Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Austin Piatt, Founder, and CEO of Mindhoney, located in Santa Monica, CA, USA.

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

Mindhoney is a cognitive wellness brand with a focus on mushroom nootropic consumables made with all-natural ingredients for everyday use. Our customers consist of creators, entrepreneurs, athletes, students, actors, and working professionals - Essentially anyone who wakes up every morning wanting to get the most out of their day and is passionate about bettering their mental wellness by taking a more natural approach to daily cognitive-enhancing consumables. Through our lifestyle-enhancing products, we aim to fuel the innovators, thinkers, and creators with tools trusted to help accomplish their goals - And will continue to stay focused on the interplay between creativity, cognition, and community.

Tell us about yourself

The inspiration behind Mindhoney first sparked back in 2019 while I was working in the natural alternative manufacturing space. At the time, I had been prescribed Adderall (prescription stimulant) for 7+ years and was experiencing some negative side effects on a daily basis. These side effects included mood swings, lack of appetite/sleep, and heavy brain fog at the end of the day. In search of a resolution, I began researching different cognitive herbs, and that's when I learned about the world of natural nootropics, medicinal mushrooms, & adaptogens. I teamed up with various chemists and mycologists to design a capsule formulation with the goal of creating an all-natural alternative to prescription stimulants. After about a year of R&D, we finally designed the formulation for Dose by Mindhoney. Since the launch of Mindhoney, we've continued to pioneer new product developments with more mass-market delivery systems for our proprietary natural nootropic blend - Our newest product development is the creation of our Sparkling Energy Teas, made with natural nootropics, medicinal mushrooms, adaptogenic herbs, electrolytes, and vitamins. What really motivates my drive to continue to grow Mindhoney every day is the community we've built around the brand and the incredible feedback we receive on a daily basis. Reading customer reviews about how Mindhoney has helped them to get off prescription stimulants and has brought mental clarity & work/life balance back into their lives is what reminds us every day of our brand's true mission.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

To date, my biggest accomplishment with Mindhoney has been the community we've built around the brand. The support and brand loyalty shown by our customers has helped shape our mission and future goals. As we continue to grow, we plan to always keep that customer-first-focus, increase natural alternative awareness, and provide better-for-you products to the community.

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

Personally, one of the hardest parts of running a growing startup is what I call "option paralysis" - This essentially means having too many options to put your time and energy towards, which has a negative effect on finding a focus flow state and efficient execution. With a hundred different tasks & projects to do on a daily basis, being able to control my "option paralysis" has come down to working on strengthening my time management and project management skills. This includes breaking down each project into smaller daily tasks, understanding timelines and priorities, and building out strict calendar schedules to ensure that every aspect of the project has enough time allocated towards it. Even now, I still haven't perfected this method but continually strive to better it every day.

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

  1. Intersect your passion with your startup idea - Find a way to incorporate what you're truly passionate about into your business model. Once you do that, "work" doesn't become work anymore... It becomes a life mission.
  2. Surround yourself with experience - One of the main reasons Mindhoney has been able to grow at the rate it has is due to the insight and advice gained from fellow seasoned entrepreneurs and business owners. Don't be afraid to reach out and seek advice; the benefits heavily outweigh the risks.
  3. Take time to learn from the successes & failures of competitors - No matter what you start, you'll have a competitor(s). Analyze ways they were able to create a successful business as well as failures they encountered while growing, then intersect those understanding when building out your business model. Creating unique strategies in certain aspects of your business is ideal for separating yourself from competitors, but understanding your competitor's failures will have a strong impact on guiding company direction, strategy, and purpose. As one of my favorite quotes states: "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

The Mindhoney brand is built around the core value of "giving more than we take." Because of this, Mindhoney is partnered with OneTreePlanted, which means that with the purchase of every bottle, a tree is planted globally in an effort to give back to the environment and restore our planet.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://mindhoney.co/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindhoney.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindhoney/

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.