Tamyra McKay

Hard work. There's no shortcut and no replacement for that. You really do have to put in the work. I heard someone say a while ago that it takes ten years to be ten years, you can't do it in one. You really just have to do it.

Stay open-minded. Even if you're creating a product line, you might have an idea of what you want to see, what you want to call it, and how you want people to use the products even after they hit the market. But like anything else, once you put something out into the universe, it's really up to the universe and your own customers as to how they feel about it and use it. As long as you're open to that feedback, I think you can make pretty much your professional career work. You just have to remain open.

Try not to be intimidated when you enter the room and there's no one in it that looks like you. That does not mean there's not space for you. Create space for yourself, and everyone will adjust. That would be my advice.

For us as a small manufacturer, the biggest challenge really is financial resources. It's really easy to get into this industry and want to do all the things - the farmer's market, the shipping, the grocery stores, working with Costco. But you have to go out and make that money first and have enough margin to support those things, or you have to find other resources like grants. I used my own paycheck and worked a second job for a while. The food and beverage industry has a lot of opportunities, but almost all of them cost money. That's one of the biggest downsides I found out the hard way. As far as biggest opportunities, people are really thirsty for great food and beverage ideas. People love to eat, they love to socialize, and they love to have food and beverage be a part of that. There just are not enough companies offering clean food - non-toxic, non-gut-disturbing options. People want clean food, and there's just not a lot of that in the industry. For whoever is able to come up with and make that the standard, that would be a tremendous opportunity for them, though it requires deep pockets.

I would say a big one is honesty, transparency, and trust. We take a lot of pride in the fact that we use products made from scratch, by hand, without any kind of colors or additives or preservatives. We want people to trust our brand, so that even when they try new products or flavors, they know when they see that brand that there's nothing in it that they wouldn't put in their house. I would say just that trust, honesty, and full transparency is really important, especially in the food and beverage industry.