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Hosted by Steve Phipps of Wayfind Marketing, The Growth-Minded Marketing Podcast simplifies marketing for B2B CEOs ready to grow with confidence. Each episode offers real-world strategies, step-by-step coaching, and inspiring CEO interviews—all designed to help you align your marketing with your business goals, stop wasting time and money, and scale without the stress. If you’re a growth-minded leader tired of vague advice and underperforming tactics, this is your next step.
AnnieLaurie: Welcome back to the
Growth-Minded Marketing Podcast, the
show where we help CEOs and their
teams simplify marketing, lead with
clarity, and grow their businesses.
I'm Annie Laurie Walters and
I'm here with Steve Phipps,
founder of WAY Find Marketing.
Steve (2): And on this podcast we
talk with growth-minded leaders, CEOs,
business owners, about what it really
takes to build and scale a business.
And we don't talk about just the wins,
but the decisions, the trade-offs,
the challenges, and the clarity that
it takes to keep moving forward.
AnnieLaurie: Some businesses
start with spreadsheets,
forecasts, and a detailed roadmap.
But today's guests, the
founders of Oh, great.
Started because people kept knocking
on the door and asking for more food.
Amy and Courtney didn't
wait for perfect conditions.
They built something real by
listening, pivoting, and taking
the next step as it came.
Their founders who stay connected to
their customers and aren't afraid to build
the plane while they're still flying it.
Steve (2): What stood out to me in my
conversation with them is how naturally
they have stepped into their strengths.
On one hand, Courtney brings ideas
and big picture thinking, and
Amy brings clarity and structure,
and together they've created this
partnership that works really well.
And not because they each try to do
everything, but because they're honest
about what they each do the best.
AnnieLaurie: And you know, it's funny, I
know Amy personally, she's another fellow
union university graduate, and, the whole
time I've known her, I've known her to
be a smart, steady, and hilarious woman
who has a real gift for marketing and for
taking ideas and giving them direction.
And what's neat is combined with
Courtney's instinct for momentum and
all of her ideation, you get this great
innovative business that's moving forward
and going into places and doing things
that I don't think either of them may have
ever expected when they first started.
Steve: I guess you could say
they built a great business.
I
AnnieLaurie: think you're right,
Steve: dad.
Dad, jokes aside, what I've really
enjoyed about this conversation , is
how honest they were about.
This partnership, the strengths that
they lean into, the areas that they
don't try to carry alone, and the
way they keep learning as they grow.
You know, they're very clear.
They've not been perfect in their
execution, but they've continued
to learn and move forward.
And as you'll hear, they didn't
just build a frozen meal company.
They've built something that is focused
on giving families some time back.
And that could be the most valuable
thing that any business can offer.
AnnieLaurie: Definitely.
So today we're pulling back
the curtain on how Oh, great.
Went from meals in a cooler to landing
in Kroger and why their story matters
for every CEO who's trying to scale
without losing themselves in the process.
Steve: Let's get into it.
All right.
Hey everybody.
Welcome to this episode of
Growth-Minded Marketing.
And you know, one of the things that
I enjoy the most with this podcast is
getting to talk to different business
owners and CEOs and hearing their stories.
And so today I have with me Courtney
and Amy who have started Oh great.
And such a cool story.
So I'm really looking
forward to diving in.
So Amy Courtney, why don't y'all go
ahead and just introduce yourselves
and tell us more about Oh, great.
What you guys do and how you got started.
Amy: Thanks for having us on Steve.
We are really happy to be here
on, especially a podcast just
named Growth Minded Marketing.
I feel like Yeah, that is right.
Like, they, that is just a brilliant
name for a podcast and well, thank you.
Happy to be here.
So thank you.
I'm Amy, and this is Courtney and
she really is the brainchild behind.
Oh, great.
And she wrangled me into this.
I'm gonna let her tell you.
Steve: No, no pressure there.
Courtney.
Amy: I'd like to start with her.
It all started with her little
entrepreneurial brain here.
Courtney: Well, I had actually spent
18 years in property management and my
husband and I were looking to diversify
some investments and purchased a
little hole in the wall restaurant.
Did that for a little while.
And decided at one point, well, I'm just
gonna sell it and be a stay at home mom.
