We Choose to ‘Be Great, Not Big’: Inside People's Choice Beef Jerky's Unconventional Success
(Listen on Apple or Spotify. Full transcript below.)
From Butcher Shop to People’s Choice Beef Jerky: The 4-Generation Family Business Doing It Their Way
In a world obsessed with overnight success and rapid scaling, what can we learn from a business that's thrived for nearly a century by deliberately choosing a different path?
The latest episode of The Good Food CFO podcast features siblings Brian and Sarah Bianchetti, fourth-generation owners of People's Choice Beef Jerky. Their Los Angeles-based family business has been crafting premium meat products since 1929, offering a refreshing counterpoint to today's "grow at all costs" startup culture.
A Different Kind of Success Story
While many food brands chase rapid growth with hopes of a lucrative exit, the Bianchettis have embraced a philosophy at People’s Choice Beef Jerky that might sound radical in today's business climate: "We choose to be great, not big."
This isn't just a catchy slogan—it's a deliberate business strategy that guides every decision they make. From product development to channel selection, their focus remains on building a sustainable, profitable business that honors their family legacy while evolving for the future of People’s Choice beef jerky.
The Fourth-Generation Challenge
Taking over a multi-generational family business comes with unique challenges. The siblings candidly discuss what it took to transform aspects of People’s Choice beef jerky while preserving its core values—a delicate balance of honoring tradition while driving innovation.
Strategic Growth on Their Own Terms
In the episode, the Bianchettis reveal their thinking around how they evaluate opportunities, their criteria for product innovation, and the marketing approaches that have (and haven't) worked for People’s Choice beef jerky. Their perspective challenges conventional wisdom about what "success" looks like in the food industry.
Brian also shares insights about co-founding the Made in LA Coalition to support local manufacturers and address the challenges facing small food businesses today.
Ready to Build a Business on Your Own Terms?
The conversation with Brian and Sarah Bianchetti is filled with practical wisdom for food founders at any stage. Their nearly century-long family business offers both inspiration and tactical insights for building a sustainable, profitable brand that stays true to your values.
LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE NOW
Discover how the Bianchettis approach growth, product development, and strategic decision-making. Their refreshing perspective might just change how you think about growing your own food business.
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Episode Timeline
00:00 Introduction and Podcast Goals
02:51 The Perfect Pricing Calculator
06:04 People's Choice Beef Jerky: A Legacy Business
08:47 Business Model and Sales Channels
11:51 Customer-Centric Approach to Product Development
15:07 Differentiation in the Jerky Market
18:03 Marketing Strategy and Brand Identity
20:47 Financial Considerations in Business Decisions
29:33 Channel Diversification and Risk Management
30:54 The Importance of Margins and Profitability
31:54 Advertising Strategies and Brand Exposure
32:57 Learning from Failures and Controversial Products
34:34 Social Media Engagement Challenges
36:20 The Power of Email Marketing
38:24 Paced Growth vs. Top-Line Revenue
40:49 Navigating Legacy Business Challenges
43:28 Community Engagement and Local Support
45:10 The Made in LA Coalition and Policy Advocacy
Full Episode Transcript
you're listening to the Good Food CFO podcast. I'm your host, Sarah Delevan, and with us as always is our producer, Chelsea Stier. Chelsea, what are we talking about today? Sarah, before I answer your question, I do want to remind everyone about our big hairy goal that we have here on the podcast, as we've called it before, and that is to reach 1 million food founders.
There is a way that you listening at home can help us do that for free. What you're going to do is you're going to go wherever you listen to this podcast, leave a rating and leave us a review. Your reviews, I'll even call out specifically on Apple, do help us reach more founders and get in front of more people.
So Sarah, I'd love to actually start this episode off with sharing a brand new review. I'd love that. Okay. So normally here on the podcast, when we share reviews, they are reviews of the podcast itself. But this one is actually a review of one of our tools, the perfect pricing calculator. Okay. So this comes from an
I am so sorry if I pronounce your name wrong, Amy. You're in our community, but we haven't actually met in person yet, so please, please forgive me. But it's Amy Witsegruder and her product is Witsey's Granola. She said, just finished the perfect pricing calculator. It's so helpful. I am making my way through all the sales channels. I love that. That is our most popular tool.
I believe. Yeah. Under $50, all of our tools are under $200 on the website, all the tools and resources. And that one I love so much because it's like the core, right? We talk a lot about product margin and understanding that, understanding what a single product's margin might look like across many channels. And so I love this as a tool where people are starting. And thank you, thank you, thank you, Amy, for leaving this review.
with us, I believe on Instagram is where you told me we got a DM. So thank you, Amy. It means a ton to us. We're so glad that it has been helpful to you and that you're working your way through all of your sales channels. Yeah. And just like you said, right, Amy talks about working her way through the sales channels. And what's really cool about the perfect pricing calculator is we actually have multiple calculators in one. So I'll just call out a few here. We have a calculator for D to C, distribution.
