We recently connected with Amy Graaves and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amy, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I had wanted to start my own business for 20 years before finally jumping into the ring. The push came after moving to California. I wanted a career again after working through paralysis. I started as a Business Analyst for small businesses, but I wanted to work in the food industry.

COVID changed my plans, and I focused on websites across all industries. Around 2022, I made the move to focus on Natural and Organics, not just food. I started writing my book, which should be out by the end of this year.

What makes me different in the world of Natural and Organics is that I am super-sensitive to all corn and all corn derivatives. My knowledge of how food is made benefits by clients in finding their hidden consumers.

Amy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My company, Hidden Consumers Consulting, works to help my clients find consumers they did not know existed. The secret sauce is understanding that most people do not shop based on calorie information, but on ingredients. The reason behind their shopping habits varies based on 5 demographics that I have identified. The main demographic is, of course, are food sensitivities, intolerances, and allergies.

I use my skills as a Business Analyst to help clients transform how they talk about their product. This also leads to better communication with clients who reach out to customer support. Have you ever asked a company if an ingredient was in their product and were given the wrong answer? My goal is to eliminate that oversight. Companies that give us misinformation, even unknowingly, can land their customers in the emergency room, or worse.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I think my life is all about the pivot. When I became, my arms became temporarily paralyzed. I had to pivot from being the bread-winner to being taken care of. When I opened my business on March 2, 2020, I had to pivot within the weeks to keep my doors open while everyone else closed up.

The key to a pivot is to understand your circumstances and what it is you can accomplish. In 2020, I threw out my business plan and started over. I had to look at the situation around me and delve into what I could do to make a difference and keep small businesses open. Today, I use the knowledge I gained in 2020 to move my company forward in a way that makes sense for me and does not follow the current influencers or gurus in the industry. What works for them doesn’t work for everyone.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

As business owners, our trajectory is never straight up. It has ups and downs like a roller coaster. We always seem to be heading toward a near-death moment if we don’t do x, y, and z. It’s all part of the business cycle.

For me, it was entering into coaching contracts and white labeling my services that led to near-death experiences. There was one coach in particular whom I agreed to work with to help me reach corporate clients. Halfway through the program, she changed gears and started focusing more on the woo-woo side energies. Not what I signed up for, and based on the contract, I could not get my money back.

I also had a white-label experience where the client I was working for did not grasp the type of work I did. She would sell me as something I was not and then not pay me. It was extremely stressful. I had to cut ties quickly for my sanity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hiddenconsumersconsulting.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amg.consultants/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehiddenconsumer/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-graves-hidden-consumers/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenconsumersconsulting

Image Credits

Gina Cinardo at https://ginici.com/