The Startup CPG Podcast


In this founder feature, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Sheena Hamby, founder of Mac Squares, baked mac and cheese frozen into squares, made with real aged cheddar cheese straight from the block, fresh milk, eggs, and spices, with zero cheese powder. Needing a fast comfort food that wasn't messy, Sheena created Mac Squares in a hospital kitchen while her daughter Nova was going through chemotherapy. Nurses and doctors started stopping by asking what she was cooking. Her family ate them, her kids ate them, cold or hot, and customers are now hiding the salmon SKU in their own deep freezers.


Caitlin and Sheena dig into how frozen food is really just time travel, preserving the product at the exact moment it was made, Sheena's journey from hospital kitchen to her first retailer at Swamp Rabbit Cafe (which came from a Startup CPG event), her experience at the Fancy Food Show in New York, and the literal street sign that changed everything for her at a Startup CPG grocery run in Denver.


Listen in as they discuss:


  • How the idea for Mac Squares came from needing something fast and mess-free during her daughter's chemo treatment
  • Cooking from scratch in a hospital kitchen after learning her daughter was allergic to dairy
  • The moment her daughter's oncologist tried Mac Squares during a Super Bowl watch and asked for the whole tray
  • The real ingredients behind Mac Squares: block cheddar, fresh milk and eggs, and less than 1% sodium
  • Building out five SKUs, including truffle, spinach, miso, salmon, and a dairy-free version made with oat milk
  • How the D2C pre-order model, shipping twice a month, allows Sheena to control logistics and production
  • Discovering Startup CPG through a chance conversation, and applying to the Denver grocery run on a whim
  • The emotional Denver show: grieving her father, a street sign that felt like a sign, and pushing through anyway
  • Landing Swamp Rabbit Cafe as her first grocery store account
  • Why she reframes frozen food as "time travel," preserving a dish at the exact moment it was made


Episode Links:


  • Sheena Hamby - Founder, Mac Squares LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/sheenahamby
  • Website: https://www.smacsquares.com/
  • Instagram: @macsquares


Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.


Show Links:

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  • Follow @startupcpg
  • Visit host Caitlin's LinkedIn
  • Questions or comments about the episode? Email podcast@startupcpg.com
  • Episode music by Super Fantastics

Creators and Guests

Host
Caitlin Bricker
Managing Editor @ Startup CPG

What is The Startup CPG Podcast?

The top CPG podcast in the world, highlighting stories from founders, buyer spotlights, highly practical industry insights - all to give you a better chance at success.

Sheena Hamby
The idea came from just filling a need that wasn't met while my daughter was in the hospital going through chemo. I just needed something fast. I needed to get from her chemo room to the family kitchen across the hall in less than five minutes. My mom was always going, how can I make something that's great for her that's fast? So I froze the Mac and cheese and then I was like, you know what, let's try to bake it. And then my daughter actually ate it. Then I did the baked Mac and cheese and it just became a hospital sensation. And it became a sensation with people at sporting events, and then it became a sensation with everyone. So now we're here.

00:55
Caitlin Bricker
Hey, everybody. This is kitchen Caitlin Bricker, managing editor at Startup CPG. We are back with another founder feature. Today I'm sitting down with Sheena Hamby, founder of Mac Squares. Baked. Mac and cheese frozen into Squares made with real aged cheddar cheese straight from the block, fresh milk, eggs and spices, zero cheese powder. Needing a fast comfort food that wasn't messy, Sheena created Mac Squares in a hospital kitchen. While her daughter Nova was going through chemotherapy. Nurses and doctors started stopping by asking what she was cooking. Her family ate them, her kids ate them, they ate them cold, they ate them hot. And customers are even hiding the salmon skew in their deep freezers. We're diving into how frozen food is really just time travel. I'm absolutely mind blown by that, preserving the product at the exact moment it was made.

