Marc Farrell: Founder & CEO of Ten To One Rum

Kara Goldin 0:00
I am unwilling to give up that I will start over from scratch as many times as it takes to get where I want to be I want to be, you just want to make sure you will get knocked down but just make sure you don’t get knocked down knocked out. So your only choice should be go focus on what you can control control control. Hi, everyone and welcome to the Kara Goldin show. Join me each week for inspiring conversations with some of the world’s greatest leaders. We’ll talk with founders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and really some of the most interesting people of our time. Can’t wait to get started. Let’s go. Let’s go. Hi, everyone. It’s Kara Goldin from the Kara Goldin show. Super excited to have my next guest. Here we have Mark Farrell, who is the founder and CEO of Ten To One Rum, and if you have not tried Ten To One Rum, maybe you are not a rum drinker, typically, you must try this as I was just sharing with him. I’ve made a few mixed cocktails over the last few weeks, and I have some 20 plus year olds hanging out in my house as well who were wondering what it was. So we all had a little bit of multiple days, because the bottles are beautiful, but also what’s inside is really great. And it’s great to mix with all kinds of things. Or if you are a straight rum drinker, I think that that would also work really well. Super quality product created by Trinidadian Trinidad, right Trinidadian. I love it. For Mark Farrell, we don’t get to meet many people from Trinidad. So this is super, super fun. And as I mentioned, it’s a premium product award winning blended rum from around the Caribbean. And I can’t wait to hear all about his journey and building this really special company. So welcome, Mark, how are you?

Marc Farrell 2:01
doing really well, fans? Thanks so much for having me on.

Kara Goldin 2:04
Absolutely. So your story and deciding to start Ten To One Rum is is very personal. It’s something that it sounds like you’ve been thinking about for a long time. And you grew up in Trinidad and and sort of saw this market. So I’ll stop there. And I’d love to hear from you. Like what was it about rum in particular that you thought needed to be shifted and disrupted? Yeah,

Marc Farrell 2:34
well, to kind of Karis. Thanks so much, again, for having me on, and allowed me to spend some time with you, I think where you where you began, that is the perfect place for the story, because it is one that is really personal. You know, I describe myself as somebody who is very proudly from the Caribbean, born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, you know, I spent the first 16 years or so of my life there before moving to the US for college, and I’ve been in the US for the for the better part of last 20 years or so. And, you know, as somebody who’s been in that market for a long time, you know, I have spent my entire adult life as a consumer here in the US and really kind of observed rum for a long time, from a point of frustration, you know, it’s, it’s a, it’s a spirit that is quite literally born out of the soil where we are from in Trinidad in the Caribbean. And it’s one that I think has often been very misunderstood, not just in the US, but I think in many other markets internationally, where for a long time, the perception around rum feels very narrow and somewhat limited. You know, I think people will typically associated with some of their spring break cocktails, you know, that one time they were in Cancun, or what have you, not realizing what an elevated and versatile spirit that can be in its own right. And I think also that that related to that some of the narrative around around the category itself is maybe a little bit, again, a little bit problematic. In some ways, I will say that, you know, pirates and plantations seems to have been the order of the day when it comes to rum, but for quite a long time now. And so somebody who, you know, grew up in and around consumer, my entire career has a very sort of real, a real sense of pride and passion for the part of the world that I’m from. I just saw like a really unique opportunity to bring something to market. And I really, I think sort of building an interesting and a unique commercial take on the natural intersection of all of those is what led me to create 10 to one right I think for us, we’ve talked from the beginning about this idea of, of really reimagining the wrong category, and challenging people’s expectations. You know, I think about $1 For everybody who mentioned to me, they never thought that run could taste like this right? Or even the packaging would look like this. So the brand will be built like this. I think really trying to reinvigorate the way that people will taste experience and talk about rum has been very much a personal undertaking of mine. Since then, Are you early innings of the brand?

Kara Goldin 5:01
That’s awesome. So how would you describe 10 to one rather than, like, how did you actually make it unique and different?

