From Near Bankruptcy to Sum Good – How April Glavine Built a Better Electrolyte Brand

 Founder April Glavine shares how she turned a near-bankruptcy CPG lesson into Sum Good, a fruit-first electrolyte brand built on health and smart scaling. 

Are you building a product brand and hoping the margins will magically work themselves out later?

In this episode of Small Business Pivots, Michael D. Morrison sits down with April Glavine, founder of Sum Good, a Canadian company pioneering fruit-first electrolyte shots and freezies made with pressed fruit and a potassium-forward formula. 

Named one of the Top 100 Women with Natural Products Canada, Rising Star of the Year 2022, and a 2024 EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, April also took Sum Good onto CBC’s Dragons’ Den where she secured a deal to help scale the brand nationally. 

April shares the hard lessons from almost going bankrupt with her first CPG company and how she used those scars to build a stronger, data-backed brand with Sum Good. From market validation and packaging strategy to clinical research and investor pitches, this conversation is packed with real-world insights for any founder trying to grow without burning out.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

• Turn a near-bankruptcy experience into a blueprint for your next successful business
• Use market validation to test flavors, pricing, packaging, and messaging before you over-invest in inventory and design
• Prioritize cash flow and sales velocity instead of chasing perfect margins too early
• Think differently about electrolytes and hydration – including why Sum Good focuses on high potassium and low sodium for cognitive function and muscle repair 
• Translate academic or clinical research into simple claims your customers actually understand
• Prepare for high-stakes pitches like Dragons’ Den, VC meetings, or bank presentations – and what investors are really looking for in the founder
• Apply global business management thinking so you don’t assume what works in one market will automatically work in another
• Build the right “informal” team around you as a solo founder – co-packers, brokers, creatives, and mentors who’ve both won and failed in your industry

Whether you’re in food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, or any kind of product-based business, you’ll walk away with practical ideas to slow down, think smarter, and build something that can stand the test of time.

Ranked globally in the top 10% by ListenNotes, Small Business Pivots brings you real, honest conversations with entrepreneurs who’ve built something from nothing. My goal is simple: help you grow your business faster and avoid the mistakes that keep small business owners stuck.

Chapters

• 0:00 Meet April And The Stakes
• 2:58 Early Venture, Hard Lessons Learned
• 5:46 The Pedialyte Challenge And Product Vision
• 9:15 Market Validation Over Margin
• 12:17 Cash Flow First, Packaging Later
• 14:13 Clinical Research And Real-World Use
• 18:08 Potassium Vs Sodium: A New Ratio
• 21:02 Messaging Missteps And Rebrand
• 24:12 Retail, Regulation, And Shelf Trends
• 26:18 Health And Scaling: Universal Takeaways
• 28:01 Global Business Mindset In Practice
• 30:58 Expansion Plans And Healthcare Ambition
• 34:05 Athletes, Altitude, And Everyday Use
• 36:45 Dragons’ Den Prep And Pitching
• 40:34 Building Credibility Before Hospitals
• 43:08 Platforms, Rebrand Sneak Peek, Team-Of-Partners
• 46:02 Founder Wellness And The Name Story
• 48:13 Final Advice: Lead With Your Why

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

All right, welcome to another Small Business Pivot where we have special guests from around the world. And today we have a really special one that I came across from Brian Scudamore, who is the founder and CEO of 1-800 Call Junk, I believe. And so he uh kind of introduced this person on LinkedIn, and I went and saw everything that she's been doing. I'll just name a few of those. Name Top 100 Women with Natural Products in Canada, Rising Star of the Year 2022. She's actually been on Dragon's Den, if you've ever caught that show. And she's also been Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in 2024, as well as as well as, and it just keeps going. It's really impressive if you want to uh look up and see everything she's done. But I know that no one can introduce their name or their business like the business owner. So I let you have the floor to do that for us.

SPEAKER_01: 0:52

Well, thank you so much, Michael. And while that was quite the intro, very humbling, I would say. Um it's just a delight to be here on the podcast with you and such a um, yeah, a great opportunity. So I'm really excited to share my story. My name is April Gloven, and I am the founder of Some Good, calling in here from the East Coast of Canada in New Brunswick.

SPEAKER_00: 1:13

Awesome. Well, how do you think we're gonna help our listeners today? What do we hope to have them learn?

SPEAKER_01: 1:21

Food for thought.

SPEAKER_00: 1:22

I love it.

SPEAKER_01: 1:29

Um share some key learnings along the way. I started my first company at the age of 24 years old and almost went bankrupt at the age of 30 in the consumer package goods space. And I vowed to myself that I would never ever enter the consumer package goods space again or be an entrepreneur for that matter, because I had an incredible job with telco. But the pool was too strong, as we can tell, because I'm here to tell um a really fun story about how I took those learnings and now are am applying them to some good and the foundation to build a company that will uh stand the test of time.

