Adam Bremen 13:20
There’s cool stories all the time. I, you know, I walk down the aisles and look at how our inventories doing and I’ll see a customer that will be like looking at the bar, not necessarily Keto Krisp, I’ll just walk up and have a conversation with them and I remember distinctly having a conversation with this particular gentleman, he had no idea about keto diet, and he was looking for a better food alternative and I explained to him my story and you know, we exchanged contact information and I’ve kept in touch with them and you know, he’s a big fan of the bar and just, you know, taking the time to listen and understand where people are coming from, I think that that’s something I really enjoy and a real gift that I have is to be able to connect with people in and just because I care I always put myself in the position of the other person on the other end.
Joshua Chin 14:28
You know, I’m curious that’s something that most brands would claim to do. We are customer-centric we care for you, but not many actually put the have their actions match their words, like what you have done, so that I don’t think many brands or in many founders are willing to be like physically, physically present at their retail channel partners, locations and speak to customers on the ground. What is the motivation behind that? Or where do you get this idea from? Was it through something you’ve seen, or it’s just, you know, something that you felt was right to do.
Adam Bremen 15:15
I think it’s all the above, I think my whole life I’ve been around people, and that’s really where I get the most passion for, or excitement is just being around people and being able to share stories and, you know, understanding where people are coming from and why and what makes them tick. And just, you know, I understand, you know, there’s so many, for example, in our bar business, there’s so many bars that they could choose from, or choose for, and I’m just so thankful and grateful that they decided to give us a chance, it means a lot, you know, because our relationships and our, you know, what we stand for as human beings is the most important thing at the end of the day, right. And, you know, people work very hard for their money and what they do, and for them to give me an opportunity to come into their lives and help them, you know, that means the world to me.
Joshua Chin 16:15
If you could go back in time, to 2018 or 2019, just right before you started the company. Is there anything you would do differently? Knowing what you know now?
Adam Bremen 16:28
Um, no, I think, obviously, there’s, there’s, there are positive and negative things towards any business. I mean, you might make a decision here or there differently. But I think, even in the ones that aren’t great, you learn from them. Every day, if you take something away that you learned and gotten better, I really think that that’s what it’s all about, too. Yeah. I mean, there are things you say, well, but if I knew this, I would have done that. But you don’t know until you experience it. So I think, yeah, obviously, it’s been said before, experience is the best teacher.
Joshua Chin 17:10
Tell me why, this is, something I heard from a podcast that you were a guest in? I believe it’s called the Positively Real Podcast. And you in that podcast, as you mentioned, that gratitude is your favorite word. Can you speak to that a little?
Adam Bremen 17:30
Yeah, because it’s got the word great. And it’s got attitude. And in, in the word and I love life is great. And to have a great attitude is everything, you know, attitude. You know, success breeds success, positivity, breeds positivity and attitude is everything. And fortunately, I’ve been lucky enough to really have my attitude is my calling card. And when you have that positive attitude, it doesn’t matter what obstacles are in the way you’re always going to be able to get through and, and move and if you believe in yourself and your ability and you believe in others, you know, that’s really where the crux of CanDo comes from. It’s about what we can do. And just focusing on that and finding a way and staying positive and staying humble. And, you know, being supportive of one another being a cheerleader, being a fan having fun, you know, life is, is much more fun with a smile on your face. I just think you know, it’s just, it’s great. It’s an opportunity to connect with people it’s an opportunity to be excited for what’s ahead and we’re excited for what’s ahead and I’m just excited to be here you know.
Joshua Chin 18:51
I love that. Life is more fun with a smile on your face. I think that’s a good quote. So what are some other brands that you feel does a good job at branding and what they do with the DTC channels?
Adam Bremen 19:12
Well, one of my favorite brands and good friends is the Kor Shots. I really like Kor Shots a lot. I love a brand called Koya they do a great job. Vital Proteins does a great job. There’s so many brands that that that I love you know, you know just looking down the row, it’s been great, you know?
Joshua Chin 19:50
What, what are what is your advice for someone who’s just starting out on keto, or trying to change their lifestyle for the better at that tipping point, I know it’s speaking from personal experience, making that change is incredibly difficult. But once you’re in on that train, it’s way easier to stick with what the current lifestyle is.