Marc Farrell 5:08
Yeah, that’s a great question. So, you know, one thing I like to tell folks is that this is not the story of a Trinidadian rum from a Trinidadian guy, right. One of my, one of my big beliefs was that we could lean into this idea of creating a pan Caribbean blend. And in doing so you can actually bring different distillation methods, different provenance, different terroir to life, and create a very unique and differentiated expression. Now, those are words you’re typically going to hear associated more with a wine tasting or a scotch whisky tasting, right. And I maintained that actually, they’re just as applicable to rum, if not more, so, if you look at sort of the the the the soil composition in Jamaica, for example, versus Trinidad, which is geologically parts of South America, they’re quite different. So the terroir that you’re going to get from those two places is going to be very, very, using different distillation methods pot distillation versus column distillation method. I think just some of the techniques that are tied to that. If you have, I think, a a substantive point of view of that there’s a certain level of romance that you can bring to this idea of creating these blends. And so we tend to one, what we were able to do you know, our age expression, for example, is a blend from four countries, Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. You know, he rode rum, it’s Agent X bourbon barrels, I always kind of tell you your bourbon or rye rye whiskey drink because there a lot of restaurant notes, they got to pick up in there, as they kind of experienced Antoine for the first time. We very importantly, another one of our big differentiators is we use no additives of any kind. So again, a lot of folks might be out there listening to this and saying, oh, rum, you know, I used to like it, but I don’t drink it. It’s too sugary and too sweet. Like that is not the 10 to one experience, no added sugar color flavoring agents of any kind, same number of calories per ounce as well. You tequila and mezcal drinkers out there. And so I think for us, that’s really kind of three core differentiators, the exceptional craft is going into the liquid and creating these blends a really, really versatile rum that you can use in a number of different ways you were mentioning at the start, you know, trying a few different cocktail applications drinking, drinking on its own, that first he’s a real calling card of the brand. And then of course exceptionally clean, which I think is something that today’s modern consumer demands more and more of as you would be well aware.

Kara Goldin 7:31
Definitely. So where did the name come from? Yeah,

Marc Farrell 7:35
you know the name, having been named in many ways emblematic of the intention that’s tied to the brand. The names and one was inspired by the original Caribbean Federation, which consisted of 10 countries, the idea of 10, quite literally becoming one. And as Trinidad’s Prime Minister at the time, famously said, Dr. Eric Williams, he said out one from 10, leaves zero. He’s a brilliant guy, pretty sure he was good at math. But the point that he was making was that if you remove one from the collective, the whole thing falls apart. And so we say that 10 to one as a brand is based on this idea of community strength in numbers, the idea that we are stronger together than we are apart, that that is not a Trinidadian a message or a Caribbean message, hopefully one that just feels very timely and appropriate for lots of folks who might be encountering a product like 10, to one out there on the market today. So you know, for me, it was very important that we try to create something that in many ways felt very unique, very contemporary, very elevated. But we’re still grounded in elements of Caribbean history, culture and heritage, right. And the name is a great example of that. Right? If you if you had a bottle in front of you right now on you, you’re deconstructing it. Even the logo, which is the scarlet ibis, the national grid of Trinidad, Tobago, on the side labels, which are riffs off of all shipping labels, the days of sugarcane making its way from the Caribbean, through the ports of the Americas and on to Europe, I thought you could find ways to create something that felt very elegant, very elevated, you’d be proud to take it to your your next cocktail party or dinner party, or whatever the case is, but still has that grounding in Caribbean history, culture and heritage.

Kara Goldin 9:13
I love it. Well, it’s nice job on it. So it’s, it’s really unique. And I love brand names that are historical, but also have some kind of meaning. And I find this all the time when founders are creating things, whether it’s hint or Yahoo or Google or you know, any of these companies along the way that I’ve come across that it’s, there’s a meaning to it. And I’m always so curious and it’s usually you gotta go back to the founder and find that but I think it’s it’s a lot of fun to get the history.

Marc Farrell 9:49
Absolutely, absolutely. I appreciate that.

Kara Goldin 9:51
Lots of fun. So before founding 10 to one run, you worked, supporting other founders and building their brands. like Howard Schultz at Starbucks, maybe not directly for these people. But I think it’s fascinating that there’s no one way to become an entrepreneur. Or, you know, it’s you could not go to college and start a company, you could go to college, go to business school, start a company, you could also go work for founders, I actually worked for three founders prior to starting my own company. And while I was working there, never really thought I was actually going to become an entrepreneur. But then I decided, I’ve got this idea, I should really go do this, I’d love to hear what you think you learn from that experience of working for, you know, incredible, incredible brand incredible founders that maybe gave you the courage to go in and do this. Or maybe it demystified like this isn’t going to be that hard. Of course, it’s a lot harder than we ever think it’s going to be but I’m so curious, like how you feel like that experience? And maybe other ones really helped you? Yeah,

