Twenty-three-year-old Tara Bosch has built up a candy empire within a single year. Her goal? To offer a healthy alternative to traditional sugar-filled candy.
Next month, the Millennial entrepreneur will sit alongside the president and CEO of Life Labs, Sue Paish, and the COO of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Rachel Lewis at the Women in Leadership 2.0 conference hosted by the Richmond Chamber of Commerce.
As it did last year, the chamber is bringing three successful female entrepreneurs to Richmond to discuss women in leadership roles.
Bosch’s SmartSweets gummy bears, which are made of plant-based, soluble fibre instead of sugar or artificial sweeteners, are now sold in more than 900 stores across North America, generating more than $1 million in revenue.
“I’m super excited to be part of the panel,” Bosch said to the Richmond News.
“(Not least) for the women aspect. I also thought it was so cool that they organized the large event for youths to attend…(exposing) them to entrepreneurship and acting on their ideas at a young age,” said Bosch.
She hopes to share the “powerful why” with the audience that helped her start the business and supported her when things were tough.
The idea of the company came after a “why” was asked by Bosch during a conversation with her grandmother.
Her grandmother told her that she regretted having so much sugar over the years because of how it impacted her health and made her feel bad.
“To me, it was very shocking because candy is something we enjoyed together through the years. So I went to a store shelf to find something that naturally addressed sugar,” Bosch recalled.
“I was more shocked to find that not only did such a product not exist, but the fact of how much sugar was being used in candy products.”
Soon she decided that she wanted to begin her own quest to innovate an alternative type of confectionary sugar that people could feel good about and enjoy.
Having no background in science or business, Bosch spent a lot of time that summer researching, calling ingredient companies to ask questions and testing a formula in her kitchen, until the idea turned into reality.
“Really just Googling; it’s a matter of taking the time to do the digging (on the Internet),” said Bosch.
Starting a business at such a young age, Bosch had to face challenges that may have seemed overwhelming for a regular 23-year-old.
“It’s like doing an MBA every day,” laughed Bosch, who dropped out of University of B.C. after deciding to operate the business full-time.
One time, she drove to her first retailer hoping to bring them on board, but was so nervous she felt like throwing up.
On another occasion, a manufacturing partner fell through, forcing Bosch and her team to find investment and other partners in a very short time.
“I think challenges and hurdles are blessings. In that moment you can’t tell why it’s happening, trusting the fact that it goes where you need to go,” said Bosch.
“If you don’t quit, ultimately you will get where you want to go.”
Bosch said she has met people who didn’t take her seriously because of her age, but she thinks the "naivety" is a blessing.
“When you are surrounding yourself with people who do have the experience, there is a beautiful marriage between (the two of you) and different perspectives, which are super complimentary to each other,” she adds.
Now her team is initializing a social media campaign called KickSugar and aims to form a SmartSweets community online.
“I think there is no better time than…right now with social media to be able to reach so many people in such a short amount of time,” said Bosch.
“And it’s pretty amazing how powerful it is when there is an emotional course tied to the product; when people use social media platforms to share how the product impacts their lives.”
The Women in Leadership 2.0 Luncheon & Panel Discussion will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 5 at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel.
Tickets cost $70 for general admission, and $50 for Richmond Chamber members. People can also sponsor a student’s ticket for $40. For more information, see online at RichmondChamber.ca.
