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.

Episode 127: Riana Lynn – Food Science Entrepreneur, Founder of Journey Food

Riana Lynn, the Founder and CEO of Journey Foods, joins the show to share her journey from Biologist to Serial Entrepreneur building the next generation food platform. Hear how Journey Foods unlocks insights and savings for innovative food companies, why we like food so much, how to avoid burnout, the history of fruit snacks, and her favorite candy from the ‘90s. This episode covers everything from the science behind food to Riana’s tips on entrepreneurship. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What makes food so enjoyable
• The outrageous snacks from the ’90s
• What pain points does Journey Foods help with
• Launching a food brand vs. providing a service that helps food brands
• How has Riana been able to grow Journey Foods
• What do you do about Zoom Burnout
• A special G-uest appearance!
• Why was the Travis Scott Meal so successful

Connect with Riana at JourneyFoods.io and on social media at @RianaLynn, @JourneyFoods, and @JourneyFoodsio.

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

Show Notes

• Intro
  • [0:28] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com for help using your podcast as a business-building tool
  • [0:43] Connect with Riana at JourneyFoods.io and on social media at @RianaLynn, @JourneyFoods, and @JourneyFoodsio
  • [1:23] CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
  • [2:11] Why do we like food so much
  • [2:55] Food Science
  • [3:43] Olfactory Senses, Gastronomy
  • [3:56] Foodporn
  • [4:52] What made Riana stick to food from a business sense
  • [5:30] Food Systems
  • [5:42] Graduate School
  • [6:00] Hyde Park, The University of Chicago, Food Desert
  • [6:20] Genetics
  • [6:27] Riana’s first food company
  • [7:00] Celiac Disease, Gluten
  • [7:26] Gushers, Twinkies, Uncrustables, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
  • [8:07] The best way to eat Gushers
  • [8:47] Purple Ketchup
• The Journey Foods Story
  • [11:08] Where did the idea for Journey Foods come from
  • [11:22] Supply Chain
  • [11:32] Google, Venture Capital
  • [11:48] Founders, Engineers, Silicon Valley
  • [12:05] FinTech (Financial Technology), Food Delivery, eCommerce
  • [12:22] B2B Software (Business-to-Business), Logistics
  • [12:42] Customers
  • [12:58] Packaged Food Industry
  • [13:15] Skittles
  • [13:22] The history of fruit snacks
  • [13:50] Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
  • [14:41] Procurement
  • [15:10] How does Journey Foods manage millions of data points
  • [15:40] Portfolio Management
  • [15:42] Retail, Packaging
  • [16:28] Data Engineers
  • [17:46] Feedback Loop
  • [17:52] What do Journey Foods customers enjoy the most about their offering
  • [18:39] Google Sign In, Zoom, Gmail Calendar, Slack
  • [19:00] OREO
  • [19:12] API (Application Programming Interface)
  • [19:28] Product Manager, Marketer
  • [19:42] Plant-Based
  • [20:38] Gluten-Free OREOs
  • [21:03] What pain points does Journey Foods help with
  • [21:13] CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods)
  • [22:43] FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
  • [23:17] Consulting, Advising
  • [23:30] How has Riana’s experience been helping food companies vs. launching her own food brands
  • [24:40] Marketing
  • [24:49] Gut Health, Collagen
  • [25:17] Consumers
  • [25:40] Buying Power
  • [26:48] How has Riana been able to grow Journey Foods
  • [27:05] Operations (Ops)
  • [27:17] Social Media Metrics
  • [27:29] Business Analytics, Value Chain
  • [27:39] Business Intelligence, Machine Learning
  • [28:12] 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
  • [28:37] How do Riana and team stay creative and come up with new solutions for customers
  • [29:12] Journey Foods Blog
  • [29:28] Miro
  • [30:08] Twitter, Product Hunt
  • [30:17] Website Header, PDF (Portable Document Format)
  • [30:27] Dribbble
  • [30:32] Designers, UX (User Experience)
  • [31:00] Does Riana set time in her calendar for inspiration
  • [31:19] Meditation, Health and Wellness
  • [32:03] Riana’s Panel in Singapore
  • [32:26] Spotify
  • [33:04] Zoom Burnout
  • [33:11] Journey Foods Team
  • [33:40] Invoicing
  • [34:14] Hustle Culture
  • [34:39] Special G-uest appearance!
• Wild Business Shoutout of the Week
  • [36:06] Creative Marketing
  • [36:10] My #SpotifyWrapped from 2018
  • [36:32] Travis Scott Meal from McDonald’s
  • [36:42] Apple Music
  • [38:20] Business Metrics
  • [38:23] Beyoncé and Adidas
  • [39:32] Gen Z (Generation Z), Millennials
  • [40:06] Quarter Pounder with Cheese
  • [40:21] Travis Scott Fortnite
  • [40:23] Virtual Conferences, Virtual Concerts
  • [41:03] Burger King Impossible Whopper
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [41:31] What was Riana’s favorite candy growing up
  • [41:42] Almond Joy, Jelly Belly, Hot Tamales
  • [41:58] What is Riana’s favorite part of living in Austin, TX
  • [42:31] Food Trucks
  • [42:51] What are Riana’s quirks
  • [43:52] How do you be a good Adjunct Professor
  • [45:13] Connect with Riana at JourneyFoods.io and on social media at @RianaLynn, @JourneyFoods, and @JourneyFoodsio
  • [46:02] What are Riana’s final thoughts
  • [46:08] Alright, Alright, Alright
  • [46:18] Subscribe to the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast
  • [46:22] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on GoodPods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [46:26] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn at @MaxBranstetter
  • [46:32] 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

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but dreading 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 Riana Lynn on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, subscribe to the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!