On this episode of the Ask Brien Show, our hosts Brien Johnson and Traci DeForge speak with Wade Brooks about his product, LivBars, which are certified organic nutritional bars. Wade is the CEO of Liv Foods, Inc and has helped grow the company from a team of 1 to 45 people, doubled the size of their food facility, and expanded their product distribution to every state in the country and in Hong Kong. Brien, Traci and Wade discuss what makes LivBars different from other bars, how their messaging educates people about the dishonesty of the food industry, and how angel investing has helped the company grow.

 IN THIS EPISODE:

• [06:43] Wade is introduced
• [07:41] LivBars introduction and beginnings
• [09:04] Differentiation of LivBars
• [11:23] The problem with food labels
• [13:13] How did the business grow
• [14:30] Distribution: Why Hong Kong
• [16:50] How are LivBars are made
• [17:40] Teaching entrepreneurship vs being an entrepreneur
• [19:40] Brand story of LivBars
• [21:25] The transition of leadership
• [23:54] LivBar marketing strategy
• [26:39] Investor relationships of LivBar
• [30:00] The team behind LivBar
• [32:05] LivBar company culture
• [33:51] Challenges that entrepreneurs face

 KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• LivBars’ marketing strategy focuses on highlighting their 100% organic ingredients while also educating people about the misleading messages of the industrial food industry and dishonest labels that other companies use.
• Entrepreneurship isn’t something you can learn from a book. You need to do it to really understand what it is.
• Finding the right team members when building a company is crucial. You have to find “A Players” who are invested in the company, excited about the product and innovative.
• An important thing to do as an entrepreneur is to talk to your customer about your product, get their feedback and make changes.

Links Mentioned:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wadebrooks

https://livbar.com/

BIO:

Mr. Brooks is the CEO of Liv Foods, Inc. Liv Foods was founded in 2012 and develops, manufactures, and sells LivBars®, USDA certified organic, superfood and nutrition bars. He has 25 years of top management experience running multiple companies. He founded his first company while in college, which became the first Apple Computer VAR in the US. He has a BS and MBA from Willamette University and executive education and management training from Harvard Business School.

In addition to his industry experience, Mr. Brooks was an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurial Practice at Willamette University’s Graduate School of Management for eight years, receiving the Faculty Member of the Year award in 2016.