Amazon, if you're selling on Amazon, we have a calculator for B2B platforms like Thinkfair or Mabel. And then we have our most recently added calculator, which is for bubble goods. Plus, when you purchase any of our tools, you also get lifetime access. I want to call that out for a very important reason, because we're not done, right? There are more calculators, I'm sure, to come.
As we add those new calculators, you will maintain access to all of them with that lifetime access. Yeah. And I'll add to that, Chelsea, that we're always open to adding new calculators. So as new platforms, new opportunities for founders to sell become available, we want you to have the ability to run the numbers.
to figure out, what are the fees associated with this? What is the margin that this new platform or distributor model is asking for? And how can we price our products in that channel or on that platform in a profitable way? So email us, hello at thegoodfoodcfo.com if there's a channel that you want to consider and that you either don't see a calculator for or you're not sure which existing calculator to use to figure that out.
If we need to add to it, we absolutely will. And then all of the founders who have purchased the calculator, as you said, previously will get access to that new calculator as well. Yeah. Okay, Sarah. Now onto our main episode. This is our first BABOYOT episode of season 14. I am so excited for people to hear this one. I was listening to the conversation prior to our recording of this intro and
This conversation with Brian and Sarah from People's Choice Beef Jerky, I think is a really excellent example of what it means to build a business on your own terms. And it's because of the way they look at their business and talk about their business. It's a way that we really haven't had many people talk about here on the podcast. Yeah. So as you mentioned,
Brian Bianchetti is the CEO of People's Choice Beef Jerky and his sister Sarah is the VP of Marketing. They are the fourth generation owners of their family's business, which has been crafting premium meat products in Los Angeles since 1929. And together, Brian and Sarah have focused on both honoring their family's legacy and innovating and growing their business. And I...
As I share in the main episode, actually met Brian years ago when I was a buyer searching for the best possible quality beef jerky in Los Angeles or California. My search led me to People's Choice Beef Jerky. Then I recently got reconnected with Brian through the Made in LA Coalition, which we also share about within the episode. He wasn't the CEO when I met him years ago.
Then sort of remeeting him again recently as the CEO, he shared a little bit about their approach to business and not just now, but always, since 1929 and how slow and steady and growing at your own pace and so many other things that as you said are very BABOYOT. I just thought how cool to have them on the show.
And to talk about not a brand new flashy brand that's launching, but a company that has been in existence for generations who is innovating and doing things on their own terms for decades. I just thought there was so much that our listeners could learn. And I think I was right. I think they are very open. They don't really beat around the bush and they're honest about how they're doing things. And I absolutely loved.
hearing from them and speaking with them, and I'm excited for our listeners to hear as well. Yeah. think the thing that, one of the things that really stood out to me and made me go, we haven't had this conversation before, right? Or I haven't heard this conversation here before is when they talk about like, yeah, they're not in a hurry to get somewhere. They're not trying to grow super, super fast. Like profitability is the most important thing to them because they're not looking to sell. Yeah.
They're looking to sustain and maintain ownership within their family. I just thought, God, that's such a cool thing to talk about. I think on the flip side, one of the things we address is, okay, you guys aren't launching a brand new business. You're stepping into something. So sort what are the pros and cons of that? Because it could be looked at like, hey, you guys are walking into something that's already successful, that maybe already is profitable.
And they addressed that like champs. They were like, yes, we will answer that question for you, sort of head on. We definitely had a bit of privilege, but there's also some cons to that. And we had to tear a few things down to get going in the direction that we see for the future while maintaining the legacy and the integrity and everything that the business has stood for for so many years.
Yeah, totally a great conversation. And we talk a bit about social media and their philosophy there and just so many good, good nuggets. Yeah, I'm really excited for people to hear it. Are you ready to jump in? Yeah, let's do it. Ready to take control of your finances? Want guidance tailored to the specific goals you have for your business and a supportive environment to build your financial confidence? Join me in our CFO office hours.
You'll get expert financial support at a fraction of the cost of hiring a consultant. Each session, I'll help you tackle your specific challenges and opportunities, break through roadblocks, and build confidence in your path to profitability. Visit thegoodfoodcfo.com and click on coaching to learn more and reserve your spot in our next session. Sarah and Brian, welcome to the podcast. Thank you for having us.
I introduced both of you and People's Choice Beef Jerky at the top of the episode, but I'd love to take a second and have you guys introduce yourselves as well. Sarah, why don't we start with you?
Sure. My name is Sarah Bianchetti. I am the VP of Marketing and Fourth Generation at People's Choice Beef Jerky, overseeing both our marketing and customer service operations.
Amazing. And Brian, welcome.
Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. So not in order of importance. I'm Brian Bianchetti. I'm the CEO of People's Choice Beef Jerky and Sarah's older brother.
So we have had obviously a number of founders on this podcast. Some of them have been pre-launched, some of them have just launched, others have been in business for several years. We've never had a multi-generational business here on the podcast. And you all have been in business, I believe, for almost a century or over a century, which is really incredible. And so I'm so excited to dive into
the origin story of People's Choice beef jerky, but also your approach to business today, maybe how it has changed over the last several years and what you all are doing, you know, looking forward into the future. But I want to start at the beginning, if we can. Your great grandfather, as I understand it, John, had a vision to build a neighborhood butcher shop that sold premium meats with honesty, hard work, and personal relationships at its core.
