A few years ago, Alexander Simonelli, who had no prior experience in the food and beverage industry, swapped out his condo and his sales job for his parents’ home and a big idea, which evolved into a one-of-a-kind company; Daydream. A sugar-free, flavored sparkling water, infused with adaptogens that reduce stress, and a digital-native brand strategy, Daydream is unlike any other product on the market. In today’s episode, Alex shares some insider information as Daydream’s Founder and CEO about the lucky break that helped him establish who his target market is, the people who have been instrumental in helping him build his business, and why he puts a huge amount of resources into marketing and doesn’t often offer discounts, as well as what he is hoping to achieve with his products (which are mesmerizingly packaged and absolutely delicious)! Daydream is not just a beverage, it’s a lifestyle brand, a work of art, and possibly the future of functional drinks. Make sure to tune in today to learn more about living in the moment, taking big risks, and reimagining the functional beverages industry!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Why Alex thinks his lack of experience benefited him on his journey as Founder of Daydream.
• What Alex’s goal for Daydream was: to create something that was his art to the world.
• Alex explains what he loves about adaptogens and why he chose to put them in his product. 
• Learn more about the minimal calories in Daydream drinks. 
• Some of the big life changes Alex made when he started his business. 
• Hear about the lucky break that Alex had early on.
• Advice from Alex about figuring out your target market: don’t spread yourself too thin
• Why he chose to launch as a digital native brand. 
• Find out how Alex intended for people to interact with his products. 
• Plans that Alex has for the future of Daydream.
• The large amount of use cases that Daydream has, and why.
• Discover the valuable lessons that Alex learned from Red Bull.
• Learn more about Alex’s resource-heavy approach to marketing his products. 
• How Alex feels about offering discounts; why he doesn’t do it often.
• The process of developing the brand concept. 
• Where Alex’s idea for creating links between the different Daydream cans came from.
• Some of the vital members of Alex’s team.  
• Hear one of the core principles that Alex lives by. 
• Alex shares a story about the billboards he was encouraged to put up. 
• Another story, which highlights the importance of getting your price point right. 
• Other brands that Alex thinks are making waves online.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Daydream

Daydream on Instagram

Daydream on Twitter

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

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Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.