IAM499- Health Enthusiast and Founder Helps People Stick to Nutrition Principles

Abraham Kamarck is a health enthusiast and founder of True Made Foods, which makes ketchup, BBQ sauce, and siracha using veggies instead of sugar. He is passionate about helping people get beyond fads and hype in the diet world and stick to core nutrition principles. He can also why is it best time to start a food startup and how to manage a startup with a family. Here's a quick story on him, that covers his business pretty well.

• CEO Hack: Post-it notes
• CEO Nugget: Focus and understand the type of business you want to start
• CEO Defined: Responsibility

Website: https://www.truemadefoods.com/

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Transcription:

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

Hello, hello, hello! this is Gresh from the I am CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today, Abraham Kamarck of True Made Foods. Abraham, It is awesome to have you on the show.

Abraham Kamarck 0:39

Hey, thanks for having me, Gresh, really appreciate it.

Gresham Harkless 0:41

No problem. I appreciate you for taking some time out and wanting to read a little bit more about Ab so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing. He is a health enthusiast and founder of True Made Foods makes ketchup, barbecue sauce, and Siracha using veggies instead of sugar. He is passionate about helping people get beyond fads and hype in the diet world and stick to core nutritional principles, Ab! Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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Abraham Kamarck 1:04

Let's talk.

Gresham Harkless 1:05

Let's do it. So I wanted to kick everything off with what I call your CEO stories. I wanted to hear a little bit more about how you got started. When did you start your business?

Abraham Kamarck 1:12

Yeah, I mean, I think there are always two stories of why somebody started a business right? You have to have an idea. So there's a story about why you're passionate about the idea. And there's a story about like, why now like why you decided to take this crazy jump going by you do the stupid thing, right? So in the latter part, the why did the stupid thing is because I was when I had been working overseas and I moved back to the United States in 2013. I was working for a charity and they hired me as an entrepreneur to help them launch products.

So I launched this coffee for them, you know built up, we spent a year developing this coffee I went to Uganda figured out I imported all this stuff learning food industry, which got me kind of into true made foods got me started thinking about it. And then right as a coffee, I was pouring my heart and soul into this because that's just unfortunately the way I am. Right? It's like, right as coffee has started to launch, we launched it we made like the first $20,000 in sales starting real big customers, and the charity ran out of money and they fired me.

That was kind of my impetus to push forward and start my own thing in food. I was not looking forward to, you know, just done this crazy and launching a coffee company for charity, like who was that looked like on your resume. Right? So like, I was not looking to interview I was not looking to do that. So you know, I was excited to kind of thought, you know, maybe this is time maybe I need to stop working for people or like allowing other people to pull the rug out from under me so I can put to something where I have more control. And so that kind of encouraged me to do this.

Why ketchup and barbecue sauces I hate ketchup is the crazy thing. I've always hated ketchup because those red sugar, ketchup, and regular ketchup have more sugar than ice cream out sprouts. Wow. And the typical barbecue sauce most people eat especially like the leading brands, they have more sugar than a soda outside. These are probably the two worst things in your refrigerator, except for Serato. Funk Serato is worse than ketchup like sugar loaded with sugar. It's a second ingredient. If you read it. These are terrible items for you. They're terrible for people ruining people's diets. Because they don't think about it. They don't think about how much they're using. They think it's condiments not that much.

But if you have kids, you know ketchup was a real problem. That's your staple in your household. And that was kind of what got me into this because I was the story I parents thinking my kids work and eat ketchup. And I failed miserably in making that happen. And so, you know, my kids were pouring ketchup over everything, and we couldn't find anything better. And so when you know, kind of push came to shove, I thought, you know, this is a great idea. I think I can make it better ketchup like you guys, somebody told me, to give me an idea of putting veggies in it. And that just kind of set off light bulbs because I'm like, that's how I cook. Normally, we're always hiding that using food.

My mom taught me to cook pasta sauce early on, which is kind of like the basis of my culinary background as a kid, you know, cooking with my mom in the kitchen and making sauces and using carrots as a sweetener. And so since I always learned to use veggies as a sweetener, I thought you know if it works for these other tomato-like tomato pasta sauces, why would it work for ketchup? And luckily it did work from barbecue to and you know, we just kind of kind of built out for them. When we started working with Ed Mitchell, Greg's pitmaster. In North Carolina, we started taking his classic recipes too, and just tweaking them with a little bit of veggies to make them a little bit sweet. And it's been amazing. So we have these great tasting products right now and they're fantastic and because you know we use them at home and my kids eat them and it's like just something we're passionate about. Kind of keeps me going through all the hard times.