SPEAKER_00: 2:05

Fantastic. Well, I know this is going to be a great story and some lessons for our listeners because you said almost went bankrupt from 24 to 30 years old, which means you ground it out for six years. So let's introduce the show real quick and we'll be right back. Welcome to Small Business Pivots, a podcast produced for small business owners. I'm your host, Michael Morrison, founder and CEO of Fox, where we make business ownership simplified for success. Our business is helping yours grow. Fox offers business loans with business coaching support. Apply in minutes and get approved and funded in as little as 24 to 48 hours at business ownership simplified.com. Hi, welcome back to Small Business Pivot. I know a lot of our listeners like to be kind of in tune with your story. So can you kind of share maybe some background of before you started adulting and got to this 24 entrepreneurial mindset?

SPEAKER_01: 3:14

Yes. Uh so I was born and raised in Newfoundland, which is on the very east coast of Canada, um, a small little island, but mighty, I would say. And I grew up in an entrepreneurial family. My parents both um they owned five enterprises. And so I was kind of always in that space. And it was time to leave and um, you know, look at university. I went into global business management at St. Mary's. And during that time, that's when I actually started to manifest my first idea of a business. And that was called um because of the Frosh 15. Everybody goes away to university and gains 15 pounds. I was like, I don't understand why this is normalized and why this is okay, people. And then I got to university and I realized, well, the food is not actually that great andor accessible. So I started to manifest the idea of a healthy vending company called Lean Machines. And then after I spent a year in New Zealand and in Spain and came back and I realized, oh boy, we really got to get it together culturally. Um, this doesn't have to look the way it's going with our trending on obesity, et cetera. So I started my first health, uh, my first business at the age of 24, a healthy vending company called Lean Machines. And then within that, I started to um get into consumer packaged goods because there was a little bit of um um competition coming into the space. And I started to work with apples as my first choice, and that was because in the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, there is a surplus of apples. We have we we have a lot of apple growers, but the farmers were always really challenged with offloading at the end of the season. Meanwhile, on the shelves in um produce, there was apples from all around the world. It's like, how do we again, one, normalize Frosh 15, two, have all these surplus of apples in the Annapolis Valley that are freshly grown when we have apples here from around the world. So it's like we need to do value add. We need to get value add happening, especially in this space. So my first product was an apple chip. It was the first of the kind of its kind. So was my healthy vending company. And I don't know what it was. There was something in me that just kind of said, I need to be here and take this on. So as I started to grow and um the Vita Palm was starting to gain some traction, I actually got a call from Canada Smartest Kitchen and they asked me to be their first industry partner to expand my product line. So when we went into kitchen, it tested really well. I was doing like a almost like a goldfish, but better for you, with a local cheese and really healthy oatmeal dense clusters. And then I was also doing like a root chip. Um, so think of like beets and turnips, carrots. Um, there's a product on the market today called Terra that's very similar again, back in the 2000s. And when we so at that point, here's my big lesson that I learned. At that point, I got uh started working with a marketing company and made a full packaging line. So it was Vita Cocoa, Vita chips, Vita Palm, and I bought an enormous amount of packaging. But what happened was when we went from the kitchen to scaling commercially, it didn't go well. And then we had to start investing money into some more um product research and development, and I was tapped. I had nothing left. I just spent it all on packaging. So I was all margin, margin, margin, margin, margin. And so at the age of 30, with a baby in the belly, I was like, I've got to step back and close this company down. I was too proud to claim bankruptcy. Some may say that was silly, but anyways, I knew that I could handle it because I had an exceptional job within telco and I just started paying my bills down and I said, this is it. I will never be an entrepreneur again. Um, I really enjoy my job with telco, but then you have kids, and the poll got really, really strong to create again something better in this space um with regards to hydration. So I decided to really take on Pediolite. So this is what our product looks like. It's an apple cider first. So we cold press our apples and then we add in electrolytes, high in potassium and low in sodium. And I'll get into that as to why. But I really wanted to take on Pediolite. And the reason being is that one, um, it is a clinical suggested product. It's the number one uh doctor recommended product. But within it, the first ingredient is water, and then you get into sugars and dyes, and then you get into your electrolytes. I was like, this is a better for you product, something that is sick. What we can't we have to do better. So let's pause and think about who's doing better in the space. Like I look at poppy next to soda. I mean, Allison Ellsworth, what a story, right? That is an incredible story. Then you look at Annie's next to KD, there's space for both, right? You can have both. And then you look at, say, pure gum next to gum that's in the market, taking out the aspartame. Let's kick aspartame. Um, and then so with or once upon a farm with regards to baby food, like same idea. Both can be there, but if somebody really wants better for you, can we create that? And so, why pediolite? Well, one, because they they also um it wasn't in a saturated space. So think about beverages. If I was to go into the hydration space, I'm up against bait, uh, Gatorade, prime, powder aid, quench, you name it. There's a whole gamut of them and a lot of powders. And then if you were to look at in