Transcript
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Speaker: made it and served it to me and my pastry chef brain was like this is just unacceptable it was like let's start small and i'll just you know make these mixes and send them out and see how it goes and you know quite quickly that was not the path that we took i was saying yes before i even know knew how i was going to pull it off exciting big breaks for our business was when we decided to do a partnership with crate and barrel You know, we just up-leveled our business in a massive way. It was like, we're growing, this is really exciting and cool, and then, oh no, we have to really meet like a national distribution standard.
Speaker: My favorite part of our business is when we are boxing up orders to send to people. I like to think that when you do something with intention, people can feel it. You can do anything you want.
Speaker: You just have to be brave enough to try and figure it out as you go. The hard things that you go through are the things that make you. Like where I'm at right now is wonderful, but I i i believe that I have so much farther to go.
Speaker: be underestimated. face Face all the judgment. Let people tell you you can't do it. Face the challenges that feel insurmountable in business and just keep going.
Speaker: The obstacle is the way. Sarah, you started off as a ballerina. in a world filled with precision, discipline, elegance, all these things.
Speaker: How did that prepare you for where you are now in doing what you're doing with Wild Rye? Wow, that's a great like jump in question. Yeah, just jump in. Right? um It prepared me in ways that are like, some are quite obvious and then others are surprising even to me.
Speaker: i think what I can can easily pull from is that like you, if to become good at something, you require discipline. It requires time, attention, focus, and commitment. And to become a professional ballerina, that is all built into the expectations from the beginning. So, you know, from the time I was a young kid, I was training those those muscles on like, how do I stay committed to something and see it through?
Speaker: When you build a business that is required. um But you know, and in subtle ways, ballet really influenced how I enter a room, how I enter a space, how I tell my story, how i carry myself with confidence, even if I don't necessarily feel it. And And those things have really helped me and supported me in, you know, a whole new life of being a business owner and, you know, the front facing person behind a brand.
Speaker: Would you say that being in the dance space and being in front of an audience and like you say, walking into a room, commanding that that room the way you you do, would you say that almost like business in a way is a performance?
Speaker: Certainly. i think that, you know, whether it's a pitch to a potential buyer or a potential account, you know, you have to sell what you're, you know, selling, you have to sell it. And ideally what I would love to think is that my product sells itself, but inevitably if you can tell the story behind the brand, the person that you're telling that story to falls in love with it and can sell it better to their customers or to their, you know, followers. And so,
Speaker: there is certainly this element of a dance you know in an exchange where you're introducing yourself and your brand. When I introduce Wild Rye to somebody, i really do want it to feel like I am giving it my best every interaction. And there's a lot of prep that goes on behind the scenes for me to feel quite clear and confident when I talk about Wild dry And that's very akin to ballet because there's so much rehearsal, there's so much dedication that happens before the curtains go up. And then you perform and ideally by the time that the curtain rises and the stage lights are on, you're prepared. And i like to take that thinking with me wherever I go in any interaction, especially with business.
Speaker: Yeah, I can imagine that um a lot of what you've done in your life has in some ways prepared you for where you are just right now, this moment in time where you're you're at the helm of a growing company, you're a mother, you're a wife, you are a friend, and you're building something that is taking on its own life.
Speaker: Just like being a mother, right? You bring this child in this world. yes In a manner of speaking, you have brought your idea to the world. My question with all that sort of framework is what led you to want to do this from the start? It's just kind of a random idea to take kind of a commodity, if you will, of a box cake mix and make it into something so elegant and so delicious and so premium.
Speaker: Well, this might be a little bit like witchy or woo woo, but I do like to think that all of life's experiences shape you and lead you to exactly where you're supposed to be, whether those are really positive experiences or really painful and devastating experiences. And so.
Speaker: I think that each step is important and every part of someone's story is crucial. And i didn't come up with this idea to be like, I'm going to start a business. Like it doesn't, it didn't work like that for me. My story, you know, if you want the long version is that I was dancing classical ballet with Ballet Arizona. I had a terrible injury.
Speaker: They didn't renew my contract after a year of being injured. And I was left at, you know, my mid-20s facing like this very open and scary space of what is next for me in my life and really feeling like I had nothing to offer aside from this thing that I could no longer do.
Speaker: And that was incredibly challenging and very scary. And I had no foresight to think that you're gonna be sitting here and like talking to to you about this business that you've built that has now seen some incredible growth.