01:44
Caitlin Bricker
We're also getting into her journey from hospital kitchen to her first retailer. That came from a startup CPG event, Swamp Rabbit Cafe, all the way to the fancy food show in New York City and the sign that changed everything. It was a literal sign. So keep your ears open and why Snags as a founder should actually excite you because it's just something else that you need to figure out and problem solve. You might hear this from Sheena on this podcast. I feel this from her. She's a very humble founder, but her product is going to be huge. It's changed her life, it's changed her daughter's life, it's changed countless families lives who have had the experience of Mac Squares.

02:26
Caitlin Bricker
I think that this is a brand that you should be watching for and definitely go and buy some and feed your family and see what they think. We hear from founders on this podcast every week. If you're a brand and want to get new opportunities right in your inbox, text CPG to 833-605-7002. That's 833-605-7002. And we'll get you hooked up. As always, enjoy. Hey, everybody. Back to the Startup CPG podcast. This is Caitlin, and today I'm here with Sheena Hamby, founder of Mac Squares. Sheena, welcome to the show.

03:03
Sheena Hamby
Thank you for having me.

03:06
Caitlin Bricker
I love it. I feel like you are a very humble founder. I don't even know if you realize how good of a product you have in front of you and how big your brand is going to be. Do you realize this?

03:20
Sheena Hamby
Honestly, you're not the first person to say that to me. Maybe a third person. I feel like I know. I do know. Then on the other end, when you're in founder mode, in building mode, you have the long goal in mind, but you're just focused on the moment, like achieving the small steps to hit the big picture. So it's just. Maybe it's just not surreal to me yet, but I understand, but I'm just in the moment. I love it.

03:47
Caitlin Bricker
Well, I think everybody's in for a really good episode. And before we get into everything, Sheena and everything, Mac Squares, tell us what Mac Squares is.

03:55
Sheena Hamby
Mac Squares is simply baked Mac and cheese frozen into a square or a cube, however you would like to define it. That's it.

04:05
Caitlin Bricker
That's it. And if anybody is watching the video right now, you can see Sheena has the bag that the Squares come in and then frozen Squares. That is simply how they're delivered. It's a very simple product, but it is delicious. I've tried them myself, and they are wonderful. As a toddler mom, I know you can relate. We do not have a lot of time in our lives, and kids love Mac and cheese. So this is perfect. It's already something that's time consuming to have to think about the food that you're going to put on the table for your kids, but you are creating a solution for moms and dads everywhere. So tell us, where did the idea for MaxWares come from?

04:45
Sheena Hamby
The idea came from just feeling a need that wasn't met while my daughter was in the hospital going through chemo. I just needed something fast. I needed to get from her chemo room to the family kitchen across the hall in less than five minutes. I need food to be done and back. And my mom was always going, how can I make something that's great for her? That's fast? All I thought about was fast and good. So Mac and cheese was not the first concept. It was a different concept, but it Was too messy. So then I froze the Mac and cheese, and I was back, and I was like, oh, that only took me less than three minutes. So it wasn't baked. It was just stovetop. But it was too messy once I warmed it up. And then I was like, you know what?

05:34
Sheena Hamby
Let's try to bake it. And then my daughter actually ate it. The first Mac and cheese that was stove top. I froze, she threw it on the floor, and it became messy. So I was like, that actually worked. It was less than three minutes. But I need something that's not messy. Don't want to clean up? I'm a single mom. Well, I was engaged at a time. I'm pregnant with Halo, and I'm going through chemo with Nova. So of course, I just needed everything to be simple. Then I did the bake Mac, and she actually ate the baked Mac and cheese. And it just became a hospital sensation. And it became a sensation with the people at the sporting events, and then it became a sensation with everyone. So now we're here.

06:09
Caitlin Bricker
Huge success when a toddler actually eats what's put in front of them. But a huge success also. Because you were cooking in the hospital. Yes, walk me through that. Were you doing boxed Mac and cheese? Were you making Mac and cheese from scratch? What did this look like? I want to envision myself in that.