the um powder space, same idea. They're all doing kind of both, but in this space, there wasn't. So we are the first all-natural electrolyte ready-to-drink freezy. The reason why we went freezy was because PD Lite sells themselves as a freezy. It's because it's when you're it's the most compliant format when you're not feeling well, is you think of ice chips in the hospital, is to just something that can kind of wet the lips and get a little bit into you. But our learning is when we actually did our packaging and it says freezies right on it, it really actually confused our customers because our first ingredient is cold pressed apple cider. So they just want to rip this little guy open and drink it back like an electric shot. So we realize although we're head on with pediolite and we are the better for you product in that space by being high in potassium and low in sodium, and then also having cold-pressed apple cider as the first ingredient, and we don't add any dyes and we don't add in any sugars, we still had a lot of work to do with regards to making sure that our messaging is really clear. So, one of the things I do recommend for anybody that's getting into the consumer package goods space is to do market validation. That was step one for us. That's what I didn't do in my first business. I was just, I found, okay, I have apple chips, they're doing well. I created three other products. Let's go buy some packaging, let's focus on my margins. Didn't quite care about cash flow. I thought the POs were going to quite come in, come in quick, and got myself into a ton of trouble. This time, it's like, okay, let's create a product. We had four flavors that we nailed it down to a mixed berry, an apple, a cherry, and then a cranberry. And we sent it across Canada and the United States and had a focus group study. In that focus group study, it was coming back talking about our brand tone and our color. Do they like what we're saying on our packaging? Do they like the size of the single units? What about what's happening in the ingredients? What about the price point? What about the brand story behind? And within that market validation, we were told to be prepared that we were going to actually get a list of things that we needed to change. This is what happens all the time. You want to score at least 70% or higher to be considered market ready. So when we sent out the four uh flavors, it came back to flavors are market ready. We love the story. We love the tone. We love the size of the single unit. We love the 12-pack. There was a couple of things that are like that's too sciencey or that's too like um granola. Can you soften it a bit? So we had to make a do a little massaging, but nothing to the actual flavor piece to be able to go out there and hit the market. So, number one, do your market validation. Had I done that with my previous product, I never would have had that enormous bill in uh packaging, right? It just would have slowed me down. They would have found some flaws, it would have made me think, it would have given me time to even do some further testing before I got into that space. So once that we got the market validation back, we're like, okay, now we need to look at buying our packaging. But before, even though we had the market validation, I didn't go after margin. I went after cash flow. So yes, we had to re go from company to company to company to find a low MOQ. And our and our margin wasn't super healthy, but we still need to get on shelf. And then we need sales velocity to know that there's even something here that's trending and we have traction before we need to start really zoning in on our margin. So the first couple of times, yes, this was a dollar five cents our first box. We're now down to 75 cents, or this was six cents, and now it's down to one cent. But you had we had to know we had to start somewhere. And had we gone for that high, um, you know, that big packaging MOQ and that low margin, who's to say what what the what the end state would have been of the company today, would if we would have been cash flow strap. So just be really careful. Don't like cash flow is king, and I know everybody talks about margin, and investors are margins, margins, margins, but you need sales velocity first. And then you can start focusing on on your margins. The other piece that I would add in, depending on what your product is, and this is what I talk about, just really slowing it down. Okay, we first slowed it down with regards to our market validation. And secondly, we slowed it down with not just going with a massive PO on our packaging and focusing on cash flow. The third thing I would talk about and say if your product has a clinical piece or there's more to it, do some further research. So we sent this away to a nutritional nutritional lab at Mount St. Vincent University, and they did a double-blind study understanding the hydration components of some good. Why would we do that? Well, we got back and it took a year and it was expensive, but we got back powerful data. Okay, so now I can say that we help reduce nausea by 49%. We help reduce thirst by 37%. So one of two things. When you think of nausea, think of like concussions, you think of you you've worked extremely hard, so you're athlete, fatigued, faloo, coming out of cancer treatments. There's so many points in our life or within our space that people deal with nausea all the time. So imagine if you're going and you're trying to keep something in you and just build a little bit of substance and feel a little bit good, to have some apple cider, which is also really good on your stomach, and then also to have your potassium, which helps with cognitive function and muscle repair, and then some sodium. So 49%. But if like again, we slowed it down, we're like, no, let's really go and understand how good this product is. And then the other piece with regards to fatigue and energy, that kind of comes in naturally based on reducing nausea. But those are some other high watermarks for us. And then um, with regards to thirst, anybody that is like an extreme athlete, like an Iron Man and those types of things, one of the issues that they run in or marathon runners is overhydrating. And if you dilute yourself too much, that's just more dangerous than actually being dehydrated. So if you can really get that thirst piece under control, is