Brock Hatton journey

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.”