Bobo's Oat Bars: from "I needed a Job" to 1 million units per month

"I kind of had to reinvent myself.  I was newly single with two teenaged daughters.  I needed to get a job..."  “Salespeople are a great resource – they’ll tell you what you need…”

    Beryl Stafford, Founder, Bobo’s Oat Bars 

A humble leader can be challenging for a podcast host.

As I was interviewing Beryl Stafford, Founder of Bobo’s Oat Bars, I wanted to know how Beryl became one of the very few who “made it.”  Instead, Beryl talked about how she’s still making Bobo’s by hand – her kitchen is just bigger now.  “REALLY?” I thought.  At over 1 MILLION bars a month, 100 employees, and national distribution?  I kept digging, and we kept talking, peeling back the layers.  Listen to this podcast and you’ll hear a story of perseverance (mine as an interviewer, but more importantly, Beryl’s as an entrepreneur!), about cold calling retailers and “taking a lot of no’s” until Whole Foods agreed to give Bobo’s a try.