6 Rules I Live By

There’s no playbook for the game of life—if there were, we’d all always be happy and healthy… and perhaps we’d put funeral homes out of business. But there are a few rules I live by. Today, I thought I’d share a handful of these valuable lessons I’ve learned over the years. I hope one of them will help you in business or in life!

1. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you—and let them do their thing.

If you feel like you know everything, you’re wrong. I know what I don’t know. I have learned what I don’t know. I find partners who can teach me. A perfect example is my partnership with my COO, and my husband, at hint?. While we take on different roles at the company and bring different skills to the table, we share the same goals and at the end of the day, we’re working toward the same goal in everything we do. That’s been the key to our success. 

2. Business, no matter which one you are in, will change. Get used to it.

When I started in the beverage business, there were more than 2,000 beverage companies. While the number of players hasn’t changed much, many have folded, new companies have popped up, and many longstanding beverage companies have a different focus. Take vitaminwater, for example. When I started hint 11 years ago, a bottle of it had more sugar than a can of Coke—really! Today, there is vitaminwater, vitaminwater zero, vitaminwater 10, and many others. The brand has paid attention to consumer changes, and they will continue to do so. 

Another example where change has taken place is distribution. Gone are the days when a beverage company had one channel of distribution. Today there are many options including specialty (like Whole Foods), conventional (like Publix), online partners (like Amazon or Fresh Direct), food service, drug, convenience, or your own online site. 

The business is changing quickly, and the only way to succeed is to change with it. It’s about pushing beyond and finding new opportunities that didn’t exist before.

3. Take risks—but have a buffer.

I often tell my team that we will “load a bunch of watermelons on the cart and hope that not too many fall off.” You will never succeed unless you have lots of opportunities going and take risks—big ones.

In 2008, when the sky was falling and the financial world was in chaos, one of the large specialty grocery chains told us that unless we gave them free hint, they would take us out of the store. We told them that we thought that that would be a bad business decision (for us) and declined the opportunity. From a business standpoint, it was a big risk. I had my doubts if it was the right choice. Employees and investors had their doubts. While it was scary to make the decision, we knew that because we had lots of opportunities, one customer was not going to make or break us.

Within six months, that grocery chain came back asking to buy our product because of customer demand. We knew what we needed to run our business, and we weren’t going to be pushed around. In the end, we were rewarded—in part because we had other opportunities keeping us afloat.

4. Don’t let your calendar rule you.

Force yourself outside of your daily schedule. Be curious and take time to learn about worlds outside of the one you live in. Watch the news, read the paper, educate yourself. Don’t be afraid to call people you don’t know, start a conversation, and ask for things you need. At the very least, you’ll be more interesting. At the most, you’ll take your business in new and bigger directions.

5. Every year, do one thing (or more) that scares you—and make it count.

Even though I am a pretty social person, I’ve always hated public speaking... until now. I decided that I would conquer my fear of public speaking by doing more of it and deciding what scared me. I learned two things. First, I hate slides. (And I think most audiences do too.) So, I don’t use them. I speak from the heart and usually tell my story, but I can also talk about lots of other stuff too—again, without slides. The second thing I learned is that a big audience could be especially daunting to me. So, I decided to tell myself that no one is watching or listening. And you know what? It works! 

Take advantage of each day that’s given to you and do something to move the needle on your fears, even if it’s just an inch.

6. Good ideas rule, but execution is key!

In the end, both creative ideas and execution are the lifeblood of business. I’m fortunate enough to work with great people that make great things happen every day! It’s why I come to work in the morning. In 100 years, when the world looks different, and we do away with all the crap in our food and drinks (my dream!), and we find better ways of measuring and dealing with health issues, I believe great products (like hint) and great execution will still matter most. It's a simple equation.

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Kara Goldin is founder and CEO of Hint, the Bay Area company behind the fastest-growing flavored water in the United States. Kara started Hint when she couldn't find a healthy flavored water that tasted great without questionable additives like sweeteners and preservatives. Hint has 0 sugar, 0 diet sweeteners, and 0 calories and can be purchased in stores as well as online, in a variety of flavors and in still and sparkling, as well as caffeinated. Hint recently made its foray into beauty with a new naturally scented sunscreen spray with no oxybenzone or parabens. 

Also, check out Kara's newest endeavor The Kara Network for stories of entrepreneurs and founders.