Speaker: It just starts to happen where you put one foot in front of the other. And so, you know, from leaving ballet, I was like, well what do I love? What am I curious about? That was pastry. That was restaurants and food and hospitality. Like it, I leaned into the things that really made me feel good. So I kept like leaning into that and taking those steps and,
Speaker: From there I ended up being the you know the executive pastry chef for a large restaurant group here in Phoenix. And you know learning a totally new skillset, right? it it was totally different. and Like running a P&L and managing labor and you know developing recipes for you know everything from a coffee shop program to like a fine dining dessert menu. like It really stretched me and grew. And I still wasn't thinking like, what's the business? What am I going to do that's mine? But eventually, you know, i I remember this distinct moment when think it was Thanksgiving and I was working like a 20 hour shift making pies for all of these amazing customers at our restaurant.
Speaker: And I was like, my family's home, like everyone's getting ready for Thanksgiving and I'm in the restaurant and I'm not with them. And it really hit me that I wanted to figure out a way in time how how I could do something that allowed me to be home on the holidays with my family as much as possible. So then it couldn't be, you're gonna open a bakery. It had to become something different. And so I think I started thinking creatively without even realizing that might like might my direction was pointing me towards a CPG brand.
Speaker: And then eventually, like continuing to lean into what felt good, what I love is baking at home. And that's like the love that I found for baking happened when I was baking with my mom in the kitchen as a kid. And that really started to spark joy for me again. And and then I was like, okay, well, what what does that mean? and And I wasn't even then thinking, like what's the business?
Speaker: Like i I can see why people start with, I wanna own my own business. I get it. It's very appealing conceptually. i think once you get into the nitty gritty, people might change their mind, but but it was never that. It was just, what do I love? I love baking at home. How do I share this?
Speaker: And then there was like this kind of, this real inflection point where I started to see the people in my life who loved food, but weren't necessarily bakers,
Speaker: baking with like mixes from a shelf. And especially like it was a gluten-free mix, I remember distinctly because I have some friends who are gluten-free or their kids can't eat dairy. And so they were they were buying stuff that they thought was high quality because they really care about ingredients.
Speaker: And they like made it and served it to me. And my pastry chef brain was like, this is just unacceptable. Like we can do so much better than this. And how do I take this knowledge that I have that I was making gluten-free muffins in the restaurant and they were amazing and nobody knew they were gluten-free and I was like we can there is something here there was this gap and so I just started fiddling in the kitchen with these dry mixes that I could give to my friends it all started with a gluten-free pancake mix which is you know still our company's best seller but I started fiddling with the mix and I started giving it to people and then eventually this thing that was just very small and like scrappy
Speaker: found some legs, like the inspiration that came was, was meant to come and, yeah and be born. And, and then it was like, well, am I brave enough to chase this dream? Because there seems to be a gap in the market interest from my community. yeah Can I do this? Can I build this? And the answer is you can do anything you want.
Speaker: You just have to be brave enough to try and figure it out as you go. and I'm really glad that I did yeah because now I'm right here. So that was a long winded answer, but no I hope it helped. It's brilliant. I think that you touched on at least three or four points that I touch a lot on my podcast. One of those being amor fati, which is love your fate. Yeah.
Speaker: You took a situation that you were and facing with not being renewed the contract, all that, and you actually turned it into a new direction in your life, which I think is absolutely brilliant.
Speaker: There's elements of understanding yourself. And also ah really looking forward. And, you know, you said, i want to do something where I'm able to go and spend time with my family.
Speaker: And so in a way, you've sort of architected your own life. Yeah. Which is which is amazing. Thank you for saying that. I think anyone can do that. You know, I don't think that I'm special in that way.
Speaker: I think it takes a lot of courage to try things, to attempt things. You said something about love your fate. And I, I adore that concept, especially in hindsight, because when you're in the thick of it, it's really hard to appreciate the hard things that are happening to you. But the hard things that you go through are the things that make you and shape you into the person that you are. And Now i love my story more than if I had this long career and then in you know at some point I would still have to be leaving ballet and starting over. So this story for me feels beautiful and unique and and and full of, I hope, inspiration to people that you can pivot and you can discover new things and and something that i I think is incredibly valuable
Speaker: And important to remember is while I couldn't control, you know, you know, my artistic director not renewing my contract, I didn't have a, I didn't have power in that situation. Everything that happens after that you do have influence in and, and something that is so important to remember is like everything you learn along the way, all of that knowledge that you accumulate, that belongs to you. No one can ever take that from you. so You know, I entered a pastry kitchen is like the bottom, you know, early, early entry, like sweeping floors, scooping cookies, wearing a chef's coat. Nobody knew who I was. Nobody cared. They were just there to do their job. And everything I learned in that restaurant was...
Speaker: is mine forever. And everything that I learn as I build a business and don't know where to start is mine forever. And and if you can love your fate and learn from your experiences and like hold on to that knowledge, you become like this this valuable resource of experience that hopefully you can use for good and then share with people.
