About this episode

Our guest this week is Catherine Stiles, founder of Barbecue Wife. Barbecue Wife is a cocktail mixer brand that began as a platform to tell the unique stories of some amazing women within the barbeque industry. Barbecue Wife has grown to be a well-recognized cocktail mixer within the state of Texas. After researching the barbecue industry and the beverage industry, I became incredibly intrigued by Catherine’s story and knew it would make for a great episode!

Catherine is an amazing storyteller and entrepreneur. In our time together it became apparent that all of her life’s experiences have never left her and have truly helped shape how she is building her company. In today’s episode, you will hear how important it is to understand that consumers today want the personal story of your brand and not just the imagery. And, you will learn how critical it is to accept help when needed in order to ensure your own personal survival in the early days of your startup.

In hearing Catherine’s startup story you will see this ever-present theme of confidence in the midst of uncertainty. It’s a theme that was instilled in her from a very young age by her mother…but I know you don’t want to hear Catherine’s story from me, so let’s hear it from her… This is Catherine Stiles startup story.

In this episode you’ll hear

• Her childhood, being very creative and the daughter of a real-estate developer and how that prepared her for her entrepreneurial journey as an adult
• How she went to college and graduated with a degree in Marketing, what she did after college, and how she got onto the path to becoming an entrepreneur
• Her crash course in Business 101 and real-world learning how businesses worked
• Barbecue: her husband’s barbecue restaurant, how she became involved in the industry, turning an idea (which came to her at 4am) into a true vision, and executing on it
• How powerful collaborations with similar brands can be and how validating it is when the larger brands want to help your startup
• How important it is to pay kindness forward
• Practicing confidence in the face of uncertainty
• Growing Barbecue Wife, the Barbecue Bloody Mary mixer and taking it to retail
• Understanding consumers want the personal story of your brand and not just the imagery

“I think the largest hurdle for an entrepreneur is our fear of failure. That fear delays so many founders from getting started.”
—Catherine Stiles, Barbecue Wife

Resources from this episode

Connect with Catherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-stiles-97380815/
Barbecue Wife website: http://www.barbecuewife.com/

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EPISODE CREDITS

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Contact him today at https://emeraldcitypro.com/startupstory

Special Guest: Catherine Stiles.

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