SME Outreach Program supported international business expansion efforts

Description of the video:

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.446 [MUSIC PLAYING] 2 00:00:03.446 --> 00:00:10.320 3 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:12.040 My name is Carol Podolak and I am 4 00:00:12.040 --> 00:00:14.700 the cofounder of BNutty gourmet peanut butter. 5 00:00:14.700 --> 00:00:17.580 BNutty Peanut Butter started in 2014. 6 00:00:17.580 --> 00:00:19.420 It's myself and my business partner, Joy. 7 00:00:19.420 --> 00:00:20.500 We're two soccer moms. 8 00:00:20.500 --> 00:00:22.000 We're two soccer moms who are trying 9 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:26.140 to fundraise to send our children to Texas, to Florida, 10 00:00:26.140 --> 00:00:28.940 to California to compete in college showcases. 11 00:00:28.940 --> 00:00:30.980 At the time, I was in charge of fundraising, 12 00:00:30.980 --> 00:00:33.120 and Joy was completely tired of selling candy bars 13 00:00:33.120 --> 00:00:34.280 and wrapping paper. 14 00:00:34.280 --> 00:00:36.540 She started making peanut butter in her home kitchen. 15 00:00:36.540 --> 00:00:38.420 But people fell in love with our fun flavors. 16 00:00:38.420 --> 00:00:40.462 They fell in love with our pretzel peanut butter, 17 00:00:40.462 --> 00:00:43.200 our toffee peanut butter, and our blueberry peanut butter. 18 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:45.700 Once a year turned into a couple times a year, 19 00:00:45.700 --> 00:00:48.720 local farmers markets, and then some local store shelves. 20 00:00:48.720 --> 00:00:50.840 From there, we launched the product onto QVC 21 00:00:50.840 --> 00:00:52.880 and the rest is its history. 22 00:00:52.880 --> 00:00:53.980 It's been 11 years. 23 00:00:53.980 --> 00:00:57.040 And we've grown from that home kitchen to an 1,800 square foot 24 00:00:57.040 --> 00:01:00.180 facility, to an 18,000 square foot facility, 25 00:01:00.180 --> 00:01:02.820 to a now 50,000 square foot facility, 26 00:01:02.820 --> 00:01:05.580 and we're ranked in the top 5% of food safe companies 27 00:01:05.580 --> 00:01:06.323 in the world. 28 00:01:06.323 --> 00:01:08.240 We're really proud of our food safety ranking, 29 00:01:08.240 --> 00:01:10.490 but more importantly, we're really proud of our growth 30 00:01:10.490 --> 00:01:11.340 and our team. 31 00:01:11.340 --> 00:01:15.520 We've grown with soccer moms, aunts, uncles, former players, 32 00:01:15.520 --> 00:01:17.280 and we've stayed true to our roots. 33 00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:18.680 We're still two soccer moms. 34 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:20.400 We used the dollars from the Nut House, 35 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:22.740 as we like to call our processing facility, 36 00:01:22.740 --> 00:01:25.760 to build an eight soccer field complex right here in Portage, 37 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:29.080 Indiana, and continue to support the dreams of youth athletes. 38 00:01:29.080 --> 00:01:31.340 We provide scholarships for soccer players and youth 39 00:01:31.340 --> 00:01:32.680 athletes in our community. 40 00:01:32.680 --> 00:01:35.300 We provide SAT prep, ACT prep, everything 41 00:01:35.300 --> 00:01:37.500 they need to succeed at the college level. 42 00:01:37.500 --> 00:01:39.540 And we're so proud of what we've been able to do 43 00:01:39.540 --> 00:01:41.260 and what we've been able to give back 44 00:01:41.260 --> 00:01:43.480 that every step of our growth has contributed, 45 00:01:43.480 --> 00:01:45.300 not just to growth for the Nut House 46 00:01:45.300 --> 00:01:48.700 and the team here at BNutty, but also for our local community 47 00:01:48.700 --> 00:01:51.660 and for the students here in our area. 48 00:01:51.660 --> 00:01:54.380 So we got started in exporting because there was a program here 49 00:01:54.380 --> 00:01:57.998 in the state of Indiana called the Indiana export accelerator. 