing side ofthings, is they bought this like
.
I follow you guys on Instagramand so they bought this like
Meals on Wheels-esque Schwantruck.
Speaker 1 (45:26):
Yeah, schwan truck it they bought this like meals on
wheels-esque Schwann truck.
Yeah, schwann truck, it's aretired Schwann truck straight
up.
Speaker 3 (45:31):
You know what Schwann is.
I know what Schwann is Like theyellow delivery trucks.
Speaker 1 (45:35):
We never had it, but my neighbors did no, but they
drive by and you're like who'sgetting that?
Speaker 2 (45:38):
Yeah, and there's like all these doors, you know.
So they bought one of thosethat they're going to brand as
like this You're kind of like afood truck-esque style and I
think you have an, becausenobody's really doing that in
the ice cream space.
You know, you've seen cereal,do it, You've seen.
But you have this coolopportunity to create a really
(46:01):
cool organic social mediastrategy.
That can be super, super fun.
And I think if you guys utilizedocumenting what you're doing
you know, I hope you've beenfilming and doing some stuff and
start putting that kind ofstuff out, and then you can
probably start to create somereally cool hype around where
you're going to be.
You know, hey, we're going tobe in Highland for the day.
Speaker 1 (46:22):
Hey, we're up in Kaysville for the day, totally,
and that's what I'm hoping, doyou?
Speaker 3 (46:25):
have any ideas like that, that?
Speaker 1 (46:27):
you guys have fleshed out.
Yeah, because we I mean wetalked about, like you know, old
school ice cream truck stylelike rolling up to you know,
like you roll up to podiumthough.
But like you roll up to like youroll up to a business park at
lunch and you play the song andit's like, is that?
Is that like what I think it is?
(46:47):
You know, like if people cancome to expect it, I think it'd
be so fun.
But I also really just want todo like I love, like a real
grassroots movement, like for meit's really important to have
that brand story in thebeginning, and so we're
literally going to like takeorders from family and friends
and drop them off on their porch, right yeah, and the ice cream
truck is for that too.
You know, like kind of buildingthis.
I don't know.
The thing that's so fun is,anytime we talk to anybody about
(47:10):
the ice cream truck, like grownmen's faces are like an ice
cream truck.
You know, like you can't helpit, like I'm telling you right
now your social media.
Speaker 2 (47:17):
If you do this right organically, you guys will
explode I promise you, if you dothis correctly, because of
everything you're saying, likethe more we're talking, the more
my wheels are turning and whenhe says correctly, that doesn't
mean like you can't have somefall downs, right no, no, but I
mean, but if you figure it outwhat I mean by correctly
nowadays, yes, yeah, is I.
What I don't mean is let me geta professional camera no,
(47:40):
taking a really good beautifulshot of our truck.
Absolutely, that's what I meanby don't you know, you know it's
the experience of like I'm justpicturing Corey in like an old
school milk man.
Speaker 1 (47:52):
No, that was the first thing we looked up.
Like I was like I'm buying youwhite coveralls, we're going to
get you a hat, like you're goingto have an apron, and he's
driving and I'm picturing musicand I'm picturing like Take it
easy, though.
Speaker 2 (48:04):
You're going to, and he's like ice cream and he puffs
up but with protein in it, soyou don't have to feel bad, that
is huge, that is so exciting.
Have you guys, can I throw?
Speaker 3 (48:15):
out an idea for you guys, and I hope you do it.
Maybe it's not good, though Ilove all of that but combine
that with, like thejuxtaposition that it's like for
adults right like it's the icecream truck for adults and so
you go to a soccer game onSaturday morning where all the
adults are on the sideline, andthen you basically go over to
(48:37):
the adult likewith the thing like hey, try
this yeah, cause I bet you getviral content just from people
trying it oh yeah, you need totry stuff like Corey in the
outfit, but going and like hey,we're the ice cream truck for
adults and then you go over tothe adults.
Speaker 1 (48:51):
Oh, it'd be so fun.
Because they're all sittingthere anyway, they're all there,
they're all there, the numberone hire is a documenter.
Speaker 3 (48:56):
I'm telling you right now, and you guys will
absolutely crush it Adults wouldlove it at their soccer games,
just sitting there for like anhour.
Speaker 2 (49:05):
Absolutely.
I think you take it a littlebit further.
Okay, let's keep thejuxtaposition concept here.
Sorry, this is like not even.
Speaker 1 (49:12):
I love this.
I mean, I should be paying you.
Speaker 3 (49:14):
In fact, kids don't even know what an ice cream
truck is anymore.
Love it.
It's only adults that even havenostalgia around it.
They have no nostalgia aroundit.
The imagery is a kid.
Funny, that's so fun.
Speaker 1 (49:25):
The kids are the workers to that, yeah, and the
adults are handing it to theadults like that is the, that is
a funny, that would be funnyvideos versus cory being so
great I love that, like thatwould be incredible, like that's
your campaign no, I love it,and I think there is just this
built-in nostalgia that we'retrying to tap into right, like
when we first started workingwith our food scientists.
Um, the lady who's the head ofthe team is like the most
(49:48):
intimidating person I think I'veever had a call with.
Speaker 3 (49:51):
Like I was like shaking the whole time Like
Corey and I are just like she's.
She's the head of the foodscientist team.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
She's like and she like we haven't talked to her
since right.
But she's like she's the one whodecides if you're, if you're
going to make the cut andthey're going to develop your
recipe or not.
And we're just like gosh.
She was terrifying but so cool.
But the thing she told us isshe's like you're in a good
industry because research hasshown that no matter how bad the
ice cream is, people like it.
(50:16):
Just because it's ice creamlike that's how nostalgic ice
cream is is that you could beeating the worst ice cream and
they'll still eat so nostalgicthat you'd be like but it's ice
cream.
You know like it's just like so,and so I feel like there's you
know what, though?
Speaker 3 (50:29):
the cold, the, the, the temperature of the flavors
makes it more bearable yeah,that's true, that's a good point
, because it's not, it's justlike like it kind of numbs your
tongue after the first, yeah,like.
So, like, even if the ice creamisn't great, like people will
still eat it and be like, oh,that was good.
Speaker 2 (50:45):
I feel like that's how people were with Halo.
Speaker 1 (50:47):
Halo was not that good, but it blew up because of
it, because it was healthier.
Exactly, it's cold, yeah, andit was cold.
Speaker 3 (50:55):
So the nostalgia of the texture and the flavor, and
then also it gets better overtime because your tongue kind of
goes numb.
Speaker 1 (51:02):
We developed a banana split flavor because did you
guys have Dippin' Dots bananasplit when you?
Were a kid Like we're notmaking it because, like, by the
time you add in all theingredients, it's so expensive.
But it was that.
But like just that experienceof like going to a baseball game
and getting the Dippin' Dotsand basically like drinking it
to the last drop.
And it tastes just like that.
The food scientists had neverhad Dippin' Dots like ever.
(51:25):
And I was like ever, like noDippin' Dots.
Like did you go to baseballgames?
Like were you a child ever?
Yeah, so interesting.
Speaker 3 (51:34):
Every parent knows how painful it is behind Dippin'
Dots.
Oh my gosh, seven bucks forDippin' Dots, it's like go to a
jazz game, get some Dippin' Dots.
Speaker 2 (51:51):
It.
This is awesome.
I think this is so cool.
I think, yeah, I mean.
One thing I want to pull out ofthis before we kind of come to
a close here is I feel likesometimes in these podcast
episodes we always end in a spotlike this which is, the
businesses that are going to dothe best in 2025 and beyond are
businesses that are thinkingabout doing things differently.
Speaker 1 (52:09):
Now, that's kind of always been a true statement, if
I can say that it's never beentruer than now, though, but it's
never been truer than now,because everyone can do
everything you know and it's sohard.
Speaker 2 (52:19):
If you're going to be a jewelry company, it's so hard
to stand out right, theearrings you're wearing could be
Tiffany's or Amazon.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
Yeah, absolutely, and I don't mean that in a
disrespectful way, it's just sochallenging.
Speaker 2 (52:29):
And so for you, you're thinking about things
differently.
We're bringing back thenostalgic ice cream truck.
I'm making popsicles healthy.
You're seeing ice cream healthyright now, healthier.
I'm a huge Jenny's fan.
Speaker 1 (52:45):
Oh love Jenny's.
Is there anything better thantheir butter cake?
Oh my gosh, I can't rememberwhich one I get.
I get the peaches andbuttermilk biscuits.
The almond brittle is better,kenzie likes the almond brittle.
Speaker 2 (52:54):
So good, I get the butter.
What am I?
Speaker 3 (52:56):
My wife gets butter cake.