06:27
Sheena Hamby
Kitchen with you when you go on the chemo floor. I don't know if every children's hospital is set up with the kitchen like a lounge area. When you first go into the hospital on the chemo floor, you have, like, a full kitchen, stove, oven, refrigerator, everything that you have at home. So initially, I used box mat, the craft mat. But then I realized Nova wasn't getting better, and I knew I couldn't use the cheese sauce. I knew she was allergic to dairy, so. So I had to switch a lot of things up and make it everything from scratch. And parents will come by, nurses will stop in, say, oh, it smells really good in here. They'll just be like, what you cooking? So they'll come in, check. I'll give them a little taste, a little sample before the finished product.

07:16
Sheena Hamby
And they just absolutely loved it. So that's how they became interested in it. But in the hospital, just cooking it per se, it was a lot because worried about Nova, like, oh, what if the doctors come in while I'm not there? Then you gotta clean up the kitchen and wait for the next person and make sure everything is labeled and sanitized. But I feel like the hospital kitchen was A lifesaver because we practically lived in the hospital. Like, when you're a kid going through chemo, you don't get to live the hospital. You live in the hospital like there is no home. You go home for two, three days and back at the hospital.

07:53
Caitlin Bricker
Wow. I have personally never experienced something like this. And just to hear that from you, I mean, I truly can't imagine. How is Nova doing today?

08:04
Sheena Hamby
She's doing great. This July 20, she enters the virus clinic.

08:08
Caitlin Bricker
So we're doing great.

08:09
Sheena Hamby
Wow.

08:10
Caitlin Bricker
Congratulations.

08:11
Sheena Hamby
Yes.

08:12
Caitlin Bricker
Wow. And what is she thinking about Mac Squares becoming this product that people can actually buy?

08:19
Sheena Hamby
Now, when she sees she always wanted. But I'm always telling her, nova, no. Because you're gonna get tired of it and you're not gonna like it. When it's time to show off, girl, when the time matters, I need you to still love it, you know, because kids are human too. So we get tired of foods, and they get tired of foods. And I don't let her eat it all the time. Cause I don't want her to get tired of it.

08:41
Caitlin Bricker
Of course.

08:42
Sheena Hamby
But Halo, the baby I was pregnant with, he can eat it every day. He asks for it every day. Nova eat hers cold. Nova like hers cold.

08:50
Caitlin Bricker
Good for her. You know what? My daughter just recently discovered that she likes pizza cold. Which she doesn't really eat the pizza when it's warm. But she was like, wow. Like this delicacy of cold pizza.

09:02
Sheena Hamby
That is true for sure. It's good. Cold pizza is good.

09:04
Caitlin Bricker
And it makes it easier for us too.

09:06
Sheena Hamby
See? Convenient, Elevated convenience.

09:09
Caitlin Bricker
All right, so I have two questions for you. I have lots of questions, but we'll start with two. So that experience that you had in the hospital with Nova, were you eating hospital food at the beginning, and you were just like, you know what? We need to change course here. Or did you feel like from the start, let's do something different?

09:27
Sheena Hamby
No. So I ate whatever she ate because it was just easy. She used to be real simple. She just ate broccoli, watermelon, and french fries all the time. And then one day, she stopped eating it and she lost her appetite. But the hospital have organizations like CURE to Come, and they feed you like they bring you chick fil A. They bring you the best food from barbecue place spots. They feed you so you're eating, like, real food. It's not like you're eating just hospital food. But she didn't want any of it. So it was in that moment where I realized, okay, maybe I should start ordering something. I Feel like she would eat.

10:02
Sheena Hamby
So I was just experimenting or wasting money ordering things, trying to get her to eat, even though she didn't have an appetite, but just trying to find something she was interested in. And then the moment came. Okay, you have bills, you have another child. You gotta take care of yourself. You have doctor's appointments. You can't be wasting any more money. You gotta figure it out. So that's when a thought process of developing something that fits Nova need came into play.

10:32
Caitlin Bricker
And I see it right on your packaging. Comfort in seconds. And I think a lot of this plays directly into your experience with the hospital and then directly into comfort foods. But because you were able to create something to bring that comfort of home in a square form that's ready in seconds, that your daughter also said, I'm good with this. I can do this.