50 00:01:57.998 --> 00:01:59.540 The Small Business Development Center 51 00:01:59.540 --> 00:02:01.600 recommended that we take a look at it. 52 00:02:01.600 --> 00:02:02.577 We were very hesitant. 53 00:02:02.577 --> 00:02:03.910 We were are scared of exporting. 54 00:02:03.910 --> 00:02:05.630 It sounded very overwhelming. 55 00:02:05.630 --> 00:02:07.430 It sounded very confusing. 56 00:02:07.430 --> 00:02:10.610 But through this 12-week incubation program taught us 57 00:02:10.610 --> 00:02:13.850 everything from A to Z about exporting how to price 58 00:02:13.850 --> 00:02:16.370 our goods, how to work with freight forwarders, 59 00:02:16.370 --> 00:02:18.270 how to deal with export compliance. 60 00:02:18.270 --> 00:02:19.470 It was a fantastic program. 61 00:02:19.470 --> 00:02:21.740 It helped us even identify our target markets. 62 00:02:21.740 --> 00:02:23.490 All of those things gave us the confidence 63 00:02:23.490 --> 00:02:25.390 to go out and export for the first time. 64 00:02:25.390 --> 00:02:28.570 The most surprising thing to me about export 65 00:02:28.570 --> 00:02:32.390 is the desire for American goods and products overseas. 66 00:02:32.390 --> 00:02:34.490 All of the export clients that we talked to 67 00:02:34.490 --> 00:02:36.850 were so excited to take a look at something new 68 00:02:36.850 --> 00:02:38.450 to bring to their market. 69 00:02:38.450 --> 00:02:39.890 It was very surprising to me. 70 00:02:39.890 --> 00:02:42.970 Here in the US, there's such competition on the grocery store 71 00:02:42.970 --> 00:02:45.810 shelf, and to not see that same type of competition 72 00:02:45.810 --> 00:02:47.490 when we were talking to export clients 73 00:02:47.490 --> 00:02:49.930 was very, very surprising and very encouraging 74 00:02:49.930 --> 00:02:51.110 for a small brand. 75 00:02:51.110 --> 00:02:52.930 Our greatest exporting success story 76 00:02:52.930 --> 00:02:55.630 was actually our very first export client. 77 00:02:55.630 --> 00:02:59.170 Our very first export client ended up becoming a seven figure 78 00:02:59.170 --> 00:03:00.290 contract. 79 00:03:00.290 --> 00:03:01.545 It was very shocking to us. 80 00:03:01.545 --> 00:03:03.170 It was the most amount of peanut butter 81 00:03:03.170 --> 00:03:07.330 we'd really sold ever, to one client in a year. 82 00:03:07.330 --> 00:03:11.130 And it was absolutely thrilling and it hooked us. 83 00:03:11.130 --> 00:03:13.110 And so we've been really focused on making 84 00:03:13.110 --> 00:03:15.470 export a good part of our business ever since. 85 00:03:15.470 --> 00:03:17.950 When it comes to the percentage of our company's revenue 86 00:03:17.950 --> 00:03:20.730 that comes from export, it really varies greatly. 87 00:03:20.730 --> 00:03:22.910 Right now, there's some economic uncertainty 88 00:03:22.910 --> 00:03:24.810 when it comes to tariffs and export, 89 00:03:24.810 --> 00:03:27.970 and it's most certainly making an impact on our export sales. 90 00:03:27.970 --> 00:03:31.310 Our exports could be anywhere from 5% to 20% 91 00:03:31.310 --> 00:03:34.030 of our company revenue, depending on the year. 92 00:03:34.030 --> 00:03:36.490 When it comes to our experience and exporting, 93 00:03:36.490 --> 00:03:38.230 getting started with the right partners 94 00:03:38.230 --> 00:03:40.590 makes all the difference in the world. 