Raising Capital and Scaling a Mushroom-Powered Energy Brand with Scott Frohman of Odyssey
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Scott Frohman grew up washing cars door to door before he could even drive. Even as an adult in a corporate career, he couldn’t quash his entrepreneurial spirit. But he also wanted to do something sustainable for his own energy, the environment, and for his larger community.
So when he discovered mushroom powders that gave him energy without the jitters nearly a decade ago, he knew he had to create something with them. Fast forward a few years and Odyssey, his company that creates mushroom infused energy drinks, is growing steadily and spreading across the country.
In this episode, Scott shares his origin story, how he landed on mushroom-powered energy drinks after testing out a variety of products, and how he’s managed the financial aspects of his business from raising capital to hiring carefully.
If you’re in the growing and testing phase of your business, this episode is packed with insights you won't want to miss. Let’s jump in!
Subscribe to the Food Means Business Podcast with Hudson Kitchen founder Djenaba Johnson-Jones to hear the personal stories and “secret ingredients” of abandoning your day job and starting a CPG food business.
In this episode, you’ll learn...
[00:53] How Scott’s entrepreneurial journey started in childhood
[03:26] How Scott’s product and offering changed over time
[10:11] Why Odyssey has three different product lines and how they complement each other
[16:55] Odyssey’s unique packaging and the meaning behind it
[19:44] Scott’s advice for raising capital and finding investors
[25:01] How Scott thinks about hiring and bringing in people to move his business forward
[29:48] Scott’s self-care routine and how he regularly practices gratitude
If you’re in the growing and testing phase of your business, be sure to tune into this episode:
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About Scott Frohman
Scott Frohman is a highly passionate entrepreneur and wellness enthusiast who is changing the fabric of the beverage aisle with the introduction of a new, ready-to-drink energy take on functional mushrooms. As founder and CEO of Odyssey, Frohman is on a mission to make functional mushrooms mainstream and share their benefits with consumers across the U.S.
After leaving Wall Street to pursue a career path of deeper fulfillment, and being an early adapter in the CBD industry, Forhman’s passion and curiosity led him to experiencing the transformative physical and mental benefits of functional ingredients.
He formulated Odyssey with two key functional mushrooms, Lions Mane and Cordyceps, to support focus, mood and energy…three things he valued in his own life and wanted to make more accessible to a wide range of consumers! Since launching in 2021, Scott has led Odyssey Elixir to introduce three product lines with varying caffeine levels, completed a $6.3M Series A capital raise and expanded retail availability into over 6,000 doors nationwide.
Connect with Scott Frohman:
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[00:00:00] Djenaba: You are listening to the Food Means Business Podcast, which features the personal stories and secret ingredients behind what it's like to abandon your day job to start a CPG food and beverage business. I'm Djenaba Johnson Jones, former marketing executive turned entrepreneur and founder of food business incubator Hudson Kitchen.
[00:00:20] Join our community of fellow food business owners and subject matter experts. First to learn and laugh with us as we explore a startup world. That's a little more culinary and a lot less corporate these days. All right, Scott, welcome to the food means business podcast. I'm so happy that you're here.
[00:00:35] Scott: Oh my God.
[00:00:36] I'm so happy to be here. It's another, thanks for having me. I really appreciate it.
[00:00:40] Djenaba: Absolutely. So we're all about telling your story. So I want to understand how you went from working for someone else to launching your own businesses. Cause I know that you're a serial entrepreneur. Love to hear your story.
[00:00:52] for
[00:00:52] Scott: having me. Great. Sure. So yeah, you know, when I was younger, I was always trying to think of like new things to do and how can I kind of [00:01:00] like work on my own. And, you know, even when I was younger, I would like wash cars and try and make money and go door to door. And so I guess it kind of like started, you know, when I was younger, and then I kind of came up with this idea of selling t shirts at It's school.
[00:01:15] And instead of like, you know, but I always feel there's a delivery driver, you know, selling, you know, delivering pizzas, you know, but then all of a sudden I was like, oh, well, how can I get ahead? And I guess I was just always thinking about like, what can I do? What did I have at my disposal? What did I have?
[00:01:30] And when I, I became a stockbroker after college and I could have opened up a store in a mall because I already had the t shirt business kind of rolling along. So I knew how to make them. I knew how to sell them. I knew how to make a margin. I didn't have to. You know, so like things were happening for me, but then as a stockbroker, I thought I could learn finance and, but it wasn't my calling.
[00:01:51] I really wanted to do something, you know, more entrepreneurial, more that really resonated with me. And I think that's the key is, you know, find things that you like. And [00:02:00] if you find things you like, it's not a job, it's. You know, it's an adventure and I started to think about leads and, you know, how can I get ahead being a stock broker?
