Founder Spotlight: Ashley Nickelsen (B.T.R. NATION)
Meet Ashley Nickelsen:
B.T.R. NATION is on a mission to help fix our broken food system. By reducing just 20% of added sugar in pre-packaged food products, we can help reduce cases of diabetes and heart disease. But low-sugar snacks are notoriously known to be full of fake ingredients. We're here to change that. B.T.R. NATION creates delicious snacks with your health in mind.
Location:
San Francisco, California, USA
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When did you launch the business?
2021
Startup Stage:
Bootstrapped
What led you to where you are today?
I started B.T.R. NATION as a tribute to my parents. Both my parents passed away from rare forms of cancer, and as their primary caretaker, I was fed up with the sugar-laden junk food available in hospital vending machines and cafeterias. I took to the kitchen to create something better: 1. low in sugar, but with real food ingredients, no sugar alcohols or stevia, 2. plant-based, and 3. easy to digest. That's how B.T.R. NATION was born.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
Such a great question! With a background in DTC, I wish I had known more about the retail channel and how expensive it can be. Slotting fees, free fills, merchandising. I wish I had known more about the costs associated with the process. But I'm grateful to be an omnichannel brand with tens of thousands of customers DTC who are excited to find us as we embark into new retail channels.
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
As a bootstrapped business, we can't say yes to every opportunity that comes our way. Although we're very strategic about what we say yes to, it's still difficult to turn away new accounts and opportunities because we don't have the inventory. We're in the scaling-up process, and we'd love support and resources during this journey.
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
My background is in brand marketing specifically in copyrighting, positioning, and telling your brand story. I'd love to help other founders and teams with this critical aspect of their business.
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
I'd love to get more involved in the VEGPRENEUR community by attending events and meeting more founders and investors who are passionate about building a plant-based future together.
Fun fact about you:
The day I gave birth (to my now 16-month-old), we were still doing all our own fulfillment, and my husband had to run to our warehouse and fulfill hundreds of orders so we could keep our customers happy!
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