Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Steve Clark, Co-Founder of Odyssey Snacks, located in Orem, UT, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We're in business to improve the gut health of our core consumers. Our core consumer is focused on making lasting changes to their overall health, and we want to support them with functional ingredients. Every consumer is on their own health journey, but all journeys must start with fixing the gut microbiome.
The biggest threat to the American diet is the lack of prebiotic dietary fiber, and our Prebiotic Protein Bars pack 18-36% of your daily dose of fiber from our favorite inulin source: chicory root fiber. Artificial sugars and sweeteners, such as sugar alcohols, also have adverse effects on gut health, which is why our bars are sweetened with dates, bananas, and honey. You'll be amazed by the sweetness when you see only 5-10g of sugar per bar.
Tell us about yourself
I'm passionate about my gut health journey, which makes me passionate about this business. My family's health history isn't wonderful. Diabetes, Parkinson's, liver disease, and high blood pressure loom over me as potential issues if I don't proactively care for my body.
My motivation to eat more plants, eat less sugar, exercise every day, and work to build a healthy gut protein bar business stems from the core belief that everyone is entitled to good health, no matter their hereditary health predispositions.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I love the brand story that we've created with Odyssey. As we interviewed our customers, we heard a common theme of them talking about their "health journey" and how they were trying to take control of their lives. We felt that "Odyssey" embodied the idea of supporting you through your journey to creating a healthier lifestyle.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The uncontrollable. At the onset, we built up so much hype around the brand and took in a lot of pre-orders, and then our suppliers kept pushing out the delivery dates of goods, which caused a lot of worry among our early adopters. Those circumstances are out of our control but still affect the business in a very real way, and we have to be ready, to be honest, and take care of our consumers.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Do your research. Understand what market you're serving, whether there's a strong community (IG, TikTok, Facebook) behind the product/service you're offering, and make consumers look for something like this. I did a lot of product testing in gyms and yoga studios before I knew that gut health was the most important product benefits consumers felt underserved.
- Be passionate. If you're not passionate about the problem your product/service is solving, it will appear inauthentic, and consumers will sniff it out quickly.
- Be scrappy, to a point. If funds are limited, you need to be a good steward of what little you have. Don't pay for fancy software that you really don't need until you're ready to scale; do it in Excel first. Don't hire people in anticipation of needing the help; hire contractors first. Only contract out the work you know you're less capable of doing. For me, that was designing our packaging, running SEO, and designing my website.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Pay attention to the things you used to hate before being an entrepreneur. While working for someone else, I would have thought packing boxes was a waste of my time. Now I enjoy filling orders. I used to think the same about networking events; now, I love mingling and meeting new people who could potentially help me grow my business.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://odysseysnacks.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/odysseysnacks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OdysseySnacks
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenclark19/
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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