Freedom to Fail

NOTE: This episode was recorded in May 2022 before the #utahcookiewars began. We stand behind Dirty Dough and Crave and the right to an open and competitive market. Cookies aren't meant to be divisive, they're meant to bring people together. Hopefully, we can get back to that as soon as possible and move away from silencing any newcomers.

And now back to the episode summary:

This week's Freedom to Fail episode is the second part of my interview with Bennett Maxwell. In this Year One segment we discuss what Bennett would do to get his business up and running if he were to start his cookie business from scratch again. Some of the things that he discusses the importance of are:

• Knowing your numbers (how to find out what your COGS should be)
• Creating a board of advisors (where to find them and who to look for)

There are plenty of other great tips for all you future entrepreneurs, so if you're looking to start a business then this the episode for you!

Also, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so that you can get immediate access to our new episodes as soon as they are released.

NOTE: This episode was recorded in May 2022 before the #utahcookiewars began. We stand behind Dirty Dough and Crave and the right to an open and competitive market. Cookies aren't meant to be divisive, they're meant to bring people together. Hopefully, we can get back to that as soon as possible and move away from silencing any newcomers.

And now back to the episode summary:

Anybody that knows me knows that I love baking. And I especially love baking cookies! Nothing beats coming up with a brand-new recipe myself and taste-testing it multiple times until I find the perfect flavor and consistency. Sometimes I don't have time to bake my own but still need to satisfy my sweet tooth, and that's where Dirty Dough comes in.

Dirty Dough is the world's newest cookie company, and they are absolutely amazing! Bennett Maxwell is the owner, and he has sold over 100 franchises of his company by focusing on what's on the inside. Their cookies are stuffed with delicious fillings (try the raspberry pop tart), but he also is passionate about focusing on what's going on inside of us as humans and helping the mental health pandemic that we are currently facing.

This episode was so much fun since I was in my element talking about baking. Bennett is an amazing guy, with an amazing business, and the cookies are delicious too! Hear more about Dirty Dough and his story in this week's episode of Freedom to Fail.

PS. If you're an entrepreneur or love learning business specifics, stay tuned next week for a new episode of Year One with Bennett, where he goes into the details of everything he would do in the first year if he started his business from scratch now.

LINKS
Episode Page
Freedom to Fail IG: Click Here
Dirty Dough Website: Click Here
Dirty Dough IG: Click Here
Bennett's IG: Click Here

What's the best part of Christmas morning? I guess I should clarify and say the best part of Christmas morning after presents. The clear and obvious answer to me is the food! In my family we always have delicious Christmas breakfasts. And one of the Christmas staples for many people are cinnamon rolls. They are delicious.

Amy Lund grew up baking with her mom. In her mom's words, "If you can read you can cook." She took that literally and starting baking as a child with her family, and really loved it. After her husband and her got married in 2020 they were looking for another way to make some money, and after flirting with the idea of salsa and the risks (botulism is bad), she started selling her extremely popular cinnamon rolls out of her house.

These days, she has a rotating menu of sweets rolls (blueberry lemon and fruity pebbles are the best combos) and actually was able to quit her job at the end of 2021 and start spending all her time on The Dough Lady. If you want to hear more of her story, or drool from how good all her baked goods sound, this is the episode for you!

LINKS
Episode Page: Click Here
The Dough Lady IG: Click Here
The Dough Lady Website: Click Here
Song - Addicted To You (Alexa Kate Henry): Click Here

Remember how print media is supposed to be dead? Well, Jeanette Bennett knows that MOST print media is, but not hers. She is the creator of Utah Valley Magazine, Business Q, Utah Valley Bride, and many other successful publications. She does a yearly 40 Under 40 that is extremely popular, and she has been an inspiration for many Utahns who know her.

But what caused her to get into journalism? It was a lunch lady she had when she was in elementary school. She got to know her and wanted to share her story with the rest of the school. That's when she realized that everybody has a story to be told, and she wanted to help make that a reality.

Life isn't always smooth though, and she has had multiple times in her career when she had to realize things weren't working and give them up (entire magazines), and overcome the initial struggles of seeing her business start to dwindle with the rise of online media. Yet she has marched forward and regained even more of the market share than she initially lost in that period of time, and proven to Utah, and the world, that she's not to be messed with.

Tori Geiger has faced challenges that most of us can only imagine in our wildest dreams. Since birth she has lived with congenital heart defects and has thought she wouldn't make it multiple times since then. But that hasn't stopped her from living her best life and chasing her dreams.

Most people who live with conditions like that are resigned to live a boring life as long as they're still alive. Not Tori. She was a collegiate athlete, and now runs a successful bookkeeping firm to help other small businesses run successfully. She also is one of the best people I know at practicing gratitude, and I only hope that one day I can be as good as her at remembering to be grateful for the challenges we face in life as well.

