Full Transcript

 Sari  
Welcome to your Food Business Success. This podcast is for early stage entrepreneurs in the packaged food industry ready to finally turn that delicious idea into reality. I'm your host Sari Kimbell. I have guided hundreds of food brand founders to success as an industry expert and business coach, and it's got to be fun. In this podcast, I share with you mindset tools to become a true entrepreneur and run your business like a boss, interviews with industry experts to help you understand the business you are actually in, and food founder journeys so you can learn what worked and didn't work, and not feel so alone in your own journey. Now, let's jump in! All right, everyone, welcome back to the podcast. I'm so excited for this one. You guys are going to love our guest today, and I am excited to welcome on Julie Nirvelli. Hello!

Julie  
Hi, thanks for having me. I'm excited.

Sari  
Okay, so I'll give you a brief bio. And then Julie and I will just get into it. And you guys will quickly see that she and I are good friends. And we were going to have a lot of fun on this conversation. So Julie was in the natural products industry for 15 years. She started a brand which grew to a national level, narrowly escaping bankruptcy, but was able to actually sell her company. And she then took her passion for building community and working with entrepreneurs. And she purchased what's called Network In Action, and she purchase a franchise about a year ago. And she is really an expert in relationship building and networking, and that's what this whole episode is all about. And full disclosure, I am in her Network In Action Group and it's awesome. And I love that you also have this background in CPG and how to brand so it's so perfect to bring these two things together for our listeners.

Julie  
Awesome. I love it. Yeah, I'm excited. Yeah.

Sari  
Okay, so we'll just jump in. People hate networking. They are probably cringing right now just hearing the word like, so tell us Julie, is networking important to the success of our brand in our business?

Julie  
For many reasons, I think absolutely, yes. And I can totally understand why people cringe when they hear networking. And I think there's lots of different ways to network. And what also makes me cringe is going to a networking event where I awkwardly exchange business cards with people and ask, what do you do? What do you do? So I can completely relate to that. And so I'm not encouraging people to necessarily do that. We can talk about other definitions of like networking and building relationships and things like that. 

Sari  
Well, I guess let's answer the question, how was networking as you grew your business, and I should just say, I actually, you know, I don't know if we officially met but I knew of you and everything when I was at Whole Foods Market. Because your picture was literally on your, the jar, like a drawing of you was on the jar, and you were often at the store doing demos when you had your product and as you grow it and eventually sold it, was networking and those connections was that important to the growth of your business?

Julie  
Huge. So I think of networking, I would call it more relationship building what I was doing when I was at Whole Foods or visiting Whole Foods stores. I think that I could give some stories is kind of I think jumping ahead a little bit. But when I would go into Whole Foods, I think my main purpose was to create connection with door level people. And I would do that in various ways. One really simple way is, you know, you have to empathize with those people. They come in at like four in the morning to stock the shelves. And it's just a thankless job. So I would do what I could to brighten their day, I would, you know, bring them T shirts. But I think even more importantly, I would do whatever I could to make their job easier. So for an example, if I walked up and somebody was facing the shelves, meaning pulling all the products forward to the front of the shelf, and I needed to have a conversation with them. I would start helping them face that set while we were having our conversation. So I'm giving back to them and helping them out even though you know, I may be asking them for something or I might not be, I might just be saying hi and catching up. But knowing that you kind of can relate to them and understand some of their pain points and offering help in a very subtle way is a great way to build relationships. 

Sari  
Yeah. And so maybe it is about reframing the word network game, right? It's more about creating great relationships and connection and offering value that oftentimes we then maybe cash in on later, but maybe not.

