Ep 30: From Corporate to Entrepreneur in Retail Beverage: A Playbook for the First Four Years With Leslie Danford

If you’ve been in the corporate world and are looking to become an entrepreneur, today’s episode will give you a solid look at what to expect in those first few years. Leslie Danford, founder and CEO of Vitaminis, joins the show to talk about her transition from corporate to starting her own retail beverage business. Her account of her experience and the insight she shares will give you inspiration and reassurance as you embark on your own journey.

Listen in to hear about what she calls the “risk aversion dance” that happens at the beginning stages, as well as how she was able to gain the confidence to go all in. Leslie also talks about how important it is to have either hope or money—or the right balance of the two—in order to get through the harder parts of entrepreneurship. You’ll learn how full dedication opened up more opportunities for her, how to crack the code on the consumer retail market, and why success isn’t just about passion.

What You’ll Learn:

• Where Leslie’s entrepreneurship got started.
• The learning curve of getting people to try her product and what worked.
• Why having clear goals and a vision for the end game are crucial.
• The process of gaining confidence in yourself and building that confidence in investors.
• Who Leslie goes to for support and business advice.
• The challenge of getting (and staying) in the retail space.
• Advice for those experiencing burnout or frustration.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• “I could continue this risk aversion dance, but I realized that if I don’t apply myself to this idea, it will never be anything.” – Leslie Danford
• “No one is going to look at you and say, ‘Yeah! This is definitely going to work.’” – Leslie Danford
• “At the early stages of a startup, a lot of what people are investing in is you.” – Leslie Danford

Resources:

• Leslie Danford: LinkedIn
• Vitaminis
• Cannon Carr: LinkedIn
• CornerCap