We recently connected with Michael Boylan and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, thanks for joining us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

We operate out of our local farmers market. Our product is super healthy and we are excited we can share our great product with our community. Locals gravitate towards the market for the fresh healthy products that are hard to find in the local super markets. Also the foods labeled healthy aren’t always the case after you read through the ingredients. Our customers can count on the fact that our product is 100 % what we say it is and that builds a strong relationship with our customers.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have worked in the restaurant business for over 15 years working every job from dishwasher to general manager. The business can be grueling at times and fast paced leaving little time for meal breaks. Through those years I grown tired and put on weight. My girlfriend dara “mia” Hughes began making chia pudding. We fell in love with the pudding making it with different fruit toppings etc. Chia pudding then became our go to. Breakfast lunch dessert. Most important work. We found something we could eat on the fly and it tasted good was refreshing and kept us full throughout our shift. Coworkers noticed and after awhile we would occasionally make it foe them. Dec 10 2024 we opened Mias chia in the uptown farmers market and have been going strong since. The local community and tourist are enjoying our pudding on a regular basis. Working direct to consumer has been rewarding getting tied into the community and providing such a great product for kids to adults. Coming this fall we will be operating on the arizona state university. We are excited to provide a meal that can help students stay focused with its high levels of omega-3s and keeping them full with high fiber content while being absolutely delicious. We still work full time in the restaurant business with our vision of being able to scale Mias chia throughout the country.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I moved to destin florida in 2015 where I started a new bartending job. One of my co workers is now my girlfriend after 9 years. We worked together for many years eating chia pudding and in 2024 we moved to Phoenix arizona and together we created Mia’s Chia.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My whole life I worked really hard however I drank just as hard. When I turned 40 I had to make a decision do I want to continue down this road or do I choose to get my life back so I chose life. I stop drinking and my life began to process in ways I never dreamed of. 1 and half years after I purchased my first home. I began to see life through a different lense and I’m happy for the decision I made 5 years ago and for the support of my loved ones

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Miaschia_az
• Facebook: Mias chia
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits

Dara hughes