Tell us more about yourself and the beginning of SNACKWITH:

After recovering from an eating disorder in college, I realized how hard it was to find healthy snacks and how many women abuse food and exercise to achieve an “ideal” body shape. So I made it SNACKWITH’S mission to inspire young women to nourish their bodies with snacks that are delicious, inspire self-love, and promote food freedom.

What makes your snack boxes unique and different?

I decided to create a monthly snack box because there are so many great snack brands that no one knows about! I wanted to make it easy for people to have greater access to healthy snacks and providing a box of snacks that’s delivered straight to your door, makes it easy! I’m VERY picky when it comes to choosing the snacks to go into the box. I only choose the snacks that I would eat myself and pay extra attention to whole food ingredients. There’s nothing that goes into our boxes that’s not taste tested either by myself or my team and then some friends to make sure these snacks are tasty & good for you! I like to say SNACKWITH is more than just a snack box, we’re a community. Our members get access to our #NOFILTER events, valuable tips, and more. Our boxes are super affordable! I did this on purpose so that college students can be able to purchase a snack box for as low as $13.

Why snack boxes and not creating a new snack product?

Creating a snack box has made me incorporate new snacks and discover products for my customers to try. I’m all about trying diverse and new products and this way I can do just that! My goal is to make healthy snacking more accessible to college students, working professionals, and parents.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an entrepreneur?

Starting a business while being a full-time student is no joke. I learned a lot about myself, my strengths, and my weaknesses. It’s very difficult to run a business and a whole team (talk about imposter syndrome!) and be a full time CEO in charge. I learned how to delegate and ask for help when needed. Taking it one step at a time, accepting rejections, and pivoting when somethings not right is what I’m currently working on. The biggest challenge, especially when I first launched, is hearing rejection. I even had a mentor back out on me just because he didn’t like my idea. That rejection really hurt, especially because I took it so personally. But learning to separate myself from my business is one of the biggest takeaways: they didn’t not like you – they just didn’t like the business.

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What’s next for you and for SnackWith?

Oh, we’re just getting started! We’re doing so many exciting events in the future, collaborations, and scaling outside of my normal customer base. What’s fun is that SNACKWITH is only less than a year old, so we have so much to explore.

One piece of advice for new entrepreneurs or anyone with a great idea?

Just launch!! Seriously, even if it’s not perfect, launch and test it in the market. Customer interviews are key, literally ask them anything you want about your product. I found that the things I don’t want to hear are actually the most useful when changing the product. Figure out what works and what doesn’t, and go from there. Another takeaway I’ve learned is to build community around your products. By creating valuable content, sharing tips, offering advice, etc. will leave your customers wanting more from you and eventually your product. This is such an exciting business for me to share more about because we worked together on an incredible box this March. I’m obsessed with all of these snacks because they’re ones I love and enjoy from brands that are great.

 I was honored when Sophie reached out to collaborate on a box to launch during Women’s month. I was so inspired by the brand I couldn’t wait to work together. I worked with her to curate a box that features Black and Woman of Color owned businesses. The box is available for just a limited time so buy one before it’s gone. Sophie will be collaborating with other amazing people in the future so be sure to look out for featured boxes.

10 Black and Woman of Color owned hand-selected snack brands:

• Siete Foods Lime Chips

• Partake Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Beina Chickpea Snack Bag

• Bohana Sweet Cinnamon Drizzle

• Gr8nola Charcoal Chia Granola

• Green Moustache Cheddarish Crackers

• Brassi Apple Spice Oatmeal

• You Again Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

• Teranga Pine Nut Energy Bar

• Pipcorn Truffle Corn Chips

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