"Cold calls are the base of our entire business. The first three months we spent in Flick's basement, cold calling, and it's still the best tool that we have. We still do it every day."
Frederick (Flick) M. and Louis-Pascal Walsh, Co-Founders of Tequio Tequila Cocktails, a premium canned tequila cocktail brand, share their entrepreneurial journey, highlighting their persistent cold-calling efforts to establish connections, secure partnerships, and obtain valuable insights from industry experts on this episode of Founders In LA.
Key Takeaways:
✅ The importance of persistence and not taking "no" for an answer, as demonstrated by the founders' relentless cold-calling and in-store pitching efforts.
✅ The value of building relationships and making personal connections, even with prominent industry figures or unlikely prospects.
✅ The significance of differentiation and focusing on quality ingredients, as exemplified by the decision to use premium tequila in their canned cocktails.
✅ The critical role of sales and marketing in the early stages of a startup, even for founders without prior experience in those areas.
✅ The importance of expressing gratitude and following up with contacts, as a lack of follow-up can be perceived as disrespectful.
✅ The value of leveraging local resources and opportunities, especially in a city like Los Angeles with its diverse network of entrepreneurs and influencers.
✅ The significance of perseverance and maintaining a positive attitude in the face of rejections and setbacks, as success often comes after numerous failures or unsuccessful attempts.
Top Quotes:
📢 "It's actually similar to cold calling. You need the same persistence. But instead of actually, like, picking up the phone and calling these people, you just have to walk into their store." (Flick Moradian, on getting into retail stores)
📢 "Cold calls are the base of our entire business…and it's still the best tool that we have." (Louis Pascal Walsh, on the importance of cold calling)
📢 "We literally just bootlegged a couple bottles over the border, brought them back to LA, and did a bunch of, like, at home bench samples." (Louis Pascal Walsh, on early product development)
Thanks again to our sponsors: Nearsure Unità Prodhub
Check out links to the full episode in the first comments.
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