Speaker 2 (52:58):
Is it butter cake?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (53:00):
So good, there's nothing better to me it's like
ooey gooey butter cake.
Speaker 3 (53:03):
Ooey, the wife says the almond brittle is too much
of a grandpa ice cream.
Speaker 2 (53:07):
Kenzie likes the almond brittle.
I don't mind it.
Speaker 3 (53:09):
I'm not a huge ice cream guy.
Speaker 2 (53:10):
I think it's phenomenal, but I think you're
just.
I love that.
That's the message I think youhave to get out of.
This is like you got to just bewilling to put in the extra
time to do things differently,and I think so often we get so
caught up in oh look whatOlipop's doing, let me do what
they're doing.
Speaker 3 (53:29):
Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (53:37):
And it's great to look at them from an inspiration
perspective, but then you haveto flip it and say what am I
going to do to stand out fromthem?
And to that point, I think thatwas one of our, you know, as we
were kind of talking with somevideographers trying to figure
out what we're going to do andthey were showing us what they
had done.
You know, because that's thenatural thing is to be like
here's what we have done, andcory and I kind of looked each
other and we're like we justhave to push it and and we can
take risks that bigger brandscan't take, which is the magic
of being scrappy like taft.
(53:59):
We took a lot of risks that Imean like our store got broken
into and we had an ad running ofit.
Speaker 2 (54:04):
By the end it was the best ad I ever saw it.
It was a really good ad.
You want to know what, though?
You guys, I think, posted thatand I think you posted it
organically first.
Yeah, we did, and this was mylike in my mind.
I told myself they ran that adas an ad because of me, because
I commented and said this needsto be an ad ASAP.
Speaker 1 (54:25):
Yeah, but as soon as it got broken into I mean it was
I'll tell you.
It's you, but Corey, but Corey.
The first thing Corey said isthis is going to make a great ad
and and it, which is just likethe like entrepreneurial spirit
right.
Of, just like our store just gotbroken into and we're not even
like worried about the glassdoor, we're not worried about
the stolen inventory, like theyleft the iPad, they just took
(54:45):
shoes.
Like we were like this is thebest ad ever, like they just
stole shoes, like that's allthey wanted.
And so I think for us, though,there's always like the adapt or
fail mentality, but also Ithink people can take bigger
risks than they think they cantake, like I think you can push
it further than you think youcan push it.
I think, like the quirky, weirdthings that brands do is what
(55:09):
makes me remember them Right.
Like like there's so much noisenow that I think to your point.
It's like you can't.
It's like trying to sing atlike a concert that's blaringly
loud.
Speaker 3 (55:19):
Maybe you don't sing, maybe you do something else.
Yeah, yeah, learn how to dance.
Speaker 1 (55:23):
Yeah, learn how to dance, get on stage and do
something else.
Speaker 2 (55:26):
I love it.
Well, this is awesome.
I am so pumped for you guys.
Thank you when are you guyslaunching?
Do you guys have an idea?
Speaker 1 (55:32):
I mean like now, Like it's literally we're waiting on
the final word from ourco-packer to be like we're going
to run it this weekend, whichcould be this weekend or next
weekend.
So we're just, and then's just,beyond that distribution.
Unfi.
Speaker 2 (55:49):
KE.
Where can people find Tuff?
Do you guys have an Instagramaccount set up yet?
I mean we have Tuff Protein.
Speaker 1 (55:56):
There's nothing on it , but you can follow Tuff
Protein.
I think we have 300 followersand zero posts, but you can go
there.
Hey, that's good.
Speaker 3 (56:03):
We'll start posting.
I'm excited to see the icecream truck content, oh my gosh,
me too.
I am too.
Speaker 1 (56:10):
I'm just excited for our kids because I'm like you're
going to grow up with an icecream truck in the driveway.
Is there anything better?
That's the best.
You need to come into Draper,into this office space.
There's a lot of offices here.
We will.
I can't wait to hear the music.
Speaker 2 (56:22):
We got a big window.
We'll see you guys next week.
Thank you so much for listeningto the Unstoppable Marketer
podcast.
Please go rate and subscribethe podcast, whether it's good
(56:42):
or bad.
We want to hear from youbecause we always want to make
this podcast better.
If you want to get in touchwith me or give me any direct
feedback, please go follow meand get in touch with me.
I am at the Trevor Crump onboth Instagram and TikTok.
Thank you, and we will see younext week.
People look at numbers and I'm looking at my
life and what's happening?
By the time we sold I was justlike so ready.
It's obviously hard to leavethe business, but people would
be like, do you miss it?
And I was like no like 0%,missing it.
Even though it was incrediblefully ready to be done.
It's like getting to the end ofa marathon and someone's like
do you want to keep running?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
And you're like I think.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
I'm good, I think I'll stop His brother's a junior
.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Really I'm not.
Is he your dad Like?
Is it named after your dad,Nice Junior?
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Nice, I'm great, got all my camping stuff ready.
We're going to go hunt for somegeodes on Friday.
Oh nice, are you going to thatone place?
Yeah, we are, you guys likethat place With my little boys
we got the picks and the axesand the, we have some dwarf
songs to sing from Lord of theRings.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Oh, because you just read it to them.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Man, what a.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
They're excited.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
What an event.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
I got to get them some goggles, just in case you
know Safety glasses.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah Well, I'm excited for our episode today,
me too.
We got a fun guest.
I'm actually way excited tohave her on, so should we
introduce her?
Let's do it.
I'll do it, I'll introduce.
I always introduce, you do you?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
do a good job.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
I guess I'll do it again.
So I want to introduce ifyou're watching, you've seen her
, If you're listening, you don't.
But anyways, I want tointroduce our guest.
Her name is Mallory Stevens,which they have recently-ish
sold.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Yeah, 2022.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah a couple years ago and now the founder and CEO
of a brand new CPG company brandcalled Tough Pops.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Welcome, Mallory.
How are you?
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I'm so good I have to know about the geodes, though.
Where do you go?
Oh, the geodes are in Dugway.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Okay, is it near Delta?
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Yes, Well, no yes and no Kind of.
If you take the back roads from.
Delta up to the West Desert youknow where, like the fish the
Bird National Refuge, like thefish and bird National Refuge
areas you do.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
My mom is from Delta, so this is like our Her neck of
the woods.
Oh yeah, so if you know how, toget to that.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
She's there every week for Sunday dinner, if you
know how to get to that refuge.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
The Dugway Geode is like a little northeast from
there.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
I grew up hearing about the Dugway Like the old
people would talk about like oh,he's at the Dugway this weekend
.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
And I'm like what is the Dugway?
Proving Grounds are no.
Do you know that Utah has someof the highest UFO reportings of
any state.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I know that because you have told me that.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Okay, it's because Dugway Proving Grounds is a
military base where peopletheorize that they use
experimental aircraft.
Out there I do a lot of campingand we do camping in the West
Desert a lot and I have seenlike remember when everyone was
freaking out about the drones inNew Jersey I mean I saw those
(03:15):
things Years ago, like two yearsago, yeah, in the desert, I'm
not even kidding Like the exact,like very strange flight
patterns in the night.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
It's fun.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
You didn't think anything of it, I was like it's
obviously like some kind ofmilitary thing going on here.
Yeah, that's what I would say.
So it's fun, but anyways, thegeodes are there.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
So if your mom's from Delta, then you know about the
trilobite dig.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yes, yeah, that was what.
So we 4th of July every year isDelta, and it's I mean, this is
a hot topic in Utah becausethere's a lot of strong feelings
about where is the best placeto celebrate the 4th.
Oh yeah, but it's Delta.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
It is Delta's fun.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
It actually is Like crop dust or flyover library,
throwing books in the paradelike just wild stuff.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
I just never even heard of this.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
It's the best.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Small towns are the best place to be on the 4th, but
there's a rock shop where theysell geodes and trilobites.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
I mean we did the trilobite hunting when I was a
kid and it's the best not at theDugway at U-Dig well, no,
you're getting it mixed up,trevor, it's Dugway Geode and
then there's the trilobites, thetrilobite digs at the U-Dig.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Yeah, that's Delta, a little further out towards
what's the national park outthere with the cave?
You've been to the big caveit's crystal ball caves.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah yeah, it's very cool, but anyway, or in Kemmerer
.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Wyoming.
There's also another fossil dig.
Yeah, we're going there thisyear.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
So cool.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
And fossil dig.
Yeah, we're going there thisyear so cool, and then we're
gonna do you dig again.
Jude would think it's awesome,my girls wouldn't.
Oh, roma would.
Maybe no roma would love it itdoesn't.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
It doesn't matter boy .
Speaker 3 (04:53):
I mean look, boys do have a little like obsession
with rocks, like yeah, yeah, howmany kids you have, we have
four yeah boys, three boys, onegirl, awesome yeah.