Well, that lasted about three weeks.
My mind didn't even last that long.
And so I just started just really
thinking through different ideas.
And the meantime people were contacting
me, customers from my restaurant, wanting
me to make these meals that we had made
that the new owner was no longer doing.
So things like pot roast or
shepherd's pie, chicken pot pie.
So next thing I know, I'm making these
things at home, setting 'em out front
in a cooler, and folks are coming by and
picking 'em up and leaving me some cash.
Okay, great.
But is this really what I wanna do?
So my husband actually encouraged
me to really think through that and
really recognized the opportunity
that kind of laid before me.
So I wrote out a business
plan, came up with a name, and.
I really spent a lot of time trying to
focus on my weaknesses and my strengths.
Wrote all that out, and really
took a lot of time too to consider
like, what could have really
gone better with my restaurant?
What could I have done differently?
So this is kind of a second chance
I really tried to take that mindset.
So, hmm.
I knew kind of instantly the
areas that I don't enjoy at all.
And I knew that if I were stuck in
those areas again, that it would
really drag you down just day to day.
So I just thought, you know what?
I need to try to find a business partner.
Somebody can compliment me, my weaknesses.
And I was actually friends with
Amy's husband, Russ, and we
went to school together and he.
Occupied the space next
door to my restaurant.
Okay.
So I had met Amy along the
way, just kind of briefly.
We had had a conversation about changing
schools for our kids and for my kids.
And I just, we just went to breakfast
and the more we talked at breakfast
that day, I was like, goodness, I think.
I think she might be my, my girl.
I think she might be my person.
So I kind of just laid it out there, like
just what I was thinking about doing.
I didn't really say, Hey, do you
wanna do this with me just yet?
Yeah,
yeah, you did.
Okay.
I think she was, I was probably
alluding to it and then I was
like, do you want breakfast again?
And then so we go to breakfast again.
I was like, okay, you
have to do this for me.
I don't even think I asked,
I just told her, she asked.
It
Steve: just, it was just
an assumed agreement.
Of,
Hey, here's what I'm doing.
When do you wanna start?
Yeah.
Courtney: She's like, I'll think about it.
And I'm going, but really?
No, just, you're like,
Steve: no, you're not
you, you're, you're good.
You're good.
That's, it's a yes.
Just, just
Amy: right.
Now that I know Courtney, I
definitely know because you're
not gonna tell Courtney No.
And when she comes up with these ideas,
and we are great partners when it comes
to that 'cause she comes up with all
these ideas and my brain immediately
is like, we gotta make this happen.
How are we gonna make this happen?
And this partnership has been one of
the biggest secrets to success of.
Which I know everyone doesn't, is not
a fan of having a business partner.
But for us, the way that we have outlined
our responsibilities and roles and really
mapped out our strengths and weaknesses
has really helped propel us forward.
So it was an easy yes for me once I really
got my head around what the idea was and
how we could really do this together.
Steve: When did you guys start?
The name of the company is.
Oh, great.
And so Courtney, was that the original
name that, that you came up with?
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah.
And so how long ago did
you guys start the company?
Amy: It was 2019.
Yeah.
And 2019.
Yeah, 2019.
All right.
Before COVID the pandemic and all of that.
And I, I can jump in and address
that now 'cause that was.
A big growth in our business.
And this is a good example of things
that we learned along the way.
We had been in business for about a year.
We had set up this frozen meal
business where we were doing home
deliveries to people's house.
And we had just started partnering with
some local boutique stores to get our food
in their stores and people coming there.
And then COVID happened
and everything shut down.
And , one of Courtney's big points
of starting the business was.
Kind of the marketing points was gathering
families around the dinner table again.
Mm-hmm.
Well, when COVID happens and everyone
was wanting to gather their family around
the dinner table, and so, unintentionally
our marketing really aligned with
what everyone was needing and we were
already set up for home delivery.
And then our partnership with the local
stores allowed those stores to stay in
business because they were then deemed
essential because they carried food.
Oh, that's awesome.
Yeah, and I think that was our first
big, like, aha moment of like, maybe
we're, maybe we're onto something here
besides kind of our little smaller idea
of what we thought it was gonna be.
Steve: So, so talk to me a
little bit more about that.
