Founder Spotlight: Shayne Hindes (Guiltless By Shayne)
Meet Shayne Hindes
Company:
Bringing to market plant-based, gluten-free, keto friendly and low calorie desserts. High in plants, low in nonsense.
Startup Stage:
Bootstrapping and seed round
Location:
New York City, New York, USA
When did you launch the business?
April 2022
What led you to where you are today?
Entering the modeling industry and changing the way I had to eat, prompted my healthier dessert creations. But, nutrition and cooking have always been instilled in me. I also need to give credit to Daniel Karsevar, my business partner. He believed in my vision from the start and helped me turn an idea into something tangible.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
I wish I had known just how costly the early stages of a launch were. A lot of that was trial and error, which is completely normal for a new business.
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
The most difficult decision I've made so far was deciding when to launch. We had an immense number of delays during COVID and our first production run kept getting pushed. Finally, I had to decide whether to launch and begin a "pre-order" phase or just wait. I felt like we were losing traction after all of our social media marketing so I made the decision to launch, without a confirmed production date. It was a risk, and I definitely felt the repercussions of it.
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
The vegan food industry is powerful, but it should also be responsible! Vegan doesn't always mean healthy and a lot of folks aren't aware of that. I think I could educate the Vegpreneur community on the misconception that "vegan" automatically means "better for you". It's always important to pick up the package and read the nutrition label to really know what and how much of something you are putting into your body!
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
As a new brand, I am always looking to network and expand my community in the food space. I'm also at a crucial point where I need investors as we continue to grow. Raising capital is huge for us right now!
Fun fact about you:
I can finagle almost any dessert without following a recipe
Anything else you would like to share?
On track to be a board-certified nutritionist in my master's program!
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