Denver, Colorado
303-329-4615
www.trudyfruity.com
Start Date: July 4th, 2009
Favorite Business Book: The Google Story by David A. Vise and Mark Malseed - More on this later.
I have to admit, while this sounded like a daunting task when I first conceived of the idea to interview so many entrepreneurs, this is turning out to be such a joy. Today’s interview with Gary Giliard was no exception. As you are about to understand, Gary has a deep passion and belief in his product, tremendous business aptitude, as well as a superior product with a story all its own.
I found Gary through a small story that was printed in the Denver Business Journal back in November. But of course, it was by no accident. Gary created the best tasting press release, and sent it to 12 local publications in hopes of landing a few stories. When the DBJ called him back they asked that he not give any other publications the story until theirs ran first.
Trudy Fruity specializes in holiday fruit cake cookies which were born out of a love of baking, and a family receipt handed down from Gary’s mother…Trudy. Gary shared with me that he started his business on July 4, 2009 at the Cherry Creek Farmer’s Market. But he admits that he thought it was a crazy idea to try to sell fruit cake in the middle of summer. Thankfully, people not only loved the cookies, but they loved Gary’s story.
Gary started his company out of necessity. Like many people, Gary found himself out of a corporate job last year due to company layoffs. When he couldn’t find a job, and asked friends for advice, they suggested he go into baking. For years, Gary had been baking his mother’s cookies, and was giving them to family and friends during the holidays. Over 20 years, the list just kept growing and growing. So when he asked his family and friends what they thought he should do after loosing his job, it was an easy decision…they already knew he would be a success.
With a background in marketing, Gary decided to bake and sell gourmet cookies to be sold through local retail outlets (Tony’s, Spinelli’s, and The Cheese Co.) and his website. He first tested and sold the fruitcake cookies, but then added other flavors as well. The timing could not have been better, with plenty of time to figure out how to transition his baking from the kitchen to a commercial kitchen before the holidays; Gary’s first six months have been perfect practice as he slowly grows his business.
Through hard work, and creative marketing, Gary was able to sell to over 500 customers for the 2009 holiday season. It was so successful, that he had to shut down all orders for pre-Christmas delivery a week before Christmas and only offer post-Christmas delivery. I have to tip my hat to Gary for this. As a new business owner, it is hard to tell someone “no, I am sorry I can not get it to you by then;” most entrepreneurs end up over promising, and under delivering.
When asked about the hardest thing he has faced, Gary talked about start-up capital. Gary did not plan on starting a company; he was forced into it, and did not have much savings. So, Gary turned once again to his biggest fans…his friends and family, to give him small short term loans. The really hard part was all the opportunity that he saw, but could not act on due to the finances needed to put the plan into action. Trudy Fruity needed money for packaging, commercial kitchen space, marketing, and ingredients. Putting product in retail stores was great, but it required more up-front costs than selling through his web site. One big opportunity he was forced to turn down was a deal with Whole Foods, he just could not come up with the capitol in time for the holidays.
For a company that has only been in business for six months, Gary has sold product almost all across the country. Gary told me he had sold cookies from Omaha to Tucson, but when I went to his website, I not only saw that he has sold coast to coast, but read an amazing story about one family in Florida:
We received your brown-paper-wrapped package on our doorstep, addressed to a prior resident. With no way to forward your package, we opened it and discovered your holiday cookies. They looked so tasty and we could smell aromas of spices we remembered from our past. Your cookies were amazing. They reminded us of the fruitcake our parents use to bake. Please put us on your ship-to list next year.Ralph and Karen
Lake Mary, Florida
When I asked Gary about future plans and vision for his company, he told me that he hopes to be the “Girl Scout cookie of gourmet cookies.” He likes the seasonality of the business, and wants to focus on on-line sales and wants to get away from the brick and mortar model.
When we talked about his favorite business book - The Google Story, he told me that he had received it as a gift from the president of Scholastic books (his then employer), but dismissed it. One day, he picked it up and realized what a great story it was. It is a story about a company that grew because its products and services were so good, that their customers could not help talking about them, and so they grew. This is how Gary hopes his company will grow as well.
With a passion for his product, a wonderful grasp on how small business works, and a steadfast desire to provide great customer service, I can not help but predict that Trudy Fruity will grow into a fabulous company. Thank you Gary for sharing your story, and I for one can not wait to try some of your cookies.
Until next time, enjoy the adventure and Belay On!
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