95 00:03:40.590 --> 00:03:42.910 And the state of Indiana, we are so very 96 00:03:42.910 --> 00:03:44.790 lucky to have access to resources 97 00:03:44.790 --> 00:03:46.670 that not every state has. 98 00:03:46.670 --> 00:03:50.550 The Indiana Export Accelerator Program, the IN-STEP program, 99 00:03:50.550 --> 00:03:54.130 Food Export, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, 100 00:03:54.130 --> 00:03:56.502 EXIM Bank, the US Department of Commerce. 101 00:03:56.502 --> 00:03:58.710 We have had so many partners through our journey that 102 00:03:58.710 --> 00:04:00.590 have all given us the pieces that we 103 00:04:00.590 --> 00:04:03.370 needed to put the puzzle together and succeed. 104 00:04:03.370 --> 00:04:05.140 I would highly recommend to anyone 105 00:04:05.140 --> 00:04:07.920 looking to get started in export for the first time 106 00:04:07.920 --> 00:04:10.100 to find out what the resources are in your area 107 00:04:10.100 --> 00:04:11.440 and lean on them. 108 00:04:11.440 --> 00:04:12.600 They're here for you. 109 00:04:12.600 --> 00:04:15.540 Our tax dollars are here to help us support and grow 110 00:04:15.540 --> 00:04:18.660 our businesses here in Indiana, and bring those dollars back 111 00:04:18.660 --> 00:04:19.959 into our economy. 112 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:21.860 We had access to all the resources 113 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:26.020 we needed from day one, and that for us gave us such comfort. 114 00:04:26.020 --> 00:04:27.520 So as we worked through our journey, 115 00:04:27.520 --> 00:04:29.103 we were able to reach back out to them 116 00:04:29.103 --> 00:04:31.500 and have them reconnect us with some of the partners 117 00:04:31.500 --> 00:04:34.420 that they had discussed during the export accelerator 118 00:04:34.420 --> 00:04:35.920 that we might not have needed then. 119 00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:37.295 So through our export journey, we 120 00:04:37.295 --> 00:04:40.300 have taken advantage of some of the services provided by the US 121 00:04:40.300 --> 00:04:41.640 Department of Commerce. 122 00:04:41.640 --> 00:04:44.100 They provide the ability to vet a client. 123 00:04:44.100 --> 00:04:46.380 For a very low cost, you can find out 124 00:04:46.380 --> 00:04:48.335 if your client is a legitimate company. 125 00:04:48.335 --> 00:04:50.960 You can find out if they've done business in the United States. 126 00:04:50.960 --> 00:04:52.420 You can find out if that country is 127 00:04:52.420 --> 00:04:56.800 a country that is able to be insured through EXIM Bank. 128 00:04:56.800 --> 00:04:59.520 All of those are such valuable things for a small business. 129 00:04:59.520 --> 00:05:01.740 We don't have the resources or the staff 130 00:05:01.740 --> 00:05:03.520 to do that type of vetting ourselves. 131 00:05:03.520 --> 00:05:06.740 In fact, they saved us from making a very expensive mistake. 132 00:05:06.740 --> 00:05:09.080 Early on, we had a company from the UK 133 00:05:09.080 --> 00:05:11.040 that had reached out to us, and it turned out 134 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:13.680 it wasn't an actual company, but because we 135 00:05:13.680 --> 00:05:17.100 spent a very low amount to vet them before signing a contract, 136 00:05:17.100 --> 00:05:19.080 we were able to avoid a costly mistake. 137 00:05:19.080 --> 00:05:21.280 When we first started traveling internationally 138 00:05:21.280 --> 00:05:23.180 to talk to other countries about export, 139 00:05:23.180 --> 00:05:25.320 one of the best resources that we got 140 00:05:25.320 --> 00:05:27.600 was through the US Department of Commerce. 