So I, I love that idea of gathering
families around the table.
And I'm gonna, I'm gonna frame this.
One of the things that, that we do when
working with people is helping them think
through their messaging and, identifying
what's the problem that you're solving.
Especially when that problem
resonates at a deeper level.
Love the fact that you guys
aren't looking just at.
The convenience factor, but that this is
an opportunity for families to reconnect.
And so I love that, that deeper thread.
But, talk a little bit more about
what you were just saying, Amy, and
that's, you're starting to see that
maybe there's something bigger here.
So what, what were some of the things
that you were seeing there that,
that made you think this is something
bigger and what did that look like?
Amy: Yeah.
I, I think Courtney's original
idea, and she can speak to this.
Of this gathering families
around the dinner table.
At some point she came to me
and was like, you know what?
We're not selling food.
We're selling time
because moms are busy and.
Moms carry this mom guilt
and the mental load.
And dad's probably do too.
I'm just saying mom's generally
responsible for dinner and even breakfast.
We've added breakfast to the menu
and laundry and, and laundry and all.
Steve: Oh, I know, I know.
My, my wife has the hardest job.
I get it.
Courtney: The grocery store
meal planning, you name it.
It.
We're tracking a nerve here.
We, yeah, yeah,
Steve: yeah.
Amy: But it does strike a nerve.
And so when she came to me, I
remember the day and she was
like, it's not about the food.
As far as our marketing approach
yes, our food needs to be good and
delicious but it is solving a problem
and it's solving the problem of time.
Courtney always is saying, you know,
half the time she's standing up while
she's eating and doing the dishes
after she's already cooked the food.
This.
And this, this concept that we
have created and the marketing that
has gone along with it is selling
something more than just our product.
We are giving people peace of mind.
We're giving them the permission to stick
a frozen meal in the dinner and throw
away the pan and not have to do dishes
and know that everyone's gonna like
the chicken spaghetti that they serve.
That resonates with people
more than just here is a pan of
really good chicken spaghetti.
Steve: When we think about messaging,
and especially in the context of story
for folks that may have read Donald
Miller's StoryBrand I was a certified
StoryBrand guide for five years.
And, within that framework he, he talks
about the problem exists at different
levels and, you guys have gone to that
deeper level and that that's really
where loyalty gets created because.
Yes.
Like you said, the food
needs to taste good.
It needs to be priced fairly.
It needs to have, it needs to check
all those boxes, but when you can
really connect at that deeper level of.
Giving some of the freedom
back, giving some time back
and hitting that deeper need.
That's where you start
getting to the hearts.
I love how you guys have really focused
in on that and you know your audience.
I mean, you, you are your audience
and you know your audience and
so you're just hitting straight
to the heart of the matter.
Courtney, I wanna go back to what you
were talking about here in just a moment.
So now, now you guys, just
to fast forward, I mean, you
guys are now in Kroger so.
Obviously, Amy, as you said, you
saw that there was more here.
I mean, this is a bigger opportunity
and you guys are certainly growth minded
and, and when I know Amy in our previous
conversations, you guys have big plans,
but I want to go back because something
that, that I know is essential for this.
Company to work and function is,
Courtney, what you said coming outta
the gate is recognizing your strengths
and weaknesses and needing to find
somebody else to compliment that and I
think for a lot of business owners and
CEOs, sometimes that's a missing piece.
And it doesn't always look like a business
partner like it is in y'all's case, but
is recognizing that as the leader of
the business, you can't do everything.
Courtney, would you
unpack that a little bit?
What did that look like, that process
of, what did you see as your strengths
and what was it that you recognized
you needed somebody else to, to
help do so that, like you said, you
didn't get stuck back in those things
that were just gonna burn you out.
Courtney: For me being, just creative
and a visionary person, that I would
have all these ideas and it can become
extremely frustrating when none of it
can happen because you're in the day
to day your hands are in everything and
Yep, it is true in so many areas of life.
If you're stretched thin,
then everything suffers.
So.
I just really took the time to look
at each area within the business from
financially to marketing, all of it,
and then the day to day, because I
mean, every small business when you
start, you're still in the day to day.
Mm-hmm.
And I actually reflect on that a lot.