Speaker: There's another thing you touched on, which is quite literally the central point of this podcast. There's a couple elements that you've already sort of Accidentally, or maybe you cheated. Maybe you listened to a bunch of my podcast. I don't know. I mean, I do know your style, but I i think this is quite serendipitous. Yes. The the idea that we can't control anything yeah except for um mindset.
Speaker: Correct. Things will, the world will, people will take whatever you expectations you have about your life and throw it against the wall, right? And smash it down. And I mean, you can look at highly successful people, there's something there where they departed away from being a victim, where they decided in themselves that this is not the world I want for me.
Speaker: ah And they've changed their vernacular from this is happening to me. oh my God, this is happening to me, to this is happening for me. That one word difference In sitting across from dozens and dozens of people like you that are just like, blow my mind.
Speaker: That's one of the central themes is everyone refuses to be a victim. yeah Everyone there has taken, in some ways, their their life into their own hands, which we all have that that agency.
Speaker: But sometimes some of us struggle with things that as they present themselves, challenges, and we just see them as opportunities or a way to gain muscle by crossing them.
Speaker: Okay, so I do want to say that in the beginning when i when I did feel like this was happening to me, like what do I do? Who am I now?
Speaker: I didn't in that moment of like identity loss and like feelings of devastation and heartbreak and heartache and you know fear. i wasn't like, oh, this is happening for me. yeah I didn't see it that way then. But what I did feel was like, this is not how my story is going to end. This cannot be the peak of my life that has already passed. So I have to keep going. And I think that sometimes you just need an internal engine that's like,
Speaker: I'm not, you know, my friend Lauren says this great thing. You're allowed to visit the swamp, but you're not allowed to live there. And i think when you like visit the swamp of emotions, like sometimes you do need to just go through it, but you can't move there. You got to move out and you got to get going. And I think there was something in me that was like, we're going to get going and we're going figure this out and we're going to get really freaking good at something else. And, and now after doing that once, after proving to myself that I could get good at something else, like whether that was just, you know, getting the promotion, promotion to sous chef, you know, that was a big deal for me then.
Speaker: And then from there, promotion to like pastry chef and then executive pastry chef, all of those things taught me that like, I can become something new. I can be courageous and resilient. And then you start to get enough reps in. And now when I face challenges or something doesn't go my way, or I don't get the deal with the business, it is now, it is happening for me. It isn't like I just enter the swamp and don't know how to get out.
Speaker: So you just got to get your reps in, I think. You do. You do. And you hit on another word that I i love a lot. Identity. Yes. It's something that's not talked about so much because we all feel as though we have our identity figured out, or at least we're on the path to to figuring it out.
Speaker: But identity really is what gets you to achieve your goals. Let me explain. Have you heard of James Clear? No, please. book called attempt Atomic Habits? i heard i've had ah I've heard of the book Great book.
Speaker: And foundationally, what he says is that goals are almost impossible to achieve by just setting them. I'm going to do this. Right. Because our wiring is not that way. We have a tendency to get derailed.
Speaker: Actually, it's our own body, our own mind sort of pushing ah us away from that goal because we are craving comfort. Human beings crave comfort above anything else. Comfort, safety, you're kind of kissing cousins.
Speaker: So when you go out and want to do something, you really have to change your identity.
Speaker: First question, part a is, when did you start the company? Part b is, where is it going? And part C is, when you're years be?
Speaker: where will you be Hmm. So when did I start the company? Where's the company going? And then when I'm 65, where will I be? exactly
Speaker: Those are great questions. um The easiest one to answer is when did I start? Right. So so we launched the business in November of 2021. So we started, you know, just with this simple idea. we were going to be like, you know,
Speaker: All of your plans change rapidly. But my plan was to be like online, maybe farmers markets, but true like D to C, like small, scrappy, see how this could be to see direct to consumer. So, you know, people could find us online or I could share it with people. I had no interest in and you know pursuing large accounts.
Speaker: You know, we'll we'll get to that. Okay. But I just was like, let's start small and I'll just, you know, make these mixes and send them out and see how it goes. And, you know, quite quickly, that was not the path that we took. So we started the business in 2021.