141 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:32.120 They actually introduced us to a couple of cultural organizations 142 00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:33.520 here in the state of Indiana that 143 00:05:33.520 --> 00:05:35.360 were able to give us some business etiquette 144 00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:37.440 lessons about traveling and doing business 145 00:05:37.440 --> 00:05:40.800 in other countries, and it was extremely helpful, 146 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:43.780 and it made us feel very confident going in to negotiate. 147 00:05:43.780 --> 00:05:46.420 So as a small business, getting started in export, 148 00:05:46.420 --> 00:05:48.560 finding the dollars to support your export 149 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:51.560 journey is very difficult. Pulling those marketing dollars 150 00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:53.120 away from existing projects would 151 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:56.300 have been detrimental to things that we were already working on, 152 00:05:56.300 --> 00:05:59.760 but by being able to partner with EXIM Bank, 153 00:05:59.760 --> 00:06:02.840 the IN-STEP program, Food Export of the Midwest, 154 00:06:02.840 --> 00:06:05.300 we're able to do is stretch our marketing dollars. 155 00:06:05.300 --> 00:06:08.580 They offer marketing support and reimbursement for your marketing 156 00:06:08.580 --> 00:06:10.740 initiatives, and it makes all the difference 157 00:06:10.740 --> 00:06:12.500 in the world to a small business. 158 00:06:12.500 --> 00:06:14.820 We work with EXIM Bank, which if you 159 00:06:14.820 --> 00:06:16.920 pay a small percentage of each invoice, 160 00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:18.700 they actually guarantee that you're 161 00:06:18.700 --> 00:06:21.190 going to get your funds from your export client. 162 00:06:21.190 --> 00:06:23.440 And that made a big difference to us in the beginning. 163 00:06:23.440 --> 00:06:26.680 Our first contracts were very large for such a small company, 164 00:06:26.680 --> 00:06:28.340 and to have that peace of mind to know 165 00:06:28.340 --> 00:06:31.900 that 100% we were going to get paid. 166 00:06:31.900 --> 00:06:34.840 We worked a lot with the IN-STEP program here in Indiana. 167 00:06:34.840 --> 00:06:36.580 They actually will help you by funding up 168 00:06:36.580 --> 00:06:39.660 to 80% of your marketing dollars when 169 00:06:39.660 --> 00:06:42.580 you're looking to attend international trade shows. 170 00:06:42.580 --> 00:06:44.160 For us, that made all the difference. 171 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:47.260 Our first client came to us from a trade show 172 00:06:47.260 --> 00:06:48.720 right here in the state of Indiana. 173 00:06:48.720 --> 00:06:51.060 We were participating in the Sweets and Snacks Expo 174 00:06:51.060 --> 00:06:55.020 in Indianapolis, and using funds from both IN-STEP and Food 175 00:06:55.020 --> 00:06:58.280 Export, we were able to afford to go to that trade show. 176 00:06:58.280 --> 00:07:02.860 And by being there, we were able to meet our first export client. 177 00:07:02.860 --> 00:07:05.360 It has allowed us to travel to other countries. 178 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:08.328 It's allowed us to participate in international trade shows. 179 00:07:08.328 --> 00:07:10.370 It's allowed us to say yes to things we otherwise 180 00:07:10.370 --> 00:07:13.830 would have been hesitant to embark upon, 181 00:07:13.830 --> 00:07:16.050 because we weren't sure if we could fund it. 182 00:07:16.050 --> 00:07:17.870 So when we got started exporting, 183 00:07:17.870 --> 00:07:20.130 we relied very heavily-- and still do-- 184 00:07:20.130 --> 00:07:22.410 on all of the resources available at both the state 185 00:07:22.410 --> 00:07:23.750 and the federal level. 