If, if I didn't have Amy from
the very beginning that we just
wouldn't be where we are there.
There's no way.
It.
Probably wouldn't even be here, period.
So it really just has enabled us to
take it to another level and, and quite
frankly, we've hit that ceiling again.
So there's always a ceiling and I am
not an expert in any of these areas
I'm learning but my philosophy is I
have to invest in myself personally
and continue to learn and grow
personally in my personal development.
And then that translates here,
while also focusing on my leadership
skills and those types of things.
So I knew in my history of like
working in property management, I had
lots of properties that I was over.
I traveled all the time.
I had probably a team of about 60 people.
So I knew leadership was definitely
you know, a higher level.
Leadership was a strength of mine,
but I knew I had to get back.
In the weeds with everybody.
Roll my sleeves up just as
I'd done in the restaurant.
But you can get lost in that
'cause you're exhausted every day.
Yeah.
When you look.
So it's harder to think just
bigger picture on things.
So again, I just went back to that
and we still have to do that here.
You know, I was in the
kitchen this morning.
It happens, but.
The reality is that if we're
constantly trying to shift our habits
and shift our mindsets to, okay,
it's time we have to hire somebody
that's better than me at this.
I need somebody smarter than me and
better than me in this specific area.
We have to hire somebody for
that so we can continue to grow.
Otherwise, I, I don't want us to
become complacent and content with what
we've got 'cause it's not good enough.
I just wanna continue to grow.
I want our team to continue
to grow and then that enables
us to pour into our team.
'Cause none of this would
be possible without them.
And so the more we're pushing ourselves
and pushing this business and elevating
it, it just enables us to allow it
to come full circle to everybody
here that's making this happen.
Steve: Yeah.
Yeah, so Courtney, you're the
big picture, the visionary.
And there's a.
You guys may be familiar, but there's a
business operating framework called EOS,
the entrepreneurial operating System.
And within that, the most successful
businesses will typically have two leaders
and one is the big picture visionary.
That's the, like you said, Courtney,
that's the ideas and that's where I live.
I live in that space of ideas.
And similarly, I've had to come to
that recognition that I need people
around me who one can help me vet those
ideas because I come up with way too
many ideas for us to actually execute.
Yeah.
And, and Amy, you're smiling.
Amy, you're smiling.
So, so there, there's that gift
of discernment that, that us,
who are those idea generators?
We need those folks who can lovingly.
Sometimes bluntly challenge the
ideas and help us figure out
what's actually going to work.
And Amy, you even commented about
that a little while ago, is as we were
talking through, you're like, well,
how do we, how are we gonna do this?
And so, Amy, what has that been
like for you in, in the dynamics?
So you're working with Courtney, big
picture ideas, but how do you see
your role in terms of filtering and
executing to really get the balance
that you guys are talking about?
Amy: No, that's, that's great.
It is.
I always am like, we are
never short of ideas at Oak.
Great.
We can whiteboard anything you want.
We have, yes.
With a different tone.
So many different strategies.
I feel that.
Yeah.
And I, I do love it.
I mean, that's like part of
my, one of my favorite things
about being a business owner.
Being an entrepreneur, there is a
lot of different directions we can
go and sometimes I lean towards, you
know, like I want it written down.
I wanna plan, I wanna know the step
by step of how we're gonna get there.
And I can help in those areas for sure.
But one thing I've learned about this is.
We always are just doing the
next right thing in front of us.
Fiesta Sauce, I have to acknowledge
Fiesta Sauce was one of those
pivotal things in our business
that sent it to the next level.
That is the product that's in Kroger and.
That wasn't written in any
kind of plan that we had.
That was just something that Courtney
had made that we served our staff
and we all loved it, and we thought,
Hey, let's just try to sell this.
And then it just caught
on and here we are.
So it's always just kind of
doing the next right thing.
I think a lot of times in my role
and my balance of Courtney's ideas
is just keeping the train moving
and keeping us on track, and just
keeping us pushing forward on an idea.
And I think that, and then we come back
together at the end of these things.
That's why I brought up Fiesta Sauce.
So we achieved this big goal of
getting Fiesta sauce into Kroger.
It was a lot of hard work.
It was persistence.
