I recently went one on one with Carolyn Barbarite, founder of Javamelts.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Carolyn: My background is quite diverse.  I first started out with a paralegal degree and worked for attorneys prior to getting married and having my children.  Once I had my first baby, I quickly planned having the other two so it was a family decision that I would be a stay-at-home Mom.  My husband worked extra on nights and weekends and we lived simply but every sacrifice was worth it.  It’s important to note that I stayed at home but never sat idle.   I was my children’s religion teacher, volunteered for the school PTA, was their class mom, designed and lead groups for the costumes for their school plays, was cheer, soccer, softball, volleyball, lacrosse, basketball and dance mom.  I was always on the go.   What prepared me for being an entrepreneur was being a mom and having my hands in everything.  Also, was seeing my husband running a family-owned business and growing that over the years.  Raising a family, you always have to be prepared for the unknown and be able to switch gears at any given time.  During those years while I was raising my daughters, I would take odd and end jobs to help pay for the holiday season to be able to purchase presents for our very large family!   A little over 20 years ago I actually had another product, but it was during the time when we experienced 911 and the marketplace was not responding the way that we had hoped and I had to prioritize, concentrate on the family, leave that business behind and support my husband whose business was growing.  I accepted all of the struggles and hardships while raising my family and that my company had taken and knew that one day, I would be back with something else.  Failing is part of life.  You have to accept failures, learn from them and move on. 

Adam: How did you come up with your business idea? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with great ideas?

Carolyn: I was sitting down on Valentine’s Day, 2016, and my husband had asked me if I wanted a specialty cup of coffee and he would go get it for me.  I said No because it was so cold outside and I didn’t want him to run out for me.  He had purchased individually wrapped caramel and marshmallow hearts for me and my girls and left them on the counter.  As he was pouring me a cup of coffee I glanced down at the candies and had my “Ah Ha” moment.  I picked one up and said to him, “I have the craziest idea.  Wouldn’t it be amazing if I could pick this up (which is now Javamelts) and drop it into my cup of coffee and instantly have a gourmet flavored, European inspired delicious cup of coffee without going anywhere and I could even bring it with me and give it as a gift?”   The feeling was so strong and we felt that the idea checked all of the boxes that we decided to go for it and we hit the ground running.  

I think it’s important for someone to look for the opportunity in everyday life.  Find a better way to do something.  Find a solution to a problem.   Better mousetraps are out there literally right in front of us.  When I say it checks all of the boxes I mean:  Does your idea apply to the masses?  Does your idea solve a problem?  Is your idea easy to make, ship, store and use?  Can other products be created from your idea?   These are all of the questions that you should be asking yourself when you come up with your idea.   If the answer is yes to most of these questions…. and in my case with Javamelts, all of them, then you probably have a winner!

Adam: How did you know your business idea was worth pursuing? What advice do you have on how to best test a business idea?

Carolyn: If your idea is so strong and checks all of the boxes as noted above take it out to the public and ask people, whoever who will listen to you, friends, family, anyone you can speak with in any marketplace or area that you can find them in, whether or not they would use your product.   What problems that they might see and obstacles that they see you facing.  Be resourceful and really listen to people.   But at the end of the day, you will, like most people, have to take that leap of faith and go for it.  We decided, after months of meeting with people in all aspects of many industries, from food development people, packaging people, co-packers/manufacturers, restaurant owners, business owners, caterers, chefs, distributors, wholesalers and retailers that we just had to follow our passion and give it our best shot!   

Adam: What are the key steps you have taken to grow your business? What advice do you have for others on how to take their businesses to the next level?

Carolyn: Get out there and be fearless.   After we had a finished, packaged, ready-to-go-to-market product we jumped right in and attended any and all of the largest trade shows.   We attended several twice to learn and grow.  Proudly, over the years, we won 4 National Best Product Awards!  Market your story, your product and network, like crazy.  Join groups, attend charity events, connect with people on LinkedIn.  LinkedIn, trade shows and charity events and doing local tastings really panned out for me.  I met the most amazing people that one could only dream of connecting with.   Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and ask for help!  Always gravitate toward people who have already gotten to where you want to be.  They have done it and they can share their wisdom with you so that you minimize the mistakes that you will certainly make along the way.   Don’t spend money unless you have to.  Treat every dollar like it’s your last because everything cost more than you think.   

Once you have a proven concept and real data to share with a captive audience, have a projection done to try and put a value on your company.  Once you get to that point continue networking as hard as you can and looking for investors and strategic partners.  Establish a plan, get the money, and put it to work.   The growth comes from traction and reinvesting money so that you can grow more.  

Adam: What are your best sales and marketing tips?

Carolyn:  Build relationships and network like crazy.  Market yourself and your brand whenever and wherever you can afford to do so.  Get out into the community and let it be known that you have something special and worth paying attention to.  Build trusting, resourceful relationships and will you find that a lot of people will go out of their way to help you connect with people who can help.  I now have built an amazing team of highly qualified, skilled individuals who have helped me get to where that I am today.  It takes a team to succeed.  Nobody can succeed on their own.  Listen to your gut, make good, sound decisions and get your product out there!   

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Carolyn: Leadership is an integral part of success.   Oftentimes people expect things from others that they are not willing to do themselves.   I live by the rule that I will be the hardest working person in the room and with enthusiasm.  I will do whatever it takes, no matter how difficult it may be, to get the job done and I always appreciate and recognize when people are helping me out, no matter how big or small of a part that they take.  You must realize someone’s potential and pull from their strengths and also recognize where your weakness is and fill in that hole with others.   Nobody can be good at absolutely everything so once you determine what you are really good at look for the help in your weak areas.  Learn and adapt as much as possible.  Expressing gratitude and appreciation goes a long way.  Business is about people and not products.   People come first always so make sure you value them and work closely together to grow together!

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams?

Carolyn: Lead the team, show them that you are willing to be the first to do what needs to be done without hesitation.  No task is above or below you and then ask them for their help.

Recognize and reward people for their efforts.  It doesn’t always have to be a monetary reward or a gift but it could be a gesture, a kind word, or a referral to their business to help repay them for going above and beyond for you.  You get more out of people when they feel valued and appreciated.  It’s a team effort and each person you have on your team has value, so let them know it!

Treat others the way you would want to be treated.  Even on your worst day, take a deep breath and be nice!  Even if someone really makes a huge mistake, treat them nicely, address the problem, find a resolution and move on!  Don’t place blame because it doesn’t matter who did the mistake, what matters is how you can fix it quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?

Carolyn: Treat others with respect.

Be the hardest working person in the room and surround yourself with like-minded, successful people who have strengths where you have weaknesses.

Be honest and forthcoming and build long-lasting, trusting and fruitful relationships.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Carolyn: Don’t be selfish and greedy.   Know that your margins are someone else’s opportunity!  

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Carolyn: It’s okay to not know everything, it’s okay to feel defeated, it’s okay to get frustrated but when that happens know that you need to take a break, rest, reset and ask for help.  The help is out there and the answers will come.  Don’t expend energy to non-responsive people.  Move from one failure to another knowing that if things didn’t work out it’s because there is something else that is supposed to work out instead.  Some of my biggest failures and closed doors have led me to a much bigger and brighter place!   Expect to hear NO a lot!  Also, when you get a “No” from someone, just realize that it’s “No” for now but not for good!   Listen to people, when you feel that you have a better product or price or service, circle back to them…… doors that were shut might just open!  Be proud of yourself and celebrate every milestone and enjoy the journey.   The most important thing to me is to never forget where you came from, who helped you get there, and make sure you turn around to help the next person coming up behind you!


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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