 Welcome to School of Hustle, the show where we are celebrating and finding inspiration from people who are making their own way. Today, we have Sofia Hossain, founder and CEO of Silly Chili Hot Sauce. I think you have such a fantastic background because you did not start as a chili sauce maker. No. Tell me about how you got to where you are today. Sure. So I went to FIT Fashion School and my whole background is in fashion. If you look through my resume, I never even worked at a restaurant. About two years ago, I kind of started making hot sauce at home, out of my apartment in Hoboken. And the journey just started from there. And I used to go to farmers market and pick up peppers, bring it home and started just making. And it was so bad, guys. It was disgusting. Like, I made it and I just poured it down the drain for the three months. Like, it was just bad. But you know, when you are very consistent and you just want to learn, so that was my thing I want to learn. Like, I was like, I'm just going to get this puppy right. So I just kept doing and doing and making and then it was just getting better. And then one of my co-worker at Gap, she wanted to buy some of my stuff and I was like, wow, you're going to pay me for it? Like, you'd pay me for something that I made. So that was like my first sale in my entire life because I never made something and I sold it. So that feeling I will never forget. Did you grow up loving hot sauce? What was it that set you on the path? I still, to this day, I still don't know. It was like a calling for me. Like, I was making it and I just felt good. And the part felt good was like I was working with the farmers. Like, I would buy stuff directly from them and just bring it home and make it. So that was the part I really enjoyed. And that kind of escalated to what I'm doing right now. From what I understand, you are very thoughtful about where you source your peppers. Yes. I consider myself as the bridge between the farmers and the consumers. Everything that I source, everything I use in my bottle to make my sauce comes directly from the farmers. So as I grow, as I grow my company and the farmers I'll be working with more farmers will be working side by side. So this is actually a social movement for me. A lot more than just making hot sauce, being in business. But it's a social movement for me. And I'm an activist entrepreneur. I want to help them and that's what keeps me going. Break down the bottle. We've talked a lot about the inside and we can see that there's such thought into the quality of the ingredients and the support of the farming community. But I actually just want to look at the bottle. Yeah. It's really pretty, which does not surprise me because you have a background in fashion. In fact, there's a very chic fashionable woman on the bottle with a beautiful little dog. Tell me about where this design came from. I love this. So it's basically, that's my dog, Mushroom, right here. She's a Chihuahua and that's like a little bit taller and skinnier version of me that I picture myself. I know it's very unusual logo for a hot sauce company because most of the hot sauce companies out there has like a skull, a little bit scary photos and those things scares me. I'm very soft inside. Like, I know I like spicy food, I'm making hot sauce, but you know, I'm soft. What advice would you have for people who are trying to start out? It can be so scary and it can be so daunting to start a business and you're dumping hot sauce down the sink and making a recipe, but you're making a joke and you're laughing. What advice do you have for those people who just don't have that same positivity that you do? Just, you said, positive mindset. Okay. If you're out there trying to build something or make your idea come true, you just have to keep at it, right? So it's an unknown path. Like two years ago I left my job to pursue something that I have no background in. What it was, it's like my gut feeling, that I want to do this, I want to pursue this. Like that's my mission, that's my calling and I think for everyone out there, you have to find that before you invest a lot in it. Can you tell me about that value that you find in your hot sauce every day? Sure. I felt that I lost kind of my purpose. Like it wasn't, whatever I was doing, it wasn't, there wasn't any fulfillment there. You know, at that time I didn't know what it was. You know, I was like, maybe just normal to feel this way. But when I kind of started making hot sauce, working with the farmers as I like diving into it and it felt like, wow, I used to listen to their stories and they get paid like so little for the amount of hours they put in, listening to them and working with them and it felt like I'm actually doing something. It felt, I felt there was like a fulfillment inside, like you know, there's like the purpose of it. Now I feel like I have my purpose, I found my purpose, I found my calling and it feels good, it feels good to know that. Who do you most look up to as a symbol of success? My aunt. She, we're not even blood related, she's a wife of my uncle and she does so much, like growing up, I watched her doing so much for the community selflessly and one thing she would always say that you know, look for peace. You look for that peace, you know, like internal peace. I didn't know what she