10:53
Sheena Hamby
That's true. When I introduced it to my family. So, funny story. When she ring the bell. A lot of people think because you ring the bell that you're cancer free, but it's when you enter survivor's clinic that you're cancer free. So ring the bell. My family was like, okay, yeah, that's it. Like, what have you been doing this whole time in the hospital? You know, I'm like, oh, nothing. Just went there caring for Nova, blah, blah. But really, because I'm no longer in survival mode in the hospital. Now I'm in survival mode on the outside because I don't have the support I had when I was in hospital in survival mode in the outside that I forgot I was giving her on the inside. So I'm telling her doctors, hey, Nova's not eating. Something's wrong with her.

11:39
Sheena Hamby
When in reality, it's because I wasn't making what I was making in the hospital. And then she rang the bell. January, so in December, we had a family gathering, and I made Matt Squares. I was like, oh, I'm gonna make these Mac and cheese Squares. And they were gone before the party started. And I was like, oh, you guys like those? And they were like, yeah. I was like, this is what Nova used to eat in the hospital. So then they were like, oh, so that's what you was doing in the hospital?

12:06
Caitlin Bricker
Yeah, just becoming a Food Network star.

12:07
Sheena Hamby
It's fine, for sure.

12:09
Caitlin Bricker
I think it's really interesting, the fact that you basically were running an R and D facility from a hospital kitchen because you have the nurses coming in and out. They smell what you're cooking, and then you were able to use them as taste testers. Like, you really worked the environment that you were in. And it sounds like you made the best of what was an unfortunate situation. Of course, nobody wants to be in this situation. And you're like, you know what? Here's my resources. I have a kitchen. I have a team of R and D staff, essentially, your daughter included. Let's make this thing work. What did that feel like, to have that experience where you were put in this situation, forced into the situation, essentially to then be like, I actually have these resources here that can change the course of our lives.

12:55
Sheena Hamby
So you want to know what it felt like?

12:56
Caitlin Bricker
I want to know what it felt like.

12:58
Sheena Hamby
Honestly, I didn't think about it in that moment. It wasn't until her oncologist, Dr. Keller, tried the Mac square. And I want to say it was the Super bowl in 2023. Something with football was happening. It was like a big game. It was a big game happening. And he was holding Nova. He was like, I'll hold Nova. He said, I'll hold her while you do what you need to do. So he went into, like, the family lounge area. He held her and watched football on the big screen. And I was in the kitchen just making her some food. And then I came back, and he was like, score. And I was giving Nova the food, and he was like, oh, what do you have here? And I was like, MacG Squares. And he said, oh, okay. That's all he said. I got Nova.

13:46
Sheena Hamby
I gave Nova one. I got her. And I was walking out, and I turned around, I was like, here, try one. And he tried it, and he was just like this. He just said, this is so good. And I gave him the whole tray.

13:58
Caitlin Bricker
And I need everyone to know we're not talking about, like, Kraft Mac and Cheese blue box in a square, frozen. Tell us about the ingredients you're using on these products. Because when I look at it sounds like something that I would be served at, like, a Michelin star restaurant.

14:16
Sheena Hamby
I mean, it is Michelin star in the bag.

14:19
Caitlin Bricker
No.

14:20
Sheena Hamby
So we do not use any cheese powders. We do not use cheese sauce. We use cheese off the block, non GMO cheese. We use just milk, eggs, spices that I make myself, and just less than 1% of sodium citrate. That's it.

14:39
Caitlin Bricker
You have three SKUs, correct?

14:42
Sheena Hamby
We have fives.

14:43
Caitlin Bricker
Five.

14:44
Sheena Hamby
I sold the other two at the Farmer's market, so.

14:47
Caitlin Bricker
Oh, okay.

14:47
Sheena Hamby
We have truffle spinach, aged cheddar, miso salmon. All of our skus are made with aged cheddar, except the dairy free, obviously. We have dairy free. And Then we have a limited edition skew every month as every month is a different flavor.

15:05
Caitlin Bricker
Very cool. And I wanted to ask that question because I know you have the truffle skew and when you look at those ingredients, it's not truffle flavoring, it's actual black truffle in the Mac and cheese.

