Side hustles are nothing new in the world of entertainment. Avengers: Endgame star Gwyneth Paltrow has a successful lifestyle brand Goop, reality TV personality Kim Kardashian owns the massive KKW Beauty empire, and Jessica Alba co-founded the multi-billion dollar Honest Company.
We can go on and on about Hollywood celebrities’ successful business ventures but while it sounds easy for them to start a business because they relatively have more money at their disposal than us, not all stars experience a smooth ride at the beginning of their journey.
And things were no different for Sarah Michelle Gellar, who ‘90s kids would know as the titular character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Birth of Foodstirs
We only see businesses owned by celebrities in news, thinking that it was just a walk in the park to follow their hearts and passion and translate this into a lucrative company. While this may be true for some celebrities, Sarah’s Foodstirs certainly didn’t traverse that path.
Launched in October 2015, the baking-mix brand was the brainchild of the actress and her friend Galit Laibow who came up with the fun idea to bake with their kids.
At the grocery, Galit was shocked to find expensive organic mixes as well as those that had ingredients she was clueless about.
Although she grabbed one, made it back to the kids, and had a fun afternoon with them and Sarah, she was already toying with the idea of selling organic ingredients. They began doing taste tests with the Cruel Intentions star as the judge.
All In
Galit wasn’t a fresh one in terms of working with a high-profile personality, in fact, she founded a PR firm whose clients involved Rosario Dawson and Jessica.
But after further research and taste tests, she decided to depart from the firm because she wanted to give her all in her newfound idea.
Sarah, meanwhile, didn’t immediately hop aboard because she was still busy with CBS’ The Crazy Ones. But when the show got canceled, it seemed very much like a sign from the universe that she should join her friend in the exciting venture.
The former PR genius asked Sarah if she could commit because the actress didn’t just want to become a spokesperson, but rather a co-founder.
The duo decided to launch the brand but was clueless on where and how to start. Luckily, they got connected to Greg Fleishman, who admitted that the idea he heard from the two was not new.
What made him say yes was the founders themselves, and he, later on, became a co-founder, too.
Who’s Laughing Now?
Galit admitted they experienced countless times of being laughed at right in their faces or even brushed off by investors.
The celebrity, meanwhile, felt that the Foodstirs was ridiculed and belittled because of her. Greg narrated how investors even discriminated the CEO because she is a woman, while others warned him about the decision he made to join the company.
But if they let that bring them down, they wouldn’t have brought to life their bright and bold idea wherein they would sell high-quality products that are for the mass market as well as food that will be fun for families to create together.
Foodstirs was steadily gaining momentum and soon enough, it managed to attract investors who looked at the products first rather than the celebrity tied with the brand.
Having released its products in over 7,500 stores, this success is only a big, fat slap on people that dismissed the initial idea.