216: Partake Foods Founder Denise Woodard Was Rejected by 86 Investors Before Getting A Yes From Jay-Z (REWIND)
Side Hustle Pro
Nicaila Matthews Okome | Side Hustle Pro Media
4.8 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 3 September 2020
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
If you’ve watched the “Entrepreneur” video by Pharrell & Jay-Z, then you may recognize Denise Woodard’s face. That’s because her story of being rejected by 86 investors before getting that one yes from Jay-Z is highlighted in the video. Well, we actually spoke to Denise last year as she was embarking on this process.
So it made my heart swell with pride to see this Side Hustle Pro alum thriving and scaling her business.
Denise has always had her hands on a winning idea. Partake Foods provides meals and snacks that are delicious, safe, and nutritious for conscious eaters. They are free of gluten, the top 8 allergens, and artificial ingredients. What started as a way for this concerned mom to give her daughter snacks that would not trigger her allergies, has evolved into a brand that’s sold in major retailers.
In this rewind episode of Side Hustle Pro, meet Denise, the founder behind this amazing brand, and hear:
- Why she’s so passionate about gluten and allergen-free food and how she actually got started
- How she, a non-baker, was able to start a cookie and snack brand
- The pivotal point when she made the decision to leave Coke to pursue Partake full time, and so much more
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Guest Social Media Info
Partake Foods - @PartakeFoods
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I'd been reaching out to our buyer at Wagamens for gosh six to seven months with no response |
| 0:09.4 | like religiously every single week I would leave a voicemail I would email and I would get nothing and so |
| 0:15.9 | since she wasn't opening the front door I found a window on the side. |
| 0:22.4 | You're listening to Side Hustle Pro, the podcast that teaches you to build and grow your Side Hustle, |
| 0:28.4 | from Passion Project to Profitable Business. And I'm your host, Nakela Matthew Zakome. So let's get started. |
| 0:37.1 | Hey, hey guys, welcome, welcome back to the show. Today in the guest chair, we have Denise Woodard, the founder of Partake Foods. |
| 0:47.0 | Partake Foods provides meals and snacks that are delicious, safe, and nutritious for conscious eaters. They are free of gluten, the |
| 0:56.5 | top eight allergens, and artificial ingredients. Made with real foods like |
| 1:01.9 | sproaded grains, fruits, and vegetables, |
| 1:04.6 | partake products give peace of mind to those with dietary restrictions |
| 1:09.7 | and simple enjoyment to those without. |
| 1:12.4 | So in June 2017, and simple enjoyment to those without. |
| 1:12.6 | So in June 2017, Partake debuted three flavors of mini cookies |
| 1:18.0 | to independent natural food stores in the Northeast. |
| 1:21.6 | Since then, distribution has now grown to include Whole Foods, |
| 1:26.0 | Weggmans, and over 150 other retailers, as well as Amazon and the Partake Foods |
| 1:32.4 | website of course. |
| 1:34.0 | Partake's Foods has even been featured by People, Reader's Digest, and Babel. |
| 1:39.4 | On today's episode, we get into why Denise is so passionate about gluten and |
| 1:44.8 | allergen food to begin with, how she, a non-baker, was able to start a |
| 1:50.5 | meal and snack brand, and the pivotal point when she made the decision to leave |
| 1:55.6 | Coca-Cola to pursue partake full-time plus so much more so let's get right into it. |
... |
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