Founder Spotlight: Tiffany Wang (Ting's)
Meet Tiffany Wang
Company:
Ting's is a jackfruit-centric CPG brand on a mission to achieve food security.
Startup Stage:
Bootstrapped
Location:
San Francisco, California, USA
When did you launch the business?
February 2021
What led you to where you are today?
10+ years of logistics and supply chain management, operations, and graphic design; a couple of failed business ventures; a few years abroad as a freelance designer (where I discovered jackfruit chips), and a pandemic is how I got here today! What started as a casual idea to have my own line of jackfruit chips (my favorite snack) became Ting's, my full-time business, which I launched in 2021.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
So many things! One of which is that there are many versions of a successful business; not just the headline-grabbing, sensationalized one. You know, the "disruptor", the unicorn, venture-backed, on Oprah's Favorites List (okay, maybe Oprah's Favorites). Maybe your version of a successful business is being able to grow it organically within your community and being the sole decision-maker - these are okay, too. That and when it comes to paying for certain services (i.e., ad agencies, PR agents, etc.), always check their references.
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
I haven't had a pivotally difficult decision to make thus far but many decisions when it comes to operating the business can be difficult especially when dealing with international partners. I'm a solo founder and this is my first CPG rodeo so taking financial leaps and building trust with different partners have been both stressful and challenging. Ultimately, I've made mistakes which I call "amateur tax" and those have been somewhat unavoidable unfortunately.
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
I've received so much support and generosity from peers in CPG and I'm itching to pay it forward! If you're delving into international sourcing, understanding importing and/or supply chain, or need feedback on design matters, I'm your girl.
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
Collaborations, introductions, partnerships, and helping to spread the word on Ting's crowdfunding campaign (https://numarket.co/fund/tingschips) would be fantastic! Also would love to connect with other brands and founders via IG: @tingschips
Fun fact about you:
I once got arrested at Coachella. It's a "fun fact" now but at the time, it was anything but!
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