Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kasey Moss, Brand Director of Chomps, located in Naples, FL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Chomps is a versatile, quick protein boost, zero sugar snack that is convenient for any occasion. Chomps is a best-for-you, natural snack brand made from the highest-quality, sustainably sourced proteins with no hidden, harmful ingredients.
All Chomps are made from grass-fed and finished beef and venison and antibiotic-free turkey and never contain added sugar, soy, dairy, artificial preservatives or colors, MSG, fillers, binders, or artificial nitrates or nitrites.
Our consumers are lifestyle trendsetters who refuse to accept trade-offs between their health and time each and every day. As Chomps are Whole30 Approved, Certified Gluten-Free, Certified Paleo, Keto Certified, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Allergy-Friendly, our products are suitable for any lifestyle!
Tell us about yourself
Born and raised in Chicago, I ventured outside of the city during college to pursue a career in advertising and marketing. Initially starting on the agency side, I spent the first few years after college helping start-up entrepreneurial brands in a variety of industries, including health, beauty, food, and more, by acting as their outsourced marketing team. Realizing the value I could bring to the brand side, I joined Enjoy Life Foods in 2011, where I started in customer service as one of two marketing team members.
I spent the next ten years further developing the brand and building out the marketing team to a group of 15 by the time I left. During that time, I built out all social channels from the ground up, specifically managing email marketing, social media, print and digital advertising, website management, influencer marketing, content creation, creative (including internal graphic designer and external creative agency), loyalty program, consumer insights, experiential marketing, and shopper marketing. I was also heavily involved in new product development and consumer testing. I thoroughly enjoyed my tenure at Enjoy Life, but I was craving change, which led me to join Chomps as Brand Director in 2020.
I currently reside just outside of Chicago, where I live with my husband, daughter, and pup! Based in the Chicago Chomps office, I currently oversee all things brand, from public relations, social media, influencer marketing, content and creative, packaging, experiential, and shopper marketing.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
As Brand Director with Chomps, I'm beyond proud of how the business has developed over the last few years. Having started at Chomps during the pandemic, it's been rewarding to work for a product that I am proud of and for business owners who put their people first.
The Chomps team is small but mighty, and it is because of each one of us that Chomps has seen immense growth and recent expansion, such as our retail expansion into Canada, the development of new product innovation (i.e., our Pepperoni Turkey SKU), a partnership with Stride Consumer Partners who took a minority investment into the brand, the launch of our recent podcast and experimentation with POAPS and the metaverse, and so much more.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
As Brand Director with Chomps, one of the hardest things for me is to do everything we want to do! As a lean team, we are able to execute quickly and efficiently but are excited to continue to grow the team to engage in even more exciting ways with our consumers.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Focus is key! Identifying what works for your brand and what doesn't and sticking to it is so important. Don't fix something that isn't broken, but also be open to testing and learning along the way.
- Don't follow all the trends! Just because something is 'on trend' doesn't mean that it is a fit for your brand, so do your due diligence upfront to make sure it's going to be impactful before you implement it into your marketing channels.
- Take an omnichannel approach! If you aren't looking at your business holistically and paying attention to what's happening online vs. in-store, you need to start doing that immediately! Consumer shopping behavior is a moving target, and you have to make sure you are reaching your consumers where and when they're shopping, no matter the retailer type.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://chomps.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chomps
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chomps/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gochomp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaseymoss/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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