How a $60 bag of chocolate turned into $60,000<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI can\u2019t wait to hear this story. Do you want to just start off by telling us why cocktails? Why was that the idea that sparked this great invention? What\u2019s so great about cocktails?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, to be honest with you, I never really had a plan to start a cocktail business, it just evolved into the cocktail bomb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019ll start by telling my story. So, pretty much, when the pandemic hit, I was in university studying journalism, and I was also working at a soap store at my local mall which surprisingly used to sell bath bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then after I lost my job, I had no more revenues and I needed to make some money. I always had a passion for baking and cooking so I decided I would start making custom cakes from my house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I started cake decorating and there were just cakes everywhere and then I started to sell them on, believe it or not, Facebook Marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And people were actually buying these cakes, I was getting a ton of orders but, to be honest with you, I really wasn\u2019t making any money, it was more of a passion project than anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to find something else, and a friend of mine sent me a viral video for hot chocolate bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those of you that aren\u2019t familiar with those, they\u2019re basically these balls of chocolate and there\u2019s marshmallows and hot chocolate powder inside them, you put them into warm milk, and they melt to make you a hot chocolate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my friend said, \u201cTry making those, they are so popular,\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, let me try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I went to the store with my boyfriend, I bought this huge bag, $60 worth of chocolate and he was like, \u201cWhy are you buying all this chocolate? No one is going to buy these things,\u201d and I was like, \u201cLet me try, let\u2019s just see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I go home, make some hot chocolate bombs and I put them on Facebook Marketplace, I made a website too on Shopify, I even put them on Etsy as well, and overnight we started selling like crazy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Long story short, from November up until Valentine\u2019s Day, we sold 12,000 hot chocolate bombs, so about $60,000 worth of product from my kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And at that time, I had my mum helping me, my boyfriend, my boyfriend\u2019s mum, my friends, just everybody was making hot chocolate bombs. It was crazy. It was full of chocolate everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then after that Valentine\u2019s Day, the business just, it completely died, it was over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was a little bit sad because at that point I thought I had a business and I needed to find something else again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cI don\u2019t want to go back to cake decorating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I started to look online, and I saw a bartender that had made an edible bath bomb for a Patron special event, as a one-time thing, and I was like, \u201cThat\u2019s cool but you don\u2019t know how to make these things. How do you even do this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, from my own kitchen once again, I started prototyping, I started trying different recipes for about a month. They weren\u2019t all good, a lot of them were fails but I just kept trying and trying and finally I found the idea for the cocktail bomb and I had my final prototype.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, the evolution of how I got to cocktails was just a bunch of things that happened and me never giving up. So, yeah, that\u2019s pretty much how I got into the cocktail space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Set parameters when looking at ideas for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd were there parameters you set when you were looking for a business idea that would work? Did it have to be long shelf life, easy to post so it has to fit through the mailbox? Were there things that you had on your tick list that you had to meet for it to be the right product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so one thing that I really wanted was something that didn\u2019t break during transit because what I learned from the hot chocolate bombs is that it\u2019s a real disaster to ship chocolate, it breaks and then you get a high amount of refunds, and you have no choice but to give them if the product breaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I really wanted to find something that wasn\u2019t breakable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, as probably many of you know, when you\u2019re shipping a product, you want to make sure that it doesn\u2019t weigh too much or else all of your margins are going to get eaten up by shipping costs, so the cocktail bombs were perfect in that sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reinvest your profits back into the business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing. So, how did you fund the early days of the business? Were you just basically reinvesting all the profit from the hot chocolate bombs into the cocktail bomb business? Was that your seed capital?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so I think I was pretty lucky, honestly, with the way that things evolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, as I was saying, I got that $60 bag of chocolate that I see as my initial investment into everything. Then, from that, we made $60,000, that wasn\u2019t all profit, I\u2019d have to check what my profits were on that, but it was pretty high, it wasn\u2019t super low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then after that, for the prototypes and everything, I just took that money to start prototyping, but it wasn\u2019t much. Well, there was a lot of time involved, obviously, but maybe not more than $500 to $1000 of ingredients to experiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then the first day when we launched Cocktail Bomb Shop, here is where I think there was a blessing, we were able to sell for $20,000 and at that point my expenses were pretty low because basically everyone in my family was working for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was able to really take the capital from the first day and reinvest it into the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try to avoid Facebook Marketplace as a platform to start your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd so you sold the hot chocolate bombs on Facebook Marketplace, but did you do the same route to market with the cocktail bombs to test the water to see if people were interested, or did you go straight through a different marketing channel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, selling on Facebook Marketplace is really a disaster for everybody that wants to sell on Facebook Marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re selling your old couch, it\u2019s a great place to sell but, to start a business, it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have people texting you at all hours of the day, \u201cMeet me here\u201d, \u201cBring me this now\u201d, calling you, texting you, \u201cOkay, meet me in this parking lot\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like you just can\u2019t grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I didn\u2019t want the cocktail bombs to be a Facebook Marketplace product, I really wanted it to be an online store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I thought in my head, if my online store doesn\u2019t work, I will sell them on Facebook Marketplace, it was my backup, but it wasn\u2019t an avenue that I wanted to take initially just because I feel like it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2.5 million TikTok views and 30,000 emails<\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd how did you win your first customers then? Because at least if you\u2019re on Facebook, as you say, it\u2019s a disaster but there\u2019s a captive audience already there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whereas, when you start a website, no one knows you exist yet. So, how did you get those eyeballs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I didn\u2019t know how I was going to get them initially but a friend of mine, the same one that told me about the hot chocolate bombs, told me about a great platform called TikTok, where you can get a bunch of people to see your videos for free and I was like, \u201cOkay, let me try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I posted the worst video. I watch that video back today and I\u2019m like, \u201cI don\u2019t even understand why this had any views on it\u201d, and it got 2.5 million views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also posted the video before I launched the website, so I put a link in my bio for people to leave their email for when we launched, and we got 30,000 emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I started with a huge email marketing list and so I was able to really leverage the power of social media to start my business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting that you had the email marketing approach because, too often, we hear from small business owners that have tried TikTok and had loads of views, but they haven\u2019t been able to convert any of that into actual sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, people enjoy the video, but they don\u2019t go and buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it seems like, because you are able to reach out to them separately, that\u2019s how you do the conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI would say, the fact that we used the email page to start the business was really smart because I think, if we hadn\u2019t done that, and if we hadn\u2019t gotten people excited about the product launch, then we would\u2019ve have got tons of views, and we wouldn\u2019t have made any sales from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, today, actually talking with you, I\u2019m realising I should maybe find a way to incorporate email back into my videos. But yeah, it\u2019s hard to see how your views actually convert into sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t have to be great at math to start a business\u2014get a bookkeeper<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then, obviously, you are a really gifted inventor, you came up with these cool recipes on your kitchen table, you made them work but that\u2019s a very different skill set to the skill set that\u2019s involved when you\u2019re building a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, understanding things like cash flow and doing your accounts and submitting and worrying about various taxes and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how did you learn that stuff and do you feel like you\u2019re naturally good with numbers or that you\u2019ve been able to create that muscle over time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo be honest with you, I really suck at math.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s definitely not my strength at all and numbers cause me an insane amount of anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as a business owner, I can\u2019t just completely ignore numbers, we need to make sure that our cash flow is positive and we\u2019re not overspending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m able to look into our accounts, see what\u2019s going on and have a general picture and make decisions based on what I see generally, but we have a bookkeeper, she\u2019s really great and she\u2019s able to do profit and loss reports for us every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, she\u2019s able to give me the big picture and then, from there, I analyse and make the decisions based on the numbers she does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you have the correct paperwork to ship your products<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay, amazing. And how big is the business now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are we talking international sales? Are we talking month-on-month, year-on-year growth? Tell me where you are at in of the success so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, to be honest, because it\u2019s a food product, it\u2019s actually a lot harder than you would think to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning, I wanted to do worldwide shipping and that was a mistake because, a lot of countries, if you don\u2019t have the proper paperwork to ship food, they\u2019re just going to ship it back or dispose of the parcel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we actually lost quite a bit of money because of that. That was me not doing my research and just jumping right into it like a lot of business owners do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, right now, most of our sales are in Canada and we\u2019re getting into the US. We\u2019re fully certified for the US, we have all of our paperwork, we\u2019re able to ship things, everything is able to clear customs properly but, right now, it\u2019s really just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut that\u2019s a really big market. If you become a household name in the US and Canada, that\u2019s an enormously successful business right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, eventually, I would like to ship our stuff to Europe because, especially the UK, we have a lot of people asking for our products over there, but right now it\u2019s just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we haven\u2019t really penetrated the US market the way I would\u2019ve liked to right now so we\u2019re still expanding into the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your own manufacturing facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, on that subject, it costs quite a lot of money to expand because you\u2019ve got to do marketing, you\u2019ve got to have salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how have you, this is a leading question because I know you were on Dragons\u2019 Den, how did you finance the growth of your startup and how was that experience for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/04\/z.5E3A0481_All-Uses.jpg\")