How did that butcher shop idea translate into beef jerky? Is that the only product that your business offers today? And I guess third question is, do you still hold that same vision and set of core values?
can give you kind of a little bit more context in terms of our history, just so it kind of makes sense completely. So as you mentioned, yes, our Brian and I's great grandfather, John B. Keddie started the business in 1929. So many, many years ago in Los Angeles. And yeah, like his, you know, his ultimate goal really was to support his family by doing what he knew best, which was quality meats. you know, he was selling mortadella, chorizo, sausage.
And then over the years, you know, the company was, has been passed down from generation to generation with each one really making its own unique mark on the business. then fast forward to today, Brian and I are fourth generation. work with our dad, Mark Binketti, who's third generation as well as our mom. So it really is a family business, still family owned and operated. And we manufacture.
handcrafted beef jerky. So everything from raw materials to finished package product. And then also an interesting fact, less than 3 % of family businesses survived to the fourth generation, which is pretty incredible. And Brian's, we're expecting the fifth generation. Brian's wife is pregnant. So congratulations. Yeah, but I think, you know, even though the business, how it's, you know, constantly evolved and changed, we've really continued to
find purpose to move us forward. And really that purpose is simply our commitment to hand crafting a quality product. even though it started with, you know, a neighborhood butchery, it's evolved over the generations and now we make beef jerky.
Yeah. And Brian and I talked offline. A couple of weeks ago, we were connected through an organization that you founded, which we will talk about kind of separately, but I had actually been introduced to People's Choice when I was sourcing ingredients for a great catering company here in LA. And I wanted to bring in the best quality products, no matter what we were sourcing. And so I ended up in your inbox and eventually at the shop. it
It really is an amazing product. I had never seen it on a retail shelf. I'd never seen it in a retail store. At the time, I was intrigued by that, but I wasn't really in this role of understanding how businesses could grow and the many different channels that a product can be sold through. So I'd love to dive into the business model from the
sense of like, where do you sell your product? What channels are you in? And also has that evolved, you know, over the years just since you've been focused on beef jerky.
Yeah, absolutely. I can take that one. And just to respond to your first question, a quick note on that, you know, to connect the dots from when our great grandfather started the company in 1929 to where we are now is, you know, we obviously didn't know our great grandfather, but his values, his principles, his approach to business has been passed down from generation to generation. mean, Sarah and I have so immensely benefited from this institutional knowledge that's baked into our business. So we're, you know, we're really passionate about our business, but we also
understand the blessing that we have to have that. So we're excited to be here and share those nuggets and wisdom and knowledge that we have. Because not every business obviously has those generations to support them. So yeah, really excited to be here and talk to you a bit about our business. So to give you a sense of where we sell today, we sell Omnichannel. So we sell online on Amazon, on our own.com website, as well as a few other smaller online channels. We also sell
wholesale to retail, we sell independent distributors, more regional, local retail chains, grocery. And then we also have specialty accounts like hotels and breweries and those kinds of things. And then we also do a little bit of private label and code packing. So we definitely take an omnichannel approach to our business. And that's an area that I spend a lot of my time thinking about is, you know, where are the best places to sell our product? Where can we find customers that are going to appreciate our product and, you know, are looking for products that are made with purpose. And so
to sort of close the loop on that in terms of this question of national retail. It really starts, I think, the decision to go into opportunities, maybe on a much larger scale, really comes back to understanding what our purpose is as a company and what makes us different. And there's this thing that we always say internally. It's like, we choose to be great and not big. And I think that really influences like,
where we want to be, who we are, what we do, and everything that we do. And what we found is that we're best when we're creating a product that uses premium ingredients, that allows us to keep our handmade element to our process and keep our commitment to those things. And going to a certain scale would move us away from that. So if we can achieve our profit goals and our quality goals.
at a scale that will keep the business growing. That's where we see kind of our future for our generation and hopefully the next ones as well.
Our listeners are going to be like, okay, Brian and Sarah are plants. You handpicked them to say exactly what you wanted them to say. I'm just like, for those not watching on YouTube, I'm smiling and shaking my head. I'm thinking about one of my favorite books of all time, business books, it's called Small Giants, which really echoes and illustrates what you just said. We choose to be great, not big. I wholeheartedly believe that big…
is not a necessary goal for being great, for being profitable, for generating financial wealth and a decent livelihood for founders and the folks that work with them and also to build local economies. We're called the Good Food CFO podcast for a reason. It's because we focus on building brands that are rooted in exactly what people's choice is rooted in.
sourcing the highest quality ingredients, deciding to be premium and not shying away from that. I remember quite candidly that it was a bit of a hard sell to buy the beef jerky to bring in when I was working for the catering company because you could look and go, well, there's another beef jerky that we can get for a lot less. And we talk about that a lot here on the podcast. I'm so glad, Sarah, that you're here today because we can talk about finances.
and channel decisions for profit margin reasons. But I think a key part of this and something we always also try to drive home here is that you can't have success without very clear brand identity and a marketing strategy that matches the price point, for example, that you are selling your product at. So can you speak a little bit to maybe how the two of you collaborate or a little bit of the sort of behind the scenes of how you choose the
of right places for your product to appear.
