The secret ingredient in Bosch’s second act? Community.
EXPERT OPINION BY SOPHIE MEHARENNA, FOUNDER + NARRATIVE STRATEGIST, @WORDYSOPH
Tara Bosch. Photo: Courtesy Subject
At 21, Tara Bosch launched SmartSweets from her kitchen to create a healthier answer to her candy addiction. Four years later, she sold the company for $360 million, but her entrepreneurial drive didn’t go anywhere.
Now, she’s back with her second act, Snackish, an everyday-better-for-you protein chip company. I spoke with her about what she learned from building her first company and how she’s applying those lessons to her newest venture.
What are some lessons learned that you’re bringing into the fold as a second-time founder?
I think with SmartSweets, I dropped out of college, and I was learning everything for the first time. It took me a long time to trust my gut feelings, or what I call our “heart whispers.”
I would find these people who I admired,
I would find these people who I admired, who had been down the path and created what I aspired to create in the world. So often I would disregard my own gut instincts based on what others were telling me.
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That was probably the biggest lesson I learned: being convicted in that and unapologetic about it, and ultimately hearing what others are saying but running it through the filter of your own gut check and trusting it.
Another piece I learned through SmartSweets that was incredibly powerful was the power of building a community around an emotional connection versus a product.
With SmartSweets, it was this community around kicking sugar. And with Snackish, it’s this community around feeling a little snackish, and those universal feelings.
Source: www.inc.com
