50. How Jennifer Ross Disrupted the Sugar-Free Beverage Industry with Swoon

What does it look like to disrupt an industry? Jennifer Ross is giving us a behind the scenes peek into her journey of launching Swoon, an innovative line of zero-sugar iced teas and lemonades. 

Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a child, much of her motivation for starting the company stemmed from a desire for better sugar-free drink options, for the “young Jens” out there.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Swoon came to be, from coming up with the formula, building a proof of concept, and going door to door to sell it. Now, Swoon is available nationwide! 

Jennifer also shares what it’s like running a successful F&B company alongside her friend, Co-Founder, and Co-CEO Cristina Ros Blankfein, and she offers great advice for aspiring founders who have a similar dream of breaking into the food and beverage space.

Before Jennifer became an entrepreneur, she had very little experience in the food and beverage industry – and yet, she credits her previous jobs in banking and operations for teaching her the skills she uses today. It doesn’t matter where you start. No matter the job, no matter the industry, there’s always something you can take with you to your next career or business venture. 

 

IN THIS EPISODE:

Jennifer’s career highlights, from Goldman Sachs, FanVision, Harvard Business School, and the cocktail mixing company she started with her partner, Cristina Ros Blankfein How Jennifer and Cristina navigated the crowded food and beverage space in New York by starting small, testing the market, and getting customer feedback early on The idea and origins of Swoon, a company that produces sugar-free lemonade and iced tea from monk fruit-based syrup What to look for in a Co-Founder and Co-CEO, and the value of working with people who think differently than you Working at a large company where roles are fixed vs. a small company where you have your hands in everything

 

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED:

You can find Swoon at Whole Foods, at your local grocery stores, at select Targets, Amazon, and on their website.

Sarina is a career coach and consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, via email, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.