Julie  
Right. One of my favorite stories is I demoed a lot at the Whole Foods on Pearl Street. And I got to know some of those people pretty well. And one day, this guy Alex said, I just want a crappy bad for you donut, so bad. But of course, you know, we don't have those here. And my dad was coming to visit me at the demo. And I texted my dad, I'm like, Dad, can you stop and get some bad for you doughnuts on your way here? I'll explain later. Like an hour later, my dad shows up with doughnuts. And I walk up to Alex with this box of doughnuts. And I blew his mind. He was like, what on earth? And so I think just having fun creating connection, being authentic. And it was really just, I just wanted to give him what he was wishing for it, it was so fun to be able to do that.

Sari  
Right. I love that. It's a great story. And it didn't take that much effort. But I'm sure he never forgot that. And anytime anybody asked what salsa I should get to bring to a party, he was like, let me just take you to the shelf.

Julie  
Yeah, and I also got some huge displays from that store. Based on the relationships that I built with them, just, you know. After doing a demo, I would always sweep up the area even if I didn't really make a mess. You know, it's just nice to show that you're cleaning up after yourself. I would go to the salsa set and face that whole set at the end of a demo. And again, just any little thing you can do to give back and contribute I think pays off in spades.

Sari  
Yeah, I can tell you from being in the stores and working the floor. But those things are huge and go a long way. But let's take us out of the store. And if I'm you know, an early stage brand, what are some other ways that networking or relationship building might be helpful for me as I'm wanting to grow, whether I'm in farmers markets, or retail, or online?

Julie  
If there's a way to personally brand yourself in a way that relates to your product. That is really helpful because you create a connection point. So for me, my logo was a 50s pinup cowgirl, and I would wear a cowboy hat everywhere I went and people would recognize me, oh, you're the salsa girl. And I think it brought levity to the situation, it created an opportunity for people to want to talk to me or it was an icebreaker, even in social events or networking events, where people, you know, just gave people an excuse to chat with me. So I think if you have something about your personal brand that, you know for men, somewhat men wear a bow tie, but it stands out and it's different. And people walk up and say nice bow tie. It's just really nice to have some kind of icebreaker in your appearance that just helps ease that awkwardness, I guess.

Sari  
I like that a lot. But yeah, it's right when I see you. I mean, you don't wear the hat so much anymore, but you still have a look that I'm like, oh, there's the Julie look. 

Julie  
Yeah, I have big white feather earrings that I wear a lot.

Sari  
Kind of branded, and you could wear I know, there was a couple that were on a brewery in Fort Collins and everywhere they went, they always wear the logo of the brewery. And it was such a great way to, I mean, it is networking in a way, you never know who you're going to meet. And somebody's like, I love that brewery or tell me about this, right? It gives us an opening of conversation.

Julie  
Absolutely. I have the most incredible example of that exact situation. So I was wearing a branded baseball hat. And I was flying, I don't know where I was. I don't even remember where it was going. But I ended up sitting next to this man. And he thought the hat I was wearing was a sports. He just saw the colors of it. He didn't see what was right on the front of it. But he started talking to me about it and so I said oh I own a salsa come and then he started asking questions like, what distributor do you use? What retailers are you in? And I was like, you must be in the industry? And he said, I am actually and I said, what do you do? He was a VP of Fred Meyers. Unbelievable. So he gave me his card. I emailed him, he literally got my products into Fred Meyer, which was amazing. Then a couple of years later, I would kind of keep in touch with him every now and then. But a couple of years later, he ended up moving to Colorado, and he was working as a VP with King Soopers. And I had an issue that I wasn't able to get solved, at kind of a lower level. And I reached out to him, and he connected me with the right person. And I was able to get the information that I needed. So yes, brand yourself.

Sari  
Yes. In Master Your Business, we talk a lot about your who's and who are the people who can help you. And the more you have that suitcase of all these people, these connections, and that, you know, even if it's just having a good conversation with them, right, that is like a little token that you could potentially then be like, hey, now, you know, you remember me, met you on the airplane, and there's something you can help me with. 