phenomenal. So what we didn't know when we got into this space, we were just going head on with PDA Lite. We're like, we love the format, it's the most compliant. If somebody's really not feeling well and there's not a lot of competition in this space, we're like, let's go. What we've learned though, now that we're in this space and we're getting feedback from our customers, it's super easy to pack. You put it in your in your purse, you snap it open midday. You really want to get that cognitive punch with regards to, or that boost, I guess, with regards to the potassium piece. It's easy. It's not going to brown like a banana. Banana has its space, absolutely, but it's just so easy. Put it in your running pouch, or if you're on the bench with regards to hockey, put it there and snap it back in between your shifts or in between your periods. The other thing that we learned about this, again, you kind of fall into this and listen to your customers, was um, so my daughter is an alpine ski racer, and we were away in Colorado, and we again came from the East Coast, and we flew to Colorado, and it's over 12,000 um feet in elevation. And when we got there, I woke up in the middle of the night and I was so sick. I like beyond. And I managed to get myself out of bed and go to a store, and everybody talked about get oxygen, get oxygen. That'll help you. The air is thinner there. So I serendipitous as it would be. The lady that served me spoke to me about potassium. She's like, Did you know if potassium depletes faster in high altitudes? Our product is potassium rich. We have five times the amount of potassium than our competitor. And we went that way because 70% of us are depleted in potassium. Over 70% of us have way too much sodium. So when we flipped that ratio on its head, it was just because of the data. We didn't realize that it was actually going to be really beneficial for people that are in high of elevation, flight, flying, those types of things. All of that just kind of came through in the background as a as we're, you know, just now you're acute and you're learning and you're looking for these areas where potassium fits in. And then I have this lady say, Oh, potassium. It's like, oh my goodness, okay. I'm just gonna go back to my condo and just drink a bunch of some good, pack a bunch of my daughter's pocket, send them out with all the athletes and make sure everybody's getting a high potassium intake. Um, so that piece with regards to the clinical research, um, you know, if your product has a deeper value, more than a just a value add, um, I would say stop and go and again get that res get that research done. Because when you can speak about it, you can speak about it in a way that it's been validated. It's not just a hearsay comment. Um, so that's one thing that again that's become very, very powerful for us in this space. And the other one is again, is uh we are actually we're going through a rebrand right now because as we listen to our customers, and I know I've already mentioned this, but you know, our packaging says fruit first, hydrating freezy. So nobody as a first-time customer is thinking about drinking it as an electrolyte shot. But I will tell you, today, almost all of our customers drink it as an electrolyte shot and they freeze it for when they need it. If they're really dealing with a one, they need to cool their body temperature, or two, they are really nauseating it. They don't even have it in them to have a full sip. They just need to have something that they can just slowly enjoy. But how funny is that? Like we went against, we're like, let's take on Pedialite. They're a freezy company. Love the space. I get it. I don't want to be in a saturated beverage spot. I and powders are growing fast. Let's pick this lane. Let's do it well. Let's be better. There's opportunity for both of us. And now we're here and we're full on saying freezy. And all of our customers are saying, I don't get it. I drink it as an electrolyte shot. Or I didn't know that I could drink it as an electrolyte shot. If I freeze it and I take it out of the out of the freezer, can I still enjoy it? Or do I have to freeze it again? Like the questions we get, you assume that people know, but they don't. And that's the one thing now when we're going through this rebrand exercise, is a couple of callouts that we've done that are really that's on this packaging, really ambiguous. Okay. So our first thing that we say is pressed fruit. Well, we only deal with three types of pressed fruit. The first pressed fruit that we deal with is apples. So we cold press them on a Monday morning and they are in packaging within five days. So that's how we don't have to add anything to it. It's unfiltered apple cider. The other one we use is cranberries that we freshly press and blueberries. So our packaging shouldn't say press fruit because that can mean anything. What does it mean? It actually means apple cider. That's our first ingredient, even in our berry flavor. And apple cider is so good for gut health. So why are we not calling it out here? So one of those things like what are we doing? Like that is so silly to me. We have an opportunity to do better. So let's call it out. So our next packaging, a thousand percent. We'll call it out. Our next packaging, we'll talk about it being a shot and freeze it if you want to in the storyboard in the back, right? Have it have it this way first as a shot because it's the most convenient. You think about a freezer, you're like, how do I keep it frozen? Can it if it thaws, it gets wet, it's got it's gonna be dewy, all the things. So it and also do I have scissors? It's harder to open when it's a freeze, all the things that we have heard. So, okay, no, we actually are an electrolyte shot. Um, and the other one is that we did not call out here that's really interesting, is the electrolyte ratio. It's in the back, and you have to read the story to understand. But we are high in potassium and low in sodium. We're high in potassium because 70% of us are depleted in potassium. We're low in sodium because over 70% of us get way too much sodium. But you have to read the back of the box to understand that. Most electrolyte companies are really high in sodium and very low in potassium. They would have to drink their entire 591 milliliters five times to get what they would get in one of these for potassium.