Three, and then the girl.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
No one.
Then our daughter, another boyand then our fourth passed away,
but little boy.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Little boy yeah, okay , so you've got.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah, we get the rock obsession.
Yes, for sure.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
The boys, yes, have a rock obsession, but girls they
can get into it.
I mean, they might not be intoit for as long, but, dude, it's
like Easter egg hunting, exceptyou find a fossil, you just
crack these things open.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
She'd probably be stoked once we were there.
I don't think she'd be excitedif we told her what we were
doing.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
No, she would because , you will see wild horses on
the way there.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Fair.
Maybe, I don't know she mightbe into horses.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
What little girl doesn't love horses I don't know
she might be into horses.
What little girl doesn't lovehorses?
I don't know if my little girldoes.
They're majestic Majesticalhorses.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
I was assuming you knew something I didn't.
I don't love horses Like that.
She's super into horses.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
No, just like little girls, like you see horses and
like who Horses?
Speaker 2 (05:57):
freak me out Really.
Like oh yeah, it's weird, canyou ride one I?
It's weird, can you ride one?
I would never ride a horse,never, I will never ride a horse
.
I don't even like to get near ahorse, that's a hot take.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
What?
Speaker 2 (06:08):
I think they're beautiful creatures from a
distance.
You would never ride a horse, Iwould never get on a horse and
it makes me sad because thecowboy life sounds awesome to me
.
I go herd cattle Horses arecool Every Thanksgiving in like
outer Colorado City because mygrandfather-in-law owns a bunch
(06:30):
of land.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
This is southern.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Utah desert.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Very cool.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
And they all take horses, and I take a
four-wheeler.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
I have done one cattle drive on horseback.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
That's rough, because sometimes you're out there for
like eight hours.
It was long, yeah, like you canbe out there for a long time.
It's cool, though, right.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
It was very cool.
We were staying at a ranch andit was kind of expected.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Yeah, pull your weight.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Yeah, and so they were just like hey, grab a, you
know how to ride a horse.
And I was like I mean not well,yeah, like, but you've, like
rid, got to move the cows up tothe upper pasture.
I was like, okay, so theywatched our kids.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
There are horses can have attitudes.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Yeah, okay, here's the thing.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
So like there's some work horses out there that like
are a little tooty yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
My horse was the like beloved family horse and I rode
it the whole time andeverything's fine.
And then we get to the end andit just lays down and rolls over
.
I jumped off its back and rollsover.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
And I jumped off its back Well, luckily, but I was
like Like it was just like I'mdone, this is yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
I think if there was, I think if I was up in Montana
and there was a group ofYellowstone-esque cowboys that
were like, hey, you gotta get ona horse, I would do it for them
.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
You'd feel like obligated yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
This was that moment for me.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
But anyways, yeah, anyways, mallory.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Mallory, so okay so let's give us a little history
Of the entrepreneur journey.
Yeah, she's like big timeentrepreneur journey.
So you guys started Taft.
What year did you start Taft?
Speaker 1 (07:57):
2014.
I mean, we graduated in 2013from college and we started
working on it then.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
That's right Launched in 2014.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
2013, from college, and we started working on it.
Then that's right.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Launched in 2014.
I was pregnant.
We had no job prospects.
Can I?
Tell you my favorite storyabout the beginning of Taft.
Yes, it started as socks andthen something happened where,
like people were getting alittle creepy with the feet.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Oh yeah, oh my gosh Weird pictures, weird pictures.
Like we were getting yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
We posted pictures of like.
I mean, we were selling no-showsocks.
That's what Taft started as.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
And we posted some pictures of the product being
worn and we were like gettingfeet pictures just show people
in shoes with like the socklesslook right and that's kind of
what changed everything, becauseeventually everyone thought we
were a shoe company, yeah, andwe just became one, yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Incredible.
We had her husband Corey on,who was also a co-founder of.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
Tap.
So if it wasn't for the creeps,probably two years ago, maybe
you guys never would have madeshoes.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
It.
It might have been like themonth you guys sold.
We had cordy on, I think.
Oh, really it was.
It had to have been within 30to 45 days.
I would imagine wild um and and.
But fun fact uh, we don't needto jump into the whole journey
of it, but like the fun fun factwas like, uh, I bought no show
socks in 2014 or 2015.
I believe yeah, like I in fact,and you guys did like a big
warehouse sale out in.
Bluffdale yes, we did, and Iremember going to it and I
bought probably like $200 worthof socks?
Speaker 1 (09:31):
No way.
That was really more like $700worth of socks, because of the
deal I got, because you guys, Ithink were just at that time.
You guys said Moving on toshoes probably.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
And so I.
Actually, when I interviewedCorey, I still had brand new
pairs that I had never used.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Oh my gosh, no way, that were just like in my, and
now I don't anymore, because Inever do no-show socks anymore.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Yes, yeah, the no-show socks kind of faded.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
That look is a little yeah, you want longer socks now
, or else you'll be made fun of.
That's true, you're amillennial.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
So you guys sold Taft and then you've kind of been in
a state of limbo maybe, likejust kind of like, what are you
guys going to do next?
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Yes, we sold Taft in 2022, which was just like super
wild.
Our son passed away the samesummer, so it was just all super
intertwined, and so I feel likepeople would be like, oh my
gosh, you so excited, this is abig, a big deal, and we were
just like we're not.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
This isn't the last thing on our minds, like we're
just grieving totally livinglife, not concerned about
business at all in that momentand but also probably a good
time to have gotten rid of itfor sure.
For sure, I mean it was.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
It was hard, it was awesome and it was kind of
thrilling like we kind of got inthat perfect, you guys know
sweet spot of we started onInstagram at the perfect time.
Like it was just you postedanything and someone would
repost it and someone else wouldyou know.
It was just easy on Instagram.
You know, people would be likeman tell me about startup life
(10:59):
and we were like it was not hard.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
This is the easiest thing I've ever done this was
awesome, right?
Speaker 1 (11:09):
I mean, when we were in school, we made twelve
thousand dollars a year that wasour salary combined.
And so then taft like, but payus fifty thousand dollars, and
we were like, whoa like look out.
You know, this is the bestthing ever, and so we were young
.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
It didn't have to do like three hundred thousand
dollars in today's oh my gosh,$50,000 a year in 2016.
Get out of here.
It was.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
I mean, our rent was $600 a month, right Like we,
just it didn't feel.
It felt scrappy because we hadno hires and we were every
position.
You know we were photographer,model, like everything, but it
was.
Instagram was a much easierplace to be then, and so we just
grew quickly, um, but as wewent on, it just gets tougher
(11:49):
and tougher like it was reallyhard on Corey mentally.
You know he's been veryoutspoken about his depression.
But just like tough to run abusiness, tough to have.
We had just opened stores andthen COVID hits like.
We opened our New York storeNovember 2019, which is just
like just comical timing, youknow so we had this whole team
(12:10):
in Soho that we were just likejust stay on, like don't go to
work obviously you can't, butwe'll, you know, pay you to
watch, do whatever you can, andso it got tough to run it, and
then, by the end, for you was itstressful because you you
played more like a behind thescenes role totally so was it
stressful.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
I mean because, court , you know, corey, your husband,
who was also like kind of themore of the face of the brand,
totally the face of the brand,but was?
It stressful, like kind of notbeing able to do certain things,
like you were kind of likebehind the scenes but like
couldn't go places I feel like,I feel like it wasn't stressful
Speaker 1 (12:47):
to be behind the scenes, except that I'm such a
feminist that when people wouldbe like you're a wife, I was
like I'm, yes, I'm the wife,like so nice to meet you, you
know.
But I was kind of like you know, and cory would be like oh,
she's my co-founder.
We do this together like yeah,this is um, but you get kind of
tired of doing that.
So eventually you're just likeyeah, I'm the wife, sure, nice
to meet you, like you get tiredof giving the spiel.
(13:10):
I feel like the biggest stressorfor me was I could just see
Corey's mental health tankingand you know we have.
I had this moment, which ourinvestors were incredible, but I
had this moment that was prettypivotal for me with Taft, where
Corey I was like going tohospitalize him and I'm calling
around and I'm like we need tosell Taft.
Like this is too much, like I'mI'm just seeing this through
(13:32):
the lens of like watching myhusband try and manage this and
I'm trying to help him manage itRight and and the stress of
kids and yeah, just everything.
And so I called one of ourinvestors and I was like I think
we need to consider selling.
This, is like probably I guesswe had just raised I don't know
a year before, and he's justlike, well, we just raised money
(13:54):
and it had felt like everyonewas on our team but I had this
moment and, to be clear, greatinvestors, but like not the most
human moment for them.
