It's How You Separate Yourself

It’s become known as the 3AM Drive. It’s early, it’s still dark outside, and when the alarm goes off at 3am, the last thing I want to do is get out of my warm bed and drive a a few hours to the factory. But the excitement of knowing we’re about to produce and manufacture some new chips and crackers is too much for me; I couldn’t sleep anyway! I want to be where the action is and see this wondrous event in person!

That’s what separates people. I don’t complain about getting up at 3AM, because I love it. That’s the secret. You have to love every aspect of your business if you want to succeed. If you’re complaining of early mornings, then you’re in the wrong business. My advice would be, don’t get into something that’s going to make you unhappy.

It’s been a year and I’ve driven to the factory at 3AM countless times just to be there and get involved. But I’m different from most. I could never be someone who prefers to hang out on the sidelines and let someone else take care of the physical work. I want to be there to see it all happen.

But why? – is the question I get asked all the time. Why do you drive all the way over there? Why do you spend the whole day watching the production? Because it’s our little baby. Because it’s new. Because it’s innovative. Because it’s hard to manufacture. Because nobody wants to do it.

I love hanging out with the crew. There’s about 50 people working in the factory and I want them to know me, know who’s behind the brand, and know how much I care about our product.

So after a year, they do know me now and they also know I’m not above pitching in and helping out. Often I’ll just go with the flow and they don’t even realize I’m a founder! There’s nothing like seeing their faces when they figure that out. Most tell me they thought I was the company's QC associate. They think it’s fantastic and they’ve told me that most of the other brand executives don't show up and get involved like I do, and that excites them. It’s great to see.

That’s what separates us from other brands. If you want to build a successful company from the ground up, you’re going to have to do whatever it takes, even if that means getting up at 3AM and driving for a few hours to the factory. It's part of the game.