SPEAKER_00: 22:58

Wow.

SPEAKER_01: 22:59

But let's think about this. Most of us don't even need a sodium drink because we're high in sodium already. So you're drinking this back, and too much sodium is really hard on your cognitive function, on your focus. It depletes it. It kind of um I would say suffocates it. So we're doing this to be an extreme athlete, to be high functioning, and we're actually suffocating that ability if you are too high in sodium. So the safe way for us based on averages, let's stay in the potassium play. If you need a sodium increase, I guarantee you, your nutritionist and dietitian or physician, they would all support you in making sure that you're getting what's right for you. But it's one of those things, like we need to start having some more conversation about what it is that happened and that was formulated 20 years ago, doesn't mean it's good for us today, right? It was a lot of rinse and repeat of these electrolyte companies like, okay, they did this, this, this, and this. I'm gonna do this, this, and this, and this, but I'm just gonna make it water or zero sugar or whatever that change may be, but it doesn't mean that it really meant like things have evolved or food intake, it has evolved. It was meant to be looked at again. And, you know, even with more evolution that's happening is what's coming down from Walmart. Walmart said by 2027, 35% of the products on their shelves will no longer be there unless they make change.

SPEAKER_00: 24:30

Wow.

SPEAKER_01: 24:32

The FDA is calling out sugar alcohol. Well, not sugar alcohols, that's another discussion that's happening with regards to stevia and aspartame. There's a lot of question marks in that space and review, but what they are looking at is a lot of additives that are being, especially with regards to like your fluorescent uh yellows and your brilliant blues or your for your sunshine or sunset yellow. My kids look at packaging, they're like, mmm, do I want to feel do I feel like sunset yellow today? You know, I've taught them that because this is like and zero and zero calories. I'm just like, okay, but what is flavoring it? What is giving it that sweet taste? And sugar crane sugar. So if this is all the sweet taste is coming in, I the the system is still gonna do this, it's still going to look for something. So um I'm happy to see that, you know, as we've evolved with regards to what we're doing in the electrolyte space, we're also seeing some broader and bigger discussions happening, you know, even from those that are in control. Like I am just a little company here that I have a big passion and a big heart about all this stuff. But I, you know, it's I've been in the space since early 2000s, and these discussions weren't happening that were coming down from like the Walmarts and of the world, and they can really make some change because people want to be on their shelves. They move a lot of volume. So that those are the change makers, and it's really cool to see that uh they're on board, they're looking, they're questioning things, they're having you know conversations that um not uh just a kind of not a scare factor, there's a plan and and tasks that need to be followed to be able to be, you know, part of their bigger picture.

SPEAKER_00: 26:17

Wow. See listeners, I told you we were gonna have some great conversation. And for those of you that may not even be in the food space, there were several things you mentioned that's applicable for every business. And that is market validation, that's that's relevant for every business. And I see so many businesses that try to rush out there because they need sales, they got to pay their bills, they got to pay their mortgage, and so they're there's more concern about getting sales than they are fixing it. But to your story about the packaging, when you kind of overdid yourself, you're you're not alone. In fact, I hear that from a lot of people that's in this space. In fact, one, I know they ended up buying packaging because they thought they were getting a better discount. Well, then they had to get some storage and they weren't ready for all these additional costs and then security. Anyways, it put them out of business within three months. And so there's a lot of things to consider here. I do want to back up because just a little bit. So our listeners are getting a two-for-one today. First of all, for our entrepreneurs and business professionals, health is a is a major issue. That's what that's what separates the the great from the average, uh, in my opinion, is your health. And the second thing is we're learning about scaling a business. And so when you were scaling a business, did your global business management degree that what were some things in there that you learned that you used in the future, or did that not have anything to do with it? Because I'm not sure that everybody understands what a global business management is.

SPEAKER_01: 27:50

Yes, no, absolutely. I I feel like it really helped me actually a lot, um, especially in telco when things um when COVID happened and a lot of our movement went overseas, I was able to be impactful in that space with regards to um education, the why, our differences between our competitors and you know, our selling, um our selling positions. But in like this global business management, what we studied was when you're moving into different cultures or when you're looking at things from things from a broader lens, don't assume. So I'll give an example. Coke moved into India. The reason why they went there is because they that was one of their largest um growth opportunities and one of their largest revenue drivers. So it's just like our biggest thing that's shrinking our margin here, of course, is shipping, our product over. So let's go and let's set up a manufacturing facility. They did that and then their sales plummeted. Why? The water. The water was different. And that's what global business management's about. It's going over, so when you're there, you really need to look granularly and holistically about all the things that are happening. So I talk about like even like the rinse and repeat what's happening in the electrolyte space. Can we look at it differently? What are we missing? What else can we be thinking about? So that's, you know, I guess um my my thinking is always about okay, but why and how do we do better? Okay, but why and how do we do better? And um that that's global business management. When you're going in and you're looking at a culture, just because it's working here doesn't mean it's going to work there. And it can, like when it will, but what do we need to know about that space before we go there and we do it really well? And um, you know, it's the people, you know, what's our drivers for people here in North America are not necessarily drivers for everybody else. It could be time, it could be gifting, it could be a whole gamut of things, but you need to understand that, right? For it to be successful. It's just not like, oh, I'm gonna go in, I'm gonna hire a CFO, and I'm gonna hire a COO, and then we're gonna do this, this, and this, and this, and this. That, you know, and we're gonna pay them the same thing we pay in North America, or you know, based on an economy of scale, we're gonna do that. But again, is that that's not gonna be enough, that is for sure. Like you just really need to understand that um holistically within their environment and in their culture.