Julie  
And I do have one more story and one more thing I want to point out. Part of my personal brand, too, I think is really having super positive energy, being helpful, being friendly. So when I was doing so many demos at the Whole Foods at Pearl Street, when I launched my product, I did four demos a week for four weeks in a row. They made a rule after that, that you couldn't demo that much. But what happened while I was there, obviously, not only did I build relationships with, you know, the team members. The store manager walked to the store a lot. And he and I built a relationship. And he was eventually promoted to grocery at the regional level. And then he was promoted to VP at the regional level. The number of times that I was able to call on him for help or guidance or introductions was just priceless. And that was, again, I think we connected because of my positivity and my drive and my enthusiasm. And I would really encourage people, you know, especially in those types of situations, you might be having a bad day or something personally bad has happened. But bring your light, bring your spirit and inspire people to smile.

Sari  
Talk about enthusiasm is actually the most contagious emotion that there is like scientifically, it actually lights up this part of your brain. And we just can't help it. When somebody enthusiastic around us, we like oh my gosh, right? Like, even if you're in the worst mood ever. You're like, I'm with you.

Julie  
Oh, I love that. I didn't know that. That's so cool. So enthusiasm, I think it could very well be part of someone's brand.

Sari  
Absolutely. So what are some of your guiding principles then that you would encourage, you know, brand founders as they're thinking about all the people that they connect with? Whether it's online, you know, it could be through social media, it could be at events, it could be in stores. 

Julie  
I would say my general networking guiding principles, which, really again, I'd like to reframe networking as building relationships. And I think the important way to build relationships are to listen more than you talk. And that gives you the opportunity to find ways that you can give more than you can take. You know, I've often asked people, what are your challenges right now? What are you working on? Where are you stuck? And just listen to what they have to say, and then see if I can provide value somehow by connecting them with somebody who can help or if I have some experience where I can help them. So I would say, you know, that major guiding principle is to give more than you take and be of service as much as possible. 

Sari  
I love that. Generosity is one of my core values and being mindful of that. And I can say as an introvert myself, so I know a lot of people listening maybe introverts as well, that thinking about going to a room, you know, we are fortunate in Colorado here to have several networking groups, community groups like Naturally Boulder and Colorado FoodWorks. And it can be really intimidating walking into those rooms, especially when you're new and you don't know people. And I think that there's such a tendency to want to think that you have to talk all about yourself, and you have to like present yourself in a certain way and have all these talking points and all of this but I think what you're saying is, you know, just starting conversation and maybe having a couple of in your pocket questions that get people talking about them first.

Julie  
Or kind of the reverse of branding yourself, if you see someone who's wearing something you like or something like that, you can break the ice that way and say, oh, those are great earrings. Where'd you get those or something like that? And starts people off on a light. 

Sari  
Remembering that it's not about getting something right then from the connection, the conversation, right? It's about building a relationship and relationships go back and forth and thinking about how can you help somebody? And you might be like, well, how am I going to help the VP of some grocery chain? But if you're always in that mindset of like listening for small ways that you could be of service? Like, who do you know, who else could you connect them with? Or maybe you saw a great post on social media or an interesting website. Or just like a piece of information that could be helpful. Okay. So we don't have to be scared about meeting with people. And I know you really took that, you know, once you sold your business, then you kind of took community and relationship building to the next level. So I'd love to hear kind of your next, what that next iteration of community building and relationships look like for you. 

Julie  
I love that. So I sold my company, six years, Friday was six years ago, that was hard to believe that time flies. But after I sold my company, I joined the board for Naturally Boulder. And at the time, Naturally Boulder had a couple of forums, there was a CEO forum and a Founders forum. And I had been a member of the Founders forum and the value that I received from attending those meetings and learning from my peers and commiserating and celebrating and building those relationships and knowing we could call on each other when we had a question or a challenge was so valuable to me that when I joined the board, I wanted to create more forums. I added six more forums, for a total of eight. We had a CFO, COO, CMO, et cetera. So people could meet with their peers who are doing the same job function as each other. Eventually, I became the moderator of those forums. And it was magical, just the feeling I got being able to provide the container for those people to meet, I would get the guest speaker that they wanted, you know, whatever topic they wanted to hear from, and then listen to their discussions and how they were sharing resources. And, oh, well, I deal with this way. Or did you know, you can actually negotiate with retailers and all kinds of really incredible information. That was the next thing that I did after I sold my company. 