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I can\u2019t wait to hear this story. Do you want to just start off by telling us why cocktails? Why was that the idea that sparked this great invention? What\u2019s so great about cocktails?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, to be honest with you, I never really had a plan to start a cocktail business, it just evolved into the cocktail bomb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019ll start by telling my story. So, pretty much, when the pandemic hit, I was in university studying journalism, and I was also working at a soap store at my local mall which surprisingly used to sell bath bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then after I lost my job, I had no more revenues and I needed to make some money. I always had a passion for baking and cooking so I decided I would start making custom cakes from my house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I started cake decorating and there were just cakes everywhere and then I started to sell them on, believe it or not, Facebook Marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And people were actually buying these cakes, I was getting a ton of orders but, to be honest with you, I really wasn\u2019t making any money, it was more of a passion project than anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to find something else, and a friend of mine sent me a viral video for hot chocolate bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those of you that aren\u2019t familiar with those, they\u2019re basically these balls of chocolate and there\u2019s marshmallows and hot chocolate powder inside them, you put them into warm milk, and they melt to make you a hot chocolate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my friend said, \u201cTry making those, they are so popular,\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, let me try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I went to the store with my boyfriend, I bought this huge bag, $60 worth of chocolate and he was like, \u201cWhy are you buying all this chocolate? No one is going to buy these things,\u201d and I was like, \u201cLet me try, let\u2019s just see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I go home, make some hot chocolate bombs and I put them on Facebook Marketplace, I made a website too on Shopify, I even put them on Etsy as well, and overnight we started selling like crazy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Long story short, from November up until Valentine\u2019s Day, we sold 12,000 hot chocolate bombs, so about $60,000 worth of product from my kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And at that time, I had my mum helping me, my boyfriend, my boyfriend\u2019s mum, my friends, just everybody was making hot chocolate bombs. It was crazy. It was full of chocolate everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then after that Valentine\u2019s Day, the business just, it completely died, it was over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was a little bit sad because at that point I thought I had a business and I needed to find something else again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cI don\u2019t want to go back to cake decorating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I started to look online, and I saw a bartender that had made an edible bath bomb for a Patron special event, as a one-time thing, and I was like, \u201cThat\u2019s cool but you don\u2019t know how to make these things. How do you even do this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, from my own kitchen once again, I started prototyping, I started trying different recipes for about a month. They weren\u2019t all good, a lot of them were fails but I just kept trying and trying and finally I found the idea for the cocktail bomb and I had my final prototype.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, the evolution of how I got to cocktails was just a bunch of things that happened and me never giving up. So, yeah, that\u2019s pretty much how I got into the cocktail space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Set parameters when looking at ideas for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd were there parameters you set when you were looking for a business idea that would work? Did it have to be long shelf life, easy to post so it has to fit through the mailbox? Were there things that you had on your tick list that you had to meet for it to be the right product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so one thing that I really wanted was something that didn\u2019t break during transit because what I learned from the hot chocolate bombs is that it\u2019s a real disaster to ship chocolate, it breaks and then you get a high amount of refunds, and you have no choice but to give them if the product breaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I really wanted to find something that wasn\u2019t breakable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, as probably many of you know, when you\u2019re shipping a product, you want to make sure that it doesn\u2019t weigh too much or else all of your margins are going to get eaten up by shipping costs, so the cocktail bombs were perfect in that sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reinvest your profits back into the business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing. So, how did you fund the early days of the business? Were you just basically reinvesting all the profit from the hot chocolate bombs into the cocktail bomb business? Was that your seed capital?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so I think I was pretty lucky, honestly, with the way that things evolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, as I was saying, I got that $60 bag of chocolate that I see as my initial investment into everything. Then, from that, we made $60,000, that wasn\u2019t all profit, I\u2019d have to check what my profits were on that, but it was pretty high, it wasn\u2019t super low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then after that, for the prototypes and everything, I just took that money to start prototyping, but it wasn\u2019t much. Well, there was a lot of time involved, obviously, but maybe not more than $500 to $1000 of ingredients to experiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then the first day when we launched Cocktail Bomb Shop, here is where I think there was a blessing, we were able to sell for $20,000 and at that point my expenses were pretty low because basically everyone in my family was working for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was able to really take the capital from the first day and reinvest it into the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try to avoid Facebook Marketplace as a platform to start your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd so you sold the hot chocolate bombs on Facebook Marketplace, but did you do the same route to market with the cocktail bombs to test the water to see if people were interested, or did you go straight through a different marketing channel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, selling on Facebook Marketplace is really a disaster for everybody that wants to sell on Facebook Marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re selling your old couch, it\u2019s a great place to sell but, to start a business, it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have people texting you at all hours of the day, \u201cMeet me here\u201d, \u201cBring me this now\u201d, calling you, texting you, \u201cOkay, meet me in this parking lot\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like you just can\u2019t grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I didn\u2019t want the cocktail bombs to be a Facebook Marketplace product, I really wanted it to be an online store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I thought in my head, if my online store doesn\u2019t work, I will sell them on Facebook Marketplace, it was my backup, but it wasn\u2019t an avenue that I wanted to take initially just because I feel like it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2.5 million TikTok views and 30,000 emails<\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd how did you win your first customers then? Because at least if you\u2019re on Facebook, as you say, it\u2019s a disaster but there\u2019s a captive audience already there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whereas, when you start a website, no one knows you exist yet. So, how did you get those eyeballs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I didn\u2019t know how I was going to get them initially but a friend of mine, the same one that told me about the hot chocolate bombs, told me about a great platform called TikTok, where you can get a bunch of people to see your videos for free and I was like, \u201cOkay, let me try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I posted the worst video. I watch that video back today and I\u2019m like, \u201cI don\u2019t even understand why this had any views on it\u201d, and it got 2.5 million views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also posted the video before I launched the website, so I put a link in my bio for people to leave their email for when we launched, and we got 30,000 emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I started with a huge email marketing list and so I was able to really leverage the power of social media to start my business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting that you had the email marketing approach because, too often, we hear from small business owners that have tried TikTok and had loads of views, but they haven\u2019t been able to convert any of that into actual sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, people enjoy the video, but they don\u2019t go and buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it seems like, because you are able to reach out to them separately, that\u2019s how you do the conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI would say, the fact that we used the email page to start the business was really smart because I think, if we hadn\u2019t done that, and if we hadn\u2019t gotten people excited about the product launch, then we would\u2019ve have got tons of views, and we wouldn\u2019t have made any sales from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, today, actually talking with you, I\u2019m realising I should maybe find a way to incorporate email back into my videos. But yeah, it\u2019s hard to see how your views actually convert into sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t have to be great at math to start a business\u2014get a bookkeeper<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then, obviously, you are a really gifted inventor, you came up with these cool recipes on your kitchen table, you made them work but that\u2019s a very different skill set to the skill set that\u2019s involved when you\u2019re building a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, understanding things like cash flow and doing your accounts and submitting and worrying about various taxes and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how did you learn that stuff and do you feel like you\u2019re naturally good with numbers or that you\u2019ve been able to create that muscle over time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo be honest with you, I really suck at math.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s definitely not my strength at all and numbers cause me an insane amount of anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as a business owner, I can\u2019t just completely ignore numbers, we need to make sure that our cash flow is positive and we\u2019re not overspending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m able to look into our accounts, see what\u2019s going on and have a general picture and make decisions based on what I see generally, but we have a bookkeeper, she\u2019s really great and she\u2019s able to do profit and loss reports for us every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, she\u2019s able to give me the big picture and then, from there, I analyse and make the decisions based on the numbers she does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you have the correct paperwork to ship your products<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay, amazing. And how big is the business now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are we talking international sales? Are we talking month-on-month, year-on-year growth? Tell me where you are at in of the success so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, to be honest, because it\u2019s a food product, it\u2019s actually a lot harder than you would think to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning, I wanted to do worldwide shipping and that was a mistake because, a lot of countries, if you don\u2019t have the proper paperwork to ship food, they\u2019re just going to ship it back or dispose of the parcel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we actually lost quite a bit of money because of that. That was me not doing my research and just jumping right into it like a lot of business owners do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, right now, most of our sales are in Canada and we\u2019re getting into the US. We\u2019re fully certified for the US, we have all of our paperwork, we\u2019re able to ship things, everything is able to clear customs properly but, right now, it\u2019s really just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut that\u2019s a really big market. If you become a household name in the US and Canada, that\u2019s an enormously successful business right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, eventually, I would like to ship our stuff to Europe because, especially the UK, we have a lot of people asking for our products over there, but right now it\u2019s just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we haven\u2019t really penetrated the US market the way I would\u2019ve liked to right now so we\u2019re still expanding into the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your own manufacturing facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, on that subject, it costs quite a lot of money to expand because you\u2019ve got to do marketing, you\u2019ve got to have salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how have you, this is a leading question because I know you were on Dragons\u2019 Den, how did you finance the growth of your startup and how was that experience for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd were there parameters you set when you were looking for a business idea that would work? Did it have to be long shelf life, easy to post so it has to fit through the mailbox? Were there things that you had on your tick list that you had to meet for it to be the right product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so one thing that I really wanted was something that didn\u2019t break during transit because what I learned from the hot chocolate bombs is that it\u2019s a real disaster to ship chocolate, it breaks and then you get a high amount of refunds, and you have no choice but to give them if the product breaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I really wanted to find something that wasn\u2019t breakable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, as probably many of you know, when you\u2019re shipping a product, you want to make sure that it doesn\u2019t weigh too much or else all of your margins are going to get eaten up by shipping costs, so the cocktail bombs were perfect in that sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reinvest your profits back into the business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing. So, how did you fund the early days of the business? Were you just basically reinvesting all the profit from the hot chocolate bombs into the cocktail bomb business? Was that your seed capital?