Female Founders: Erin DeMarines of E Fit Foods On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
The biggest lesson that I learned is that a “yes” is not always a “yes,” but more importantly, a “no” is not always a “no.” I look at every “no” as a big maybe and tell myself that I will be back to change their mind and get the sale.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Erin DeMarines.
Entrepreneur and chef Erin DeMarines, a 20-year Vegan and athlete, has developed and created her plant-based recipes and launched her own company. Turning her love and passion for food and fitness into a life-long career, Erin devoted herself to educating, creating, coaching, and guiding clients to a plant-based lifestyle. Erin is currently working with Tampa Bay chefs to create recipes for their restaurants to become more inclusive of plant-based dishes and working on her cookbook, and expanding her business, E Fit Foods, Inc., with new and exciting plant protein-focused snacks, including the 3BAR energy bar available nationwide, and Plant-Powered Pop launching end of May.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I started running with my dad at the age of four, and I guess you could say I never looked back. My love for running turned into triathlons, and the quest for nutritional knowledge to support any competitive advantage I could get turned into my vegan career path! When my coach suggested, I give up dairy for three days to clear my sinuses while training, the results were mind-blowing. Struck by this inspirational feeling of clearness, I started studying the effects of dairy on our bodies and knew I needed dairy-free fuel for my competitions. I began devouring every nutrition course I could and eventually added sports nutritionists to my resume.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
As a trainer in Los Angeles in the late 90’s, I was often invited to my clients’ houses for parties and events, and I would always show up with my cookies that I learned how to make from my grandmother. Always a crowd-pleaser, one of my clients asked me if I could make them healthier for her. HERE IS THE LIGHT BULB MOMENT. I spent hours swapping out ingredients until I landed on my first of many formulations. And the next day she tasted them and bought them all! Soon I was getting orders from her friends, and the word spread fast. The next thing I knew, I was making them every night and selling them out of my tiny studio apartment; thus, the e-bar, now 3BAR, was born.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Making them every night with every flavor I could think of until my arm would cramp. I used to joke that my right bicep was always bigger because of the way I stirred the ingredients. I should have stuck with the original flavor, which today is still my best seller and not tried so many others. I would invite my friends over and feed them good wine so they would help me weigh each bar and package them with a heat sealer. It was truly comical. I learned that perseverance and grit far outweigh any handout. If I hadn’t been so passionate about what I was doing, I would never be where I am today!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Oh yes, my CMO, Brandie! I interviewed her to help with social media & marketing but quickly realized it’s impossible to go a day without her by my side to help with everything. She is the reason I am answering these questions right now. Since working with her, I have gained a true friend and someone who believes in me wholeheartedly. She has become a part of my family! She shares my love of delicious food and great coffee! And, most importantly, she pushes me out of my comfort zone to achieve the dream I am so passionate about!
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
The first thought that comes to mind is money. I have not once talked to a woman banker or investor, even in the Small Business Administration. I have been in business for over 20 years, bootstrapping it the entire time. This is holding us back. The second thought is our role as mothers; we are constantly struggling with what society still thinks our duties are. Most of us still do the job of being a mother with the incredible demands of growing a company. It is a constant battle to do both well, which often means self-care is nearly impossible. We are innately givers, and sometimes we give it all away with forgetting to give to ourselves.
Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?
We need more females in positions of power to help these smaller businesses. I am not speaking only financially, but a place for guidance, advice, mentorship, and or direction. I still do not understand how our government could bail out so many meat and dairy farmers while the change-makers like myself are creating products that are plant-based to help the future of this planet. This needs to change. And it needs to change fast.
This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
We are inherently multi-taskers, not just in tasks but in our thought processes. This does give us the advantage as founders of being able to look at the whole picture with many different paths to get to it. Women founders lead with compassion and empathy even while running a business with a strong backbone. Our ability to push through, speak up, and support each other gives the next generation of women a leg up. I truly believe we are open to hearing and adapting when someone suggests a different path when making business decisions. We are empowered to feed the cycle of equitability in all aspects of business.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
The biggest myth is the title, “Founder.” I think the appropriate title should be, “creator!” As a female creator people assume we have our shit together. Most days I am just trying to get through that day, that hour, and even that minute while so many things are being thrown at me all while trying figure out what I am making my family for dinner, if I put the clothes in the dryer, and made my daughter lunch!
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?