Sari  
I think that takes when we think about networking or relationship building to another level, oftentimes we think about maybe trying to connect with people who could help us and then next, you know, whether it's somebody, a service provider, or somebody in the industry store, buyer or something like that, but there is this whole piece around connecting with your peers. I don't know why, and maybe you know, I don't know why I feel like so many entrepreneurs really shy away from and they think that they should just be in this little bubble of like their own solopreneurship. And that they don't, they shouldn't go and get help. But it's so freaking lonely. And it's the hardest way. So I'm hearing from you, it sounds like it was super valuable to have connection with each other as well.

Julie  
Absolutely. And I think my hunch is, as entrepreneurs, we're wearing so many hats, and we have so many responsibilities. You can run on that hamster wheel until you're, you know, exhausted. But by creating that time to connect with your peers, you get energized and refreshed hearing other ideas and feeling like you're not alone, and you're not the only one with these challenges, and you have people to reach out to. I think it's really important not to be a lone wolf and to find a community.

Sari  
And I can say from my own personal experience, you know, when I first started my business, I was just in it mostly alone. You know, I was a part of a program but there wasn't really a community element. It was just kind of the guide and the person in charge. And it was hard, really hard and most days you just kind of, it was exhausting. And even being an introvert, I found when I did start getting into community and giving back and not just taking, forgiving and being like a two way street, that it really helped to re energize me and fill me back up. And it's just so interesting that I think in May, because we're afraid of like being the newbies, you know, if we're really early stage that we're not going to have anything to contribute or our fear of judgement, what will people think of me? I think it's the secret sauce to really 10x and really escalating your success.

Julie  
Yeah, I would absolutely agree with that. I think it's really important. And I think, you know, when I talk to friends who aren't entrepreneurs, it's hard for them to relate or fully understand what I'm talking about. So definitely, if someone doesn't have that kind of network, I would, for sure, find it. 

Sari  
And it is amazing. I mean, we do that in Fuel all the time where somebody will post something, and it's like, oh, actually, I just had a call with somebody who was having trouble with Shopify, and it's like, oh, I know exactly how to fix that. Let me show you how. And now everybody's learning from each other. And she was like, oh, my gosh, I've been on Google for two hours trying to, like I should have just posted in the group earlier, like, yeah, we can help each other, solve problems so much faster. And to feel more, just that you're not all by yourself. It was just literally this morning. And I was like, I know, post it in the group first before you google your brain out. And then I've gotten so much value out of your networking group. And just the way that what I love, and I tried to bring into my own programs is that, you know, collaboration and partnership, and really like looking out for opportunities for each other. And you do such a great job of cultivating that kind of culture. 

Julie  
Well, thank you. I appreciate that. And I, you know, again, my enthusiasm, I think comes out quite a bit in the meetings. And my goal for those, you know, after moving on from Naturally Boulder, starting this Network In Action franchise, like, again, it's a similar goal, it's to provide a container where entrepreneurs can connect with each other and really build those deep relationships. And on that point, I think another element of connecting with people is being vulnerable sometimes when it's the right time, because I think a lot of times, if someone's comes across as really cocky, and like, I've got this all figured out, I don't need help. Everything is awesome. And then you're just kind of like, oh, okay, well, then I guess there's nothing I can help you with. And then. So I think asking for help, or being vulnerable once you've established a bit of a connection with someone is also a great way to give someone else an opportunity to feel good about being helpful.

Sari  
It's true, because it feels amazing to help somebody else. Somebody's like, I'm running to this dead end, and I'm trying to fix this or anybody have any ideas, and it fills me back up anyway to be like, oh, here's who I'm going to connect you with so and so or have you tried this? But if you're never turning it around and allowing people to help you, you're missing out on a huge piece of connection.

