Photo Credits: Paul Hermann from Unsplash
This series is all about diverse entrepreneurship, but Jelly Social has a different and broader definition of diversity, one that highlights the uniqueness of individuals. To us, there are two forms of diversity to us: inherit diversity (age, gender, race) and acquired diversity (education, knowledge, skills, experience, values). Using inherited and acquired diversity can help us to realize all the different ways we are diverse. This week, we are talking to expert Robert Robinson on his journey as a diverse entrepreneur!
What makes Robert Diverse?
As a diverse entrepreneur, shed some light on yourself, the work you’re doing and maybe some of the things that make you diverse!
I am of Carribean descent, my parents are from Jamaica. I went to school for business administration at Niagara College and I have a background in marketing, sales, business development, and account management. Additionally, I am a Canadian traveller; I’ve travelled all of Canada from the East coast to the West Coast! Lastly, I am a father, uncle, and barbecue enthusiast.
Robinsons Sauces was started right around the beginning of the pandemic, so about March of 2020. I’ve always been passionate about sauces and condiments; meat is one thing but it isn’t complete until you add a sauce because it is the add-on that makes the meal. Our first major point was right when everything was locked down because it was right around barbeque season so I decided to make some homemade barbeque sauce and deliver it to some friends and family to spread the love through food and help get people through the lockdown. It goes back a bit further from my late mother watching her passion in the preparation and cooking of her meals, and transitioning it into Robinson Sauces to spread that same passion to other people. We put our own twist on it with all of our sauces being fruit-based, so we have pineapple, mango, blackberry, and raspberry flavours with the introduction of blueberry and cherry coming soon. One of our sauces called Peachy Jerk takes the traditional Jamacian jerk sauce I grew up with and fuses it with peaches that are actually locally grown here in Canada to combine my cultures to make a unique sauce.
Obstacles on his Journey
Thinking back on your journey to becoming the person that you are today, what would you say was the biggest obstacle to overcome? Could be a professional obstacle, a personal obstacle, a mental obstacle, an emotional obstacle.
I think the main barrier is overcoming your mindset. The mindset growing up was go to school, go to post secondary, start a job and that’s it; you work that job to the end and go up the ranks within that corporation. When you grow up with that mindset instilled in you like it was for me due to my parents, you start to think “okay, I want to follow my passion instead of doing that.” With the Caribbean upbringing, they will tell you that passion is not going to pay your bills but in this case, yeah it will! The biggest obstacle was overcoming that “9-5 ‘till you die” mindset and taking that first step to following that passion. For me, that first step was incorporating my business which really made it real for me. Following that, the next obstacle was figuring out how customers would perceive my product as a black entrepreneur in a different type of space. Overcoming them will always be difficult, especially when it is your mindset because you need to self-reflect and identify what your goals are and how you will execute them.
Tools for Entrepreneurs
When it comes to your success as an entrepreneur, are there any helpful tools, techniques, or resources that you think might be helpful for others?
To be honest, it was just connecting with the right people. I believe you’re as good as your team; there are always people in place to help build that success no matter how big or small the company is. I surround myself with great people that can share knowledge of their journey as an entrepreneur or about the industry. Overcoming that mindset was as simple as surrounding myself with great people like my brother, my girlfriend, good friends from college and even college professors that taught me over 10 years ago to pull information from all the resources I had available.
Robert's Advice: Start Sooner
As if you were to have a conversation with your younger self, what type of advice would you give your younger self?
Start sooner! Seriously, start sooner and not to be afraid. Really conquer that internal fear and believe in yourself and your product’s ability to speak volumes and know your support group is great and you can accomplish anything. When you start something, you will quickly figure out what your gift is. Don’t deny it, figure out how to start and support it.
Business Tips
With the success you have had on your entrepreneurial journey, we’d love for you to drop your top tip on what you can teach others about breaking through their own challenges.
Get your product out there. I spent the first couple months giving out free samples; a lot of my friends are in the restaurant space or who love to cook, so their feedback and criticisms were crucial for me. Get your product out there and do basic marketing stuff to get that feedback to learn what you can do to be better. Every day for me was about progression and evolving: “How can I be better than I was the day before?” This is advice that goes beyond just food as well and can be used by anyone so make sure you get feedback and build from it.
Speaker's Specifics
Robert Robinson is a barbeque-loving father that got his passion for cooking from his late mother, Joyce. He specializes in homemade, fruit-focused barbeque sauces that can be enjoyed on a variety of meats. To see all of the sauces he offers and to order them for yourself, visit his website!
Don’t forget to follow him on Instagram to stay up to date with what he is doing!