[00:02:08] And I started making these get generating these leads. I've had fun make, come up with these really cool leads that were really good. And for investors of investors, and I started selling them to people in my office and it just naturally happened. And then once I got to another people, like, I like to buy you leads.
[00:02:24] I like to buy you leads. And I was like, You know what, I've been in the lead business and, and that was it. I, I got a being a stock broker and I never really looked back. You know, I just think it's really important to just be honest with yourself and really think about what resonates with you and, you know, be surprised that the answers are really like right there.
[00:02:43] If you could just kind of calm down to relax and kind of like, just like, listen and see what comes to mind. And then, you know, and when you find something that's working, Well, you do it a little bit of it and it goes good. Then, you know, do more of
[00:02:57] Djenaba: it. That's great. Like, I definitely think like slowing [00:03:00] down, taking your time is, is really important.
[00:03:01] I think a lot of people are just in a rush to succeed. And that kind of at what costs, like you'd end up doing something you're not that interested in.
[00:03:10] Scott: Yeah. And then, you know, or, or selling yourself on an idea that you think is like, you know, really great. But like. You're just not really because I was saying the truth always comes out, you know,
[00:03:21] Djenaba: true, true.
[00:03:23] So talk to me about your product.
[00:03:26] Scott: So my product is something that really resonated with me. And what that means is that I, you know, I look to live my life where I want to have this more sustainable energy. I like the idea of being energized and I really want things that are going to help me to just really enjoy the different things, whether I'm at work or I'm working out, or I'm just, you know, hiking or whatever I'm doing, you know, that.
[00:03:53] And so I kind of like, What happened was a friend of mine developed this mushroom powder back about eight years [00:04:00] ago. And he said to me that, Hey, you should try it out. And I started to use it in my coffee. And as I was driving to work, I realized that I had this like better clarity. I was like, wow, the sky is bluer.
[00:04:10] The leaves are greener, you know? And then when I got to work, I didn't really need that extra cup of coffee. And even when I was interacting with my team, I just felt like I was more present. I was more involved. And then in the afternoons, I used to give out Cuban coffee bean here in South Florida. And I started to actually use the ground mushroom powder instead of putting it in my coffee in the afternoon with the caffeine, I would just drink it and mix it with some warm water.
[00:04:35] I felt like this next, you know, kind of extra energy throughout the rest of my day, but yet when I went home, I wasn't didn't feel so sluggish. And when I went to bed, I didn't feel like, Oh, I had all this caffeine. It became a thing in my office. So when I sold my last company, which is a hemp CBD company.
[00:04:52] So I've always kind of been involved in kind of like new age type products, sanity. You know, better for you type of, you know, things I thought to myself, I really want to [00:05:00] do something that really resonated with me and that led me to say, well, I do this every day. Maybe I should do something with this and I should really make what originally was, was an RTD coffee, a ready to drink.
[00:05:12] Coffee in a can because, you know, back then a few years ago, it was only powders. There was really nothing that was actually a finished product. And I thought, wow, that would be grabbing go. Like that would be really ideal. I'd love to have that for myself. And I'm thinking, well, if I would like to have it, then, you know, maybe hopefully a lot of other people would like it, the idea too.
[00:05:31] So that was my impetus of, of developing this new age coffee, you know, that would give people the sustainable energy without the jitters, without the crash. You know, and with this kind of like more kind of like present type of elevated focus and clarity feeling.
[00:05:48] Djenaba: So, but you didn't start a coffee company.
[00:05:51] Scott: So talk a little bit about. Actually day one. The first thing I came up with was the coffee actually. And though happened [00:06:00] is, is that I made one coffee for energy, which I use more cordyceps, which are really good for like vitality and energy. And then I, you're good for like exercise, endurance training.
[00:06:10] And then I made another coffee called focus, which was really more about the lion's mane to the kind of no tropics and the cognitive edge. And what happened was I, I got, I made them and I I'm sitting there one day and I had both of them, I said, you know, I wonder what it would be like to really have like a double dose of the mushrooms and a double dose of like, and put it together.
[00:06:31] So I put them into a glass. I mixed it up. I drank it down and about, I don't know, like, like quickly on, I kind of realized that, okay. I was like, wow, I feel really, really great. Like this is unbelievable. Like this is the way an energy drink should really be. Because I used to drink these, you know, I didn't really get into the energy drinks that much, but like if I drank like some of the energy drinks, I'd get so wired and I'd go get some up and crash down.
