• Episode Summary & Player
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth Podcast Summary

Episode 146: Blake Sorensen – Snack Tackler, Founder of Blake’s Seed Based

Blake Sorensen, the Founder of Blake’s Seed Based, joins the show to share his journey from star linebacker for the Wisconsin Badgers to creating allergy-friendly snacks made from seeds, fruit, and chocolate. Hear how to gather feedback at different stages of your business, enforce quality standards for your offering, raise funding on Kickstarter, the toughest road environment Blake played at, and the player he’s most proud he tackled. This episode covers everything from taste testing to sauna sitting. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What’s the biggest lesson Blake took from football to entrepreneurship
• What worked so well for his Kickstarter campaign
• How does he make sure his products are allergy-friendly
• How frequently does he taste test these days
• How does his workout regimen compare to his football days
• When did he start liking YETI
• Why is he The Sauna Superman
• What is his favorite Jimmy Buffett song

Connect with Blake at BlakesSeedBased.com, Amazon, Instagram at @BlakesSeedBased, and on LinkedIn.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Intro & Playing Linebacker for Wisconsin Football
  • [0:29] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:38] Connect with Blake at BlakesSeedBased.com, Amazon, Instagram at @BlakesSeedBased, and on LinkedIn
  • [2:16] Wisconsin Badgers, Big Ten (B1G), IU (Indiana Hoosiers), OSU (Ohio State Buckeyes)
  • [2:44] What’s the biggest lesson Blake took from football to entrepreneurship
  • [3:20] My football career was alllllllmost as successful as Blake’s
  • [3:40] What was his favorite memory from playing at Wisconsin
  • [4:27] Camp Randall, “Jump Around” by House of Pain
  • [4:37] What were the toughest road environments in the Big Ten
  • [4:56] Iowa Hawkeyes, Iowa City, IA
  • [5:12] Erector Set
  • [5:24] What was the Iowa Pink Locker Room like
  • [5:45] Hayden Fry
  • [6:32] What caught Blake by surprise about playing at the D-1 level in the Big Ten
• The Blake’s Seed Based Story
  • [7:17] The Pros of Business
  • [7:28] Grad School (Graduate School), Kelley School of Business
  • [7:33] Shoutout Greg Fisher!
  • [7:48] How did Blake decide to study Entrepreneurship at IU
  • [8:09] Kenny Dichter, Wheels Up
  • [9:04] Finance, Operations (Ops)
  • [9:20] Management Consulting
  • [9:35] Bloomington, IN
  • [9:48] Where did the idea for Blake’s Seed Based come from
  • [9:59] Social Entrepreneurship
  • [10:10] Website, Prototype
  • [10:41] Light Bulb Moment
  • [10:48] Did the idea feel like a good fit right away
  • [10:55] Dietitian
  • [11:13] Brand, Consumer
  • [11:28] What were the first few steps Blake took
  • [11:47] Food Processor, Downtown Bloomington
  • [12:26] Kickstarter
  • [12:35] Undergrad
  • [12:41] Minimum Production Run
  • [12:53] Demand
  • [13:05] What worked so well for Blake’s Kickstarter campaign
  • [13:33] PR (Public Relations)
  • [13:38] LinkedIn, Facebook
  • [13:44] What allergy does Blake have
  • [14:03] EpiPen
  • [15:04] Shoutout Andrew!
  • [15:26] How does Blake make sure his products are allergy-friendly
  • [15:56] Nut-Free, Gluten-Free
  • [16:18] Marketing
  • [16:36] How did Blake decide what seeds and ingredients to use
  • [17:24] Shelf Life
  • [17:35] Bar Line
  • [17:51] How is Blake getting feedback on what’s working
  • [18:02] Surveys
  • [18:08] Amazon Reviews
  • [18:27] Sampling Event
  • [19:26] How did the brand-and-product-actually-look side of things come about
  • [19:49] Microsoft Paint
  • [20:02] Packaging
  • [20:32] Shoutout Bella!
  • [21:02] Sprouts
  • [21:44] Where did the parrot logo come from
  • [22:02] Jimmy Buffett, Parrot Heads
  • [22:22] Parrot Hat
  • [22:38] That pun was nuts
  • [23:03] What is the hardest thing Blake’s Seed Based has had to overcome so far
  • [23:26] Accounting, Selling
  • [24:00] MaxPodcasting
  • [24:09] What’s been helpful for Blake hiring team members
  • [25:11] What’s been the biggest driver in the growth of Blake’s Seed Based
  • [26:01] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool

• Inspiration & Creativity: People, Hobbies, and Resources
  • [26:48] 40-time
  • [27:06] How can you be and stay creative
  • [27:26] Lake Michigan
  • [27:42] How does Blake’s workout regimen compare to his football days
  • [28:02] Meathead 101
  • [28:16] IRONMAN
  • [28:31] What time of day does Blake work out
  • [29:31] Decision Fatigue
  • [29:44] Mush Brain
  • [29:51] Most Fresh (Speaking of Mush Brain)
  • [30:27] What other creative hobbies does Blake have
  • [30:58] How did he get into slalom water skiing
  • [31:05] 10,000 Lakes
  • [31:27] Paddle Boarding
  • [31:58] What does Greg Fisher mean to Blake and Blake’s Seed Based
  • [33:00] Mentor, Advisor
  • [33:11] Senioritis
  • [33:24] How frequently does Blake taste test these days
  • [33:52] Rice Crispy Treats
  • [34:03] Foodpreneur
  • [34:11] Market Research
  • [34:23] Investor
  • [34:39] Two-a-Days
• Wild Business Shoutout of the Week
  • [34:48] Creative Marketing
  • [35:05] YETI
  • [35:21] YETI YouTube Series
  • [35:58] Shoutout Sam, Matt, and Ollie!
  • [36:03] YETI Dog Bowl
  • [36:19] When did Blake start liking YETI
  • [36:45] The Blake Brand Ambassador

• The Unusual: Pet Peeves, Quirks, and Weird Talents
  • [37:01] What’s a quirk Blake has
  • [37:46] Slow Walkers
  • [37:52] What’s a pet peeve Blake has
  • [38:38] What’s a weird talent he has
  • [39:01] Where does his heat tolerance come from
  • [39:21] Does it apply to heat outdoors
  • [39:37] The Sauna Superman
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [39:42] Pepitas, DAVID Pumpkin Seeds
  • [40:13] “A Pirate Looks at Forty” by Jimmy Buffett
  • [40:26] Beanie Wells, Le’Veon Bell, Michigan State Spartans
  • [40:52] Shonn Greene, John Clay
  • [41:14] What was Blake’s favorite part about Madison, WI
  • [41:48] How do you survive the Wisconsin cold
  • [42:12] Midwest
  • [42:18] Did Blake wear long sleeves
  • [42:31] “You can’t wear long sleeves.”
  • [43:05] Connect with Blake at BlakesSeedBased.com, Amazon, Instagram at @BlakesSeedBased, and on LinkedIn
  • [43:48] What are Blake’s final thoughts
  • [44:26] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast
  • [44:37] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on GoodPods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [44:41] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn at @MaxBranstetter
  • [44:48] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – Jungle Tribe – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur or innovator joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the crazy creative and unusual ways they grew their business, and provides tips for you to do it, too. Hear the woman who became the voice of Siri, the man who’s reinventing the sandcastle, how GaryVee’s partners are turning the wine world upside down, and more wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment? I’ve got you covered. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Blake Sorensen on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!