Julie  
Absolutely. I know, you are such a giver, and such a great connector, always wanting to help. And I think that's why we're friends.

Sari  
That's right. And I think that there's something about people might be thinking, well, you know, I want to hang out with people who are way further along than me. And I do think that there's value in that of course, like you want people who are further along, but you also want to be like, where can I give to somebody who I'm further along? But also growing up with your peers. And over time, if you stay in it, you kind of become friends with peers, and then one person might get, you know, meet somebody that's a buyer in their particular category. And they're like, oh, my gosh, you have to talk to so and so. Or we can do collaborations and partnerships and things like that together. And it's like all the boats can rise.

Julie  
There's so much value in surrounding yourself. You said, it's good to have connections like mentors who've been there and mentor other people. But that peer connection is so powerful because we're all going through the same stuff. And you can just be such great resources for each other. 

Sari  
I'm curious if you were to say like if you were going to build a perfect, and I didn't prep you with this question, so it's okay, you can think of it but you want to build like the perfect toolkit of like, this is my relationship toolkit for my business, what kind of people do you think would be really important to have in there? 

Julie  
Oh, that is such a good question. How about if I talk about my inner member to answer that question, okay, one of my members asked if I could teach him how to be a better referral partner. So I really had to think about it, you know, it comes naturally for some people, and some people have the right heart, but they just don't haven't quite thought about all the things they can do. What I came to realize is we have a limited amount of time to network, we can only keep in touch with so many people, right? I mean, and so if you're going to what I kind of call revolving door networking events, where you might meet someone that's great for your inner network, but you might also mostly be adding people to your outer circle. So part of my toolkit would be to be really intentional about what you're looking for, who are you looking to meet. In the natural products industry, you know, you're always looking to meet more people. So I think that may slightly differ than what we talk about in our entrepreneur group, which is, at this stage of my business, I feel like everything I need exists within my network. So what I did is I identified my inner circle, the people that I really wanted to keep in close contact with. So that's regular contact weekly or monthly. Someone you could call at the drop of a hat, I need a favor, you mentor each other. So kind of what we were talking about that tighter peer group. And then the middle circle would be people that you still have regular contact with but not quite as often. But that would be maybe people you collaborate with, or you check in occasionally to see what they need, if there's anything you can help them with. And then that outer circle is more just acquaintances, people you're not intentionally staying in touch with but you may know, but I feel like if there was something I needed, I could reach out to my inner or middle circle and get what I need.

Sari  
I love that. That example you came up with, I think that's really helpful. And I do think that there probably are different seasons. When you're first starting out. Like let's just say you're just starting out and you attend a Naturally Boulder event or, you know, Naturally Network event or something, and everybody's going to be outer circle when you start and that's okay, get all those cards, have those conversations, like make note of who they are. And, you know, follow up later and try to offer some value when you're having a conversation with them, add them to your LinkedIn, you know, go follow their brand, do the follow up. But then over time, hopefully you're also finding other places that you can go and make deeper connections, you know, whether it's inside my membership, or we're going to talk about your new group and program as well. But like, go find platforms where you can go deeper with people and start to create more of those middle and inner network. 

Julie  
Yeah, I think that's really valuable.

Sari  
I see it all the time. I mean, it's been so valuable to me to have, as I've grown my network over the years. And I think about when I started Food Business Success, and all of this now four and a half years ago, something like that. But you know, I didn't know anybody. And now I can walk into a room and people like, oh, it's Sari, right? And that like that takes time and it takes nurturing and it takes growing those connections and giving and yeah, just really nurturing that. It doesn't happen overnight.

Julie  
Yeah, absolutely. Nurturing is the perfect word. I think. 

