Summary
Overview
On this episode of the Advice Line, Guy Raz is joined by Tara Bosch, founder of SmartSweets and her new venture Snackish, to advise three entrepreneurs: Lindsay of XO Marshmallow on transitioning from DTC to grocery retail, Vivi of Vivi's Vacation on translating brand essence into marketing, and Allie of Romanticize Collective on evolving her experience-based subscription model. The conversations center on customer validation, niche marketing, maintaining authenticity, and knowing when to pivot business models.
Introduction to Guest Tara Bosch and Snackish
Tara Bosch returns to the show after her 2024 appearance where she shared the SmartSweets story of building a low-sugar candy company that sold for $360 million. She's now launched Snackish, a high-protein potato chip company inspired by her five-year-old daughter's obsession with chips. The new venture targets wellness-conscious consumers who want to enjoy everyday snacks without compromise, bridging the gap between better-for-you ingredients and great taste.
- Tara sold majority stake in SmartSweets for reportedly $360 million after starting the company at age 21 with no food science background
- Snackish was inspired by Tara's daughter carrying around a yellow chip bag everywhere, creating the vision to make chips you can feel good about eating every day
- The target consumer is wellness-focused women who want better choices without hiding in the pantry from their kids, not protein-maxing extremists
- Despite being an experienced operator, Tara still feels like she doesn't know what she's doing but is now at peace with the unknown
" I really built SmartSweets for my grandmother and now I'm building Snackish with my daughter. So it was actually, she'll be the first to tell anyone that Snackish was her vision and SmartSweets was mine. "
Lindsay's XO Marshmallow: Transitioning from DTC to Grocery
Lindsay founded XO Marshmallow 10 years ago in Chicago, creating gourmet better-for-you marshmallows as an alternative to highly processed mainstream brands. The bootstrapped, profitable company generates nearly $5 million annually with 90% DTC sales and self-manufactures in a 10,000 square foot facility. Lindsay is now reformulating to extend shelf life from four to 18 months and seeking advice on moving into grocery retail without cannibalizing high-margin DTC sales.
- XO Marshmallow started when Lindsay's co-founder experimented with marshmallow recipes during law school and decided not to become a lawyer
- The company generates just under $5 million annually with 11 employees and self-manufactures since no co-packer exists for their style of marshmallow
- They're reformulating to remove all corn, artificial colors and flavors, extending shelf life to 18 months for grocery retail
- Customer feedback shows people don't want to get protein or fiber from marshmallows, preferring a better-for-you indulgence approach
" You can use our marshmallows the same way you would the bag of boring, hot chocolate, s'mores, rescues retreats, but we encourage people just snack on them straight out of the bag. "
" We really found that the split was always like 70% wholesale, 30% DTC. But grocery really became like such an impulse buy, you know, where she may not be thinking about it two weeks before she wants to enjoy them to order them. "
" There's a huge opportunity there. I would eat marshmallows every day. I want to eat marshmallows every day. "
📚 7 more sections below
Sign up to unlock the complete summary with all insights, key points, and quotes
Get this summary + all future How I Built This with Guy Raz episodes in your inbox
100% Free • Unsubscribe Anytime
Sign up now and we'll send you the complete summary of this episode, plus get notified when new How I Built This with Guy Raz episodes are released—delivered straight to your inbox within minutes.