So, you I think for us, it really comes down to this customer centric approach to our business. And you hear that a lot, right? you Amazon's not customer, they're customer obsessed, right? Like, there's a reason why Amazon's gotten to the place where they are is because they are customer obsessed. And we've and there's a lot of value to that, even for small and medium sized business, but really taking that sort of customer centric strategy really informs the products that we make and the channels that we go into. And what that means is that
really starts from understanding our customer needs. So, you know, is this product that we're developing, is it solving a problem? Is it helping a customer achieve their goals? Or is it just, you know, allowing them to grow their life in some way? And so that starts with, you know, having interactions and relationships with our customers and going deep and really building that relationship. like, even for me, like I love, you know,
It might be anecdotal information, but being able to have phone calls and email interactions with customers to sort of pick what those things are and then help build what those products might be. And the last thing that I'll say before I kick it over to Sarah is that in today's world, it's really easy to work backwards. In other words, we have so many advancements in technology and manufacturing capability and create these products that have all of these benefits.
But if those benefits aren't serving the needs of a customer or a real need of what people are looking for, then it's not going to be successful. really focusing again on that customer, what their needs are, how do we build products for those customer needs and wants. so, Sarah, I would love for you to talk about the Jerky Crisps product and how that's an example of us really executing on that customer-centered strategy.
I also will add before I dive into the Jerky Crisps, ultimately to like to build on that, like people are at the center of our business, whether it's, you know, a customer, if it's a vendor, a supplier, all those like human connections really builds loyalty from every aspect of the business. That's why we really try to pull our story through to have that like emotional connection, you know, build that repeat business. And then that creates, you know, positive word of mouth. So all of those human interactions and
constantly reminding ourselves that at the end of the day, it really is about relationships, I think is really critical. But to speak specifically to finding a problem and then finding a solution to that, one of our recent developments within the last couple of years is creating this product called the Jerky Crisp. And it's similar, if you can imagine, a potato chip. So it's circular and it's a very, very thinly sliced cut of beef.
And it's made with three simple ingredients. it's beef seasoned with light amount of salt and water. it's stripped down. It's a nutritional powerhouse has 40 grams of protein and 1.8 ounce bag. But we were really going after customers who wanted a very, very stripped down, simple, clean product. You know, not, they didn't want junk or fillers in that product. So we've decided to kind of make this like crunchy.
unique snack and this play on a potato chip. And we've gotten such positive feedback from it. And I think it's, it's, you know, addressing that problem. You know, there's finding a healthy potato chip like snack on the market wasn't there. And so kind of coming up with this with beef jerky helped to resolve that issue.
I that. I think what's really interesting, if I might dig into this, and this is not a marketing podcast, but I think to be successful financially, you have to get this piece right. You are not the only company selling beef jerky, right? Beef jerky, I think when you look at the cost per ounce, it's a more premium product, I think, in a lot of instances compared to non-jerky beef. But how do you stand out? How do you…
differentiate how do your products serve a different need say than another beef jerky brand? And the reason I'm asking this for full transparency is because there are so many jam companies, flavored nut companies, chip companies, right? Where we think, okay, ours is different. It is premium, but it's so hard to break through because they haven't maybe identified.
how to do it. They haven't found their customer and they don't really know them well enough to speak directly to them. So I'm just really curious about kind of cracking this open like a little bit more, Sarah, and sort of hearing about your work in this area.
Yeah, ultimately you can't be all things to all people, both in your personal life and also professionally. I've learned that, right? So I think with that being said, the jerky space in general has transformed over the last decade, right? And I think something that makes us very unique is our old school style of beef jerky, which is our texture ultimately. So we make a drier style of jerky.
And we really have owned that space and really leaned into it and really market it as an old school cowboy style jerky that people love and really appreciate. And so I think that's what makes us different is yeah, it's a little bit, you know, drier and tougher, but that's because we don't, you know, pump it full of preservatives and additives. It's a very simple handmade process. And we've actually maintained that handmade element.
for nearly 100 years, which I think speaks to our longevity, the quality of our product. So instead of shying away from that and making a very processed style jerky, which could be the easier way to do it, or maybe even the cheaper way of doing it, we shy away from that. We really lean into that handmade process. And we always say to like, you'll never find two pieces of jerky that are the same because genuinely from start to finish, everything is done by hand. So I think.
The quality of our product is really what differentiates us from other companies, big, tricky companies out there for sure.
