We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Savannah Pagnozzi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Savannah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

Life is all about taking risks. To me, that’s the key to fulfillment and happiness. Here’s the story of how and why I moved all the way across the country knowing absolutely no one…

I was born and raised in Tempe, AZ. I went to good schools, had a great family, and was very active in sports. After enrolling in college, I quickly found out it was not for me. After about a year and a half of trying to make it work, I decided to drop out. From there I decided to bartend full time, as it was good money at the time. Although my family worried, I knew it was only temporary and I would figure out a “career path” (you know, the thing that’s preached to you since you were born). I always found the traditional route a bit boring and misleading, and knew there was something bigger in store for me.

In February of 2018, I had visited St. Petersburg, FL for one of my girlfriend’s birthdays. I fell in love with it! I went back a month later to visit again and knew there was something special about this place.

Towards the end of 2018, I really started to get an itch to move somewhere else. I was young, single, had nothing tying me to AZ, besides my bartending job, but I knew I could do that anywhere. Not only that, anyone older and wiser always says that, “if you can move somewhere, knowing no one and starting fresh, go and do it!” I mean, who am I to question that?!

Beginning of 2019, I became serious about wanting to move- and I knew exactly where I wanted to go- St. Pete! I started saving my money, picking up shifts, and reading more books to get my mindset in the right place. Towards the end of 2019, I booked a solo trip to St. Pete to find a place to live, and that I did! I came back to AZ, started selling all my things and was ready for the big move.

In January of 2020, I had my one-way plane ticket booked and an apartment in St. Pete waiting for me. I owned nothing but the 4 bags I was bringing with me, and it was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. I was on my way to Florida, knowing absolutely no one, and ready to start my new life.

This was the best decision I have ever made. I have met so many amazing people, started a successful a business, and found the love of my life!

Savannah, 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?

I am in the vegan food industry! I have been vegan for almost 8 years, so it just seemed fitting when I was throwing around business ideas. I was always known for being the cook amoungst my friends, so when the opportunity of doing meal prep came my way, I ran with it!

We provide our clients throughout Tampa Bay with healthy, vegan prepared meals every week. We make just about everything from scratch, besides our tofu and tempeh. Yep, that’s right, we make all our own sauces and seitan! We also supply cafe’s around town with healthy grab & go options.

Recently launched in May of this year was our Protein Cookies! Although we do not ship our meal prep, we do ship our Protein Cookies nationwide. They are handmade with clean ingredients, and have 10-12 grams of protein per cookie! I found lots of Protein Cookies don’t taste good, have awful ingredients, and are actually doing more harm than good- which is why I went to work to create something even better!

Something I’m most proud of is my personal and my businesses constant evolution. I’m always growing, pivoting, and taking new risks. It can get a little crazy sometimes, but I wouldn’t want it any other way!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The E Myth! I suggest every business owner reads this whether you’re thinking about starting a company, a new business owner, or have owned your business for a while. Truly a must read!

I’m always reading mindset and personal development books, and I believe that is a requirement for being successful. If you can’t master your own mind, how are you going to master a business?

I’d also highly suggest the podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire with John Lee Dumas. I listen to this a tleast 4x a week.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Keeping in touch with your clients is HUGE. 80% of your revenue comes from only 20% of your clients. It is your duty to keep that 20% extremely happy, and always trying to turn new clients into the 20%.

One of the best ways to stay in contact with your clients is email. I touch base with my clients at least once a week, always ask for feedback, and give them a safe space to express things they would like to see done. When doing this and responding promptly to their comments and concerns, brand loyalty will be an easy choice for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.greenspoonco.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/greenspoonco
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/greenspoonco

Image Credits
Lauren Schwec, Social Curation, Pyper Inc