[00:06:58] And I'd be like, [00:07:00] so fired up that I would like overexert myself. And I would actually not be able to like. I'd crash or I would be so aggressive with people. I'd come in contact with, we got to do this now, like, dude, calm down. Like, my God, you give yourself a stroke. So anyway, so I said to myself, I said, but when I drank this drink, I said, wow.
[00:07:21] This is really unbelievable. Like this is what an energy drink should be. And I said, you know what, there's really a white space in the, in the market because there's no energy drink. That's really an energy drink that is for your cognitive with a cognitive edge. And I said, wow, if I could do this and they had this cognitive edge, like this is what people want, because what people really want is they want to feel good.
[00:07:44] And if you feel good and I said, you know, when I drink this drink, I feel great. So this is what people need. It's because when your mind is clear, you're all of a sudden, it's like mood boosting. Because what happens when your mind, it gets all like busy, that's when all of a sudden people [00:08:00] start to get in, you know, a little more wound up and, and, you know, and then, you know, eventually, you know, you get stressed and stuff like that, you know, because you're like, Oh my God, you know, but I felt like, wow, this is really great for the cognitive.
[00:08:12] I feel it is really great for my overall mood. I felt really good about my overall energy. I felt like I was succeeding at my work so much better. And I was like, wow, this should be a new age energy drink. So I said, you know what? I went back to my formulators. I said, guys, and back to the mushroom manufacturer, I said, guys, what do you think we can do?
[00:08:27] I said, well, look, we've got this special way to extract out the fiber. We think we could really make it so that the product stays clean and we could really have this like high potency of the lions, man, the quarter steps. I said, guys, this could really be like the forward thinking of what energy drinks are going to be.
[00:08:43] I said, let's go for it. And we made them. And guess what? They came back clean. And then we use real fruit juice concentrate. So we didn't use like sucralose and we didn't, you know, artificial sweeteners and other kinds of things. And I said, you know, we're going to make this thing taste fantastic. And we're going to [00:09:00] make it really better for you.
[00:09:01] And we're going to add in all these like high potency for the cognitive effect and the overall mood boosting. You know, and we're gonna add caffeine too. You know, we're not anti caffeine around here, you know what I mean? But we're gonna do it in a, in a way that's gonna round out the caffeine, give you a longer lasting without the crafts, without all the jitters associated with most other energy drinks.
[00:09:21] With that cognitive edge, I said, this is gonna be amazing. And, and it came out really good. So, unfortunately, in business, you gotta realize this. You can't do it all. It's like my father used to say, you can't dance at every party. Okay? So, so I said to myself. And the babies were the, were the coffees and guess what?
[00:09:41] I had to give up the, the, the coffees. I gave up the coffees because there was only so much, you know, like financial resource and focus, and we had to take a, take a stance. And the truth is, is the velocities on the, on the, on the sparkling, but really looking, they were great. And the coffees were also [00:10:00] great.
[00:10:00] But the velocities were here were better. And I just, you know, we just, we just couldn't be everything to everybody. And we, you know, we decide let's move forward with the sparkling. And that's where obviously we are today.
[00:10:11] Djenaba: I love the fact that you were able to, well, you took some time or you're able to figure it out and actually focus on, on kind of one product, but you do have three product lines.
[00:10:19] Can you talk a little bit about those and the differences?
[00:10:22] Scott: So when we first started, we started with the, what we called the odyssey mushroom elixir, which is 85 milligrams of caffeine. And we did that because we wanted to really win in natural because we felt that natural would be a place where people who drink ginger shots and kombuchas and other things that really can relate and have, you know, that, oh, the lions mean the quarter steps and stuff like that.
[00:10:44] And that in a drink would be something that they would look to try out and And as it was, it worked out. Phenomenal. And we've actually won exceptionally well in the natural channel as in one of the most successful beverage brands, you know, in the last two years. [00:11:00] But what happened is, is that we then took the product and we went into convenience stores and we went to convenience stores.
[00:11:06] We'd sold well, but not at the same type of velocity of what we saw in natural. So I went out and we were surveyed and we found out that a lot of people were buying our drink. And buying in another energy drink, a 200 milligram of, of caffeine energy drink alongside of our drink. And what we realized is, is that they were like, we love your drink.
[00:11:26] We love what this, the way it makes us feel. We love how, you know, it, but the thing is, we don't, we wish it had more caffeine. And I said, wow, the DNA of somebody who shops in the convenience stores, maybe a little more instant gratification, maybe not quite as plant based, you know, and they, they used to that kind of higher milligram scent of caffeine.