Marc Farrell 11:06
absolutely. You know, it helped me enormously in fact, when I described Starbucks, a lot of folks and the experience of how and I describe it a little bit as, as an entrepreneurial finishing school. And that might actually seem strange, folks, right? Like, like, what does what does a fortune 500 Coffee Company based in Seattle have to do with the emerging startup? Spirits brand, right? It’s based out of out of New York, right? I mean, on the face of it, maybe they don’t have that much in common. But but but you began to to allude to it, you know, there’s something extraordinary and something magical about having an opportunity to work alongside someone like Howard Schultz, you know, he was the one that brought me to the company. So I had kind of met him, somewhat serendipitously back in 2015. And there were two things that actually struck me about him at the time. And I would say, one was, he talks like an entrepreneur, as the guy you’ve seen on the cover of Forbes and fortune and everything else. But you know, he talks like a guy with five coffee shops, not 35,000, right. And he had a very clear sense of purpose, you know, and we all have different purpose led sorts of sort of agendas in our lives. Mine doesn’t have to be the same as yours. But you can appreciate that when you find someone who has that. And he clearly had that sense of purpose. And it was, it was something I was very drawn to very inspired by, ultimately, you know, decided to kind of join him on that journey moving, you know, my New York Life out to Seattle for a few years, joining the executive team at Starbucks and working there for about about three years. So had an amazing seat at the table had a chance to, I think, absorb a lot from him. You know, I think I think sometimes you kind of feel like you have to you imagine a world where this person is giving you these hourly lectures or daily lectures, and doesn’t quite happen like that, right? I think a lot of the learning happens by osmosis, you know, you’re in the room, you’re part of the conversation, you see how they handle certain things. And if I if I sort of Fast forward to 10 to one, what are some of those things that have that have been been sort of applied here. One is that same sense of purpose, you know, having a clear view of what you do and doing stand for as a brand, what you will and won’t do, I think figuring out ways to kind of scale that passion, that purpose into what becomes the culture of your company. More broadly, I think a lot of those pieces, you know, you think about how difficult it is, for a company like Starbucks, that is that is global. You know, you’re talking about 30 40,000 different nodes all over the world, who are kind of holding on to this piece of culture, much of which was created and propagated by Howard, no matter where you sort of land, you know, kind of 100 150 countries around the world today, obviously, 10 to one, it’s not nearly that size in that scale. But looking at some of the lessons that were learned there and trying to apply it to our business has certainly been huge. And then there are even things around the level of discipline, I think that you apply to to creating a product, if I think about the story of 10 to one and creating a blend and having a certain level of intention around that. And making sure that level of passion, again, is felt by everyone as part of your team. Those are all things that I took from from from from that experience. So I can kind of give you a list of 25 things to be honest, but but I think that’s a nice short list of some of those pieces, that that that did have a very indelible impact on me as an entrepreneur, and then ultimately on 10 to one as a business as well.

Kara Goldin 14:30
I laugh in my early career, I was at CNN, and it was I started my career at Time Magazine. And then I moved into CNN and CNN truly was a stop for me that I couldn’t get a job at ABC or NBC. It’s like those were the networks that you wanted to work for not CNN, and I got a job at CNN. And Ted Turner primarily was working down in Atlanta, but he came into the new York office a lot. And you would always hear him coming off of the elevator. Like and he was it, he was just a larger than life personality. There’s some quieter founders, right? I mean, Ted was not that guy. And he was funny. He was personal. He was like, the world needs 24 hour news. And you were just this energy around him, you believed that even if you didn’t believe, prior to seeing him that morning, like you were like, I get it. I know, everyone needs to have it. But the reality is, is like it’s only in 40% of the country right now, Ted, like, but he didn’t care, because he stood there. And he said, It’s good to be big. And I’m gonna hold these reins, and I’m gonna happen. And I think it’s, you know, there were lessons for me thinking about thinking back on, on those experiences that maybe I didn’t connect the dots yet until until much later. But it’s, there’s, there are things about founders that I think are really, you know, that you can learn a ton from, and I always tell entrepreneurs, that it’s a good thing, if you can get in with the right founders and the right brand and company.