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so I think I was pretty lucky, honestly, with the way that things evolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, as I was saying, I got that $60 bag of chocolate that I see as my initial investment into everything. Then, from that, we made $60,000, that wasn\u2019t all profit, I\u2019d have to check what my profits were on that, but it was pretty high, it wasn\u2019t super low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then after that, for the prototypes and everything, I just took that money to start prototyping, but it wasn\u2019t much. Well, there was a lot of time involved, obviously, but maybe not more than $500 to $1000 of ingredients to experiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then the first day when we launched Cocktail Bomb Shop, here is where I think there was a blessing, we were able to sell for $20,000 and at that point my expenses were pretty low because basically everyone in my family was working for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was able to really take the capital from the first day and reinvest it into the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try to avoid Facebook Marketplace as a platform to start your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd so you sold the hot chocolate bombs on Facebook Marketplace, but did you do the same route to market with the cocktail bombs to test the water to see if people were interested, or did you go straight through a different marketing channel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, selling on Facebook Marketplace is really a disaster for everybody that wants to sell on Facebook Marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re selling your old couch, it\u2019s a great place to sell but, to start a business, it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have people texting you at all hours of the day, \u201cMeet me here\u201d, \u201cBring me this now\u201d, calling you, texting you, \u201cOkay, meet me in this parking lot\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like you just can\u2019t grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I didn\u2019t want the cocktail bombs to be a Facebook Marketplace product, I really wanted it to be an online store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I thought in my head, if my online store doesn\u2019t work, I will sell them on Facebook Marketplace, it was my backup, but it wasn\u2019t an avenue that I wanted to take initially just because I feel like it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2.5 million TikTok views and 30,000 emails<\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd how did you win your first customers then? Because at least if you\u2019re on Facebook, as you say, it\u2019s a disaster but there\u2019s a captive audience already there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whereas, when you start a website, no one knows you exist yet. So, how did you get those eyeballs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I didn\u2019t know how I was going to get them initially but a friend of mine, the same one that told me about the hot chocolate bombs, told me about a great platform called TikTok, where you can get a bunch of people to see your videos for free and I was like, \u201cOkay, let me try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I posted the worst video. I watch that video back today and I\u2019m like, \u201cI don\u2019t even understand why this had any views on it\u201d, and it got 2.5 million views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also posted the video before I launched the website, so I put a link in my bio for people to leave their email for when we launched, and we got 30,000 emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I started with a huge email marketing list and so I was able to really leverage the power of social media to start my business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting that you had the email marketing approach because, too often, we hear from small business owners that have tried TikTok and had loads of views, but they haven\u2019t been able to convert any of that into actual sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, people enjoy the video, but they don\u2019t go and buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it seems like, because you are able to reach out to them separately, that\u2019s how you do the conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI would say, the fact that we used the email page to start the business was really smart because I think, if we hadn\u2019t done that, and if we hadn\u2019t gotten people excited about the product launch, then we would\u2019ve have got tons of views, and we wouldn\u2019t have made any sales from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, today, actually talking with you, I\u2019m realising I should maybe find a way to incorporate email back into my videos. But yeah, it\u2019s hard to see how your views actually convert into sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t have to be great at math to start a business\u2014get a bookkeeper<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then, obviously, you are a really gifted inventor, you came up with these cool recipes on your kitchen table, you made them work but that\u2019s a very different skill set to the skill set that\u2019s involved when you\u2019re building a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, understanding things like cash flow and doing your accounts and submitting and worrying about various taxes and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how did you learn that stuff and do you feel like you\u2019re naturally good with numbers or that you\u2019ve been able to create that muscle over time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo be honest with you, I really suck at math.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s definitely not my strength at all and numbers cause me an insane amount of anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as a business owner, I can\u2019t just completely ignore numbers, we need to make sure that our cash flow is positive and we\u2019re not overspending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m able to look into our accounts, see what\u2019s going on and have a general picture and make decisions based on what I see generally, but we have a bookkeeper, she\u2019s really great and she\u2019s able to do profit and loss reports for us every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, she\u2019s able to give me the big picture and then, from there, I analyse and make the decisions based on the numbers she does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you have the correct paperwork to ship your products<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay, amazing. And how big is the business now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are we talking international sales? Are we talking month-on-month, year-on-year growth? Tell me where you are at in of the success so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, to be honest, because it\u2019s a food product, it\u2019s actually a lot harder than you would think to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning, I wanted to do worldwide shipping and that was a mistake because, a lot of countries, if you don\u2019t have the proper paperwork to ship food, they\u2019re just going to ship it back or dispose of the parcel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we actually lost quite a bit of money because of that. That was me not doing my research and just jumping right into it like a lot of business owners do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, right now, most of our sales are in Canada and we\u2019re getting into the US. We\u2019re fully certified for the US, we have all of our paperwork, we\u2019re able to ship things, everything is able to clear customs properly but, right now, it\u2019s really just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut that\u2019s a really big market. If you become a household name in the US and Canada, that\u2019s an enormously successful business right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, eventually, I would like to ship our stuff to Europe because, especially the UK, we have a lot of people asking for our products over there, but right now it\u2019s just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we haven\u2019t really penetrated the US market the way I would\u2019ve liked to right now so we\u2019re still expanding into the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your own manufacturing facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, on that subject, it costs quite a lot of money to expand because you\u2019ve got to do marketing, you\u2019ve got to have salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how have you, this is a leading question because I know you were on Dragons\u2019 Den, how did you finance the growth of your startup and how was that experience for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Yeah, so one thing that I really wanted was something that didn\u2019t break during transit because what I learned from the hot chocolate bombs is that it\u2019s a real disaster to ship chocolate, it breaks and then you get a high amount of refunds, and you have no choice but to give them if the product breaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I really wanted to find something that wasn\u2019t breakable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, as probably many of you know, when you\u2019re shipping a product, you want to make sure that it doesn\u2019t weigh too much or else all of your margins are going to get eaten up by shipping costs, so the cocktail bombs were perfect in that sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reinvest your profits back into the business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing. So, how did you fund the early days of the business? Were you just basically reinvesting all the profit from the hot chocolate bombs into the cocktail bomb business? Was that your seed capital?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so I think I was pretty lucky, honestly, with the way that things evolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, as I was saying, I got that $60 bag of chocolate that I see as my initial investment into everything. Then, from that, we made $60,000, that wasn\u2019t all profit, I\u2019d have to check what my profits were on that, but it was pretty high, it wasn\u2019t super low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then after that, for the prototypes and everything, I just took that money to start prototyping, but it wasn\u2019t much. Well, there was a lot of time involved, obviously, but maybe not more than $500 to $1000 of ingredients to experiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then the first day when we launched Cocktail Bomb Shop, here is where I think there was a blessing, we were able to sell for $20,000 and at that point my expenses were pretty low because basically everyone in my family was working for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was able to really take the capital from the first day and reinvest it into the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try to avoid Facebook Marketplace as a platform to start your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd so you sold the hot chocolate bombs on Facebook Marketplace, but did you do the same route to market with the cocktail bombs to test the water to see if people were interested, or did you go straight through a different marketing channel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, selling on Facebook Marketplace is really a disaster for everybody that wants to sell on Facebook Marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re selling your old couch, it\u2019s a great place to sell but, to start a business, it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have people texting you at all hours of the day, \u201cMeet me here\u201d, \u201cBring me this now\u201d, calling you, texting you, \u201cOkay, meet me in this parking lot\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like you just can\u2019t grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I didn\u2019t want the cocktail bombs to be a Facebook Marketplace product, I really wanted it to be an online store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I thought in my head, if my online store doesn\u2019t work, I will sell them on Facebook Marketplace, it was my backup, but it wasn\u2019t an avenue that I wanted to take initially just because I feel like it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2.5 million TikTok views and 30,000 emails<\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd how did you win your first customers then? Because at least if you\u2019re on Facebook, as you say, it\u2019s a disaster but there\u2019s a captive audience already there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whereas, when you start a website, no one knows you exist yet. So, how did you get those eyeballs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I didn\u2019t know how I was going to get them initially but a friend of mine, the same one that told me about the hot chocolate bombs, told me about a great platform called TikTok, where you can get a bunch of people to see your videos for free and I was like, \u201cOkay, let me try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I posted the worst video. I watch that video back today and I\u2019m like, \u201cI don\u2019t even understand why this had any views on it\u201d, and it got 2.5 million views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also posted the video before I launched the website, so I put a link in my bio for people to leave their email for when we launched, and we got 30,000 emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I started with a huge email marketing list and so I was able to really leverage the power of social media to start my business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting that you had the email marketing approach because, too often, we hear from small business owners that have tried TikTok and had loads of views, but they haven\u2019t been able to convert any of that into actual sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, people enjoy the video, but they don\u2019t go and buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it seems like, because you are able to reach out to them separately, that\u2019s how you do the conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI would say, the fact that we used the email page to start the business was really smart because I think, if we hadn\u2019t done that, and if we hadn\u2019t gotten people excited about the product launch, then we would\u2019ve have got tons of views, and we wouldn\u2019t have made any sales from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, today, actually talking with you, I\u2019m realising I should maybe find a way to incorporate email back into my videos. But yeah, it\u2019s hard to see how your views actually convert into sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t have to be great at math to start a business\u2014get a bookkeeper<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then, obviously, you are a really gifted inventor, you came up with these cool recipes on your kitchen table, you made them work but that\u2019s a very different skill set to the skill set that\u2019s involved when you\u2019re building a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, understanding things like cash flow and doing your accounts and submitting and worrying about various taxes and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how did you learn that stuff and do you feel like you\u2019re naturally good with numbers or that you\u2019ve been able to create that muscle over time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo be honest with you, I really suck at math.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s definitely not my strength at all and numbers cause me an insane amount of anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as a business owner, I can\u2019t just completely ignore numbers, we need to make sure that our cash flow is positive and we\u2019re not overspending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m able to look into our accounts, see what\u2019s going on and have a general picture and make decisions based on what I see generally, but we have a bookkeeper, she\u2019s really great and she\u2019s able to do profit and loss reports for us every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, she\u2019s able to give me the big picture and then, from there, I analyse and make the decisions based on the numbers she does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you have the correct paperwork to ship your products<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay, amazing. And how big is the business now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are we talking international sales? Are we talking month-on-month, year-on-year growth? Tell me where you are at in of the success so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, to be honest, because it\u2019s a food product, it\u2019s actually a lot harder than you would think to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning, I wanted to do worldwide shipping and that was a mistake because, a lot of countries, if you don\u2019t have the proper paperwork to ship food, they\u2019re just going to ship it back or dispose of the parcel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we actually lost quite a bit of money because of that. That was me not doing my research and just jumping right into it like a lot of business owners do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, right now, most of our sales are in Canada and we\u2019re getting into the US. We\u2019re fully certified for the US, we have all of our paperwork, we\u2019re able to ship things, everything is able to clear customs properly but, right now, it\u2019s really just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut that\u2019s a really big market. If you become a household name in the US and Canada, that\u2019s an enormously successful business right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, eventually, I would like to ship our stuff to Europe because, especially the UK, we have a lot of people asking for our products over there, but right now it\u2019s just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we haven\u2019t really penetrated the US market the way I would\u2019ve liked to right now so we\u2019re still expanding into the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your own manufacturing facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, on that subject, it costs quite a lot of money to expand because you\u2019ve got to do marketing, you\u2019ve got to have salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how have you, this is a leading question because I know you were on Dragons\u2019 Den, how did you finance the growth of your startup and how was that experience for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
