Healthy Food Company Breakthrough Story with Kimberly Crupi Dobbins Founder of Simple Squares

Nov 17, 2016

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Healthy food matters to Kimberly Crupi Dobbins. A lot. It was her own health needs that motivated her to found Simple Squares, a supplier of premium organic nutrition bars. She bootstrapped the company after going on a sabbatical from Morningstar. She went from making the bars in her kitchen to selling over 1 million bars in year. They are sold in Whole Foods, Starbucks, and many more.

Here's a glimpse of what you'll learn:

[0:10] Jeremy's introduction of this episode with Kimberly Crupi Dobbins.
[1:25] How Kimberly got her nutritional snack bars into Starbucks and Whole Foods stores.
[3:38] What vendors should consider before going into large chain stores.
[5:26] Why Kimberly developed her healthy food product and why.
[6:34] Kimberly's routine when she was working full time and starting up the company.
[7:14] The things that had to be built in order for Kimberly to quit her full time job.
[12:44] The decision to expand her offerings and how she went about it.
[16:00] What new owners don't know that they need to know.
[19:58] Why it all goes back to relationship and how Kimberly got advice from the founder of Larabars.
[23:45] How Simple Squares uses Amazon to distribute and sell products.
[25:45] What it means for a snack food to truly be "clean."
[30:42] Kimberly's lowest moment getting the business running.
[33:20] The proudest moment Kimberly has had: A New York Times interview.

In this episode…

The Healthy Food industry is a growing but very competitive niche. It's not every day that new startup company in the space makes a splash, much less a success. On this episode of Inspired Insider Jeremy introduces you to Kimberly Crupi Dobbins, founder of Simple Squares snack bars, a company that has taken the health food industry by storm. You can hear her inspiring story here, so be sure you take the time to listen.

What's it take to build a healthy foods brand from nothing all the way to Whole Foods and Starbucks? A lot of hard work, sweat, tears, and mistakes. Kimberly Crupi Dobbins is the founder of Simple Squares. She's walked that difficult road and made it through. You can hear how this inspiring woman worked her full-time job for over a year as she built the company and is now enjoying the fruit of her labors.

This episode tells the story of another of those overnight successes that took years to create. Kimberly Crupi Dobbins looks like she's appeared from nowhere, but that "nowhere" was the land of blood, sweat, and tears that every successful company has to traverse. If you are in the hard times of building your own business you'll be inspired by how Kimberly and her team have persevered, so be sure to listen.

One of the most powerful points Kimberly Crupi Dobbins makes on this episode of Inspired Insider is that she couldn't have made it in the health foods industry without building relationships based on good will. She tells the amazing story of how one of her direct competitors took the time to invest in her success and how that relationship led to all kinds of wonderful things. It's proof that business success really is all about the relationships.

Many of the so-called "clean" snack foods out there really aren't. One way you can tell is to read the ingredients. Is there anything you can't pronounce? It's not clean. Is there anything listed that's unknown to you? It could be a sign that it's not a truly "clean" food. Kimberly Crupi Dobbins shares the Simple Squares success story and what it takes to produce a truly clean health food product, on this episode.

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One sponsor today is www.Rise25.com where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.