We recently connected with Ann-Marie Berdar and have shared our conversation below.
Ann-Marie, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
Simple! Maintaining a positive attitude feels good. Even when life becomes challenging, I’ve always found that it’s better to operate from a positive mindset because 99% of the things we worry about end up working themselves out and about 50% of the things we worry about end up having a better outcome than we expected. Thus bogging yourself down with worry and negativity is a waste of energy.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m a 27 year old entrepreneur that started my business 5 years ago. BARE Blends is a healthy food company that serves gluten-free and vegan products and is rooted in celebrating health, wellness, nutrition education, and environmental sustainability. We don’t deviate from our standards and care deeply about the impact of our product on the consumer as well as the planet. By divorcing animal agriculture, utilizing environmentally responsible packaging, and partnering with local producers whenever possible, we promote environmental sustainability. By providing our consumers with whole food, plant-based, gluten-free food, we promote health and wellness. Our company grew quickly and in 2020 we turned the company into a franchise. There are now 11 locations across Boston, New York, Florida and Colorado, and more to come!
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?
– Mentorship – Time management and organizational behavior
– Research and development
I would advise anyone looking to start a business to thoroughly research their industry before entering it. It’s important to connect with people already doing what you’re doing to provide guidance and answer questions you didn’t even know you had. Be realistic with yourself and create an action plan for support as lack of support can be detrimental to your overall progress and success. Believe in yourself and your product or service and pitch your brand like it’s where you want it to be 10 years from now to manifest your success. Learn to pivot when things become challenging because they inevitably will.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I have four mentors who are actually a part of a coaching firm that I hired to assist with growth and development. What started as a coaching service turned into mentorship and the relationships I’ve been able to build with these people have been critical to my continued resilience and motivation.
Contact Info:
- Website: bareblends.com
- Instagram: @bare_blends or @annieberdar
- Facebook: bare blends or Ann-Marie Berdar
- Linkedin: Ann-Marie Berdar
- Yelp: several locations
Image Credits
BARE Blends® Franchising
