Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food & beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Shelby Taylor, owner of Chickapea, located in Collingwood, ON.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Chickapea offers delicious, organic pasta made from chickpeas and lentils. It's high in protein, fiber and all kinds of nutrients, and best of all it tastes like the pasta you know and love. Finally, a pasta that loves you back! Our customers are people looking to live healthy lives without sacrificing delicious taste!
Tell us about yourself
I started Chickapea when I owned a small health food shop and had just had my first child. My customers were struggling to feed their families healthy meals that they would actually eat and enjoy. Now, as a mom of two, I get that struggle more than I want to. Eating and nourishing our bodies should always be an enjoyable experience and we shouldn't have to give up the foods we love to be healthy or to keep our families healthy. I am motivated to give people back the foods they love with the knowledge that they're doing good for themselves, their loved ones and their planet.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Building a successful, fast-growing business while living out my values by doing good for customers, staff, the planet and those in need.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Defining balance for yourself.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
1. Progress, not perfection. Don't wait until the product, service, timing etc. is perfect. It never will be and you need to launch it, listen and make it better.
2. Do what you do best and farm out the rest. Do not waste your time and energy on tasks that you're no good at and that you don't enjoy. When people work within their unique talents they are much more successful and happy.
3. Embrace failures as learning experiences and keep going.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Chickapea ranks in the top 10% of all B Corps worldwide and donates 2% of all revenue to Farms for Change - a program that uses the funds to purchase organic, regenerative produce for low-income communities. It address both food insecurity and climate change at once.
Where can people find you and your business?
https://www.facebook.com/chickapeapasta
https://www.instagram.com/chickapeapasta/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.