SPEAKER_00: 30:24

And again, listeners, this is applicable to every business because it's know your target market and know the differences. I've worked as a business coach with entrepreneurs who didn't truly understand their target market. And based on the level of content they were using, they were trying to reach one market, but talking in a different, not like English or some different language, but just kind of some of the slang words and things just weren't applicable for their target market. And all we did was help them switch that and then sales took off. So similar to your water story with with Coke. I want to talk about. Well, I want to ask about the Some Good. Is it available outside of Canada? Because I know some are, some not.

SPEAKER_01: 31:10

Yes, no, so not yet. Um, that is a big discussion that's happening now. We are, of course, available online, um, but not not uh beyond source. Not in no, not yet. So it's a big it's a big work in progress. It's one of those small, you know, like let's just get this foundation really tight and and and then we'll we'll start to move outside. But of course, we've also had some different challenges that are happening with regards to tariffs and whatnot, and things just got a little more complicated. Um, so it's just where, how much distraction do we want right now as we're looking to grow the space? The area that I'm looking at the nut that I want to crack, and I hope we have this conversation in six years, and you're like you did it April, is healthcare, right? That that is the space to me. Again, when I talk about understanding what's happening in healthcare, one of the things that I get back feedback on is well, it's expensive. Is it because what's coming off of these trays that's not being consumed, that half banana or those apple slices, that's expensive. They're not eating it and now it's full on waste. If they don't open this and they're getting apple cider and they're also getting potassium, not from a banana, but it's added in, and they don't eat it, you wipe it down, you put it back, you serve it later. So it's one like this is where I'm just like, I, you know, when I go, when I figure out how to get healthcare to look at this and look at this from a lens beyond the cost per unit, look at the lens of what's happening on a tray, the time that goes into a tray, the weights that's happening on a tray. And not only that, it's good for you. It has it's so good for you. Why when we're trying to get people out of the system because the system is tapped, food is healing. So let's not give them dyes and triggers and expect them to run out of there, um, you know, clicking their heels. It's just doesn't work that way.

SPEAKER_00: 33:08

Well, I do have a question because I uh am a marathon runner, and so I know a lot of our listeners are health addicts, if you will. Uh, is this something that you could use in a marathon? And how much, how do you know how much? And then for those that don't run marathons, is it something that it would be beneficial to like take a shot once a day or just to keep everything balanced?

SPEAKER_01: 33:32

Absolutely. I would say take a couple shots every day because 70% of us are depleted in potassium. We just don't get enough anymore, right? Where does potassium come from? Kiwis, bananas, spinach, almond seeds. But it's again, it's one of those things that just tracking wise based on data, we could all use a couple shots of some good a day to get our potassium up. It we are all doing our better for ourselves by running in the morning. We're doing the CEO trades, right? We get up, we're visualization, meditation, running, walking in the woods, taking care of our mind and our body. One of the things that are missing for the majority of us is potassium. And potassium is directly linked to cognitive function and muscle repair. So absolutely, every single one of us should be having a few some good a day. With regards to like a marathon and andor anybody that's doing anything extreme, that's really independent, right? It's a very individual. So it depends on um your intake and your needs. Um, a lot of the gel packs and stuff that people have make their stomach really unwell, and then you're trying to perform through that. It's apple cider, it's uh and potassium. So there's no stomach upset. We actually reduce nausea. So absolutely pack some in there and uh yeah, and just easy, just and it's done and it's snapped. That's the other thing. That's the compliant or it's the um easy, easy. Uh, what was the clinical word they used the other day? Easy sip. Gosh, anyways, it's escaped me now, but it's a clinical writing that we're doing, they're just like, oh, that's so brilliant. It's the fact that it's not going to take this much. You don't want that, anyways, with your when you're running, you're doing something completely different. But it fits within that space, exactly what you're doing. Small sips, big impact.

SPEAKER_00: 35:20

And I I can relate to what you're talking about earlier because by about mile 20, I am so sick of water and the stuff they give you. The gate, I mean, like I'm not getting uh my thirst is not being quenched. So this could be a remedy for that. That sounds like I want to move to the Dragon's Den. So it is a popular show, and the reason I kind of want to move that direction is because you are a fantastic spokesperson. And I see why Brian called you out here. But on Dragon's Den, you have to be prepared, right? They're gonna ask tough questions. What is that like to get on stage? And I don't just mean on TV, I just mean on stage in front of anybody because I know some people need money, they're going to VCs, they're going to banks, they're doing whatever. How do you prepare to give that presentation so that they are inspired and want to learn more?