You know where I was kind ofcalling desperate and it was
like it would be a disaster tosell right now.
We just raised money and I waslike my husband is like I'm
taking him to the hospital.
So I don't care if it's adisaster, you know but it was
(14:15):
this moment and we didn't end upselling at that moment.
But it was this time for mewhere I realized we're kind of
on our own, like if we're goingto do what's best for our health
, no one's going to do that forus, like we have to make this
work for ourselves.
And so eventually, when we sold, that was kind of in the back
of my mind where it's like noone's going to tell us when it's
the right time, no one's goingto.
(14:36):
Really, you know, people lookat numbers and I'm looking at my
life and what's happening, yeah.
And so by the time we sold I wasjust like, so ready, I thought
it was just the best thing ever.
And it's obviously hard toleave the business.
But people would be like, doyou miss it?
And I was like, no like 0%missing it Just fully.
That's awesome, though.
(14:57):
Fully ready to be done.
Um, even though it wasincredible profitable fully
ready to be done.
It's like getting to the end ofa marathon and someone's like
do you want to keep running?
And you're like, uh, I thinkI'm good.
I think.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
I think I'll stop.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
That's a really good analogy.
Do you want to run another?
Speaker 1 (15:11):
marathon.
But was it that?
Thrilling Like you want tostart one now?
Speaker 2 (15:14):
No, that was awesome, but I don't want to, but I, but
we crossed the finish line andI'm so happy we did yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
And so it was.
I guess it's been two years.
So we sold in like August of2022.
And then April of 2023, I wassitting in our mudroom and I,
just out of nowhere, was like Iwonder if anyone's doing protein
popsicles, like texted.
Corey was like hey, I have areally good idea.
(15:40):
I don't dare look it up becausesomeone's probably doing it,
sure, and and.
So he's like man, this is areally good idea.
I don't dare look it up becausesomeone's probably doing it, or
, and and, so he's like man,this is a really good idea.
And we start googling it andit's just like it's just mom
bloggers giving their ownrecipes of what they do for
their kids, but there's nothing,and so I just get super fired
up about this because to me,nutrition matters a lot more to
(16:05):
me than shoes.
Right, like this is a lot morein my wheelhouse, totally, and
so we just kind of like switchedto tough pops.
Um, cory had another job atthis point.
I'm doing interior design, butI'm like I can leave, that I can
do this and um, we just getcranking like find some great
food scientists because we Imean, we tried, sure, we tried
(16:28):
like it was like because youguys are both, very, uh, handy
in the kitchen.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Yeah, yeah, it sounds like yeah.
So we're like how hard can itbe right, like take some greek
yogurt, mix in some stuff likeit was not, it was bad like
inedible chalky.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Horrible.
We're like this.
Is there's a reason?
Food scientists?
Speaker 2 (16:45):
do what they do.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
So found an incredible team of food
scientists, and then they getcranking on Tough Pops.
Wild and then now, I mean thatwas two years ago, and just now
is when we're like ready to roll?
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Tell us where you are at in the journey.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Okay so samples took a long time journey.
Okay so samples took a longtime.
Like the first ones wereinedible to the point that we
were like is this, like is?
Speaker 3 (17:10):
this a bad idea?
Like is it even possible tolike?
Is?
Speaker 1 (17:11):
it even.
Yeah, exactly, and, and and itwas.
I mean I got a grant like.
I got a grant from like I sayit's big dairy.
I got a grant from big dairybecause they want people to make
stuff with milk sure and so Iget a grant to cover the food
science like 50% of this right.
So we're like, even if thisisn't going, to work.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
Let's just see it through.
It's not, we're not in it toodeep.
Thanks, big.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Dairy.
Thanks, Big Dairy.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Yeah, it was wild I'm a Big Dairy fan, I'm all about.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Big Dairy, but then we get to the point where by the
time we finished the recipes,they send them to our house.
They're sending them in pintsand we get on a Zoom call and I
start crying because I'm justlike.
These are so good.
They don't taste like they haveany protein in them, it just
tastes like really good icecream which is what I had
requested, and then kind of justbegins the hard work of, like,
(18:00):
you feel like you've crossedthis huge finish line, but then
there's patents.
Well no, then there's patentswell no, there's no patents.
It's just, it's so hard toproduce.
I'm okay.
I have to get one thing clearpopsicles is trademarked by
unilever.
I'm saying popsicles becausepeople know what.
What a?
Speaker 2 (18:15):
popsicle is protein pops.
I don't know, don't yeah?
Speaker 1 (18:18):
like sorry to unilever, you know, but it's but
it's um, but it's just reallyyeah it's just it's hard to make
.
It's hard to make this productright, like that's the
realization we've come to.
Nobody has line time before thefood scientists would even work
with us at all.
They're like, look, do you havesomeone who can make these?
(18:39):
Because there's a chance.
Just no one will.
And so I actually have a callwith the creamies guy and he's
in Utah yeah, they're in Utah.
I'm like, will you make them forus?
And he's like, no, we don'tmake for anybody, but there's
this one place that might, ohamazing, we get hooked up with
them.
They're willing to make them,you know.
But it's just, cpg is so hardand like we knew that and
(18:59):
everybody warns you.
But you're kind of like, yeah,but we can do this and we can.
But holy smokes, yeah, not d2cat all, which is what what we
loved about it.
Right, like it's, it'sdifferent.
But frozen everyone was likefrozen's hard, cpg's hard,
groceries hard yeah, and I thinkwe, our approach to it, has
(19:21):
been to plan to be the exceptionlike it was frozen hard, just
because I mean, when you'retalking about logistics.
Yes.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Is it hard because to get onto a frozen truck?
Oftentimes those shipping lanesare already owned by just
creamies.
Yeah, I mean, it's acombination of everything, one
of the big ones you can't justthrow it all in like a pallet
and like bring it over fromchina, right yeah?
Speaker 1 (19:48):
and when you think of a whole grocery store, I mean
for one you can't ship right.
So we have these differentcalls and people are like you
know you can restock yourselfand we're like you know we're
gonna ship it.
So you're trucking everythingright, so like where you could
ship other things we can't shipto anything.
But also you think of a grocerystore and you've got that one
section that's available forfrozen as a whole, but also,
(20:11):
like you whittle that down tothe ice cream section and then
to the popsicle section, andyou're looking at like two doors
that someone needs to say yourproduct deserves to be in these
two doors.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
And also you don't get front-facing space in
grocery stores.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
No, you get tipped on the side, just like just
ingredients is right now theycan put that protein powder at
the front of a Harman's or anystore.
You can merchandise it right.
You can make it look beautiful.
No this is like someone's goingto put you on a shelf.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Although I haven't noticed with Harman's lately,
they do have like the those,like rolling freezers.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Like right now they have Mochi is what it's called.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
So in that situation you're buying your own, like
Mochi is buying a freezer sayingHarman's.
Can we put it at the front ofthe store?
Which is another like a routeyou can take, but then I've just
got to go buy a ton of freezers, and so you're investing in
that and saying, okay, I'mhoping that, so actually they're
the ones who buy those, they'rethe ones who buy it, and then
they just are allowed to putthem in.
certain they're allowed to putit at the front.
They're like, hey, this is agood point of sale product.
(21:12):
So you're going retail, onlynot direct-to-consumer no, and
that's what's scary For productthat we could take direct
consumer still thinking aboutthat, but like having your legs
cut out from under you in termsof like this is what we know,
this is what we've done yeah weknow how to market this, we know
how to advertise this if we'reshipping it.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
But if we're not shipping it and you, we can't
even get it to you all of asudden, this is like a
completely different ball gamethis episode of the unstoppable
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have you talked with people likeat true fru, or yeah, yeah, and
we've had conversations withanybody who will talk to us, and
that's one of the great thingsabout being a second time
founder is people will liketotally take your call a little
bit more readily and so sobefore it was like we promise,
we got a lot of grit, you knowlike please talk to us.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
But but now it's like , okay, people will give us a
bit more of their time.
And so we've talked to a ton ofpeople.
Everyone has great advice, butultimately you just have to like
start and just hope you catchyour lucky breaks and that your
unit economics work out, becauseyou're kind of shooting in the
dark a little bit in thebeginning.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Which we did with Taft.
We priced our shoes before weknew our cost.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Like we just launched them on pre-order and we were
like they haven't gotten back tous.
On cost, like should we justset them at $189?
And it's like fur, I guess.
Like that sounds good, yeah,which was too low.
Um, so you correct, but it'sjust yeah.
And and protein, especiallyprotein, is so expensive, like
the powder itself that we use isjust incredibly expensive yeah,
(23:32):
it's a whey protein isolate andit's grass-fed, yeah, and and
there's not a lot of wiggle roomon it, right, like so, on all
of our other ingredients, as wescale you get price breaks.