[00:11:47] So that was the impetus to launch the two two twos. So the two two twos are actually 222 milligrams of caffeine And what happened was when we had the lions being the core of such a low ginseng It helped [00:12:00] round out the caffeine not giving the spike up in the spike down It rounded it out giving a longer lasting energy without that crash And when we did that and then we put that product back out onto the shelves in the convenience stores We got a tremendous buy in so that was Something that was really near and dear to our heart.
[00:12:17] Cause we wanted to also be able to expand outside of natural and offer to the customer base. That wasn't necessarily only shopping. See, there's so many products that are out there that aren't really the best. Better for you of ingredients in, in energy. And I felt like, wow, you know, I don't want to just keep this product just in natural for those, for the people, consumers there, you know, I'd really like to expand it and or for better for you, someone shopping in convenience where they're buying an energy drink in the morning or it's a pre workout or something like that.
[00:12:46] Like let's do it. Landscapers. We get it all the time. Let's give these people, so many people out there, the ability to have a better for you drink. And it's not so easy to make that work in, in, in, in a convenience stores. And I was really determined to [00:13:00] make that work because I really believe that. There's a way bigger grouping of people in the world today that no matter what walk of life and what career and where you shop, that you should have that ability to have better for you options.
[00:13:14] And I think we're really seeing that inconvenience. We're seeing that among a lot of the convenience that are offering, you know, more, you know, fresh. Ingredient options and stuff like that. And I really think we need to pair better for you beverage alongside of that. And not everything could really have enough stickiness to make that work.
[00:13:31] And, and we're successfully making that happen. So that led to the two, two, twos. The revive was kind of something more marketing because we had like a lot of festival goers and a lot of people in nightlife, and they said, look, we love, love, love your drink. We'd also love to have you drink without caffeine at night.
[00:13:50] And I was like, wow, you know, like, you know, a lot of people at two o'clock in the morning, they're out. They need something that's more hydrating, but they want something that's like fun that gives them a lift that goes along with their [00:14:00] night, that they're having a good time. And that's what led us to revive because revive has no caffeine and we added magnesium, zinc, vitamin C.
[00:14:08] So it's like people were like doing other things that were micro dosing. They were, maybe they drank a little bit throughout the night and stuff like that. That they would like something that can actually help to alleviate and and give them, you know, uh, you know better for you overall, you know, so they feel better in the mornings and stuff like that.
[00:14:26] And there'd be a fun factor type of drink to kind of like roll along. And that was the, the, the idea of the revive. So we weren't really looking to sell revive in the stores. It was really more for like very club space in Miami and other things. And I thought it really cool thing. And then people got introduced to the product at night that, Hey, then they see it on, Tuesday morning, Monday morning in a convenience store, they see it in the natural store.
[00:14:49] Then, Oh, we love Odyssey. Odyssey is great drink and they buy a dare, but maybe with a little bit of the caffeine, which is what more people want during the day during the week. And that's, was the impetus of the revive. So [00:15:00] although it was really kind of gutsy to do three, I did invest heavy on the revive and we actually only invested little on the two to twos just to see how well it would work.
[00:15:10] And we tested that out locally in Florida among multiple stores here to see what would happen. And, you know, that's the key. I think, you know, you want to be an entrepreneur, you want to start new businesses, start small, test, test, test, you get a little bit of traction. You don't have to run. It's not like, Oh, if I don't get this done now, someone's going to get in front of me and someone's going to do it.
[00:15:32] Don't worry about it. Just focus on getting something that works. And that's what we did with the 222s. And now we're expanding the 222s, not only in convenience, but it's actually reached into natural too. There's a lot of people in natural that want the higher caffeine and, you know, and revive actually funny enough, actually one of going into natural, natural source.
[00:15:53] We love that product. We want that product. So They're calling out for it and it's selling off, selling through. And, you [00:16:00] know, so that's kind of like the, you know, what happened. So, you know, although we might seem like we have three different product lines, it's, it's really one product. It's just kind of like, it has.
[00:16:10] It's different for different people. Cause some people just don't want so much caffeine. Some people want lesser caffeine. Some people really don't want any caffeine and it just, but it's still the same milligram strands of the same line. It's made in the same cordyceps, the same ginseng and stuff like that.
[00:16:25] Just package whether or not, you know, what levels of caffeine they're really interested in.
[00:16:29] Djenaba: I do like that. It takes you kind of throughout your day, right? You could start with a higher caffeine product and then kind of move throughout the day and get to the, the revived product. So that's really great.
[00:16:39] Scott: Yeah. I'm seeing that, you know, and it's fun and it's cool and we are seeing that and that's, and it's quite nice. And funny enough, that's how it started for me. I think about, you know, that's, I saw it in my coffee and any afternoons, I wasn't drinking it without the caffeine.