Speaker: And it was really just like me doing it. And then I got to bring on a great friend who is now an amazing partner. And she her name is Kirsten. She's our director of ops. And her and I together really started to like forge this path forward of, you know,
Speaker: What are we going to build it into? And and quite quickly, we got some interest in wholesale accounts. So, you know, butcher shops and wine stores and fine food retailers, you know, very small one unit, two unit, you know, mom and pop shops, but really amazing places like the kind of places that I frequent and love and are very aligned with the Wild Rye ethos and brand. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: they started to ask me, like, could we do this? Are you interested in this? And, you know, talk about identity, i was saying yes before I even know knew how I was going to pull it off. I was like, yes, absolutely. They were like, could you bring me a sell sheet? I was like, absolutely. I have one. I'll email it to you as soon as I get home. And then I'm Googling like, what is a sell sheet? How do I make one? Like, I guess I have to download Adobe and learn how to use this technology so I can build a sell sheet tonight. But but I was just saying yes. and And in that process, we got to some really big wins of
Speaker: repeat customers coming from wholesale. and And what I realized was that you reach so many more customers when you're in stores. You know, it's great to meet people online. It's great to inter interact interface with people one-on-one and to tell them about your brand. But, you know, if there are hundreds of people entering a store and your cake mix is on that shelf and the person behind that counter happens to know my story and know the like the love and the passion that I have for baking and like the meaning behind Wild Rye and can tell those customers that story, all of a sudden they take it and it becomes like this beautiful ripple effect of growth.
Speaker: And we grew a lot faster than I planned to. And then And I think one of the the exciting big breaks for our business was when we decided to do a partnership with Crate & Barrel, which took us from being in one, two, maybe five unit you know shops to being in like 70 stores nationwide. Right.
Speaker: incredible growth and, you know, just eyes and distribution, you know, understanding how do we like work with distribution centers and like, you know, we just upleveled our business in a massive way. It was like, we're growing. This is really exciting and cool. And then, oh, no, we have to really meet like a national distribution standard and, you know, not just do it once, but repeatedly. And so we have been with Crate Barrel for two years now. We're working on some fun new things for them for, next year already. And that really did like take us to the next place. And from there we entered grocery stores. So that's even a new level of growth for us as a business because Crate and Barrel is a really unique, amazing brand.
Speaker: It's a whole other thing to be working on like a grocery store shelf. And, you know, having to meet those deliverables and, and um you know, timeframe and turnaround. And so that was really like another stepping stone for us to reach like the grocery store market.
Speaker: um And while all the while maintaining like our e-commerce presence and our small like local, you know, yeah shops all across the country. I mean, we are we are in small, fine food retailers all over the U.S. And it's- Yeah, including I saw your product at Sonoran House. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, that's it truly is like as much as I am so proud of our our big wins and like, oh, my gosh, we did that deal. Like my favorite thing is when I get a text from someone who knows me, who's like, I'm in Tucson or I'm in you know Dallas or I'm in L.A. or I'm in New York City and I'm in Soho and your products are here at my favorite store. Like it just.
Speaker: It's so meaningful. And so when you ask me the next question of where are you going to be when you're 65, didn't know I was going to be here, you know, four and a half years ago when we started the business. Right. so it's a hard question to answer. What I what I feel confident saying is that wherever I am at 65, I want to feel happy, present, connected with my family, available to help people that I love and and inspired and motivated. So if that means that I'm doing all of that while running Wild Rye, then heck yeah, that would be great.
Speaker: If things pivot and there are other opportunities and, and ways to grow the business beyond, you know, um a way that only I could, and we enter like, um, future agreements with other companies, you know, certainly open to that. But that's not the goal. You know, I think I kind of said this earlier.
Speaker: i want to love this process. I want to, you know, it's not always going to be easy, but it wasn't just because I was like, I'm going to start a business and make a bunch of money and then I'm going to sell the business and then I'm going to start another business and then i'm going to sell that business. That was like,
Speaker: Never my story. I'm an artist. I'm a, I'm a ballerina at heart. I love to connect with people and make things and share things. And the fact that I get to do that now as the, you know, the founder and owner and face of Wild Rye, that's amazing. And I, I would be happy continuing that for so many years. Well, you're a creator at the end of the day. Right.
Speaker: Have you ever been to Chelsea, Michigan? No, but I mean, you know, I have to almost say that I have because my parents are Midwest reps for like they're based in Chicago and then we've traveled all over the Midwest. So they might be getting sad. Chelsea, Michigan is known for three things. Tell me.
Speaker: The first of it, which is it's a beautiful little community with a bunch of little lakes. So that's one thing. The second thing, it's the home place of Jeff Daniels, the the actor. And the third thing, which is interesting maybe for you, is it's where they make Jiffy Mix.
Speaker: No way. You know, the Jiffy mix. Yeah, of course i do. The cornbread mix. yes Exactly. And you you drive into town and there's like these giant ah silos and all that, and it's all the Jiffy mix and people there in in the city and the town or township, whatever it is, that's their livelihood. And it has been for generations.