It was, if you see a brand in
Kroger, you need to know that they
have spent a significant amount
of time trying to get into Kroger.
So in a way it really felt like we
had achieved this pinnacle, this
huge goal that we had worked towards.
And.
The day of the launch of Fiesta Sauce, we
made a big social media presence about it.
It was very exciting.
And we had shirts made,
we had cookies made.
I mean, we both were out
there at all these Krogers.
We had diversify the staff to get out
there and it was a very exciting day.
But it was so interesting 'cause at
the end of the day, or maybe the next
day, Courtney and I both were like.
Is this it?
Like, why were we not excited?
Sure.
We celebrated, but I think it was so
unique and so good for us to both be so
connected and have the same feeling of
like, well that was good, but immediately
we were both like, what's next?
And so we sat down and applied
for Walmart the next day.
Steve: That's awesome.
I love that.
I love that.
Amy: I think there always is a
time to celebrate, but you've
got to, as an entrepreneur,
continue to push yourself forward.
Steve: Well, and I think in
business, you're always moving.
It's just a question of what
direction are you moving forward
or are you starting to slide back?
And so, yeah.
So that's awesome.
Courtney: And I, wanna add, you know.
I felt really indifferent
feeling that way.
So I wanna encourage anybody
that listens to this.
If you find yourself achieving what
seems like something so great, and people
are just celebrating all around you and
they're so excited for you, but you on
the inside are just almost dying, like.
Why don't I feel as excited
as everybody else is?
I think what I recognized in
when I was really trying to think
through that and understand why
I felt that way was I, I was more
proud of what we did to get there.
It wasn't like it, you know, seeing
Fiesta all sitting on the shelf at
Kroger's, like, oh, that's mine.
I still go by every time I'm in my Kroger.
Of course, to see the stock, but
really understanding and celebrating
what it took to get there, not
just for Amy and I, but our team.
That's what was monumental.
It what we learned.
I mean, that is what's going
to take us to the next level
all the steps along the way.
And that's what I wanna remember.
That's what I wanna, the
tears, the all the things.
Steve: It's important to highlight
what you guys are sharing is
it's not about the success.
Because I think , in our business
world, it's easy to read the magazine
covers or see somebody posting on
Instagram about their success and
it's this perception that it's easy.
Or that if you just follow the absolute
right system and you check all the
boxes that you're, you're going to
have this great success, whatever
that is, financial or hitting whatever
milestone, but one, it gets messy.
And I know just from our previous
conversations and just having been in
business for 20 years, it gets messy.
And I think that's something that most
CEOs and business owners know, but I think
it's always good to be encouraged by that,
that those visible moments of success.
It's kind of the old adage of, you know,
that overnight success only took 10
years or whatever it is to get there.
So now as you guys are continuing to grow
and shift and evolve, I want to land the
plane with this, and that's the chapter
that you're in Now, this, this next thing.
You've gone from frozen
meals on your porch.
Having a physical location
delivering meals to now you have
your Fiesta sauce in Kroger.
So, so obviously this has
grown a lot since 2019.
Now you're applying for Walmart.
So as you guys are anticipating this next
season of growth, what, what are some of
the things that you're doing based on.
All the things that you've learned, and
I love the fact that you're doing that.
You're pausing and you're looking and
you're reflecting and you're learning.
So what, what are some of the things
that you're doing now to position
yourself for continued growth?
Courtney: Most recently we've really
tried to focus on breaking down the
business into just sections, whether
it's marketing our retail store.
The back of the house
and production chefs.
I mean, there's so many different
areas that we have, and so just really
asking the question to ourselves and
with each other of, okay, we need the
best that we can have, understanding
what the business can afford.
We have to hire the best that we can
right now in order to free us up.
We have to be freed up in order to
continue down this road of elevating
the business, continued growth.
What's the next step?
Because it's not just apply
to Walmart, it's, there's so
many things that go with that.
Getting into Walmart looks very
different than getting into Kroger.
So while we did learn a lot from
getting into Kroger and we'll be
able to take some of that with us,
it still is a different process.
There were some bumps along the way
with Kroger that delayed it, and it was
frustrating in the moment, but I kept
reminding myself and Amy like, it's okay.
Like God is doing this for a reason,
number one, but number two, we need this
time so we can be better when it is time.
