Building a Mission-Driven Business with Whitney Tingle of Sakara Life

Whitney Tingle is the CEO and Co-founder of Sakara Life, a health, wellness, and fitness company that delivers organic, plant-rich meals and functional products. After completing her Bachelor’s degree and graduating magna cum laude from the University of Arizona, Whitney began her career in financial services. She interned as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch and later served as a sales and marketing associate at Merlin Securities. She then became the Business Development and Marketing Executive for R.E. Davis Group before co-founding Sakara Life in 2011 with her best friend and business partner, Danielle Duboise.

Whitney joins us today to discuss the genesis of Sakara Life and underscore the importance of being on a mission when building a company. She highlights the importance of believing in yourself and the business you’re building and shares her advice for navigating the early stages of fundraising. She also explains what it means to “put on the chicken suit” and details how continually challenging yourself can create an exciting and purposeful Entreprenista journey.

“A mission is something that serves others. If you can find your mission, you can better serve more people. And the better you can serve, the more successful your business will be.” – Whitney Tingle

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

• Whitney’s background, her career in Wall Street, and why she built Sakara Life
• How the Wall Street work culture impacted Whitney’s health
• The mission that sparked Sakara Life
• How they transitioned from bootstrapping Sakara Life to raising capital for the company
• The importance of believing in the business you’re building
• How much Sakara Life raised in their first round of fundraising
• The bias in venture capitalism and Whitney’s advice for raising capital
• What keeps Whitney going through tough business days
• Why it’s important to put your mission at the heart of your business
• Sakara Life’s first hire and how the company’s team has evolved
• What it was like to hire 100 people during a pandemic
• Keeping company culture alive while working remotely
• Why companies should use Slack
• What it’s like to build and scale a business with your best friend

• Practicing gratitude in business and life and Whitney’s favorite Sakara Life snack
• How Whitney balances her work at Sakara Life and her role as a mom

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome by Will Bulsiewicz, MD
• Slack

Our Favorite Quotes:

• “You need to put on that chicken suit if you’re raising money. If you want it enough and believe in yourself and business enough, nothing will stand in your way.” – Whitney Tingle
• “Your business will always ask you how much you want it, and you have to continue to show up for it, to keep saying ‘yes’ to it.” – Whitney Tingle
• “Being an Entreprenista means having creative ideas and bringing them to reality as something you can touch, feel, and share with others.” – Whitney Tingle

Connect with Whitney Tingle:

• Sakara Life
• Book: Eat Clean: Play Dirty: Recipes for a Body and Life You Love
• Sakara Life on LinkedIn
• Sakara Life on Instagram
• Sakara Life on Facebook
• Sakara Life on TikTok
• Sakara Life on YouTube
• Whitney Tingle on LinkedIn

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

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Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.

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Become An Entreprenista!

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