Persistence and Patience with Paul Voge, Co-Founder and CEO of Aura Bora

08/02/22 • 58 min

Description:

Joining the show today is Paul Voge, Co-Founder and CEO of Aura Bora, making sparkling water a better-tasting experience. In this episode, Paul shares his story from growing up as the youngest of five, to selling vintage t-shirts in college, to quitting his job to focus full time on building Aura Bora in 2019. He talks about how he dropped off some cans to a buyer of Whole Foods at their corporate office desk, the differences between selling to different grocers, how he's had to change his pitch, and how they came up with the name Aura Bora.

Exclusive Deal from Our Sponsor:

Get 30 days FREE with Okendo by clicking HERE!

In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

(1:07) How Aura Bora makes sparkling water from herbs, fruits, and flowers using unique ingredients, like basil, cactus, and lavender for a better tasting experience all while donating 1% of annual revenue to environmental causes.
(2:35) What it was like growing up in a small town outside of New York, being the youngest of five children
(5:25) Some of his early jobs from selling vintage T-shirts, to starting a Christmas tree farm, and working for a venture studio. All of this led him to fall in love with sparkling water
(14:00) Why they decided to not go down the selling flavor route but to instead stick to making premium water in cans
(17:00) How he decided to take the leap into entrepreneurship in 2019 and sold the first can of Aura Bora in the fall
(21:40) How he dropped off some cans to a buyer of Whole Foods at their corporate office desk, which led to being on the shelves just a few months later
(33:00) How they came up with the name Aura Bora out of 311 names on their list
(37:00) The perks and some challenges of working with his wife and running the business together, and how they manage situations with their team
(40:00) How one of the biggest learning experiences he’s had is that there are no shortcuts
(45:00) The experience of going on Shark Tank, and what it's like having Robert as an investor
(50:00) The final advice he has for inspiring entrepreneurs, and what’s next for Aura Bora, with new flavors launching every other month.

To Find Out More:

https://aurabora.com/

Quotes:

“I loved the idea of trading and making something out of nothing.”

“The most popular item in this pantry is LaCroix sparkling water, and it's probably the least interesting as in we're all drinking it, but no one's enjoying it.”

“It felt weird that there wasn't a craft version of flavored sparkling water.”

“We thought about what if we could make a much better product and as a result, be able to brand it and sell it as a differentiated, more premium offering.”

“Uniquely in CPG, I think you probably have to take the leap earlier than you would like to.”

“Being persistent but also patient is key”

“The beginning of it really was if we could make something memorable.”

“We have had to be deliberate and transparent with every single person we've hired.”

“There is truly no shortcut to this. You just get bigger one account at a time.”

“Do yourself a favor and pick a hundred stores that are very similar and get really good at selling the product in those stores. And then from there you can rinse and repeat in other channels once you grow.”

“I have felt like Shark Tank has opened us up to actually most of the country, middle of the country, all four time zones, high income, low income, old, young, et cetera.”

“Sometimes it just feels like this is either so close to impossible that we should just call it impossible, or I must be doing it wrong.”

“Learn as much as possible before you need to commit to something.”

“It's really tempting to your point, quit your job, start selling the product, etc, but you’re really well served by learning way more than you might need.”

Description:

Exclusive Deal from Our Sponsor:

Get 30 days FREE with Okendo by clicking HERE!

In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

(1:07) How Aura Bora makes sparkling water from herbs, fruits, and flowers using unique ingredients, like basil, cactus, and lavender for a better tasting experience all while donating 1% of annual revenue to environmental causes.
(2:35) What it was like growing up in a small town outside of New York, being the youngest of five children
(5:25) Some of his early jobs from selling vintage T-shirts, to starting a Christmas tree farm, and working for a venture studio. All of this led him to fall in love with sparkling water
(14:00) Why they decided to not go down the selling flavor route but to instead stick to making premium water in cans
(17:00) How he decided to take the leap into entrepreneurship in 2019 and sold the first can of Aura Bora in the fall
(21:40) How he dropped off some cans to a buyer of Whole Foods at their corporate office desk, which led to being on the shelves just a few months later
(33:00) How they came up with the name Aura Bora out of 311 names on their list
(37:00) The perks and some challenges of working with his wife and running the business together, and how they manage situations with their team
(40:00) How one of the biggest learning experiences he’s had is that there are no shortcuts
(45:00) The experience of going on Shark Tank, and what it's like having Robert as an investor
(50:00) The final advice he has for inspiring entrepreneurs, and what’s next for Aura Bora, with new flavors launching every other month.

