The Power of Asking with Saskia Sorrosa
Cafe con Pam
English - March 05, 2023 14:31 - 59 minutes - 47.7 MB - ★★★★★ - 262 ratingsPersonal Journals Society & Culture Business Careers supportbrownpodcasts interview latinxpodcast latino latinx latina bilingual spanglish latine Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Listeners, we are back this week with Saskia Sorrosa.
Saskia Sorrosa is a proud immigrant, and founder & CEO of Fresh Belies, the first-ever savory kid brand to launch using real ingredients serving “veggies as veggies and fruits as fruits” seasoned with herbs and spices commonly found in Latin American kitchens. Born in Ecuador, Sorrosa moved to the States at seventeen to attend George Washington University. After starting a family, she became hyper aware of the high sugar and high sodium snack choices that permeated grocery shelves. In response to the lack of options and with a desire to raise her children with flavors she grew up enjoying in Ecuador, Saskia created a brand that made healthy eating more authentically flavorful and uniquely delicious: Fresh Bellies. Since 2016 Saskia has grown Fresh Bellies into a national disruptor with Fresh Bellies being ranked among the top 5 natural toddler snacks in the country. Currently the snacks are sold in 5,000 stores throughout the U.S., including retail giants like Target, Sprouts, Walmart and Whole Foods. Fresh Bellies has won Expo East NEXTY Award for Best New Natural Kid’s Product, and Saskia graduated from the Stanford Latino Business Action Network (LBAN) cohort! During her 16-year career in consumer marketing she climbed the ladder of corporate America to become the VP of Marketing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a proud representation of American immigrants and women and, received several industry accolades for her innovation and leadership, including AdAge’s 40 Under 40 and Hispanic Lifestyle’s “Latina of Influence.” Originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador, Sorrosa currently resides in New York with her husband, Fernando and daughters, Isabella and Alexa Luna.
During this episode we talked about:
03:40 - Moving to the US at 17
07:21 - “I knew I wanted to make money”
08:29 - “I was all about the opportunity”
10:50 - Getting into Communications School
11:58 - Her talk with the dean & the power of asking
12:45 - “Don’t answer your own questions”
14:13 - Getting her first job after graduating
18:56 - “The energy you put out is what you get back”
19:27 - Burnout
24:32 - Her journey to her own company
26:36 - The entrepreneurial itch
29:07 - Leaving with nothing
29:47 - Timing
30:59 - Talking Money: Starting the Company & Getting funds
34:49 - “It was really: asking”
36:59 - “Entrepreneur is masochism”
38:05 - Entrepreneurs and mental health
40:20 - “We bring our baggage to these conversations”
44:17 - “I know my numbers like the back of my hand”
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