That\u2019s amazing. So, how did you fund the early days of the business? Were you just basically reinvesting all the profit from the hot chocolate bombs into the cocktail bomb business? Was that your seed capital?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so I think I was pretty lucky, honestly, with the way that things evolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, as I was saying, I got that $60 bag of chocolate that I see as my initial investment into everything. Then, from that, we made $60,000, that wasn\u2019t all profit, I\u2019d have to check what my profits were on that, but it was pretty high, it wasn\u2019t super low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then after that, for the prototypes and everything, I just took that money to start prototyping, but it wasn\u2019t much. Well, there was a lot of time involved, obviously, but maybe not more than $500 to $1000 of ingredients to experiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then the first day when we launched Cocktail Bomb Shop, here is where I think there was a blessing, we were able to sell for $20,000 and at that point my expenses were pretty low because basically everyone in my family was working for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was able to really take the capital from the first day and reinvest it into the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try to avoid Facebook Marketplace as a platform to start your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd so you sold the hot chocolate bombs on Facebook Marketplace, but did you do the same route to market with the cocktail bombs to test the water to see if people were interested, or did you go straight through a different marketing channel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, selling on Facebook Marketplace is really a disaster for everybody that wants to sell on Facebook Marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re selling your old couch, it\u2019s a great place to sell but, to start a business, it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have people texting you at all hours of the day, \u201cMeet me here\u201d, \u201cBring me this now\u201d, calling you, texting you, \u201cOkay, meet me in this parking lot\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like you just can\u2019t grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I didn\u2019t want the cocktail bombs to be a Facebook Marketplace product, I really wanted it to be an online store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I thought in my head, if my online store doesn\u2019t work, I will sell them on Facebook Marketplace, it was my backup, but it wasn\u2019t an avenue that I wanted to take initially just because I feel like it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2.5 million TikTok views and 30,000 emails<\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd how did you win your first customers then? Because at least if you\u2019re on Facebook, as you say, it\u2019s a disaster but there\u2019s a captive audience already there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whereas, when you start a website, no one knows you exist yet. So, how did you get those eyeballs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I didn\u2019t know how I was going to get them initially but a friend of mine, the same one that told me about the hot chocolate bombs, told me about a great platform called TikTok, where you can get a bunch of people to see your videos for free and I was like, \u201cOkay, let me try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I posted the worst video. I watch that video back today and I\u2019m like, \u201cI don\u2019t even understand why this had any views on it\u201d, and it got 2.5 million views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also posted the video before I launched the website, so I put a link in my bio for people to leave their email for when we launched, and we got 30,000 emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I started with a huge email marketing list and so I was able to really leverage the power of social media to start my business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting that you had the email marketing approach because, too often, we hear from small business owners that have tried TikTok and had loads of views, but they haven\u2019t been able to convert any of that into actual sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, people enjoy the video, but they don\u2019t go and buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it seems like, because you are able to reach out to them separately, that\u2019s how you do the conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI would say, the fact that we used the email page to start the business was really smart because I think, if we hadn\u2019t done that, and if we hadn\u2019t gotten people excited about the product launch, then we would\u2019ve have got tons of views, and we wouldn\u2019t have made any sales from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, today, actually talking with you, I\u2019m realising I should maybe find a way to incorporate email back into my videos. But yeah, it\u2019s hard to see how your views actually convert into sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t have to be great at math to start a business\u2014get a bookkeeper<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then, obviously, you are a really gifted inventor, you came up with these cool recipes on your kitchen table, you made them work but that\u2019s a very different skill set to the skill set that\u2019s involved when you\u2019re building a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, understanding things like cash flow and doing your accounts and submitting and worrying about various taxes and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how did you learn that stuff and do you feel like you\u2019re naturally good with numbers or that you\u2019ve been able to create that muscle over time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo be honest with you, I really suck at math.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s definitely not my strength at all and numbers cause me an insane amount of anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as a business owner, I can\u2019t just completely ignore numbers, we need to make sure that our cash flow is positive and we\u2019re not overspending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m able to look into our accounts, see what\u2019s going on and have a general picture and make decisions based on what I see generally, but we have a bookkeeper, she\u2019s really great and she\u2019s able to do profit and loss reports for us every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, she\u2019s able to give me the big picture and then, from there, I analyse and make the decisions based on the numbers she does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you have the correct paperwork to ship your products<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay, amazing. And how big is the business now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are we talking international sales? Are we talking month-on-month, year-on-year growth? Tell me where you are at in of the success so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, to be honest, because it\u2019s a food product, it\u2019s actually a lot harder than you would think to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning, I wanted to do worldwide shipping and that was a mistake because, a lot of countries, if you don\u2019t have the proper paperwork to ship food, they\u2019re just going to ship it back or dispose of the parcel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we actually lost quite a bit of money because of that. That was me not doing my research and just jumping right into it like a lot of business owners do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, right now, most of our sales are in Canada and we\u2019re getting into the US. We\u2019re fully certified for the US, we have all of our paperwork, we\u2019re able to ship things, everything is able to clear customs properly but, right now, it\u2019s really just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut that\u2019s a really big market. If you become a household name in the US and Canada, that\u2019s an enormously successful business right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, eventually, I would like to ship our stuff to Europe because, especially the UK, we have a lot of people asking for our products over there, but right now it\u2019s just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we haven\u2019t really penetrated the US market the way I would\u2019ve liked to right now so we\u2019re still expanding into the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your own manufacturing facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, on that subject, it costs quite a lot of money to expand because you\u2019ve got to do marketing, you\u2019ve got to have salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how have you, this is a leading question because I know you were on Dragons\u2019 Den, how did you finance the growth of your startup and how was that experience for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd so you sold the hot chocolate bombs on Facebook Marketplace, but did you do the same route to market with the cocktail bombs to test the water to see if people were interested, or did you go straight through a different marketing channel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, selling on Facebook Marketplace is really a disaster for everybody that wants to sell on Facebook Marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re selling your old couch, it\u2019s a great place to sell but, to start a business, it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have people texting you at all hours of the day, \u201cMeet me here\u201d, \u201cBring me this now\u201d, calling you, texting you, \u201cOkay, meet me in this parking lot\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like you just can\u2019t grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I didn\u2019t want the cocktail bombs to be a Facebook Marketplace product, I really wanted it to be an online store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I thought in my head, if my online store doesn\u2019t work, I will sell them on Facebook Marketplace, it was my backup, but it wasn\u2019t an avenue that I wanted to take initially just because I feel like it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2.5 million TikTok views and 30,000 emails<\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd how did you win your first customers then? Because at least if you\u2019re on Facebook, as you say, it\u2019s a disaster but there\u2019s a captive audience already there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whereas, when you start a website, no one knows you exist yet. So, how did you get those eyeballs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I didn\u2019t know how I was going to get them initially but a friend of mine, the same one that told me about the hot chocolate bombs, told me about a great platform called TikTok, where you can get a bunch of people to see your videos for free and I was like, \u201cOkay, let me try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I posted the worst video. I watch that video back today and I\u2019m like, \u201cI don\u2019t even understand why this had any views on it\u201d, and it got 2.5 million views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also posted the video before I launched the website, so I put a link in my bio for people to leave their email for when we launched, and we got 30,000 emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I started with a huge email marketing list and so I was able to really leverage the power of social media to start my business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting that you had the email marketing approach because, too often, we hear from small business owners that have tried TikTok and had loads of views, but they haven\u2019t been able to convert any of that into actual sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, people enjoy the video, but they don\u2019t go and buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it seems like, because you are able to reach out to them separately, that\u2019s how you do the conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI would say, the fact that we used the email page to start the business was really smart because I think, if we hadn\u2019t done that, and if we hadn\u2019t gotten people excited about the product launch, then we would\u2019ve have got tons of views, and we wouldn\u2019t have made any sales from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, today, actually talking with you, I\u2019m realising I should maybe find a way to incorporate email back into my videos. But yeah, it\u2019s hard to see how your views actually convert into sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t have to be great at math to start a business\u2014get a bookkeeper<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then, obviously, you are a really gifted inventor, you came up with these cool recipes on your kitchen table, you made them work but that\u2019s a very different skill set to the skill set that\u2019s involved when you\u2019re building a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, understanding things like cash flow and doing your accounts and submitting and worrying about various taxes and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how did you learn that stuff and do you feel like you\u2019re naturally good with numbers or that you\u2019ve been able to create that muscle over time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo be honest with you, I really suck at math.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s definitely not my strength at all and numbers cause me an insane amount of anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as a business owner, I can\u2019t just completely ignore numbers, we need to make sure that our cash flow is positive and we\u2019re not overspending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m able to look into our accounts, see what\u2019s going on and have a general picture and make decisions based on what I see generally, but we have a bookkeeper, she\u2019s really great and she\u2019s able to do profit and loss reports for us every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, she\u2019s able to give me the big picture and then, from there, I analyse and make the decisions based on the numbers she does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you have the correct paperwork to ship your products<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay, amazing. And how big is the business now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are we talking international sales? Are we talking month-on-month, year-on-year growth? Tell me where you are at in of the success so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, to be honest, because it\u2019s a food product, it\u2019s actually a lot harder than you would think to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning, I wanted to do worldwide shipping and that was a mistake because, a lot of countries, if you don\u2019t have the proper paperwork to ship food, they\u2019re just going to ship it back or dispose of the parcel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we actually lost quite a bit of money because of that. That was me not doing my research and just jumping right into it like a lot of business owners do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, right now, most of our sales are in Canada and we\u2019re getting into the US. We\u2019re fully certified for the US, we have all of our paperwork, we\u2019re able to ship things, everything is able to clear customs properly but, right now, it\u2019s really just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut that\u2019s a really big market. If you become a household name in the US and Canada, that\u2019s an enormously successful business right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, eventually, I would like to ship our stuff to Europe because, especially the UK, we have a lot of people asking for our products over there, but right now it\u2019s just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we haven\u2019t really penetrated the US market the way I would\u2019ve liked to right now so we\u2019re still expanding into the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your own manufacturing facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, on that subject, it costs quite a lot of money to expand because you\u2019ve got to do marketing, you\u2019ve got to have salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how have you, this is a leading question because I know you were on Dragons\u2019 Den, how did you finance the growth of your startup and how was that experience for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