And then one thing that I'll add to that too, it's a really good point, but that's not something we always knew. Like that was a lesson that we had to go through. At least I went through, you know, cause Sarah's talking about a lot of the innovation that's happening in the jerky space. And a lot of it was around flavor and, you know, cleaning up the ingredients and texture. And the market was expanding because some of the brands were figuring out ways to process it so that it had a softer texture and appeal to a wider audience. And so while this was happening here internally, like I was figuring out, okay, how do we change our product? How do we adapt to this? Right? How do we get a softer jerky?
And what I realized is that like kind of moved us away from like who we were and like what made our product different. Now, you know, are we ever going to be a huge international jerky brand that appeals to the widest audience? No, but the thing is we don't want to be that. so like Sarah's a hundred percent right. And that's something that we've really learned over the years is like she says really well said, you can't be all things to all people. And I think once we've kind of figured that piece out, it's allowed us to really focus on communicating with customers.
why our product is the way it is, educating them through product photography and video and reviews and talking about, no, it's this way on purpose because it's super clean. So yeah, was a learning process for sure. It's not something that we've always known, but now that we've figured it out, think it's been something that we've really leaned into.
Yeah, you're echoing, both of you are echoing something that we've heard other founders say here on the podcast. It was like this idea of staying true to your version of the product, your vision for the product and really leaning into that and making sure that people are aware of it. The amazing pickle brand, my favorite pickles ever, they come from the East Coast. They're refrigerated. They're in a big jar.
They have whole pickle spears in it and then lots of little pickle bits on the top. And people were trying to convince them early on to use other ingredients so that you could be on the shelf and not have to be in a different area of the grocery store, to have a smaller jar, just all these things. And it was like, it can be so easy, Brian, as you're kind of pointing out, to be swept up in, well, this is what so-and-so is saying, or this is what people are liking. so
We need to be where the other pickles are. We need to be soft and appealing to more people. But really what makes you different can become the thing that makes you successful rather than the opposite. And I think it's so easy to kind of let fear creep in to sway you.
think we need to find out the pickle company because we have a dill pickle beef jerky and that would be a nice little collaboration there.
Okay, well, I'll shout them out right here. The Fishtown Pickle Project. I think the listeners here know that they're my favorite, but I'll connect you to it if you'd like. I want to dive a little bit more into the business and if we can, I'm going to kind of dig a little into some finance stuff. I'm curious if Margin for a particular channel plays a role.
in your decision making and what that process might look like. So what I'm imagining in my head is like, Sarah's like, hey, we have this great new opportunity in this channel or in this store, let's say. Brian, let's move on it. Can we make it happen? Are you then going, Sarah, what is the price point you're offering them? And let's calculate the margins? Or what does that behind the scenes work look like?
Yeah, good question. So margin is a very important piece of decisions when we look at opportunities, but it's not the only thing that we look at because we sell omnichannel and you know, we have online offline, we have channels of different scales. There's a different set of parameters that we're looking at when we evaluate opportunities. I will say that you know, margin is probably the most important because we have to make our money. We're in the business of making money like we're not a marketing company.
We're also like, think an important piece of what we do that makes us different is, you know, our long-term goals are maybe different than other brands that are looking to sell one day. You know, maybe they are, you know, they have their VC backed or, and they're looking to exit and sort of sell at some point, which they're going to have a different sort of plan. So for us, because we have no plans to sell and we want to operate, this is a, you know, profitable, sustainable, privately held long-term company. We're in the business of making money. So margin is important, but there are, I think.
opportunities outside of margin, depending on the channel that can lift the entire business. And each channel has different risks. Our business example, because we produce everything in-house, there's a fixed capacity of what we can make. Right? And most businesses that are making their own product, right, are ultimately going to have that feeling on their business. mean, there's options to grow, but let's just say for our conversation that there's a ceiling. So my job is to figure out where can we sell our product? Where can I fill that capacity? Where can I sell that capacity in the best possible way for the business?
So margin is important, but also diversifying our channels hedging against one channel the other. Like I don't want to sell everything to Amazon because what happens if Amazon comes back and raises their commission from 15 to 20 % or they, know, our listings get shut down for some reason that we can't control and we're not selling on Amazon for a week or two while we figure it out. That presents a lot of risk. So, you know, that's part of that equation too. The way that we look at our channel, our channels, our website is
really a focal point for us. And we really see that as the long-term future for our business. It offers the best margins. We own the relationships with the customers and customer data. And then as we build our audience, we see opportunities to cross sell to them, introduce new products and really extract more value. for us, we really see our website as being our long-term focus, but something like Amazon has a really important role as well.
because it allows us to generate cash flow to invest in other areas of our business. can tap into the Amazon audience who is high spending and engaged and supports brands that they find. Amazon's not going anywhere. So that's a really important piece of what we do as well. But again, there's so many different kind of factors that go into that decision making. But at the end of the day, one thing that our dad has told us over and over again is that volume's great, but if you're not making money on it, what's it going to do for your business?
you know, him always in the back of our heads, you to like, go back to the example of like, Sarah coming to me and say there's an opportunity, it would then be like me thinking, okay, what would my dad say in this instance, right behind like, are we going to make money on it? Like, what are our margins, you know, and that kind of the theme is that, you know, why do more for less, right? When you can do less for more. And that's sort of the secret of our business. And whether that's the price point, whether that's where we sell, that's the customers, that's always kind of been our
Do you focus a lot on advertising, online ads and driving people to your website?