Speaker: So obviously things are different now, right? With with respect to online sales and all the things you you just mentioned. how ah How do things work on the back end?
Speaker: right Give us ah an idea of what does it look like to create this beautiful, elegant, delicious product that's ah really an experience in my in my view.
Speaker: What's happening behind the scenes? Is it gritty? Is it dirty? Definitely not dirty. But give us an idea of what's happening on the backside. Well, you know, something that is like at the at the forefront of our brand is our ingredients. And so that's what makes our cakes and our mixes so good is the quality of ingredients that we use. So one of the big pain points for us often is how do we guarantee the sourcing of these really high quality ingredients and maintain their freshness? Because, again, like I want you to make the best cake you've ever made in your life from a box.
Speaker: You know, it doesn't matter if it's from a box. I need it to be the best cake you've ever made because that makes you come back and want to to try more things and to share our our business with people. So we have to be able to source really high quality ingredients reliably, you know, and I like to work with smaller producers, but I have to be able to maintain our volume. And as we grew, I was like, how do I secure that inventory? And so there are certainly times when like our workshop is just like pallets of stuff and we're like, OK, how are we going to make space for all of this flour that we just had freshly milled for us to come in? Or how are we going to hold on to this cocoa powder? I mean, the headaches that I have faced sourcing the French chocolate that I fell in love with as a pastry chef, like it's It's almost comical. You're like, you're crying over cocoa powder, but I have. I have shed tears over like this. Well, it's just really hard. And imagine like we launched during the pandemic. So there was a ton of stuff that would like supposed to could be there. And then it was like stuck on a dock. And you're like, I have no idea how it's coming. So the back end often to for us when it's the most hectic and messy is when we are securing our inventory of really special ingredients. And I
Speaker: I want to highlight that because it is what makes us different. Like we are not looking for the cheapest commodity product to then put in a beautiful box and make a bunch of money on.
Speaker: We are like working backwards from this idea of like, well, Madagascar but vanilla is my favorite to work with. I think that this producer happens to make the best. It's also run in a really ethical, like fair trade kind of way, which I'm all about. So I want to source that. Well, how do i make sure that if Crate and Barrel wants,
Speaker: a large order by Q4 that I have that in time to make it without it sitting and going to waste and all that stuff. so So there's a lot of like backend logistics that can get quite messy.
Speaker: From production, have a beautiful, like my favorite part of our business is when we are boxing up orders to send to people because The work of like sourcing and mixing and, you know, assembling the boxes and packaging and that's, you know, that's just the nitty gritty of it. It's for me, one of my favorite parts of us because that's what I used to do. You know, I'm like, I feel like closest to the pastry chef in me when I'm doing production, but But it's really when all of those beautiful boxes filled with really special ingredients like get sent out all over, you know, and we have a fulfillment, you know, system that allows us to be like, this is this person's first order. So we get they get this really special like handmade note. And oh, my God, this new account in New Jersey found us unfair. So we get to reach out with them and connect. So the back end really goes from like.
Speaker: securing the ingredients, assembling them, putting in beautiful putting them in beautiful packaging, and then assembling those packages to go out into the world. And that process for me is quite meaningful and um intentional. And everyone who touches a wild rye box to that then go into a shipping box to get sent out knows that that's one of the most valuable parts of our business, because i like to think that when you do something with intention, people can feel it. So That's the back end. And then from there goes to our shipping partners, takes a long journey and then ends up on your kitchen counter somewhere. know, favorite part of it is. Tell me. Eating the cake. Yeah, of course. Well, that means I'm doing something right. my My niece, I gave her a box and she made this beautiful, amazing olive oil cake that was just out of this world.
Speaker: good And I was in its part of an experience. It was for a baby shower. And, you know, you're so you're invited into these very intimate moments, birthday parties, or just like, hey, I made you a cake or whatever. Right. These are the connection points that from the outside world we don't see.
Speaker: So I kind of see it a bit. i am not a baker. It's just, it's not in me to bake. But i I do cook and I love to grill and I love to make and I can do it very well because I can improvise. Yeah. With baking, it's so exact.
Speaker: And if you get one thing too much, if you put baking soda instead of baking powder, your recipe just went out the door. Right. Has there been any experiences that you can laugh at now where there was an ingredient or something that wasn't exactly right and it came back to bite you in the butt? Are you talking about through the business or just in my personal experience? Either way. I mean, I have messed up so many baking projects on a personal level. Like...
Speaker: I think that, you know, just recently i was making a birthday cake for one of my dear friends and I am a professional. I this is not some I'm not like pretending I'm not playing a pastry chef like this is my bread and butter. This is what I am best at, I think now. And I made this cake and I was in a hurry and my pastry cream didn't set. And I was like, it's going be. just fine.
