Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michelle Valdez-wilton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Michelle , appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
My mom! She raised four kids while working full time, while still cooking for us and making sure to spend time with us. She was the type of person never to give up and that is where I learned tenacity from. Her favorite motto when things felt overwhelming was how would you eat an elephant, one bite at a time.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I went to school to become a pastry chef, but later in my career finding out sugar wasn’t my friend anymore. I started making these nut butter stuffed dates and dipping them in really dark chocolate (85%) to fulfill my dessert cravings. When the pandemic hit I was forced to close my restaurants to the public. I remember thinking, Okay, what now? How do I take care of my family? That’s when the idea struck: why not create a packaged food for people like me, who wanted an indulgent treat without all the highly processed ingredients and excess sugar? Date Better has less than one gram added sugar and only 4 to 5 ingredients per flavor with no natural flavors, or other additives. What excites me most is developing new flavors (two more are launching this year!) and seeing how people connect with our products.We also launched a date bark which is getting really great feedback and excitement.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think the ability to work very lean and scrappy and make the most out of each dollar spent has been super helpful. We were profitable early on which most companies are not, since there is so much outflow. I think for us starting in independent stores before major retailers has helped build our awareness so that when our customers see us in bigger retailer stores among so many other brands they recognize us versus being a new brand in a big retailer they may overlook us. Going deep and building a foundation before going wide and weakened is another tip that has been very helpful in our journey. It is much easier to work in your backyard than across the country. Lastly, not afraid to pick up the phone and call the store of your dreams or send that email to the buyer. Consistency and always letting your buyer or store know your still here goes a long way.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
Exercise is my number one go to when I feel overwhelmed. I read that when you feel stressed and the cortisol levels rise in your body, the best thing you can do is move to help release it. I also have a mantra I say which is “I allow the universe to surprise me in joyful ways”. It really helps me shift my focus into gratitude instead of worry. When I am looking for those surprises I get excited when the parking space opens up right in front of me or my Son out of nowhere tells me he loves me. It allows me to have gratitude for the small daily victories that happen too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.Dstebettersnacks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/datebettersnacks
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/date-better-snacks
Image Credits
Stan Lee
Marisa Sanchez-Dunning
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