Gresham Harkless 4:59

Yeah, I think and, this is what I hear from what you're saying too, is that sometimes when you have a strong mission with what it is that you're doing, you know, with the roller coaster ride, that is entrepreneurship, a lot of times, you need that mission and kind of helping you to kind of go through that. And obviously, sorry to hear you know, about the whole, coffee, organization working with that I too, have been laid off. And that is not a fun experience.

So a lot of times when those things happen, when you put your heart and soul are you the type of person that puts their heart and soul into something, and then that's kind of, you know, taken away from you or taken from you, it changes your perspective. So I appreciate you for one, you know, going out and doing that for to, you know, creating something that helps make the world a better place and having, you know, those bad kind of things that we have in our fridge. Have a healthy alternative to that.

Abraham Kamarck 5:44

Yeah, that's exactly right. I mean, we were you get you, it's weird, because you do you pour your heart and soul and something and then you realize it's not yours, you know, at some point, and that can always be a problem. And so that's why, you know, I found a true made foods and kind of fluff to keep this going even through some hard times, I had a co-founder early on that we had to get out of the company, you know, just to make it, you know, to make it through here, he was not helping, he was hurting the company.

And, you know, I think people have been through that you must be careful a few steps. Yeah, so it's very interesting, and we haven't very, we have a what keeps me going throughout this, and through those types of difficult situations of life, you know when I realized, like, I need to get rid of my co-founder, because he was damaging the company beyond all belief. We, the thing that kept me going was the fact that the products were so good. And, you know, my kids loved them, and their cousins loved them, their friends loved them, people were telling me every day that they love these products, and, and I also felt like, you know, you can have a food company where we're like, Oh, your stuff tastes so good. Everything's nice.

But when you're when your stuff tastes good, and you're doing something radically different, that it's much better for somebody, I feel like that's the thing, where our products were so good. Like, I can see us replacing Heinz on the table, right? Yeah, because, and the impact of that could have like, the average, if a family of an average American family eats like a bottle of ketchup a month. You know, it doesn't seem like a lot like 12 bottles a year, a 20-ounce bottle, that's 144 gallons of sugar, that they're eating Krispy Kreme Doughnuts worth restricted that they're eating a year, almost a doughnut every other day, right? And so we could replace that. And with our products, add instead of that sugar putting in, you know, four to five pounds of vegetables and fruits instead that they're getting through our product. Yeah, that's a huge win. I think.

So. Yeah, that's the kind of thing that keeps us going. That's our secret sauce you know, that drives it forward. It's funny, even like my kids, even though they're super passionate about the product, they wonder why I work so hard all the time, They asked me, I brought them to one of our kind of smaller shows, customer-facing show, and my oldest son was standing there. And he was listening to everybody talk about the product because they came up and tried it. And he goes, Oh, dad. Now this makes sense. everybody loves this. Yeah, we got to jive. We got something here, man.

Gresham Harkless 8:15

So yeah, he puts everything in perspective. And I love the fact too how it kind of sounds like it organically kind of grew. Just because, you know, you created something that was just for your family. And a lot of times you start doing that, because you're looking for a healthy alternative, you can't find the healthy alternative. So you decide to create it, you create, you start giving to the kids, they probably, you know, start giving it to their family, friends, cousins, things like that, it starts to just kind of organically grow from there.

And it's like, a lot of times, you know when we're starting businesses or organizations, we're trying to think of a huge idea to take over the world. But a lot of times those smaller ideas that we don't know are having such a negative impact on us. If we solve those small problems, they start to create an incredible amount of energy for us to have a better world and a better overall health environment as well. Right?

Abraham Kamarck 9:00

And can you get to find your kind of niche in this like writing for us and early on, it's kind of it's because you're most of the other food areas, even though there's a lot of need throughout the package food industry to change even in the better for you space. I still think like we found a nice niche, that's it's difficult to work in because it's slow turn category, but it's, you know, it's not it doesn't have as much competition as like beverage or, you know, salty snacks and things like that. So it allows us to really kind of stand out more.

Gresham Harkless 9:34

Yeah, absolutely. If you can find that niche, and create a great product like you guys have been able to do that helps out as far as building that momentum, and creating, you know, that healthy environment. So I appreciate that. And I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app or book or a habit that you have or something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Abraham Kamarck 9:57

For me it's it's a really stupid thing, but like, I use these like constant seeking posted notes. I've tried like every type of Task Manager system and you know, things like this and to-do lists and things. And honestly, if I can just focus on why I like posting it is because I can't write a ton of stuff on it, like you have to write three or four things. And that kind of keeps me focused on prioritizing the most important things to do. Just kind of I'll stick and if it's going on too long, I'll stick it on my laptop there. I'll stick it you know, something's close for me. I see it constantly. And so I have to get these things done. Today, you know, today, tomorrow.

