We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer Green recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jennifer thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

Our first wholesale client was a really big success for the company. Believe it or not, I got it from cold calling. I know that cold calling can have a stigma to it, but for whatever reason, people are intrigued when we call them wanting to offer them our products. I think it is different when you include the healthy and philanthropic elements we have. People want to contribute and they want to support, which makes the whole process much more digestible. Sharing our products with different businesses and organizations has been very special and we are excited to further expand.

Jennifer, 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?

Pop Queen is a dairy-free frozen dessert company, offering ice pops that we can all feel good about eating. Frozen dessert doesn’t have to be unhealthy, and we’re here to prove it. All of our products are made with three simple ingredients: fruit, water, and honey. Our mission is to set people up for dietary success by introducing healthy alternatives. We also donate to homeless shelters, use eco-friendly packaging, and support businesses following these same mantras.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Pop Queen is founded entirely from my savings. I bootstrapped the entire company; it has been a great journey and challenge. There were times (in the beginning) where I wondered how I would make ends meet, but the philosophy of survival is simple: survive. And somehow, with lots of hard work and persistence, it always worked out better than I could have imagined. It wasn’t always easy, and I definitely struggled, but I never gave up. I have been told many times that the biggest mistake entrepreneurs make when they start a business is seeking investment they don’t need. In the beginning, I didn’t quite understand. Now, after five years in, I understand and I am glad we have not sought investment we didn’t need. I also feel grateful to have gone into a business where funding wasn’t completely necessary. I worked a lot harder (because I couldn’t afford a lot of what investment could afford), but learned so much more than I would have otherwise by doing it. All of these things have prepared me for where we are today, and where we are going.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

There are so many books I would recommend, goodness I am not even sure where to begin! Here are a few from the top of my head:
How to Win Friends & Influence People (Dale Carnegie)
The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari)
The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
Light on Yoga (B.K.S Iyengar)
& believe it or not, an introduction to philosophy book I had to read for philosophy class in college. I don’t remember who write it or what it was called, but it was life changing!

Next up are:
The Four Agreements (Don Miguel Ruiz)
Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.popqueen.co
• Instagram: @popqueen
• Facebook: Facebook.com/popqueenmia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/popqueen/

Image Credits
All photos are taken by Deanna Candelas. IG: @candelasphoto