实现客户没有分享她的视力之后,an Entrepreneur Makes a Big Change -- And Sales Grew More Than $3 MillionOn the latest episode of 'Problem Solvers,' the founder of Goodie Girl Cookies shares how an error caused her sales to plateau -- and what she did about it.

通过Jason Feifer

Goodie Girl

Introducing our new podcast,Problem Solvers with Jason Feifer, which features business owners and CEOs who went through a crippling business problem and came out the other side happy, wealthy, and growing. Feifer,雷竞技手机版magazine's editor in chief, spotlights these stories so other business can avoid the same hardships. Listen below.

What happens when customers don't share your vision? It's a hard thing to consider. You got into business because you have a vision -- a thing that excites you, that you want to share with the world, that makes all the sacrifice worth it. But then you release it, and your customers just don't get what you're going for.

Andthen what?

Related:Podcast: From a $50 Consulting Gig to Millions of Website Visitors, How 'The Points Guy' Turned His Idea Into a Booming Business

Shira Berk knows this problem well. She created a brand of gluten-free cookies calledGoodie Girl Cookies, and spent a lot of time personally developing its branding. Customers loved the cookies in taste tests, but weren't buying them off the shelf. At first, Berk had no idea what the trouble was. Sheknewshe had a good product, so why wasn't it moving?

Then she discovered the problem: Her branding was fun and clever, but it was also confusing customers. She had gotten too clever for her own good. And to succeed, she'd have to dial back some of the personal touches she loved the most.

"It's been a struggle," Berk says, "because it's giving up a little bit of the creativity. My daughter, who is on the front of the package, screams at me every night when I come home and tell her we changed something, and she's like, "You're totally giving in! You're losing your creativity! It's like every other cookie now!' And I'm just like, well, I mean, it's not selling."

On this week's episode ofProblem Solvers, we're telling the story of how Berk learned to give up a little of her vision in order to connect better with customers. It's a hard, emotional trade-off -- but it's been a difficult, yet worthwhile one. She's now doing about $3 million in sales, and you can find Goodie Girl Cookies in Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Fairway, Whole Foods, Publix and other major outlets.

Related:Podcast: What to Do When Your Best-Laid Plans Turn Out Wrong

So, how'd she figure it out? Listen to the show below, or subscribe oniTunes,Google Play,or wherever you get your podcasts.

About our sponsors:
Freshbooksmakes cloud accounting software for freelancers and small businesses: Manage your invoices, track your expenses, even keep track of your work down to the minute so you can accurately and easily bill clients. And theircustomer service system is built to be fail-proof:If a user calls between 8 am and 8 pm ET, and nobody in customer service can pick up after four rings, every phone in the company starts ringing. It's a freelancer's dream: Someone is guaranteed to answer their call.

Best Selfmakes products to help entrepreneurs perform at their highest level, and that includes smart tools like a dry-erase 13-week wall calendar. Their most popular product is abeautiful journal, which entrepreneurs can use to help organize their time, set and achieve goals, and so on. Best Self's co-founders suggest devoting five minutes every morning to it, to create the habit of thinking about your day, your needs, your time, and your goals. The journal helps you step back.

Jason Feifer

Entrepreneur Staff

Editor in Chief

Jason Feifer is the editor in chief of雷竞技手机版magazine and host of the podcastProblem Solvers. Outside of雷竞技手机版, he is the author of the bookBuild For Tomorrow, which helps readers find new opportunities in times of change, and co-hosts the podcastHelp Wanted, where he helps solve listeners' work problems. He also writes a通讯called One Thing Better, which each week gives you one better way to build a career or company you love.

Related Topics

Living

I Tried the Semi-Private Air Carrier That Lets You Arrive 20 Minutes Before Your Flight. Here's What It Was Like — And How to Do It Affordably.

"There's a reason people pay 10 to 100 times more to fly privately than to fly commercially. You just want to save time, right? It's not about Champagne and caviar."

Business Solutions

Save Hundreds of Dollars on This AI Resume Builder

Build a stronger resume with this tool, now just $33.

Franchise

Get in the Game By Exploring the Top Pickleball Franchises for Entrepreneurs

Pair your love for the sport and your entrepreneurial spirit with these five franchise concepts.

Living

I'm a U.S.-Born Entrepreneur Happily Raising My Kids in Spain. But I Still Use One Very American Parenting Approach to Foster Long-Term Success.

I'm so glad my children are growing up here, but when it comes to setting them up for success, it's all about balance.

领导

How to Turn Every Employee into a Sales Superstar

When you run a small business, you do not have a machine to grind out leads, vet them and close the deal. You need every person on your team to generate business.