We have all heard of the overnight success. But if we stop to take some time to research we often find that those who seem to be overnight successes have been working on their craft or business for a much longer period than we thought.
This past week the story of Kodiak Cakes came to my attention when I was on LinkedIn. I really didn’t know the story behind this brand. To me they had recently popped into the spotlight. An “overnight success”. Some of you might have been aware of them much earlier, but for me the first time I saw them was on a Costco shelf about 2 years ago.
I know that it takes a lot to show up at Costco, but I also know that there are local brands that are new that will on shelf at this massive retailer. I never thought much more about the brand until one of the co-founders came on my radar. Then I started doing a bit of research and found some interesting information about their journey and a great article on NBC Making It. ((link not opening..))
The foundation of the company came when the founder was 8 years old and was selling pancake mix that his mother had made -- out of the back of Red Wagon. Many years later, in 1995, he decided to start a business and began working with a small local co-packer. The initial order was about 120 Cases.
Yes 1995 – wow, I thought that was over 20 years before I had even heard of them. They definitely were not an overnight success. In fact, like many of us they have had frustrations, setbacks and well some failures.
In fact one ‘failure’ landed them in the public eye. They received a much-coveted spot on Shark Tank and ended up walking away away with out a deal. However, as they say there is no ‘bad’ publicity. Their exposure on the program significantly increased their sales.
Now, of course, there is more to the story, but the main take away, at least for me, is that it takes time, it takes dedication, it takes practice, it takes putting ourselves out there and it takes failing sometimes, to move toward success.
So remember that you are on a journey and you don’t know where it will take you. Just know that even with those ups and downs you can keep moving forward. That overnight successes are normally not at all. Usually, they are the culmination of years of knowledge and hard work. That is how it will most likely be for you too.
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