Sari  
So Julie, you had all these amazing experiences. I'm sure you've been doing this all of your life, building connections and relationships, but you started, you were in the salsa and CPG, and then you took it into new roles around Naturally Boulder, and then creating the forums, and then with Network In Action, and now next level. So I am so excited for you to share with our listeners what you are doing because we can't seem to keep you out of the natural products industry.

Julie  
That's right, I'm back. Just took a short hiatus. I'm so excited because like you just said, I feel like everything I've done has just brought me to this path. And I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. And this new business that I'm launching is going to be such an amazing resource. And again, in that vein of connecting people to each other and connecting people to knowledge to help them be successful. So my new business is called Natural Products Executive Collective, or NPEC for short because that's a mouthful. And it's a platform where companies will join based on their revenue side. So they are interacting with their peers. And they're not kind of slowed down by questions that might be, you know, we did that 10 years ago or something like that. So they'll join at their revenue level, interact with their peers in many different ways. One is discussion boards, which are topical. So members can opt in to the boards that they want to be in conversation with, like, there'll be a sales board. And some of those topics might be how do you negotiate with UNFI or, you know, an audit report from UNFI, what does this mean? What do I do so? So those would be kind of sales related. There could be finance related boards, talking about maybe investment, money, and things like that. And the cool thing about those boards, they'll be archived, so you could type in a question and any discussions that have happened in the past will show up or you can post a new question. 

Julie  
Yeah, so many moving parts. And so, you know, this idea basically came from learning how I'll keep sharing more about what the platform does, but how valuable the Naturally Boulder forums were, and I think still are, and they will still provide a lot of value, because they're in person. My thought was, people need to be able to tap into this knowledge on demand, like, right now. I have a problem this week, or I need to hire such and such by x date. And so this is the go to kind of resource to get that information. So beyond the discussion boards, there will be virtual monthly forums based on revenue, size, and position within the company. So for example, $7 million companies CEO would be with other similar size CEOs. And those are cohorts. So that's not like a revolving door. Opportunity that's like, let's get to know each other, build trust, have confidentiality, and things like that. 

Sari  
I was thinking about it more. And it's like, because I do that I have a 10x Mastermind, right? And so it's this cohort, and we're with each other all year, and the relationships that get formed and how we're all supporting each other. And it's kind of like your, I don't know, high school class or your college class, like, right? As you go, as you progress, like everybody gets to bring everyone along, and you create these deeper connections and relationships. It's a really powerful thing.

Julie  
I love it, I love it. And, you know, a lot of, well, most larger companies are going to have some kind of advisory board or board of directors. And this is meant to really supplement that because, you know, your board, they may not be super accessible, or they each have their own limited experience. And so this way, you can just get lots of different input and ideas. And a lot of times board members are retired or you know, they're not really necessarily up with the industry changes so fast as we are. 

Sari  
And I love that you also open it up. So depending on the size of the company, you know, if you're a $10 million plus revenue, or even 5 million or 1 million, you're going to have probably a CEO or CFO and other kind of positions in the company that needs support. And so I love that, you know, different sides, depending on your revenue size, you get additional seats.

Julie  
Exactly, yeah. Yeah, one of the I mean, COVID, obviously, was a unique time, but I was running the forums at that time, and we had the COO forum, and the COOs were getting killed. I mean, they just couldn't, and for the few who took the time to come to the meeting, the information that they learned from each other, I mean, it changed their life, like, where are you getting glass? Where are you getting these ingredients and I mean, boxes were unavailable. And someone in that meeting, like, no, my supplier has plenty of boxes. And I mean, so just I mean, that's a special time. But that's the kind of information that you can plug into, like you said, different roles need support as well. So there will also be a resource library where people can read articles and you know, get more information about various topics, will have webinars, and a really exciting thing that we're offering is we're partnering with service providers who are going to offer discounts that you cannot get anywhere else. So super excited about that to just create more value and help build relationships kind of across the board.

Sari  
That's awesome. Yeah, I'll be offering some special things as well. And they're so excited to be a part of it. And I'm so excited to have you.