Adam Bremen 20:16
You know, for me here, and I think this is important for everybody is set, attainable goals. You know, you always want to set yourself up for success for you know, whether it’s the littlest of things you always just, you know, and then build upon that success. I remember when I started keto, I wasn’t keto, cold turkey, I was just, you know, every day I would try to, I would just stay away from sugar. Or I would say, you know, what, I’m not gonna have carbs today. And I was just, I would just, I wasn’t trying to, to reinvent the wheel, I was just trying to ride on it. And I didn’t, you know, I just wanted to try to, to, to, to get some momentum, you know, there wasn’t.
Joshua Chin 21:11
So one step at a time.
Adam Bremen 21:13
Yes, exactly. One step at a time.
Joshua Chin 21:17
What’s that? So the first thing that you did was just to reduce the amount of sugar that you’re taking in every single day? Is that a good first step that you recommend?
Adam Bremen 21:27
Yeah, I mean, I would do that. And then I would, you know, just drink as much water as you can, I think, you know, just and, you know, look at, look at what you’re putting in your mouth, you know, is this really a great decision or not, you know, think of think about what did you know, and how your body reacts, and it’s just like fuel for your car, you know, it just you want to look at your, you know, looking at your food decisions and thinking through it a little bit. It’s not rocket science, you know, you know, keep it simple.
Joshua Chin 22:06
And let’s shift the focus a little bit to your business. Now you have retail store locations, that you’re, that you’re selling at, as well as the online direct-to-consumer channel. What have you seen are the strengths or advantages in being in both, versus a natively online direct consumer only brand?
Adam Bremen 22:34
Well, I think obviously, when you go into retail, you have the ability to reach more people quickly, or, you know, however, with COVID, I understand that people are not looking, they’re basically going in and buying what they want, and then getting out, you know. So they’re really not exploring as much. With the DTC, you’re able to control your messaging a little bit more and be a little bit more interactive with your customer. You know, at the store level, you know, your, your products on the shelf, obviously, this, this display is critical and things of that nature. But you do have more control at the DTC level than you do at the retail level. However, at the retail, because you’re in all those locations, you know, your product, is more visible quickly.
Joshua Chin 23:45
Makes sense. And did you start with retail first or DTC first?
Adam Bremen 23:50
No, it was a combination of both of them. We, you know, we threw the bars up on our website, ketokrisp.com. And then we went to Amazon. And then our first retail store was a little health and wellness store locally, and we just, we just, you know, started from there. And I would literally do demos just every day just interacting with customers. And, hey, would you try a bar, we’d love to have you try it, and even today, I walk around passing out bars all the time.
Joshua Chin 24:25
Nice. And how do you match that? Or, how do you bridge the gap between customer feedback and what’s happening internally in product development? What’s your process of taking customer feedback and feeding that back to the team?
Adam Bremen 24:43
Well, I think that’s actually critical to success is actually listening to the customer. Like I’ve said before, that’s something that I’m really excited about and passionate about. And we have a process in place every time we come out with a new flavor. We target our top customers and we value their opinion and their loyalty and we send them out samples and we say, What do you like about this? What don’t you like? And what would you like to see differently? And really, really connect with them personally, and then we just kind of go from there then given their responses.
Joshua Chin 25:19
Incredible. Now, what is the proudest moment of your career so far and building Keto Krisp? If you had to choose just one?
Adam Bremen 25:32
My proudest moment for sure is the team that we’ve built around, I mean, you’re only as good as the people around you. And I’m really, really lucky to have a great team and, and so that really is the most proud to, to be able to start something with just a vision, and then to have a team grow into something that can really connect with a lot of people that give me the most excitement and just, you know, to be able to build this with so many close friends is, is something that I’m so excited about. And it’s really tough to put into words, but definitely, the team that we built it, just the, you know, the energy and passion that everybody has. It’s really infectious. And it’s just, it’s awesome. You know, that’s just so exciting. I can remember day one, you know, selling the first bar and how excited we were. And even today, we just, you know, a couple of weeks ago, we celebrated that we sold a million bars, and, you know, to be able to do that with the team and customers and just, you know, continuing to build and be appreciative with our retail partners, is something that that, you know, I never take for granted. And I’m so grateful for that.
Joshua Chin 26:56
Congratulations, man. A million bars. Wow. That’s incredible. That’s it, that’s a huge milestone, in just two years. They’re about less than two years.