Speaker: I'm just going to like pipe a little ring of frosting and fill this thing with pastry cream. And I turn around and my cake is just like collapsing and crumbling. and I have a party to go to in like three hours. And my brain is like,
Speaker: This is humiliating, but also so good. It's like such good content because it happens even to me. Sometimes things happen. So luckily, living in Arizona, I grabbed my baby. We got in the car and we went to AJ's and I bought some wild rye mixes because believe it or not, I didn't have them in my house. And I made a cake in an hour and i showed up at the birthday party and none, no one was the wiser. And I love that. It's real. It's the real life stuff. Like it's not no no one's perfect. Nothing is perfect. There have been certainly moments where we have gotten like worried or panicked from a business perspective of did the gluten free mix get sent to the
Speaker: to the non gluten free person or, you know, more concerning, did the the gluten filled version go to the gluten free family? um We have to deliver on first impressions. That's the most important thing for a CPG brand, I think, because someone is going to. Consumer package good. Yeah. so Consumer package good. They're going to touch your product.
Speaker: And if you do a good job, they might do it again. But if you don't deliver, they're probably not going to trust you with their money or their dollars or their time or their celebrations again. And so, you know, I have really tried and luckily...
Speaker: I think we have a pretty meticulous team to to ensure that those things that could happen, that could really be bad for our first impressions, don't happen. And I'm sure that we have messed up. i I own it. But I luckily don't have a nightmare story for you to tell besides just, you know, trying to bake a cake for one of my best friends and it falling apart entirely. And that's a pretty good story. Yeah.
Speaker: You mentioned something, grabbing my baby and going. Tell us how motherhood has affected your your business acumen or your business your business in general.
Speaker: Well, I mean, yeah are you a parent? Yes, I am. Okay. I have two boys. So becoming a parent is transformative. It's not something that you can prepare yourself for. You know, i I was talking about this just the other day. You can think you know what kind of a parent you're going to be or how you're going to be as a, you know, a new mom or a working mom or all of those ideas are really cute and fun. And then you...
Speaker: are faced with the realities of being a parent and everything changes. And again, it's kind of going back to what we talked about earlier. You can feel like, oh, this this is happening to me. I'm tired and I'm exhausted. And she's not...
Speaker: you know, doing what I it's not looking like what I thought it was going to look like. So you can move into the swamp and feel bad for yourself or you can move out and you can say, this is my life now.
Speaker: And I and I am motivated to problem solve this. And I and I do want to acknowledge that I'm always going to be figuring out, I think, what it means to be a mom. And especially being a mom who owns a bit business and is full of and ambition. Because it's not like...
Speaker: Like where I'm at right now is wonderful, but I i i believe that I have so much farther to go. And i want my my sweet daughter to come along with me for that ride. I want her to see me grow and to learn and to, to you know, stumble. I want her to experience Like the most wholehearted, open hearted version of life that I can show her. And so it's changed everything. That's a really long winded way of saying becoming a mother has changed everything for me, but it hasn't changed my
Speaker: desire to be good at what I do when it comes to my work and my desire to succeed. i just have gotten comfortable with it looking different than I thought it might. and And I have to give credit to like, you know, I think that
Speaker: partnership in parenting is so special when it's good. And to have a supportive partner who's also like all in on being a great parent while also running his own businesses, that's so helpful. It makes my desires to do this, to sit here with you much more possible. And so, so I think like the teamwork component, whether you're in um in ah in every way is is so valuable. So I have to, you know, shout him out as well. Yeah.
Speaker: And i've I've experienced that myself in having two boys that are now young men, 18 and 19. And one is in the university, one is about to graduate high school.
Speaker: And it's a whole different game as they begin to really take that identity we talked about earlier to to the world. right When you're a little kid, you of course you've got your identity, but you're kind of in your your your family's domain and all that. But now they're out there.
Speaker: My son, one son lives with his girlfriend. He's out in the in the world, right? And for me, I'm thinking, man, where did the time go? It's kind of insane. It's so true. I heard someone say who you know, ah his daughters are, you know, ones in high school, ones in college. So similar to your experience. And, you know, the the season that I'm in with a two year old toddler and, you know, a not that much older business, like a bit of a toddler of a business as well. Yeah.
Speaker: is that my work with with her is very physical. Like I'm chasing this this full of energy, kinetic beauty around. And I'm also required mentally to show up for her and to teach her and be patient with her. And i think the work that you are now faced with is how do I mentally support that?