I think at max scale we get adollar off per pound which is.
We'll take it For sure.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Not a lot.
Well, there's no reason forthem to give any because,
there's so much demand for whey,isolate Absolutely.
It's not even a question ofquantity.
And are you getting it here in?
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Utah.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
No, we're ordering everything in.
But even that, like we're like,can we order?
You know, like, do you havestock?
And they're like yeah, we'llcheck, we'll let you know.
You know like, we're just ateveryone's mercy.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
Well, if I may, I never would have tried a mochi.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Yeah, If I had not seen it Front of store In the
front, like as I'm checking out.
That's one of my favoritethings to do at Harmon's on the
way out.
I'm like this is my perfectlittle.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
I'm not telling you to go buy a bunch of freezers
and put them in Harmon's, butI'm not opposed to it.
I never would have tried amochi if it wasn't right there
near the checkout.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Ready.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
I'm a big ice cream.
I like ice cream Mochi'sawesome, isn't it?
It's fine.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
He never would have tried it, though I think it's
great I wasn't wearing that forreason.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
I'm not like I don't know, I don't love like the
rubbery texture of the ricething.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Yeah, that's the best part.
That's what I like about it.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
Like I don't love that on ice cream, On a mochi
guy Well like ice cream's.
Okay, it's not phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
It's a little.
It's more of a frozen treatthan ice cream.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
Seems like more of a frozen treat than a category of
ice cream.
I think they call themselveslike an ice cream sandwich.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Yeah, that sounds about right.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Yeah, so I mean it's ice cream, yeah, with a weird
layer.
I like it, it's fine.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
All right, moving on.
It.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Yeah, I take a creamy over that any day though.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Creamies are tough.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
I love a good banana creamy.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
But you said you're into nutrition.
Yeah, I think.
Perhaps, if I may throw astereotype out there, a lot of
mothers become into nutrition.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
As they start feeding their kids.
Yeah, and dads are usually kindof dragged along.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
It's like I'm eating healthier now, I guess.
Okay, I guess we have no moregluten in our house.
We don't buy cereal anymore, orwhat's happening?
Yeah, literally that's how I am.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
I'm like I guess we have no sugar, Like where?
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Where are the treats?
Speaker 3 (25:52):
Where is sugar?
I need sugar now, but did thathappen?
Have you always been interestedin nutrition?
Was it like?
Kind of like hey, I'm feedingmy kids and now I'm interested
in my own nutrition and it kindof evolved.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I think it for sure happens with motherhood, Also
with mental health, like justtrying to like anything that's
in your control.
You have to seize it because somuch is out of your control.
No-transcript cook it yourself.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
I've seen the clip of this.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Yeah, and that's kind of the approach we take, right,
like we have.
We have cookies and browniesand bread and but we just, and
so that's an important piece ofour lives.
And I think for me, for ToughPops, the opportunity that I saw
is that protein feels like abro space and Tough Pops is not
a bro brand.
I trust that, like gym broswill find it right Because it
(26:52):
has protein in it.
So they will find it becausethat's what they're looking for.
But protein does so much morethan build muscle.
It's so important to your body.
It's like oxygen transport.
It's so important to your body.
It's like oxygen transport,it's hormone regulation, it's
gene expression, right, likeit's these big things.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
Well, also it's becoming bigger in female
nutrition.
For sure it's huge in femalenutrition for the last five
years, right Because of what youjust said with hormones.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Yeah, it's like this matters, right?
Speaker 2 (27:15):
There's so many ties to eating more protein and
getting your hormones regulated.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
Absolutely.
And now creatine too, rightyeah, totally Like I take
creatine.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
Creatine pops is next .
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Yeah, creatine pops Throw it in there, but I do feel
like.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
I don't know how you could ever make a cheesecake.
It's just impossible.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Creatine would be rough.
I feel like I'm just takingdust.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
Yeah, but I feel like that was the space that I saw
where it felt like the brandsthat were focusing on women, I
don't know, weren't veryexciting to me.
It's like, yeah, these are here, I know I can buy them, they're
great, they're geared towardsme, but it felt very like bland.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
And then on the other side I mean, like I go to the
store and you see Bucked Up andI know it's not for me and no
hate to Bucked Up, but I'm nottheir customer, you know they're
not even trying to get me andthey wouldn't take offense to
that.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Yeah, they're like yeah, we know You're not, you
really aren't.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
And so, for me, I'm kind of obsessed with this, like
the people who work out but notin a gym, and the people who
care about their nutrition, butmaybe, like you're not counting
every macro.
Maybe you are, but you justwant in general to be better.
You know and you know you don'twant these certain ingredients,
but you're not obsessing overlike the fact that, like these
have sugar.
You know, like they're a treat.
It's ice cream, um, and so forme, I felt like there was this
(28:33):
space that has kind of beentapped into, but not in a very
fun, energetic, exciting way.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
I mean I know that's my wife.
Oh, my wife will.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
Would will eat this up because she does all of her
exercising at home.
Yeah, and she does it everymorning like she gets up 6 30,
she works out.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
You're on it.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
She has celiac, yeah, so like there's certain food
restrictions obviously with thatand then, but she's not like a
macro person.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Yeah, she's not counting and there's this whole
tier of people that care abouttheir health without being
extreme, about it yeah, and Ithink that tier is kind of
overlooked right like wherethey're looking at certain
things and they're like that Idon't know what that supplement
does, like I don't, and I don'teven have time to research it
because I've got to be with amillion things.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
I have so many things to do but the thing I want to
point out, though she's not amacro person, but I guess she is
, because she does count proteinyeah, yeah, she wants like
proteins like the one thingshe's like I have to get I have
to get enough x amount ofprotein in a day or else I feel
miserable yeah, and I also andshe also is like always craving
like I just want like a littlemore sweet at some point.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yes, yeah, it's the perfect for me, yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
You're in a real.
I love the spot right now, LikeI've been thinking about
protein CPG companies outside ofprotein powders.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Because it's having such a moment with you know, I'm
seeing protein cereals.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
Pretzels popcorn.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Protein popcorn.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
Yeah, I got an ad for protein popcorn the other day.
Popcorn, yeah, protein popcorn.
I got an ad for protein popcornthe other day.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Yeah, and then I saw your LinkedIn thing like protein
pops.
I'm like, okay, let's talk tothis gal.
And so one.
I think you're having a momentbecause I think you're seeing a
lot of women who actually arestarting to care a little bit
more, like where you say youused to have the extremists, the
CrossFitters, who are the macrocounters yes.
And now you're starting to havemore women say, hey, I actually
(30:23):
want to do that, maybe not tothe extreme.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
But I think every woman not everyone, but a lot of
women are paying a little bitmore attention to that 100%.
My wife is there 100%.
I bet she counts her macros atlike 80%.
Yeah, she's not letting acookie on a Sunday distract her
yes you know from accomplishingher macro goal yes.
But she's also paying very,very close attention to it and
(30:49):
because of just the recentstudies that have come out on
how important things likecreatine and things like protein
are for women's health.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
In general.
So protein has a moment, andthen you also have this branding
moment of right now in thepopsicle-esque space, the ice
cream-esque space.
It's very colorful, it's verykid, it's cows.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Yeah, I wanted nostalgic Bright colors.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
But you have the.
You know like I'm not a hugefan of this gal, but it was
really smart.
I don't know why I keep sayinggal Like.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
I'm 80 years old, these gals?
Yes, you are.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
But there's the girl the Call Her Daddy.
Girl just came out with theUnwell brand.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
You know, and so you have this brand, this really
like cool, different aestheticthat can stand out in those two
doors that you have AbsolutelyFor your branding.
That I've kind of seen and so Ithink the moment's really cool.
My question for you you justcame from six years of, or was
it?
Speaker 1 (31:49):
eight years of D2C, I mean it was like almost 10
years by the time, I meanbecause Corey stayed on for two
more years.
That's right, that's right.
So, a decade of D2C now.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
I know you did retail .
Speaker 1 (32:03):
I know you had some stores, but my guess is 70% of
your revenue probably came fromonline sales or more.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Yeah, so you're moving to the exact opposite.
What are your thoughts on howyou are going to get
distribution and get awarenessaround this?
What are you guys thinking?
Speaker 1 (32:22):
So one of the things that's been so important to me
is that I feel like when you'rea second time founder, there's
this feeling that you can skipsteps right, like we know how to
do this, we'll just skip ahead.
We have connections, which istempting because you're like we
can just take some shortcuts,and the thing I've realized is
that the most irreplaceablepiece is having that brand story
(32:44):
built out early.
Like you can't, I think.
