In this conversation, Joel discusses how he "bootstrapped" Kodiak Cakes for over seven years while he worked to develop its exposure. Despite the … Ok let’s now jump to the core part of our interview.

Joel’s definition focuses on the balance of being a friend and a parent to your kids and building respect with them. How do you measure that? This week, Liz is joined by the CEO of Kodiak Cakes, Joel Clark. This week, Liz is joined by the CEO of Kodiak Cakes, Joel Clark. White refined flour still dominates most of the grain-based grocery categories, Kodiak Cakes is working hard to change that and prove that whole grains can own an equal if a not greater share of the market. The next morning during set up we turned on the fog machine and smoke went all over the place, we quickly realized the smokestack was clogged. Can you share a story about the funniest marketing mistake you made when you were first starting? Truthfully, consumers are losing interest in brands that are treating their social media as an online billboard. 2.

When … FIND IN STORES. It’s dramatic but true. Thank you so much for doing this with us! Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, fitness icon, wrestling champion, leading man but most of all pancake fanatic. Because our core values align with this mission, our internal culture and external following feel like they belong to a group of healthy, active people who care about the food they eat. Despite the challenges, Kodiak Cakes earned a loyal consumer following and a steady streak of retail wins. There were struggles, late nights and more than a few headaches, mistakes and missed opportunities. I’m not the type of person who can just set a goal and hope I get better at something. Over the next 12 years, Joel juggled side jobs, earned an MBA from Oxford University, and he still found time to make Kodiak Cakes a success.

We’ve hired each individual a registered dietitian and personal trainer. At the end of this program, we will be sharing these plans with our entire consumer following through our website. For years, he tried to run the pancake mix brand, which launched in 1995 and is based on a family recipe, as a side-business while pursuing a graduate degree and consulting career. You never know what your idea can trigger. I think to replicate this, companies need to dig deeper into their brands and find the ideas or concepts that are truly ownable, or, identify what their existing brand is missing and create it. This interview was scheduled before coronavirus had made its mark, so by the time we chatted Joel and Cameron were well into the swing of the work-from-home lifestyle.

Joel is the CEO and Cameron is the President and Co-founder of one of the tastiest brands around, Kodiak Cakes!

As a brand, they took a simple, functional, lifestyle product and turned it into a highly emotional and aspirational brand.

To me, those are two foundations for a great life. In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job building a believable and beloved brand? Unsurprisingly, the folks at the booth behind us weren’t fans and complained several times. As a mountain-town brand based in Park City, Utah, real food fuels our adventures daily.

You’re Big. When his brother Jon handed operations of Kodiak Cakes over to him in 1997, Joel was a 23-year-old economics major attending the University of Utah. Over the years they’ve created some amazing content, including recipes, featurettes of the many people and places who use Traeger products, and a following that grows by the day. If I could give one final tip: buy a hot tub.

In almost no time I had sold every single bag and even managed to get a few reorders.

Customer Account Manager - Fitness Channel at Kodiak Cakes. So Much To Be Grateful For, A Year In Review, Changing Pop Culture With Founder Of A-series Investments & Management Anjula Acharia, What Happened On Election Night? Can you share 5 strategies that a small company should be doing to build a trusted and believable brand? $5.50. LEARN MORE Power Flapjacks Buttermilk . I started to see a correlation between my motivation to change and the exposure I had to new information.

I’ve put this quote into action throughout both my personal and spiritual development, as well as in my approach toward parenting and my role as CEO. Kodiak Cakes is a brand of pancake and waffle mix.The brand, which began as a small family operation, is based in Park City, Utah.The brand has expanded to sell individual oatmeal, brownie mixes, frozen prepacked waffles, frozen prepacked pancakes, granola protein bars, and fruit syrups. The goal of driving brand loyalty pays you dividends for years to come. A big thanks to Joel and Cameron for joining us on the podcast this week! There’s a non-stop train of innovation and results coming out of our test kitchen as we continue to grow — but even with all these launches on deck, it feels like the Kodiak Cakes brand is just getting started. :-). Honestly, it didn’t faze us and we kept the machine at full blast — one because it looked awesome in our opinion, but also because it was catching the eye of just about everyone who passed by. Our goal is to inspire as many people as we can to Eat Better and Live Better. Our brand story started with 8-year-old Joel Clark, our current CEO, selling whole grain flapjack mixes out of his little red wagon. Can you explain to our readers why it is important to invest resources and energy into building a brand, in addition to the general marketing and advertising efforts? For years, he tried to run the pancake mix brand, which launched in 1995 and is based on a family recipe, as a side-business while pursuing a graduate degree and consulting career. Kodiak Cakes CEO, Joel Clark: Old Fashioned Grit Everyone Talks To Liz Claman This week, Liz is joined by the CEO of Kodiak Cakes, Joel Clark. Investing in a brand helps you transform your products from commodities to meaningful symbols. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path? After a series of trials and victories, from turning down "Sharktank" to landing a major deal with Target, Joel discusses how he has persevered through uncertainty, and where the brand is headed next. For example — years ago, Cameron and I realized we needed a new booth for Expo West, but we also knew we didn’t just want a card table and an 8x8 tent. What advice would you give to other marketers or business leaders to thrive and avoid burnout? I have to commit to it, study it, and set a course of action — the act of gathering information really helps me start to understand the why of it all, and that motivates me to action. From the colors on our packaging to the types of ingredients we use and products we make — we pride ourselves in standing out. We want to be unmatched, incomparable, and on a level of our own. There will be a wide variety of items including, a thicker and fluffier frozen waffle, a line of protein-infused, nut butter syrups, graham and cheddar crackers, plus a line of crunchy granola bars. Garrett talks us through her wedding dress update, diet and gut health update briefly and then goes through an empathetic chat about how … There have been countless times when we get consumers to say, “I love Kodiak Cakes even more now because of how you handled this.” Treating all your consumers with respect is very important for brand loyalty. Growing up the whole family had always loved her recipe and I was confident my friends and neighbors would as well. In a nutshell, how would you define the difference between brand marketing (branding) and product marketing (advertising)? Not the best ones but sometimes you can find cakes on sale on an ALDI Ad special sale. A great example of this is flour. His commitment helped turn a tiny business selling products to a handful of mom-and-pop shops into the top-selling category brand at Target, one that eclipsed $100 million in sales last year. We gain trust and loyalty with our tribe by interacting with them directly. This reflects our belief that Kodiak Cakes in a household pantry represents a balanced diet in your home. We will continue to make big strides with this mission and the bigger we get, the bigger impact we will have on how people eat and live. We are currently working with three individuals on their journey to eat better and live better®. Some things just take longer to get going. Every time I unplug and step away, I feel recharged — honestly, some of my best ideas and solutions come to me out of the office. Joel Clark is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kodiak Cakes, crafting 100% whole grain, protein-packed, non-GMO products. How does one measure the success of a brand-building campaign? Every year we work with local food banks and school districts to make sure people in need get a hot meal.