67: What It Takes To Build A Multi-Million Dollar Company From Scratch, with Mellisa Mills

Frustrated by years of not finding work that was a fit and perpetually being short of funds, Mellisa Mills took the $500 she received from selling a painting, and started her side hustle…making and selling dips!   Not being able to afford a car, she began making deliveries by bicycle and even public transit.   Through a lot of hard work, tenacity, and a passion for good food, today Mellisa’s company Spread’Em operates out of a 20,000 square foot facility, boasts revenues of over $3 million dollars, and her products are available in over 2,000 stores.   You’ll hear honest conversation about,   what it took to grow the company, what she sees as fatal mistakes made by aspiring entrepreneurs, what keeps her up at night, how she plans to double revenues   You’ll learn from,   her stories of times when things didn’t go as planned, her experience of dealing with the 3 tiers of grocery store ecosystems you can get into, why striving to get your product into the big chain stores may not always be your wisest move   Be sure to catch the end of episode takeaway for inspiration to do the tough stuff you know needs to be done for your side hustle.   What You’ll Hear:   05:08 Maybe “cardiac technician” isn’t the best career choice for an artist 06:52 The birth of a side hustle 09:26 Melissa’s new company drew on her top talents and passions 10:58 One of her paintings sells unexpectedly and funds her new dip venture 12:01 Her product started flying off the shelves 13:25 People have tried but have been unable to recreate her product 14:12 Mellisa is driven by wanting to do good, have fun, and to contribute 14:37 Spend time figuring out what you would truly, deeply, like to do 16:19 First stores were 5 in her neighbourhood 16:55 The reasons they still sell at farmer’s markets 18:40 Mellisa didn’t know how to start and grow a business, she just took it one step at a time 20:40 Commissary kitchens - how they work 23:22 A discussion of profit margins 26:10 The benefits of starting small and growing as demand grows 26:44 She made their first $1 million while still in the commissary kitchen 27:39 What has kept Mellisa up at night 30:04 How she got her Spread-Em products into Whole Foods (which is now owned by Amazon) 32:04 Fatal mistakes made by aspiring entrepreneurs 36:18 Sometimes what we deem to be a negative event, turns out to be the best thing to happen 36:30 Carrying 50lb bags on the bus to make deliveries - what are you willing to do for the success of your side hustle? 37:42 Ep: 51 Poncho’s Tacos is a great example of bootstrapping and not overspending 38:32 Mellisa had 60 stores and was still doing the deliveries herself 39:56 She felt like she had a real product once Save On Foods signed on 40:30 3 tiers in the grocery store ecosystem (independents, small chains, big grocery chains) - differences, pros, and cons 44:34 Advantages and disadvantages of having a distributor (fees 26%-33%) 47:14 Did not hire any help until year 2 or 3 48:09 Growing slow can be the best approach 50:17 Next big growth will come from the USA market 51:04 Dips are now in over 2,000 stores in Canada 53:20 Current revenues are $3 million, with a goal of $6 million in 18 months 53:56 Advice Mellisa would give herself if she could go back to the startup days Takeaway: 56:02 What are you willing to do to ensure your success? 56:36 “If you do what is easy, life will be hard. But if you’re willing to do what is hard, life will eventually be easy.”   Connect with Mellisa: LinkedIn Instagram TikTok   Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/