Freed Stories: Turning Five and Six Figure Businesses into Seven and Eight Figure Legacies This podcast shines a light on everyday entrepreneurs and business owners who are scaling their ventures to new heights. Each episode features a member of our community sharing their Freed Story - a journey of challenges, breakthroughs, and invaluable insights. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take your business to the next level, these real stories of grit, determination, and creativity will educate and inspire you. Join us as we explore the diverse paths founders, entrepreneurs, and small business owners take to achieve their unique personal and professional freedom. Freed Stories is your companion on the entrepreneurial journey, proving that while the road may be challenging, you don’t have to travel it alone. Tune in for practical wisdom, innovative strategies, and the motivation to turn your business dreams into reality
Episodes
Tuesday Jun 29, 2021
Interview with Kayla Castañeda of Agua Bonita - Part 1
Tuesday Jun 29, 2021
Tuesday Jun 29, 2021
Andy and Maggie take the reins in this episode of Freed Stories to interview our Freed fellow of April, Kayla Castañeda! Kayla is the C.E.O. and co-owner of Agua Bonita, a company that makes healthy and ready-to-drink agua frescas (a traditional Mexican drink). Kayla is here to share her Freed story and share some background information about herself and Agua Bonita!
Kayla got her foot in the beverage industry working for Coca-Cola as a market developer. This led to her consulting for beverage startups where she met her would-be Agua Bonita partner, Erin PonTell. She reveals why she centered her company around agua frescas and what her vision is for the company and also talks about how the company came to be and how, because it launched amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it naturally grew into being a direct-to-consumer company.
Kayla also shares some insightful advice with listeners who might be on (or plan to soon be on) a similar path as hers. For example, we at Freed often say that the road to entrepreneurship can sometimes be lonely, and Kayla says that a major factor in having combatted that for her is having a partner in the business, so she recommends having a partner and/or co-founder if possible. She shares that that has also helped her stay on top of things and be efficient because work can be delegated between her and Erin depending on their individual strengths and skills. Kayla also recommends staying true to yourself and to your vision, even if that means not keeping up with what's trendy!
We hope that you enjoyed our conversation with Kayla of Agua Bonita and that you will stay tuned as more guests share their stories of entrepreneurship – their successes, their failures, their goals, their hopes, and so on. Be sure to also hit the subscribe button so that you never miss an episode, and remember to free your mind; free your media!
Time Stamps
[1:12] – Andy reveals this episode's guest to be Kayla of Agua Bonita.
[1:40] – Kayla provides us with some background information about herself and her company.
[4:21] – Kayla discusses the gap in the beverage industry and how she wanted to fill that gap with Agua Bonita.
[6:18] – Andy enthuses over the importance of your company being unique even if you're in a category that already exists.
[7:30] – Kayla compares Agua Bonita's products to traditional agua frescas.
[9:28] – Kayla reflects on drinking agua frescas as a child.
[11:10] – We learn about some of the spices that Agua Bonita tends to incorporate into its drinks.
[12:48] – Kayla shares what the process of going from the kitchen to commercial formulation has been like.
[15:46] – Kayla elaborates upon her experience with an accelerator program.
[18:49] – We discover how Kayla has avoided loneliness in the world of entrepreneurship.
[21:19] – Agua Bonita, Kayla explains, is currently a direct-to-consumer company.
[23:55] – Kayla had predicted that Agua Bonita's products would be most popular in southern California and southern Texas, a hypothesis that was proven true.
[25:16] – Kayla expounds upon how she and Erin manage their time and stay on top of things.
[27:27] – We receive a couple tidbits of advice from Kayla: (1) network as often as you can and (2) budget efficiently.
[29:55] – Kayla credits LinkedIn as an invaluable resource.
[30:33] – Kayla also recommends and gives some background information on the book Capital Gaines by Chip Gaines.
[31:39] – We learn what Kayla would tell herself five years ago if she could.
[32:01] – Kayla hopes to still feel good about what she does five years from now.
Links and Resources
Apply for our Freed Fellowship Monthly Grant
Free Training to Help You Grow Your Business
Email Us: team@freedfellowship.com
Chip Gaines – Capital Gaines: The Smart Things I've Learned by Doing Stupid Stuff
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