Coffee With a Cause

Speaker 1: [Music] hi I'm Melanie bar welcome to the she builted experience with Melanie you're here because you want to experience the life and business that you crave join me as I talk to women who have successfully built it a career and business that they love we dive into the topic of how they built it and talk about everything from Having the courage to make career leaps to the details of how to lead effectively create successful teams Implement strategies for growth and Infuse Tech innovation magic happens when we focus on the part of ourselves and our business that brings us joy so let's dive in Jenny bonack is the founder and owner of slingshot Coffee Co and sister brand to slingshot needs and wants in 2012 she sold her car to start slingshot Coffee Co in pursuit of creating a better more exciting coffee experience she turned the $5,000 from the sale of her car into a pioneering nationally recognized cold coffee brand she has been featured in The New York Times Bon appetite and Southern Living to name a few and can be found in retailers Nationwide including Sprouts Whole Foods The Fresh Market and many more thank you for joining us Jenny tell us about slingshot Coffee Company why you created it and why you are so passionate about it thank you so much for having me Melanie slingshot came to life because I could never find a really solid cup of iced black coffee everything else that was on the marketplace at the time Starbucks fores cappuccino or iced coffee or cold coffee to a coffee shop was Brew it hot and just let it sit there until it got cold but it was never good I was a nice coffee drinker year round and I wanted something better I met my husband in college and he actually put himself through college as a barista at Starbucks and so if I ever really wanted to spend any time with him I had to be there with him I would do a lot of my schoolwork there or the coffee shop across the street called Kahan uh this is the University of Pittsburgh but as he was talking about it every day I learned about it as well and we got interested in coffee together and I decided that I took that notion of I can't find a really well brewed black iced coffee and I decided I wanted to make a business out of it I launched slingshot in 2012 so we're actually going to be celebrating our 10th birthday on May 31st so this is beautiful timing awesome congratulations I love that you can do it together that is it is very fun yeah so fun so I was a one-woman show for the first probably three years of the business I actually started slingshot by selling my Subaru Outback for $5,000 I grew up on a 300 acre fruit and vegetable farm so I really thought to myself well what do I have that has any kind of value well I have a car so I decided to sell my car to start the business and I swore to myself that if I had to go into debt over the company then I was going to shut it down because I didn't want to take on that kind of stress so here we are 10 years later and that $5,000 Subaru has gotten me pretty far I love that and what an inspiring story that you took that leap to sell your car and bet on yourself in that way I think it was scary but I also had a weird sense of confidence about it I'm not quite sure why just because I was really excited about what I was doing and I knew that I was doing something different and at that time cold brew was not a thing I'm also a three-time national award Barista I've been in the specialy coffee industry for almost 15 years now it was an opportunity for me to take all the skills that I had learned all the science that I knew about coffee brewing and apply that to something that was going to be better and as a consumer of anything I want to make sure that whatever I'm spending my money on is going to be the best version of that thing and I just feel know differently about slingshot so whether someone's paying 5 cents for it or $5 dollar for it it better the best five cents or five doar that they've ever spent that attitude is going to make your product and your company great thank you I appreciate that I believe in giving someone something that is worth their time worth their expense worth their while we all are treasuring those things especially these days it's my job but it's also something that I care deeply about is making sure that when you're taking a bet on me or taking a bet on the thing that that I have decided to put out there as my extension of my personal self you can trust that I have you at heart and I'm taking care of you from the very beginning and that's really important to me and that attitude is going to come through in your product and the way you run your business and in every way throughout your growth and today we are so focused on appreciating the little things and making sure we take time for ourselves so sometimes I even say I had a really successful day or something really great happened and I'm going to dedicate this coffee to celebrate that yes you hit the nail on the head when we think about the company as a whole and you know we'll probably talk a little bit later about our new sister brand needs and wants what I would Define as a little PE purpose and a big p purpose and when I think about our little p purpose that is for us to make beverages that make people's day and so what you are describing is exactly what we set out to do we want that one moment that you might have in your day to be so exceptional and to feel so special so it's almost just like a little luxury that you're able to you know have that's very attainable and just think about how a beverage can actually brighten your day so much especially you're so surprised at one that you took a chance on you're like wow this is the best thing I've ever tasted and then you are a little bit more inclined to maybe read more about the company and all of those things you know we really see as Our obligation to make sure that not only is what you're drinking delicious but you can also get behind the company that is producing it and the people who are producing it so true and I talk to so many women and I say how do you set up your day how do you make sure you're achieving your goals and so often they say well first I have my coffee so often that is the start got to have that cof and then working out right you got to have that motivation behind those goals yes it's so true what's so exciting about sort of how I've always envisioned I'm actually drinking one right now when we launched our line of coffee sodas the idea was how could we take that morning ritual that people had and expand that into the afternoon because what I always experienced too is that I wanted that little bit of an afternoon pickme up but I didn't want something that had tons of sugar I didn't want something that was G to not make me feel good to be able to live out the rest of my day and so our coffee sodas is bubbly they're Lively they're so tasty and so interesting that it adds a layer of excitement to your afternoon and so you can take that Ritual from morning to afternoon embrace the rest of your day and and make it what you want it to be it's so true I have a client that I work with and it's funny because she'll say she drinks caffeine all day long long and