Adam Bremen 27:09
Yes, less than two years. I, you know, you’re always hoping you think maybe you have a chance. And we’re really not sure. And I never really thought about like a million bar milestone, I just want to continue to share the story and, and, you know, connect with as many people as I could, if we could just, you know, building a brand one day at a time.
Joshua Chin 27:39
It seems like you’re focused on the now the present of just, you know, enjoying the moment building those relationships, doing good work, building an amazing product, and not worrying too much about the milestones or the, that the goals and stuff. How do you, you know, as a founder, coming from a founder as well, how do you bounce that stress of you know, on one hand, I do want to be present, and, and grateful for what we’ve built today and enjoy the moment of building those relationships. On the other hand, the stress of hitting targets, and meeting those expectations and milestones. How do, what do you do to do you have any practices that help you bridge that, that gap?
Adam Bremen 28:30
Well, yes, I think it’s really important to exercise, you know, so I try to exercise as much as I can, usually doing an activity a day that’s away from work or, or something, you know, you know, like playing tennis or going swimming or, or even just going for a walk outside and just enjoying the day and, you know, just, you know, taking time for yourself, I think is really important. But it’s really fun to be in the moment and to build the business. You know, it’s stressful at times, like anybody, but also the stress in the end that makes you stronger. And I think that that’s important as well. But it is a challenging thing. And you know, I’m learning every day, you know how to manage it. And I think everybody has their own sort of playbook. For me it’s, it’s, you know, I’m a big sports fan. So I’d take a few minutes and watch it again on TV or, you know, like I said, do a physical activity, like swim or play tennis or go for a walk or just do something to get away from it for a few minutes.
Joshua Chin 29:52
That’s great advice, man. Adam, what you’ve done is incredible. If you had a billboard on the busiest biggest highway in North America. What would you have it say?
Adam Bremen 30:12
That’s a great question. I would say, I would say that’s a good question. I’ve never thought –
Joshua Chin 30:29
It’s a, it’s kind of like a play around the idea of, if you could speak to the world all at once, like send a text, what would that be? It’s in a similar vein, that’s what it is. I’m taking this idea from, Tim Ferriss in his podcast, he often asked this question, I love it because it kind of encapsulates the core model or essence of the person.
Adam Bremen 30:59
It’s a good question, I would say, I would say thank you, and I love you, and I hope you’re doing well. I know that, that I would wish people well, love and happiness. That’s great. I believe that in the future, I think that that’s awesome. What would be on your billboard?
Joshua Chin 31:23
What will be on my billboard? Well,
Adam Bremen 31:29
I would say thank you. I’m really appreciative of people and to be here.
Joshua Chin 31:35
That’s a first you’d be surprised that, you know, I would think that more people say that, but that’s actually a first I asked the question a lot. And you’re the first person to say, have it say thank you. And, and I love you. That’s, that’s incredible. Um, my, my billboard would probably say, give it a shot. Just try. No, I think we’re often caught up in the what-ifs and the options and choices. And we often end up in a place where we get paralyzed with so many different options and pieces of information that we just get stuck and not do not move forward in any way. Whether it be due to fear or due to too many options. I think that’s what keeping, that’s what kept me behind. And that’s what kept me not moving quick enough. In the past, so I think it’s, it’s a little bit self-centered, but it’s what it’s also what I would tell myself if I could go back in time, and I think what many people need to hear.
Adam Bremen 32:46
But I think it’s great that and I’m constantly looking at myself and how I can improve and how I can do better. And you know, it’s really that self-reflection is critical. And that allows us to move forward. Stick the time and the, for example, you know, you were afraid and it’s, it’s, it’s okay to feel that, that that being afraid everybody has those worries. But you know, putting one step in front of the other and just saying going for what’s the worst thing that could happen? If it doesn’t work out? You just go back to what you do. And but you never know until you try it. So I like that a lot.
Joshua Chin 33:27
Thank you. And I was just having a conversation yesterday. And we were on this topic with a couple of friends. And the question that kind of stuck to me was, what’s the worst that could happen? What’s the worst that could happen? And if you’re okay, with the worst that could happen, just do it? Because the worst doesn’t always seem. It seems like it’s horrible. But when you actually put it down on paper, the worst isn’t that bad. As an outcome, what’s worse is not doing what you wanted to do in the first place.
