Tara Bosch sold her first company for $360 million before she turned 30. Before that? A failed wall decal business in college, $105,000 in debt to fund a candy recipe she taught herself out of food science journals, and a basement kitchen where the steam got so bad her landlord thought she was cooking something illegal. In this episode I talk about a line from Tara that got me while I was researching this episode, about how she doesn't start with a market gap, she starts with a person she loves who's being failed by what already exists, and then goes and builds it herself. We talk about how that exact philosophy built SmartSweets for her grandmother and, six years later, a brand new company called Snackish for her daughter. We get into what it actually takes to bet on yourself a second time once you have something real to lose, and why everyone around you thinking your decision sounds unhinged might be exactly how you know it's the right one.

Sources & Disclaimer

• Fortune — Tara Bosch profile and SmartSweets origin story
• CBC — "Full Circle Dragon: Tara Bosch," Dragon's Den
• How I Built This with Guy Raz — "SmartSweets: Tara Bosch"
• BCBusiness — Tara Bosch Snackish launch interview
• Retail Insider — "Eat Chips Every Day, Snackish Launches Across North America"
• PR Newswire — Snackish official launch announcement
• Snackish — eatsnackish.com/pages/about-us

All facts shared in this episode are based on information available at the time of recording. Any personal reflections, interpretations, or opinions are my own. If anything is found to be inaccurate, I'm happy to issue a correction.