CHOBANI’S SECRETS FOR MAKING WAVES IN A SEA OF MESSAGING Stand Out
Brandon’s Students Take on the Sharks! How I Helped the Creators of Pawlo Land a Vital Investor This month, I’m excited to introduce you to two of my favorite students: Nicole and John Beggs, the creators of Bounty Box, Inc. Nicole and John found me through the Will to Win entrepreneur training program, where I was assigned to be their mentor. When the program dissolved, we continued to work together and I helped them prepare a professional investor pitch for their product — an innovative pet mat called the Pawlo. “Brandon has a great system,” Nicole says. “He taught us the 13 steps of how to introduce our product, and how to explain what it is and what it does. Because we had no business experience, we followed his instructions to the T.” Nicole and John ended up pitching the Pawlo to a team of Shark Tank investors at the Entrepreneur Summit in Las Vegas. With the help of my strategies, they landed a $100,000 investment! “We were not looking for an extensive amount of money. We were looking to get the expertise of someone who knew how to get the marketing and manufacturing done,” Nicole says.
“We’re in this together!” “Getting America back to work.” “Stronger together.”
and communities, one yogurt sale and philanthropic action at a time.
Doing the Work You cannot talk the talk before you can ensure that your company can walk the walk. Sending out messages that promise to do one thing and then failing to deliver on that very thing creates distrust with your customers. You have to ensure that you can do what you’re promising you will do before you send the message out. Then actively do it. Chobani demonstrates this by setting an ambitious mission statement to create a healthier product, food system, and world and following that up with a high-quality product and company-led initiatives. It didn’t just highlight the disgusting ingredients in its competitors’ yogurt; it advertised and delivered a product that was free of those additives. Customers could trust that they were receiving the healthy food they expected. Chobani has also created a food-funding program designed to invest in companies that are creating natural, healthy food products for consumers. The company has also invested in its employees. CEO Hamdi Ulukaya has ensured that 10% of the company’s shares are disbursed back to its employees. Ulukaya also founded The Tent Partnership for Refugees organization, which is committed to helping refugees find jobs and get integrated into their host communities. (Nearly 30% of Chobani employees are refugees.) ‘We Don’t Sell Yogurt’ You don’t have to be a yogurt aficionado to appreciate the business finesse and quality character that Chobani exhibits, and you can replicate their methods in your own industry. Find a cause that matters to you. Maybe it’s guaranteeing that no one has to go without heat in their home in the winter, or maybe it’s ensuring tech literacy by offering continued education and training in your community. Whatever it looks like, find a stance that you can take and make it part of your brand. Soon, you’ll discover that your customers are focused on your messages, and you’ll have just as loyal of a following as Chobani.
Advertisements on our TV screens, on social media platforms, and in our mailboxes have been littered with these phrases — and many others — during the COVID-19 pandemic. You’ve likely heard the phrases somewhere, but there’s a good chance you can’t place the company or brand that is marketing this messaging. The wrong thing to do during and after the pandemic is remain silent, but it can be just as detrimental to have your message get lost in a barrage of others. So, how do you stand out in a time when everyone is facing the same issue? Try following this yogurt brand’s lead. Taking a Stand Having a great product to offer consumers is one thing, but it can’t do all the talking. Trying to have your product alone do the talking means you’re whispering while other companies are shouting. Chobani has led the Greek yogurt revolution, and it’s continued to outpace its competitors and make big impressions on its customers. But it hasn’t done so with great yogurt alone. Rather, its messaging has led to raving fans. For starters, Chobani reinvented how we think about yogurt. This product has often been seen as the food to kick-start a healthy lifestyle, but Chobani put its competition on blast in a 2016 advertising campaign that highlighted common ingredients in other yogurts that were also used in pesticides and other harmful products. Try reaching for one of those products as you begin your new diet without hearing Chobani’s warning in the background. It did the trick. But the yogurt company didn’t stop there. It outright claims to be purposefully reshaping the yogurt and food industry in an effort to create healthier communities and people. Their mission statement even ends with “Real change. Not just ‘checking the box.’” From the beginning, the company’s mission has been to supply the world with better food, products,
They got it! As Nicole and John embarked on their journey with their investor, we kept in touch.
“If I ever have any questions, I simply either call Brandon or email him, and he gets back to me and helps me out,” Nicole says. “He is the kindest mentor I have ever seen, and he’s very qualified for what he’s doing because he’s done very well. He’s a gold star.” Right now, Nicole, John, and their investor are in the process of negotiating production of the Pawlo with Chinese manufacturers. COVID-19 threw a wrench in their plans, but they hope to put their product on the market soon and eventually expand their business. Nicole says that one day, she wants to use the same innovative materials and design from the Pawlo to make cushions for orthopedic patients. “We can make these mats into boots that can protect people’s joints so they don’t rub on the beds, or cushions with a back support so that people who can’t move by themselves won’t fall over. That’s the big plan,” she says. Nicole is a retired nurse who knows her stuff, so this direction seems like a home run! I’m looking forward to watching Bounty Box, Inc. grow and thrive in the years to come.
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