We recently connected with Maddy Kelman and have shared our conversation below.

Maddy, appreciate you joining us today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

Honestly, it came down to niching down. When I first started, I thought my hot sauce had to be for everyone — every heat level, every flavor preference, every market. But the truth is, when you try to speak to everyone, you end up speaking to no one.

For both personal reasons and business development, we decided to focus on the Kosher market. There was a clear gap in that space for a high-quality, clean-ingredient, farm-to-table hot sauce, and we stepped in to fill it. By serving fewer customers but truly dominating one specific market, we’ve actually been able to grow faster.

It simplified everything — our messaging, our partnerships, our sales strategy. We became the go-to brand in that niche, which built trust quickly and allowed us to scale intentionally instead of just trying to keep up with every possible fad.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Maddy Kelman — better known as The Hot Sauce Girl — founder of Homestead’s Hot Sauce, a farm-to-table, clean-ingredient hot sauce brand that’s Kosher certified and made without shortcuts. What started in my kitchen grew into a full-scale production now found in retail locations across Long Island, New Jersey, and beyond.

My journey has been anything but boring. I’ve been featured on CBS, in NY Weekly Magazine’s Top 20 Inspiring Women to Look Out For in 2025, and was a finalist on The Blox: America’s Greatest Startup Show. I even hit the runway at NYFW 2025 and graced magazine covers!

My sauces have made their way onto the shelves of markets, breweries, and specialty shops, but they’ve also been a vehicle for giving back — like donating to NYC firefighters and supporting community events.

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

I bootstrapped Homestead’s Hot Sauce from day one, which basically means I funded it myself, step by step, without outside investors. I didn’t have a big lump sum sitting in the bank, so I used what I call a milestone-to-milestone budget.

That meant setting small, clear goals — and only spending money to reach the next milestone. For example, my first “budget milestone” was getting the licenses I needed to legally sell my sauce. Once I hit that, the next milestone was producing my first small batch to sell at a local market. Each sale funded the next step — a bigger batch, a booth upgrade, new flavors, better labels.

Bootstrapping taught me to be resourceful and to grow at a pace I could sustain. It also kept me in control of my vision — I didn’t have to answer to anyone else about ingredients, branding, or values.

Was it slower than taking out a big loan? Definitely. But it kept the business lean, creative, and adaptable, and it’s why we’re still here today — scaling up on our own terms.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the habit of making decisions based on gut feelings alone. In the early days, I’d guess what flavors people wanted, what price points would sell, or what marketing would work — and sometimes I got lucky, but luck isn’t a strategy.

Now, I remind myself: I don’t know anything until it’s tested. Every big decision gets backed by data. That means tracking sales numbers, watching customer behavior, and running small experiments before making big moves.

It’s not as romantic as “following your instincts,” but it’s a lot more sustainable. Data keeps me honest — and it often surprises me. Sometimes what I think will work flops, and what I think will flop turns into a bestseller.

Trust your creativity, but let the numbers lead the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shophomesteadshotsauce.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddythehotsaucegirl?igsh=ejlmZ2w2ZXV0bnQ3&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1C3Xm8q4Ui/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maddy-kelman-899054324?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Youtube: https://www.facebook.com/share/1C3Xm8q4Ui/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@maddy_thehotsaucegirl?_t=ZT-8yk7HdcqMkR&_r=1

Image Credits

All Professional Photos by Alina Symonenko

Candid’s curtesy of customers or my husband.