186 00:07:23.750 --> 00:07:26.550 We worked a lot with the Food Export bank of the Midwest. 187 00:07:26.550 --> 00:07:30.210 Food Export bank of the Midwest has a fantastic program 188 00:07:30.210 --> 00:07:32.750 where they actually help provide you with marketing dollars. 189 00:07:32.750 --> 00:07:34.350 It's called the branded program. 190 00:07:34.350 --> 00:07:36.650 They reimburse you up to 50% of the market money 191 00:07:36.650 --> 00:07:38.590 that you spend overseas. 192 00:07:38.590 --> 00:07:41.610 And that allowed us to travel to trade shows all over the world. 193 00:07:41.610 --> 00:07:44.930 It allowed us to participate in trade missions 194 00:07:44.930 --> 00:07:46.250 in other countries. 195 00:07:46.250 --> 00:07:49.650 They also focus on bringing clients from other countries 196 00:07:49.650 --> 00:07:51.230 here to the United States. 197 00:07:51.230 --> 00:07:54.330 And whether it was meeting with those companies at trade shows 198 00:07:54.330 --> 00:07:56.550 or meeting them on targeted trade missions, 199 00:07:56.550 --> 00:08:00.910 it allowed us access to distributors, clients, brokers. 200 00:08:00.910 --> 00:08:03.990 It allowed us to maximize our export trade dollars. 201 00:08:03.990 --> 00:08:07.570 Throughout our journey, we've relied on so many partners 202 00:08:07.570 --> 00:08:11.230 from the ISBDC, the Small Business Development Center 203 00:08:11.230 --> 00:08:13.090 here in Northwest Indiana. 204 00:08:13.090 --> 00:08:15.253 They helped connect us to the export accelerator, 205 00:08:15.253 --> 00:08:17.670 but they also helped connect us to all the other resources 206 00:08:17.670 --> 00:08:18.550 that we have. 207 00:08:18.550 --> 00:08:22.230 They're just a great way to find who you need to talk to. 208 00:08:22.230 --> 00:08:24.150 The Indiana State Department of Agriculture 209 00:08:24.150 --> 00:08:26.110 has also been a fantastic partner. 210 00:08:26.110 --> 00:08:28.030 As an ag business, as someone who's 211 00:08:28.030 --> 00:08:30.850 selling something that's grown here in the United States, 212 00:08:30.850 --> 00:08:33.429 they've been able to help us make connections, be there 213 00:08:33.429 --> 00:08:36.309 as a sounding board, sometimes just talk us 214 00:08:36.309 --> 00:08:38.630 through when we're ready to jump off the ledge 215 00:08:38.630 --> 00:08:40.890 and we're not sure what our next step is going to be. 216 00:08:40.890 --> 00:08:42.890 They've been able to bring trade missions here, 217 00:08:42.890 --> 00:08:45.590 to BNutty, to expose us to freight forwarders 218 00:08:45.590 --> 00:08:48.430 and domestic shipping partners that are working actively here 219 00:08:48.430 --> 00:08:51.570 in the state of Indiana to bring goods in and out of our state. 220 00:08:51.570 --> 00:08:54.510 But they've been an invaluable resource for us as well. 221 00:08:54.510 --> 00:08:57.070 From our perspective here at BNutty Peanut Butter 222 00:08:57.070 --> 00:08:58.990 and our export journey, we really 223 00:08:58.990 --> 00:09:01.310 believe that all Indiana small businesses 224 00:09:01.310 --> 00:09:04.370 should reach out and participate in the global marketplace. 225 00:09:04.370 --> 00:09:06.910 Bringing those dollars back here to our state only 226 00:09:06.910 --> 00:09:08.110 benefits all of us. 227 00:09:08.110 --> 00:09:10.210 If we just sell to each other, we're 228 00:09:10.210 --> 00:09:11.530 circulating the same dollars. 229 00:09:11.530 --> 00:09:14.310 By being able to export and reach out to other countries, 230 00:09:14.310 --> 00:09:16.070 we're able to boost our local economy, 231 00:09:16.070 --> 00:09:17.970 and for us, that's so important. 