One of the Girls Behind Salty Girl Seafood: Q&A With Laura Johnson

YEC Next
Thu, 06 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Laura Johnson, Co-Founder of Salty Girl Seafood

Mini Bio

Young entrepreneur Laura Johnson and her team are the creators of Salty Girl Seafood, a company that brings fresh, sustainable seafood to restaurants across the country.

Name: Laura Johnson

Title: Co-Founder

Company: Salty Girl Seafood

Years in business: 1

Business location: Santa Barbara, Calif.

Number of employees: 5

Chief product: Sustainable and traceable seafood

Website: saltygirlseafood.com

First of all, how is business these days?

Business is great! Currently, Salty Girl Seafood offers two products and services: an online marketplace for chefs to purchase the highest quality seafood that is both sustainable and traceable, and a pre-marinated seafood retail line so consumers can access the same delicious seafood to cook in their own homes. We started Salty Girl with the chef service and added our retail line last month. Our company and team have continued to grow every month since we started and we plan to continue that trajectory.

What led you to start your own business?

I have always been passionate about the ocean as well as a seafood lover. Before starting Salty Girl, I worked as a guide aboard fishing boats in Alaska and met a ton of wonderful people who truly do their best to protect our oceans despite all of the negative media surrounding the seafood industry these days. I met Norah Eddy, my business partner, after we both moved to Santa Barbara for graduate school and found that we shared similar experiences and passions. As a business owner or a consumer, it’s nearly impossible to determine if you’re making the right choices when you purchase seafood. Together we decided that we would create the solution to fill the void in the industry.

What sources did you use for startup capital?

We participated in a few competitions as well as an accelerator and fellowship program to get us off the ground. Shortly thereafter we raised a seed round from friends, family, and angel investors.

What do you think is your biggest business strength?

My biggest strength is that I don’t shy away from challenges or obstacles. I can take on a new problem or goal and think through all of the steps to overcome or achieve what I set out to do. My business partner calls it logical thinking—I can see the goal and the pathway there.

What do you enjoy most about owning your own business?

I love that every day is different. My job is to be creative with my team to find the best solution to problems in our industry; it’s both challenging and rewarding. At the end of the day, we are working to help people and drive positive change in our industry, and there’s nothing better than seeing that become a reality.

What’s your least favorite part of running a business?

The paperwork! We deal with highly regulated, wild-capture, perishable food and it comes with plenty of necessary paperwork to make sure it’s handled properly.

Norah Eddy and Laura Johnson

What do you think are important entrepreneurial skills to have?

I am big on charisma, positivity, and flexibility. As an entrepreneur you also have to be a leader who gets people on board with your idea. However, it’s also important to know where your weaknesses lie and to fill in those holes on your team. Trends and your business’s position will change with time, so flexibility and the ability to remain creative will allow you to stay ahead of the game and remain a leader.

What are some challenges you’ve faced in business and how did you overcome them?

We’ve faced a lot of challenges in starting our company, from finding boxes to ship seafood, to selecting the right messaging for our marketing strategy. Overcoming each obstacle has been a team effort and we make sure to set aside time to work together each week. The second piece has been reaching out to our customers, advisors, and partners. If you’re ever unsure about your products or services, talk to more people to get their feedback and eventually you’ll be guided down the right path.

What do you wish you’d known before you started out?

Patience is a virtue. It’s so easy to want things to happen quickly once you’ve decided on an action. Now I take the expected time for something to happen and multiply it by three. I also used to think that businesses were well-oiled machines—that’s not necessarily reality. You just figure out a solution, and it might be messy, but you continue to get better and better as your company grows.

What is the smartest move you have made with your business so far?

Trusting my gut. Sometimes you need to make decisions, but you won’t have all the evidence that you need.

How do you find new customers? What do you do to make sure they become return customers?

We are constantly on the search for new customers. We do a lot of cold calls and walk-ins to new locations, and use our existing customers for referrals. For our retail line, we have been promoting a ton on social media and using community events (Earth Day, alumni weekends) to introduce our line to new customers.

What’s your management style with employees?

Building a successful company starts with the right team. At Salty Girl, we make sure to include time each week for "Brain Dumps" where we come together to put everyone’s ideas on the table. Every member of our team has ideas on how to better the company and we make sure to set aside time to allow each person to contribute to our company’s success.

What are some other companies or entrepreneurs you admire, and why?

I always find it amazing when companies are able to create a following of loyal brand enthusiasts. Patagonia is one of the great examples of a company that has been able to achieve this. They have ambassadors and loyal customers that engage with the company outside of the products that they sell and are truly passionate about the environmental issues the company supports. It’s companies like Patagonia that we are hoping to emulate with Salty Girl.

Do you have an inspirational quote?

"Just do it." —Nike

What new initiatives are you working on?

Right now our newest initiative is the launch of our retail line of pre-marinated seafood. Each package is complete with chef-quality seafood that is fully traceable and sustainable. Information on sustainability is readily available on the package so consumers can educate themselves and feel good about their purchases.

We’ve also crafted recipes that are some of our favorites to make it easy for people to cook delicious seafood in their own homes.

What advice would you give to someone hoping to start a business similar to yours?

Go for it! Make sure you’re working on something you’re passionate about and surround yourself with a team that shares that passion. That will give you the greatest chance at success.

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Photos courtesy of Salty Girl Seafood