Today we’d like to introduce you to Jan Baird.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I had a long, and successful career in corporate America in the Boston, MA area. About 15 of those years were spent traveling internationally. It was exciting, fun, busy and rewarding. However, my family was growing, and I wasn’t there. In 2017, my husband and I decided it was time for me to resign as a Senior Vice President, COO and CFO and become a business owner. He was all in! We were on the search for a business to buy, and settled on Al’s Delicious Popcorn in Columbus, OH, purchasing it in February of 2018. We found the product to be amazing, but everything around the product needed work. What that provided for us was OPPORTUNITY! We have invested in production capability, branding, employees, recipe development and marketing and it is working!
Our focus is on flavor and customer service. We began deriving our own unique flavors and not leaning on suppliers that all popcorn companies use. We use a professional flavorist and chef to come up with exclusive recipes like White Chocolate Strawberry, Brie & Jam, Chicken & Waffles, Ramen, and Black Truffle. They are DELICIOUS!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Business ownership is rarely smooth! If you want a smooth, risk-free ride, don’t own your own business. If you want an extremely satisfying challenge, then go for it! We have survived covid, we have survived the loss of a key employee, we have survived cash challenges when customers haven’t paid us. The best advice I can give, is prepare for the worst and expect the best!
The biggest challenge we took on was opening our own location in Cincinnati, OH from scratch. Not only did we have to build-out the space, but we have had to establish ourselves in the Cincinnati region. We are getting there and it is so satisfying to watch the community fall in love with our popcorn!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Al’s Delicious Popcorn?
Al’s Delicious Popcorn has been a staple in the Columbus, OH community for 40 years, We opened our doors in 1985 and have been serving many of the same recipes since that time. Our Vanilla Butternut and Columbus Mis are customer favorites! We are known for the quality and taste of our popcorn, where you never have to search for the flavor, and for our customer service focus. We love our customers, and we find no reason to hide it!
We offer over 80 flavors of popcorn at any time and are always working on something new. Some recent additions to the menu include Chicken & Waffles, Ketchup & Fries, and Old Fashioned,
We service retail customers, but also have a large Corporate Customer base, offering popcorn for meetings, customer gifts, employee recognition. They love us, not just for the popcorn, but for our ability to add their branding to our popcorn bags with custom labeling. We can even color our Vanilla Butternut to match their logo/events.
We also offer fundraising to support both local and national efforts to support important causes.
Finally, we do custom popcorn bags for baby showers, weddings, birthdays, and just about any other occasion. Celebrate that baby girl with lite pink, and delicious, popcorn along with a custom label that welcomes the new baby! If you can dream it, we will do everything we can to make it happen!
You’ve really got to stop by or visit us online at AlsPopcorn.com.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
The best kind of people are those that give back and contribute to the success of those around them. I’ve served as a mentor for more years than I can count. I do it because I have been successful through the efforts of mentors that I have.
Have I outgrown the need for a mentor. Not at all! I am 61 years old, have had a hugely successful corporate career and a successful small business. And yes, I have a mentor! I seek them out. Most recently, I asked a local businessman who successfully grew a regional franchise business, to be my mentor. It’s as simple as that. I asked him to meet with me monthly so that I can review what I’m working on and get his input. He agreed! It’s really that simple.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Alspopcorn.com
- Instagram: alsdeliciouspopcorn
- Facebook: Al’s Delicious Popcorn
