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264 | The Power of Shared Values in the Startup Ecosystem | with Mike Pilkington

Honest Ecommerce
Honest Ecommerce
Episode • Feb 12, 2024 • 30m

Meet the trailblazer behind the freshest face in the sparkling water game, Mike Pilkington. He is the co-founder of KEY Sparkling Water. He’s a graduate of Wayne State University (BA - Psychology) and University of Detroit Mercy (MBA).

Going beyond the bubbles, Mike has a history steeped in grit and growth. From supercharging Death Wish Coffee into one of the top coffee brands in the United States to navigating the waters of Sysco's strategic acquisitions and leading Sysco Albany's operations, his leadership and vision have been second to none. 

Now, at the helm of KEY, he's here to deliver a gulp of authenticity with the right kick of real fruit all in a can as rugged as your ambition.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

  • [00:42] Intro
  • [01:43] revolutionizing the sparkling water market
  • [02:30] Entering the crowd space to disrupt the norm
  • [03:22] Building a startup biz with a clear vision 
  • [04:28] Forming connections and scaling success
  • [06:03] Self-awareness and ego-free leadership
  • [07:17] Strategic hiring and delegation
  • [08:13] Honest self-assessment goes a long way
  • [09:35] Assembling a winning team
  • [12:08] Failing openly and embracing transparency
  • [13:00] Focusing on capacity, not credentials
  • [13:56] The fragile nature of startups
  • [15:03] Navigating early-stage startup roles
  • [16:18] Episode sponsors
  • [21:27] Leveraging multichannel strategy
  • [22:48] How to start? Just get started
  • [25:02] Lead generation and touching bases with people
  • [27:04] Utilizing word-of-mouth
  • [27:45] The power of telling your story
  • [28:34] People are accessible, just reach out
  • [29:47] Get real fruit, shenanigan-free sparkling water

Resources:

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