Hot Sauce That Warms Your Soul - Hot Drops
Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Andrew Whiting, Founder and Owner of Hot Drops, located in Santa Rosa, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Hot Drops is a craft-aged hot sauce brand that caters to those who love spice but don't want to sacrifice flavor in the pursuit of it.
Tell us about yourself
Hot Drops was born out of the pandemic and a desire to make handmade holiday gifts in October 2020. My sister is a skilled designer who offered to create a label/brand, and the rest is history. 2 years later, we're shipping to every sauce in the domestic US.
I love food, people, and the experiences that are created by combining those. I've taken culinary classes, studied agricultural business, and cooked every day to better appreciate how to curate memorable experiences through cuisine!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Taking the risk. It's scary to hurl yourself into something that is unknown and completely unpredictable. It's been rewarding and difficult in ways I couldn't have imagined. Flexing the muscle of creation rarely has negative ramifications; it's been incredible to use my brain in a way that excites/scares me daily.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Having everything on your shoulders, successes and failures. I think it requires a change of mentality around 'failure.' I find that my failures are my best teachers, which contradicts everything you're taught in the education system. When you fail, you learn.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Make a plan.
- Create a community.
- Find new ways to love your product/service/offering as often as possible.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.hotdropsauce.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hotdropsauces/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotdropsauce/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hot-drops/
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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