15:17
Sheena Hamby
Absolutely.

15:18
Caitlin Bricker
It's unreal.

15:19
Sheena Hamby
And then someone at the fancy show asked me how did I come up with the different flavors. So when I first made the Mac and cheese Squares for Nova, it had spinach, it had salmon, sometimes it had chicken. So I just took the different ingredients from the first square and made its own skew. That's all.

15:43
Caitlin Bricker
I think it's so smart because especially you're expanding into dairy free, which there's a ton of people that either have allergies or they're vegan or intolerances, a whole slew of things. And you're able to say, we have the original, we have a salmon one, we have a veggie one, and we have a dairy free one. To be able to reach that many people like, why wouldn't you try it at that point?

16:06
Sheena Hamby
So, I mean, the reality of it is the first ones were dairy free because they were made with oat milk, because Nova was allergic to milk, Nova was allergic to dairy. And quite frankly, to me, the dairy free ones taste better than the regular cheddar. That's just my opinion, but that's how I feel.

16:23
Caitlin Bricker
And Nova, I'm sure, is thinking the same thing.

16:26
Sheena Hamby
Yeah, she really doesn't care. She eats anything now. Anything on me?

16:30
Caitlin Bricker
Well, I have some questions about how you're operating your business too, because you and I talked before this and I saw on your website that it said pre orders available now for July 13th. We talked and I quickly found out that you do pre orders a few times a month and that you are fully launched out into the world, ready to go, ready to service your customers. So tell me about how you run your D2C operations online.

16:59
Sheena Hamby
D2C is based off pre orders. So you just order in advance and then we ship it out twice a month. It's no different than when you're ordering cookies and they say you order these cookies and they ship out in three to four days. Ours is just a little longer. But it works because it allow us to control our logistics, our production process. It's just strategic growth, that's all. So it works for us. However, we're going to be getting away from that model soon. That means we have really expanded. That is the only reason we're getting away from that model. So we'll definitely keep you guys updated and more flavors will be on the website.

17:41
Caitlin Bricker
Wow, I'm excited. I have to order some for my daughter and I'm sure she's going to be a freak for these.

17:47
Sheena Hamby
I don't know. Usually the parents who eat them before the kids.

17:50
Caitlin Bricker
It sounds like it. Especially hearing what happened with your party.

17:54
Sheena Hamby
Yeah, that's typically you hear when I get feedback from customers and new customers, they always say that. I have one family out in Pennsylvania, she emails pretty often and she says, I get this salmon bag for myself and I just hide it in a deep freezer. And I'm like, okay, if that works for you. So you think you're getting for your kids, but you found out it's really for you.

18:17
Caitlin Bricker
That is so funny. First time I found out about your brand was when you applied for our first ever Kahee grocery run in Denver. And I saw your products and I was like, this is cool. I've never seen anything like this. We put your products in front of Kahee. They wanted you on the floor at the show. Can you tell us what your experience was like at that Khee grocery run?

18:40
Sheena Hamby
Girl, you know what my experience was like? It was so overwhelming, man. My dad had just passed away like in January, so he was the one who was helping me launch Matt Squares. So I had like fell into this really deep depression and I was just like, I'm not going to do it no more. Then I met this lady, she is the CMO of beautiful curlie. Maybe she's like 13, 14 year old girl who owns a baby doll company. And she said, you need to be part of startup cpg. She said, I'm in the group. I don't know why because I don't have a CPG product. I just like to know stuff. And when she told me that, I went home and I joined the group and that's when I saw Kihi.

19:25
Sheena Hamby
I applied and so when I got there, I got off the plane and I'm walking to the hotel and I said, I don't know why I'm here. I should have just stayed home. Like I don't even want to be here. I don't even know why I'm here. These are my thoughts and my dad name is Curtis. So while I'm walking to the hotel, about two blocks before the hotel, the street name was Curtis Street.

19:45
Caitlin Bricker
I just got the chills.