Gresham Harkless 10:39

Now when it asks you for what I call a CEO, nugget, so this could be like a word of wisdom, a piece of advice. It can be anything from the food industry, but what advice would you kind of give to others like entrepreneurs, business owners, and people who are thinking about starting their business?

Abraham Kamarck 10:52

Well, I guess you know, for food, for an interesting thing about starting a food or beverage business. Number one, understand, that you know whether or not you're going to be a retail business or an online business, everything's a channel now. So you kind of have to be both, but you need to be focused on one. For us, it makes sense to be a retail business, because we are a low-cost, heavy product, right? If you're a high-cost product, like say coffee, protein powder, or beef jerky type of thing like that, then it makes much more sense to go online and direct customers through Amazon. realize there are no easy wins here.

Everybody, everybody thinks one way or the other is easier. It's just what they're more comfortable with, really at the end of the day. But there are no easy wins, and there are no real cheap wins, Amazon's expensive grocery stores are expensive to play in. So you know, pick the thing that will make the most sense for your product. But if when you're first starting, everybody should go online first. And that's just because the starting costs are much lower, and it's easier to make mistakes.

Gresham Harkless 11:54

I appreciate those nuggets. And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different, quote-unquote, CEOs on this show. So Ab what does being a CEO mean to you,

Abraham Kamarck 12:06

Being a CEO means taking responsibility, right? So a former Navy guy took things like that Navy pilot. So that means you are if I'm flying my aircraft, I'm in charge, everybody lives in the aircraft, aircrewman, a junior pilot, things like that. And the same with being a CEO, I'm in charge of everybody's lives here. Like people working for me, it's my job to make sure that they're getting a paycheque, we're doing the suppliers that we're buying from, it's my job to make sure that they get paid, it's my job to make sure the customers are happy. You know, it's just that responsibility that comes with having to make sure you know, the bucks, not the Bucks such like, you know, the responsibility steps here. So, things go well, it's usually the people working for me that do a good job. And if, if things go badly, it's my fault.

Gresham Harkless 12:54

yeah, that makes so much sense. And, you know, having that responsibility and that awareness, just as you know, talked about is, of course, you know, thank you for, you know, all you did for the country as well, too. Because a lot of times we forget about how much and how important that is, and how, anytime we have a responsibility, or we're in a leadership role, like how many people we are affecting, so you know, as you talked about, you know, as the aircraft carrier, as well as you know, being a CEO, you have a lot of responsibility. And I appreciate, that definition, and appreciate your time even more. And what I wanted to do was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional, you want to let our readers and listeners know. And then of course, how best they can get a hold of you get the all about the great things you guys are creating in everything you're doing.

Abraham Kamarck 13:38

Yeah, I mean, I think one thing I think is very important that people don't think about what like when you're working hard and you're running your business. And this is it's in my bailiwick. So this is like one of my soapbox has been Yeah, focus on your nutrition and health more than anything else. People don't realize how much that affects I think a lot of the mental and emotional problems we have out there a lot or a lot of due to poor diets. Sugar does not just affect your teeth or your waistline, it can affect your emotional and mental health as well. And like I think these are important things and I think you can get away with working so much harder and getting through so much if you are taking care of your body and you know feeding it the right things.

So I mean I think that's a little bit of a hack that people think they know is important but it doesn't get enough attention. I don't think so. I think that's important that's kind of my my soapbox there, too. And then yeah for getting in touch with me on LinkedIn I'm the only Abraham Kamarck in the entire world so there's no there's no other nobody else has my last name or first name so good thing. Yeah, we got a we have a made-up last name. Then only you know anybody who has My last name is related to me no longer further than like a second cousin. first cousin on that one. My dad's cousins for Yeah, that's it. Yeah, I'm the only one with an age so works out.

Gresham Harkless 15:08

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, we'll have that information, and those links in the show notes so that everybody can follow up with you, as well. And definitely, I appreciate you reminding us, they say the sayings, health is wealth. And I think a lot of times, I appreciate people like you who are bringing awareness because I think a lot of times people don't realize things like ketchup, things like mustard things that we think are not as bad as they can be. And, you know, you creating awareness around that to understand like, how we can take control of our health and do those things so that we can, run our businesses, you know, care for our families and all those things for a very long period and do it in a great way. So I appreciate that.

Abraham Kamarck 15:43

It's great, ya know, I mean, check your two 80% of all packaged goods in the grocery store have added sugar on them. And over 50% of those are like savory items, things that you wouldn't expect like non-desserts, like anything like even salsa, hot sauce, you know, things like that you need to be checking the labels and things yet very important and yeah, also, again, judging go to true made foods.com Check it out and follow us on Instagram or connect with us on Instagram. True made foods.

Gresham Harkless 16:14

Awesome, awesome. Awesome. And those links as well will be in the show notes. But thank you so much again, Ab, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Outro 16:21

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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