Erica Liu Williams made a career switch from working in tech for more than a decade to selling granola. Every year she and her husband do a month-long cleanse after the Super Bowl and eliminate refined sugar, flour, alcohol, dairy, soy and processed foods. Williams wanted more healthy snack options and watched a celebrity chef make granola on “Food Network.” She made a big batch of homemade granola without any refined sugar and it quickly turned into a household staple.
Williams wondered if other people would like the granola as much as she and her husband did and gave herself three months to launch her product at a local farmers market. After selling more than 30 bags on her first day, she signed up for more. Williams officially launched her company, Gr8nola, while working in tech full-time in June 2013.
Williams got her first big break in 2014 when a friend at Google introduced her to their food team and she landed a spot at their annual Micro Kitchen fair. Google employees voted for Gr8nola as a snack they wanted stocked in their company kitchens. Her first purchase order from Google was for 1,400 pounds of granola! Even though Williams quit working in tech to focus on Gr8nola full-time in 2017, her business is still connected to the tech world. Gr8nola is offered as an office snack at Google, Dropbox, LinkedIn, Twitter, Uber and Slack.
You sell Gr8nola to tech companies. What made you decide on that strategy?
In the beginning, selling to tech companies was by chance. There was no intentional strategy when I started the business. But winning Google as my first big customer enabled me to build out the corporate channel first, which is less common in the industry since most food brands typically start in retail. Fortunately, supplying tech companies has its advantages. It’s less crowded, brings more volume and my product gets consumed quickly because employees get to eat Gr8nola for free.
On the flipside, the retail space—particularly grocery—is incredibly competitive and expensive. When you’re a small, unknown brand, it’s hard to fight for shelf space and sell-through your product when you’re up against more established brands with bigger marketing budgets and cheaper pricing. However, I’ve recently been getting “pulled” into the retail space because a few local retailers have proactively brought Gr8nola into their markets. I’m currently in a handful of grocery stores today, but I’ve made a deliberate choice not to actively pursue too many grocery stores as long as I can sustain strong growth in my other channels.
What are the most important characteristics someone needs to have to be successful in your role?
I’ve got three! First, you need passion. You just can’t go through everything you deal with as an entrepreneur if you don’t have an incredible love for you what you do and if you’re not fueled by purpose.
Second, you need persistence. You’ll get so many nos and non-responses in this industry. You just have to be relentless when it comes to following up. So many customers rejected me initially, but I was able to eventually win their business—even years later—because I always checked in and stayed top of mind.
Lastly, the ability to execute. People often get hung up on planning, strategy and vision. This can paralyze you—especially in the beginning. I’m constantly trying to move the needle forward and no progress is too small. Remember, building a business is a series of micro moments, not one cataclysmic event.
What’s the biggest lesson you learned at work and how did you learn it?
Start lean and validate your product quickly. I took the lean startup mentality I learned during my tech career and first proved I had an exceptional product with the fewest resources possible. A lot of people over-invest in an unproven concept when they start. Instead, find the scrappiest, fastest way to test demand for your product and prove people are willing to pay for it.
What is one thing that you wish you had known when you were starting out your career?
It’s okay to take a complete leap of faith and try something new that you have no experience with. I spent nearly a decade of my life competitively swimming. I was on a scholarship at Stanford University and competed at the Olympic Trials twice! I quit my sophomore year after being so unhappy in the sport for so long.
The sudden increase in free time gave me an opportunity to get my foot in the door of an industry I had no experience in, tech. Looking back, I could have easily ended up in a different industry altogether if I didn’t leave my swimming career at that time. Without my successful run in tech and the strong network I’ve built from it, there’s no way I would have been able to scale Gr8nola into what it’s become today through my corporate channel.
Similarly, I’m obviously so glad I took that same leap with starting Gr8nola despite never working in the food industry. Remember, everyone’s new to a field or skill set at some point, and it’s never too late to leave something behind in order to start something new!
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
“Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.” In other words, dream big and chase after those dreams, but also be prepared for if the worst happens, as it sometimes does. Often things aren’t in your control, and I’ve found that the people who fare the best in any situation are those who are ready for Plan A to work out, but also have Plans B, C, D, E, F and G ready to go.
What is your business advice for other young professional women?
Don’t underestimate the power of networking! When I started Gr8nola, I had no choice but to network in order to figure out the basics of how to sell a food product, find vendors and manufacturers and learn about the industry and its regulations. I had to build my network from scratch, initially out of necessity, simply to survive as a business.
It’s also important to network when you don’t actively need something because you never know what can come from it or how people can help and vice versa. One person will lead you to another person who will lead you to the next person. That person could be your next big break, lead you to your dream job or completely alter your path for the better!