I think people skip it thesecond time around, like they're
just kind of like let's justget going.
And to me, what made Taftspecial was people were really
on board with it, like peoplewere emotionally invested in the
story of it, beyond just shoes.
You know, we always said it waslike we were a mental health
company that sold shoes Like weweren't.
(33:05):
Shoes wasn't what we caredabout.
Yeah, and I feel like ToughPops has a lot of heart and I
just want to build in a very funway, right, because I think
Taft was more serious, becauseit is mental health, sure, and I
do think trends have shifted towhere maybe people don't want
serious from brands anymore,like they want a little bit of
levity.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
I think that started in 2020.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, totally, just give me some, give
me a little fun, right?
Speaker 3 (33:32):
I'm calling the 2020s is the 1980s again.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
Like people want fun, like pull me out, like just
give me something exciting Likethe Game of Thrones era, like
everything was just so dark andserious, like the Walking Dead,
yes.
Everything was just Give me TedLasso.
Yeah, give me joy Like Ted.
Lasso comes out and like peopleare like oh, that's the biggest
show on TV now, absolutelyTotally.
Yeah, and that's what for me.
(33:56):
Tough Pops has this opportunityto be joyful.
Right, like it's fun.
Food should be fun.
That's like I believe in thepower of food, but I also
believe people can get tooserious about it.
Right, like this should be thebest part of your day, like this
should be what you're lookingforward to.
This should be community.
This should be joyful, but I dothink the over like, not the
(34:23):
overemphasis, but I think thebig health shift has made food
really serious and I think weneed to get back to where food
feels fun.
And so, for me, what's excitingis, at this beginning, as we
have no D to C, like we can'tship anything, I'm calling it
the summer of 24,000 pops.
24,000 pops is our minimum forour first run.
Nice, we bought an ice creamtruck and we're just going to
sling pops locally and, justlike, build this community as
(34:45):
much as we can, because I think,no matter what you do, you need
your local community to be onboard with your brand.
Like don't underestimate thepower of just Utah before you go
anywhere else, and so I want tojust like win at home first,
and so that's step one.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
We've talked about this with Utah, so we haven't
coined a real term yet.
I called it the pioneer beltway.
Okay, right, it's a good andbad thing.
It's good because, if you catchon, the Mormon movement the
Mormon and Mormon adjacentcommunities because they're all
intertwined, right yeah?
(35:21):
It starts in the Relief Societyroom and then it just spreads.
But you will kill it in thiscorridor of Utah, idaho and
Arizona and then the OrangeCounty areas of California.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
San.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Clemente.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
San Clemente yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
But then it's like you kind of have a
misunderstanding of what youractual cost is for acquiring
customers, absolutely, because,like you're not accounting for
this like organic movement yeah.
But for retail that's wonderful.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Totally Right, because if you're in a store
like your cost per acquisitionis just very different, like
you're not going to be trackingit.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
The way you would for D2C.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
Yes, Like your cost per acquisition is just very
different, like you're not goingto be tracking it the way you
would for D2C.
So if you can just get thatmomentum building and then
really narrow down what yourstory is, you're not really
thinking of it in this likeconfined, like what's my ROAS
today?
Speaker 1 (36:12):
Absolutely, which is exciting, right, because we
that's where we came from islike just watching the metrics
and every day and you're tryingto adjust and do this and that
we came from is like justwatching the metrics and every
day and you're trying to adjustand do this and that.
And for me, I think now I'mlooking at it more holistically
of just I want to build thisgreat brand story that can kind
of carry over outside of Utah,but it can start here, sure, but
that there's some feelingbehind the brand, right, because
(36:34):
my favorite food brands I don'tfollow on Instagram, yeah, but
the heart is still there.
I still grasp it.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
What are some of your favorite brands?
Speaker 1 (36:43):
Olipop, I mean sorry to Poppy.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
We're Olipop fans too .
Those were four for $6.
Those were four for $6.
And I have nothing againstPoppy.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
I just love Olipop.
The crisp apple is just top.
I mean I don't really drinksoda at all unless it's Olipop,
like the crisp apple is just top.
I mean I don't really drinksoda at all, yeah, unless it's
Olipop.
Chris.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Apple is your favorite, chris Apple Number two
is what.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
Strawberry vanilla, really, yeah, that's it
surprises even me.
That's one of a kind we had awe had, we had a family Olipop
taste test.
Yeah, we bought all of them.
So like I know this, like wedid this.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
What's your kids' favorite?
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Tropical Punch was the winner.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
What Not?
Speaker 1 (37:22):
cream soda.
Blind taste test right.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
Grape and tropical soda for my kids too.
So good, Not cream soda androot beer?
Speaker 1 (37:28):
No, because the root beer is earthier than a normal
root beer Root beer is so good.
I think it tastes like a rootbeer though I think it does A&W.
Yeah, the kids like thefruitier stuff in my yes, yeah,
same thing with our kids.
I guess my kids have never hadthey like the orange yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
They like the orange a lot.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
They do like the strawberry vanilla a lot and I
probably have kid taste buds,because that's.
Speaker 3 (37:48):
I guess my kids have never had an A&W.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
I say that as if my kids like drink a lot of root
beer.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
But no.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
Yeah, then they're like this isn't root beer?
Speaker 3 (37:58):
We've never not.
They've had homemade root beerand stuff.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Which is the best?
It is the best.
Speaker 3 (38:02):
That is the best root beer.
I love Olipop.
Olipop's my favorite.
Olipop is so good.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
I love Soli.
Have you guys had Soli Like theSoli gummies, or the Soli like?
It's just the little like jerkystrips of pineapple?
Oh, Sully yes.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
The mango guava gummies.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
I have five boxes in my drawer at any given time.
Oh yeah, same here.
Because when I first wasgetting into this, we're asking
about hurdle rates.
Right, like what?
Do we need to move in a storefor it to be considered like
we're doing?
Speaker 2 (38:34):
a great job.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
And all of a sudden I'm like I think I'm hitting
people's hurdle rates for them,like on my own every week from
multiple stores.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Solely being one of them.
Like we for sure hit theirHarmon's hurdle rate every time
we shop there.
Like I'm, like you, it made mefeel so proud Like I was, like
you are welcome.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
Do you want to know what's funny?
We're solely all about justingredients.
Yeah, yeah, we just I don'tknow what those hurdle rates are
exactly low but I have.
Speaker 1 (39:05):
I'm like a big drink, weird drink guy like I always
have like a new weird drink hedoes.
Speaker 3 (39:07):
Yeah, I'm a.
I single-handedly create salesno on products.
Because, like I'll, I'll buysomething a lot consciously for
like two weeks, then I'll stopand then in like within a week
it'll be like two, four,whatever yeah, and then I'll go
back and get it on.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
You're gaming the system, yeah, so I, I do it's
something like with the drinks.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
It's something like 60 or something like that yeah,
all the pops right now aren't onsale have you noticed that,
like you can't get them on saleright now and that's why I've
moved over to poppies, becauseI'm like I can't spend 250 when
they're usually a buck 60.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
No, we're friends with the distributor and for a
while he would send us cases ofthem and I was like this is they
awesome.
They were sponsoring me for alittle bit, and so they were
sending me cases and cases andthen they got them in the
background of tough.
Then this is if you'relistening.
Speaker 2 (39:53):
I'm mad because they used to send me, like you know,
crate, not cr, but I used to get12 packs boxes all the time.
And, and you'd always have one.
And then they got a new socialmedia director and now they
don't think I'm as important aseveryone else's, and so now I
don't get them.
Speaker 3 (40:10):
So now we're drinking poppies, but really quick
talking about the story of toughpops.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (40:15):
This is.
I want to transition this orsegue the olipop conversation
because I I think olipops Ithink, poppy's dr pepper is the
best quote yeah, soda for sure,but I think olipops, root beer
and cream soda are the best rootbeer and cream soda options.
But I don't really buy olipopfor me.
(40:36):
I buy them for my kids reallybecause I don't have to worry
about a sugar crash yeah, forsure so like when we go camping,
I get ollie pops for my kidsbecause they get to have this
like sugar experience.
Yeah, yes, you know, without mebeing like okay, it's eight
o'clock and what have we done?
Yeah, I'm gonna be like justregretting this in two hours
(40:57):
when they're still like freakingout on sugar.
So is there any angle, withtough pops, of thinking about
hey, I know moms are thinkingabout this but, like, sometimes
it's really nice to give yourkid a treat that you don't have
to worry about.
Speaker 1 (41:09):
The sugar spike With protein and a popsicle it's
going to balance those insulinspikes right Absolutely, and
that's what I was going to sayis the biggest thing is just
like we have sugar but we havethat protein to balance it in a
vacuum.
The best use case is breakfast.
