Season 3 Episode 8
From Rock Climbing to Entrepreneurship: Sasha DiGiulian on Marketing and Leadership

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RESOURCES   ❯   The Marketing Rapport Podcast

Episode Summary

Sasha DiGiulian, world-class rock climber and entrepreneur, joins Tim Finnigan on The Marketing Rapport to discuss her journey building Send Bars, a superfood protein bar company. Sasha explains how her experience as a professional athlete shaped her approach to business. She emphasizes the importance of an “athlete mindset,” focusing on continuous improvement and adapting to challenges. Sasha details the company’s mission to create a product that is both good for people and the planet.

Sasha shares her insights on the importance of authenticity in marketing. Send Bars’ messaging is rooted in transparency, from ethically sourced ingredients to real-food imagery. She describes her “spaghetti-at-the-wall” approach to marketing, highlighting the need for course correction and continuous learning. Sasha stresses the importance of data-driven decisions, understanding consumer trends, and adapting to the ever-changing market.

Finally, Sasha offers advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: be passionate, resourceful, and don’t be afraid to learn. She discusses her reliance on asking questions, using her network, and leveraging the internet’s vast resources. This episode offers valuable insights for anyone seeking to build a successful brand.

Guest-at-a-Glance

Key Insights

• The Athlete Mindset in Business
  Sasha’s background as a professional rock climber informs her approach to business. This “athlete mindset” emphasizes continuous improvement, adaptability, and a focus on controlling the controllable factors. Just as a climber analyzes each move on a challenging route, entrepreneurs must break down large goals into smaller, manageable steps. This approach allows for adjustments along the way and ensures progress even when faced with unexpected obstacles. Embracing this mindset fosters resilience and a drive to constantly seek better solutions.

• Authenticity as a Marketing Cornerstone
  In today’s crowded market, authenticity is paramount. Sasha emphasizes that consumers value transparency and genuine connection. Send Bars’ marketing strategy reflects this by focusing on real food, real people, and a clear mission. This approach builds trust with consumers who are increasingly skeptical of overly polished marketing campaigns. By showcasing the real people behind the brand and the values that drive them, companies can forge stronger relationships with their target audience.

• Data-Driven Decisions and Consumer Insights
  Understanding consumer behavior is critical for any business. Sasha highlights the importance of data-driven decisions, actively listening to customer feedback, and staying attuned to market trends. This involves analyzing purchasing patterns, social media engagement, and seeking out both solicited and unsolicited opinions. By gathering and interpreting these insights, businesses can identify opportunities for innovation and better serve their customers’ evolving needs.

• Embracing the Learning Process
  Sasha’s journey underscores the importance of continuous learning and adaptability, especially for entrepreneurs. She advocates for a “spaghetti-at-the-wall” approach, where experimentation and course correction are essential. It’s okay not to have all the answers from the start. Leveraging resources like the internet, networking, and seeking advice from experienced individuals can help fill knowledge gaps and guide the decision-making process. This willingness to learn and adapt is crucial for navigating the challenges of building a successful business.

Episode Highlights

Building a Purpose-Driven Brand
[00:03:00 – 00:06:00]

Sasha discusses the origins of Send Bars, highlighting her commitment to creating a product that aligns with her values. She emphasizes the importance of ethically sourced ingredients, sustainable practices, and giving back to the planet. Sasha details the challenges of avoiding “health-washing” and “green-washing” in the food industry, emphasizing the brand’s commitment to transparency and using real food ingredients. She also discusses the logistical and environmental considerations of keeping the manufacturing and distribution within a tight radius.
“So when we were going about, ‘Okay, what is going to be the product that is Send Bars?’ It’s going to be made up of ethically sourced ingredients. All real food. Nothing fake. Everything you need in a bar, nothing you don’t.”

Overcoming Adversity and Applying the Athlete Mindset
[00:08:00 – 00:10:00]

Sasha shares how her experience overcoming injuries as a professional climber influenced her entrepreneurial journey. She discusses the importance of controlling the controllable factors, a mindset that translates directly to navigating the uncertainties of building a business. Sasha explains how this approach allowed her to focus on what she could influence during challenging times, ultimately setting her up for success with Send Bars. This segment underscores the importance of resilience and a proactive approach to problem-solving.
“And so what I leaned into, that I carried through my experience of being a professional athlete, was you have to control the factors that you can control because life is full of unpredicted curveballs. And as long as you know that everything in your power to control is laid out and you’re doing the best of your ability to take full advantage of that, then that’s the best you can do.”

The Power of Niche Marketing and Storytelling
[00:07:00-00:08:00]

Sasha explains how building her personal brand as a climber in a niche sport prepared her for the challenges of marketing a new product. Without the built-in support of a major league or established organization, she had to be strategic about partnerships and storytelling. This involved aligning with brands whose missions resonated with her own and crafting compelling narratives that resonated with her target audience. This experience translates directly to building Send Bars, emphasizing the need for clear messaging and a strong brand identity.
“The experience that I have from climbing is taking this very niche sport that I happened to have early success in and then creating a career out of it. You have to figure out, okay, if I want to make a living from this sport, how am I going to align with the right partners in the form of endorsement deals where their mission is aligned to what I represent?”

Navigating the Challenges of a Crowded Market
[00:23:00 – 00:26:00]

Sasha discusses the complexities of navigating the crowded nutrition bar market. She highlights the importance of differentiating Send Bars by focusing on high-quality ingredients, transparency, and a commitment to consumer feedback. Sasha emphasizes the need for continuous innovation, exploring new product avenues, and understanding consumer trends. She details the challenge of educating consumers about the difference between Send Bars and other products in the market.
“The bar industry is definitely a very crowded space…so how do we educate people around the ingredients and what trends are corresponding to the ingredients that are kind of trendy at the moment?”

Top Quotes

[00:05:00] Sasha DiGiulian: “There’s so much health-washing on the market as well as greenwashing. So when we were going about creating Send Bars, we decided it was going to be made up of ethically sourced ingredients. All real food. Nothing fake. Everything you need in a bar, nothing you don’t.”

[00:09:00] Sasha DiGiulian: “My ‘aha’ moment was traveling to locations where it’s hard to get greens. I would be living on a portaledge, and you’re bringing everything as nutrient-dense as you can because every gram counts. I thought, how can I get my greens? My body feels good when I’m eating them.”

[00:21:00] Sasha DiGiulian: “You can see the summit, but you can’t think about how you’re going to get to the summit. You have to think about the breakdown. What is the next pitch? What is that checkpoint I’m going to get to?”

[00:00:00] Sasha DiGiulian: “While my background is in an individual sport, no one gets there alone. In climbing, you always have a climbing partner.”

[00:25:00] Sasha DiGiulian: “The bar industry is a very crowded space. I would say it’s full of a lot of crap. How do we educate people around the ingredients?”

[00:27:00] Sasha DiGiulian: “What’s the worst that happens? You fail. The amount of times that I’ve failed on just like everything in my life. The number one starting point for me is passion.”