Jojo’s Chocolate started in 2013 with one goal: To be able to indulge in a “sweet” treat without all the added sugars. Sterling Jones started this company with his mom, Jojo, who created this chocolate to be able to enjoy a deliciously healthy snack while also facing cancer. It was such a hit at home that they started selling it in other locations and it constantly kept growing. Now they are located in retailers such as Costco, Walmart, Sprouts, etc.

But while Sterling has seen much success and growth with Jojo’s, he has also faced many difficult times. His mom passed away after another bout with cancer in 2019, and the pandemic caused him to have to lay off a handful of key employees as well. Yet he marches forward resiliently because he is determined to share his mom’s story and her amazing, healthy chocolate with the world. Listen to this incredible story in this week's episode of Freedom to Fail.

*If you want a chance to win some bags of Jojo's Chocolate, the book "The Ride of a Lifetime", and a HydroJug all you have to do is join my email newsletter (I will never spam or sell it) and you will be entered into this month's giveaway, as well each giveaway moving forward*

Links
***Monthly Giveaway (Including a FREE HydroJug): Click Here ***
Episode Page: Click Here
Jojo's Chocolate: Click Here

Matthew Krul is the host and creator of the Imagineer Podcast, one of my all-time favorite podcasts. Not only is it about the behind-the-scenes of Disney, but it is also one of the podcasts I have tried to learn from and model mine after. Matthew has been doing it for five years, and in that time he has grown to having hundreds of thousands of subscribers on social media and on the podcast.

He has a background in marketing which he uses really effectively to grow his podcast, but more than anything he focuses on trying to create wholesome content and overdelivering on his promises. He also is extremely effective at prioritizing his time and efforts, which is a huge struggle for many of us who have a side hustle, or even balancing work and family. In this episode he talks about all of that, and gives actionable advice to start your own podcast or prioritize your time for whatever passion you are chasing!

Also, check out his Year One episode on Patreon to find out step-by-step plans of how to start and grow a new podcast in your first year. And don't forget to enter this month's giveaway!

*If you want a chance to win the book "The Ride of a Lifetime", a HydroJug, as well as other prizes from my guests and myself, all you have to do is join my email newsletter (I will never spam or sell it) and you will be entered into this month's giveaway, as well each giveaway moving forward*

Links
***Monthly Giveaway (Including a FREE HydroJug): Click Here ***
Episode Page: Click Here
Imagineer Podcast Instagram: Click Here
Imagineer Podcast Spotify: Click Here

Founders Hayden & Jake Wadsworth started HydroJug just a few years ago, sensing an opportunity that wasn't being seized despite the large potential market size. Jake was finishing up college, while Hayden was working a full-time job, and they threw their life savings at an overseas manufacturer, not knowing if they would ever see it again. Luckily things worked well for them, and with lots of hard work and product iterations, they developed one of the most popular large water bottles on the market.

Since starting they have reached 8 figures in annual revenue, have moved into new offices, and have grown to have close to 100 employees. But the surprising thing is that they were able to do all of this during a time when COVID hit and ruined many other companies. I believe it's because of their outlook on failure and life challenges and how they apply it to life and business, which you can hear in this week's episode of Freedom to Fail.

*HydroJug was kind enough to donate one HydroJug for our monthly giveaway the month of January. If you want a chance to win a HydroJug, as well as three other prizes from my guests and myself, all you have to do is join my email newsletter (I will never spam or sell it) and you will be entered into this month's giveaway, as well each giveaway moving forward*

Links
***Monthly Giveaway (Including a FREE HydroJug): Click Here ***
Episode Page: Click Here
HydroJug Website: Click Here

As you guys can go back and clearly see, I have had a few times since I launched this podcast where I stopped releasing episodes for a while. Well consistency is kind in podcasting and any kind of content, so I've obviously failed at that in the past. But now it's a new year and I am committed to doing this podcast to provide you all with solid content WEEKLY, not just as a passion project when I feel like it.

Each week moving forward I will be releasing episodes on Friday afternoons. Why Friday? Because for most of you it will be the day you stop spending your time helping someone else reach their dreams, and you can start spending your time working on your own dreams! I will have one solo episode each month talking in-depth about a specific step that you need to do when starting your business so you can follow a roadmap, and the other weeks will be more guest podcasts that you know and love.

Let's both commit to spending 2022 launching our dreams into orbit and seeing just how far we can take them!

I've been lucky enough to know Mike Rowland for a couple years now, back before he started his company, Droplet. He is a genuine friend and extremely kind, and no matter how much success he finds, which I know will be a lot, he will always be the guy who drove out of his way to come buy cookies from me when I was first getting started. That support that he gave me meant a lot then, and I know that's part of the reason Droplet has already grown so much.

Since starting in April of 2020 they have raised millions of dollars from the founders of Vivint, Qualtrics, etc. and have participated in an incubator program to help them launch. Droplet helps digitize forms so you never have to worry about scanning PDFs and transferring that information manually again.

Mike has been involved in software sales for years, including many successful periods of leading entire sales organizations before, but has also faced being fired from work, and other difficult transitions that every entrepreneur must face. Listen to this episode now to hear it all!