Behind Her Empire #311: Poppi Founder: From Broke to Shark Tank & Building a Viral Brand From Her Kitchen - Allison Ellsworth, Co-Founder of Poppi
Allison Ellsworth is the co-founder of Poppi, a better for you soda brand that is revolutionizing the next generation.
Allison always knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur, but her journey began in the oil and gas industry, where she spent years on the road building a successful career. During this time, she struggled with bloating and other gut health issues, inspiring her to take charge of her wellness. She adopted a clean diet, started working out, and discovered apple cider vinegar's benefits. However, she wasn’t a fan of its taste and sought a way to make it more enjoyable.
Allison created an apple cider vinegar-based soda, "Mother Beverage" in her kitchen and quit her day job—nearly going broke while selling it at farmers' markets. After an appearance on Shark Tank while nine months pregnant and a complete product rebrand, the prebiotic soda became "Poppi," the viral, #1 selling soda on Amazon with over 2 billion TikTok views and the most-watched Super Bowl ad this year.
In this week’s episode, Allison shares her journey of leaving a stable career to start her own business—without any prior experience. She reveals how she landed Whole Foods distribution with no connections and took a chance on Shark Tank to secure funding. Allison breaks down why they decided to rebrand Poppi, how they executed a successful relaunch during the pandemic, the social media strategies that helped them grow awareness and build a loyal community, and so much more.
In this episode, we’ll talk to Sasha about:
* Saying "yes" and figuring things out can lead to success. [03:02]
* Allison’s career journey and how it shaped her. [04:22]
* Passion is key to entrepreneurial success. [07:02]
* How Allison’s health journey inspired her to create Poppi. [08:51]
* Self-funding, entering Whole Foods, and joining Shark Tank. [13:46]
* Pivoting to work on Poppi full-time. [14:51]
* Preparing for Shark Tank while pregnant. [18:19]
* Poppi’s rebranding as a strategy for growth. [22:37]
* Persistence and adaptability in entrepreneurship. [24:55]
* Taste is crucial in the beverage industry. [27:25]
* Having over 2 billion TikTok views. [30:06]
* Allison’s first viral TikTok video. [32:01]
* Approachable content creation process. [35:56]
* Prioritize mental health and learn to say "no." [41:54]
* Allison’s experience bringing in a CEO. [44:17]
* Rapid business growth requires personal growth and adaptability. [47:22]
* Managing burnout by prioritizing self-care. [49:58]
* Future plans for Poppi. [52:11]
* Let go of “should haves” and focus on your priorities. [53:27]
This episode is brought to you by Beeya:
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Follow Yasmin:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/
* Website: https://www.behindherempire.com/
Follow Allison:
* Website: https://drinkpoppi.com/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkpoppi/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allisonellsworth/
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