Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Miles Child, Co-Founder of Adrafül Labs Inc., located in Boston, MA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are an energy drink startup looking to change the way people supplement their productivity for the better. We design products with extended-release focus and sustained productivity enhancement that isn't powered by caffeine or other addictive substances.
Tell us about yourself
More than anything, I am devoted to learning. I am currently in my Sophomore year studying computer science at Northeastern University and am a senior member of the NU student-led endowment fund. Computer science has given me a love for taking on big problems with a philosophical, creative mindset and collaborating with others on well-designed solutions.
My packed schedules and racing mind brought me to Adrafül. I was one of the first people to try one of Sebastian's - our other co-founder and CEO - energy drink samples. He claimed that his energy drinks would leave me in the flow state for hours, making problem-solving seem effortless and putting the joy back in being glued to the desk studying/working. I called bullshit. But the next day, within an hour of drinking my sample, I felt more productive than I had in weeks.
There was an essay that I had been meaning to write for months but repeatedly put off - I sat down and immediately got to work on it. Two hours later, I sat back in disbelief when the essay was finished. I didn't even remember where I was - the work had just come to me. I loved it. And that's how I got started with Adrafül.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Adrafül is still in its early stages. However, we have made some significant strides over the past year.
Most importantly, we successfully developed, tested, and meticulously refined two excellent beverage formulations. I hand-made (in my dorm room) hundreds of samples of adrafül coffee, testing them with dozens of NU Students and shipping them abroad to refine the formula as best as possible using user input. Our other co-founder, Sebastian Campos, made hundreds of samples of our energy drink - adrafül endurance - and sampled them with hundreds of our peers back in high school to perfect our product. Now, we are finally seeing the fruits of all that labor as we manufacture our first batch of adrafül endurance to go live on our website in September 2022.
Aside from that, Sebastian and I are fully committed to efficiency and speed in managing adrafül. Within just one month of getting our first batch of funding, we established a manufacturing relationship, perfected the formulation of adrafül cafe, established a retailer storefront to sell our products, and successfully rolled out ~1000 cans of our coffee at Northeastern University during finals week.
With all of that said, these are just minor accomplishments in the big picture: we are dead set on becoming the number one energy drink in the United States and forever improving the way millions of people supplement their productivity.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Money problems. For those who don't have a vast and easily-accessible funding network, it doesn't matter how robust, how well-thought-out, or how intuitive your gtm (or other) strategy is - you need the money first. With the exception of software, great things usually don't get done without funding.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Stop if you don't love what you're doing.
- Crisis = opportunity.
- Chase the process, not the outcome.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Our shop will be going live in early September of 2022, so keep a lookout for our stock to populate and grab yourself a case of endurance.
Believe me; you'll be glad you did.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://adraful.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adrafül/
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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