Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food & beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Colleen Sundlie, Founder of Date Lady, Inc., located in Springfield, MO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Date Lady is a supplier of organic date products, including date syrup, date sugar, and other sauces, and spreads sweetened with dates. Our customers are health-conscious consumers and foodies who enjoy simple and delicious foods.
Tell us about yourself
My husband was hired to teach at a university on the Arabia Peninsula soon after the birth of our first child. We immersed ourselves into the culture there, which is very much a 'date culture' – we couldn't go anywhere without dates being part of our day. I've always been really into food and was naturally fascinated with the thousands of varieties of dates and date products, including date syrup. I started replacing white sugar with date syrup in the kitchen, learning quickly that date syrup was delightful directly on pancakes and waffles. When we relocated back to the States and couldn't find date syrup anywhere, I was inspired to leverage my marketing and business background to bring date syrup to the masses. After some test marketing and a lot of determination, Date Lady was established in May 2012.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I would say one of our biggest accomplishments at Date Lady is introducing an amazing product (date syrup) to the US market. It's been on shelves in Arabia for years, but we were the first US brand to bring it into distribution here, and now it's in millions of households all over the US.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
For us, it was definitely introducing a product that no one had ever heard of before. Educating the masses on a new concept or idea can be an expensive and consuming effort.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find mentors that have successfully built something similar to what you are trying to accomplish and learn from them!
- Set boundaries - life is short, and time goes fast, don't let it consume your family and other priorities.
- Be diligently thankful in all things - even the losses can be learned from.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://ilovedatelady.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedatelady
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedatelady/
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.
Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.