every time I have something in the afternoon I think of her and know that I'm not alone but you don't want that full cup of caffeine necessarily in the afternoon because you want to go to sleep or the added sugar yes for someone like me and and for a lot of coffee drinkers who are more immune to the caffeine effects it's really the sugar and the heaviness that I don't want in the afternoon I still wanted to be slightly indulgent that is where the coffee sodas really come into play because they are sweetened with real fruit juice and just 10 gram of sugar and it's organic and it's so you really feel good about not only what you're tasting but then just what you're putting in your body at that point in the day so you are also the founder of needs and wants and bright side Bev Club tell us more about those products and your passion for launching them yeah coffee is the seed of a fruit and it's reminiscent of a cranberry that would have a seed when coffee is harvested and processed it's actually the separation between the fruit and the seed that happens and typically the fruit is discarded and it's secondary waste product I became really good friends early on in my coffee career with a fifth generation coffee farmer in El Salvador named Aida Baer she's a brilliant Alchemist with coffee she really knows so many things from soil and terar to Growing condition I think of her as godmother of coffee fruit in the Western Hemisphere so she was really the first one to say there's 's a lot of interesting things you can actually do with this fruit thousands of years ago in Africa they would Brew the fruit and drink it as a tea and that never came to any other parts of the world about 10 years ago when I was starting slingshot the first thing I wanted to do was build Innovation off of the coffee fruit and so that's how n and once was born we use an upcycled fruit in that process which allows us to be able to buy not only coffee but we can buy the fruit itself from a fifth generation female coffee farmer the entire supply chain for needs and wants is 100% women Le and that was certainly purposeful you can imagine we love that my vision really for this is not only is this a product that you can feel good about drinking it tastes incredible it has 3 to five grams of sugar in each can it's formulated with dandelion and lemon balm so not only does cascara have Prebiotic and antioxidant characteristics to it but then you have lemon balm and dandelion which also offer a stress relief and Immunity perspective and functionality to this beverage and so it's really taking the idea of what do we as women want to feed our mind body and soul and this is the culmination of all of that and so what I want to have happen for needs and wants is not only for you as someone who is drinking this to feel like it's everything that you can need and want in that particular spot in your day but you didn't have to make any compromises you could have a beverage that tasted amazing and still had really good things to give to you you could have a beverage that looked beautiful and still tasted amazing and so there were all of these things that as I as a woman entrepreneur but just simply as a woman always felt like I am the one who always has to compromise here I'm always the one who's having to make decisions I'm always the one who kind of bears the weight of that and I think that we as women everywhere feel that but one of the things I also really have come to understand that for me to feel the luxury of not having those burdens I really need time and I need money and those are two powerful things and they're two powerful things that women don't often have equal access to and so with needs and wants in building that women-led supply chain we really want to be able to promote to women's Financial Independence that's going to really increase what it looks like to have equality and and a Level Playing Field between men and women such incredible thought behind your business and behind your products I love it so tell us about needs and wants what exactly is it and where can we find it so needs and wants is a brewed coffee fruit product and we actually have our own production facilities we Brew and can everything ourselves in house so we have the ultimate control not only over supply chain but then obviously over quality assurance which is really fun for us it's kind of like a Willy Wonka of beverages that's so fun so it's a can it's a can drink it's a can yep how can we purchase it you can get it online we just launched in our very first retailer so Neo want is so new it's only been out for about five months we just launched our first retailer Publix here in the South and we're very very excited for that partnership congratulations thank you and it'll soon be available in a few other retailers throughout the United States right now the best place to get it is drink needs andw want.com and you can also actually find it through slingshot coffee company.com which is our sister brand what is your approach to management and what do you think is the most crucial element of leadership and leading teams in order to grow what is so hard about the way management is approached in general in this country really anywhere is the idea that in order to grow you have to grow into a management position if you start out as an account coordinator and you want to become an account manager well typically when you come an account manager you're also then managing people there's a very very big difference between being really great at the functions of your job and what it takes to manage people and I think we're a lot of times things get lost is that managers really need to have a heart for managing before they even have a heart for the actual job functions that they have and that's where you end up with so many people I mean look at us right now we're in the middle of this great resignation and I think it's because there are so many people that have been promoted to positions that require management skills that actually don't want to be managers but they are so cap able within their jobs that that's the only path for them that's the only ladder for them it puts people in positions where they want to grow they want to earn more money they want to have new experiences within their job but they're not equipped to manage people when I think about how I manage teams to be honest I really really struggle with that I think that I don't always have the best management characteristics and so I'm not always sure that I'm the best person to be managing certain teams and I'm not sure that that's where my value really lies within the company it's really more about me making sure that I'm self-aware and I'm recognizing the fact that I may not be the best person for that job am I wanting to do it for the right reasons that's how I think about management it's how I think about how we promote people from within it's how I think about how we bring in people from the outside if if we don't really have someone on our team who is meant to be in that position and who really wants to be in that management position then let's bring in somebody who does because everyone's life will be so much better for it thank you so much for being so