www.eatlikeachief.com
Entrepreneurial journey told by two students
Story written by Alexa Cardassilaris Cardassilaris
“Growing up I had no exposure to entrepreneurship, both of my parents were public servants. My friends would tell you that I was always very entrepreneurial, but I certainly didn’t feel like that at the time. I finished my tertiary studies with a degree in industrial design and had no intentions on becoming an entrepreneur in the health food industry, however, the thought of working for myself and the flexibility of owning my own business appealed to me. I always had a passion and interest in health, and I think playing football in my younger years exposed me to leading a healthy lifestyle. Being in my 20s and probably extremely naïve, I wanted to pursue my own business ventures. I could see a clear gap between what [food products] people perceived as healthy and what real health actually was. I could see the opportunity to create a health food brand that had food products containing no artificial thickeners and fillers and no artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols. This presented itself as a significant challenge, as it was extremely difficult to source manufacturers that weren’t too expensive and also aligned with Chief Nutrition’s mission statement. Further adding to this challenge, was finding farmers who supported regenerative agriculture.
Some advice for future entrepreneurs would be to accept and come to terms with mistakes and failure, this is what allows you to stumble upon new opportunities and ventures. Don’t do things alone, gain support and knowledge from others in your network who have varying skill sets to you. When looking for business partners, search for someone with the right attitude for your company, you are definitely going to have some differences but the ability to discuss aspects of business with someone else definitely makes the entrepreneurial journey less lonely and more enjoyable. Being an entrepreneur is hard work and definitely not easy, however the 60-hour weeks and sleepless nights are worthwhile when we receive reviews from our customers who really value and believe in what our brand stands for. To me, that means so much more than any sale, to know that we can positively impact someone’s health whilst having a positive impact on the environment, is really gratifying. That sort of stuff is the stuff that keeps you going, and personally what I get the most out of”.
Story written by Barbara De Oliveira Alves
I can tell you that growing up I had no exposure to entrepreneurship; my parents were both teachers. But my friends will tell you that I was always very entrepreneurial, although I certainly didn’t feel that way at the time. With an industrial design degree, I was working for a couple of large companies where I was having an ‘okay’ time. It wasn’t great, it wasn’t really inspiring me much. The simple fact that I would feel much more comfortable working for myself was the baseline to the idea of having my own business, which would provide me the financial independence I was hoping for, and the flexibility and freedoms that I wouldn’t have if working for someone else. As I was young and extremely naive as to what it would take to run a business successfully, it was hard because there are so many things that you don’t understand, you just have to do it, and there’s probably nothing better than getting your own experience. In this journey, you realise that there is no downside when you make mistakes, especially in the beginning, when they are usually cheap but valuable. So, even if you fail, you’ll learn something meaningful from it. I believe perseverance and passion are key traits to drive you through the tough challenges along the way. The hardest moments of my journey as an entrepreneur were definitely when I felt alone somehow, either by having an absent business partner or just having someone to help you make sense of the situations you are going through. The most valuable asset in your business is having the right people. Chief Nutrition was always a partnership because we have people that are truly invested in the business. Open communication, diverse backgrounds, and positive attitudes are some of the ingredients that contribute to build an incredible team. Our efforts towards creating a genuinely healthy and sustainable product reflect our desire to make a difference in people’s health and lifestyle choices, whilst also making a positive impact on the environment. Today, I see the responses that we get from the communities that we work with, the farmers that we support, and I believe that, personally, what really keeps me going are those gratifying moments when someone says, ‘I really value what you’re doing as a brand, just keep doing it’. That is the impact that we aim to achieve, and it probably means more than any sale.”