meant. I was like, whoo, peace, I just want to designer wear bags, designer wear shoes, like party it off, you know, like all the vacation, like, but as I'm growing older, success to me is like, it's like, I'm looking at it and I was like, wow, like when I wake up peacefully now that I wake up very peacefully, that I have a purpose, like that success. Love what you just said about finding that peace within. But I also know that you have a killer product and you are going to hit that one million customer. And I'm curious, when you pace toward that, what do you do to stay on top of trends? What makes you excited in your space? What are you doing to get to that million customer? I have to hit that million customer because only that way I can make an impact. You know, right now the millennials, they love eating healthy food. People are more conscious about what they're putting into their body. I agree with you, I'm not a millennial, but I am thinking about what ingredients are on the package all the time. Yes, that excites me a lot. Like finally people are paying attention to what they're putting into their body. It's not only me, it's like there are a bunch of food entrepreneurs out there trying to bring in healthy food, natural food. It's back to basic. How many ingredients are in your product on average? I would say I use real pepper. I don't even use frozen pepper. Like apple cider vinegar, sea salt, oil. Four to five. And garlic, onion, actually like six. Okay, that's fantastic. And how do you think about developing new products? Because I understand that you have a very new, very hot habanero sauce. I'm going to try it. I dare you. The inner bone is a lot smaller, so we know that something's spicy in here. But tell me about when you come up with a new product, what is it that you think of to stay ahead of the trend and to ensure that you're innovating enough? So my first mission is to make it flavorful, not only healthy. Of course, use all fresh ingredients and make it flavorful for people to actually enjoy. That's how I get all my returning customers because they miss that flavor. Taste matters. Yes, it does. So guys, she's trying the super duper hot, the chili hot sauce, which is habanero, is the hottest one I have in my collection. All right. Are you ready? You're in white. Be really careful. Yeah, someone get her milk. So do I just lick it or should I like just a tiny bit? Well, you're supposed to eat it with food, but yeah, go ahead. I can get a chip brought in. She's kind of... She's doing it. I love shishito peppers, and I'm the person at the table that just hope always like one in every bowl. And I love it. Patience. Yes. Because in entrepreneurship, it's not easy. If we're pitching to 100 stores, we get probably rejected by 80 or some people don't even reply. So it's very hard to like constantly like trying and then get those news and I'm getting my thick skin now, but I feel like I still need to work on it. I would love for you to tell us what is the best piece of advice that you have ever been given? Someone in my family friend who's also an entrepreneur told me that always pay your suppliers, your vendors on time, because you build your relationship, your reputation from it. It's a relationship business is what this is all about, right? It is. And you're relying on farmers and people with the bottles and the labels and you all are working together in concert to make really like this dream exist. Right, exactly. Thank you so much for that conversation. I want to now get personal and learn as much as I can about you in 60 seconds. So we're going to play a game called Hustle Time. And I need help. Jonathan, will you please bring in the cards? Okay. I want you to feel really good about the cards. Okay. And give you an opportunity to do any mixing or cutting that you might like before we set the timer. Ooh, I'm nervous, guys. Your work is we're going to see how many questions you can answer in 60 seconds. Okay. So if you want to think about your perfect answer, it's going to cost you time. Okay. I would say to do the first thing that comes to mind. Okay. And get to as many as you can, okay? You got it. So do we have a timer? Can you watch or watch weekly? Watch weekly. Football, NFL or soccer? NFL. First place you visit when you retire? First place you've traveled? Oh my God, so many. NYC tourists, help with directions or keep your eye on your own way? Of course, help with directions. Come on. First record you bought with your own money? Oh my God, I never bought a record though. Okay. First concert you ever saw? Coldplay? NYC tourist attraction. What is it though? Some advice to it. Our new employee is noodle. Somebody who's afraid of spicy food and afraid of trying new things. To be clear, this advice is for the people out there, not noodle. Okay. If it's for people, I would say listen, hot sauce doesn't kill you. I Google it all the time. I make my interns Google it all the time. Try it. It's fine. It's not going to kill you. But noodle, don't, right? Like, no noodle. This was such a fabulous conversation. I love it. Thank you for being here. Thank you for having me. You're welcome. Hi, I'm Shannon Truax. Hit to subscribe and all of your entrepreneurial goals will come true. That is if your goals are to see more of noodle and watch more episodes of School of Hustle.