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Lizanne Falsetto on selling thinkThin® for $217 million & how she’s starting all over again with betterland foods™ to disrupt the future of food (part 1)
Ep. 347
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Today on the show we’re learning from Lizanne Falsetto, the founder of thinkThin® and betterland foods™.
Lizanne began her entrepreneurial journey at her kitchen table, inspired both by a family recipe and a strong desire to solve a personal problem. On that table, the original thinkThin® bar was created: a revolutionary product that would become one of the most sought-after health foods on the market.
Her original instinct for a clear market opportunity in health food evolved into a 20-year tenure as founder and CEO of one of the fastest-growing health food brands in history and was eventually acquired for $217 m in 2015.
In 2020, as the pandemic disrupted life the world over, she was intrigued by the influx of food scientists creating cleaner, alternative proteins without the direct use of animals. These discoveries rekindled her entrepreneurial verve and led her to establish betterland foods™, a new venture committed to creating crave-able, delicious foods that are better for people – and better for the planet.
There are so many learnings and lessons woven into this episode and I’m just so excited to be able to share this inspiring conversation with you. We chat about the early days of building the brand when Lizanne was still modeling and would bring her home-creations to shoots to get feedback. How this natural desire led her to walk straight into the path of entrepreneurship, and how she learned what she was doing along the way. Setting up "Harvard for a day" chats with consultants, and just getting her product into as many hands as possible.
How important it is to keep your messaging consistent. Especially when you have limited ways to get your voice out there, to stay consistent with your messaging. And my favorite tip of all, how important it is to have your own personal financial situation in check when you get into building a business and possibly raising capital. It's so important to understand this, in order to understand the ramifications down the line. We round off by chatting about her incredible exit selling thinkThin® for $217 million. And how important it is to be ready spiritually, mentally, and emotionally before selling your business. Now, let's get straight into it.
If you love it as much as I did and you learn something, please do share it on Instagram tagging us or by leaving a review to help other ears find us.
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