232 00:09:17.970 --> 00:09:19.730 If someone were to ask me for the advice 233 00:09:19.730 --> 00:09:21.930 that I would give to another small business getting 234 00:09:21.930 --> 00:09:25.370 ready to export, I would tell them, just do it. 235 00:09:25.370 --> 00:09:27.770 We let fear hold us back for years. 236 00:09:27.770 --> 00:09:30.670 We've been selling our product in the market for 11 years, 237 00:09:30.670 --> 00:09:33.490 and we started our export journey four years ago. 238 00:09:33.490 --> 00:09:35.130 We wished that we would have-- 239 00:09:35.130 --> 00:09:37.110 we wish we would have started sooner. 240 00:09:37.110 --> 00:09:38.850 There are so many resources and so 241 00:09:38.850 --> 00:09:41.850 many companies to lean on here in the state of Indiana 242 00:09:41.850 --> 00:09:44.810 that it makes the journey very easy, very exciting, and very 243 00:09:44.810 --> 00:09:45.755 profitable. 244 00:09:45.755 --> 00:09:47.130 Through our export journey, there 245 00:09:47.130 --> 00:09:49.650 are a few skills that we needed to develop that we really 246 00:09:49.650 --> 00:09:52.170 wish we would have developed very early in our export 247 00:09:52.170 --> 00:09:52.970 journey. 248 00:09:52.970 --> 00:09:55.790 The first is being able to have competitive pricing, 249 00:09:55.790 --> 00:09:59.010 making sure that you're ready to absorb some of the fees that 250 00:09:59.010 --> 00:10:02.850 happen with export-- promoting in another country, shipping, 251 00:10:02.850 --> 00:10:06.210 insurance, compliance, all of those things play 252 00:10:06.210 --> 00:10:07.093 a role into it. 253 00:10:07.093 --> 00:10:09.010 And even though our export accelerator program 254 00:10:09.010 --> 00:10:11.520 helped us be prepared for it, I think 255 00:10:11.520 --> 00:10:14.520 that going out and actively fighting to lower your prices so 256 00:10:14.520 --> 00:10:18.273 that you can be competitive in the export journey is a skill. 257 00:10:18.273 --> 00:10:20.440 And so it's something that we've developed over time 258 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:22.040 and we're really proud of but we really 259 00:10:22.040 --> 00:10:24.123 wish we would have known it before we got started. 260 00:10:24.123 --> 00:10:26.200 We probably would have had a lot more clients. 261 00:10:26.200 --> 00:10:28.600 There were a lot of roadblocks in our minds. 262 00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:30.450 When we first got started exporting, 263 00:10:30.450 --> 00:10:32.200 we found out a lot of them were roadblocks 264 00:10:32.200 --> 00:10:33.880 we put up for ourselves. 265 00:10:33.880 --> 00:10:35.300 We were scared of exporting. 266 00:10:35.300 --> 00:10:36.340 It was intimidating. 267 00:10:36.340 --> 00:10:38.920 They were talking about terminology we didn't know 268 00:10:38.920 --> 00:10:41.220 and compliance we were unsure of. 269 00:10:41.220 --> 00:10:44.000 But by relying on resources here in the state of Indiana 270 00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:47.840 and at the federal level, we're able to overcome 271 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:49.987 the first roadblock, which our own objections. 272 00:10:49.987 --> 00:10:52.320 After that, it was just a matter of getting in and doing 273 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:53.300 the research. 274 00:10:53.300 --> 00:10:56.200 Learning how to navigate compliance in other countries 275 00:10:56.200 --> 00:10:57.920 is as easy as picking up the phone 276 00:10:57.920 --> 00:11:00.720 and talking to Food Export of the Midwest 277 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:03.800 or the IN-STEP program and finding out how do I 278 00:11:03.800 --> 00:11:04.860 navigate through this? 279 00:11:04.860 --> 00:11:07.260 What are the compliance rules that I need to follow? 