Marc Farrell 16:15
Yeah, yeah. And, and just just to just to just respond to that, but like, I think there’s something about, you know, that entrepreneurial passion, right, and sort of believing it to your core, and getting up in front of folks and having them see that and feel that in this very visceral way that that there is no substitute for it. You know, when I, when I was kind of telling my story about relating to that sense of purpose, right, I think it was something similar for me as well, where you kind of see your hair and you want to be a part, whatever that thing is, I want to be a part of it. And you dream of the day when you as an entrepreneur have a chance to do that as well. I mean, look, if you kind of come back now to the wrong story. What are we trying to do here? Right? You know, everyone’s sort of been on the tequila train and on the bourbon whiskey tree. And for the last several years, a big part of this has to be a little bit of the evangelism around 10 to one certainty, but maybe even Ramas the category, how can you help people to understand why they’ve been missing something this whole time. And if you can sort of get up, whether it’s standing on a stage or walking into a bar or hosting an event and make people feel that in some in some visceral way that they want to be a part of, then you’re missing a big part of the founders calling upon that opportunity. So So yes, I think so much of what you learn, you know, these points of inspiration, and quantitative they aren’t building but at the end of our building an Excel spreadsheet, per se, it’s some of the finer points of, of telling that story and sharing that passion and, and cultivating sort of a collective sense around you, that I think makes all the difference as you as you move forward.

Kara Goldin 17:48
Totally agree. So how do you do that? I mean, you are reinvigorating a category. Yes, there are other rungs that are out there. But you are really saying, here is the base level for rum, we’re going to take it up a few notches, and like how do you get people to really understand that? Of course, they they can taste the difference. But even before you get them to taste it, how do you get them to want to do that? I mean, maybe they’re inspired. There’s a visual to about the Caribbean. That is definitely people have in their head. That’s nice. But I feel like you’re almost creating a new category, a category within a category, I guess a step up in in the overall category. I don’t know. I’d love to hear kind of how you do that. Yeah,

Marc Farrell 18:37
absolutely. And listen, it’s it’s not an easy feat, right? As we say, you know, all these entrepreneurial for is, by definition difficult, right? So maybe there isn’t an easy answer. But I would say that we kind of lean on three things, right. So so liquid brand, and then the community that’s a part of that, right. You know, I already touched on the liquid piece. I won’t belabor it too much. But I think having a very differentiated perspective on how and where the liquid sort of comes to be that exceptional craft. You know, we are the most awarded rum in the country today, but by a very long way. And so really kind of building that credential. Creating something that people can find multiple applications for a big part of the issue with rum is, a lot of folks don’t even know how to drink it, right. And that’s crazy, because you would never say that about a tequila or vodka. Everyone knows what their favorite tequila cocktail or even whiskey cocktail is. It’s a lot of that education we have to do around that and kind of giving you the range from a first city perspective. And then of course, the clean element I mentioned before. So we always say that we are liquid first building that credibility building that versatility. Any opportunity you give me to create a liquid to lips moment for consumers. I’m going to take it because everyone who tries to enter one falls in love with the product, right? I just have to get you there to try it. That liquid setups moment is super, super critical. So that’s one two I think with the brand, and I think brand and maybe community are related here a little bit, but with the brand, I think, you know, we can all think about some of the brands that are able to kind of capture our hearts and minds. What is it about that brand? What do they stand for? What values is it espouse that I think sort of resonate with me on an individual level, and there, I think we have tried to set 10 to one apart, versus maybe some of the other incumbents in the wrong category, who I think have a not to be critical, but I think have a slightly sort of all the world mentality or sort of articulation of their brand promise, I think a lot of what we do kind of speaks to, you know, listen, if you value walking your own path, creating something new, a sense of exploration and discovery, if you view yourself as a creator, or a creator of culture, in many ways, those are some of the attributes that tend to one continually espouses that are going to resonate with you, you’re going to kind of see something there, I think that might drive its own interest to come into the world that does tend to want to give it a try for the first time. And I want you to come into that world where we’re very intentional about building community around it, right? It shouldn’t be like this the first time you come in, and you have a rumble of fashion, and then you sort of leave again. But what is that collective that you suddenly feel that you’re a part of? And so we do a ton around creating community, and whether that’s virtual on Instagram, or, you know, IRL, in markets, like New York and Atlanta and Seattle? I think a big part of it is, oh, yeah, right, I see that there is a, there’s a bit of a collective forming here of people who, again, they sort of look the same or sound the same or from the same place. It’s I think it’s much more of a psychographic and much more of a mindset. But then we’ve really kind of invested in cultivating that community from the earliest days of 10, to one. And those same people, I think, in many ways ended up becoming the biggest evangelists and the biggest propagators of what it is you’re offering beyond what you yourself can do sitting down at a desk in HQ, if that makes sense. Yeah,

