In 2012, Calgary-based endurance athlete and adventure television host Simon Donato knew it was time to launch his dream oatmeal company. He had been recognized for years as “the health guy,” and he was ready to build a consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand around it.
Simon and his cofounder Brad Slessor invested $30,000 to $40,000 each into launching Stoked Oats. It was a decision that would transform Simon’s oatmeal (a.k.a. morning fuel), into a multimillion-dollar brand carried across North America by Walmart, Costco, Loblaws, and Sobeys.
Over the past decade, Simon has established himself as an expert on the topic of oats. Beyond his science background, his experience as an endurance athlete helped him establish a blueprint for a business that complements his lifestyle, rather than sacrificing his passions for entrepreneurship.
It didn’t hurt that his love for health and fitness meant he already was part of a community of like-minded folks who had these same interests and that they would naturally become his first customers.
How to build a brand that fits your dream lifestyle
Simon’s reputation as an endurance athlete and his genuine passion for nutrition gave him instant credibility with his initial target market. “Having the front man, me, being that ‘health guy’ helps. … When somebody thinks of Stoked Oats, they think of Simon. … It’s maybe aspirational for them,” Simon explains. “It certainly helped, so we had a really strong community straight out of the gate of health-conscious, athletic individuals who are early adopters.”
Check out the steps below to find out how to turn your own passion into a profitable business, while maintaining your ideal lifestyle.
1. Locate, embrace, and obsess over your authentic niche
Working from his Calgary kitchen, Simon spent years developing his oatmeal blends while balancing his corporate career with ultra-running competitions. As someone who loves being active and making food that supports that level of activity, Simon was always sharing his recipe for oats with friends and colleagues. This, combined with his athletic success, created an authentic connection with health-conscious consumers. “[Everything] changes so rapidly. You absolutely have to understand your niche,” he says. Simon stays updated on new research, and connects with other food or health experts to compare notes. The more immersed you are in the industry, the better off you’ll be making difficult decisions when they arise.
2. Validate the concept before going all-In
To ensure the business would be worth the risk, would resonate with others, and would add more joy to his life, Simon began sampling his recipe for oats across his network in Calgary. He brought his oatmeal blends to corporate workplaces, where his health-conscious colleagues provided initial feedback. Next, he organized formal taste tests with his running club, complete with clipboards and scoring systems to gather structured feedback.
Simon and Brad took refined recipes to Calgary farmers markets, where they gathered even more feedback, this time from strangers. “People would go to the bank machine ahead of time, pull out their farmers market spend. … They weren’t value shopping, they were looking for cool, unique, homegrown local items,” says Simon. Go where you think your target audience is, and use your differentiation points to attract customers. Simon would cook large batches of Stoked Oats’ Buckingham blend, letting the apple-cinnamon aroma draw people to the booth.
Instead of immediately going full time with Stoked Oats, Simon structured the business around his existing commitments. From 2012 to 2020, he continued hosting the TV show Boundless (requiring 100 days of annual travel), running Adventure Science (his nonprofit organization focused on remote scientific expeditions), and competing in endurance events. He allowed Stoked Oats to be an extension of his love for health and wellness, and didn’t force himself to commit every waking hour to growing the business.
This balance was possible through strategic partnerships with distributors who managed day-to-day operations. “I was able to run this part-time [about 20 hours weekly] because we had some good distributors working with us,” Simon explains.
In 2020, Simon was able to start running Stoked Oats full time on his own timeline, when he was ready emotionally and mentally. Having product market fit, backed by years of data and impressive sales made the transition an exciting choice for Simon. He waited eight years, ensuring the business truly supported his desired lifestyle and he didn’t have to sacrifice his other passions.
3. Master the art of pitching
One of the reasons Simon was able to keep the lifestyle he loves was because of successful partnerships with distributors. His approach to securing these retail partnerships evolved through hard-won experience, particularly after a memorable meeting at Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. After flying across the continent with a team of white, male senior sales representatives to pitch a young female buyer, he realized their traditional presentation approach wasn’t working.
This experience transformed his pitching strategy: “All my meetings now start with, ‘Hi, my name is Simon. I’m the founder of Stoked Oats. Thanks so much for having us here. What can we do to help you?’” This buyer-centric approach goes a long way to secure partnerships with retailers of any size, including Costco. That relationship began with a simple introductory email and grew through Costco’s roadshow program, which allows smaller brands to test products with limited inventory across select warehouses.
Entrepreneurs don’t always need to sacrifice lifestyle for business success. From his Calgary test kitchen to national retail presence, Simon built a company that enhances rather than constraints his adventurous way of life. He’s proof that with strategic patience and authentic messaging, it’s possible to create a business that fits your life and can fulfill your dreams.
Be sure to tune in to Simon’s full interview on Shopify Masters and hear his best confidence-building tips, along with more ways to grow a solid customer base.
