We recently connected with Carole Satterthwaite and have shared our conversation below.

Carole, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Believed in me!

I grew up as a native Floridian in the Sunshine State. I have always loved cooking and grew up learning from my grandmother and mother’s love of feeding people through the care and artistry of homemade goodies. Feeding people delicious, healthy and satisfying treats became how I spread my own special brand of Sunshine. Granola became one of those treats.

However, when I first started mulling over the idea of actually setting up a business and selling the granola that I had poured my love and talent into, I faced every self-doubt possible.

I spent hours and hours tweaking the granola recipes, getting feedback from friends and family, until I felt confident that I had incredibly crunchy, healthy & tasty gluten free granola. But then came all the internal questions: Now what? Would people actually pay me for the granola? Where do I even start? Can I do this? Do I have what it takes to start a business and keep it going?

I felt stunted. Intimidated. Afraid.

Then, with every confidence in the world, my husband, Kyle, handed me a card with a note that said “This could turn out to be your best year yet with your creative juices, exploring one of your passions. I am excited to watch what happens for you this trip around the sun! Here is a little something to get you started in this journey.” And he gifted me with my company website. He did not design it; he didn’t do the work for me. He handed me the domain name, and the push to get things started.

The fears didn’t suddenly disappear, but I found I was able to push past them. I dove in headfirst into the research and the work to establish Sunshine Crunch, LLC. I discovered the wealth of information and inspiration from other Entrepreneural women.

Kyle stood with me, encouraging me along the way. One of his favorite jobs is #1 taste tester. We have bounced ideas off each other. He helps me with Farmer’s Market set ups. When the doubts rise up, he cheers me on.

With my husband believing in me, I am spreading my SUNSHINE!

Carole, 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?

In my husband’s search for a healthy, filling, post-workout breakfast that he could enjoy every morning, his hunger became the inspiration for Sunshine Crunch granola. I didn’t want to buy the sugar-laden granola offered on most store shelves. I wanted to create something special, healthy, and most importantly, tasty. Batches and batches (and many more batches) later, I created granola with quality ingredients, delicious flavor and filling enough to have on your morning yogurt, as a quick snack or to sprinkle on as an added treat to your ice cream.

Sunshine Crunch granola is all gluten free. Six of the 7 flavors are vegan as well and one of them is even grain-free. I wanted to make it more accessible to more people, even with certain diet restrictions.

I am so proud to be a woman-owned business, representing local flavors and adding to someone’s daily enjoyment!

I am growing and learning every day and one of my favorite things about being involved with every aspect of my small business is that I have direct interaction with all of the customers. Feedback is great! I love the special stories about how their child finally has a favorite (healthy) cereal that the parent can give them every morning; or the athlete that keeps it as their go-to snack on the run; or the grandmother that makes special cookies with it to send to her homesick granddaughter at college.

It’s more than a breakfast or snack food, it’s a way to touch lives and spread smiles!

Enjoy the Sunshine!!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients has been signing up and being a vendor at local Farmer’s and Green Markets. If you have a food or a craft small business, it’s truly the best way to bring your product to the people. Especially after the various confinements and restrictions of Covid, it is a perfect place for people to get outside, interact and learning about you and your product on a personal level.

It is also the best opportunity to network with other small business owners. It’s a place to learn from each other, inspire each other, get leads on other vendor opportunities and even collaborate with your products.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I do sell Sunshine Crunch granola on my website: www.sunshinecrunch.com through GoDaddy. As a startup small business, I knew I needed to get my product online for purchase because that is how so many people shop, particularly if they do not live in your immediate area. I wanted to learn as I went and have control of the process, so selling directly from the company website made the most sense.

However, there was no step by step instruction on how to do this. Youtube is great for instructional videos and how-tos. Although many people always go to online searches for help, your local library is a fountain of information and endless resources. I checked out a stack of books that gave great tips on setting up an online business as well as other business tips and tricks.

I was most worried about figuring out shipping costs and packaging. I was able to utilize and online company that is synced with my website that calculates the shipping and even offers discounts. The right packaging was based on market research. We all order things online so I started paying closer attention to how things were boxed and special notes or stickers that companies included to stand out be different. I always include a note thanking the customer for supporting a small business and encourage them to post their purchase on social media. Sometimes you don’t have to re-invent the process, you just have to make it your own.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sunshinecrunch.com
• Instagram: @sunshine_crunch
• Facebook: @sunshinecrunchllc