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42- Keeley Tillotson and Erika Welsh - On dropping out of college, appearing on Shark Tank, and building a 7 million dollar business

November 25, 2017 by Kendall Johnson in Podcast

In today’s episode I interview Wild Friends cofounders Keeley Tillotson and Erika Welsh. Keeley and Erika’s nut butter company was born one afternoon, in their University of Oregon dorm room. As life-long athletes, Keeley and Erika shared an affinity for peanut butter’s convenient, healthy, and delicious profile. One day, they decided to concoct their own peanut butter with the addition of unique flavors like coconut, cinnamon and raisins. Keeley and Erika shared this creation with their hungry athlete friends and they devoured it. They rode this hype,  tried out selling their product at the Eugene farmers market, and then moved onto local stores. After an appearance on the television show Shark Tank, the decided to drop out of college and focus all their efforts on their business. Six years later,  Wild Friends is now one of the fastest growing nut butters in the nation, raking in 7 million dollars in sales. In 2017, they were featured on Forbes 30 under 30 for food and drink.

In our conversation we talk about

-how being athletes has greatly influenced their business decisions

-why they chose to drop-out of college

-the advantage of having absolutely no idea what you are doing

-what it’s really like to be on Shark Tank

-their vow to fulfill my dream of swimming in a pool of nut butter (yup, I’m weird)

-Portland’s November Project, a free fitness movement led by Keeley (if you’re in the Portland I highly recommend checking

And more.

Wild Friends’ nut butters, are legit my fave nut butter (particularly the peanut butter cashew superbutter) This isn’t an ad. I just love them. The nut butters. And Keeley and Erika. But mostly the nut butters (jk).

Enjoy my conversation with the badass nut butter bosses Keeley and Erika.

:46           Who are Erika and Keely?

5:29             What are the new products…Super Butters?

11:19            Portland’s November Project movement

15:37            What sports did Keely and Erika participate in during their childhood?

19:45            Forbes 30 under 30 award

20:55           How did being an athlete help in running a business?

24:54           How did the two choose to make nut butters?

28:54            When and how did they take the passion for nut butter and make it a business?

31:30             Crazy food processor stories and the neighborhood squirrels

33:45             How did they come up with the brand name Wild Friends?

34:16             How did the two expand their business?

37:07            What training or background did Erika and Keely have in becoming an entrepreneur?

38:11             Did they just follow their gut or did they formulate a business plan?

40:19             Their philosophy of “it doesn’t hurt to ask”

41:45              “If you want advice, ask for money.   If you want money, ask for advice”  and the art of being

specific.

47:08             The Shark Tank experience

54:25              How did the business grow after being on the Shark Tank?

55:20              Their method of trusting their gut and being able to accept their mistakes

57:20               The plane ride home and the decision to drop out of school

1:01:17             What is their ultimate goal for Wild Friends?

1:03:27             Erika’s morning routine

1:04:32             Keely’s crazy belief

1:01:05:56        Biggest misconception that people have about Erika

1:06:38              Keely’s favorite failure

1:07:55               One simple tip to help female athletes

1:09.28               Where can you buy Wild Friends products and learn more about the biz?

Share the love

Follow Wild Friends, Keely, and Erika:

On Twitter:  @2wildfriends , @KeelyTillotson 

On Instagram: @wildfriends,  @keely_t , @erikawelsh12

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November 25, 2017 /Kendall Johnson
Bossbabes, dream, entrepreneur, Erika Welsh, goals, Keeley Erickson, nutt butter, Shark Tank, WildFriends, Women Empowerment, Women in Business
Podcast
1 Comment

Praise

“There isn’t anything Kendall does without pouring everything she has to offer into it. She cares enough to not be scared to say what you might not always want to hear. She’s already been a great mentor. She is someone I admire so much. She doesn’t make excuses and will achieve what she is after.”
— Allie Long, USWNT World Cup Champion
“Few people have positively impacted me on or off the field as much as Kendall. She has a unique ability to help elevate all of the lives she comes in contact with. Through her own pursuits, triumphs, and trials, she has accumulated a wealth of different approaches to professional and personal growth. It is impossible to spend time with her and not walk away as a better version of yourself.”
— Michelle Betos, NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year
“In the world of professional athletes, you are surrounded by self-motivated people who are all working to a varying degree of “obsessive” to push themselves as hard and far as they can physically, mentally, and psychologically go. This doesn’t even begin to describe Kendall’s approach to all aspects of life. She lets nothing slip through the cracks and has a natural ability to put her passion to practice. Anyone who sits down in a conversation with Kendall will leave smarter, challenged, and with their perspective on life considerably altered.”
— Emily Menges, NWSL Champion
“I met Kendall at a challenging time in my life, and from the start, I felt comfortable sharing those challenges with her. After I first opened up to her about it, it was easy from then on out because she always helped me see my feelings are valid; my experiences and my story are my own, and I can make them to be what I want. She helped me find the beauty in times of struggle and she somehow managed to respond to my life hurdles, and her own, with an open mind and a good laugh. She has helped me to believe life works for us, not against us, and my life has become better for that. She is an amazing teacher.”
— EJ Proctor, Duke goalkeeper
“I have played soccer almost my entire life, and something that I have always struggled with is my mindset and confidence. As someone who strives to train, play, and perform at the highest level all of the time, it is very frustrating to be set back by my tendency to let my mind get in the way of my play. My goal is to play soccer at the highest level possible–to be recognized as a top player at Kentucky, play professionally, and compete on the national team. I have tried many mental techniques surrounding my game in order to help maintain a steady mindset throughout my seasons, but I have struggled to find strategies that are the best fit for me. 

I have calls with Kendall very consistently and she always creates a space that makes me feel completely at ease and comfortable to share whatever is on my mind. Something that I really appreciate about talking with her is that she really wants to know and learn about me as a person, and we never immediately get into the soccer portion of the call. It is really comforting to know that I always have someone as knowledgeable and thoughtful as Kendall to talk to about the highlights and setbacks of my life and soccer journey, and I feel really confident in my future plans after talking with her. Not only do I feel like I am doing everything I possibly can to accomplish my goals as a result of the training schedule that we often work on together, but we also discuss and build upon different approaches to improve my mindset, such as journaling, visualization, mental plans and steps going into training, and morning routines.

I have learned so much from Kendall and have felt such a big difference in my confidence not only as a player, but also as a person. I have grown to trust my own voice and opinion on another level, as well as increasing my confidence in my knowledge and preparation. I have seen such a big difference in my mental and physical space as a whole and I always look forward to our next call. Thank you so much Kendall, I cannot express how much I appreciate all of the time, effort, support, and thoughtfulness you put into and bring to every one of our calls!”
— Elle, University of Kentucky commit

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