We recently connected with Erin Swietlik and have shared our conversation below.
Erin, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
In order to be a successful entrepreneur, you must have the “I will never give up” mindset. I started Energy Ballz back in 2018 with no set plan of this being a full-time business. At the time, I had my nutrition consulting business that I was trying to build as a part time gig while I was in a self development program. I kept Energy Ballz as part of my previous business name, not thinking it would be something big. Energy Ballz has always been a hobby of mine, its really the perfect grab n go snack that is fulfilling and healthy. I started selling my ballz at a local boutique gym called TruFusion in Scottsdale where I also was teaching group fitness. I would do monthly samples and they were actually selling at a decent rate. It was then that I decided well maybe this could be something so I started building up accounts that I thought would be a great spot to sell my product in. I kept pushing aside my previous business and putting more effort into Energy Ballz. It was then in 2019 where I decided to make it a separate LLC business. Once I opened up a business bank account, I was serious about this being a full-time career.
If you want to be successful, you have to be hungry for more and more. Each time I gain an account, I am back out looking for another one. Each day, I am always in the mindset of where else can I grow my business…it never shuts off. I see someone post a picture of them at a coffee shop, I am already on google searching the shop, looking at their photos to see if they have a grab n go fridge. I am always driving around in different parts of the valley, looking for accounts and dropping off samples.
The second trait is being persistent. My ultimate goal was to get in AJ’s…just one AJ’s store. I found my AJ contact over 3 years ago and would email him over and over…I think I sent at least 30 emails – no joke. We are all busy, my email was probably at the bottom of his list and yet I would continue to follow up. After so many emails, I would get an email that would give me hope to keep going. Finally in 2022, I gained 2 AJ accounts but it did not come to me easily. Did I think I was being annoying or pushy? No, because I believe in my business and if it was easy then I think we would all be entrepreneurs.
The third trait is being able to adapt and shift as needed. During covid, when many of my accounts who are small business owners were shut down, I had to reroute myself. I thought, okay what about working with local meal delivery companies and increasing my personal orders with customers through my site where they can directly order and I would deliver. I knew this was not going to be permanent but I had to adapt to the times and not let my business plummet. I also realized I could work with businesses such as HB Wellness and white label my product to meet their requirements and still grow my business. Key is to be creative and think outside the box as we are constantly evolving and adapting!
Erin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Originally from New Jersey and went to undergrad at University of Arizona for dietetics and became a Registered Dietitian. I then went to grad school at ASU for exercise and wellness. I realized how much I love the sun and how much I hate the gloomy, cold and humid weather back home, so I stayed in Arizona. Shortly after working in a hospital as an RD, I became a wife and mother of two who are now 9 and 6 years old. I worked in a hospital and started my own nutrition counseling business but it was never fulfilling to me. I love fitness and so I became a group fitness instructor and started teaching part time (I guess I could have saved all that college money…haha). In 2018, I was involved in personal development program to help grow my nutrition counseling business, not knowing I was actually going to leave that program with an entirely different business.
I kicked off my Energy Ballz business by doing personal orders, creating an Energy Ballz recipe and fitness book (each recipe is paired with a “Workout of the Day” along with nutritional facts and words of wisdom) and selling at one of the local boutique gyms I taught out. I kept hearing from friends and family members, you need to sell these in stores and I am thinking, ‘you really think people are going to buy these, it is so simply to make at home’.
I continued to look for other places to sell and after being persistent at Luci’s Healthy Marketplace (where I use to work years before when I was studying for my RD exam, so a bit ironic), they agreed to sell my product and it became my biggest account. It was this particular account that gave me the courage that this can really be something big if I put all my energy into it. Currently, I have over 26 accounts where I sell my Energy Ballz with the last two being AJ’s, a huge goal of mine.
Making energy balls has always been a personal hobby of mine. I would search pinterest recipes all the time and experiment with new flavors. The one thing that always got to me was most energy balls are made with dates or they would crumble apart on their own. I finally had the idea of using coconut oil because it hardens up when set in a cold temperature so I started experimenting. It was all about changing the texture so when I bite into it, it would not fall apart nor would it be sticky due to dates. Deciding to create a recipe book, I put together 20 different energy ballz recipes that would hit every taste bud. They are such an easy grab n go snack. Energy Ballz are quick, tasty, healthy, balanced and energizing snacks for the entire family. Customers eat them as a mini breakfast to get them going, mid afternoon pick me up, pre/post workout, breastfeeding and even bedtime sweet cravings. I am not keto by any means, but I do feel best when I eat higher fat foods. Energy ballz are full of nuts, nut butters, chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp hearts, and coconut oil. They also have a balance of carbs from oats or puffed rice and protein from plant protein powder or the nuts itself. Lastly, we need something to bind this all together and that is the honey. My biggest compliment from customers is the texture of my ballz and how they do not compare to any other energy ball they have had in the past.
