Anna Belle & Lila Mae of Granola’d
Lila Mae (left) & Anna Belle (right)
If you haven’t had a chance to try Granola’d, make sure it’s at the top of you market list. They have lots of delicious & addicting granola flavors, and it’s a snack you don’t have to feel bad about eating! Anna Belle & Lila Mae are the owners of Granola’d. They are two of the most kind & ambitious young women you will ever meet. We recently had the opportunity to learn more about Granola’d and the sisters behind the business.
About Granola’d
Granola’d is a sister owned business that helps you satisfy your cravings in a healthy and delicious way. We take treats people love to indulge in such as birthday cake and cinnamon rolls and turn it into a healthy, gluten-free, and delicious granola form! We like to say “We Granola’d It!”
01 Why did you start Granola’d?
As much as we wish it was acceptable to eat treats like birthday cake everyday, we know it is bad for our health. So, as sisters we put our brains together and came up with a way to eat the foods we love everyday! Also, Anna Belle developed a gluten allergy in the 6th grade. This put us on the search for a sweet, gluten free treat that would fuel our bodies. After trying too many gluten free snacks that tasted like cardboard, we got in the kitchen and baked up the solution!
02 What challenges have you faced along the way?
One of the greatest challenges we have faced as young entrepreneurs and students is learning how to balance our school/work/social lives. We know we want to pursue Granola’d as our careers, and we know starting out at a young age gives us an advantage, but it has also meant finding a balance and making sacrifices that most teenagers and 21 year olds don’t have to make. We are constantly living and learning through trial and error. With all of our excitement behind Granola’d, it can be hard to focus this energy on the areas of greatest importance. For example, during the recipe testing phase, we developed over 70 flavors, and it has been difficult narrowing down the list to make sure we are offering only the BEST flavors.
03 What advice can you give aspiring entrepreneurs?
In his book Dream Big, Bob Goff encourages dreamers to keep throwing paper airplanes. Every dream you pursue is another paper airplane you throw. You don’t have to wait until each fold or detail is perfect because you won’t know how far it will fly until you throw it. Create something, put it out there, and make adjustments based on how well it went. Some refolding may need to take place, but how would you know that unless you give it a throw? The good thing is, there is NO limit on how many airplanes you can throw and NO ONE has ever created the perfect airplane. However, we believe that those that fly the farthest have God as their pilot.
04 What’s next for Granola’d?
Currently we are in the process of spreading the word about Granola’d! We are doing this by expanding our customer base through pop up shops, growing our email list, and creating raving customers to increase advertising by word of mouth. Within the next 5 years, we hope to be baking out of a commercial kitchen, selling in stores nationwide, and increasing our direct to consumer sales. We are excited to see where the Lord leads Granola’d because we know His plans are greater than anything we could imagine!
05 What drives/inspires you?
We are inspired by the creativity cultivated within our family. Our mom and oldest sister have built careers off of their creative businesses, and this has driven us to pursue being self employed. Growing up, our mom told us that sisters are best friends for life, so Granola’d has allowed us to do something we love with those we love. The love and creativity we have been shown inspires us to create a product that will fuel others to go and show the love of Christ.