Adam Bremen 34:04
That’s right. Exactly. I couldn’t agree more. Well said. You know, sometimes in the moment, it’s challenging to do that, but that’s how, you know, I always try every day to do something to get out of my comfort zone because I feel that’s how we expand as people and you know, you always want to challenge yourself, then you want to look around and see how can you put yourself in a position you know, what are the odds are more for you than against you, you know, you don’t want to make a crazy dumb decision. You want to, you want to look at it say hey, you know, I like my chances here. You know, because of this or because of that, you know?
Joshua Chin 34:53
I love that. It’s not a stupid plunge into the abyss of nothingness. It’s still calculated positions and risks that are meaningful. What are some of your favorite books or mentors that you learn from?
Adam Bremen 35:16
Well, my parents, for sure have been great mentors, my older brothers, a great mentor, my younger sister, a great mentor and family members, friends, books, I love reading all the Amazon books, read Jeff Bezos, just, you know, just life is a great experience teacher for me. You know, experience, this is the best teacher. So I try to experience life as best I can. And just leaning on people and asking questions, and but also listening, listening is the most important. And so I’m always reading something here or there. And, you know, just keeping my eyes and ears open. You know, what about you?
Joshua Chin 36:08
I, so I tend to read when it is just in time, I like just in time knowledge, like, there’s this issue that I need to solve, I’m going to pull out all the books I can about this certain topic, I’m going to skim through all of it, kind of go through speed reading, process and extract all the key pieces of information that resonates or doesn’t then figure out something that that that works or Frankenstein my way through. That’s kind of my approach. So I don’t I rarely read for leisure. The only time that I did was Shoe Dog by Phil Knight very recently.
Adam Bremen 36:52
Yes. Love the book.
Joshua Chin 36:55
Yeah, such an amazing story, the story of Nike and how they came to be, it’s so fascinating to think about, you know, you cuz personally coming into that, I would think that Nike, such a massively successful company, they must have had, you know, a pretty strong solid background of, you know, a strong team of founders who knew what they were doing in the first place. But the truth is this, the challenges and problems that that that Phil was facing, very similar to what a lot of entrepreneurs are going through, including myself. So that kind of humbled me quite a bit. And it also gave me a sense of understanding of where massive, massive companies and corporates come from. And so that was quite insightful for me.
Adam Bremen 37:52
That’s great. It’s great. Phil, Phil Knight is definitely iconic. And his story is incredible. And just, you know, at first, he didn’t even like Nike, maybe they didn’t put much stock into Nike at all, they just, you know, and it just, it just exploded.
Joshua Chin 38:13
It just blew up, yeah.
Adam Bremen 38:17
Incredible. It’s incredible. It really is incredible. But you know, the fine line that you find with all that is, is the energy and the passion that the people had to want to make an impact. And I think that those are, those are key attributes of any person, whether you’re an entrepreneur, just, you know, you’re always wanting to get better and see what you can do to help others. And that’s the common thread between all that which is so exciting.
Joshua Chin 38:49
Yeah, I think that’s what bonds entrepreneurs from, from different cultures in different cultures and different backgrounds. And we’re all kind of united by that common theme of what value can I create, and how can I add value to someone else? I think if everyone had that same mindset, if everyone was an entrepreneur and had that spirit, I think the world would be a better place.
Adam Bremen 39:17
Definitely.
Joshua Chin 39:19
Adam, do you have any final advice for our listeners?
Adam Bremen 39:29
Just go forward in life. Have fun, smile, be kind. Give yourself a break. You know, we’re often so hard on yourself. You know, but everybody has a special gift. And just enjoy life to the fullest. Tell people you love them. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Ask a lot of questions. You know, that’s how you learn. Be curious. Go for it. You can do it.
Joshua Chin 40:10
Amazing. Adam, thank you so much. If people are interested to connect with you or find out more about Keto Krisp, where should they go to?
Adam Bremen 40:18
Certainly, you can certainly visit our website at tastecando.com or you can follow me on Instagram, Adam Bremen, or you can certainly email me at Adam@ketokrisp.com. I love connecting with people and I’m glad to help in any way shape or form always.
Joshua Chin 40:36
Adam, thank you so much for being on the show.
Adam Bremen 40:39
You got it. Thanks for having me, my man. Have a great evening.
Outro 40:44
Thanks for listening to the eCommerce Profits Podcast. We’ll see you again next time and be sure to click subscribe to get notified of future episodes.