So, selling on Facebook Marketplace is really a disaster for everybody that wants to sell on Facebook Marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re selling your old couch, it\u2019s a great place to sell but, to start a business, it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have people texting you at all hours of the day, \u201cMeet me here\u201d, \u201cBring me this now\u201d, calling you, texting you, \u201cOkay, meet me in this parking lot\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like you just can\u2019t grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I didn\u2019t want the cocktail bombs to be a Facebook Marketplace product, I really wanted it to be an online store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I thought in my head, if my online store doesn\u2019t work, I will sell them on Facebook Marketplace, it was my backup, but it wasn\u2019t an avenue that I wanted to take initially just because I feel like it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2.5 million TikTok views and 30,000 emails<\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd how did you win your first customers then? Because at least if you\u2019re on Facebook, as you say, it\u2019s a disaster but there\u2019s a captive audience already there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whereas, when you start a website, no one knows you exist yet. So, how did you get those eyeballs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I didn\u2019t know how I was going to get them initially but a friend of mine, the same one that told me about the hot chocolate bombs, told me about a great platform called TikTok, where you can get a bunch of people to see your videos for free and I was like, \u201cOkay, let me try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I posted the worst video. I watch that video back today and I\u2019m like, \u201cI don\u2019t even understand why this had any views on it\u201d, and it got 2.5 million views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also posted the video before I launched the website, so I put a link in my bio for people to leave their email for when we launched, and we got 30,000 emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I started with a huge email marketing list and so I was able to really leverage the power of social media to start my business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting that you had the email marketing approach because, too often, we hear from small business owners that have tried TikTok and had loads of views, but they haven\u2019t been able to convert any of that into actual sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, people enjoy the video, but they don\u2019t go and buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it seems like, because you are able to reach out to them separately, that\u2019s how you do the conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI would say, the fact that we used the email page to start the business was really smart because I think, if we hadn\u2019t done that, and if we hadn\u2019t gotten people excited about the product launch, then we would\u2019ve have got tons of views, and we wouldn\u2019t have made any sales from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, today, actually talking with you, I\u2019m realising I should maybe find a way to incorporate email back into my videos. But yeah, it\u2019s hard to see how your views actually convert into sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t have to be great at math to start a business\u2014get a bookkeeper<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then, obviously, you are a really gifted inventor, you came up with these cool recipes on your kitchen table, you made them work but that\u2019s a very different skill set to the skill set that\u2019s involved when you\u2019re building a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, understanding things like cash flow and doing your accounts and submitting and worrying about various taxes and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how did you learn that stuff and do you feel like you\u2019re naturally good with numbers or that you\u2019ve been able to create that muscle over time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo be honest with you, I really suck at math.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s definitely not my strength at all and numbers cause me an insane amount of anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as a business owner, I can\u2019t just completely ignore numbers, we need to make sure that our cash flow is positive and we\u2019re not overspending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m able to look into our accounts, see what\u2019s going on and have a general picture and make decisions based on what I see generally, but we have a bookkeeper, she\u2019s really great and she\u2019s able to do profit and loss reports for us every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, she\u2019s able to give me the big picture and then, from there, I analyse and make the decisions based on the numbers she does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you have the correct paperwork to ship your products<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay, amazing. And how big is the business now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are we talking international sales? Are we talking month-on-month, year-on-year growth? Tell me where you are at in of the success so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, to be honest, because it\u2019s a food product, it\u2019s actually a lot harder than you would think to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning, I wanted to do worldwide shipping and that was a mistake because, a lot of countries, if you don\u2019t have the proper paperwork to ship food, they\u2019re just going to ship it back or dispose of the parcel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we actually lost quite a bit of money because of that. That was me not doing my research and just jumping right into it like a lot of business owners do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, right now, most of our sales are in Canada and we\u2019re getting into the US. We\u2019re fully certified for the US, we have all of our paperwork, we\u2019re able to ship things, everything is able to clear customs properly but, right now, it\u2019s really just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut that\u2019s a really big market. If you become a household name in the US and Canada, that\u2019s an enormously successful business right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, eventually, I would like to ship our stuff to Europe because, especially the UK, we have a lot of people asking for our products over there, but right now it\u2019s just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we haven\u2019t really penetrated the US market the way I would\u2019ve liked to right now so we\u2019re still expanding into the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your own manufacturing facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, on that subject, it costs quite a lot of money to expand because you\u2019ve got to do marketing, you\u2019ve got to have salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how have you, this is a leading question because I know you were on Dragons\u2019 Den, how did you finance the growth of your startup and how was that experience for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
And how did you win your first customers then? Because at least if you\u2019re on Facebook, as you say, it\u2019s a disaster but there\u2019s a captive audience already there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whereas, when you start a website, no one knows you exist yet. So, how did you get those eyeballs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I didn\u2019t know how I was going to get them initially but a friend of mine, the same one that told me about the hot chocolate bombs, told me about a great platform called TikTok, where you can get a bunch of people to see your videos for free and I was like, \u201cOkay, let me try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I posted the worst video. I watch that video back today and I\u2019m like, \u201cI don\u2019t even understand why this had any views on it\u201d, and it got 2.5 million views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also posted the video before I launched the website, so I put a link in my bio for people to leave their email for when we launched, and we got 30,000 emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I started with a huge email marketing list and so I was able to really leverage the power of social media to start my business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting that you had the email marketing approach because, too often, we hear from small business owners that have tried TikTok and had loads of views, but they haven\u2019t been able to convert any of that into actual sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, people enjoy the video, but they don\u2019t go and buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it seems like, because you are able to reach out to them separately, that\u2019s how you do the conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI would say, the fact that we used the email page to start the business was really smart because I think, if we hadn\u2019t done that, and if we hadn\u2019t gotten people excited about the product launch, then we would\u2019ve have got tons of views, and we wouldn\u2019t have made any sales from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, today, actually talking with you, I\u2019m realising I should maybe find a way to incorporate email back into my videos. But yeah, it\u2019s hard to see how your views actually convert into sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t have to be great at math to start a business\u2014get a bookkeeper<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then, obviously, you are a really gifted inventor, you came up with these cool recipes on your kitchen table, you made them work but that\u2019s a very different skill set to the skill set that\u2019s involved when you\u2019re building a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, understanding things like cash flow and doing your accounts and submitting and worrying about various taxes and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how did you learn that stuff and do you feel like you\u2019re naturally good with numbers or that you\u2019ve been able to create that muscle over time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo be honest with you, I really suck at math.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s definitely not my strength at all and numbers cause me an insane amount of anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as a business owner, I can\u2019t just completely ignore numbers, we need to make sure that our cash flow is positive and we\u2019re not overspending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m able to look into our accounts, see what\u2019s going on and have a general picture and make decisions based on what I see generally, but we have a bookkeeper, she\u2019s really great and she\u2019s able to do profit and loss reports for us every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, she\u2019s able to give me the big picture and then, from there, I analyse and make the decisions based on the numbers she does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you have the correct paperwork to ship your products<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay, amazing. And how big is the business now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are we talking international sales? Are we talking month-on-month, year-on-year growth? Tell me where you are at in of the success so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, to be honest, because it\u2019s a food product, it\u2019s actually a lot harder than you would think to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning, I wanted to do worldwide shipping and that was a mistake because, a lot of countries, if you don\u2019t have the proper paperwork to ship food, they\u2019re just going to ship it back or dispose of the parcel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we actually lost quite a bit of money because of that. That was me not doing my research and just jumping right into it like a lot of business owners do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, right now, most of our sales are in Canada and we\u2019re getting into the US. We\u2019re fully certified for the US, we have all of our paperwork, we\u2019re able to ship things, everything is able to clear customs properly but, right now, it\u2019s really just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut that\u2019s a really big market. If you become a household name in the US and Canada, that\u2019s an enormously successful business right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, eventually, I would like to ship our stuff to Europe because, especially the UK, we have a lot of people asking for our products over there, but right now it\u2019s just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we haven\u2019t really penetrated the US market the way I would\u2019ve liked to right now so we\u2019re still expanding into the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your own manufacturing facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, on that subject, it costs quite a lot of money to expand because you\u2019ve got to do marketing, you\u2019ve got to have salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how have you, this is a leading question because I know you were on Dragons\u2019 Den, how did you finance the growth of your startup and how was that experience for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