We definitely invest a decent amount of money in terms of trying to acquire new customers. We're trying to funnel in new ones all the time. It's important to have that kind of healthy, steady flow of new customers. So we do like a lot of meta advertising, which has been great in the past year. You know, and we're always trying to come up with different ways of really getting our brand out there, increasing our brand exposure awareness. We always say, you know, we have such a unique and special story.
And it's really just trying to get as many ears out there to listen and to really hear us. And we have a quality product to back it up. So they just, it's a matter of getting in front of as many customers, having them try the product and then keeping them as a customer.
Yeah. I want to ask if there's anything – I'm going to use the F word. Has anything ever just failed? Like an idea, a product launch, something internal that you thought, this initiative is going to be great and it just didn't work out?
What do you mean? We're perfect.
Should we say one, two, three and say what we think and see if it's the same thing? I'll outline to it first. you know, one area that we also differentiate ourselves is our flavor development. You know, the beauty of the size of our company is that we can innovate pretty quickly. We have a test kitchen here on site. So, you know, we're always cooking up small batches of new things and not every flavor is a winner. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. And we've come out with like
love that idea.
I'm thinking of pumpkin, we could do pumpkin spice jerky, which was like a little bit tongue in cheek to like make fun of the whole pumpkin spice craze. But we came out with it. We put it out there. Some people loved it and some people absolutely hated it. But even though the people that hated it were so vocal about it, created conversation. It created excitement. It created this discourse about pumpkin spice jerky that we never even knew would be a thing. And it really just kind of lifted the entire, that entire program and they're like our test kitchen program. So yeah.
Bad feedback and response on things is not always a bad thing. yeah, I would say probably the most controversial flavor we've ever come up with is probably the pumpkin spice.
That's fine.
I can see why. Which is funny because to this day, we'll still get people, customers who reach out and they're like, are you bringing the slavery back? We loved it. So it's funny. Some people, they love it. Some people, they hate it. It's very polarizing, but it works.
Do you have something you want to throw in the ring, As a failure, it just didn't work out how you thought it would.
one. I think I so I think for as long as I've been working at the company, I wouldn't say it's it's like a complete failure. But I feel like we've never truly what we say is like cracked in on social media. I feel like we have like such a strong presence and a strong following. But I think really trying to engage even a larger audience or really try to like make
money from just our organic side of social media has been a challenge.
Yeah. I love that you're saying that because I've talked about this here on the podcast before too. A lot of people think that that is a way to sell your product, more eyes on social or finding that audience or a well-performing post is an actual strategy. I don't think that it is. I think it's important to exist. You know what I mean? It's proof of identity and you can get a personality.
Like even for the podcast, you know, of course we have social, but the way that we grow is word of mouth. You know what I mean? It's us networking with people. It's our listeners going and talking to other people and other founders and saying, hey, you should check out this show. So I just love that you are kind of calling that out and then also saying like, it's not a winner for us per se, but yet you still have a growing.
business from what I understand. I just think that that's so critical in this day and age to share. thank you for that.
Sure, yeah, think it can work for some brands out there for sure, right? And I think we've, I feel like we've done so much with social media and I've really tried to like extract as much value from it. And then I think to your point, I finally, we both finally realized like, you know what? I think it's valuable to have a presence on there and to engage with our customers and people as much as we can and to post things.
but it's not going to be, you know, this like source of revenue channel for us. And that's fine. Right. So I think it was a big learning curve for sure.
Yeah. you find that having given newsletter and do you find that that's a great source of business, particularly to your DTC website?
and I'll let you take that one since you write it.
I mean, you're in charge of all the, you do an amazing job with it.
Also, we have a specific newsletter that Brian writes, bi-monthly. I handle all of our email marketing, which has been amazing for us. We have a very strong customer relationship in general. People are very engaged with us and we have tons of email subscribers. It's been great over the years. Yes, email marketing has been huge for us, really important. Then to engage them even further, besides our promotional emails of new flavors or
promotions, discounts, what's currently happening. Brian writes a bi-monthly, so every other month, a newsletter, specific newsletter within our email marketing, just speaking to anything that's going on, the challenges we face, speaking to our brand. And that's just another way as well to really reach out to our customers. He always encourages them to write back. He responds to every single email. And I think that just adds that level of personalization and really trying to touch every customer.
Let them be heard, right? We're nothing without our customers, so it's really important to us.
Yeah, it seems like people, like the importance of people in this current world that we live in, which is so transactional. You've said it multiple times. It's like core and key to your success. I just, again, I love that you're talking about that. A couple more financial things I want to talk about, growth. I think that it's so common for there to be a focus on
higher revenues and more, more, more, and it being a very fast pace at which you achieve, you know, top line growth as founders and, you know, folks operating food businesses. And I'm curious, I mean, after being in business for so many years, how much of your focus on growth is on the top line versus how much of it is like in the business and sort of extracting sort of more efficiency and more profit, right? Like out of the business itself. And do you
strive to have big leaps every single year.
