Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Benjamin Wahl, Vice President of Sales of Matriark Foods, located in New York, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

In 2010, along with Marshall and Elliott Rader, I co-founded The GFB and helped grow it to a 7 figure CPG business. In 2021, I was looking to apply all I had learned to help scale another business. I found Anna and Joyce, co-founders at Matriark Foods, a certified women-owned business that works with farmers and vegetable processors to divert surplus and fresh-cut remnants from landfills into delicious better-for-you products for food service.

Tell us about yourself

As a father of four children, I'm committed to leaving the world a better place than I found it, and I have been fortunate to do that through business for the past 10+ years.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

At The GFB, our team implemented a formerly incarcerated hiring program. Hearing stories of how The GFB gave hard-working folks a chance that had no opportunities elsewhere was extremely fulfilling.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Knowing the financial security of your employees (and often their families) lies directly in the success of the business is one of, if not the biggest, responsibilities of a business owner. There are highs and lows in growing something, but through it all making sure your team is taken care of carries a lot of weight. When the business is successful, there is nothing better than sharing that success with those that have been in the trenches with you.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Surround yourself with people you know and trust.
  2. You can't please everyone, so get input, but go with your gut in the end.
  3. Rules are made to be broken. The answer "that's how it is done" is the reason new businesses exist!

Where can people find you and your business?

Websites:
https://thegfb.com
https://www.matriarkfoods.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-wahl/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.