Julie  
And since we haven't launched yet, and when we're in the launch phase, we're going to have launch deals. And Sari has offered some cool deals for people who joined early. So I mean, they're in this industry. There are so many little pieces that have to add up to make it run smoothly and it doesn't always run smoothly. So it's nice to have that community. 

Sari  
It's an incredibly complex business. It really is. I mean, I don't know. Now, I've been around a lot more different kinds of entrepreneurs and I don't know if there's many more complex businesses than a food business or something where you have all of this regulation, there's just so much to it.

Julie  
People just don't realize all that goes into it. It's a very complicated business. 

Sari  
It is. And so it's almost ridiculous, when I think about, you think you want to do this all by yourself, and you want to just be in your own little bubble and think that everything you know, you don't need people ahead of you, you know, below you, with you, outside of your circle. I mean, you need all of it. You need a huge toolkit of connections and relationships. And I would imagine you go and ask any one of those brands. I mean, I interviewed Justin, a couple summers ago from Justin's Nut Butter. And it was all about the relationships, right? That's how he got the squeeze packs, where he got them was because of relationship.

Julie  
That's so funny because as you were saying, no way you should do this alone, I started thinking about, you know, I was going to comment and say, I had mentors when I was starting my business, and built relationships with people who I could reach out to and ask these questions. And Justin was one of my mentors, and he was amazing. And no matter how big his company got, he would answer me within 24 hours. I mean, he's just such an amazing guy, and what a giver and that, I feel like that just paid off for him.

Sari  
And then you turned around, and we're giver to others and cycle and we're trying to have everybody be successful and change the way that we're eating and have more sustainable options and all the things that we're also passionate about, but I just cannot emphasize enough. It's just you cannot do it alone. Please find support, find community. Speaking of Justin, we brainstormed.

Julie  
I was going to say you came up with amazing idea.

Sari  
But I'm so excited for this kind of launch event that you're doing. So tell us all about what is happening. And of course, if you're listening after the fact, you'll be able to go and see the replay. But tell us about your launch event. 

Julie  
Shameless plug for you first. We were in a coaching session and we were talking about lunging and some of the steps that needed to happen. And you said, I think like thank you, you did a webinar with someone like Justin, that would just really, you know, provide value by having him share his experience where people can learn from him. And then, you know, having people on that webinar, and we can talk about the importance of community building and whatnot. And I was like, that's an amazing idea. So I text him and said, you know, do you have time to chat and he said, I'll call you in about an hour. So I meditated. I visualized, I visualized him saying yes. And he already knew about this idea, because I had seen him at an event a couple of months ago. And then what I said to him was, Justin, you love to help people. And everybody wants a piece of Justin, like you are pulled in so many directions. And I said, and you told me that you believe in this idea. And so my thought is, this is a great way for you to help a ton of brands by getting people, increasing awareness about the platform, and helping get people onto the platform. Because what they're after is knowledge. That's what they want from you is your knowledge and experience. And that's what we're providing on an even bigger scale. And he said, I'm working full time now for Rudy's. I volunteer on this board, I do things for Naturally Boulder, I'm training for triathlons. I just started a nonprofit in Netherland. And he said, but I totally believe in this idea. So yes, I will. I will do it. 

Sari  
Well, I'm so thrilled. He said yes. Yeah, he's not easy to pin down. So connections and relationships here. 

Julie  
Yeah, because I've known him for so many years. And he also agreed to be on the NPEC board of advisors. I'm just beyond grateful that he's taking the time. 

Sari  
So tell us when this amazing kickoff event, Fireside Chat webinar is going to be.