Yeah, it's a good question. think there's this perception out there, there's this narrative that for you to be successful as a business or business person, you have to be big. You have to have national distribution. You have to have millions of customers. You have to scale to a certain size to achieve success. And I think that absolutely can be true. And there are so many examples of that. The only thing... Your listeners could take away one thing. It's that we're here to say there's an alternative path out there. You don't have to go that...
you can achieve profitable paced growth and build a durable, sustainable business. And I think like our businesses is an example of exactly that. So when we think about top line growth, profit, all of those things, what we're looking about is the durability of that growth and understanding that there's larger macro economic forces happening that like some years are going to be tougher than others, right? There's, so many things outside of our control as, business owners that, you know,
investing in that durability piece is going to allow us to survive the down years and be able to push in the good years. So like, you know, we're a privately held company, we are completely self-financed, you know, we've been able to grow through profit and like really, we don't take on any major debt. And again, that comes down to those like basic principles of like, are we profitable? Are we achieving our margins? Now do we want to, you know, and that also frees us up.
if we want to gamble a little bit and there is an opportunity where, you know what, this opportunity, you we might not make as much money, but it might unlock this other retailer or this other relationship, or, you know, it might open up some other doors. puts us in a position to be able to make those gambles without losing everything. yeah, to answer your question, I think we, yeah, we've always been about paced growth. We've always been about profitable growth. And, you know, it's not just about top line revenue hitting a certain number. It's like,
how much money you put in your pocket at the end of the day.
Yeah. Your legacy, right, fourth generation business, for a listener that might be out there saying, for you guys to say, somebody else did the hard work of establishing the business and getting it set up and maybe putting you guys in a more comfortable place to run the business.
When Sarah and started the business, and specifically when I started the business, we were completely a single channel business. made our products, we had our manufacturing capability and we made a handful of jerky products. But when we came in here, the business was at a certain size and scale and maturity level. And from that, we really built a business on top of
which was e-commerce and building out a brand and going out to different retail partners and really taking it to the next level. so absolutely we started on second base of this whole deal without a doubt. But we were able to take what we have and then really take that to the next level and evolve it in a lot of ways. And that had its own set of challenges because there was a lot of processes that we had to completely break and change. in some ways I wish we could have started from scratch because then we could have built it exactly how we wanted.
where when we made that transition, like they had been doing things for decades up until that point. and you know, whether it was dealing with certain employees or certain processes in the manufacturing process, we had to unlearn these things as an organization to be able to migrate into maybe a more, you know, e-commerce digital space. And so, yeah, I will not deny that we definitely have a lot of advantages, but sometimes when you have a legacy business,
You have to break a lot of things and unlearn a lot of things before you can grow and move forward.
Yeah.
I I will say too, if I can add on, as much as having multi-generational business, how empowering it is to have that, it definitely comes with a lot of challenges as well. to speak to Brian's point too, our dad had never ever marketed the business, ever. So we completely had to build that from scratch, right? It wasn't like it was like this big old thing that everyone knew about and we just kind of slid right in there. I think it took...
a lot of legwork, time, innovation and drive ultimately. The fact that we really care and invest in the company as the next generation, I think that speaks to what we are as the next owners as well. really take pride in it and we take a lot of responsibility and taking the business to the next level. wasn't just handed to us. And I also want to acknowledge too, our parents also gave us a lot of the space and freedom
to kind of, you know, take the business to the next level. And they trusted our judgment, which I think has been very important. And I think Brian and I are both very grateful for that. It's really been incremental in terms of our experience at the company as well.
Yeah. And I'm remembering back, so when I found you on the internet, it was before I think you were in the CEO seat potentially, Brian. I think it was like 2015, 2014, something like that. So that would explain why then I hadn't seen you anywhere at that point because your dad was still potentially in charge and sort of doing things that way. I think, thank you for answering that question. I think that
You know, no matter what, you know, someone being able to survive the first five years of a small business and then the first 10 years, and then to get to that fourth generation and for you all to be building it on your own terms, right? In a way that speaks to where your customers are today. There's so much to learn from that and there's so much value in that. And I just really appreciate you again, acknowledging and answering that question and, and also sharing, you know, the fact that you did change the model.
really right from where it was when you started because it is like starting a brand new business but sometimes a little bit harder because you've got to, yeah, like you said, break some things to make new things. I know that being a part of the Los Angeles business community is extremely important to both of you. Brian, the way we reconnected was through the Made in LA Coalition, which you are the co-founder of. That's an organization that's supporting manufacturers across Los Angeles County.
I am dying to get involved. This is a matter of time. There's been a couple of some fires and some things going on here in LA that have taken our attention. But can you tell listeners about Made in LA Coalition and what you're striving to do and the actions you're currently taking?
