Episode 33 - Adding a HINT of Success to Your Business with Kara Goldin of CEO of HINT, Inc.

When Kara Goldin realized diet soda was contributing to feeling sluggish, and not losing weight, she started cutting back drinking the 6 to 10 cans of diet soda she drank daily. Two and a half weeks after she stopped her daily diet coke habit, her skin cleared up, her energy levels increased, and she lost 24 pounds. Her alternative drink at that time? Homemade, fruit flavored water. She found herself curious as to why, and how, a HINT of fruit water could be made available to consumers everywhere. From that experiment, she birthed her billion dollar idea, she pursued the idea of what is famously known today as HINT water, the leading unsweetened flavored water. The Huffington Post listed her as one of six disruptors in business, alongside Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. Tune into today’s episode to hear more about her business journey and how she turned all the obstacles into good lessons and new chances. 

In This Episode:

[03:02] What makes HINT water different than other flavored bottled water on the market that has sugar and carbohydrates.

[06:38] Even when you do your best to prepare for every situation, challenges happen, and that’s where you build resilience.

[12:00] How pandemics influenced the production of Kara’s HINT water?

[19:20] The moment Kara realized she wanted to take a break and spend more time with her kids.

[20:54] When Kara started paying attention to the ingredients of the food she ate, she realized she wanted to do the same thing with the beverages she drank. The results were shocking.

[27:01] Why Kara’s conversation with a senior executive from Coca-Cola didn’t really go well. 

[37:15] How Kara managed to self-fund her business?

[42:05] In what ways does having a formal board in the company change things?

[48:40] How to reach out to founders from the investment companies and propose an investment?

Key Takeaways:

Always do your best to prepare. Do your best to do what you can, even when something bad happens along the way.

When you aren't able to get workers, having an automated way of doing business is saving you.

Sometimes unavoidable conversations allow you to confirm more about what you need to do.

Having competition is not a bad thing because you actually validate the category.

Quotes:

 “Always do your best to prepare.” - Kara Goldin

“Always thinking about how you can do better is really the key.” - Kara Goldin

CONNECTIONS:

For more about Kara Goldin, follow her on Instagram and Twitter. Also, be sure to check out DrinkHINT.com.

Check out our website, Potential to Powerhouse, for more details and to learn about past, present, and future guests. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and join our Facebook Community for a deeper connection with the P2P tribe.

Grab your free copy of our guide, 4 Daily Habits Essential to Becoming a POWERHOUSE Entrepreneur, and don’t forget to subscribe to our show and leave a rating and review. Do you know any other female powerhouses that could benefit from listening? If so, please let them know to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever they like to listen to valuable audio content.

Until next time… High Five!

Bio: 

Kara Goldin is the Founder and CEO of HINT, Inc., best known for its award-winning HINT water, the leading unsweetened flavored water.

She has received numerous accolades, including being named EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Northern California, one of InStyle’s 2019 Badass 50, Fast Company’s

Most Creative People in Business, WWD Beauty Inc.’s Feel Good Force and Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs.

The Huffington Post listed her as one of six disruptors in business, alongside

Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. Previously, Kara was VP of Shopping and Ecommerce at America Online where she helped lead the growth of its shopping and e-commerce business to over a $1 billion in revenue.

She is an active speaker and writer and, in 2017, she launched The Kara Goldin Show, a podcast where she interviews founders, entrepreneurs and disruptors across various industries. Kara’s first book, Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters, published by Harper Leadership, was released October 2020 and is now a WSJ and Amazon Best Seller. Kara lives in the Bay Area with her family.