Again, I think it's those moments that is
gonna continue to propel us to the next
best thing, the next great thing for us.
Amy: I would add to that . Courtney
has really led the charge on putting
systems in place and getting away from
just the business, relying so much on.
Courtney and Amy, the founders being
so centric and like she said, hiring
the right people, but having the
systems in place so that it gives
us the freedom to dream, to grow and
then having systems in place for any
business is essential to scaling.
Because if we do wanna grow,
we're gonna wear ourselves out.
If we continue doing all the
things that we've always.
Done or holding the information
Speaker 4: in our
Amy: heads or holding it.
It has to get out.
Steve: Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Amy: Here's how to do it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So this, I mean, I think Courtney
and I both are what we consider
each of us are lifelong learners.
We are reading our listening to
podcasts or challenging each other.
Sometimes I'll read a book and
be like, this is what it says,
so you don't have to read it.
I'm gonna give you the nuggets,
you read it and you tell me.
So we kind of like brain
share this information.
And so I think for us, we wanna
really put ourselves into roles
where we're able to truly lead the
business into the next chapter.
And empowering those around
us to be able to do the same.
And systems is what?
Makes that happen and just
relinquishing some of the control, which
obviously everyone has issues with.
Well, and
Steve: especially when it's
something that you have built
Amy: right
Steve: from the ground up.
Yep.
Here in a moment before we wrap
up, I wanna give y'all a chance to
share what advice would you share
with other business owners and CEOs?
But before we do that, I just, I
wanna pull out a few of the things
that I've learned from y'all , and
heard from this conversation.
And number one is, as you're
growing one, learn from what's
worked and what hasn't in the past.
Whether it's in your current business
or your past business and that, that
you, you gotta know your strengths
as a CEO, as a business owner.
As a leader, you've gotta know what you're
good at and what you're not, and find the
people who are good at your weaknesses.
And I think a lot of CEOs sometimes
will push back against that, especially
if it's a company that they have
found and that they have built.
There is that element of control,
but if you're gonna grow, if
you're gonna scale at some point,
you've gotta entrust somebody else.
To take over those things
that you're not good at.
And y'all have done that, and I love
that it wasn't just at the beginning,
but even now as you're continuing to
grow, you're evaluating what do you need,
what leadership needs to be in place.
And then just like you guys said,
implementing the systems, because again,
you can have the best marketing plan
in the world, but if you don't have
the operational systems to support
that growth, it's gonna implode.
Yeah.
And then just even the, the, the last
point I've here is a thread through
this whole conversation is that both
of y'all are, are lifetime learners.
It's this recognition that you don't
know everything and so you're gonna
continue to learn and absorb and
share , and have somebody else , to be
able to think through those ideas with.
And so now I love hearing y'all story.
This is encouraging to me.
Even going back the, the bigger
picture of, Hey, we wanna get families
back together around the table.
There's so many things.
There's so many things I could
could dive into with y'all.
But we gotta wrap it up.
So I would love to hear from each
of you, what would be one piece of
advice that you would give to other
business owners, CEOs who are trying
to grow and scale their company.
What would you share with them about.
Based on your experience and
based on what you've learned,
Courtney: For me it's embrace change.
Like that's, but with change you
have to change your habits like that.
It's so easy to walk in every
day with your blinders on and
just do your everyday routine.
Whether it's, you know, you walk in and
you go to the bathroom first, or you walk
in and you go to the coffee pot first.
Whatever it is, change it up.
Change it up.
Change your routine, your habit and just
really embrace change within the business.
If you wanna change, if you want
something to change, you have
to change something with it.
If you wanna lose weight, yeah.
You, you gotta change something, right?
If you wanna sleep better,
you gotta change something.
Mm-hmm.
It's the same in business.
If you want more success, if you
want an area to improve within
the business, no matter what,
you have to be willing to change.
But it all starts with you as the
leader and, and oftentimes our
habits are what gets in the way.
Steve: That reminds me of the
book atomic Habits by James Clear.
And, you know, I've not read that
It's great and, it's that
understanding of even the smallest
decisions in a different direction.
Ultimately, we, we are the culmination
of our decisions and there's
daily little habits, and so yeah.
Absolutely.
That's great advice.