[00:16:55] Djenaba: So talk a little about the packaging.
[00:16:56] It's really, it's beautiful. Tell me about it, the logo and [00:17:00] everything that you chose and like, why the colors that you chose, I'm just curious.
[00:17:03] Scott: The packaging kind of like started with, first it started with the name and I was like looking for something that was going to be. Something kind of like, kind of like, like new age is something that would connect with people and Odyssey is like a spiritual journey.
[00:17:17] And I really felt connected to that because I really felt like, Hey, you know, we all have our own journey through life and you know, I felt like Odyssey was like, Oh, that's cool. That kind of goes along with what I'm looking to do here. Um, and then the Metatron cube, you know, it was a sacred geometry and it's a sacred geometry of all sacred geometries.
[00:17:36] It incorporates all sacred geometries. And I love that because I really feel that there's a connection with us and the universe and you know What we put out is what we get back and you know, it's not always quite that it's like that You know, it's unfortunate but you know, but in the grand scheme of things I really do believe that way you focus is where you kind of go And how you treat [00:18:00] people and how you show up is how white things do tend to overall You know be come back to you and I felt like that the metatron cube is really about You know, like energy, but it was also about connection.
[00:18:14] It was like something that was a protector and the Metatron is about protecting and protecting, looking out for people and giving them the best life that they could possibly live. And I felt like it was a great piece to utilize that, you know, would connect with people subconsciously consciously. And it would be, it would be a good thing.
[00:18:34] And, and that, that's what led me to the metatron cube, the two, two, two, as I came up with the 200 milligrams of caffeine, someone said to me, Hey, you know, well, if you're going to do 200 milligrams of caffeine, you know, we didn't do the Taurine and I think the Taurine has a lot to do with that wiriness and stuff like that.
[00:18:53] And I say, you know, we were able to go with higher caffeine because we didn't use the Taurine. And because the way [00:19:00] the mushrooms. And the, the, the L theanine worked with the caffeine. So I was like, well, you know, people get an added value. They get 222 milligrams of caffeine, then a typical energy drink may be 200, but it affects them better, you know, with the way this gets delivered.
[00:19:15] So I was like, oh, that's cool. But now I love 2, 2, 2, because 2, 2, 2 is, is really, you know, about that. You're on the right path that, you know, the things that you're doing is going to lead you to, The life that you want and that you desire and that you envision for yourself and that the things you're doing are correct and to stay the course.
[00:19:36] So I love that and that's why I kind of like to round it out to the 222 milligrams of caffeine and call it the Odyssey 222.
[00:19:44] Djenaba: Got it. So you did some fundraising for the product. Can you talk a little bit about your journey there and some advice you may have for those that are looking to fundraise?
[00:19:53] Scott: You know, I think that the key is at first, it's really about starting small, about just [00:20:00] trying to gain product that you can then go and like, whether it's a product or it's a service or something else, but like, you know, Not really like maybe working on getting funding from, you know, friends and family, you know, Jeff Bezos, brother and sister invested in Amazon back in the day.
[00:20:21] And I read something that if they held on to all their shares to this day forward, they would have a 10, 000 investment would be worth a billion dollars. People do want to help. Don't be upset if somebody doesn't come and help to invest. If they have a lot of money, it's, it's their money to do what they want with it.
[00:20:41] But there are people probably in your surroundings that maybe will help you, or maybe you've saved some money that you can then utilize, or maybe it's that car that you saved to buy, and maybe it's, you'd rather have a lesser car and, you know, and take the shot of what you want to go and put your money into, which is this new [00:21:00] product that you're doing and just getting it started.
[00:21:02] Don't worry about how you're going to fund it later. Just get something that's actually working and you have something that's actually starting to actually like, there's an interest. And you know, the other thing is when you come up with a product or a service, right, you go around to people. If everybody seems to be not interested in it, find me somebody who is, and if no one is interested, I'd really reconsider that, you know, but you gotta, you gotta start with the idea that, you know, going BC or private equity group and thinking that someone's going to write you a check.
[00:21:36] I don't, I haven't seen that. I've been fortunate that I've made money myself from jobs that I've had. I've saved money, save your money, put your money away. How did I start my lead business? You know what? I was a stockbroker. I worked hard. I kept putting money away, putting money away, putting money away and enough money put away to live for a year and to invest into the business.
[00:21:57] And that's what I did. And you know what? At the [00:22:00] end of the year, I was broke. I had no more money. I was, went through it every dime and I was like grabbing cans of tuna fish from my mother. So here I was a stockbroker making all this money, living this fancy life. And now all of a sudden, you know, I'm going to my parents house for dinners at 30, at 27 years old.