Julie  
So we decided to do a lunchtime chat. So it's have virtual lunch with Justin and what I really want to do is kind of elevate this conversation. Of course, everyone is welcome. But he speaks a lot to startups and I want to help kind of elevate that. So we're going to talk about scaling and strategizing, brand strategy, positioning your company for sale, and maximizing resources. So this really, I'm hoping that we get, you know COOs, salespeople, founders of larger companies, everyone was welcome, of course, but really wanted to focus on kind of elevating the conversation. So it will be February 27, at noon, mountain time. So bring your lunch and bring your questions because you'll be able to ask questions and bring a notepad or some way of taking notes, because I think it's, you know, the goal is that it can spark some really great ideas. 

Sari  
Amazing, it is so fun to hear Justin. And he's got incredible story and so much wisdom. And I love it. He's back in the CPG world. So it's not just like, oh, he did this a long time ago. But he's in it again. I will put the link to get registered in the show notes if you're listening to this, when it comes out. The event will be a week from today. And of course, it'll be recorded, and you can find it in NPEC. And I'll also include the link if you're on my email list. So you'll be able to get registered there, it's totally free, it's going to be a really valuable lunch, right, bring your lunch, bring some paper and get ready to learn and to see what shifts in your own business, make some different decisions, and maybe consider joining NPEC as well.

Julie  
The website is npecollective.com, natural products executive collective.com. And right now, we have a LinkedIn page. And that's it right now, for social media. Perfect.

Sari  
I think LinkedIn is probably makes a lot more sense anyway. And if you're listening to this after launch, then you can use the discount code Sari20. And that'll save you 20% on your membership. Plus, if you are below 300k in revenue, you're also going to get Food Business Success as part of your package with NPAC, so you'll get lifetime access to my online program. So it is quite a deal. And so fun to be able to do this partnership with Julie.

Julie  
I love startups, I love to help people.

Sari  
It'd be really fun. We'll have to bring you into Fuel VIP, I think one of these months and just have you be a guest. And then you can tell the whole story because I'm sure if people were listening in at the beginning, we're not gonna go into it here. You're going to have to join NPEC or join Fuel. And we will have a conversation about how you started when you started at farmer's markets. And then I have to hear the story about near bankruptcy. I did not know that. So we're going to save that. 

Julie  
That was a very close call. It's a great story. It's a great story.

Sari  
Yes, I love that. Okay, we'll have to get that booked for this spring, which will be super fun to have you on there. All right, Julie, what do you want to leave our listeners with around creating connections?

Julie  
Well, I would say be authentic and bring your light and bring joy to build connection. I think that's one of the main things. And then the other thing I've learned over the years, in working with various types of people, is what has helped formulate my new tagline, which is I just want to do cool shit with cool people.

Sari  
Without being selective, right? It's great to have a whole bunch like just like the outer circle, right, but not everybody gets to come into the inner circle. 

Julie  
Yeah. And who do you resonate with and listen to your gut. That's all that's a whole nother thing you could talk about is following your gut. But that's a whole nother podcast.

Sari  
Well, yes, Julie, thank you for following your own guide and your intuition to allow more people to find more cool people and do more cool shit. Just create a more fun place for us entrepreneurs and being such a great model for us and how to create better connection with people.

Julie  
Thank you. And thank you for being a part of my inner circle.

Sari  
So fun. Well, thank you, Julie, for coming on. It's been such a pleasure to have you here.

Julie  
Thanks for having me.

Sari  
I hope everyone is feeling inspired and ready to go start expanding their inner circle to make connections with others and to give as much as they get. So go out. Start today, just do one small thing. One way that you can go and reach out to someone who might be able to support you and you could support them in turn. And until next time, have an amazing week. 

The smartest thing you can do as an entrepreneur is to invest in a who to help you with the how to speed up your journey and help you skip the line. When you are ready for more support and accountability to finally get this thing done, you can work with me in two ways. Get me all to yourself with one on one business coaching, or join Food Business Success which includes membership inside Fuel, our community of food business founders that includes monthly live group coaching calls and so much more. It's one of my favorite places to hang out and I would love to see you there. Go to foodbizsuccess.com to start your journey towards your own Food Business Success.