We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Greg Garcia. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Greg below.
Greg, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
I am not, by nature or nurture, a particularly positive person. It is quite easy for me to peer on the dark side of things and stew in the negative.
But I realized that kind of worldview can stagnate your mind and make you and your relationships hard to maintain. So I made a conscious choice to work on having a positive attitude.
It didn’t happen overnight, and like learning any new skill, it took work and effort. But it’s better on this side.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
We at PROLETAS make a high protein ice cream bar, which is cool (pun intended) on its own. But what else is awesome is that it lets you be happy and taste the fun of being a kid and eating a popsicle (because our Proleta bars are on a stick) AND know that you are being healthy at the same time, feeding your body the nutrients that it needs to support muscle growth and repair.
A friend of ours recommended that we try doing seasonal flavors, so for the summer we’ve got a cherry limeade Proleta!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Grit, curiosity, and willingness to accept both risk and responsibility.
This is my first official foray into entrepreneurship, and I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I found out that bringing a CPG (consumer packaged good) product from a vision into a product is one thing, and taking that product and turning it into a viable business is another skill altogether.
To build grit, do hard things. I exercise, specifically CrossFit, and the workouts are hard. But you do them, and you find out that you get a little stronger each time. Physically, yes, but definitely mentally.
For curiosity, ask questions and listen to the answers. For me, this meant podcasts with business experts, books and articles on the internet. And asking people who knew about whatever subject I was trying to learn about.
And acceptance of the risk and responsibility? That one took a bit of introspection and self examination. This whole company is bootstrapped, and the success or failure of it depends on me. That’s a lot to hold, especially when your family is riding along with you. Take a deep breath, look at your finances, examine your why for doing it, and talk it over with your partner. Then take all that info, say a prayer asking for guidance, and then make a decision.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
My number one challenge for Proletas is sustainable growth. This company needs more clients and the cash flow that goes with it to grow. Currently, we do the bulk of our business by wholesaling to smaller gyms and supplement shops, and some online orders and pop up events.
Our goal is to land in the frozen aisle of major grocery retailers.
To grow, I speak to gym owners and others who I think would be a good fit. I’m trying to navigate the grocery buyer route, and finding it to be a bit of a maze.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.PROLETAS.com
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/proletas
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProteinPaletas?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/proletas-protein-ice-cream/
- Twitter: Www.twitter.com/proletas