[00:22:19] Okay. You know, and you know, but I live lean, you know, I said, no, I'm going to, I'm going to live lean. I'm going to make this thing work. I'm not going to drive these fancy cars. I'm not going to have these fancy places to live, but I want the business to work and you're going to maybe consider making some lifestyle changes, you know, and you know, and just, Live it lean and then, you know, find a way to put, you know, what you can and muster up as much money as you can, you know, you know, but, but don't just throw it all in and try and find a way to make something work a little bit and, and then just build upon it from there.
[00:22:50] And then later, as you get that going, you'd be surprised people would say, Hey, you know, can I get in on this? Hey, can I get in on this? And then. You know, then you could go build out like [00:23:00] to, you know, raise some more money among people around, you know, and then later you maybe find some high net worth people and like, you might work, you might know somebody like you, maybe you work in golf and you know, you knew this like wealthy guy that used to park his car, drive his golf cart or something like that, or wash his car.
[00:23:17] I don't know. You just knew somebody don't be afraid. You know what? Hey Gary, you know, hi. I, I know you don't know me that well, but you met me a few times. I figured you're probably looking for different opportunities and I'm looking for a really good partner investor. I got this amazing idea and I would love to get your advice.
[00:23:36] I'd love to hear what you think of it and potentially you might have an interest in it, but if you don't have an interest in investing, just to get your advice, I greatly appreciate it. Would you give me a few minutes? You know, people like, sure. You know what? They started off someplace to, you know, Not everybody's born with, you know, with the silver spoon in their mouth.
[00:23:57] I wasn't okay. I [00:24:00] lived in Brooklyn in a one bedroom apartment with my mother and my sister and the divorced family, you know, whatever you have one little bathroom, you know, like we didn't have money growing up, you know, I had to find my own way, that's why I wash cars and I did things, you know what I mean?
[00:24:14] You know, I saved money from washing cars. I bought some t shirts and then I sold the t shirts. I took the money from selling the t shirts to make more t shirts. I think that's, you know, where it starts. You know, I think so many people have this, like, it has to be so big, and it has to be so big right now.
[00:24:27] Start, just get something going. You got a job doing something else and you could do this on the side and kind of get it going a little bit. Do that.
[00:24:36] Djenaba: I, I totally agree. Like, there's no need for you to go, Necessarily go all in. It could just be something you're doing on the side in the beginning to kind of build momentum first.
[00:24:44] And I also love that you talked about just talking to anybody that you meet somebody that you may have known from a previous career and asking their opinion, maybe they may not ever invest, but they might know somebody that may invest. So I think that that's great advice.
[00:24:58] Scott: Yeah, exactly. You know, [00:25:00] and then, then kind of go from there.
[00:25:01] Djenaba: Yep. Can you talk a little bit about hiring? Cause obviously, you know, you grow in your business. It seems like it's exponential growth over the past, like three years, just wondering, like, who did you kind of bring in to help you move the business forward?
[00:25:15] Scott: When I first got started, I really needed people that could wear multiple hats, you know, like nothing was going to be like, Too challenging to do, you know, you can, so I hired my brother in law Mark, and he's been great.
[00:25:27] And he actually just left last Friday, actually. And he was really guy that, you know, he helped me with the website, helped me with the emails and he helped me with, you know, paperwork. And he helped me with billing things out and he helped me with whatever it may be. And it was like amazing. And he was a big help finding somebody that you trust.
[00:25:49] You know, somebody that could, you know, help you in like this gung ho, you know, and that would come in for a little money, you know, and that be like, take a shot with you, you know what I mean? But [00:26:00] that keep the cost down, you know, and then as I got it going, I started selling it on my own. You know, I started seeing how's it selling.
[00:26:08] I went out all on my own. I went into stores, I went to sell it myself. I wasn't like, Oh, look at my background and my success. No, I didn't do that. You know what I did is I said, no, I want to see how it reacts and how well it's accepted or not. You know what I mean? And I did that. So I started like that, but then when I saw it sold, then I, I, I, fortunately I got a reputation, I've got guys that worked for me before my last company doing sales, like went to people.
[00:26:36] I know that I knew that I can trust them. That I knew would really like, do the right thing. If you can't build up docs to do stock options at the beginning, I get it. You know, it's expensive and you can't do it, but maybe you just write something up or, you know, you give people like honest commitment that you're going to get them some equity.
[00:26:55] They help you to build this You know, and then kind of like, but then do it and [00:27:00] follow it through. And I, and I've done that and everyone's papered in my company with stock options and everyone's got a vested interest. And you know, that goes a really, really long way. And I, I'm a real advocate that you give up a certain percentage and it's, it's, it's really worth it.