Speaker: this person as they become their own. So it it never ends. It always is changing. You know, when she was a new baby, that was a very different experience for me. But I had a ton of support and that really allowed me to to be in the throes of new motherhood and answer my emails and check in on the business and and get my deliverables done. And that doesn't it's just always changing, you know.
Speaker: I did a podcast with Randy Dorman, who is ah ah just an amazing person, a real estate developer. And she was talking about how when her daughter was, with I think about the same age, one or two, that she was going to close deals and sign paperwork and passing the baby around. Yeah. Right. Okay. you You hold the baby while sign. And then, you know, her husband or now ex-husband were kind of like just in the mix. And, and,
Speaker: uh sky kind of grew up in that world and i think there is a lot to also show your child that you are pursuing your dreams and also how you deal with people there's nothing more that brings out the best and the worst worst in people than running a business you see a lot of the walks of life And if your child can be part of that, because I guarantee you're going to be taking your your daughter to events, that she's going to be running around and you just got to kind of deal with it. What else can you do?
Speaker: i think that that's cool. I'm into that. And and here's why. i think that people are drawn to and respond to authenticity. And I could create a perfect version of like my life, but it's it's not that, you know,
Speaker: My daughter is awesome. And sometimes she throws a tantrum and is like freaking out. and And the part of me, the ballerina in me, that's like, this is not the composed version of what I thought it was going to be.
Speaker: She cringes. But at the same time, I'm like, yeah, this is real life. And I want other mothers to think like, yeah, I can do that. yeah And that's OK. That's fine. My kid does that. This is.
Speaker: I don't want to live life or present myself in a way that is not real. I don't think that there's any real value to be gained from that. I want to show up here at this table, tell you my story, you know, celebrate the huge wins and acknowledge the like really messy, complicated stuff. And, and kids just really kind of bring that to the forefront. You just have to get comfortable with it, not going your way all the time. And, um,
Speaker: I like the idea of Winona being present while I'm making some of the biggest moves of my life. That feels awesome. That sounds like, yes, let's get on that train rather than have to figure out how to show up as an entrepreneur and a businesswoman and keep the version of myself that's a mother separate and the version of myself that's like a friend that loves to have fun separate. I i want to be a whole human and lead my business that way.
Speaker: So there's two things I'll talk about with that sentiment. The first of which is i don't really believe in balance. yeah I think balance is difficult. I think it's it's it's impossible. and Unless you're like a tightrope walker, balance really hard. I believe in harmony.
Speaker: I believe that certain things can exist, but if they support one another, if like in a nice classical dance routine, you've got things kind of supporting each other or in or an orchestra or in EDM music, whatever in life. If you have the harmony, then things can kind of coexist and support one another and the whole thing becomes elevated.
Speaker: That's the first thing. Second thing is i give a talk a couple of times a year to some University of Arizona students, and I was giving a talk about a month ago to a brand management class. These are it's a 400 level class. Everybody there was graduating in May and everybody was I think there was about maybe 25 students in the room.
Speaker: maybe about half and half men and women. And I remember I was talking about demographics and how as a society, as a world, especially in the U.S. and other Western societies, ah the the birth rate is just diminishing, going down, yeah going down.
Speaker: And I kind of just showed, I'm like, because I ask crazy questions all the time because I want to get them to think. And I asked, how many of you eventually want to start a family and all that? And I was surprised at how few people had their hands up.
Speaker: Because they weren't, first of all, they were 22 years old. They were 21 years old. They weren't really thinking about it. But I also wanted to impart that, especially to the the the women in the room, that you can do it.
Speaker: You can be an entrepreneur, you can be a businesswoman, and you can have ah a family as well. Traditionally, the men that always think they can do it because, oh, we'll just let her handle it. But this is a different age. And like you said, your partner is able to support you and so you support him. yeah And you live in harmony and these things are sort of elevated.
Speaker: Having said all that, kind of a left field question. Is AI creating any disruptions in your world? In mine?
Speaker: i mean, I'm sure it's disrupting things in a way that I don't see just yet. But at the same time, like, maybe disruption is good.
Speaker: You know, wild rye is a disruptor. We are not the standard expected consumer packaged goods, food product. yeah We have not gone the route of traditional, you know, growth. We have not pursued the models that a lot of people might tell us are the most successful ways to do it. I am interested in doing things differently. i i find that to be um compelling And so AI for me is not at the forefront of my mind, though it has become a tool that we use within the business to help support our procedures and our, you know, our systems.
Speaker: And yet at the same time, we're still interfacing with our customers and our buyers in the exact same way. And I'm still like the one replying to the emails from our customers. We're like, OK, so what if I added carrots to the olive oil cake and made it, you know, made a carrot cake instead? So I think it is this tool and this disruptor. It is not something that, you know, is so forward facing that it feels problematic.
