This week on The EnTRUEpreneurship Podcast, Wes hosts Shauna Martin, CEO and Founder of Daily Greens — a green juice brand that has been an absolute hit, ever since it first landed at farmers’ markets less than five years ago. The success of Daily Greens is astounding; without major funding or brokers, this brand went from small Texas farmers’ markets to Whole Foods stores nationwide in the first two years of business and continues to grow in the midst of rising competition.
But, behind the success of Daily Greens is the story of a woman whose life was saved by the very thing that she has found success in selling — green juice. In the podcast, Shauna shares how the personal story of her battle with breast cancer was positively impacted by this miracle beverage, how her love of green juice pushed her from practicing law to chasing her passion, and gives advice on how to remain “scrappy” in an industry filled with big players with deep pockets.
The EnTRUEpreneurship Takeaway:
“Getting the distribution out there and getting on the shelf is the most important thing. If you’re not on the shelf, you can have the best story in the world, but if someone gets inspired by your story and goes to the grocery store and finds your competitor, they’re just going to buy that.”
“I spent the summer thinking, ‘What am I passionate about? If I could change the world for the better in some way, how would I do that?’ For me, that’s getting green juice into the hands of everyone, so that everyone can be healthy every day.”
“People like the story. They like the story of why I started the brand — there’s a reason behind it, and people really connect with that.”
“It’s been kind of a crazy ride. I think being naive was helpful in a lot of respects.”
Bullet Points (w/ timestamps) – Highlighting key topics discussed:
1:12: Shauna begins telling the Daily Greens story of how she became an “accidental entrepreneur” after practicing law for 18 years.
2:35: Shauna shares how, in 2005, she became diagnosed with breast cancer, which caused her to change her diet, and how, in the midst of that journey, she became a connoisseur and advocate of green juice.
4:37: Martin relives the Daily Greens journey, from making the decision to move away from law to selling juice at farmers’ markets to ultimately getting her product onto Whole Foods shelves.
8:07: Wes asks Shauna how, with a background in law, she learned about the ins and outs of the world of juicing.
9:07: Shauna speaks on the skepticism of her friends and family during this career shift but reflects on the moment that she really knew she had something special.
10:38: Martin shares about the most challenging part of her first year of business and gives some insight into how to motivate people to work for free.
12:27: Shauna gives insight into the importance of a good brand story when battling big industry players and shares what she believes has been the biggest key to Daily Greens’s success.
15:22: Shauna discusses the story behind her new book — Daily Greens 4-Day Cleanse.
17:15: Shauna reflects on what have been her biggest challenges since the start of Daily Greens and how she has learned to overcome the feeling that there is never quite enough funding.
18:15: Martin rounds out the podcast by reflecting on her journey as a whole and how, given the choice and aside from the difficulties, she would absolutely take the ride all over again.
Bullet List of Resources –
Shauna Martin
Daily Greens
BOOK: Daily Greens 4-Day Cleanse
Photograph by Brian Fitzsimmons