That\u2019s really interesting that you had the email marketing approach because, too often, we hear from small business owners that have tried TikTok and had loads of views, but they haven\u2019t been able to convert any of that into actual sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, people enjoy the video, but they don\u2019t go and buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it seems like, because you are able to reach out to them separately, that\u2019s how you do the conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI would say, the fact that we used the email page to start the business was really smart because I think, if we hadn\u2019t done that, and if we hadn\u2019t gotten people excited about the product launch, then we would\u2019ve have got tons of views, and we wouldn\u2019t have made any sales from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, today, actually talking with you, I\u2019m realising I should maybe find a way to incorporate email back into my videos. But yeah, it\u2019s hard to see how your views actually convert into sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t have to be great at math to start a business\u2014get a bookkeeper<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then, obviously, you are a really gifted inventor, you came up with these cool recipes on your kitchen table, you made them work but that\u2019s a very different skill set to the skill set that\u2019s involved when you\u2019re building a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, understanding things like cash flow and doing your accounts and submitting and worrying about various taxes and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how did you learn that stuff and do you feel like you\u2019re naturally good with numbers or that you\u2019ve been able to create that muscle over time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo be honest with you, I really suck at math.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s definitely not my strength at all and numbers cause me an insane amount of anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as a business owner, I can\u2019t just completely ignore numbers, we need to make sure that our cash flow is positive and we\u2019re not overspending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m able to look into our accounts, see what\u2019s going on and have a general picture and make decisions based on what I see generally, but we have a bookkeeper, she\u2019s really great and she\u2019s able to do profit and loss reports for us every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, she\u2019s able to give me the big picture and then, from there, I analyse and make the decisions based on the numbers she does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you have the correct paperwork to ship your products<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay, amazing. And how big is the business now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are we talking international sales? Are we talking month-on-month, year-on-year growth? Tell me where you are at in of the success so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, to be honest, because it\u2019s a food product, it\u2019s actually a lot harder than you would think to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning, I wanted to do worldwide shipping and that was a mistake because, a lot of countries, if you don\u2019t have the proper paperwork to ship food, they\u2019re just going to ship it back or dispose of the parcel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we actually lost quite a bit of money because of that. That was me not doing my research and just jumping right into it like a lot of business owners do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, right now, most of our sales are in Canada and we\u2019re getting into the US. We\u2019re fully certified for the US, we have all of our paperwork, we\u2019re able to ship things, everything is able to clear customs properly but, right now, it\u2019s really just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut that\u2019s a really big market. If you become a household name in the US and Canada, that\u2019s an enormously successful business right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, eventually, I would like to ship our stuff to Europe because, especially the UK, we have a lot of people asking for our products over there, but right now it\u2019s just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we haven\u2019t really penetrated the US market the way I would\u2019ve liked to right now so we\u2019re still expanding into the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your own manufacturing facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, on that subject, it costs quite a lot of money to expand because you\u2019ve got to do marketing, you\u2019ve got to have salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how have you, this is a leading question because I know you were on Dragons\u2019 Den, how did you finance the growth of your startup and how was that experience for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then, obviously, you are a really gifted inventor, you came up with these cool recipes on your kitchen table, you made them work but that\u2019s a very different skill set to the skill set that\u2019s involved when you\u2019re building a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, understanding things like cash flow and doing your accounts and submitting and worrying about various taxes and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how did you learn that stuff and do you feel like you\u2019re naturally good with numbers or that you\u2019ve been able to create that muscle over time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo be honest with you, I really suck at math.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s definitely not my strength at all and numbers cause me an insane amount of anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as a business owner, I can\u2019t just completely ignore numbers, we need to make sure that our cash flow is positive and we\u2019re not overspending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m able to look into our accounts, see what\u2019s going on and have a general picture and make decisions based on what I see generally, but we have a bookkeeper, she\u2019s really great and she\u2019s able to do profit and loss reports for us every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, she\u2019s able to give me the big picture and then, from there, I analyse and make the decisions based on the numbers she does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you have the correct paperwork to ship your products<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay, amazing. And how big is the business now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are we talking international sales? Are we talking month-on-month, year-on-year growth? Tell me where you are at in of the success so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, to be honest, because it\u2019s a food product, it\u2019s actually a lot harder than you would think to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning, I wanted to do worldwide shipping and that was a mistake because, a lot of countries, if you don\u2019t have the proper paperwork to ship food, they\u2019re just going to ship it back or dispose of the parcel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we actually lost quite a bit of money because of that. That was me not doing my research and just jumping right into it like a lot of business owners do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, right now, most of our sales are in Canada and we\u2019re getting into the US. We\u2019re fully certified for the US, we have all of our paperwork, we\u2019re able to ship things, everything is able to clear customs properly but, right now, it\u2019s really just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut that\u2019s a really big market. If you become a household name in the US and Canada, that\u2019s an enormously successful business right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, eventually, I would like to ship our stuff to Europe because, especially the UK, we have a lot of people asking for our products over there, but right now it\u2019s just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we haven\u2019t really penetrated the US market the way I would\u2019ve liked to right now so we\u2019re still expanding into the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your own manufacturing facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, on that subject, it costs quite a lot of money to expand because you\u2019ve got to do marketing, you\u2019ve got to have salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how have you, this is a leading question because I know you were on Dragons\u2019 Den, how did you finance the growth of your startup and how was that experience for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
To be honest with you, I really suck at math.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s definitely not my strength at all and numbers cause me an insane amount of anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as a business owner, I can\u2019t just completely ignore numbers, we need to make sure that our cash flow is positive and we\u2019re not overspending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m able to look into our accounts, see what\u2019s going on and have a general picture and make decisions based on what I see generally, but we have a bookkeeper, she\u2019s really great and she\u2019s able to do profit and loss reports for us every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, she\u2019s able to give me the big picture and then, from there, I analyse and make the decisions based on the numbers she does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you have the correct paperwork to ship your products<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay, amazing. And how big is the business now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are we talking international sales? Are we talking month-on-month, year-on-year growth? Tell me where you are at in of the success so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, to be honest, because it\u2019s a food product, it\u2019s actually a lot harder than you would think to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning, I wanted to do worldwide shipping and that was a mistake because, a lot of countries, if you don\u2019t have the proper paperwork to ship food, they\u2019re just going to ship it back or dispose of the parcel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we actually lost quite a bit of money because of that. That was me not doing my research and just jumping right into it like a lot of business owners do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, right now, most of our sales are in Canada and we\u2019re getting into the US. We\u2019re fully certified for the US, we have all of our paperwork, we\u2019re able to ship things, everything is able to clear customs properly but, right now, it\u2019s really just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut that\u2019s a really big market. If you become a household name in the US and Canada, that\u2019s an enormously successful business right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, eventually, I would like to ship our stuff to Europe because, especially the UK, we have a lot of people asking for our products over there, but right now it\u2019s just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we haven\u2019t really penetrated the US market the way I would\u2019ve liked to right now so we\u2019re still expanding into the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your own manufacturing facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, on that subject, it costs quite a lot of money to expand because you\u2019ve got to do marketing, you\u2019ve got to have salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how have you, this is a leading question because I know you were on Dragons\u2019 Den, how did you finance the growth of your startup and how was that experience for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Okay, amazing. And how big is the business now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are we talking international sales? Are we talking month-on-month, year-on-year growth? Tell me where you are at in of the success so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, to be honest, because it\u2019s a food product, it\u2019s actually a lot harder than you would think to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning, I wanted to do worldwide shipping and that was a mistake because, a lot of countries, if you don\u2019t have the proper paperwork to ship food, they\u2019re just going to ship it back or dispose of the parcel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we actually lost quite a bit of money because of that. That was me not doing my research and just jumping right into it like a lot of business owners do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, right now, most of our sales are in Canada and we\u2019re getting into the US. We\u2019re fully certified for the US, we have all of our paperwork, we\u2019re able to ship things, everything is able to clear customs properly but, right now, it\u2019s really just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut that\u2019s a really big market. If you become a household name in the US and Canada, that\u2019s an enormously successful business right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, eventually, I would like to ship our stuff to Europe because, especially the UK, we have a lot of people asking for our products over there, but right now it\u2019s just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we haven\u2019t really penetrated the US market the way I would\u2019ve liked to right now so we\u2019re still expanding into the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your own manufacturing facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, on that subject, it costs quite a lot of money to expand because you\u2019ve got to do marketing, you\u2019ve got to have salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how have you, this is a leading question because I know you were on Dragons\u2019 Den, how did you finance the growth of your startup and how was that experience for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
But that\u2019s a really big market. If you become a household name in the US and Canada, that\u2019s an enormously successful business right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, eventually, I would like to ship our stuff to Europe because, especially the UK, we have a lot of people asking for our products over there, but right now it\u2019s just Canada and US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we haven\u2019t really penetrated the US market the way I would\u2019ve liked to right now so we\u2019re still expanding into the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your own manufacturing facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, on that subject, it costs quite a lot of money to expand because you\u2019ve got to do marketing, you\u2019ve got to have salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how have you, this is a leading question because I know you were on Dragons\u2019 Den, how did you finance the growth of your startup and how was that experience for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, on that subject, it costs quite a lot of money to expand because you\u2019ve got to do marketing, you\u2019ve got to have salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how have you, this is a leading question because I know you were on Dragons\u2019 Den, how did you finance the growth of your startup and how was that experience for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
So, we actually never put any money into the company, and we didn\u2019t end up taking the deal from the dragons. So, they offered to us, and we didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so a little bit of a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been good because we\u2019ve been able to reinvest all of our profits back into the business and still remain profitable, but we pretty much just go with the flow in terms of spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, since we\u2019re trying to enter the US, we are spending a bit more than we have in previous years on marketing and sales and stuff like that, so this is the year where it\u2019s going to either boom or not work, but I am pretty sure it\u2019s going to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, on another note, before, in terms of production, because we still produce everything in house, we didn\u2019t really have the production capabilities or the facility to actually even be able to sell for the numbers we would\u2019ve wanted to and now, just this year, we have everything in place to support a huge growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDoes that mean you\u2019ve got your own manufacturing facilities now or do you mean that you found a good contract manufacturer that you can rely on to create the products?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