280 00:11:07.260 --> 00:11:10.880 And they actually help you research and find those answers. 281 00:11:10.880 --> 00:11:13.780 Food Export has boots on the ground 282 00:11:13.780 --> 00:11:16.860 in almost every major trade partner for the United States 283 00:11:16.860 --> 00:11:19.460 in the other country, willing to help you 284 00:11:19.460 --> 00:11:20.840 on the other end of the journey. 285 00:11:20.840 --> 00:11:23.300 And to us, that's been invaluable. 286 00:11:23.300 --> 00:11:25.280 When we first got started exporting, 287 00:11:25.280 --> 00:11:27.380 we most certainly believed that export was only 288 00:11:27.380 --> 00:11:28.302 for big companies. 289 00:11:28.302 --> 00:11:29.760 They weren't for companies like us. 290 00:11:29.760 --> 00:11:31.143 We're two soccer moms. 291 00:11:31.143 --> 00:11:33.060 We had no idea what we were doing when we even 292 00:11:33.060 --> 00:11:35.380 started making peanut butter, let alone trying to sell 293 00:11:35.380 --> 00:11:37.100 to the global marketplace. 294 00:11:37.100 --> 00:11:40.620 And for us, we would say exporting is for everyone. 295 00:11:40.620 --> 00:11:43.340 Here in Indiana, there are so many places that you 296 00:11:43.340 --> 00:11:44.757 can reach out to for help. 297 00:11:44.757 --> 00:11:46.340 It takes away those barriers and we're 298 00:11:46.340 --> 00:11:48.900 able to get out there and compete with the big guys. 299 00:11:48.900 --> 00:11:51.860 One of the things that we've learned here at BNutty Peanut 300 00:11:51.860 --> 00:11:53.920 Butter, my business partner Joy and myself, 301 00:11:53.920 --> 00:11:56.500 we learned that running a successful business 302 00:11:56.500 --> 00:11:58.320 is about just getting started. 303 00:11:58.320 --> 00:12:01.280 Taking the first step is always the hardest. 304 00:12:01.280 --> 00:12:04.440 But if you just have faith, have faith in the process, 305 00:12:04.440 --> 00:12:07.700 have faith in the resources that are here to help you 306 00:12:07.700 --> 00:12:09.660 and just start, you'd be surprised 307 00:12:09.660 --> 00:12:10.788 at where you can end up. 308 00:12:10.788 --> 00:12:12.580 One of the things that's so important to us 309 00:12:12.580 --> 00:12:15.010 here at BNutty Peanut Butter is that we give back 310 00:12:15.010 --> 00:12:16.030 to the community. 311 00:12:16.030 --> 00:12:18.670 We've been able to take the dollars from our retail sales, 312 00:12:18.670 --> 00:12:20.510 the dollars from our export sales, 313 00:12:20.510 --> 00:12:22.510 the dollars from our fundraising sales, 314 00:12:22.510 --> 00:12:24.250 and do some fantastic things right here 315 00:12:24.250 --> 00:12:25.230 in our local community. 316 00:12:25.230 --> 00:12:27.550 We provide scholarships for student athletes. 317 00:12:27.550 --> 00:12:29.410 We built an eight soccer field complex 318 00:12:29.410 --> 00:12:31.870 to host college showcases right here in Indiana, 319 00:12:31.870 --> 00:12:34.750 instead of having to travel all across the country to do it. 320 00:12:34.750 --> 00:12:38.710 We've been able to provide internships, SAT prep, ACT prep, 321 00:12:38.710 --> 00:12:41.338 tutoring to help our students succeed at the college level, 322 00:12:41.338 --> 00:12:43.130 and we're so proud of what we're able to do 323 00:12:43.130 --> 00:12:44.550 for our local community. 324 00:12:44.550 --> 00:12:47.050 And it's because of the support of other great organizations 325 00:12:47.050 --> 00:12:49.270 here in Indiana that have helped us continue to grow. 326 00:12:49.270 --> 00:12:52.620 [MUSIC PLAYING] 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