No, not everyone is cut out to be a founder. You have to be scrappy and sometimes unapologetic. You have to be willing to always be working. You have to be willing to say yes when you want to say no. And most importantly, you have to see the closed doors simply as speed bumps that you coast over. You have to TAKE THE DOUBT OUT. The universe is a powerful place, but to truly be open, is a hard place to be when the mundane tasks are piling up, and it is up to you for 100% of everything. The responsibility is so tough that many women might not be up for such a challenge. I actually applaud those women. It is better to know what your limits are and be able to turn off your workday when you walk through the door. As a founder, that is one thing I can never do.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
I wish someone told me you don’t have to have an exact plan. I was so fixated on getting a business plan written that really never did much for me. I even had a university use my company twice for their masters project for Entrepreneurship. Both times and a lot of my time working with the students to quantify the information for the plan. It really didn’t get me any real-time data on the next steps.
The plan is never the plan. You have to pivot constantly. Just when you think you have it figured out, someone or something throws a curveball at you. After creating the energy bar, I had so many people pushing back on one of the ingredients, and even though I knew that the ingredient was healthy, the public’s perception is way more important, so I took the ingredient out, which cost me thousands of dollars.
I wish someone had told me that finding a mentor is extremely hard.
If someone told me it was going to be this tough, I would have done it anyway. I am a true believer that your path in life is given to you. But I do wish someone would have told me how hard it is to find the guidance I need. After 20 years in business, I still would welcome a female mentor to give me some tips. I did speak to a female founder for some advice, but she was extremely busy and didn’t seem to have the time to devote to what I needed. So where do we go? Who do we trust? One female mentor I thought I could trust told me if I wanted to succeed, I should split the company up and become less than 50% owner. So glad I didn’t listen to her.
I wish someone told me it is still a man’s world. I know it is changing, but I still run into conversations with a man who thinks my company is just a hobby even though I am distributing it nationwide. And often, I get the question, what does your husband do? As if this somehow should matter. Every time this happens, I immediately start to do the self-talk thing confirming that it still needs changing.
I wish someone would have told me that the people closest to you may not truly have your back, or understand the struggles, or even give you the praise you need. This is a big one for me. I had a teenage tragedy at 17, which truly affected me in one life-changing moment. I went from a child to an adult in an instant and realized I was alone. That’s why it’s so important to have your own back, but it is still a struggle. But it also taught me so much on survival and perseverance. I still crave the acknowledgment of what I consider wins on occasion, but often male figures are looking for the money as the only win. If this is where I end my career (which will never happen), I am still proud to say that I created something on my stove 24 years ago that people all over the US, and soon Canada are walking in and buying in stores. You have to be your own biggest cheerleader. No one can truly understand because they are not walking in your shoes.
I wish someone would have told me how valuable your connections can be. I often feel because I am in constant need of something to grow this business, I often overlook where a person may need to have my undivided attention. They may need a hug, or to tell me what they might need. I am learning this lesson every day, and it is a constant struggle. As a founder, you wear so many hats, that letting your brain have a time out to connect with another human is really hard. I often feel restless, distracted, and not truly present.
Lastly, the biggest lesson that I learned is that a “yes” is not always a “yes,” but more importantly, a “no” is not always a “no.” I look at every “no” as a big maybe and tell myself that I will be back to change their mind and get the sale.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
By changing the perception that vegan food tastes bad. By inspiring others to change their diet one bite at a time and then watching that person change for the better. That is my biggest reward in life. Now, if this person who is now getting off all their medications because they switched to a plant predominantly diet tells others, the ripple effect is huge. Now, if you can multiply this over and over again, we are on to something.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
That is easy! I want to put an end to factory farming and animal agriculture that is killing our planet. I want to do this by creating more and more vegan products to change the perception that these products taste bad or that you will be missing protein. Since working with local restaurants and introducing them to a plant-based option, I see that people are open, but they need to taste to believe. I truly believe that we can create even more jobs in the plant-based sector if we could have the government bailing us out as they do the factory farms.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Rich Roll. He is a change maker, an inspiration, a true life-changing human. The guests that he has had on his podcast are also change-makers. These guests, including Mel Robins, Simon Hill, and Raghunath Cappo have actually changed my life, my thoughts, my motivation, and most importantly my self-love.
Boom. Mic drop!
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Female Founders: Erin DeMarines of E Fit Foods On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.