My biggest struggle is as I continue to grow, I only have two hands and after rolling for hours….they get very tired. I do fear of carpal tunnel syndrome if I continue to keep this up. There are days when I do not leave the kitchen for 8 hours straight. I do not have any employees so I do everything myself – shopping, making the dough, rolling, washing, packaging, labeling, delivering, invoicing and marketing. Not going to lie, there are moments when I think I am going to have a breakdown from being overworked. However, each time I drop off a big load of my ballz…I am thinking damn, I did all of that. The general population really has no idea what goes behind a price tag of local items. It is not only the work itself but also what I have to sacrifice. There has been countless times that I have to miss out on my kids activities, family game/movie nights, family dinners, social gatherings and 1:1 with my husband. I have almost no energy left when the day is over and my family suffers from this.
I hope customers can understand how much goes into making my product and as a business owner, you have to know what you are worth and price your item accordingly. We all know prices are going up and I was hesitant when I had to increase my price but for me to continue to grow my business, I need to be honest with myself. If I do not feel valued, I know that my passion and drive to be successful will dwindle and then what was all of this hard work worth.
I realize this way of making energy ballz is not a forever thing and there will be an opportunity to grow my business to a point where I oversee it and hopefully a machine just pops these balls out. I always joke that I just need shark from shark tank to take me on, maybe one day I’ll be on that show!
Lastly, what I am most proud of is the fact that I can call myself a woman and mom entrepreneur. I never thought this would be the road I would take but life works in mysterious ways. Although I joke that college was a waste of my time and money…my passion for health brought me to Arizona. Each person you meet, there is a purpose…whether you know that at the moment or years later. I have a long list of people that I have met that brought me a little closer to my current business and I am forever grateful. I did not choose Energy Ballz, it chose me!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
This would have to be my AJ’s story which I discussed in the prior question…
In summary, I have been trying to get into AJ’s for 3 years. I walked into AJs and asked to speak the manager who then gave me the contact who is in charge of bringing on local items in the store. I sent numerous emails and phone messages with no response. I would let a month or so go by and email again. I finally got a meeting with him and left samples for him to try and left that meeting feeling very hopeful. However, months went by and no follow up emails. Covid happened and my business tanked as all my accounts are small business owners and were forced to shut down. I started to feel hopeless and then I shifted my business for the time being. As businesses started to open back up, my business grew and got even bigger! Then in 2021, I made an instagram video to keep me accountable of stating I will circle back with AJ’s and wont stop until I get a final answer. I never got a No. So I knew if I kept being persistent, it would eventually happen. I kept pursuing this potential opportunity for what I did not know would be 3 years.
I think what really got me over the edge with AJ’s was when I realized a fellow group fitness instructor at lifetime where I teach is also the wellness coordinator for Bashas (who owns AJs). She watched my instagram video and immediately contacted me. Every step in life has a purpose! She personally knows my contact and so she would randomly stop by his office and just dropped my name and ask him when was he going to start carrying them. Finally 2022 arrives and I got my first 2 AJ’s accounts.
As you can see, I never gave up within the 3 years and each step you take in life has a reason!
Have you ever had to pivot?
I went to undergrad school for Dietetics to become a Registered Dietitian and grad school for masters in Exercise and Wellness. I spent 7 years to get these credentials. I am a terrible test taker with learning disabilities so I had to re take my dietetics exam several times. There were many tears during that time. When I finally passed, I felt a huge accomplishment. I can put RD after my name along with MS for masters. After a few years in the career, I started my Energy Ballz business as a super part time gig. Once I set up and LLC and my business bank account, I knew this was serious and no longer a hobby business. It was really hard to come in terms that I was going to say good bye to my credentials. In order to maintain my RD, I have to do 75 CEUS every 5 years and pay yearly fees. 2021 would be my new set of 5 years and I am not longer pursuing this path. I am confident that degree was not pointless because the determination I had to keep trying to pass my RD Exam was just a snippet of how strong I am as person. A successful entrepreneur is someone who is strong willed, highly motivated, risk taker, willing to fail and grow from mistakes, and who constantly wants to learn from others.
My favorite podcast is How I built this with Guy Raz. A podcast where he interviews successful businesses and they talk about their lows and highs, the risks and mistakes that they made. It is super motivating to know most business owners came from nothing and many of the food oriented businesses started in their kitchen with no idea what was going to happen next. This is me in a nutshell. I am just grinding up my nuts and mixing up my ingredients in my little home kitchen and ready to battle and overcome whatever comes my way to grow my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: energyballz.com
- Instagram: energyballz
Image Credits
Matt Young Photography – Matt Young Tida Radevski Photography – tidaradevskiphotography