SPEAKER_01: 36:19

I would say, you know, think of your most difficult exam that you're ever going to prepare for if you, you know, in college or university. And but now you're not just going to write it, you're going to present it. So the I we spent hours and hours and hours understanding every single market segment. Um, also the impact of growth opportunity, um, and just your story and your why. Why are you different? What makes you different, right? That is telco even 101. What makes you different? Because everybody needs a phone, so why me versus you? Um, same thing. Like, there's a space where people need sodium, but not as much as the space that people need potassium. Like, what makes us different? So, really, that was the biggest one is um, and it's not a comfortable space for me. I um a lot of people say, Yo, you're such a natural, but inside my body is saying, flight, get out of here. The alarm bells are going off, and it's like, I am so uncomfortable. Um, I am uncomfortable until we get to us to storytelling. And I'm just like, because I I love it so much. So it once we went on Dragon's Den, it was at that point in time, we were impacting lives, we were receiving stories from people in chemo treatment, like handwritten letters. Who's handwriting a letter to a consumer package good company? How many of you consumer package good companies have received a letter, letters, phone calls about like you know, concussion recovery or menopause or pregnancy and dehydration and you know, acute care, like it just, you know, it's like the story is too good to not go outside of the comfort zone and take it as a we're gonna learn here because you learn when you're uncomfortable. So we're just gonna go and make it happen. And I'm I would do it again in a heartbeat. And I recommend anybody that they're ever preparing, speak to somebody that's been on the show. But they, yes, they talk a lot of numbers and you have to be extremely prepared. But what they're interested in is the person. Do you really believe in your brand? Do you really believe that you're that what you're doing is going to have the opportunity that you're speaking to? And can you back that up and how you're going to do it? And then you'll just have fun, right? Like in the end, like I felt when the show was over, I had so much adrenaline pumping through my body. It's like, bring on the Iron Man, like, where is it? Because I'm so jacked up right now. I just need to go. I was just because it was the validation, you didn't see it on the show, but Michelle's like, yes, and Manchet's like, yes. Uh Arlene's like, you don't even need us, go get them, you know. Um, also, um, I mean, everybody, all of them, like uh Vincenzo, yes, go go get it. You you have this. And uh, so that was again like you didn't necessarily see that because we were on the show for over 90 minutes and they edit it down to be really fun for TV. But the, you know, that piece, which is like, oh man, I am so fueled to make a difference right now. And on that, I will share that when we first started some good because we were going after Pediolite, the first phone call I made was Toronto Sick Kids to say we have a product, and it really, it really is exceptional, and it should be on your on your menu. I'm like, Yeah, perhaps, but you've not. Proven yourself in the retail space yet. So for us to even have a conversation with you, they weren't even talking pricing and units and those types of things at that point in time. They're just like, you need to actually go validate yourself in retail first. We're not being a guinea pig in hospitals. I guess you make a very good point. We will go prove ourselves in retail, and then we'll start to come back. And now we're having the greater conversation, which is about the cost per unit. And uh yeah, so now it's just kind of okay, let's look at this lens a bit differently. Let's talk about the cost of unit per patient staying in a bed an extra day, the healing process, food, etc.

SPEAKER_00: 40:38

You've given so many takeaways, and I know our listeners probably want to learn more. Are there places on the internet? Are you on social media? Do you share some insights?

SPEAKER_01: 40:48

Yeah, so I've um been told that I need to be on TikTok. So I'm trying that space.

SPEAKER_00: 40:54

Good luck.

SPEAKER_01: 40:55

Oh, it's like the wild, wild west, and it's really interesting. So go again, go inside my comfort zone there. And uh so I'm there uh under some S U M good electrolytes. Um, same with uh Instagram and of course um Facebook and then LinkedIn, um April Gloven on LinkedIn. Uh I'm sometimes quiet there because there's only so much that I'm gonna be on all the social platforms. And uh, and then you know, I spend a lot of time um, of course, really trying to build the the really good stuff, the good stories that are coming out of some good, um, build that piece up. So, yes, there, and then of course on sumgood.ca. And the fun, what's cool is those that have listened in and dialed in today, you'll see the rebrand happen. It's it's in the it's it's in the I would say 80% stage, probably just a few more tweaks and dial in, and we're gonna be hitting print here. And wow, like I just have to say, wow, like it is, it's so beautiful and speaks directly to our customers, directly to the feedback that we've been getting. And uh yeah, so I'm really looking forward to uh to splashing that that piece.

SPEAKER_00: 42:13

We're excited to see it and see your success as well. And you you say we in a lot of these conversations. And I know for a lot of entrepreneurs, they may be still solopreneurs, but you obviously have a team. If someone's assembling a team or trying to move the needle in their business, who would you suggest they need to bring to the table with them to figure this out?

