Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Caleb & Zach Williams, Founders of DriveForce, located in Boston, MA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
DriveForce is a business that we (Caleb & Zach) founded. We produce a complete and practical dietary supplement to assist professional golfers in leading healthier lives and performing better both on and off the course. Our target market is the serious golfer who wants to play their best game or the recreational player who wants to get the most out of the sport. After understanding that DF-18 enhances many elements of their quality of life, our best clients use it daily.
Tell us about yourself
First and foremost, we are believers in nutritional supplements and feel that they can be powerful tools for enhancing wellness and performance. The problem, however, is that many players in the supplement market aren't about delivering quality solutions and rely heavily on marketing to bait consumers.We learned, for example, that most people starting a supplement company don't engage manufacturers having already developed and tested their own formula - but rather turn to a "formulator" and ask them to help craft one based on "desired effect" and "marketability."
We wanted to do better - and having our customers tell us that we have is what motivates us each day. We chose golf because we discovered that, for as old and prestigious the game is, there's very little being done for them where performance nutrition is concerned.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
In the grand scheme of things, our biggest accomplishment is having developed a product that creates repeat customers. We respected their problem and allowed ourselves the necessary time to create a worthy solution. That is the core of what DriveForce is about: creating healthy solutions that work and add so much value that our customers keep coming back.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
For us at such an early stage, it's definitely the learning curve. Incorporating your business, contracts, finding manufacturers, learning how to market a product, learning how to sell the product, iterating on all that you learn, paying insurance, time management, etc. You will never stop learning and have to be comfortable moving from one imposter syndrome to the next - the important thing is to not give in to your uncertainty.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- "Aim small, miss small." - Set small experiments and assumptions that you constantly test and learn from.
- Time box your week even if you don't stick to it - we're still bad at this but strive to get better because an organization is foundational to running a business, let alone a startup.
- Figure out your process for decision-making as fast as possible. We've learned the hard way how so many factors can contribute to decision-making. Bad decisions can be costly, so work on the why and how your company makes them.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://driveforce.golf/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/driveforcegolf/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/driveforcegolf/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/driveforcegolf
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drive-force/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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