To Find Out More:

https://aurabora.com/

Quotes:

“I loved the idea of trading and making something out of nothing.”

“The most popular item in this pantry is LaCroix sparkling water, and it's probably the least interesting as in we're all drinking it, but no one's enjoying it.”

“It felt weird that there wasn't a craft version of flavored sparkling water.”

“We thought about what if we could make a much better product and as a result, be able to brand it and sell it as a differentiated, more premium offering.”

“Uniquely in CPG, I think you probably have to take the leap earlier than you would like to.”

“Being persistent but also patient is key”

“The beginning of it really was if we could make something memorable.”

“We have had to be deliberate and transparent with every single person we've hired.”

“There is truly no shortcut to this. You just get bigger one account at a time.”

“I have felt like Shark Tank has opened us up to actually most of the country, middle of the country, all four time zones, high income, low income, old, young, et cetera.”

“Sometimes it just feels like this is either so close to impossible that we should just call it impossible, or I must be doing it wrong.”

“Learn as much as possible before you need to commit to something.”

“It's really tempting to your point, quit your job, start selling the product, etc, but you’re really well served by learning way more than you might need.”

Previous Episode

Jobs, Joy, and Joining Forces with Jennifer Zeszut, Co-Founder and CEO of GOODLES

Description:

Today, Lee is joined by Jennifer Zeszut, Co-founder and CEO of GOODLES. Reimagining everyone's beloved mac and cheese, GOODLES is reinventing the prepared pasta aisle, making macaroni nutrient-dense, protein-packed, and tasting as good as it feels to eat. In this episode, Jen shares with us her journey from growing up in the Bay Area, to becoming a buyer at Cost Plus World Market, to being offered $3M to start her first company Scout Labs, to becoming CEO of Cerebelly, to starting GOODLES in November 2020. She talks about a few lucky breaks she's encountered throughout her career journey, her experience with a very shady investor, her views on leadership, and why the way you do work matters.

Exclusive Deal from Our Sponsor:

Get 30 days FREE with Okendo by clicking HERE!

In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

(1:18) GOODLES is founded by an all-star team, including Jen Zeszut, the former CEO of Cerebelly, Deb Luster, the former Co-founder and President of Annie's, Paul Earle, a branding expert, and a former brand manager at Kraft, and Gal Gadot, an award-winning actress known for playing Wonder Woman.
(4:24) What it was like growing up in the Bay Area with a small family and how she became an assistant to CEOs at the age of 14.
(12:09) How after graduating from college she became a gourmet foods buyer at Cost Plus World Market, to then being offered $3M to start her first company, Scout Labs.
(24:00) What she learned about herself as a leader, CEO, and how she carries that into her day-to-day life at GOODLES.
(32:00) Why she feels it's important for everyone to have joy when coming into work every day, and how if you don’t, maybe it's time to move on.
(44:45) Why she believes branding is based on the details, and how they created a fun phone tree...give it a try at 707-GOODLES.
(46:44) Why she decided to add a fourth skew right before launch.
(52:00) The advice she has for those not sure where to start, and how to keep going with joy.

To Find Out More:

https://www.goodles.com/

Quotes:

“I didn't think about entrepreneurship for a really long time, but I was always a leader.”

“I always told my mom that ‘I was the leader of the ones who don't’”

“I learned that the day in and day out of running the operations of a restaurant was kind of boring.”

“It was like CEO training wheels, if the wheels fell off, at least I tried and learned.”

“I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur and here I am four companies later.”