Like as a mom, I'm grabbing oneof those on the way out the
(41:30):
door and I'm like, okay, this is180 calories, this is 12 grams
of protein.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
Like the, the macros aren't too different like the
tough pop yeah, the tough poptotally like it's got 12 grams
of protein.
Speaker 1 (41:41):
Yeah, and so the macros aren't too different from
like when I was, when we weredeveloping the recipes, and
they're telling us the nutritionlabels like this one has this
much sugar, this one has thismuch that you know I'm trying to
figure out anything toreference it against because
there's not other protein popsright.
And so I'm going and I'mlooking at like this cliff bar,
that's an energy bar, and it'sgot like 12 grams of protein and
380 calories and I'm like okay,I mean we're beating that right
(42:04):
.
Like 380 calories, we're at 180.
You know the perfect bars, samething, really high calorie
counts, slightly more protein,but like very calorie rich and
at the end of the day doesn'tfeel like dessert, which is like
what I love about it.
And so then I'm looking at itcompared to like my greek yogurt
or just my normal yogurt, andI'm like not too far off, so
like a very justifiablebreakfast that is a really cool
(42:26):
thought.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
We use, use because we use.
We're huge ninja creamy people.
Speaker 1 (42:30):
Yes, yeah.
Speaker 3 (42:31):
You know it's a weird thought though, because I've
never considered popsicles inthe morning.
Speaker 2 (42:35):
But our kids eat ice cream for breakfast all the time
, but donuts Because of it.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
Donuts are way worse.
Speaker 3 (42:42):
I know that's what I'm saying.
You're going to tank.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
It's so fast, give it at least some fat, some protein
to balance it out.
Speaker 2 (42:47):
What we'll do is we will make a strawberry, just
ingredients with freshstrawberries, and maybe we'll
put some graham cracker in it asa little sweet For breakfast
yeah for breakfast, and it'llhave all of this protein in it.
Speaker 3 (42:59):
That's not that far off from a smoothie either, is
it?
No, exactly no.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
this is when you start looking at the actual
nutrition labels.
I'm in love with that.
Speaker 2 (43:05):
The Tough Pops is awesome because it's grab and go
.
Speaker 1 (43:08):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (43:08):
This is like I got to make it the night before it's
got to freeze.
I got to remember.
It's a whole thing, you know itis an experience and so there's
this grab and go piece.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
that is so awesome Because I always have my yogurt
in the car and then, like I'm,finding spoons under chairs.
You know, have you tasted?
Speaker 3 (43:23):
it with the kids.
Sorry, you have taste testedwith your kids.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
Kids love it.
Yeah, that was like it wastough because for a long time
samples were so sparse that wewere like you can have like one
spoonful of this you know, butlike you can't, you can't really
have it.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
It's like literally like a taste test.
Yeah, it's like literally, hereyou go.
Speaker 1 (43:39):
But that was the first samples.
They tried them and they werelike these are bad.
I'm like we know they're bad,like that that's like there's
kind of not supposed to be bad,but it's science, you know.
Like they're like.
They're like, tell us what'sbad about them, you know the
food scientists.
I'm like they're bad and they'relike but what's bad?
I'm like they're gummy, they'rechalky and they're like okay,
this is good.
Like we know how to reversegumminess, we know how to
(44:03):
reverse chalkiness.
I'm like, like not say names,but we went to the home of the
president of a major grocer withour kids because we happened to
be on a trip where they lived,happened to have a crazy
connection, overnighted somepops and like, brought them to
his house and one of them weneeded to test just to make sure
it was not.
Like nothing went wrong, right,like no one had tested him.
Speaker 3 (44:26):
We don't want to take a batch.
It's like a bad batch, yeahRight.
Speaker 1 (44:28):
And we just gave it to you know the person we most
need to connect with, and so ourkids are like fighting over it
in the backseat and we're likeyou guys haven't ever really had
tough pops.
Like they're like chocolateyfaces, like dripping everywhere
and like piranhas Right, like Ineed some, like I need this for
(44:50):
my kids.
I'm like you need this for you.
Like, yeah, your kids will haveit too.
Kids have a much lower proteinthreshold than adults and so,
geared towards adults, flavorsare for adults.
We have cha cha chai, cremebrulee, double dutch cocoa.
They're not flavors that screamgive them to your kids, but
kids can have them.
Speaker 2 (45:10):
Chocolate, vanilla and kids love them.
Yeah, what I love about whatyou're doing here, like going
back to the marketing side ofthings, is they bought this like
.
I follow you guys on Instagramand so they bought this like
Meals on Wheels-esque Schwantruck.
Speaker 1 (45:26):
Yeah, schwan truck it they bought this like meals on
wheels-esque Schwann truck.
Yeah, schwann truck, it's aretired Schwann truck straight
up.
Speaker 3 (45:31):
You know what Schwann is.
I know what Schwann is Like theyellow delivery trucks.
Speaker 1 (45:35):
We never had it, but my neighbors did no, but they
drive by and you're like who'sgetting that?
Speaker 2 (45:38):
Yeah, and there's like all these doors, you know.
So they bought one of thosethat they're going to brand as
like this You're kind of like afood truck-esque style and I
think you have an, becausenobody's really doing that in
the ice cream space.
You know, you've seen cereal,do it, You've seen.
But you have this coolopportunity to create a really
(46:01):
cool organic social mediastrategy.
That can be super, super fun.
And I think if you guys utilizedocumenting what you're doing
you know, I hope you've beenfilming and doing some stuff and
start putting that kind ofstuff out, and then you can
probably start to create somereally cool hype around where
you're going to be.
You know, hey, we're going tobe in Highland for the day.
Speaker 1 (46:22):
Hey, we're up in Kaysville for the day, totally,
and that's what I'm hoping, doyou?
Speaker 3 (46:25):
have any ideas like that, that?
Speaker 1 (46:27):
you guys have fleshed out.
Yeah, because we I mean wetalked about, like you know, old
school ice cream truck stylelike rolling up to you know,
like you roll up to podiumthough.
But like you roll up to like youroll up to a business park at
lunch and you play the song andit's like, is that?
Is that like what I think it is?
(46:47):
You know, like if people cancome to expect it, I think it'd
be so fun.
But I also really just want todo like I love, like a real
grassroots movement, like for meit's really important to have
that brand story in thebeginning, and so we're
literally going to like takeorders from family and friends
and drop them off on their porch, right yeah, and the ice cream
truck is for that too.
You know, like kind of buildingthis.
I don't know.
The thing that's so fun is,anytime we talk to anybody about
(47:10):
the ice cream truck, like grownmen's faces are like an ice
cream truck.
You know, like you can't helpit, like I'm telling you right
now your social media.
Speaker 2 (47:17):
If you do this right organically, you guys will
explode I promise you, if you dothis correctly, because of
everything you're saying, likethe more we're talking, the more
my wheels are turning and whenhe says correctly, that doesn't
mean like you can't have somefall downs, right no, no, but I
mean, but if you figure it outwhat I mean by correctly
nowadays, yes, yeah, is I.
What I don't mean is let me geta professional camera no,
(47:40):
taking a really good beautifulshot of our truck.
Absolutely, that's what I meanby don't you know, you know it's
the experience of like I'm justpicturing Corey in like an old
school milk man.
Speaker 1 (47:52):
No, that was the first thing we looked up.
Like I was like I'm buying youwhite coveralls, we're going to
get you a hat, like you're goingto have an apron, and he's
driving and I'm picturing musicand I'm picturing like Take it
easy, though.
Speaker 2 (48:04):
You're going to, and he's like ice cream and he puffs
up but with protein in it, soyou don't have to feel bad, that
is huge, that is so exciting.
Have you guys, can I throw?
Speaker 3 (48:15):
out an idea for you guys, and I hope you do it.
Maybe it's not good, though Ilove all of that but combine
that with, like thejuxtaposition that it's like for
adults right like it's the icecream truck for adults and so
you go to a soccer game onSaturday morning where all the
adults are on the sideline, andthen you basically go over to
(48:37):
the adult likewith the thing like hey, try
this yeah, cause I bet you getviral content just from people
trying it oh yeah, you need totry stuff like Corey in the
outfit, but going and like hey,we're the ice cream truck for
adults and then you go over tothe adults.
Speaker 1 (48:51):
Oh, it'd be so fun.
Because they're all sittingthere anyway, they're all there,
they're all there, the numberone hire is a documenter.
Speaker 3 (48:56):
I'm telling you right now, and you guys will
absolutely crush it Adults wouldlove it at their soccer games,
just sitting there for like anhour.
Speaker 2 (49:05):
Absolutely.
I think you take it a littlebit further.
Okay, let's keep thejuxtaposition concept here.
