“...right around that time, my company laid off 75% of its workforce. And I remember being in that room and everyone else was upset – I was excited about an opportunity this presented… I don’t think I ever would have left the security and safety net that a job provides, so for me, I saw it (being laid off) as an opportunity to grow the business.”
An energy bar that boasts clean label, meaning … we can actually identify and pronounce the ingredients, and they make us feel good before/during/after exercise? A brand that builds community around its products? YES. YES that is an actual thing!
Meet Ryan Naboshek, today’s show guest. He did the corporate job thing… and on the side his passion kept him busy on nights and weekends while he hand-made healthy bars in his kitchen. That’s right. He started his passion project on the side and he cared about it so much, he spent his free time working on it. Like, ALL of his free time.
Until the day came when his corporate job employer laid off the bulk of its workforce - including Ryan. And instead of it being a panic moment, it was the launchpad for CRAFTED to really become a legitimate endeavor for Ryan and his two co-founders.
I find this story so inspiring because it shows that when you truly love something you’re working on, it doesn’t HAVE to be your full time job, or at least, not right away. It can make your mind spin with ideas and your feet hit the ground running in the mornings, even if it’s not your primary job or income source. You can nurture it and experiment with it and then … maybe something happens that catapults it one direction or the other. But bottom line when you’re passionate and enthusiastic about it, it feels very worthwhile, and you’ll hear that in Ryan’s energy and tone.
His passion for what he’s doing is positively contagious.
It’s really exciting to see what they’ve done with their bars and where they want to go - -they’ve got another new flavor waiting in the wings ready to launch, in fact, and they continue to build communities of runners, cyclists and climbers with their branding and products. More than that, though, is the impact they are working to have -they are disrupting an industry replete with products filled with sugars, sugar substitutes (GROSS), preservatives for longer shelf life … and instead they’ve come to the athletic and healthy/vegan communities with legit fueling sources full of legit and REAL foods, which sit well in the tummy and which provide sustained energy…. YES PLEASE.
I love the bars — the cyclist bar especially since I am a cyclist at my core. But yes I also eat the runner and climber bars too and they’re delish. I also recommend and use these bars for life activities- like hiking, courtroom and work time, travel — those times when I want to eat something that will keep my blood sugar levels constant, provide me food for fueling without a sugar/insulin spike and resulting crash….
I found this interview super inspiring and uplifting- Ryan’s energy is contagious!! I hope it boosts your day like it did mine. Happy listening!
Learn more about Ryan & Crafted Energy: