 Today, we're excited to welcome 2 sisters who turned their moms chocolate-covered pretzel recipe into a booming business. Allie and Lauren Borowick join us to talk about founding Fatty Sundays, their unplanned pretzel empire and working together in business as sisters. This is School of Hustle, the show where we find advice and inspiration from people who are making their own way. I'm Shannon, the VP of Social Hierarch Go Daddy, and I live and breathe the hustle of business. Today, we're filming from the hustle of it all at the WeWork Time Square in New York City. Okay, everybody, let's give Allie and Lauren a really big warm welcome to the show. Thanks for having us. You're welcome. You co-founded Fatty Sundays, a gourmet pretzel company that distributes and sells online and across the country to the direct consumer. This is amazing. What inspired your love for pretzels? Our mom always used to make us sprinkled chocolate-covered pretzels, which was the inspiration behind this entire thing, and here we are reinventing chocolate-covered pretzels with fun flavors and packaging. Well, the packaging is stunning. Thank you. And all I want to do is dig into this bag and grab one of these colorful little pieces right now, and this is beautiful. It's almost like a little bookshelf. The pretzel library. Is that? Yeah. That's great. Well, I feel like your background is a graphic designer, right? And then your background as an accountant has to help inspire you and make Fatty Sundays what it is today. Yeah, so I was doing graphic design and really just the packaging, the branding, the visuals, the creative, everything sort of has been a work in progress and has evolved, but my experience before this has definitely helped, and I think that's one of the things that makes Fatty Sundays stand out, so it's fun. And I was supposed to work for Winston Young. I left my job there, had an internship, and then never actually took the offer, and I focused mostly on the logistics, the finance, manufacturing, things like that. But I always say that my education helped me less, you know, the day-to-day of what we're doing, but like how to get things done, kind of how we think. She's like the right side and the left side. What about the side around like actual like culinary school, or? No. None of that. And was that ever a concern? No. We just, we went for it, we had our mom's recipe as like the start of all this and just figured it out as we grew. The pretzel is a very casual, it could be the most casual of all snacks. This is fancy. Yeah. This is premium. This is elegant. How did you do this? I am obsessed with paper and packaging and design and have for seven years obsessed over the paper, the packaging, and the design. I know that the quality of the product has to also taste really great and be enjoyable, right? How much have you strayed from mom's original recipe? I have to ask. Well, she started with just the sprinkle pretzel, so we've come out with, we've got nine different flavors now, but every time, you know, just using premium ingredients and whatever one would love, we, you know, we start the taste testing originally at home and now in our office with our team and just one thing kind of leads to another. We definitely take everyone's recommendations, but that's kind of how each one evolves. And we're just looking to do it differently than what's out there, so kind of not doing, you know, the standard chocolate cover pretzel stuff and really thinking about the chocolate, the toppings, the presentation, how it looks, the, you know, the grind of the topping, like, we think about every detail in detail. And that's what makes you stand out on the shelf. And it looks different. It just, you know, chocolate, we always say like chocolate pretzels aren't a new idea. We didn't invent the chocolate cover pretzel, but we're reinventing chocolate cover pretzels and we're modernizing them and making them fun again. As sisters and business owners, I imagine you're very close. How have you gone about building your team to let people in to help? One step at a time. I would say that's first, but we, you know, we can't do it on our own. Our team is amazing. We wouldn't be where we are without them, for sure, but, you know, it's like, we have a trust that you can't really replicate, obviously, because we are family, but, you know, I think the first year or two years, we were doing it all on our own. And once we started to grow, we knew that that wasn't possible anymore and just searching for the best crew that we can find. People, they're all part of our family now, we like to say, like, it's like the bigger, fattier Sunday's family and just, yeah, taking our time and finding the right people to trust and work with. And you mentioned you have nine flavors. Mm-hmm. I have to ask, what is your favorite flavor? Peppermint, for sure. So, salty caramel is probably my favorite flavor at the moment. Okay. We did, I have to say, we had peanut butter and jelly, which wasn't the most popular, so it's gone, but that was my favorite flavor for a long time. It's in the archive, maybe we'll put it back. And it just went away, so I'm still like, it's a touchy subject. I'd love to hear more about that process, actually, about flavors. Yeah, so it's kind of like, you know, we're all about fun flavor, chocolate over pretzels and doing things differently, so when we do come up with flavors, we have to think about it on a pretzel and, you know, how does it appeal to the masses? So, for example, pina colada doesn't work, nobody liked it, but then