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Druid’s Book Club
Quick Take: Great story of overcoming obstacles to introduce a new product. But I thought it was a little thin on the entrepreneur-related takeaways.
Longer Take:
“Undaunted” is the story of how Kara Goldin and her husband started Hint Water. It details the obstacles they overcame getting started and how they’ve built the business.
The origin story has a great hook. They were trying to figure out how to create flavoured water without sugar and preservatives. At one point Kara called an executive at Coca-Cola, who condescendingly told her, “Sweetie … no one really wants unsweetened drinks.” Prior to this, Kara was so frustrated with the business that she was ready to just give it away. But, of course, this conversation gave her the fire to keep fighting. Fast forward 15 years and Hint is $150 a million-dollar business.
I enjoyed reading about how they overcame the potential roadblocks to success. It will inspire anyone looking to take the same journey.
My only complaint… In the intro, it states the book is “all about the most important things you need to know to be a successful entrepreneur.” There was some of this, but I thought it fell short in this department.
Otherwise, an excellent read.
Some of My Favourite Quotes:
“We can’t change the way of the world. What we can do is look our doubts and doubters in the eye and refuse to be stopped by them.”
“If my story proves anything, it’s that if I can do it, you can, too.”
“Don’t think about what you can’t do. Figure out what you can do. Then do it to the best of your ability.”
“This might be the opportunity to make a difference in the world … That kind of feeling doesn’t come along very often. When it does, I decided you should not ignore it. You may be looking at a new path forward.”
“…I’m here to tell you that, sometimes, if you think too much about the end, you will never get past the beginning.”
“…it’s really important to bring your personal story into the brand identity. People associate a brand with a human being and that person’s story. It adds tremendous meaning and value to them.”
“…without the consumer, all you have is a good idea. Customer feedback isn’t just interesting. It’s everything.”
“Don’t let anyone tell you that entrepreneurs are a special breed of human being – that they, unlike normal people, feel no fear. …undaunted is understanding what your fears are, deciding when it’s important to face up to them … then working through them. …the more success you have at taking on your fears, the more confidence you gain to take on others.”
“You don’t have to be super-special, rich, earn ten college degrees, or have front-row seats at the game. You just have to be undaunted. Most of us don’t start out that way. We have to learn to be undaunted. Then, if those walls around you ever get too high, you can smash them down. Or if that voice in your head starts telling you that you can’t do it, you can tell it to stop. I believe we all can be Undaunted. It’s up to you.”
Druid’s Top Entrepreneurship Lesson: Don’t let seeming impossibilities stand in the way of achieving your dream.
