Living in Southern France for the summer I turned 50 days was just a crazy dream five years ago. Last week, I boarded a plane to make it happen. Me, living among the Lavender, and you launching, growing or scaling a delicious business are not so different.

On the podcast, I share with you the exact process I used to create my 'impossible' desire into reality and it is the same one you need to build your dream food business.

I share my story and give you the roadmap for becoming the kind of person who makes impossible dreams and desires inevitable.

And finally, I share with you about why we must always be reinventing ourselves and our businesses to truly thrive.

As part of my own reinvention, I'm taking a little break from the podcast to live a more laissez-faire life this summer. Just because I have released an episode a week for nearly five years, doesn't mean that is how it always needs to be. Give yourself permission to rethink yourself and your business and approach it with a new perspective.

PS - I'm writing this as I look out over the Mediterranean from the hills of Cassis and feeling so grateful for my past self who didn't give up on her desire and hooked her future self up!

Stop the endless research and overwhelm! Know exactly what each sales channel looks like for success and create a roadmap for your unique business - it's all inside the Sales Channel Challenge https://www.foodbizsuccess.com/challenge

When you are ready to make the leap, get the support and accountability you need to create a beautiful business!

• Get Food Business Success to launch and scale to $100K guaranteed
• Scale your existing business to $300K in 2025 with the financial and operational foundations and become the CEO of your biz in Master Your Business

Pick up your copy of "Key Ingredients" on Amazon here.

Check out my YouTube channel at www.foodbiz.tube for how to videos to start and grow a packaged food business.

It takes a lot of courage to create a business that is in alignment with your authentic self; it's so easy to get distracted by the "shoulds" and what everyone else is doing. Courtney Thompson, founder of Blooming Kitchen Co, is doing just this (after a few detours) and her business is starting to bloom. You will laugh, you will cry (at least I did) and you will feel empowered to say YES to an aligned business and NO to everything that isn't that.

Stop the endless research and overwhelm! Know exactly what each sales channel looks like for success and create a roadmap for your unique business - it's all inside the Sales Channel Challenge https://www.foodbizsuccess.com/challenge

When you are ready to make the leap, get the support and accountability you need to create a beautiful business!

• Get Food Business Success to launch and scale to $100K guaranteed
• Scale your existing business to $300K in 2025 with the financial and operational foundations and become the CEO of your biz in Master Your Business

Pick up your copy of "Key Ingredients" on Amazon here.

Check out my YouTube channel at www.foodbiz.tube for how to videos to start and grow a packaged food business.

When things get tough, most entrepreneurs make decisions from fear and scarcity—but what if there was a better way? In this episode, I explore why your internal guidance system (aka intuition) is actually your secret weapon for navigating uncertainty, finding creative solutions, and making aligned business decisions that feel good in your body. You'll learn the science behind why fear-based decisions hurt your business, discover practical ways to tap into your inner wisdom, and experience a guided meditation designed to open your mind to new possibilities and partnerships.

Stop the endless research and overwhelm! Know exactly what each sales channel looks like for success and create a roadmap for your unique business - it's all inside the Sales Channel Challenge https://www.foodbizsuccess.com/challenge

When you are ready to make the leap, get the support and accountability you need to create a beautiful business!

• Get Food Business Success to launch and scale to $100K guaranteed
• Scale your existing business to $300K in 2025 with the financial and operational foundations and become the CEO of your biz in Master Your Business

Pick up your copy of "Key Ingredients" on Amazon here.

Check out my YouTube channel at www.foodbiz.tube for how to videos to start and grow a packaged food business.

You've perfected your home recipe, but that doesn't mean it will hold up to time, temperature, transportation and larger-scale production. Depending on your product, you may need help from a food scientist to help with longevity, flavor, color, texture and to make sure it is food safe for your customers. This is called commercialization and Mike Gabel, director of The Food Innovation Center at CSU Spur, and I chat about when and why you might want a food scientist on speed dial.

Fuel is OPEN a la carte through May 26th! There are some incredible bonuses and you will finally be a part of a community of early-stage food founders doing the hard work of launching & growing their businesses into farmers markets, ecommerce and wholesale. Starts at $67/months with a money-back guarantee. http://foodbizsuccess.com/fuel

Stop the endless research and overwhelm! Know exactly what each sales channel looks like for success and create a roadmap for your unique business - it's all inside the Sales Channel Challenge https://www.foodbizsuccess.com/challenge

When you are ready to make the leap, get the support and accountability you need to create a beautiful business!

• Get Food Business Success to launch and scale to $100K guaranteed
• Scale your existing business to $300K in 2025 with the financial and operational foundations and become the CEO of your biz in Master Your Business

Pick up your copy of "Key Ingredients" on Amazon here.

Check out my YouTube channel at www.foodbiz.tube for how to videos to start and grow a packaged food business.

Do you consider yourself a good negotiator? The truth is most of us aren't - our emotions get in the way or we end up compromising to end up with a bad deal we resent. Whether you're struggling with supplier costs, co-packer terms, or retail placement, these powerful tactics I share with you from the book Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss will help you secure better deals while building stronger partnerships.