Speaker: I am trying to lean into the idea that it could be quite exciting and that perhaps like more disruption needs to happen. Like, you know, within the food world specifically, you know, there's, I think it's like seven companies that own 90% of the food brands that you see and purchase. I don't know if that excites me. i don't know if that's where I want to head. So I'm open to a little disruption in my industry and I'm trying to do that not for the sake of being a disruptor, but for the sake of, of doing something that comes with intention and, and, um you know,
Speaker: I think the proof of concept is there for us now. So AI will be an interesting thing for us, but we'll see. You know, I guess that's a, it's a non-answer, but it hasn't, it it it doesn't scare me yet.
Speaker: We could go down a whole rabbit hole regarding food, food safety, food quality, food, all the elements of food. Yeah. There's so much there to unpack, but obviously we have a limited amount of time here.
Speaker: have two final questions. Okay. The first of which, If you could share a cup of coffee and a piece of your cake m with anyone in this world at any time that's ever lived, who would it be and why?
Speaker: um
Speaker: I think I'm like leaning into like the the women in similar fields that have really inspired me. the The answer that comes to mind for me right now is like Ina Garten. Not only do we share a birthday, but she's the barefoot Contessa, you know, a prolific cookbook writer and food show host. And this ultimate...
Speaker: I mean, her warmth that translated on camera when I was a young girl watching the Food Network on my couch. I wanted to not only be her, but hang out with her. I wanted her to like me and be my friend. And and so I think we have a shared...
Speaker: perspective with in the sense of like what is our way of showing up in the world and and loving on people if our language is through food we share that and so the idea of sitting with her and like passing her a piece of my olive oil cake and having coffee and just like being in the Hamptons I would I would just wow yeah that would be an incredible thing to hear her story and she you know she just wrote a ah really beautiful book that be ready when luck happens to you I might be um messing up that title as a little bit, but it's incredible. and and And what I've learned from her and what I would love to continue to hear more about is what you see on the outside is not a real reflection of everything that's happened in the past. And there's so much more behind a person. You know, every person has a story and and her story surprised me and inspired me. And so that's my... Kind of full circle to the start of the podcast. Yes. did you intend that? No.
Speaker: ah Final question is more about giving some wisdom, sharing wisdom with with our audience. If you were to have a conversation with 22-year-old, 21-year-old, just graduated college. Right.
Speaker: And it could be a man or a woman, doesn't matter. Okay. Who wants to start a brand, who wants to be in business and deal with the ups and the downs and the and is ready for it.
Speaker: what is that What would you tell that person? Well,
Speaker: this is assuming that they really wanted to hear what I have to say, because sometimes I think that people who offer advice really freely without really being asked are are the people I'm most, like, wary of.
Speaker: um But assuming that this person really wanted to know what I think and why I think what I think, I would say that you should do it. Why not?
Speaker: Because anything you learn along the way, even if it doesn't win, will be knowledge that you hold forever, power and worth that you get to keep forever. So do it.
Speaker: And if you face or when you face criticism, challenge, setbacks,
Speaker: embrace them, lean into them. It's almost that stoic philosophy of the obstacle is the way if i stopped pursuing my dreams every time someone told me that I couldn't or it wasn't good enough or my product was too expensive or my dreams were too ambitious, whatever, like I would, I would be doing nothing of substance with my life. And so i appreciate and encourage people
Speaker: I'm like, I'm encouraging you to be like, be underestimated, face face all the judgment, let people tell you you can't do it, face the challenges that feel insurmountable in business and just keep going. yeah Just keep going. I mean, be smart. I would also include that financially. Like you have to you have to include a financial reality to business. And i think...
Speaker: It is easy when you are young to have big ambitions about like the dollar that you want to make or the amount of money that you need to raise to create the product that is going to take you to this next level.
Speaker: And I think that Wild Rye is evidence that you don't need to do it that way. We did it. I mean, it was so scrappy initially. And then it was like I grew as we could afford to do that.
Speaker: And and that's something I'm so proud of. So I guess it's like to distill it down, do it. Don't stop doing it when people tell you that you can't or circumstances tell you that you can't. Keep going. Figure it out and be smart with your financial decisions and and be OK with it being scrappy and small initially. Like, you know.
Speaker: that's That's something that you can be proud of. and And from something that's worthy, if there's proof of concept, you will find your way in the world of business. You know, if if I can do that, anyone can.
Speaker: That's brilliant. yeah Thank you so much for your time, Sarah. This has been an incredible conversation. Thank you. It's been my pleasure. I appreciate your candor and your wit and certainly your stories.
Speaker: Thank you. Thank you. Cheers.
