{"id":7721,"date":"2019-08-25T14:45:21","date_gmt":"2019-08-25T18:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=7721"},"modified":"2019-08-25T14:45:30","modified_gmt":"2019-08-25T18:45:30","slug":"the-secret-sauce-of-an-intergenerational-start-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=7721","title":{"rendered":"The Secret Sauce Of An Intergenerational Start-Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(The following article is excerpted from the new book, <\/em>Never Too Old to Get Rich: The Entrepreneur\u2019s Guide <\/a>to Starting a Business Mid-Life. <\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"OperaNuts\"\/
Rachel Roth, founder of OperaNuts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For a couple of years, when she was growing up in Hibbing, Minn., Rachel Roth sold more Girl Scout cookies than anyone in her town. \u201cI always sold more than any other kid, even when it was high school yearbooks,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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That\u2019s not surprising when you meet Roth, who says she \u201cis over 65, but under 100.\u201d The founder of New York City\u2013based OperaNuts<\/a> is a born sales siren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OperaNuts: An Intergenerational Success Story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I interviewed Roth for Never Too Old to Get Rich<\/em>, she regaled me with tales of her startup, mostly how she enthusiastically reached out for help from those decades younger than her \u2014 in particular, Eileen Roach, 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you have the enthusiasm and have experience, you don\u2019t need to go to school to be an entrepreneur or study computers.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Roth and Roach first met at a New York Public Library branch where Roach was volunteering through New York Cares<\/a>, assisting older adults with their computer skills. Roach quickly became Roth\u2019s techie mentor and friend. She helped Roth with a wide range of web-related issues linked to running her budding nut business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roth had launched OperaNuts in 2013 with an investment of around $4,000 (mostly used to purchase ingredients, supplies and packaging). She conscientiously tapped into free assistance, like Roach\u2019s expertise, for help with the mechanics of running an e-commerce endeavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople in their twenties, like Eileen, have sustained me by giving me energy to keep on going,\u201d Roth says. \u201cAnd there are others like her who have stepped up to help me\u2026 I have an imaginary charm bracelet and all of these people are on my bracelet. I call them Techies from Heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning a Passion Into a Business<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Roth had been doling out homemade nuts \u2014 made with almonds, a top-secret sea salt sauce and dark chocolate \u2014 as gifts for years. At last, she decided, after urging from friends, that she had something special to sell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrankly, I had to make some money,\u201d she says. And Roth was itching to do something beside the English language tutoring she was doing as a volunteer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she started testing the market, selling the nuts at a Manhattan art opening and at a Williams-Sonoma store, she knew she had a spot-on consumer product. \u201cThey were a hit.\u201d Roth called them \u201cOperaNuts,\u201d in honor of the passion for the opera she has had since she was 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her love of food, combined with her career experience, smoothed the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roth had had a corporate marketing career in the fashion industry at firms such as Liz Claiborne and Ellen Tracy. She\u2019d also worked as a fashion journalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting Help to Complement Her Own Skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had marketing background, and I did a lot of research to be certain that there wasn\u2019t anything like my nuts in the market,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I honestly didn\u2019t have the technical skills to set up a website and learn to market online. That\u2019s where Eileen came in to tutor me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roth also taps other professionals for help in other arenas. OperaNuts photographer Melissa Cruz works at Manhattan\u2019s Museum of Modern Art. Actress and model Kim Lockett has lent a hand as a retail associate at events. Graphic designer and artist Linda Florio joined the team after meeting Roth in a wine bar. Their shared love of culture and good food created an instant connection, and Florio consequently designed the updated OperaNuts logo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roth also found gratis help at Senior Planet<\/a>, a unit of the nonprofit Older Adults Technology Services New York City, which assists people 60+ in becoming conversant with computers and navigating the online world. Twice a year, Senior Planet holds a fair where its entrepreneur students can peddle their products; most of them have craft-oriented businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OperaNuts is gaining traction steadily and, Roth says, is turning a profit. The company has shipped nuts to 40 states, as well as France, Spain, Denmark, the U.K., and Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nuts are sought-after wedding favors, too, where orders of 250 bags are the norm. \u201cThat\u2019s a clientele I hadn\u2019t thought of before,\u201d she says. \u201cBut word-of-mouth marketing has created a buzz.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Chat With OperaNuts Founder, Rachel Roth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I asked Roth to look back and share her thoughts on starting a business:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kerry Hannon:<\/strong> What did the transition mean to you personally?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rachel Roth<\/strong>: It meant that I could follow my heart. And I have a whole new group of people and set of energies surrounding me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Were you confident that you were doing the right thing? Any second-guessing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason I was confident was because I did a lot of research, and there was nothing like this on the market. I researched the product category and price points. I wanted to fill a need, and OperaNuts, the Healthy Gourmet Snack, was it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anything you would have done differently?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would have been more tech-savvy. I wish I had paid more attention to that at the start. But I am such a people person that I think that has compensated for that. I know how to ask for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes I wish I had a partner, somebody to bounce ideas off of, but I have Eileen and my twenty-somethings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How big a role did financial rewards play in your decision to make a transition?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not a lot. I wanted to make money, but I had inherited a small amount of money and had savings, so I was getting by okay. I mostly wanted something creative to do and to be out in the world and active.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you tell other people who ask for your advice?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have the enthusiasm and have experience, you don\u2019t need to go to school to be an entrepreneur or study computers. Where\u2019s your passion? Are you willing to give something up? You have to. You have to stay home and take care of your \u201ckid\u201d \u2014 that\u2019s what your business is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is so much to do. I am not sure how many people will really be willing to put in that kind of time and effort. It is nut by nut for me, and I spend several hours a day baking them myself \u2014 while listening to opera, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also tell them that they can\u2019t ignore the importance of doing your research. Is there a void in the market? Is your pricing right? You have to keep on tweaking and tweaking. It has to become a part of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons learned?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t underestimate yourself. Don\u2019t listen to people who say it\u2019s impossible. They think small.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 By Kerry Hannon <\/a>Entrepreneurship and Personal Finance Expert. Hannon is the author of Never Too Old to Get Rich: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Starting a Business Mid-Life<\/em><\/a>. She  has covered personal finance, retirement and careers for The New York Times, Forbes, Money, U.S. News & World Report and USA Today, among other publications. She is the author of a dozen books including Money Confidence: Really Smart Financial Moves for Newly Single Women<\/em><\/a> and What’s Next? Finding Your Passion and Your Dream Job in Your Forties, Fifties and Beyond<\/em><\/a>. Her website is kerryhannon.com<\/a>. Follow her on Twitter @kerryhannon<\/a>.
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