You'll learn three of my favorite (and life changing) strategies from the book including:

• How "tactical empathy" helps you understand what buyers and suppliers truly want
• The mirroring and labeling techniques that reveal crucial hidden information
• Do an accusation audit ahead of time and name the elephant in the room to disarm your counterpart and open up dialogue

Packed with real-world examples from successful food founders in the Fuel community, this episode provides a practical framework for approaching any business negotiation with confidence. From farmers market customers to retailers, these FBI-tested strategies will help you navigate difficult conversations and create win-win outcomes that propel your business forward.

Join us for the bonus wholesale call inside Fuel on May 28th and get the negotiation strategy worksheet here.

Stop the endless research and overwhelm! Know exactly what each sales channel looks like for success and create a roadmap for your unique business - it's all inside the Sales Channel Challenge https://www.foodbizsuccess.com/challenge

When you are ready to make the leap, get the support and accountability you need to create a beautiful business!

• Get Food Business Success to launch and scale to $100K guaranteed
• Scale your existing business to $300K in 2025 with the financial and operational foundations and become the CEO of your biz in Master Your Business

Pick up your copy of "Key Ingredients" on Amazon here.

Check out my YouTube channel at www.foodbiz.tube for how to videos to start and grow a packaged food business.

It doesn't matter how much money you have, your age, your current job, or your experience, a beautiful business is possible for you if you are willing to keep taking action and get outside of your comfort zone.

This is exactly what Patty & Caroline, co-founders of Well Bean, makers of bean-focused bars and desserts (and they are delicious!) are doing. I've been so impressed working with them over the years as they keep making progress and taking calculated risks to advance their business. When Patty shared with me that she officially quit her J-O-B to go full time in the business, I had to have them on to share their story.

Use code SARI10 at https://wellbean.life/ for 10% off your first order.

Stop the endless research and overwhelm! Know exactly what each sales channel looks like for success and create a roadmap for your unique business - it's all inside the Sales Channel Challenge https://www.foodbizsuccess.com/challenge

When you are ready to make the leap, get the support and accountability you need to create a beautiful business!

• Get Food Business Success to launch and scale to $100K guaranteed
• Scale your existing business to $300K in 2025 with the financial and operational foundations and become the CEO of your biz in Master Your Business

Pick up your copy of "Key Ingredients" on Amazon here.

Check out my YouTube channel at www.foodbiz.tube for how to videos to start and grow a packaged food business.

When was the last time you shared something real about yourself to your current or potential customers?

I know it’s not what you want to hear - you just want to make a great product and have everyone fall in love with it, tell everyone they know and buy it repeatedly - but that's simply not enough to get traction as a small brand.

On today's podcast I share the secret to small business success - that being vulnerable is one of the fastest ways to create new and raving fans.

People don’t just want your product — they want to know you.

Stop the endless research and overwhelm! Know exactly what each sales channel looks like for success and create a roadmap for your unique business - it's all inside the Sales Channel Challenge https://www.foodbizsuccess.com/challenge

When you are ready to make the leap, get the support and accountability you need to create a beautiful business!

• Get Food Business Success to launch and scale to $100K guaranteed
• Scale your existing business to $300K in 2025 with the financial and operational foundations and become the CEO of your biz in Master Your Business

Pick up your copy of "Key Ingredients" on Amazon here.

Check out my YouTube channel at www.foodbiz.tube for how to videos to start and grow a packaged food business.

Market research can make a huge difference in your product offering and launch strategy, but bad data can be worse than no data at all according to my guest, Lara Fordis.

In this episode, Lara returns to discuss how market research has evolved in the CPG industry over the past four years, particularly with the emergence of AI tools that have made research both more accessible and potentially misleading. Lara shares insights on how entrepreneurs can properly validate their product ideas beyond the "echo chamber" of friends and family, highlighting the importance of getting feedback from representative target audiences who will actually pay for your product. We learn about the benefits of in-home use testing (IHUT), how to avoid common survey pitfalls like double-barreled questions, and why understanding your product's unique differentiation is crucial for success.

Whether you're launching a new food product or scaling your existing brand, this conversation provides valuable perspectives on gathering meaningful consumer insights that can save you from costly mistakes and help you develop a viable market proposition.

Find out more info about Lara's work and new course at http://fordisconsulting.com or email her at lara@fordisconsulting.com

Stop the endless research and overwhelm! Know exactly what each sales channel looks like for success and create a roadmap for your unique business - it's all inside the Sales Channel Challenge https://www.foodbizsuccess.com/challenge

When you are ready to make the leap, get the support and accountability you need to create a beautiful business!

• Get Food Business Success to launch and scale to $100K guaranteed
• Scale your existing business to $300K in 2025 with the financial and operational foundations and become the CEO of your biz in Master Your Business

Pick up your copy of "Key Ingredients" on Amazon here.

Check out my YouTube channel at www.foodbiz.tube for how to videos to start and grow a packaged food business.