19:47
Sheena Hamby
I just sat on a curb, I took a picture and I was like, no, this is your sign. This is your moment. Let's go. Let's do it. And then I got there. Gene with the cubes. The cubes made fresh citrus. He helped me along the way, helped me become comfortable, made sure I was okay. Got to the event. My warmer stopped working. I remember it was just a lie. And not just. All I try to remember is, like, no, the street sign. It's just like, the street sign. The street sign. But then I had such a long line of people. I just really didn't even know how to explain my own product. Like, I knew exactly what it was. I didn't know how to explain the product to the people.

20:30
Sheena Hamby
So I just got to the point where I was just like, it's just Mac and cheese in the square. He's in the bag. It's just Mac and cheese. Here, try. Like, I'm just, like, literally giving it out. Like people. And they're just all in these lines, just listening to the story and listening to what the product is, because they see that I'm pouring down sweat, and they understand that. What I loved about the Kiki show is they understood the product immediately. I mean, instantly, which was different from the Fancy show because they didn't understand the product. But anyways, like, they understood the product instantly, which made it better. I had this one lady just walk up to me, and she said, you're doing great. I don't care what nobody say.

21:11
Sheena Hamby
I don't care what you look like, but I just want you to know that you're doing great. And so that was real comforting for me, and it just helped me calm down. It was like, okay, let's do this. So after that, hearing comforting words from other people actually helps. Like, no matter what people say, like, oh, doesn't matter what other people see. Doesn't matter. But it do. Because when other people acknowledge that you're trying hard and other people see what you're going through, and then they acknowledge it actually brings you comfort. It brings you relief. So I was able to really get in the zone and say, start talking to myself. Like, my dad was there, my mom, my brother was there. So it actually, in the end, it worked out. It was a great show. I absolutely loved it.

21:54
Sheena Hamby
Got a couple deals from that show. Swamp Rabbit Cafe was my first grocery store, and we're still at Swamp Rabbit Cafe. We actually have a demo there on the 12th. So I loved it.

22:04
Caitlin Bricker
And I know the Sprouts team was swarming you over there, too. They couldn't get enough.

22:09
Sheena Hamby
We're still in contact. Gotta get sprouts ready. Cause, you know, every grocery store is different. So we're working on it. It's a lot of work. Frozen is a lot of work. Someone asked me, what was you thinking getting into frozen? I didn't know anything about the food industry at all. For personal experience, I don't know if frozen is harder than beverage. I don't know if it's more challenging than having a snack or a candy brand. I wouldn't know that because I started apparently in the most challenging category of food and beverage.

22:43
Caitlin Bricker
Lots of logistics weaved into there. And from what I've heard, it is not easy.

22:48
Sheena Hamby
Yeah, it definitely has been a challenge. But it's okay. I love it.

22:52
Caitlin Bricker
I have to give your flowers because that show was in February and with your dad passing in January, that's a lot one person's shoulders. And you crushed it at that show. So many people were talking about your brand, so many people were talking about you after it. And really, like, when you and I first met at that show, I was like, oh, this is my friend.

23:13
Sheena Hamby
Yeah, you were the first person I found when my warmer went out.

23:17
Caitlin Bricker
Well, you really did a great job. And I am just amazed by how much you've carried on your shoulders with your daughter, with the loss of your dad, with everything that you're doing and choosing to operate a frozen brand. We'll add that to the list.

23:32
Sheena Hamby
That's my other baby.

23:34
Caitlin Bricker
Anything that you want to share with founders about challenges that you've run into operating a frozen brand or operating a CPG brand in general? Any advice that you'd want to throw out there, insight that you want to share?

23:46
Sheena Hamby
I would just say as for frozen, like, sometimes we are discouraged by what other people think and what other people say, but especially when it comes to frozen food. It feel like, oh, it's not going to taste the same. It's a compromise. But when it comes to frozen food, you just look at it like time travel. Like, all you did was hand them, for example, mask Squares. Here, I'm going to hand you this square in the moment that it was made. We just froze it to preserve it. That's all we did. And you warm it up and it tastes just like it came from out the oven. You can't do that with shelf stable. Because if Mac Squares was shelf stable, it takes away the magic of it, the taste of it, the nostalgia of it. We have shelf stable.

