Over the weekend I had the honor of attending Foundermade’s Consumer Discovery Show. This conference focused on up-and-coming brands in the food space. As much as I’d love to develop a bombass food product in the future I don’t think that’s in the cards for me right now. I still had an awesome weekend attending the panels and checking out all the products.
I don’t attend conferences and events like this nearly as much as I’d love to. When I do I’m always SO glad I attended. I leave with at least one small nugget of wisdom or inspiration.
This post is not sponsored, but Foundermade invited me to attend in exchange for coverage. Thank you Foundermade for inviting me to be a part of this incredible event.
4 Takeaways from the Consumer Discovery Show
There were a few recurring themes I kept hearing over the weekend:
- fail fast
- don’t be afraid to ask for help
- solve a problem
- authenticity and transparency
Fail Fast.
One of my favorite parts about Foundermade was hearing from Sarah Michelle Gellar. Uh, I’m OBSESSED with the movie Cruel Intentions. She has since stepped away from acting and launched the company Foodstirs. Foodstirs is a line of better-for-you baking mixes that feature only real ingredients. No weird chemicals in sight. I legit can’t wait to make their brownies for an upcoming Friendsgiving celebration I’m going to.
Sarah Michelle Gellar was not only HILARIOUS but also offered up some serious wisdom on the topic of failure:
Failure is the first attempt at learning
Failure was an ongoing theme throughout the weekend and many of the founders touched upon the fact that failure is not a bad thing.
Kurt Seidensticker, the founder and CEO of Vital Proteins said it well:
Fail early, and fail often.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help.
Raise your hand if you SUCK at asking for help 🙋. Uh, ME!
Both Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alli Webb (the founder of Drybar!) emphasized how important it is to ask for help. Alli Webb talked about how she reached out to other founders on LinkedIn when she had questions about fundraising. She also mentioned Bumble Bizz as a way to connect with other entrepreneurs. [I just signed up! As someone who has never used a dating app the whole swiping process is overwhelming 🙈]
SMG (can I call her that 😂) told us the story of how she learned to use Mailchimp. Foodstirs was part of a start-up incubator at the time. She went into the hall and asked if anyone from one of the other companies could help her figure out Mailchimp. And someone helped her out ! They taught her how to send a newsletter and everything. Could you imagine being the person that taught SMG how to use Mailchimp?
Solve A Problem.
I love hearing the stories behind various companies. One thing I heard over and over again? These founders created their businesses to solve a problem that they were having.
Denise Woodward created Partake Foods after her daughter was diagnosed with a slew of food allergies. Frustrated with the snack options out there, she decided to take matters into her own hands and create the product she wish existed.
Authenticity and Transparency Above All.
Influencers Lyzabeth Lopez and Alyssa Bossio talked about how important authenticity is when it comes to social media. It’s not always about how much money a brand is offering you but more so about whether or not it fits with who you are. PREACH 🙌🏻
I couldn’t agree more — you won’t see me shilling diet pills or miracle products here.
LaCroix brought confetti so OBVIOUSLY Leslie and I had to partake
Your turn: Have you been to any awesome, inspiring conferences lately? Any I should be on the look out to attend in 2018?
Foundermade looked SO cool!!! going to more conferences is definitely something i’d love to do more of in 2018, just don’t have the funds quite yet if ya know what i’m sayin’! i love the takeaways you’ve mentioned though – i feel like you HAVE to be transparent and authentic in today’s world because with the internet, people know everything and will call you out on your bullsh*t. plus, it’s way more fun to be yourself anyway 🙂