“I love the idea of just mobilizing all the forces to go after something.”

“What I learned is to be able to keep this alive and keep it all going, and somehow persist through really hard times, was an incredible realization of just how much strength that you can bring to a situation.”

“It's all about the comradery of this family that you create when you start a company and the bonds between one another.”

“I just wanna show the world that the way that you do work matters and the bonds that you create with your team, you can do and you can work miracles with that.”

“If it feels wrong and if I'm not happy and I don't have joy coming into work every single day, that's actually the wrong thing. It should change. It's not that I have to work harder, it's that it may not be the best fit.”

“Being a CEO for hire is definitely a different thing because your job is to execute the wishes of the founders.”

“You set the tone and you set the culture.”

“We were looking for something that was fun and joyful and mac and cheese is kind of universal.”

“It's such a great conduit for this idea of putting little gooders out into the world and to make, be, and do gooder.”

“Brands are based on the details.”

“If we're not doing things that don’t get an ‘oh no you did not’ out of it then we're not hitting the mark.”

“I was less playing to win and more playing not to lose.”

“Stop being scared, be yourself and just shine your joy and your voice, it just gets better and better.”

“You never know what is the ultimate thing you need, or if you're not sure what the big idea is, just go start doing some stuff and tune in to what parts you love and what parts bring you joy and the parts that you don't wanna replicate, you’ll find it.”

Next Episode

Reflections and Resets with Lisa Odenweller, Founder and CEO of Kroma Wellness

Description:

Lisa Odenweller joins the show today to chat about her journey to becoming the Founder and CEO of Kroma Wellness, a premium functional health and superfood company on a mission to simplify nutritional wellbeing. In this episode, Lisa shares with us her journey from growing up in Colorado, to working at Nestle right out of college, to working in the software industry, to starting an interior design business, which led to some soul searching and discovering her true passion for health and wellness. We talk about her struggle to allow others to support and show up for her, overcoming negative self-talk, and how she raised over $5.5 million from investors like Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Seinfeld, and Amy Schumer.

Exclusive Deal from Our Sponsor:

Get 30 days FREE with Okendo by clicking HERE!

In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

(1:08) More about Kroma Wellness, a nutrient-rich delicious product, and effortless programs such as the one and five-day resets Kroma helps you form healthier habits, generating real results from the inside.
(2:40) What it was like growing up in Colorado as a military brat with divorced parents, where she learned how to be independent, starting at a very young age
(11:45) What her college experience was like doing Semester at Sea, some of her first jobs post-grad, and how she ended up working at Nestle in the Food Service Division, based in the Bay Area, to moving to the software industry
(25:00) How she took a year off from working to learn about herself and what she wanted to do
(28:00) How going to entrepreneurial classes inspired her to start her first wellness company, Beaming, but with being an early leader and entrepreneur, she decided to exit
(41:57) The advice she has for those who feel like they’re at the end of their entrepreneurship journey and how to keep going forward
(48:30) Some of the challenges she learned in fundraising for Kroma, taking what she learned from Beaming
(1:06:00) The final advice she has for aspiring entrepreneurs and what’s next for Kroma

To Find Out More:

https://kromawellness.com/

Quotes:

“I think a lot of my entrepreneurial side came from being in the car with my dad listening to him on phone calls.”

“The only person you can count on is you.”

“You have to allow other people to show up for you.”

“At any moment in our life, when things don't turn out as we hope, those are the opportunities to learn and grow.”

“I had this inner anxiety of always kind of knowing I was supposed to have a bigger impact in the world.”

“I think often when we stop forcing and we stop doing, when we’re in the silence is when you get the biggest clarity in life.”

“By losing a brand that I loved so much, it became my greatest teacher and it also helped me become the leader that I am today.”

“So it's very much designed for people to really listen to their bodies and become more in touch.”

“What we’re more interested in is what happens afterward, because I think that's where real transformation happens”

“You have to be willing to risk it all, and you have to be willing to have the confidence in yourself that you are the person to bring your idea to life and have a conviction so strong that nothing's gonna stop you.”