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FEATURED MOM INVENTORS > NADJA PIATKA
Just 15 years ago, Nadja Piatka was a single mom with two kids to support - and no job. Things got so bad that one day she hid under a table with her daughter from a creditor. That's when she decided to change her life. She began selling her homemade baked goods through local retailers in Buffalo, NY, and has since grown her company to a national level, including a delicious reduced-fat brownie sold through Subway stores. She also founded the Ultimate Girls' Getaway, a series of women's-only weekends in resort locations. This month she'll be launching a line of organic cookies, sold on her website, with 5% of the profits going to Second Harvest or the American Heart Association (the customer can choose). Here is her story:
Describe your product line. Nadja Foods (www.nadjafoods.com) supplies healthy, great tasting products to customers such as Subway, schools, hospitals and retail stores including Wegmans, Giant stores and ShopRite. We will soon be launching a line of organic, dairy free cookies in biodegradable packaging that will be sold online. Why did you start this company and when? In 1993. I was an unemployed single mother of two children. What were your initial goals? To support my family and make products I believed in. Describe yourself and your family. What is your background and how does it relate to your company? I was raised in a family business. My parents owned a delicatessen and later a restaurant. We lived upstairs. We all worked to help in the business. I thought that all kids put an apron on when they came home from school. It was a great experience for me growing up. Have you ever experienced an epiphany that changed the direction of your life? When I was an unemployed single parent, the day I made my daughter hide under the table with me from creditors. I decided no one would ever make me feel that humiliation again. What process did you follow to develop your food products? Testing recipes in my kitchen first. Then testing the market by selling locally to see if the public was willing to pay for the products - more than once! 
What process did you follow to determine your product's marketability (is there a need, would people buy it?)
I had tested the products on friends and family but they are not an objective focus group. Also - giving away free samples is not a good way to test your products, because everyone loves free food. So I approached local coffee shops with my products and they did love them, and wanted to carry them in their stores. What process did you follow to find a manufacturer for your product? To supply the baked goods fresh and on time, I would get up at 4AM, bake my wares and drive them to the stores where they would be sold. This was successful, but I could not continue waking up so early and being solely dependent on myself and the fact that my car better start in the morning. I needed to "outsource" the product, where a facility would bake and ship the products. I approached a local bakery with the recipe, had them sign a confidentiality agreement, and then they did the baking and delivery while I went out to secure more accounts. Were there any setbacks in product development that had to be overcome? There is a big difference between making something in your kitchen and eating it versus making that same recipe in a industrial setting and having many people handle it (Baking, packaging, distribution, retail store or restaurant and finally customer). You also need to consider shelf life of the products and how they stand up during the time it takes to get the products to the end user. For example, I sold frozen muffin pails to my first huge customer, which was McDonald's. When I first created the muffins, I didn't realize that baking powder breaks down quickly even when frozen. Through research, I found a "heat activated" baking powder. Without it, I wouldn't be in business today. What was the biggest learning curve in terms of developing your product? Scaling up small recipes to work with industrial equipment. Since our muffins could not be over mixed, I designed a large custom machine to mix the muffins to mimic gentle folding by hand. Through what markets are you selling your food products (retail, wholesale, internet, specialty sales)? Today, food service to Subway and Sodexho. I'm also selling retail to Wegmans, Giant Foods and Shop Rite. Internet organic cookies also coming soon! How did you break into national accounts like McDonalds and Subway? For both accounts I started with the head people at the regional level where they could make decisions for their area stores. Because of the success of my products, they grew to the national levels. This was over 8 years ago when you could do that. Now any new vendors for large corporations have to deal with national offices. 
Was it a difficult process? I can imagine it must have taken a tremendous effort to go from selling locally to these major accounts.
Yes, there is no overnight success even though it may look like that. I encourage people to start locally because it's the best place to test your product in the market and better to fix any mistakes on a small scale. What secrets have you learned in terms of publicity and marketing your product? Show the real person behind the product. Tell your story, successes and hardships. It helps people relate to you and to your products. What was the biggest learning curve in terms of marketing your product? Distribution. ..how to get your products to your customer. How long did it take to get your product from idea to market (conception to product launch)? Idea to product to market works in stages. Selling your product locally at farmers markets and smaller stores is quicker to accomplish and it's a good place to start and test your products. Securing a large account can take a year of persistence. How have you managed to juggle the roles of business owner and mom? What falls by the wayside? Fortunately my children are grown now but when they were younger and I was juggling business and parenting, I did my work at night when they were asleep and when they were at school. It wasn't always perfect and I did miss some of their events but they knew I was working hard for all of us so we felt like a team. When my daughter was 12 she broke her finger at school playing sports. I was leaving for an out of town weekend trade show that I had planned to take her to. She was going to help me in my booth and save on baby sitting costs. Since I didn't have anyone to leave her with, I took her with me straight from the hospital all bandaged and medicated. After my private meltdown in the hospital parking lot, feeling like the world's worst mother, I gathered her up and we ended up having a wonderful weekend away. What kind of support system do you have in place personally and professionally? When I was starting my business I lived far away from my family and was a single parent so I felt I didn't have a support system. Today, after 10 years of being single, I am married to a wonderful and supportive man. Professionally, I have a group of business women that I meet with once a month. We call ourselves the Equinox group. We are all business owners and share our challenges, successes and advice. I recommend that for all women in business. How did you finance your business (personal contributions, loans from friends & family, loans from bank, credit cards, outside investors?). I started with a $100 investment. I used it for business cards and letterhead. My company has a revolving line of credit that I use for business expenses. 
What has been your greatest success or "high point" in the process?
Being a guest on Oprah and sitting with her on her couch! How did you end up on Oprah? This is a dream for so many women. I had tried to contact them many times. I wrote down on a card that I would be on the Oprah Winfrey Show and carried it in my wallet. And to help the universe a bit, I made sure my brownies were being sold in the Subway across the street from Harpo Studios. I found out that her staff loved them and would buy them. Have you experienced a "low point" and if so, how did you rally yourself to get back on track? A year and a half ago I was diagnosed with leukemia and I am now in remission. It was difficult not being able to tend to the business, something I worked so hard to get started. I am now back in the saddle again, maybe just not riding the horse as fast as I used to. I believe in mind over matter and prayers. I have so much to be grateful for and close every day with a lot of "thank yous". What led you to develop the Ultimate Girls Getaway? How does it work? I believe we can get excited about more that one thing in life and we have transferable skills. I always thought women should have a weekend getaway that is just about them. A mini vacation that they can go on with friends, or even on their own, that is safe and beautiful. Women are such nurturers by nature; they are busy taking care of others. The Ultimate Girls Getaway is about taking care, empowering and celebrating them. As one guest said, "I came to the Ultimate Girls Getaway for friendship and female bonding. I came home a better wife, mommy and friend." Who has been your biggest source of inspiration? My parents always told me I could do anything. What keeps you going? My family. Did anyone in particular help you along the way? Many people seemed to just appear and help me when I needed them. It's the way of the universe. I believe you don't become a success on your own. What advice would you offer other moms developing their products/ideas? If you are passionate about it....do it and don't wait for the "right time". As my favorite philosopher Goethe said, "Many countless splendid ideas are lost due to hesitancy and inactivity." Is there a resource that proved to be invaluable that you would like to share with other moms? The Internet and books are full of great information. What surprised you about this process? The support of many people who love to see others succeed. Is there anything else you would like to add? Thank you for asking me to do this interview! Your special newsletter for Mom Inventors is part of this wonderful journey I am on. I'm very honored to be featured. | ||||||