Kara Goldin 22:07
no, I think it absolutely does. The other piece that I noticed was that you partnered with somebody who’s pretty high profile, I think that seems to really help, especially in the spirits category. But can you talk a little bit about who you’ve partnered with? Yeah,

Marc Farrell 22:25
of course, of course. So just about two years ago, now I’m October of 2021. It’s crazy how time flies, by the way, we announced having a partnership with Sierra, the dynamic, incredible, multi hyphenate thing, actor entertainer, or all things, you know, so we’ve been really proud to have her as an investor on a corner of the business over the last couple of years. You know, when people ask me sort of how that came to be a couple of things. Number one, is a very organic introduction, you know, we have a bunch of mutual friends, from my time living in Seattle. Funny enough. And, you know, Sierra was curious about the spirits category and looking to do something, I think meaningful and impactful in and around it. A friend of a friend of ours sent her some rum, that try a little moment of celebration as she was having, she loved the product was curious about it. We got connected through that. And then and then off the back of a series of conversations, we found that it actually would make sense to have her joining the brand as an investor and as a corner. So came about again, you know, it’s funny, right? And I know, you would know this as well, from your own journey. It’s so many of these things, you try to be super planful about them. But but all the best laid plans get thrown out the window, right? I think there’s a lot of serendipity that comes with these things. But you have to do as an entrepreneur is always sort of put yourself in that be ready mode, because you never know when that next introduction, next conversation, I’ve had investors who are in the brand way met just by standing at the bar and offering them some 10 to one that they might try, Hey, have you had this run before? You want to eat kind of Can I buy you an old fashioned fall in love with the product and next thing, you know, they’re one of your biggest investors in the brand. I think the Sierra story is similar to that with a certain level of serendipity that’s kind of tight. She is very, she has a lot of the elements in her own character that I think are emblematic of 10 to one, this this, this this shroud Aviv, this love of life, this kind of very open and welcoming energy. We talked about a brand that’s elevated and not exclusive, right? Like the ability to kind of do high or low very well and showcase that range. Sierra has a ton of range. And so there were lots of elements of her personality and her brand that we thought were a good fit. And ultimately, again, yeah, we’re happy to welcome her on board just about two years ago now.

Kara Goldin 24:49
She’s, I think she’s a great partner for years. So I was really excited to when I was doing the research on your company read a little bit more about her So that’s, that’s awesome. What is the most difficult part of building a spirits company?

Marc Farrell 25:08
We could do, we could do a full podcast just on that question. You know, I give you three hours of answers if you want. But I think I think the most difficult part of building a spirits brand is if you think about the regulation that surrounds spirits, and so some folks may be familiar with the IRS 310 distribution system, right, so the three tears, I’m a supplier, I’m a brand, there’s a distributor who moves product from A to B, and then there’s a retailer, so a restaurant or bar or liquor store, wherever you encounter tend to run in the wild, that all gets to you the customer, right? So it’s kind of three tears from from from me to you, the end consumer. And the thing that’s challenging about spirits versus anything else that my friends are doing in and around consumer, so many of them today are doing DTC, right, so you can build a direct path to that to that customer, right? You love what I’m selling, whether I set up a storefront in Soho, or I build an E commerce site. on.com. Right, there’s that action and reaction is far more closely sort of intertwined. spurts, you know, I’m hoping folks who listen to this podcast are gonna walk into the nearest restaurant or bar and, and order a Remo fashion or a classic daiquiri with 10. To one, but but that bartender from your neighborhood bar is not going to call me up and telling me that you are that I’ll tell you what, you have to tell me what you liked, or what have you. And so there’s, there’s, there’s more opacity in the system than there are for a lot of other consumer brands. And, and, and even sort of the friction at the distributor level, which is all about how you’d get your product into market. You know, ultimately, I always kind of talked to my team about the whole, if a tree falls in the woods problem, right? Like, you gotta go take an action, put together an event, tell a story, you want to create a, a vessel or an opportunity for someone to take action against that, I want you to be able to walk into that restaurant or bar and, or an attempt to want to pick up a bottle off the shelf. And so and so, the way I liken it to trying to trying to satisfy three different customers simultaneously, right, you got to get the distributor on your side to move products on your behalf, which is which is challenging to do. And most most brands will tell you, you got to get the folks at the retail level engaged with your brand. That bartender that friendly neighborhood bartender at your top restaurant and craft cocktails spot Michelin star restaurant, I want them recommending 10, to one to you, and you ask sort of what’s new and unique and interesting to try in a room or outside of room. And then I gotta get you the end consumer to also be, I think intrigued and excited by the possibility of 10 to one, bring that curiosity to life or that desire to try it. Once you try it. I know you’re not going back. But that’s what I got to make happen. And so you’re you’re consistently sort of balancing those different petals, if you will, with those three different customers to get you to the end result that you seek with with a category like Like, like, like, like Rome was spirits.

