Success Advice
Vitamin Waters CEO “Mike Repole” – How To Create A Billion Dollar Brand
Although he’s sometimes most proud of being a jock, 38-year-old Queens, N.Y., native Mike Repole can also brag about his entrepreneurial prowess. As the co-founder of Glacéau, the successful maker of Vitaminwater, he’s guided the private drinkmaker (which also produces Fruitwater and electrolyte-enhanced Smartwater) to sales that are expected to surpass $1 billion soon. The company is so hot, Coca-Cola scooped it up for a reported $4.1 billion.
In this article Mike Repole shares his Business advice and success tips in branding your business for the masses.
Mike Repole: I’ve used this philosophy in both the success of VitaminWater and Pirate’s Booty. As the President and Co-Founder of Glaceau, I co-created the vitaminwater brand and, as a team, we took it from one bottle to $1 billion in sales, ultimately selling the company for $4.1 billion to the Coca-Cola Company. As Chairman of the Board and the largest shareholder of Pirate Brands (makers of Pirate’s Booty all-natural snacks including Potato Flyers, Smart Puffs, and Tings), we’ve been able to accelerate sales from $50 million to $100 million in 18 months with the five-year goal of $500 million. With consumers more focused than ever on healthy snacking, a great brand and people on board, the company’s potential is limitless.
Great brands aren’t “me toos”
Success relies on building a brand that is a trendstarter, not a follower.
Forget about the research reports that large corporations pore over.
Everyone reads the same things, does the same things and, not surprisingly, gets the same results. The best and most innovative brands don’t react to research reports or jump on existing trends; they create trends and make others react.
To get meaningful insights you need to be curious and watch and talk with real consumers.
I’ve never held or attended a focus group, nor will I ever. I walk into convenience, grocery and mass-market stores as an everyday customer to watch and talk with consumers one-on-one. This taught me that consumers felt there were only two types of snacks on the market: high fat, high calorie that tasted good and low fat, low calorie that didn’t taste great. The market was clearly poised for Pirate’s Booty, started two decades ago by Robert Ehrlich, a true pioneer in the health and wellness movement, to make enormous gains with a third category that broke this mold and everyone in the family could agree on. Kids ask for it and Moms feel good about buying it for the family.
But, even if you have an innovative product and limitless brand potential, you can’t maximize that potential without great people.
Wanted: passionate people and sore losers
To be successful, you need to be passionate about your beliefs. The most important thing you bring to the business is yourself, and the same holds true for all employees. People at large companies constantly hear “we can’t do that” or “no,” and that kind of environment deflates people’s passion. Everyone at Pirate’s Booty has a voice, but more importantly, a voice that is heard. I’m a true believer in healthy debate. Everyone’s opinion is valuable and no one’s opinion is valued over the rest.
“I seek out sore losers, because people who hate to lose are always going to find a way to win.” ~ Mike Repole
When opinions of great people are heard and contribute to the decision-making process, it’s only then that a brand can reach its full potential. That’s why we don’t look at our people as employees, but as owners in the company. To make that a reality, everyone has stock options so that everyone truly shares in the company’s successes, from the shipping clerk to the CEO.
In addition to passion and a feeling of ownership, one final element that defines great people is the drive to win. I seek out sore losers, because people who hate to lose are always going to find a way to win. I’ve never run into anyone who hates to lose more than myself. It’s important to hire highly competitive people who are willing to do what it takes to win, especially when the odds are against them. All 50 people at Pirate’s Booty possess the energy, passion, commitment and dedication that it takes to build a great brand and be a winner.
For many people, being small means you’re the underdog.
Success isn’t about size. When you have a great brand and passionate people behind it, you’re never really the underdog. But take advantage of others’ perception of you as the underdog, because it’s one of your greatest weapons in battling the perceived giants. As I see it, the pressure is always on the big guys, because everyone always expects them to win. As underdogs, we can make unexpected, quick, and nimble moves, which give us a major advantage over large corporations. While it takes six months to a year to get a project off the ground at a big corporation, the so-called underdog has already jumped on the latest health and fitness trend and has moved on to the next big idea.
Anytime there are risks involved there are plenty of reasons to stay out of the game, but being an entrepreneur isn’t about excuses, it’s about results. So if you’re committed to your beliefs, build a brand by listening to potential customers, and find people who can share in your passion, because that’s what it takes to create the next big health and fitness trend that everyone else will be chasing after.
Success Advice
How to Alter Your Business Approach With Technological Advancements
Keeping up with technological trends has become a challenge for almost every business owner.
Technology’s evolution has impacted everything, and business is no exception. Keeping up with technological trends has become a challenge for almost every business owner. Entrepreneurs unable to do so are being wiped out of the market.
There is no doubt that AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) have taken over the business world. These technological advancements are impacting decision-making, success percentages, and other entrepreneurial aspects.
Adapting to these developments is integral to business success. Let’s explore how you can accomplish these milestones.
Embed the strength of AI and ML.
AI has modified business operations in major ways. For instance, companies have employed bots for customer support. These bots go through an effective learning process via Machine Learning before being able to answer like humans.
Bots can also perform detailed data analytics and make business moves with high success percentages.