24:33
Sheena Hamby
If it was in the refrigerator, it will only last five to seven days. Don't be discouraged because you have a frozen product. If a customer like it, they're going to buy regardless. It doesn't matter. That's definitely what I would say about frozen. Like, frozen food. It's in the future. It just meets you in the future. That's all. That's how I'd like to look at it.

24:54
Caitlin Bricker
This analogy for time travel is blowing my mind right now. I love that. I love that. I feel like you need to use this as a tagline.

25:04
Sheena Hamby
I mean. Cause if you think about it, how can you make great Mac and cheese that's for everybody, without all the, as many say, bad ingredients, Just simple ingredients, tastes good, reminds you of grandma, and doesn't taste frozen. All we did was freeze it for you as soon as it came out the oven, and then you warm it up and voila, it tastes better than grandma's.

25:30
Caitlin Bricker
It really is so good.

25:32
Sheena Hamby
No, but that's all I was saying. Just snags definitely do happen. And just use those snags to sharpen you. Don't be discouraged. Just bounce back quick. Like, snags are gonna happen. And it should excite you, actually. Because if you are a founder, that means you are innovator. That means you are a creator. And if a snag happened, you're like, oh, my God. Something I can work on, something I can figure out. That's what we do as founders. We just figure it out every single day.

25:59
Caitlin Bricker
Well said. I would love more people to find Mac Squares to get Mac Squares on their tables. Where can we find you online? What's your website? What's your social handles?

26:11
Sheena Hamby
So our social handles Mac Squares, M, A C and then just Squares with an S on the end. Our website is Mac Squares, so it's S and then Mac Squares. S, M, A C, S, Q U A R E, S dot com.

26:33
Caitlin Bricker
Perfect. Well, Sheena, it has been a pleasure talking to you. I wish you and your family the best. Please give Nova my best. Especially I know you have a big event, big day coming up for your family. Congratulations. And I wish you all the success in the world. And I am definitely going to be placing an order right after we hang up.

26:55
Sheena Hamby
Okay, girl?

26:56
Caitlin Bricker
Okay.

26:57
Sheena Hamby
Or just email me your order and I'll send it out.

27:00
Caitlin Bricker
No, no, no. That's one thing about me. If I like a brand, I'm not going to survive off samples. I'm going to actually buy your product and support you.

27:08
Sheena Hamby
You're like, I don't want no stamp.

27:10
Caitlin Bricker
But I love you for that, though.

27:11
Sheena Hamby
Well, it was definitely a pleasure.

27:15
Caitlin Bricker
I hope to see you again really soon. It was great seeing you out in New York for fancy food, and you're the best. I'm just excited for you. I think your energy is just. You are so calm and collected even though you have so much going on. And I just really feel like your brand is gonna be huge.

27:31
Sheena Hamby
Thank you. Fancy show is a success. I really appreciate that from you guys. The amount of emails and calls I get since the Fancy show, I had to tell people I'm on vacation until next week. Seriously, good for you.

27:45
Caitlin Bricker
We were so happy to have you in this section. You definitely are one of us. The standout brands in the community, in my eyes. And I know the team feels the same way.

27:54
Sheena Hamby
Thank you. Thank you. Well, you'll follow us. We got a lot coming in the next eight months.

27:59
Caitlin Bricker
Yes. I'm excited for you. Keep us updated.

28:02
Sheena Hamby
Of course.

28:03
Caitlin Bricker
All right, we'll talk soon. See you later.

28:05
Sheena Hamby
All right, bye. Bye.

28:06
Caitlin Bricker
Bye. CPG BFFs. We've now arrived together at the end of another episode of the Startup CPG podcast. As you may know, we're not just the top globally ranked CPG podcast. We're a community of tens of thousands of CPG founders and experts. And you should join us if you haven't already. Head to startupcpg.com to sign up. You'll get an invite to our Slack community, hear about events near you, and get access to opportunities that connect you with buyers, investors, and other brands. It's free. So what are you waiting for? I'll see you in Slack and in real life. Thanks for listening.