Thank you.
How about you, Amy?
Amy: On the same similar thread, I
was gonna talk about change as well.
Yes.
I live as like a typical like oldest
child, perfectionist lives an anxiety
person, and I feel like I would not have
started this business because of my own
fears or feeling like I couldn't do it.
And so for having Courtney to kind of
push me along has been so good for me.
And so sometimes I sit in those.
Fears or anxiety.
And what I've learned through this
business is to be okay with changing.
And you, in order to be
successful, my word is pivot.
You have to be willing to pivot.
And so I think we have done that
really well of not being scared to
say, okay, what is the next best thing?
And what is it?
How do we need to pivot to make that
happen while still saying true to
how we started and why we started.
And so if you are not willing to embrace
the things that come along in the changes
that happen and especially listening to
your customers and not being willing to
pivot, I think so many people just get
stuck in their ways and say, this is how
it is and this is how I'm gonna do it.
And not being, and just
being so unwilling to, to.
Think differently and
have a different mindset.
You're not gonna propel yourself forward.
And so staying true to your roots,
but being so willing and open to
pivot and go a different direction.
Did, like I've said, did we know
Fiesta Sauce was gonna be this thing?
No.
But we've, we followed it and.
It's gonna take us, it'll lead us to the
next thing as long as we are continually
working at it and being open and able
to try to continue to push ourselves
forward and see a bigger picture.
Steve: Yeah.
That's great insight there is,
is, knowing what your mission is
and, that deep why of what you do.
Because that really, that's unchanging.
And if it does change, it
needs to be very intentional.
It needs to be slow to change, but the
how you do it and even the what of, how
you deliver that in the marketplace,
that's gonna shift and change.
And so, you know, I.
I think what you guys
had is the fiesta sauce.
Like you said, something that you
guys were doing internally, but
all of a sudden that one thing
became what got you into Kroger.
And the willingness to try that
and deviate and as you said, pivot
when there are those opportunities.
And that's hard sometimes 'cause
that means letting go of control.
It means sometimes what you
thought was gonna happen.
It's letting go of that desired
outcome and being willing
to try something different.
Well, Courtney, Amy,
this has been fantastic.
It's man, a lot of, lot of good
insights here and y'all are fun
and so I enjoyed the conversation,
so thank you for being here.
Now.
Now share a little bit before we wrap
up, how can folks find you if they
wanna order from you, if they wanna
find you in a Kroger, where do they go?
How do they get in touch with y'all?
Amy: Yeah, we try to make it
as easy as possible to find us.
So start with our website@ohgreat.com.
That's O-H-G-R-A-T e.com.
You can find our retail store in
Collierville at the intersection
of Houston Levy and Poplar Avenue.
So we'd love to see you
at our retail store.
You're gonna find some
interesting and fun products.
All related to foods.
Some we make in-house, some we have
local partners so we'd love to see there.
And then we are also in 20 some odd
other local grocery stores and boutiques.
You can find that list online.
And then of course you can find Fiesta
Sauce in Kroger in the deli section.
So we are hopefully
everywhere that you are.
Steve: Fantastic.
I love it and I look forward to
at some point, hopefully seeing
you guys in Walmart as well.
Amy: Yes.
All right.
Fantastic.
Thank you
Steve: so much.
Annie, Laurie, there's so much that
I take away from this conversation,
Amy and Courtney's story is, it's
a reminder that growth almost never
comes from just one big moment.
It's a series of decisions made over
time, usually with incomplete information.
We talk about how they've learned
from what didn't work in the
restaurant, their willingness to
rethink their model during COVID.
Leaning into what customers were asking
for and then having the courage and
the persistence to pursue opportunities
like getting Fiesta sauce into
Kroger when that door cracked open.
AnnieLaurie: Yes, definitely.
And what I love is that none of
this happened because they tried
to do everything themselves.
They have a real partnership that's
marked by intentionality, and they've
been honest about where they're strong.
And where they're not
and where they need help.
So they didn't stall out and they have
surrounded themselves with a great team
and as they are able, are hiring the best
of the best to help them, be positioned to
seize opportunities that come their way.
That kind of clarity is such a
powerful leadership skill, and
honestly, it's something that a
lot of CEOs might struggle with.