So, we have all of our own manufacturing facilities. I try to reach out to a lot of manufacturers because it\u2019s not a simple product to manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like let\u2019s say somebody\u2019s making cookies, all of these manufacturers are set up to make cookies, but this is such a new product, and they don\u2019t know. No one really wants to get into it, so I had to learn about food manufacturing and set up our own facility here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we were able to purchase a building with the profits from the company and that\u2019s where we do everything. So, we have our offices upstairs and downstairs is the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s amazing and you\u2019re so humble about all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we just managed to get our own manufacturing facility,\u201d but that\u2019s enormous that you own this building and you\u2019re making everything yourself and you\u2019re not reliant on anyone else in the supply chain to create the bombs for you, that means you are in control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Yeah, exactly and that\u2019s actually really, really good. I am really grateful that we\u2019re able to produce everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for Dragons’ Den, just do it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
So, back to the dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that was interesting because I know that something like a third of the entrepreneurs who accept funding on Dragons\u2019 Den, they don\u2019t end up actually doing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cuts to the term sheet stage and things get complicated and it doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But do you still think that it was a really positive experience just for the publicity and what else did you get out of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, first of all, the publicity that you get after being on Dragons\u2019 Den is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to anyone that\u2019s thinking of doing it and is like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I want to give up a share of my company,\u201d literally just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go on the show and then, after, decide if you want to give up a share of your company, it\u2019s okay not to, people can change their mind or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, being on the show as an entrepreneur, it was a really good learning experience to be able to go in front of leading experts in business, present my ideas, present my product and actually have them like it and give me positive feedback about everything, it was very, very valorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt really good about it, good about myself, it was a real confidence boost experience you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
And when you say the publicity was great, can you tell me a bit about how that manifested? Was it just loads of hits to the website or did you see a big uplift in sales? What was the impact, the material impact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, definitely, the day that it airs and a bit after, I would say for a good two weeks after, because they also play previews of it on TV, there\u2019s a huge boost in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we do a lot of wholesale so there was a huge boost in wholesale accounts, just people that saw us on Dragons\u2019 Den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel like it also really helps build trust with an audience, especially with us, where we\u2019re not selling something basic, I don\u2019t know, like a cookie or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People have to be like, \u201cOkay, why would I want to buy a cocktail bomb? What\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, to have the dragons who people trust say, \u201cI love this product, this is great,\u201d people want to buy it because of that, it really gives us a good boost in trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I also feel like the whole Dragons\u2019 Den thing really puts me as a leader in my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even if somebody decides to start their own business or copy the product, whatever, I\u2019m considered the first to market because we were on Dragons\u2019 Den and people saw it there first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
It\u2019s like the alternative patent, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t afford a patent, go on Dragons\u2019 Den and show everyone that you are the inventor of this thing because then the millions will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah exactly! So it was great, definitely. And also, people love to watch that too. Even to just repost the videos, people love a good Dragons\u2019 Den or Shark Tank episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence is all about faking it \u2018til you make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut tell me a bit about confidence because it takes a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur to pitch just in a room with one other person, let alone when you know that your pitch is going to be aired on national television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are you a very confident person? Has that been something that has evolved over time? How did you pep yourself up for that recording? Tell me about your confidence and where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
So, when I signed up for the show, I didn\u2019t think that they were going to take me, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sign up for fun and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally they ended up taking me and I was so nervous, you have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I rehearsed that pitch for a month before. I rehearsed all my answers, I learned everything that they could ask in and out, I watched all the episodes, I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d I was writing down the questions like, \u201cOkay, they might ask this, they might ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you\u2019re in there for an hour too, so you don\u2019t know what they could ask you, they\u2019re going to ask you everything and anything about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to be honest, right before I was about to enter, when you do the walk, I was crying backstage because I was so nervous and all of the production team were like, \u201cGo, go, you can do it. You\u2019re going to be so good,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally, I went in, and I don\u2019t know where my confidence came from, but it just overtook me, and I just did my pitch, and it went super well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my biggest fear going on the show was that we have a food-based product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, even though a lot of people like it, sometimes you see food-based products on Dragons\u2019 Den and they\u2019re like, \u201cUgh, this is not good,\u201d and then it\u2019s like, \u201cHuh, what do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though your numbers are good, your feedback is good, if the dragons don\u2019t like it, what can you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally they were all like, \u201cIt tastes great, this is amazing,\u201d so I was really lucky for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But other than the fact that I look super confident on the show and everything, I would say, in general, I\u2019m not really a confident person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often very stressed and anxious about my ideas and whether or not they\u2019re good and what people are going to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019m a lot in my head even though, on the outside, it shows that I\u2019m confident and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat is so interesting because I\u2019ve watched you, I\u2019ve watched that episode of Dragons\u2019 Den and my takeaway was that you were super confident, super calm, very poised, eloquent, butter wouldn\u2019t melt and it was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s so impressive because she\u2019s a young woman and this is a really terrifying thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even me in my dotage, I would find that very frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s interesting that you feel like you\u2019re masking a lot of what\u2019s going on behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Yeah, I don\u2019t like to show as much how stressed I am about everything even though I think it\u2019s good to show it now because people actually like to see the real you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, I feel like I go through a lot of emotional cycles where I\u2019m stressed and everything and then, when it\u2019s time to do the show and time to get into it, then I\u2019ll get a boost of confidence in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s weird how things work but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to reflect on your successes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Do you reflect on successes though? Do you celebrate when you have a record month or record quarter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you take the time to almost pat yourself on the back a bit and say, \u201cHey, I did this,\u201d or is that just not part of your routine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it should be because I think it\u2019s good to reward yourself and think about your successes, but I think I\u2019m the type of person that I always want to push further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I don\u2019t really take time to reflect on what I\u2019ve done good, I\u2019m more focused on how can I do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that that\u2019s not necessarily a good thing because it just causes more stress and more pressure on myself and I always feel like I\u2019m not really good enough, or wondering why we aren\u2019t we growing faster, or thinking today was not a good day etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the type of person too, let\u2019s say we have a bad day in sales, I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, my God, today was the worst day ever. This business is done, this is the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, it\u2019s finished, we\u2019re done. Cocktail Bomb Shop is over today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I\u2019ll look at the month and I\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, well actually we had a crazy wholesale month, oh, we\u2019re actually doing good, we\u2019re positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most businesses are not even positive cash flow and then I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t focus on the little things and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
I think that\u2019s great advice for anyone listening because I think, sometimes, it\u2019s a double-edged sword, isn\u2019t it? That single-minded focus, determination, focus on the negative, that actually can help you go really far because you do keep trying to excel, trying to push beyond the original goal or try and push yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, yeah, then you have the flip side which is that it\u2019s a stressful and anxiety ridden way to live so it\u2019s the two sides that you\u2019ve got to live in balance with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s great advice that you should try not to focus too much on the negative and try and look at the bigger picture sometimes rather than getting swallowed by something bad that\u2019s happened in that day or that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the power of your role models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
And talking to you and looking at all you\u2019ve achieved in your career, it\u2019s really clear that you are super driven and the fact that you were just like, \u201cYeah, cool. I\u2019m going to give this a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about how you became this kind of person, where your drive came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s your background like? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family? Do you feel like you\u2019ve had role models that have pushed you in this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me how you\u2019ve become this very, very driven person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, almost everybody in my family is an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it started with my grandfather, he started selling cookware sets, like pots and pans, from door to door in Ottawa in the 1940s or \u201950s, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally he ended up opening a kitchen store in Ottawa and it was super successful, and he passed it on to my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, my mum took over when he was older, and I grew up in my mum\u2019s store. So, I would help her sell stuff, I would help her place merchandise, she would show me the new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I always was really interested in business and all that. And my stepfather, who is like my dad, he is a sales rep, so he represents a bunch of different companies for wholesalers, and he has his own sales agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I would go with him on the road to go visit his customers and he would show me what he was doing, he would show me the catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I was always looking at new products, new things, he would receive samples, I would think it was the coolest thing and I would always, in the back of my mind, think like, \u201cOh, it would be really cool if I could have a business, sell something,\u201d but I never really knew what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it just came naturally after that, but I think being around entrepreneurs, especially in my early childhood, was really beneficial to me being an entrepreneur today because I think I didn\u2019t really know any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
That makes total sense. Because once you see someone doing it, you\u2019re like, \u201cWell, of course I could do that.\u201d I think sometimes we underestimate the power of role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, I imagine, is your family super proud of all you\u2019ve achieved because it must be just amazing watching you build this huge and successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re definitely really, really proud. My mum and my dad actually sell the bombs today at different events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, they\u2019ll do shows, and stuff and they\u2019ll set up a booth and everything and they just have a lot of fun. They love talking about the story and selling the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are consumers ready for sustainability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd talk to me about sustainability because I read that you have, I think it\u2019s biodegradable, recyclable wraps and packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about that journey. Was it tricky to do, number 1, and 2, why was that important to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
