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Join Up Dots - Online Business Success Made Easy


Welcome To The #1 Global Hit Podcast Join Up Dots

Nov 29, 2019

Introducing Victoria Prince Today's guest joining us on the Join Up Dots podcast is a woman who is the classic model of the side hustle entrepreneur that has truly got the ball rolling. As she says "First and foremost, I'm a Marketing Consultant for businesses who have big ambitions; whether you're a start-up or a large FMCG brand, I have extensive experience in both arenas. My current side hustle however as an Entrepreneur is Energy Ball Recipe Kits. I design and make recipe kits for customers (on subscription) to make fresh energy balls at home. I launched the Kits on Kickstarter in July 2018 and within 12 months I had my first order from Selfridges. Of course that seems easy, and a side hustle isn't for sure and that success had a four year build up since  March 2014: Victoria Prince Energy Ball Founder, started to make energy balls. Over time, if she had run out of an ingredient, she would substitute it for something else, and before she knew it, she was making recipes up as she went along. How The Dots Led To Energy Balls January 2017: Vic decided to start publishing the recipes she made onto this website, for no other purpose than to share what she had made so others could try them out. December 2017: She wondered why there isn’t a regular subscription kit for snacks like there are for mealtimes. So she built a great team of people around her and developed an Energy Ball Recipe Kit. 23rd March 2018: At an Enterprise Nation Wellness event in London, Victoria took her prototype ‘Energy Ball Recipe Kit’ and talked to lots of industry people about her ambitions. 29th July 2018: The Recipe Kit launched on Kickstarter and smashed the target, with over £2700 in pre-sales of Energy Ball Recipe Kits, which were posted around the globe. 22nd July 2019: Selfridges placed their first order. They will be selling 3 ‘unique’ energy ball recipe kits via their website. LAUNCHING VERY SOON. In her spare time (ha!) I'm a Mentor at the Nottingham Trent University Business School, and I carry out public speaking engagements for business networking/wellness events. So how did she overcome the impostor syndrome that seems to stop most side hustles from occurring even before they get any movement? And as most people say to me, "I wish Id started earlier" would she say the same to her younger-self if she ever got the chance? Well lets find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots, with the one and only Energy Balls herself, Victoria Prince Show Highlights During the show we discussed such weight subjects with Victoria Prince such as: Victoria shares the initial starting point of her desire to create her fledgling business due to her own health issues. We delve into why building a business that already has competitors is actually a very wise thing to do. The reason that you should never reveal your dreams to your close friends and colleagues right at the beginning when the are most fragile. And lastly................. Why starting a business can not only be great for your bank balance but also amazing for your own personal health. How To Connect With Victoria Prince Website Facebook Twitter Return To The Top Of Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince If you enjoyed this interview with Victoria Prince why not check out other inspiring interviews like Clint Arthur, Lunden DeLeon and Jack Canfield Or of course you can check out thousands of podcast interviews in our archives here Interview Transcription For Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince Interview David Ralph 0:01 Once upon a time there was a guy with a dream a dream. He's Jobs for himself online and have a kick ass life working when he wanted him where he wanted across the world. Little did he know that dream would lead him into a world of struggle, burnout and debt. Until he found the magic ingredient and knows drunk was became a thing of the past, of course, was bad person. And now My dream is to make things happen. for you Welcome to Join Up Dots. Intro 0:31 When we're young, we have an amazing positive outlook about how great life is going to be. But somewhere along the line we forget to dream and end up settling. Join Up Dots features amazing people who refuse to give up and chose to go after their dreams. This is your blueprint for greatness. So here's your host live from the back of his garden in the UK, David Ralph. Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 0:54 Good morning, everybody. Good morning and welcome to the 800 million episode. Join Up Dots I've got no idea what we're at now base a lot is a lot. And if you want to spend some time going back over the back catalogue, feel free because you want to hear, not only will our guests have been on the journey, I've been on the journey as well, and it's a journey that you can all do. Well, today's guest who is on the other end of the line is a woman who is the classic model of the side hustle entrepreneur but has truly got the ball rolling. See what I did that way it won't make sense at the moment, but it will do later. As she says first and foremost, I'm a marketing consultant for businesses who had big ambitions, whether you're a startup or large, FMCG brand, I have extensive experience in both arenas. Now. My current side hustle however, as an entrepreneur is energy ball recipe kits, I designed to make recipe kits for customers on subscription to make fresh energy balls at home. Now I launched the kits on Kickstarter in July 2018. And within 12 months, I had my first order from self produce. Of course, that seems easy, and a side hustle isn't for sure. And that success had a four year build up since March 2014. She started to make energy balls. And over that time, she ran out of ingredients. So she would substitute it for something else. And before she knew it, she was making recipes up as she went along. Now jump forward to 2017. So she's already been doing it for three years, she decided to start publishing the recipes she made onto a website, but no other purpose meant to share what she had made so others could try them out. And then and then she wondered why there isn't a regular subscription kit for snacks like that, for mealtimes. So she built one and she built a great team of people around her and developed energy bought recipe kit. Well, we're going to jump on a bit but it's all really doing very well. And we've sell produce now selling her stuff, and they're going to be selling three unique energy ball recipe kits via the website too. She's doing very well for herself. Now in her spare time. She says I'm a mentor at the Nottingham Trent University business school, and I carry out public speaking engagements for business networking wellness events. So she's a busy lady. How did she overcome the imposter syndrome? That seems to stop most side hustle from occurring even before they get any movement? And as most people say to me, I wish I'd started earlier would she say the same to her younger self if she ever got the chance? Well, let's find out as we bring on to the show to start joining up dance with the one and only energy balls founder herself Victoria Prince. Good morning, Victoria. How are you? I'm really good. Thank you. Introduction. David Ralph 3:35 It was good. It was good. Tell you Well, I need about six energy balls to get over that one. I'm gonna be ramming them in my mouth. Left right and centre. So So I've got to come straight clean, but because this has been bothering me, Victoria, okay. Okay. Yeah, I love what you're doing First of all, okay, and I was watching your video, and you've got the most beautiful sparkly face when you were talking about energy balls and everything you said it was like I love this I love this product and your your your eyes lit up. I almost wanted to watch the video twice because you were so you were so engaging. But about three weeks leading up to this I've kept on going over to your website. I've seen the main green ones. And I've been thinking if they were in my fridge, I would have loved them out. they they they don't look very attractive. The green ones is that is that something that holds it back? Is that something that holds it back because now I'm on there and I'm flicking around? And there's all these other ones they all look gorgeous but the green ones are horrible. Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 4:40 now that's that's that's a fair comment and and one of the things that I say to people so if we are at an event and we're giving away free tasters people to see what the bulls taste like, what I generally say with the main green ones is that your eyes tell you something different than than your total. So when you actually looking at it, you're saying Oh, this looks disgusting. It's green actually. This isn't something I'm supposed to eat. But actually, as you're eating it, it's like people's eyes light up and then surprise like, Oh, it's actually quite sweet and it's you can taste it with peanut butter in there and you know, you get these different flavours so it's it's very different to what to what it looks like so I think once you've eaten one you definitely went through that phase David Ralph 5:19 the rest away Do you think so? I would be converted do you think? Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 5:22 Yeah, definitely. David Ralph 5:24 Yeah, I'd be going over green ones right. So I've got that out of my system now. And and it was it was a brain based app ready to burst. I had to share it. So let's go back in time, okay. You are busy. You're a lady and being just just being a ladies busy enough because I know how much effort it takes my daughters to get out the house each morning. So that's difficult. Your business is going to take up your time. Why did you want to do this side hustle? Why did you want to add something more one to you. So take us back in time through that thought process Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 5:59 started with a diagnosis of polycystic ovaries which one of those one of the symptoms is weight gain? And when I was looking online on, you know what, when you try to Google things to work out, what am I going to do to try and combat symptoms, and one of the things was to reduce my sugar. And I was looking for non sugary snacks. And bearing in mind when I finished my degree I had my first job in marketing was for Thornton's chocolate company. And so therefore, when I when I was there, I would literally eat chocolate on the way to the printer and a chocolate on the way back, which meant that I was constantly printing things because like, this is chocolates open all the time in the offices. It's lovely. But so I was I was serious chocoholic, so in order to try and kind of change my attitude to what I was eating. I need to start eating a bit cleaner. And you really reducing my sugar I mean, I don't think anybody can reduce it fully unless someone a serious plans but and I just want to be really wary of what I was putting into my body. So it really was born out of out of a health condition that that I wanted to cater for. And that there wasn't anything out there that apart from recipes online, I already made energy balls, of course, that there wasn't anything where I could literally have all the ingredients ready to make the eligible special at home and really conveniently and unhealthy, like less food ways and lots of benefits that come off the back of that being a you know, straight to the door with all the ingredients. And so it it just really kind of evolved itself. It wasn't I set out to say, I'm going to launch this product on Kickstarter, and I'm going to sell for just website and I'm going to, you know, send all around the world to Olympians and it that was never something that I wanted to that wasn't my aim. It was just that I wanted to eat healthier. And actually this all came about as a result David Ralph 7:50 of it. And what that have scared you, you know if somebody joined up your future in the saying, right, you've got to speak to sales bridges and you've got to do business. You got to speak to Libyans, would you pay? can't be bothered. All I wanted to do is eat a few of these not not all this Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 8:10 I don't know. I don't know. I don't think I've been scared. I don't think. I don't think he can. I definitely shouldn't be scared in business. I think it's you've just got to jump in because what's the worst that can happen? People say no. So even if somebody said, I'm going to, you know, speak to Selfridges then like I guess, just think, okay, let's just do it, you know, like, like this call with you. It's just Okay, let's do it. It is, but I think people should ever be. If they're scared of doing what their business is, then they're not passionate about it. And they're not they're not in the right industry. I would, I would come on I don't know. Unknown Speaker 8:47 Well, I because David Ralph 8:47 I I wonder myself because I saw this post on Facebook the other day, I don't go to baseball very often but and it said that basically, entrepreneurs have 10 times as much mental health Problems 1020 times as much energy issues and there was a big list of terrible stuff and it said so they're already going through so much support them, support them and try to help them out. And I thought yeah, that's fair enough. Now, none of us know that's going to be the case when we start until we actually get deep into it and realised that we've created a monster for ourselves and certainly with Join Up Dots I had a terrible time because naive Lee bouncing into it I bought it was GS you turn the microphone on? You have a chat and you know, you make lots of money, but there was there's a bit more to it when the scenes. Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 9:40 Yeah, no, I get that. But going back to your point, just before you said about entrepreneurs have the biggest amount like 10 times might have mentioned I had depression and like inviting everything when I was employed. So and now I don't So I think I kind of put the trend on that, I would say. So I wouldn't necessarily say that if you're an entrepreneur, you're going to have mental health problems. I think, I think mental health problems can happen for anybody at any point in the life anytime, for any reason. David Ralph 10:15 I agree. I agree totally. But Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 10:16 just to book the trend on that one, yeah. David Ralph 10:19 No, I think you're going to be somebody who's bucking a lot of trends through this conversation. Yeah, I already sent that with you, Victoria. I've got I've got to tread carefully. So you get these little things, and you start making them into balls. And why balls? Why not like triangles? Why not squares? Why not? Because I got told by somebody that the worst shape is a tin because you lose all the space around it. If I made baked beans in square cans, they'd be able to store more on shelves. And so I've always looked at round products