Steve: Well, and a lot
of it comes down to.
The self-awareness to know what
you as a leader are good at and
what you're not, and a willingness
to build a team around you.
Of people whose strengths
compliment yours.
And some CEOs, some business owners will
hesitate almost out of intimidation.
They feel like they need to be the
strongest, best person in the room.
When in reality, the goal is to build
a team of people around you who excel.
And so that as a team, you excel
and you hear, , the way that
they talk about their team.
They're not just building a company.
They're building a place where
everyone can grow with them.
They're investing in themselves.
They're investing in their people,
and so that way the whole business
moves forward, and that's what
healthy scaling looks like.
AnnieLaurie: Definitely
in, in the interview.
I know you brought up the EOS framework
and they're a great picture of that
without even maybe doing it on purpose.
I don't think that they were trying
to follow EOS when they did this, but
that's basically what they're doing.
They've got that great visionary
partnered up with that great integrator,
and they're getting stuff done.
I think it's amazing.
Steve: Absolutely.
AnnieLaurie: And the fact that they've
been able to go from mules and coolers
around town, or even on Courtney's
front porch to being on grocery
store shelves, that's really amazing.
And it's not because they were
chasing the hype or trying
to be all things, all people.
They stayed grounded in their
mission to give families back time.
And that's the part that sticks
with me as a mom with three kids.
Getting time back is an
invaluable thing, and that's why
I think they're doing so well.
And when that purpose is clear,
the growth just feels less frantic.
It actually ends up
being a lot more aligned.
Steve: And another thing that
stood out to me was one, their
intentionality of celebrating the
wins while at the same time continuing
to look forward because they were
obviously excited about Kroger, but.
In my conversation with them, it was
clear they all, they have other goals.
They, that was a big stepping stone,
but they've got more beyond that.
They're, wanting to do other
chains that they want to get into.
And so I can't wait to see what they do.
AnnieLaurie: Yes.
Yes.
Try the fiesta sauce.
It's delicious.
I can vouch for it.
Steve: There you go.
You, you've got Annie
Laurie's, recommendation
brought to you by oh greats.
And now if you're a CEO business
owner, and you're listening to this
and you feel like you're hitting
ceilings or maybe you're carrying
too many of the wrong things,
or if you're ready for your business to
grow with more intention, you know, take
the, take a page from Amy and Courtney.
Take time to assess your strengths.
Get honest about that, and begin
the process of building , the team
around you that supports you, that's
gonna support the growth of the
business, and you stay connected.
Stay connected to the
people that you serve.
Have conversations with your customers.
Don't get so separated that
you lose sight of what they
really want and need and value.
Combination of these intentional actions
begin to create meaningful momentum.
AnnieLaurie: And if you do need help
getting clarity on the marketing side
of things, we'd love to walk with you.
Steve: If this conversation resonated
with you, if you heard pieces of
your own story and Amy and Courtney's
journey, one of the best next steps that
you can take is to get clarity around
your marketing because it is often the
missing piece of your growth engine.
And here at way Find marketing,
we work with growth, growth-minded
CEOs and business owners and
their teams to simplify marketing.
We start with strategy first.
We don't jump straight into tactics.
We look to cut out the noise and get
clarity, and we help you understand
what's working, what's not, where to
focus, so that your marketing actually
supports the way that you want to grow
your business and a free tool that you
can take advantage of on our website
is our B2B marketing assessment.
This is a free tool, gives you an honest,
objective, look at your marketing.
It's a quick way to assess so that
way you can see where you're aligned
and what's getting in your way.
And if you're looking for even more
support, we offer coaching services.
You know, you, you may have a marketing
manager who's really good at certain
things, but they need some guidance.
They need a framework so that they can be
better at what they do to help you scale.
And so we can come alongside service
that coach for your marketing team and
for you from a marketing perspective,
so that you're making confident
decisions as your business grows.
You can find the assessment, learn
more about our coaching and get in
touch with us@wayfindmarketing.com.
Thanks for joining us today.
Amy and Courtney.
Appreciate you sharing your
story and your honesty.
And to all of you listening, we'll see
you on the next episode of Growth Minded
Marketing, and don't forget to subscribe
and share this with your fellow CEOs.