As part of its Maker Prep course, Specialty Food Association is running a webinar series wherein host Dave Hirschkop, founder of Dave's Gourmet, talks with specialty food industry powerhouses about the qualities that set great leaders apart. John Foraker, co-founder and CEO of Once Upon a Farm was last week's guest.
Once Upon a Farm is a children’s nutrition brand that emphasizes clean labels and healthy ingredients.
Hirschkop and Foraker discussed the components of a standout specialty food leader and business, along with ways makers can grow.
Hirschkop began the discussion by sharing findings from a report that he worked on regarding the qualities of a strong CEO. He outlined the following archetypal characteristics:
• A tenacious, gritty hard worker who will sacrifice and find creative solutions,
• Learning machines that are self-aware, open to admitting mistakes, and implement changes,
• They must have emotional intelligence; they must serve others and collaborate while creating a positive environment.
Foraker agreed, highlighting that, for a CEO to be successful, they must be resilient, a learner, and willing to ‘figure it out’ by finding a solution or making one.
“The brands that really succeed and make it are the ones that are open to that learning and are constantly pivoting, improving, making their product better, making their packaging better…sometimes completely pivoting into another better idea,” said Foraker. “If you look at all the ‘successful businesses’ out there, virtually every leader will have a story… about learning.”
He added that the attributes of a successful CEO change over the course of the lifecycle of a business: early- and late-stage businesses have communicable attributes, however, a majority do not cross over.
Foraker also gave advice for early-stage businesses that may be confused or overwhelmed about the journey ahead.
“If you’re starting the food company, the mission you should be on in your business is, ‘what is your core?’ and can you position that to be a great scalable business?” he said, adding that this often takes the form of product fit. “What are the products that are going to make you famous? A lot of times it’s the products you came out with that you just have to modify some aspects of. Sometimes, it’s the next evolution: you start with your product, you talk to buyers and consumers, and they give advice on how to improve it.”
To run a successful business, Foraker emphasized that a leader cannot get “wedded” to what they launch with, as it may not take them to success.
He shared that one way to learn from a customer base is from demos, as they can provide an opportunity to get a founder in front of potential and current consumers to talk and listen to them and learn from them.
“You’ll learn so much from that that allows you to pivot and grow,” Foraker said.
Another key characteristic of a specialty food business is how adeptly a brand can connect its mission and core values to the bottom line, translating its goals into profitability. In the video below, Foraker talks through his personal journey with integrating core values into products.
To learn more about the “Secret Sauce” that makes a strong leader, watch the webinar on demand in the SFA Learning Center. While there, look out for the next videos in the Maker Prep cohort series. On October 18 Hirschkop will speak with Madeline Haydon of Nutpods about the topic, and on November 2, Hirschkop with discuss business growth with Bob Burke of Natural Products Consulting, LLC.
Related: Video: Hall of Fame Inductee David Hirschkop Shares Experience; Carving Out a Niche With Dom Biggi, Beaverton Foods