Sorry, this is like not even.
Speaker 1 (49:12):
I love this.
I mean, I should be paying you.
Speaker 3 (49:14):
In fact, kids don't even know what an ice cream
truck is anymore.
Love it.
It's only adults that even havenostalgia around it.
They have no nostalgia aroundit.
The imagery is a kid.
Funny, that's so fun.
Speaker 1 (49:25):
The kids are the workers to that, yeah, and the
adults are handing it to theadults like that is the, that is
a funny, that would be funnyvideos versus cory being so
great I love that, like thatwould be incredible, like that's
your campaign no, I love it,and I think there is just this
built-in nostalgia that we'retrying to tap into right, like
when we first started workingwith our food scientists.
Um, the lady who's the head ofthe team is like the most
(49:48):
intimidating person I think I'veever had a call with.
Speaker 3 (49:51):
Like I was like shaking the whole time Like
Corey and I are just like she's.
She's the head of the foodscientist team.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
She's like and she like we haven't talked to her
since right.
But she's like she's the one whodecides if you're, if you're
going to make the cut andthey're going to develop your
recipe or not.
And we're just like gosh.
She was terrifying but so cool.
But the thing she told us isshe's like you're in a good
industry because research hasshown that no matter how bad the
ice cream is, people like it.
(50:16):
Just because it's ice creamlike that's how nostalgic ice
cream is is that you could beeating the worst ice cream and
they'll still eat so nostalgicthat you'd be like but it's ice
cream.
You know like it's just like so,and so I feel like there's you
know what, though?
Speaker 3 (50:29):
the cold, the, the, the temperature of the flavors
makes it more bearable yeah,that's true, that's a good point
, because it's not, it's justlike like it kind of numbs your
tongue after the first, yeah,like.
So, like, even if the ice creamisn't great, like people will
still eat it and be like, oh,that was good.
Speaker 2 (50:45):
I feel like that's how people were with Halo.
Speaker 1 (50:47):
Halo was not that good, but it blew up because of
it, because it was healthier.
Exactly, it's cold, yeah, andit was cold.
Speaker 3 (50:55):
So the nostalgia of the texture and the flavor, and
then also it gets better overtime because your tongue kind of
goes numb.
Speaker 1 (51:02):
We developed a banana split flavor because did you
guys have Dippin' Dots bananasplit when you?
Were a kid Like we're notmaking it because, like, by the
time you add in all theingredients, it's so expensive.
But it was that.
But like just that experienceof like going to a baseball game
and getting the Dippin' Dotsand basically like drinking it
to the last drop.
And it tastes just like that.
The food scientists had neverhad Dippin' Dots like ever.
(51:25):
And I was like ever, like noDippin' Dots.
Like did you go to baseballgames?
Like were you a child ever?
Yeah, so interesting.
Speaker 3 (51:34):
Every parent knows how painful it is behind Dippin'
Dots.
Oh my gosh, seven bucks forDippin' Dots, it's like go to a
jazz game, get some Dippin' Dots.
Speaker 2 (51:51):
It.
This is awesome.
I think this is so cool.
I think, yeah, I mean.
One thing I want to pull out ofthis before we kind of come to
a close here is I feel likesometimes in these podcast
episodes we always end in a spotlike this which is, the
businesses that are going to dothe best in 2025 and beyond are
businesses that are thinkingabout doing things differently.
Speaker 1 (52:09):
Now, that's kind of always been a true statement, if
I can say that it's never beentruer than now, though, but it's
never been truer than now,because everyone can do
everything you know and it's sohard.
Speaker 2 (52:19):
If you're going to be a jewelry company, it's so hard
to stand out right, theearrings you're wearing could be
Tiffany's or Amazon.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
Yeah, absolutely, and I don't mean that in a
disrespectful way, it's just sochallenging.
Speaker 2 (52:29):
And so for you, you're thinking about things
differently.
We're bringing back thenostalgic ice cream truck.
I'm making popsicles healthy.
You're seeing ice cream healthyright now, healthier.
I'm a huge Jenny's fan.
Speaker 1 (52:45):
Oh love Jenny's.
Is there anything better thantheir butter cake?
Oh my gosh, I can't rememberwhich one I get.
I get the peaches andbuttermilk biscuits.
The almond brittle is better,kenzie likes the almond brittle.
Speaker 2 (52:54):
So good, I get the butter.
What am I?
Speaker 3 (52:56):
My wife gets butter cake.
Speaker 2 (52:58):
Is it butter cake?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (53:00):
So good, there's nothing better to me it's like
ooey gooey butter cake.
Speaker 3 (53:03):
Ooey, the wife says the almond brittle is too much
of a grandpa ice cream.
Speaker 2 (53:07):
Kenzie likes the almond brittle.
I don't mind it.
Speaker 3 (53:09):
I'm not a huge ice cream guy.
Speaker 2 (53:10):
I think it's phenomenal, but I think you're
just.
I love that.
That's the message I think youhave to get out of.
This is like you got to just bewilling to put in the extra
time to do things differently,and I think so often we get so
caught up in oh look whatOlipop's doing, let me do what
they're doing.
Speaker 3 (53:29):
Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (53:37):
And it's great to look at them from an inspiration
perspective, but then you haveto flip it and say what am I
going to do to stand out fromthem?
And to that point, I think thatwas one of our, you know, as we
were kind of talking with somevideographers trying to figure
out what we're going to do andthey were showing us what they
had done.
You know, because that's thenatural thing is to be like
here's what we have done, andcory and I kind of looked each
other and we're like we justhave to push it and and we can
take risks that bigger brandscan't take, which is the magic
of being scrappy like taft.
(53:59):
We took a lot of risks that Imean like our store got broken
into and we had an ad running ofit.
Speaker 2 (54:04):
By the end it was the best ad I ever saw it.
It was a really good ad.
You want to know what, though?
You guys, I think, posted thatand I think you posted it
organically first.
Yeah, we did, and this was mylike in my mind.
I told myself they ran that adas an ad because of me, because
I commented and said this needsto be an ad ASAP.
Speaker 1 (54:25):
Yeah, but as soon as it got broken into I mean it was
I'll tell you.
It's you, but Corey, but Corey.
The first thing Corey said isthis is going to make a great ad
and and it, which is just likethe like entrepreneurial spirit
right.
Of, just like our store just gotbroken into and we're not even
like worried about the glassdoor, we're not worried about
the stolen inventory, like theyleft the iPad, they just took
(54:45):
shoes.
Like we were like this is thebest ad ever, like they just
stole shoes, like that's allthey wanted.
And so I think for us, though,there's always like the adapt or
fail mentality, but also Ithink people can take bigger
risks than they think they cantake, like I think you can push
it further than you think youcan push it.
I think, like the quirky, weirdthings that brands do is what
(55:09):
makes me remember them Right.
Like like there's so much noisenow that I think to your point.
It's like you can't.
It's like trying to sing atlike a concert that's blaringly
loud.
Speaker 3 (55:19):
Maybe you don't sing, maybe you do something else.
Yeah, yeah, learn how to dance.
Speaker 1 (55:23):
Yeah, learn how to dance, get on stage and do
something else.
Speaker 2 (55:26):
I love it.
Well, this is awesome.
I am so pumped for you guys.
Thank you when are you guyslaunching?
Do you guys have an idea?
Speaker 1 (55:32):
I mean like now, Like it's literally we're waiting on
the final word from ourco-packer to be like we're going
to run it this weekend, whichcould be this weekend or next
weekend.
So we're just, and then's just,beyond that distribution.
Unfi.
Speaker 2 (55:49):
KE.
Where can people find Tuff?
Do you guys have an Instagramaccount set up yet?
I mean we have Tuff Protein.
Speaker 1 (55:56):
There's nothing on it , but you can follow Tuff
Protein.
I think we have 300 followersand zero posts, but you can go
there.
Hey, that's good.
Speaker 3 (56:03):
We'll start posting.
I'm excited to see the icecream truck content, oh my gosh,
me too.
I am too.
Speaker 1 (56:10):
I'm just excited for our kids because I'm like you're
going to grow up with an icecream truck in the driveway.
Is there anything better?
That's the best.
You need to come into Draper,into this office space.
There's a lot of offices here.
We will.
I can't wait to hear the music.
Speaker 2 (56:22):
We got a big window.
We'll see you guys next week.
Thank you so much for listeningto the Unstoppable Marketer
podcast.
Please go rate and subscribethe podcast, whether it's good
(56:42):
or bad.
We want to hear from youbecause we always want to make
this podcast better.
If you want to get in touchwith me or give me any direct
feedback, please go follow meand get in touch with me.
I am at the Trevor Crump onboth Instagram and TikTok.
Thank you, and we will see younext week.
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