Yeah, absolutely. So you mean you know this better than most, but LA is truly a hotbed of entrepreneurs, owners, operators, people that are making products and building businesses here in Los Angeles. And LA is not what comes to mind when you think of, you know, the hotbeds of manufacturing and brand building and company building. But the truth is, is that it really is. And so we feel like that's
a story that just needs to be told more. And I think there's a demand out there from a consumer standpoint to support local. And so we're trying to connect these businesses that are making these products with consumers. so we've been, you the last six months, we've been recruiting businesses, we have 35 businesses that are participating all here locally, all making consumer products and working together to share resources, to lift the stories of our businesses, and then also work with policymakers to see if we can make it.
a little bit easier to operate a small business or a business here in Los Angeles.
Yeah. I mean, every piece of that is so important. What really gets me excited is that focus on policy. I I'm based in Los Angeles. I have clients across the country and something that, you know, a conversation that happens here in LA more than in any other area. And it could be because I'm here, you know what mean, that these conversations happen, but the rent increases. The things that happen sort of to a business.
and that are completely out of their control. A lot of people to kind of pick on the minimum wage increase, and it's like every good food business I know is paying their people well above minimum wage. That is not even a factor that people are concerned about. At least in my little world of LA-based small businesses, what they care about is the zero control over rent increases. I mean, we have
a founder whose rent is going to go up 4X per square foot, just like that. How do you create a successful business financially? The effects that that then has on customer relationships that you've both spoken to so much today, it impacts it so negatively when you look at the numbers and you say, in order for me to make this work now, I have to raise the price of my product.
And it is happening in a way that I kind of had no control over. Sure, you could move, but there's a whole host of other expenses and things and business, you know, interruption that happens with that. really connecting with policymakers to talk about what is broken here, what is not working, the unlevel playing field that corporations have in not only this city, but many across the country compared to small businesses, I think is really, really important too.
get louder about. So I wanted to thank you for co-founding the Made in LA Coalition. Thank you for spreading the word about it here. And I just want to put out to our listeners, if there are similar organizations in your area, we'd love to hear about them. You can email us at hello at the goodfoodcfo.com. We want to continue to elevate organizations like this and conversations with policymakers to really truly change the food industry and make it possible for
our neighbors to support our businesses because they want to. But oftentimes it can be difficult too for financial reasons, you know, even if the desire is there.
Yeah, absolutely. I appreciate that. And I think you really touched on some important issues that are relevant to like all small businesses that I talked to, you know, in this in this coalition on a daily basis. one of those things is what seems like these, you know, opposing forces of wanting to take care of your employees offer them, you know, living wages and benefits and everything that they deserve is like hardworking employees.
with having to operate a profitable business with the cost of every other segment of your business going up. That is where I think small businesses are really getting squeezed. then you layer on the rent and all those other things. that's a big issue, right? Like affordability in California is not just a business issue. It's a much bigger issue. But I think what's important for not only us, but also policymakers to look at is that small businesses and businesses can be a partner in this process. And we want to work together.
to find solutions so that everybody wins. Like we're a business that's committed to our employees, committed to our community. It makes a ton of financial sense for us to move the business to Texas or out somewhere else, but we don't, we're not going to, we wanna stay, we wanna make this work. And so to answer your question, how do you do that? We're ruthless with our cost analysis, we spend a ton of time going through everything.
negotiating with our vendors, not to take advantage of them, but to find opportunities where we can both win, to allow us to continually invest back into the business, back into our people and continuing to grow our business. But yeah, I mean, for your listeners out there that have businesses, you're not alone. I mean, this is something that we're all contending with. And part of the work with the Made in LA Coalition is trying to do something about it.
I also love the fact that you're like, yes, we're going to talk to policymakers. Yes, we're going to try to create some change, but we're also really dialing in. You know what I mean? We're really tuning into our cause. We're really understanding our business because whatever you can control, take control of it. I do firmly believe that. Then speak up about those things that sort of feel out of your control.
I really appreciate the opportunity to talk with you. It always feels really good to connect with like-minded people. The only thing that I would leave your listeners with is that we're always open to conversation. So whether it's on LinkedIn or through our website or email, whatever it might be, please reach out to us. If we can be a resource to you and help other business owners and build that network, we are 100 % open to it and invite it. Anyone that's interested in learning about the Made in LA Coalition, it's a great opportunity to...
to connect with other businesses and learn more and participate in the work that we're doing.
Amazing and we're going to put all the links in our show notes, but will you just share them here as well for folks who are not not able to click through to the show notes and they maybe just want to hear them?
Yeah, absolutely. So we're peopleschoicebeefjerky.com is our website, best way to find us. You know, go to LinkedIn, Brian Bianchetti, Sarah Bianchetti. And then the Made in LA Coalition is just madein.la.
Well, thank you both so much for your time today. I think this was an incredibly interesting and invaluable episode. bring so much to the table for founders, whether they're just getting started or they're in business many, many years. So I thank you so much for your insight and your time. I hope you both have an amazing day.
Thank you so much for time. it.
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