Description

In this episode, we're joined by Llance Kezner, the innovative entrepreneur behind Keep Life Tasty. Llance and his wife Lori have transformed family recipes into award-winning food products that do more than tantalize taste buds—they help people manage stress and anxiety through thoughtful nutrition. As the creative force behind multiple Specialty Food Association award winners including Millie's Sipping Broth, Auntie Gretchen's Water Essence, Betty's Seasoning Blends, and AJ's Veggie Shots, llance shares the remarkable journey of building a plant-based, unsweetened product line now found across specialty retail, grocery, food service, and corporate wellness programs.

Llance reveals how the economic downturn of 2009 pushed him and his wife Lori to evaluate their passions and create their own business. What started as a homemade garlic condiment quickly evolved when they unexpectedly won Outstanding Product of the Year at the Fancy Food Show in New York. But their most successful innovation came from Lori's need for a savory, healthy beverage alternative during her teaching breaks. Thus, Millie's Sipping Broth—broth in a teabag—was born, creating an entirely new beverage category that's now carried in thousands of stores including Walmart.

Throughout our conversation, Llance shares invaluable insights about entrepreneurship, from testing products at Seattle's Pike Place Market to landing major retail deals, all while balancing family life with two growing sons. He discusses the unique dynamics of working with your spouse, the importance of keeping your day job until your business is proven sustainable, and how being industry outsiders allowed them to think beyond conventional boundaries. Tune in to discover how persistence, creativity, and staying customer-focused transformed a simple kitchen experiment into a nationwide success story.

Key Topics:

1. From tech sales to food entrepreneur during the 2009 recession
2. The birth of Garlic It and winning a major food industry award
3. How Millie's Sipping Broth came from a teacher's break room need
4. Creating a 5-second pitch that connects with customers instantly
5. The importance of separating innovation from manufacturing operations
6. Testing products at Pike Place Market to refine messaging
7. Lessons learned from competitors' mistakes
8. Balancing marriage and business partnership
9. Involving children in the family business
10. Navigating day jobs while building a side business
11. Getting discovered by Weight Watchers during COVID
12. Landing a Walmart deal among 7,000 competing brands
13. Future plans for corporate break rooms, hospitals, and coffee shops
14. Why you shouldn't quit your day job too soon
15. The value of being an industry outsider with fresh perspectives

Connect with Llance and Millie's Sipping Broth online:

Website: https://www.keeplifetasty.com/ 

Find more from Courtney Page:

Instagram: @courtneyaustinpage @resume.careers

Website: https://www.resume-careers.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-page-9b473914/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/resume-executive-search-development/

YouTube: @courtneyapage

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