May 13, 2021
Fixing the broken food system is no piece of cake—but one brand believes they can do it, one bowl of soup at a time.
Welcome to Building While Flying!
This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We’re the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX family of companies. We help ambitious companies build strong brands that flex with the times through strategy, branding, media, and marketing.
In ever-changing times, businesses and brands have to shift and adapt. And across all sectors, there is an air of experimentation. Business owners are trying new things out in the wild; building the plane while flying.
Our pilots, Katie Hankinson and Mickey Cloud, will be talking to a diverse range of business leaders and founders. They’ll explore how these guests tackle various challenges while staying resilient and committed to growth. Through these real-life examples of strategies put into practice, we hope to inspire you to experiment and develop your own strategies as we all navigate these uncertain times together.
Sara Polon and her team have a bold mission: to make the world better with soup.
Sara Polon is a former standup comedian turned self-taught soupmaker. She and her mother started Soupergirl in 2008, with a mission to fix the broken food system, and share everything they’ve learned along the way. Their soups are truly one of a kind—made with seasonal ingredients, kosher, vegan, gluten-free, and radically delicious.
In their conversation, Sara and Mickey first dive into Sara’s background in comedy, and how those skills help and impact her as a business owner. Then Sara goes deep on the current food system, people’s different approaches to food, and how Soupergirl is making a difference, and will continue to do so. Sara also talks about meeting your consumers where they are, and shares how the COVID-19 pandemic forced her and her team to refocus their vision and channel strategy from retail to DTC. At the end of the day, Sara says, as long as they remain focused and understand their vision, we will get there.
If you’re craving some soup after listening, head to the Soupergirl website to find where you can buy some near you, or to order some for delivery right to your door.
Other In-flight Topics:
- Standup comedy in New York City
- Starting a business with your mother
- Infusing comedy background as a business owner
- Defining your approach to food
- Fixing the broken food system
- How the COVID-19 forced them to refocus their channel strategies
- How to meet your consumers where they are
- The challenges of communicating a values-focused brand story
- The importance of listening to your consumers
Links:
- Website: https://thesoupergirl.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesoupergirldc/
- Store locator: https://thesoupergirl.com/find-in-stores/
- Order soup for delivery: https://thesoupergirl.com/enter-zip-code/
What previous career did you have to being an entrepreneur and what lessons did you carry over?