SPEAKER_01: 42:37

Yes, and I'll add to the we first. The we is me. I'm a solo entrepreneur, but we as in my co-packer, I have a great relationship with them. They're on speed dial, um, and the engineer that's there. Um, of course, my the creative team and then my broker, distributor. Uh, so all of my costs are based on PO. So I can really manage my cash flow at this point in time. So anything that I am really, other than some things like um, you know, when I'm doing my clinical research or the validation research, those types of things, um, I actually make sure you're checking to see what's there for if it's funding at all. Um, with regards to we have what's called the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, we have National Research Canada, um also Opportunities New Brunswick. I'm sure you have a network within your community, go there and talk about the things that you're doing and look for some experts in that space and be vulnerable. Like it's okay to not know. And that's the one of the biggest things that I always talk to people. If you don't fully understand your financials or what you're looking to do, it's okay to not know. Just because you started the company and you're the ideation and you've grown it and we're national and those types of things, it's still okay to not know and have to put your hand up. Um, so the first place that I would go, I it really comes down to finding somebody that's been there. You know, we spoke a lot to some people that actually went bankrupt and spent a lot of time in consumer package goods, picking their brain, trying to understand where and why and how did that happen so we could learn from those things and not make the same mistakes. And at the beginning, there also there's more to the story. There was a we that was I had a business partner, we were 50-50. And then last year, as we were ready to go national and really take the training wheels off, my business partner said, I don't have a lot of time anymore, and nor do I have a lot of money. And I was just like, that's not what the company needs. We need all the time now. The training wheels are coming off, we're going national. And uh, and if anything, we might need some more investment, depending on you know, if there's any hiccups and stuff along the way. So I ended up uh I ended up taking on the company by myself, and um, it was best thing ever because I was able to now looking back that year before that decision was made, there was a bit of a tug of war happening based on capacity, not based on fault, just based on capacity. And uh, so I we probably could have even like been a little further ahead had I been able to just, you know, dial in and stay super hyper focused and make some bigger decisions about the direction of the company. Yeah, it's I would go to the person actually that failed if you could, and then the person that um that was successful and really picked their brain in that space because you know, I always say to my my son, he's a defensive player. Okay, it's great to have a great game when they're in the offense zone, but did you learn anything?

SPEAKER_00: 45:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 45:41

Right? You want you want to learn the real stuff, the stuff that's really going to protect you. Um, because those those are the stories that matter that really help you get your shields up and uh, you know, again, prepare you for the long game, not the short game.

SPEAKER_00: 45:56

The best response I ever got from someone I reached out to for help back in the 90s when I first started my very first business, I would call around to people I didn't know, just successful business people, and say, Hey, I want to come pick your brain on how to be successful, this that. But one out of all those people, he said, I'll meet with you, but only if you'll listen to my stories of what not to do. In other words, I'm gonna tell you my failures, not my success. And to this day, I remember that entire conversation that was over 25 years ago. So that's that's important advice to remember. Well, as we wrap up, oh, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01: 46:33

Hi Ad. Can I do two ads?

SPEAKER_00: 46:34

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 46:36

Okay. Um, another ad is take care of yourself. Um, I it's so critical. I talk about like my my mental space is really important to me. I get outside in nature every day, every day. And I do it without listening to things too. I just do it to be sensory aware, smelling, hearing the birds, those types of things. We have to give ourselves some time to be able to bring in more information. So just allow yourself at that point in time a little bit of space. And I also didn't say this, but I wanted to share why we called our name Some Good. Yes. So we are from I my business partner was, but we were, and uh now I am the founder of Some Good, are from Newfoundland. And everything, one of the sayings there is some shocking good, S O M E. But when we created some good, it's a sum of two things it's electrolytes and apple cider. So that's why it's some, it's two things being added together to heal your body and to help you perform a little stronger.

SPEAKER_00: 47:43

I love it. That's a great story. Well, you've been a wealth of information today, and I always wrap up with one last question. And you've given so much uh uh insight here, but if there was a room full of business owners, different industries, seasons of business from startups to established, what's something that's applicable you could share with all of them? In other words, and one last insight, or maybe a tip, a quote, a book, anything that says just some coming from the heart.

SPEAKER_01: 48:14

I mean, it's the why. Why, you know, uh, let's go back to um look at Steve Jobs and Apple. Why that look at Simon Sinek's why. If you can know your why, and your vibration is your why.

SPEAKER_00: 48:36

Yeah. If you know your why, you've got a lifetime of passion to share with others. April, thank you so much. You've been a blessing to many today.

SPEAKER_01: 48:49

Uh, you're welcome. Thank you for the opportunity.

SPEAKER_00: 48:52

My pleasure. Thank you for listening to Small Business Pivots. This podcast is created and produced by my company, Boss. Our business is growing yours. Boss offers flexible business loans with business coaching support. Apply in minutes and get approved and funded in as little as 24 to 48 hours at business ownership simplified.com. If you're enjoying this podcast, don't forget to hit the subscribe button and share it as well. If you need help growing your business, email me at Michael at michaeldemorson.com. We'll see you next time on Small Business Pivots.