So, when I first started the company, I said I want to try and make it as eco-friendly as possible because I felt like why would you start a business and not make it eco-friendly, it didn\u2019t make sense in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I knew I needed to wrap the products for hygiene reasons, so I had to find a wrap that was biodegradable or recyclable and I was able to source a biodegradable shrink wrap, so I was super happy about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was also like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to put them in a cardboard box and plus the cardboard that I\u2019m going to use is going to be good for shipping, so they\u2019ll be safe during transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pretty easy for me to get all of these sustainable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you want to know something that\u2019s really sad, the second I started doing shows and stuff in the US, the main thing that people said to me was, \u201cWhy are they in a cardboard box, you should be able to see the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Yeah. So, I have this theory that, as much as businesses are ready for sustainability, because let\u2019s say my cardboard box, it\u2019s actually cheaper than a plastic box in terms of cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think businesses are ready for a sustainable change, but I think a lot of the consumers are just not there yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThey want to be wowed by what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Yeah. I think a consumer thinks that it takes away from their experience to have it in a cardboard box, they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, the box looks cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even though it\u2019s printed on, it is as nice as it can be, its still, \u201cWhy is it not plastic, you should be able to see through, these things should be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, yeah, that\u2019s my theory on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what was your reaction when customers were saying we want to see the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were you tempted to get a box with a window or were you like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to stick to my guns, the market will catch up eventually\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
So, what happened is, I was able to source a recyclable box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have a box with a window, it\u2019s only for wholesale because I ordered a small quantity because I wanted to see if that was really the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, basically, it\u2019s really funny, but my stores in Canada, they want nothing to do with the box with the window and, our stores in the US, they prefer the box with the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the markets but, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least it\u2019s recyclable but eventually I\u2019m hoping that we can be 100% percent cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding biodegradable and recyclable packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
And that was interesting that you just found a biodegradable shrink wrap really easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you just go on Google or something? What do people do when you\u2019re trying to find packaging? Do you have to go to a supplier and ask what they have or what\u2019s the route to finding the right thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, it\u2019s not really that easy to find a biodegradable shrink wrap, honestly, I had to do a lot of research because most of the shrink wraps are actually not even recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put them in the recycling, it scraps the whole recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I just did a big Google search, I started contacting people, emailing, calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also at that point too, no one knew who I was, so I was like, \u201cHi, I want to buy some shrink wrap,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I got turned down a lot, but finally I was able to find a company and they sold to me and actually we still use their shrink wrap today, so it\u2019s good for them to have sold to me in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes hearing no is the best thing that could happen for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd when you talk about coming back from hearing the word no, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard, we hear a lot from entrepreneurs that you have to get used to being turned down flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have to get used to people saying that idea is not going to work, no we\u2019re not going to sell your product, no we\u2019re not going to supply you, that takes a lot of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, talk to me about resilience. How have you become such a resilient person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
So, before, when people would tell me no, I would get really upset and I would just cry, because that\u2019s how I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, when someone tells me no, I have it in my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, well, you\u2019re going to see one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I feel like now I turn my sadness into motivation when hearing the word no and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, they\u2019re going to want the product eventually or they\u2019re going to want to sell to me eventually,\u201d because I\u2019ve actually seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were suppliers when I started that didn\u2019t want to sell to me, they were like, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t do that type of volume.\u201d Actually \u2026 I don\u2019t know if we have time but maybe this is a really funny story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, we\u2019ve got time. Tell me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Do you know Staples?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Okay. So, at Staples, they have a printing centre and basically, I didn\u2019t know where to print my stickers and my cards for my boxes when I first started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I go to Staples, and they were charging me a fortune, something like 50 cents for a sticker, ridiculous prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOh, I see that you guys have a business account, I would really love to open a business account,\u201d and the girl she looks at me and she\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the type of volume for a business account, this is not serious. We\u2019re not opening you a business account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d and I was hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then my boyfriend, he was like, \u201cScrew this. We\u2019re going to call a bunch of printing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I was sad too, I was like, \u201cNo, we have no choice, we have to buy like regular people, no one cares about us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then he calls a bunch of printers and we managed to find one and it dropped our costs like crazy to maybe, at that time, like 20 cents a sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now, I don\u2019t even want to go back to Staples because we actually have better suppliers than Staples, it was actually good that they told me no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But yeah, at that time I was sad but now, I\u2019m like, \u201cStaples, I could have been a really good customer, but you guys refused me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, it\u2019s your loss, Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You heard it here, you\u2019ve almost had Cocktail Bomb Shops business, but you lost out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding your product range and developing new brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd then finally, Kiana, I want to hear what\u2019s next. So, have you got new flavours coming through? You\u2019ve got any different products coming through? What is in your plan for the next year, the next 5 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give me a sneak peek at your goals for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
So, right now, the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, and I really grew the brand with Dragons\u2019 Den and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of the problems is the fact that the name of the company is Cocktail Bomb Shop, so people think we just sell cocktail bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a mistake that I made in the beginning, I think, was calling the company something that\u2019s maybe too product specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, eventually, well, actually in the near future, I want to start another brand which sells all of the other cocktail products we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have rimmers, we have edible glitter, I want to do cocktail syrups eventually, cocktail glasses, a bunch of different cocktail related things and I\u2019ve already started working on it, it\u2019s going to be called Sucre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project but we\u2019re going to keep Cocktail Bomb Shop as it is because it\u2019s a brand that people know, they come back to, and we have a lot of repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s my project for now and, in terms of the bombs themselves, we\u2019re constantly coming up with new flavours, different cocktail ideas, cocktails that don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, that\u2019s pretty much my plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to stay in the cocktail space, but I want to be able to get a larger market of cocktail related products and not just the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share the load with your team and learn how to spot problematic employees early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
And are you still the innovator? Are you still the one that\u2019s designing these cocktail bombs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you still the Willy Wonka character in your kitchen throwing these things together or do you have a team that does research and development for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYeah, so now we have a team that actually produces them and finds the ideas but, of course, if I have an idea, I\u2019ll definitely get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I wanted to create a litchi cocktail bomb for example, I\u2019ll help out and give ideas like, \u201cOkay, we could do this, we could do that, we could do this, maybe let\u2019s do with that flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do a lot more of the research and the actual testing of the products than I do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOkay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Okay. And I know I said that was my last question but I actually have a couple more, which is how big is your team and how have you found progressing from a solo founder to being a manager and a leader of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, let me count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we are 5 in production at all times. When it gets super busy, we hire more people to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And upstairs, this is new this year, we actually have professional employees and we\u2019re 5 upstairs, creating content, doing email marketing, paid ads, different things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019re about 10 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
And the leadership side, how do you find that, managing people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWell, right now, all of the people that we have are really, really good, and really, really nice, so there\u2019s definitely no issues managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we have had employees or people that we brought into our team that were a bit more problematic, and we had to let go of them because it just wasn\u2019t working, and they were bringing everyone down in the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I think, if somebody comes into our team that doesn\u2019t fit with our vibe or our culture or isn\u2019t working and is making everyone unable to do their job, we\u2019re not going to hesitate to let them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
That\u2019s really interesting because it can take a long time before leaders realise that there\u2019s an individual that\u2019s poisoning the well slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you seem to be very quick to spot those individuals which is really good, which is really healthy for an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take action and build your brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnd finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
And finally, Kiana, what would be your top tip for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or maybe in the very early stages? What one thing do you wish you\u2019d known when you were getting started that you could share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Gomes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSo, I think maybe it would be to just get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see a lot of people, they\u2019re writing a business plan, they\u2019re trying to plan things, they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, first I need to get money, whatever, to start my business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I feel like they\u2019re too invested in the plan and not on the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, because they just never take any action, nothing ends up ever happening and I literally see this all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People tell me like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to start a business, I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to do that\u201d they don\u2019t do anything. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re ever going to do anything because they\u2019re too involved in their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s say, even you have this crazy idea that you need a $100,000,000 to start it up, literally just post a video of you talking about the idea, like, \u201cHey, does anyone want to invest?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You never know, you might generate some interest and get someone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by doing nothing and just planning it in your head, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And also, I mentioned it before, but, when naming your business, maybe try and name it something that is not product specific so you can easily expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s definitely my mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn\u2019t do any research because I didn\u2019t think my business was going to grow, and I didn\u2019t really do any branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brand colours, we don\u2019t really have any. Our stuff is not consistent in terms of branding, so I\u2019m trying to do all of that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So just come up with a name that\u2019s generic and do your brand colours and your typographies, that\u2019s it. But you can do all of that on Canva for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by this business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoin our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWant to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
We are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Join our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0X @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find out more about Kiana on her Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more on Cocktail Bomb Shop, check out their website<\/a> or TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n Join 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Learn how Kiana Gomes created a thriving business from her kitchen table, generated 2.5 million TikTok views, and received 30,000 customer emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":15261,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-15256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex Burn-Callander","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/Blog_S3_Ep6.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Want to know more about Kiana Gomes or Cocktail Bomb Shop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"