[00:27:14] And then now, look, I only hire people now that are culturally good fit. It's like, what happens also is that. You can't be afraid to let people go to, I had a guy that started with me and helped me with developing the product and helped me with the supply chain and the manufacturing, well, guess what? It got a lot bigger.
[00:27:35] The people who get you to a certain point or unnecessarily the people who are going to get you to the next. Okay. So don't be afraid. You know, loyalty is about the business. You got to be loyal to the company of your business. Because it's the business that you got other people working for you. You deserve to protect their interest.
[00:27:56] You deserve to protect your interest. You [00:28:00] preserve to protect your family's interest and their family's interest. So if somebody has to go, hey, maybe they earned out some stock options. They earned some stock over the last few years. They'll find their way. Don't worry about it. They'll find other jobs.
[00:28:14] They'll feel it on their feet. It's not your job to keep them on at the cost of holding back your business. It's business. This is a business, okay? It's not a charity organization. It's okay. I promise you, down the road, people have thanked me for letting them go. People have found new opportunities that were even exceeded, sell them even further.
[00:28:41] They started their own businesses at times. They found other companies to work for. It's okay. So, don't be afraid to let people go. It's part of the business. And if you can't do it, It's not for you because you're never going to get to where you want to go. [00:29:00] If you don't willing to let people go and do the hard things to go, it's what needs to be done.
[00:29:06] No, absolutely. You're absolutely correct. So let's Billy me. I have empathy and I care about people. Okay. I really do. I love people. That's why I had the energy to protect for the greater good for everybody. There's people out there that need our product. Sure. With people that are relying on it today that drink it every day and they wouldn't want to go a day without it to be able to do the things that we do to create, to manufacture, to develop, to make things that could better people's lives.
[00:29:37] We have a responsibility to give back, okay, and to do the right things by society and community. And that's what I'm about. And I'm fired up about it. That's why we're doing what we do.
[00:29:48] Djenaba: I love that. So talk a little bit about yourself and like what you do for self care. Cause you know, as an entrepreneur, you're busy.
[00:29:53] There's a lot of things going on. How are you taking care of yourself to make sure you can, you know, move the business forward? [00:30:00]
[00:30:00] Scott: I meditate, you know, I take care of myself, you know, I get excited, you know, one of my biggest things is like, I can go up here. So I really wound myself up a bit. So I need to also make sure that I also decompress and you know, meditation is key.
[00:30:15] I exercise every day. I get up 445 every morning. I'm in the gym. You know, my gym, I got a house gym. I go there and downstairs and I'm like, you know, 515, 530 AM every day. Relentlessly got to have release. You know, I take naps. I take a nap in the afternoon. Most days try and make sure I at least get 15 minutes in.
[00:30:36] If not 30 is ideal. And, you know, I do that usually like before I go home, you know, so I could at least kind of have a, a regrouping kind of moment before I walk in with my family. So now I could, you know, engage correctly with them. Uh, I think it's important to have hobbies and interests. I love to fish and, you know, and be in part of the outdoors.
[00:30:58] I think it's important to move your body. [00:31:00] I think it's important to go for walks. You know, one of the things that I do that I think is really great is transition. Right. You know, you know, like you have meetings, meeting goes from two to three, another meeting at three, I mean, three to four, another meeting, four, four to five, nothing good about that.
[00:31:20] There is, and it isn't, and I do it sometimes, but I really, really try not to. What I look to do is, is take 15 minute breaks in between. I have a two to two to, you know, three o'clock meeting. I try not to make my next meeting till three 15 or three 30. You might say, well, it's got you getting less meetings, but it's the quality of the meeting than it is the quantity of the meetings and be really particular about what you do.
[00:31:47] So I think that self care is one of those things that self care is me is, is, is taking those breaks in between. I think it makes a big difference because it gives me a chance to regroup. And then, you know, I'm just [00:32:00] like, I don't know, I, I find it to be really wonderful. I love that a lot.
[00:32:03] Djenaba: That's good.
[00:32:03] That's something I'm definitely learning to do. The other day I just left work and took a walk and that was just, that was like really helped kind of made me refreshed and I was able to move forward with the day. So I love that.
[00:32:18] At Hudson kitchen we have what we call a money bell that we ring when people are celebrating something. So I'm wondering what are you celebrating? It could be personal or professional. Mmm.
[00:32:27] Scott: Wow. I celebrate the fact that I wake up in the world that I wake up in, that I have the life that I have. I celebrate gratitude.