Kara Goldin 28:05
Has anything surprised you I remember early on in starting hint. When we were building the brand, I’m trying to develop a product that doesn’t have sweeteners in it, that it just has the fruit and you know, great tasting without all of the sweet taste in it. And I remember the first week of getting our product on the shelf at whole foods that I heard from a gentleman who thanked me for creating this product because he had this disease called type two diabetes. And he said, You know, I’m a big runner. I don’t even know why I have this. You know, this is almost 20 years ago now where we didn’t really know as much as we know, today about type two diabetes, but he said, I’ve never felt like I could pick up a drink that everyone else. Many people who don’t have type two diabetes can drink too. And I feel normal. So thank you for making me feel normal. And I remember I still have that letter. And I remember how powerful that was because I thought if I can actually do something to help someone in some way, by building a brand, that’s a that’s an amazing feeling. And I always share by the way with friends of mine who have never written notes to founders or CEOs of companies. I’m like you should if if something really changes you in some way and you admire it, write it because you never know what kind of day they’re having if they’re dealing with the distribution or production, or whatever it is. And you know, those notes keep you going. So

Marc Farrell 29:48
I couldn’t I couldn’t agree more, more, more wholeheartedly, you know, by the way, there’s always something going on. It’s a distributor or its production team and it’s probably any day of the week that you received that letter, right? It’s going to lift your spirits because again, you know, this entrepreneurial journey is not for the faint of heart. You know, where what you said, that resonates so much? I think, um, I guess sort of what surprised me and what keeps me going slightly different things. But But I think, you know, what, what surprised me the most stunning how, how tactile and how hands on over businesses. And you know, I mean that quite literally, I’m on the road, two thirds of the time, Market to Market city to city, restaurants or restaurants or bar to bar sometimes trying to build those relationships with folks in the trade. Those bartenders, bar managers, mixologist doing prep, doing doing community events. I mean, it’s very much a roll up your sleeves, right? Tactile, very hands on business. And I might say that out loud. And somebody might hear that, but to hear it and experience it are two different things. And so I think there’s a level of willingness to roll up your sleeves there that that I think is kind of non negotiable. And does matter who’s invested in your brand, or how sexy it is, or any of those things, that certainly, I’ve steeled myself, and I think it’s a big part of the resolve that is really sat down to one apart. What what sort of keeps me going, it’s very similar to what you just said, I think a lot about what I would love to do when it’s all said and done. I think, you know, people build businesses for different reasons. But for me, it’s important to create something that matters to other people, right. And that’s not a given, there’s lots of examples of businesses that you can create that don’t really matter, right, they’re just, you know, a chance to make a bunch of money or do whatever it is, the first time you walk into a bar, and somebody who you don’t know who’s not your friend or family, you see them just make a beeline for the bottle and an order 10 to one, as this is an incredible moment, right, and to hear them, talk about it with their friends and tell their friends, why they love the brand. And why there should be a part of that collective is an amazing moment for the brand, you know, being stopped on the street, it’s similar to the story that you just kind of mentioned, folks who maybe are of Caribbean heritage or aren’t, but who would just see how much they appreciate what we’ve aspired to do in the category, to shine a light on culture in a more contemporary way, in a more authentic way in a more inspirational fashion. And what they have taken from that, whether it’s on their own entrepreneurial journey, or maybe even just in their own life, in general, to me is really one of the more gratifying pieces of this experience. And so you’re right, it almost feels like the universe designs it so that those moments happen. When you’re at you’re kind of your your abs, right, you’re sort of toughest spot to kind of remind you that this thing does matter. And you kind of you should keep going. And there are people who are taking notice, and you’re doing it for more than just yourself. And yeah, I mean, that’s been a constant, I would say over the course of the last four years or so that I’ve had the brand. So

Kara Goldin 32:56
best advice for founders or someone thinking about starting a company. What would you say to somebody who says, Hey, Mark, I’m, I’m thinking of starting a company and got this idea? What what do you think they need to know?