ML is used more for the analysis of data chunks and generating successful predictions. This simply means that business owners do not have to worry about large-scale financial losses.
In terms of deployment and usage, a reputed company like Netflix employs machine learning for decision-making.
Blockchain is increasing the count of business opportunities
Tampering of financial transactions is quite common and causes severe monetary damage to customers. With the rise of digital payments, this risk has increased.
Blockchain is used to elevate your experience for monetary transfers. It combats penetrating events to extract confidential customer information.
Most business sectors are using block chain but finance and supply chain management sections have a higher count. These two corporate sections have several monetary deposits and withdrawals taking place.
In terms of percentage, approximately 72% and 5% of finance and supply chain firms have implemented block chain successfully.
Dedicate Yourself to Continuous Learning and Individual Development
You invest in learning some of the very important skills, including digital marketing, financial management, and how to gain customers as an entrepreneur.
You need to set up your knowledge base about doing business on Coursera and Udemy with the basics that are necessary for the business, building further by networking with experts through webinars.
Besides, Agile methodology will introduce elasticity to your company: this review and feedback system with further correction regularly will allow for enhancing efficiency and promptly reacting to the market.
Developing key skills to achieve goals
Running a business successfully is not only about having niche/domain knowledge. Business owners need to have communication / soft skills as well in addition to niche information.
Here are some key technical/domain-related areas that business owners should have a strong grip on.
Data Storage on Cloud: These days, companies do not store their data on physical servers. Therefore business owners should know how data is stored/edited/removed/updated via AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and other platforms.
Data Analysis/Interpretation Qualities: These days, data is as precious as gold. Business owners with data analysis abilities make correct predictions. As a result, their ventures grow in volume.
Development/Coding Knowledge
Programming knowledge gives business owners an edge whether the application is developed in-house or outsourced. It assists in getting updates deployed and handling application underperformance without getting professional support every time.
Hacking proof framework
There is no benefit of having an advanced automated system if can be penetrated. Successful business owners have above-average knowledge of cyber security and hacking attempts. They are able to choose top-notch anti-hacking software without much of an ambiguity.
Communication Abilities/Soft Skills
Here are some key communication qualities that business owners should have:
Communication/Conversation: Business owners should use to-the-point sentences in both written and oral communication.
Issue Resolution Abilities: Business owners should be able to drill down to problems and solve them. This is done successfully only if an entrepreneur has in-depth business domain knowledge.
Agile Implementations
It is mandatory for business owners to have knowledge of iterative/agile models. With such a competitive environment, it is impossible for business owners to succeed without adopting an agile framework.
Create a productive well-crafted Business Strategy
A productive business venture starts with a clear vision. The first factor making a business successful is the idea behind it. It helps with endless growth and combating competition successfully. Katherine Philips once mentioned that business goals are inevitable if goals are set concretely.
- Goals should be based on smart achievements instead of complexity. Focus on the value that each one of them adds.
- Business objectives should not be vague. Key indicators should be constructed to measure the success/failure of each milestone.
- Be realistic when setting goals. Do not aim at impossible milestones since they can be demotivating.
- Milestones/goals need to be time-bound. Set a completion deadline for each one of them.
- Business goals should not be alien. Owners can think out of the box but not be obsolete / unrelated.
Create a productive well-crafted Business Strategy
Business owners cannot succeed without having a network. Some tips help in this case. Attend conferences and professional gatherings to connect with other entrepreneurs.
Here are some other related points business owners should pay attention to.
- Attend meetings and conferences to stay updated with trends and meet business owners who already have well-set ventures. This helps in enhancing the learning curve of new / growing entrepreneurs.
- Being a part of business communities/groups is very productive. When one shares opinions and discusses decision-making tactics, it helps in preventing errors and enhancing success rate.
- Even the most experienced business owners have mentors as learning never stops. Take part in mentorship programs so there is an assurance that you are following the correct roadmap.
Conclusion
There is absolutely no doubt that business dimensions have evolved with technological advancements. Successful entrepreneurs have grabbed these changes in due course of time and continue to evolve. On the other hand, people following old paths and conventional steps fade out of competition. In a nutshell, keep an eye on the processes and practices you follow as these factors decide success rate.
Success Advice
Understanding the Power of Yes and No: How to Create Boundaries For Success
These words have a significant impact on how our success unfolds
The two smallest yet most powerful words in life, “Yes” and “No,” have a big impact on our growth on both personal and professional levels. In addition to affecting the choices we make every day, these words have a significant impact on how our success unfolds. (more…)
Motivation
From Couch Potato to Go-Getter: A Step-by-Step Motivation Plan for Everyone
By understanding what motivates you, you can turn your dreams into reality
Are you tired of feeling like a couch potato? Do you want to transform your life and become a go-getter? You’re not alone! Many people struggle with motivation, but the good news is that change is possible. (more…)
Success Advice
10 Micro Financial Habits for More Wealth and Peace of Mind
The World Economic Forum still reports that half of U.S. adults lack financial literacy
You’ve heard about developing financial habits, but what about micro-financial habits? Micro habits are the tiny things you can do every day with minimal effort that, together, transform your future. (more…)
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