[00:32:35] You know, I just celebrate the fact that, you know, I'm so blessed to, to do what I do, to have the children that I have. I have two beautiful daughters, I have a beautiful wife, a family, beautiful people I work with. I have a project that I love, that I enjoy. You know, just really blessed, you know, so I just think that I'm, I'm, I'm constantly celebrating regularly.[00:33:00]
[00:33:00] And when I feel that I'm not celebrating and I feel that I'm down and not really. Excited and happy, you know, and joyful. I know it's time to take a break. I know that's the time to hang it up and that's okay. You know, it's really interesting. My father told me this story. He said to me, he goes, don't do the last run on the ski mountain.
[00:33:23] If you like the ski, he goes, you know, at the end of the day, it's the last run. You tired the mountains, like very, like it's icy and slick and cold and get shaded and you can't see as well. And that's when accidents happen. And it's hard, you know, we feel like we got to do more, we got to push harder, stop, go home, cold a day, shut it down, be happy for the whole day.
[00:33:51] I mean, times I'll go through a whole day and I'll push it the very end and I'll walk out of here like, Oh God, feel run down. [00:34:00] Why do you do that to yourself? Have a wonderful day, so much success. You know what you got to do? What I do. I look at and I practice being happy for the things that I, my accomplishments, my wins.
[00:34:14] I look, what are my wins? And those are my wins. And look at those wins. It was very easy to be like, well, the last meeting of the day wasn't great. God, I can't believe it. You feel like shit. That's terrible. You had all these great wins. You're going to lay your whole day because of that. Then you know what?
[00:34:32] Try and find something else to finish it off. And if you can't find something else to finish it off good, which you really should try and do just do one little thing that finishes off to be good. One little email back out to somebody, one little telephone call to somebody. I'll tell you what one fish a day off.
[00:34:47] Good. Call you mom. Call your dad, call somebody who's around today that you can actually speak to that might not be around tomorrow and say, Hey, just letting you know something, I love you thinking about you doesn't have to be from [00:35:00] work. Okay. You know, just be, go out to somebody that you work with and say, Hey, you know, by the way, you're doing a really great job.
[00:35:08] I just want to say, There's something for somebody else that would really appreciate it. You'd be surprised how much better it's going to make you feel. Something good and finish it off good and then get the hell out. And don't be thinking about that one meeting and then think about before you go to bed, all the things that took place throughout the day and how great it really was.
[00:35:28] Djenaba: Love that. Scott, thank you so much for being here. Please let everyone know where they can find out about you and Odyssey Elixir.
[00:35:36] Scott: Thank you. Well, you know, we're, we're around, you know, we're in Sprouts and, you know, we're in a lot of 7 Elevens now and, you know, convenience stores and depends on where you are, if you're in LA, we're in Bristol's Lazy Acres and Erewhon and Lassen's and Fresh Time.
[00:35:49] And now we're Wegmans in New York and CDs and so many places. But if you go to our store locator on odysseyelixer. com, you can see where our products are. We're also on Amazon. [00:36:00] And look, I just want to say that to the people out there that look, you know, thank you for the people that have been, you know, using our product and helping to share that with their friends.
[00:36:10] Don't tell everybody, okay. Just, you know, this is, you know, keep it T is this for you? Okay. You know, you know, it gives you an edge to get ahead a little bit. That's okay. But, um, you know, it's, it's all good. Life, life is good. So I just want to like say, Hey, everybody, I just hope that y'all, Live in life and enjoying your life.
[00:36:30] And if you're not, take a break, take a little moment to think about it. You probably got other things to be happy about. If you're going through a rough time. Listen, it happens. Okay. Sometimes, you know, you're skiing down the mountain, gets a little bumpy, gets a little rough and I know it's not easy. And I've been there myself plenty of times.
[00:36:48] Okay. You know, starting these businesses doesn't come. So now it doesn't come with a, it doesn't come with a manual on. It doesn't always have a smooth sailing all the time. Okay. It's not for [00:37:00] everybody, but you know what? Just try and kind of like keep it smooth and just don't hit any trees along the way.
[00:37:06] Okay. Enjoy your life as you should one time and have a great time. Thank you. Thank you.
[00:37:15] Djenaba: The food means business podcast was produced by Hudson kitchen. It is recorded at the studio at Kearney point and mixed and edited by wild home podcasting. Our theme song is by Damien DeSandis and I'm your host, Djenaba Johnson Jones, follow Hudson kitchen on Instagram.
[00:37:30] At the Hudson kitchen. And to get food business bites right in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter at the Hudson kitchen. com forward slash newsletter. Listen, follow, and leave a review on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts until next [00:38:00] time.