Marc Farrell 33:14
A few different things. But I would say that I’m one, authenticity really makes a difference. You know that there’s certain words I think that use so much in the everyday sort of, you know, kind of kind of Zeitgeist and they and they end up feeling a little bit like throwaway words. And maybe authenticity is used a ton today. But but but it really is true. You know, we live in a world today where consumers have a ton of choice, there’s a million other things they can choose besides your product. They want to understand not just sort of what it is and why it’s delicious, but who created it, why they created it, maybe even what they stand for. I think that like, in a lot of ways, being able to articulate those things, being able to kind of pull back the curtain. share that passion very directly and very authentically, again, I think really makes a difference. So I think it’s hard to just sort of opportunistically chase someone that you don’t believe in. So I would kind of start by figuring out like, what you can represent authentically. I think related to that, you’re trying to figure out what you can be the best in the world that and and that was a piece of advice that I had gotten years ago. And I think I misinterpreted that when I first heard it, I was like, Oh, I had a sports startup at the time. Okay, great. Well, I love sports. I know sports. Let me try to build the best sports stuff in the world. And it isn’t actually as broad as that. It’s really sort of what unique perspective what fine point can you bring to a category, lots of other folks will come out and have created runs and will create runs long after 10 to one Santa talking about creating the best rum in the world in a vacuum. But 10 to one has a very unique perspective on culture on the liquid on the storytelling on the positioning, that I think that the I and we are uniquely qualified to tell you’re not going to see a 10 to one clone out there in the universe because there is a there is a there is a way in heck that I and we can be the best in the world that you need to kind of figure out what that version of a new idea. A new business venture can be for you. And the last thing I would say number three is persistence, persistence, persistence, right? I think, again, in today’s culture, we love to kind of make these poster children of overnight success, right. And when the when the buyers read or the stories written, it all sounds so easy, you know, went to this school, I went to had this job and met this person had their dream investor, and then two years later, or four years later, tada, like a billion dollars, and that is very rarely, if ever, ever, ever the case. And you just have to be prepared to keep on running through walls. Something doesn’t exist. Now, because the rest of the world is stupid. It’s actually probably because they haven’t seen it quite the way you’ve seen it. And because doing that thing is hard. Yeah. And acknowledging it’s hard. And being willing to run through walls and get up every day and keep on pushing through pushing through pushing through to me is table stakes for any entrepreneur who wants to see that success at the end of the day. So those be kind of my my three points of advice for anybody looking to looking to get started.

Kara Goldin 36:15
Thank you so much. Thanks for all of that. But also just thanks for coming on and sharing the story and 10 to one ROM, everyone needs to give it a try. Go to your stores, go to restaurants and start requesting it and bars as well. And we’ll have all the info in the show notes to how to get your hands on it. But Mark, thank you again. And thanks, everyone for listening.

Marc Farrell 36:40
Such a pleasure. Thanks so much.

Kara Goldin 36:41
Thanks again for listening to the Kara Goldin show. If you would, please give us a review and feel free to share this podcast with others who would benefit and of course, feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode of our podcast. Just a reminder that I can be found on all platforms at Kara Goldin. And if you want to hear more about my journey, I hope you will have a listen or pick up a copy of my book on daunted which I share my journey, including founding and building hint. We are here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And thanks everyone for listening. Have a great rest of the week, and 2023 and goodbye for now. Before we sign off, I want to talk to you about fear. People like to talk about fearless leaders. But achieving big goals isn’t about fearlessness. Successful leaders recognize their fears and decide to deal with them head on in order to move forward. This is where my new book undaunted comes in. This book is designed for anyone who wants to succeed in the face of fear, overcome doubts and live a little undaunted. Order your copy today at undaunted, the book.com and learn how to look your doubts and doubters in the eye and achieve your dreams. For a limited time. You’ll also receive a free case of Pentwater Do you have a question for me or want to nominate an innovator to spotlight send me a tweet at Kara Goldin and let me know. And if you liked what you heard, please leave me a review on Apple podcasts. You can also follow along with me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn at Kara Goldin. Thanks for listening