We recently connected with Laurie Urbancik and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Laurie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
No Sugar Momma was born out of a health crisis. I lost my great health during a productive and accomplished 25 year career at a Fortune 100 company. I left at the age of 52 because I felt and looked very ill and I knew I had to walk away at the top of my career if I was going to get my health back. The 60-80 hour work weeks with a lot of travel, multi-tasking, fast-pace eventually took their toll. My health actually got worse after I retired as the full extent of illness and disease surfaced. I was involved in years of allopathic and holistic health, made a number of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual changes to my life and my health started to recover. As I made my way through my recovery I eliminated gluten, dairy, processed sugar, eggs, soy, coffee and alcohol to support my body focus on healing and not eliminating toxins from my system. I needed every edge to get better! During this period, I found I could not eat any fun treats because everything on the shelves was filled with ingredients I gave up and this actually led me into a type of depression as I realized what was ahead for me. I spent hours in stores and on-line checking to see if I could find granola, cookies, donuts, pies, ice cream, snack bars, chocolates….NOTHING was out there! This is 7 years ago and finally there are some good options out there but still not many. So I started making my own treats by replacing everything I could not eat and this was challenging because again it required research, creativity and ingenuity to come up with alternatives. Flours I could find but replacers for eggs, dairy, butter and sugar were harder for me to address yet I got more creative and did. Bam! I made a chocolate pudding with everything I could have and it was delightful. Then I went on to do granola, cookies, brownies and again and again I just took a recipe I had, my Mom’s or something I found on line and just figured out ways to replace what I could not eat. As months went by I got better and better, made more things and shared with family and friends who just loved everything. A couple of years into this new way of eating I felt the spark of entrepreneurial flair, tapped into compassion I had for people like me who were left behind in the food industry and felt a strong desire to create a company that could share fun with people, improve their health and then donate some profits to humanity and Mother Earth. I felt the call of my true self asking me to do something good and use my gifts, skills and experiences to build something and collaborate with others. Once I declared this is the mission, my Vision for the company came to me in my nature walks and the path to work with others and have fun while doing it continued to manifest itself by connecting me with people, situations, information, etc. I truly believe that we are here for a purpose and we just need to trust in that process of life. I thank so many people for playing a role in this process as 7 years later No Sugar Momma is in stores and the Vision appears to me everyday in how I see people enjoying the treats, the retailers love the quality and health of the products, customers thank me for bringing this level of health and good for you-ness to treats. It’s amazing!
Laurie , 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?
No Sugar Momma is a product line dedicated to nutritious, delicious and fun foods to support clean eating. Clean refers to the absence of ingredients known as common allergens that disrupt the immune system or challenge the ability of the gut (e.g., gastrointestinal tract) to support health and vitality. The gut is considered the ‘second brain’ as it controls so many functions of the body and impacts brain health considerably.
Products range across the following categories to satisfy every snack and dessert desire!!!!!!
Granola, breakfast breads and pastries like donuts and scones, cookies, cookies made in pan (aka snack bar), energy bites/balls, pies, cakes, cheesecake, candy, ice-cream
Tried and true recipes satisfy craving for sweet treats….taste approved by many audiences…health-nuts, gluten intolerant, diabetics, food allergies, overweight, lactose intolerant
The genius of this product line is in its ingredient profile: nutritional flours, plant based dairy, no eggs, sweeteners with nutritional value that are low glycemic (e.g., does not lead to spike in blood sugar) vs. white/brown processed sugars like fructose corn syrup, cane sugar/juice
Key differentiator for this product line – use of sweeteners created by Mother Nature that provide nutritional value like anti-oxidants, anti-bacterials, anti-fungals, anti-inflammatories, enzymes, calcium, magnesium, potassium, fiber, zinc, iron, vitamins
Competitors to this brand are simply not in the marketplace!
The combination of gluten and dairy free, vegan and sweeteners with nutritional value that do not cause a surge in blood sugar or disrupt the gut has No Sugar Momma in a class by itself!!
Types of diets that are served by No Sugar Momma: vegan, keto friendly, diabetics, food allergies, healthy food and clean eating conscious.
The snacks and desserts are healthy so they support eating less to satisfy a sweet tooth which also leads to supporting brain health and healthy scale weight so they are not eating higher quantities. They can have a healthy product that meets their health need/concern/preference:
* Gluten free to ensure the gut can break down the flour so it doesn’t leak out of the gut into bloodstream where it can cause immune system challenges;
* processed sugar free so they can improve their brain health, gut health, pancreas/blood sugar health
* Active people, athlete types that are looking for good fats, proteins and carbs to support their more full energy lifestyle
* Egg free to satisfy vegan desire
* Soy free as there is research to show it has isoflavones that can mess with thyroid function, promote the growth of some cancer cells, impair female fertility and be an endocrine disruptor which mimics estrogen in the body that can lead to hormone overload
* Some products low carb so they can satisfy keto preference
* Good fats, proteins, fibers, vitamins and minerals so fill a person up without eating too many treats that can lead to weight gain
* Something fun to eat – who doesn’t love cookies, brownies, smores, cheesecakes, chocolatey gooey fun – treats we eat to just feel good
* Buying treats from a good Earth Citizen company who dedicates some profits to help humankind, Mother Earth, animal causes, plants and other living creatures – alignment to their desire to make the world a better place
How does your product uniquely solve your customers’ problems and struggles?
