An Interview With Martita Mestey
High quality, unique product
Be aware of what makes you special and unique and make sure it is a high-quality product or service. Come with your best foot forward.
As a part of our series called “5 Things You Need To Create a Successful Food or Beverage Brand”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie Payne.
Stephanie Payne is the founder and driving force behind Every Sip. Stephanie loves to share her expertise in the social beverage industry including wine, beer, spirits, RTD’s, and hemp derived THC products. She is a Minnesota native with a deep passion for supporting local businesses, brands, and people. The Every Sip team is over 500 strong in Minnesota and Stephanie is proud to be able to employ so many people with a flexible, well paid, part time opportunity allowing them to pursue their passions and dreams. Every Sip operates in MN, ND, SD, NE, and WI and Stephanie has aggressive goals to bring the Every Sip experience to the rest of the country.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?
I am a Minnesota native. I was born in St. Paul and grew up in Minneapolis, I attended the same school Kindergarten through 12th grade! My childhood was filled with all of the great things that Minneapolis has to offer. I played various sports including gymnastics and ice skating. I am a true Minnesotan!
Can you share with us the story of the “ah ha” moment that led to the creation of the food or beverage brand you are leading?
I was working as a non-profit fundraiser specializing in corporate giving and special events. I had a passion for wine & events and had a dream of doing it on my own. We had our big annual fundraiser happening and as a part of that, there was a silent auction. At the end of the auction, there were several items that had not been bid on, including a session with a career coach. I decided to bid on it myself and won it! I met with a woman coach for young entrepreneurs. She asked about my ideas and dreams, so I told her about my idea for a business. I had so many details already figured out in my head, so she asked why I wasn’t already pursuing that dream. I replied, “I’m not an entrepreneur!” The coach offered me a class that she was doing for young entrepreneurs. I took that class with five other people, solidified the plan and then launched my business. An accidental meeting turned into a business! It was a side gig for me for a couple years and then I took the leap 2017.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
This wasn’t necessarily a mistake but just a funny story with a great lesson. My father–in-law trained me on how to execute a really good tasting event in a liquor store. He can connect and interact with anyone. He was sampling vodka and relating to everyone he spoke to. At one point, he was talking to a young female customer. They were chatting about the vodka and my 60-year-old father-in-law stated that the vodka is “Totally delish!” He even had a bit of the Valley Girl accent! It was so funny and completely caught me off guard. But then it hit me how important it is to be able to connect with people no matter our differences. That was such an important lesson I took away from that funny moment.
What are the most common mistakes you have seen people make when they start a food or beverage line? What can be done to avoid those errors?
I think one of the biggest pitfalls is building too big, too fast. Whether your business is product based or service based, you really need to pay attention to quality control. You need establish a good reputation so others will want to work with you. It’s important to establish a strong, reliable team that can impress your customers and business partners and then build upon that.
You also need to take the time on the front end to make your product the best it can be. Make sure to anticipate what questions there might be and be prepared to address concerns in the moment. You can always build in improvements. It’s important to get something solid together so that your infrastructure can support your growth. You want to be able to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way!
Let’s imagine that someone reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to produce. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?
First, you must do market research. Look for similar products or services and figure out what makes your product or service special. What makes you stand out? You need to differentiate yourself as unique in some way. You want to offer something your competitors are not. Why would someone want to make a change from their current product or service provider? Give them a reason to change. Why is what you do different or better than what they know.
Many people have good ideas all the time. But some people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. How would you encourage someone to overcome this hurdle?
Perseverance is a must. Beyond that, you need to know and understand your strengths. You can’t be an expert in everything. Where your skills are lacking, find someone who can help you. It’s easy to get stuck thinking that you must do everything and do it well. We’re not all masters in all areas. Don’t let your momentum be bogged down in a task you don’t have a skill set for, find others to help.
There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?
I would suggest you strike out on your own. In the beginning is when you’re going to learn the most. When you bring something to the table, run with it and see how big and how far you can get. Once you hit a roadblock, then seek out others to consult with. Nobody knows your product better than you.
What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?
I’m a bootstrapper all the way. If you have the means and ideas to go it on your own, then go for it. If you have a venture capital investment, then you answer to those investors. Bootstrappers are in charge, you make the decisions and have control.
Can you share thoughts from your experience about how to file a patent, how to source good raw ingredients, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer or distributor?
The most important part of any of this is the relationships. People move around in the industry and you need to keep those relationships strong. In order to find and source partners, you can talk to people on the street to learn about companies in the industry. You can gain insight on who has good morale, successful products, if you would like to be in their company. Having the right partners is essential to your growth. Finding a distributor or retail partner that knows and understands your brand is essential. They are working on your behalf selling your product, so you want to have trust in them.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create a Successful Food or Beverage Brand” and why?
1. High quality, unique product
Be aware of what makes you special and unique and make sure it is a high-quality product or service. Come with your best foot forward.
2. Right strategic partners
Having the right strategic partner can bring your brand to life. The distributors are critical.
3. Strong promotional partner
A service provider partner like Every Sip who is knowledgeable about the market can tell your story and grow your customer base.
4. Pricing.
In the beverage industry, this is really important. Understanding margins and what you can charge in the market is key. You’re going to want top dollar, but it needs to be priced right. You need to know what you have to sell to hit your goal, have a strong financial plan and determine what tier your product needs to sit at.
5. A good founder’s story
Consumers are interested in just more than a label, it’s important to have a good story behind your brand. Then, tell consumers the story; are you locally made, do you have charity partners, is there a way you support the local community. This shows the world that you’re more than just a brand, you are actual people with a story.
Can you share your ideas about how to create a product that people really love and are ‘crazy about’?
What our Every Sip customers are crazy about is that we’re providing a service that eliminates a lot of pain points for them. We over deliver on promises to make sure they don’t have to deal with the headaches. We take the burden off them.
Another thing they are crazy about is our commitment to high quality. We take any complaints seriously; feedback is really important. We will make it right and communicate what we’ve done.
Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I think the biggest thing we’ve done is being a provider of jobs. We provide a really great part time job opportunity with great perks. Our contractors are able to make ends meet, pursue their hopes & dreams and have an income level to live the life they want. We employ a diverse group of people who are looking to enhance or improve their lives.
You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would love to inspire a movement of kindness and non-judgement. Americans are on edge; we need to take a step back and realize these are our neighbors and people in our community and everyone is going through a battle we know nothing about. Bringing people together through laughter, positivity, patience and kindness can brighten someone’s day in a remarkable way.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Stephanie Payne Of Every Sip: 5 Things You Need To Create a Successful Food or Beverage Brand was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.