and think there's a lot of wasted space there. Square One would just like blinking Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 11:07 genius isn't it? So I I like that I like the round 10 on the shelf because obviously that is something that is taking up space and I know where you're coming from with that. But I think then when it's something that's in your fridge, it's not costing expert pounds x, x pounds per centimetre of space in your fridge is it? It's not it's not a rental. Unless you're Unknown Speaker 11:30 working on that basis. David Ralph 11:32 One blows Do you remember? Unknown Speaker 11:36 Do you remember right? David Ralph 11:40 O Victoria. Victoria. You're too young. You've just made me feel like a decrepit old man. Everywhere used to have a run blows and you could go in you could tie your TV show. Unknown Speaker 11:53 Yeah, yeah, yeah, David Ralph 11:54 yeah, yeah. And I 2010 on a Saturday afternoon, there was always loads of men looking out. Standing outside watching a football results come in. Yeah. Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 12:04 I was thinking about a product you just talking about like this the baked beans on the tongue I thinking oh okay like I was imagining like a waggon wheel off. I could treat David Ralph 12:14 my waggon Unknown Speaker 12:16 tree Unknown Speaker 12:18 sounds like a tree David Ralph 12:18 but do you think waggon wheels have got smaller or have you got bigger? I know this is a bizarre thing to ask because I argued the point the other day that when I was a kid, I used to be able to take a curly Worley remember them and I used to be able to lean it up on my house and climb up it like a ladder they were that big. And now but tiny little thing I noticed said is because I've got bigger but I swear for a waggon will has got smaller Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 12:44 they do have products like that do tend to go small over time and it's all about marginal gains the retailer isn't it they just they just make an extra bit of profit on the tiny tiny tiny little bit of extra profit on everything is settled obviously them built David Ralph 13:01 That's it. That's it, I'm gonna hit this is this is why Join Up Dots is such a great programme. And I'm going to say that myself, because if I open a bag of crisps nowadays, and for people in America, potato chips, you open it up, there's about four in there that there's like nothing in there. Now, if I'm going to open it up, it's jam packed. I'm going to go back. So the consumer is actually shooting themselves in the foot by screwing us over on the size of things. Give us bigger ones, and we're going to buy more. Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 13:32 Well, I don't know. All I know is that over time when you look at anything, like any kind of product file that they do tend to get smaller and like when you buy a multi pack, they're always smaller. Now if you notice, if I bought a pack of Chris, safe, they're like 30 grammes was a normal bag. You're like 28 in a multi pack. So you think you're getting a good deal, but David Ralph 13:53 has anybody ever come up to you and said the word I want pick a bowls, and Victoria? Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 13:59 Yeah, something Say, ask me how big bowl should be or they'll say I only made four balls out the whole kit. And so when it makes 30. So when you mentioned balls that kind of size of a golf ball, generally, David Ralph 14:12 but I'm a large fan of people that say this to you, Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 14:16 not necessarily sports people. Yeah. Anybody? David Ralph 14:21 Because I would have thought, you know, if you've got one large bowl, you're used to eating large quantities. And so that that's what you would be doing. Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 14:30 Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't advise it, which is why we say you need 30 and the idea is you have a wonderful snack a day is something to keep in your fridge ladies got into healthy snack. David Ralph 14:40 Okay, well, I'm going to delve into a couple more questions that are in my head and then we're going to get more into the business side. But how much energy would I get from one of these things? Because, you know, I remember drinking a can of red ball once and I couldn't sleep for six days. I would like mad. I went mad on it. So it was Would you do the same thing? Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 15:02 know, if you're having one a day, they generally range from around 60 calories 205. So, and if you haven't one day, it's just like having a normal snack anyway, I mean, a bar chocolate or practices around now. So it's not, it's not about energy as in ridiculous amount of energy. In order for someone to be high energy, it just needs to be over a certain amount of kilocalories per hundred grammes. So it's more about the factors where they're known as energy balls and they do give energy because like any any food gives energy because it's putting into your system. And but it's not necessarily going to make you bounce off the walls like people to think. David Ralph 15:49 I thought that was going to be the case I'd be sitting here slumped, and I'd rather Bry my mouth and then be like, be like a superhero. Yeah, bursting out. Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 16:00 Well, you can try it. I mean, everybody's different. Everybody's bodies react differently. You know, David Ralph 16:05 I'm worried, I'm worried. I'm worried that my bouncy energy would be too much. And then suddenly it be like that the mask Jimmy Jim Carrey, when he turned into the mask, and he would be bouncing. Now, let's take you back into the actual process of it. So what I find a lot is people come up with an idea. And then they think, oh, it must be out there already. Somebody's already done this. Did you have that same kind of thing where you're, you know, what's the point? Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 16:35 Yeah, I mean, that shouldn't necessarily be a reason not to do it. Because say if there was somebody already out there doing this, which I don't believe there is I'm not seeing anybody. I'm not come across anybody that does this already. worldwide. And so I've got friends in different countries, new people are like, oh, I've not seen this in my country. And why do you think that if this is somebody already they're doing it they Kind of paved the path and created the kind of Unknown Speaker 17:07 what's the word? desire? Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 17:09 Kind of? Yeah, well, the desire and, and the, the ability to know that it's there, you know, like they've done the marketing and they've kind of already got it out there. So the customers issue, the customer is aware that this product exist. Whereas the kind of positive and negative to be in a brand new brand to to the market but a brand new product and the market is that you kind of have to spend more money for people to understand what you do, and it's harder for them to kind of just get it through to me and go, Okay, yeah, I'm signing up, or I'm going to buy a kit or whatever. Because I need to feel like they've seen it before and they've to spend it a bit more money to in order to get customers on board. And so what was that so I said there's a positive and negative so that's the negative but the positive is that you don't really have a direct competitor. So you know, Having to compete against somebody who is spending as much or more, you know, Facebook advertising or you know, PR efforts or whatever it is that they're doing, you know, having to like match and constantly look over your shoulder, like what are they doing now? How they what Christmas campaign, they got, what, what January complete, you know, what, you know, it's this kind of positives and negatives to to be in something that is new and unique. But yeah, but but David Ralph 18:26 the key thing to this is, and I really want to emphasise it to the listeners, you can do the same thing. Every episode of Join Up Dots has got somebody doing a business. And if you want to replicate that business, it will make no difference on the rewards but that person's getting it The world is too big is too abundant. And so you know, I let you into secret. There's other podcasters it's not just me, and Victoria is creating energy bowls, and you could be somewhere else and you could create energy, triangle or energy squares. We've even proved that energy squares are better because you started Yeah. And you could do a multicolor one. So it looks like a Rubik's Cube you could do you know? Good idea. Yeah. These ideas I don't, I don't follow through with these ideas. They just pop out of my mind and we go, but it blows my mind though that no one else has done this because the years My mom has been hanging out fat balls, the birds in the garden. Yeah, and that's exactly the same thing but just for the crazy. Unknown Speaker 19:35 Yeah, yeah. David Ralph 19:36 Pretty much. So does that not blow your mind but somebody didn't look out the window with their cup of tea in the morning and thing. The birds are enjoying that maybe I would enjoy it as well. Unknown Speaker 19:50 Does that blew my mind? Yeah. David Ralph 19:59 Your mind But not one person on this planet. I stood and looked out the window at some birds rubbishing a platform. I thought to themselves, there must be something in it. Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 20:11 Or do you know what people have done that because they're already made energy balls out there, there's already like them in the supermarket some unhealthy chops ready to just prep and go. And there's different brands, different sizes, like tiny ones, big ones. And, you know, I mean, so I guess there are people that have looked at that not necessarily looked at the fat balls in the garden, I don't know they might have done maybe need to interview them and ask them David Ralph 20:34 don't interest me in the same way. Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 20:37 Yeah, so So somebody has made them they're like ready to go. It's just a make them so it's, it's a step before where you've got a bit of work to do. David Ralph 20:45 You know, it's suddenly dawned on me. I've been watching you for about two weeks, it suddenly dawned on me that you're absolutely right. But the thing that you're selling is actually the family involvement that the parents can make them with their kids, and they can You know, be a bit creative and they can make things for their friends that there's love involved in what you're giving, which just get in a bag of Old Energy balls, it wouldn't be the same. Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 21:11 Know you I and I like to say to this like families or if somebody poorly or not feeling well, it's nice to send them something so that they've got a little something to make that, you know, all the time was saying to people who are in hospital like sending them chocolates and stuff. But actually, by I'm not saying like before in hospital. I'm saying this wrong. What I'm trying to say is, when people call it, it can sometimes be easier to send them something healthy Unknown Speaker 21:38 chocolates innovations David Ralph 21:41 in hospital, don't send them the green ones that will know that will push them over the edge. Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 21:47 That the idea would be that if somebody was in hospital, you'd have to probably make the kit for them and take it in because they wouldn't be different facilities. a food processor Unknown Speaker 22:00 Why I went off a tangent that David Ralph 22:03 I can imagine kids to make glittery ones do you do both? Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 22:07 Yeah, that's I had a glittery one last year so we had a Christmas Christmas baubles It was called and the photo that I took was like a spray upon spray with a double glitter that you can put on. And so the seven suggestion actually said it's great to put on the Christmas buffet table so you just pile them up like forever Russia would be and all these little balls on the plate and then you spray this silver or gold and little spray and then you put them on to the buffet table Christmas and TAD Yeah you did right. And there's things like hundreds of thousands that you can mould them into the decal my birthday presents and you know just a bit more fun. Literally, the world's your oyster really can do you can put it in and whatever you want. If you make it from scratch, not using a kit either you want and you can enrol them in what if you want to give it like a David Ralph 22:57 particular finish? And what about what about things like hen parties, but making them in different shapes so they're not just just I'm not gonna say anything in case kids are listening, but I know Victoria, you're know what I'm talking about. Would that be something that you go? No, actually I want my balls to remain pristine and sacred. Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 23:23 Oh, no, I mean everybody just what they want to do with them really, I mean, like, just going off on a tangent so that I can go into ways on this. So one of them is that you asked earlier about do they need the ball so they can be put into like so you make the mixture up but then you put it into a container and you'd like squish it all down to it nice and flat. And then you could get some dark chocolate, heat that up in the microwave memory until it becomes a liquid and you can put that on and then put some notes into a pass the water and then crumble them onto the Top and pop freedom feasible that that sets and then when you take it out you can put them into squares. So that's another different way of doing the same thing but you different David Ralph 24:11 containers with that word. Yeah, Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 24:12 totally. Yeah, I mean like you wanted them square so this is just perfect for you, isn't it? I think you need to test these out. I think I need to send you a min Mean Green kit and you need to test out this ice cube Ice Cube theory. David Ralph 24:25 Yeah, I'm going to be chasing the kids round with little green balls. Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 24:29 But the other thing I was going to say was so you said about important stuff up a lot of interest now from football teams, and and Olympic teams, but I'm going in and doing like team building. So it works. levels. So like you said, how David Ralph 24:49 do you do this? You know, I By this time, I should have played some motivational clip. This is more interesting to me. How do you do sort of team building with tiny little green balls. Energy Balls Founder Victoria Prince 25:02 So imagine and let me give you the example of Plymouth Argyle. So they are they playing the green kit, basic policy okay with us. And so what we're going to do is set the team up into different groups so that they all have different recipes, different ingredients available. But with spirulina being green as one of t