Very few choices of snacks and desserts that are great tasting without all the sugars, allergens, and fillers and not processed (meaning altered to have a longer shelf life without refrigeration)
What am I proud of about the company and what it brings?
1 – NSM is a fun and playful company that wants people to enjoy their snacks and feel good while they are also celebrating their health by eating a clean and good for you treat that they don’t have to feel guilty about enjoying
2 – NSM cares about people and their physical health and well-being and will share other helpful information to devotees of the product and anyone who may even interact with the company whether they buy a product or not. They will see info or pictures, videos on a website or social media or in person at a place they may buy product that does something to help them know relevant information that can be a positive difference maker for their body, mind or spirit.
3 – NSM is a company that cares about DOING GOOD – donating funds to help initiatives that support humans, Earth, animals plants or other living creatures. NSM will engage its customers to ask where they would like to see funding dollars go – since they are buying products they should and will have a say as to what initiatives receive charitable causes. Note – I envision customers getting to vote, maybe on the website, or sending email…..need to figure this out. Customer engagement in the company business is critical success factor to the owner, me!
4. This is a product line and as the company expands there will be more offerings of products across a number of categories like breakfast goodies, pies, cakes, bars, bites, ice cream, chocolate, granola.
5. This is a company that will partner with other companies and groups who are supporting people’s health both mental and physical. This looks like people in the holistic health area, exercise practitioners, health food advisors, coaches and counselors, etc.
What am I most proud of?
1. Decadent treats that are fun and tasty to eat! Loaded with healthy fats and carbohydrates, good proteins and fiber and healthy doses of vitamins and minerals.
2. This product line is clean. Meaning, common allergens are not included such as gluten, dairy, processed sugars and soy. They are also egg free as eggs – both the white and yolk – are foods that some people are sensitive to and have allergic reactions or gut upset when they consume them.
3. Because No Sugar Momma snacks and desserts are “real food”products they are satisfying to eat and they fill you up without having to eat large quantities in order to satisfy the sweet tooth. People often say, “they taste like they are good for you!!!”
4. No Sugar Momma snacks and desserts support a number of specialty diets (food allergies or sensitivities, low glycemic for diabetics, weight conscious, healthy lifestyle, athlete) or food preferences (vegan, keto friendly and they are also for the “regular crowd” of treat eaters that are looking to upgrade the quality of their fun snacks and desserts.
5. No Sugar Momma is a company with a commitment to make the world a better place by sharing sweet treats you can eat without feeling like you are “cheating” or feel “guilty” to enjoy something fun to eat. And equally as important, it’s a company committed to funding good Earth causes like helping the planet and people with charitable donations.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Oooooh this is a gem of a question! I have unlearned how to be a perfectionist. I was raised to be very good, perfectly good and this kept me, I thought, safe and loved. As I grew older I learned this type of focus netted great results in the business world because work gets done at a high level of quality and it makes everyone happy, it earns awards, promotions, etc. It also creates stress because perfection is an illusion and the act of trying to operate there is draining to my energy. When I went thru my health crisis I think that way of operating really went away as simple things that helped me sustain my life became my focus. I lost that operating mechanism in me that had me focus on high standards and stress goes away as a result. As an entrepreneur there are many opportunities for me to leave the perfectionist on the bench as I bring the collaborator, heart-based, alchemical creator with a bit of a love rebel to the forefront in my interactions, I am less stressed as a result and more present to the learning that comes along with something goes off unexpected or dare I say wrong…!! I mean, inventions have been created throughout history with the so-called mistake. I don’t make the perfectionist wrong, because at one time it kept me safe and loved, I just ask the perfectionist to let some of my other personalities show up for business. I am more at peace, hurray!
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
I have read a number of books through the years and they’ve helped me so much! They span so many areas, some business, some psychology, some food, some spirituality. Here’s a few with mighty impact:
- How To Win Friends and Influence People – Carnegie
- In Search of Excellence – Peters
- McDonald’s: Behind the Arches – Love
- The Road Less Traveled – Peck
- The Spontaneous Healing of Belief – Braden
- You Can Heal Your Life – Hay
- Water Up and Fire Down – Ilchi Lee
- The Art of Co-Existence – Ilchi Lee
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nosugarmomma.us/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/no_sugar_momma/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenosugarmomma
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/laurieurbancikpmp
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/no_sugar_momma/
- Youtube: @laurieurbancik5992
Image Credits
Caroline, Pam, George, Alex, Sean