honest and you're so right if it's something that is not what you like to do or what you think you're really good at doing there's always someone that's going to be good at it and there was a time in my earlier corporate career where I was in Business Development I was selling a lot and they promoted me to being a manager and while I could be a manager and read what motivates people and I could do the job I didn't love it I thought I want to be out talking to clients and making sure that they're happy and selling the products I would rather be doing that than managing teams of people it doesn't mean we can't do it it's just do we want to do it and is that what makes us thrive in our environments that's exactly right it's not just what makes you thrive it's what lets other people thrive too and if everyone can feel as though they're in an environment that was built for them to thrive then the interpersonal connections you'll have within your company the way that they can take that outward into the world is also just a really special privilege it's an ongoing Evolution and it's always going to be different because you people quit people get HED so the Dynamics are always changing within your staff and within your teams it's just something that is so important to be constantly aware of and I can I don't have enough fingers and toes to count how many times I failed miserably trying to be a a manager but is it really failure if you're learning from it exactly and if we're not failing we're not really trying and if you don't fail at times you're not growing and I love that we're talking about this because this podcast empowers everyone to experience the life and business that they crave and every time I have a role or something where I think someone's not happy doing this let's move them to something that they love to do but there is someone somewhere that loves to do that thing yes that will Thrive doing that no matter what it is and that's the beautiful thing yeah and I think it's really important too it's a very scary place to be as an employer a Founder if you're a Founder SL employer however that kind of looks for you but it's a very scary thing if you also come to a conclusion that I love this person for who they are they may not be the right fit for a role here at all maybe they're just not the right fit within the organization and we as employers are so afraid to just kind of get to that point because oh my gosh like the hiring process is so tedious and well everybody is used to working with this person but maybe there's also Al a lot of discomfort that that person is experiencing that they're maybe not necessarily expressing and it's my job to also be at least in tune with those types of things so that we can take the right actions for everybody I'm definitely a firm believer that there is something out there for everybody but where that value can be plugged in to really shine it may just not be where they are in that place in that time with you right now and part of my job as a Founder an employer is to have those hard conversations when we need to have those hard conversations because there is a power Dynamic there you have a someone who works for you also alongside you who they don't want to lose their job they don't want to they don't want to be demoted whatever it might be it's so important that you're the one who's taking the rein on that and allowing that person to feel comfortable and then how can you help that person transition into something else where they can really really feel their value that's a gift to someone and ultimately it can also be a gift to the rest of your team it's so interesting that you just said that because I was just going to say you might be giving that person a gift to go move on to do something that they truly want to do and you mentioned being an employer you're right having to rehire and find the right person to fit that role and especially if it's in a key position I've learned to think okay I have to make a change but it usually ends up well I usually learn more than I knew before and there's some fresh energy that comes in yeah yeah magic happens when we focus on the part of ourselves and our business that brings us joy what is one way that you make sure to find and live your joy each day one of the things that ultimately brings me joy in general is when I have a really delicious beverage in hand when I think about all the experiences and I've been so grateful to have in life I've had you know a pretty rich career life I always had memories of what was I drinking at the time that I was doing those things anything that was an enjoyable thing that was refreshing to me and when I think back on it I also remember when I was a kid and when the farm hands were out in the field one of the things I love to do so much was I love to take coolers of drinks around I'd be on a track with a little wagon behind me and taking drinks to the field hands it just was always a part of something that I felt like was special in my day and so just that simply brings me joy being able to go out into this Wearhouse where we make these incredible beverages where I'm just like how on Earth did I get to this point but when you stand there and you're just like wow we have 13,000 square feet of amazing delicious beverages is that I made all of these I created all the recipes There's No Greater Joy than being able to step back and say wow like I I did this I did do this because even on your worst days when everything's going to hell in a hand basket I still did this that's still has to be a moment to spark Joy the ultimate thing in any Founders universe is when you see someone else enjoying what you've created there is no better feeling than seeing someone absolutely elated at what you have been at you're most vulnerable to do and anytime you're a creator of any kind like you're really putting your vulnerability out there because you're taking the thing that you have work so hard on whether physically mentally emotionally and you're really allowing other people to judge it that's so true and good for you for putting it out into the world and food and beverage brings people together and brings people people Joy I know I have and I know our listeners will feel like they've had a slingshot today of vulnerability and energy and knowledge as a Founder so thank you so much for sharing everything today with us we cannot wait to try your products I can't wait to try them yes can you please tell our listeners how and where they can find you yeah you can find us Coast to Coast we are in Sprouts we are in Whole Foods Fresh Market Independence across the country country you can find us online at slingshot coffe company.com you can find needs and wants at drink needs and want.com Publix Earth Fair I mean you'd name it we're probably there we would love to see you pick up a slingshot or our needs and wants and certainly tell us how much you love it thank you for joining us today I'd love to hear from you reach out to me at hello Sheil it.com on our shetit website or at she builted on social thank you to my editor Rich draino who always makes us sound good until next time let nothing stop you from experiencing the life and business that you crave