things like toffee, which, when we started the business, it was like, there's so much toffee in the world. Like, do we really need to do a toffee chocolate over pretzel? It's our best seller, it's classic, it's familiar, everyone loves it. So, like, we can't imagine a world without our chocolate over pretzels, but like, you know, so, you know, it's finding a balance. As you look back over the last seven years running Fatty Sundays, what would you describe as your made-it moment? I don't think there's like one made-it moment, right? Because that sounds so final. And it's like once, that to me, it's like, if you've made it, then like, then what? So I think every day is something new. It really, and I know that sounds so cheesy, but it's really every day, it's like a different milestone, different things happen, of course, some are more exciting and, you know, some hurdles are bigger than others, but every day, something new. We're making it every day. Yeah. One foot from the other. Is mom involved at all? So she, in the beginning, was there every day in the kitchen with us. We put her back to work, she likes to say, and she, you know, now is more like backup emergency, we need extra hands. She's there always for moral support and bouncing ideas off of and all that, but... Our dad is actually also very involved in, like, our number one salesman at every trade show with us. Really? Yeah, he's, you know, he doesn't do this full time with us yet, but he's definitely very much involved in, like, on the, you know, business side of things. And his business side, like, around, like, when you say trade shows, is it about getting the package on a shelf, or is it around an online component? So some of the shows we do are just, like, about gifting and, you know, getting the word out there about all the corporate gifting and special events, stuff we do, others are, you know, gourmet shops and that sort of thing. And then... The Union Square Holiday Market in the city. Yeah! We've been doing that for the last couple of years, and if you're there on a Saturday or Sunday, you'll probably see your dad. Yeah. He won't leave the booth. He stands there all day, rain or shine. He is... Every weekend. Amazing. Thank you for sharing that and opening up. We are now going to play my favorite game called Hustle Time. All right, team. May I please have 60 seconds on the clock? Okay. Apple or Android? Apple. If a genie granted you three wishes, what would you wish for? Time travel, fly and talk to animals. Snapchat. Has a long life or is a lost cause? Lost cause. Large dogs or lap dogs? In the middle. Chardonnay, yay or nay? Chardonnay, yay. Fireplace or fire pit? Fire pit. Fire pit. What's the first app you open in the morning? Email. Songlet is currently stuck in your head. ABCs. Aliens, fact or fiction? Fact. You have to lose access forever. Do you pick search engines or social media? Social media. One thing you'd want it on a desert island with you? Water. Favorite pastime music or movies? Music. Music or podcasts? Podcast. Three things in your closet right now? Shoes, clothes. Got to send you a sweatshirt. Dream dinner guest? Oprah. Binge watch or watch weekly? Weekly. Would you rather never get angry or never be envious? Never be envious. Best place you've traveled? Amalfa coast. Finish a sentence when I dance I look like? Silly. Sashimi your roles? Sashimi. Favorite workout? Arms, legs, or abs? All. All the above. Okay, we're going to count that. We're going to count that. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. Nicely done. Morning when I go walk and get coffee. Also the morning. Best piece of advice you've ever gotten? It's okay to say no. It can't be everything to everyone. Keep going. Worst piece of advice? Try to be everything to everyone. How do you use your career to inspire others? I think by showing that, you know, you can leave behind the norm. We both quit our jobs and follow your passion. It takes hard work, but it's doable to put it in. Ever felt like walking away? Yeah. One thing you still need to learn? Always room to learn how to better communicate. Better communicate, yeah. Time management. What do you want people to learn from you? That it's possible. I think it's possible. You just have to put the work in. And it doesn't get easier. It gets harder. Someone on my team told me that this next one is going to be quite an answer. What's next for you? We invented and created and made official National Chocolate Covered Petzl Day, which wasn't a holiday previously, like on the National Calendar Day. A foodie holiday. And it will be celebrated annually on October 7th. From now until the end of time. From now until the end of time. And we are so excited. And we are going to be celebrating in a big way. And it's, I mean, we created a holiday. Like we literally created a holiday. Wait, who are you even applying to? What is going on here? There's a National Day Calendar. Yeah, there's one company that like makes it official. And there was only a National Petzl Day that we've celebrated the last, you know, couple of years. And we realized we needed a National Chocolate Covered Petzl Day. So we applied and we made it official. Who inspires you? Dad. Our dad. And who challenges you? Our dad. I was going to say as a dad as well. I'm going to meet dad in the market. I'm going to meet him. I say our customers also. Yeah. Challenge us too. Yeah. Well, we let folks know that you were coming in social. And I think you did as well. Yeah. Sarah P. asks, how do you come up with new flavors? So we start with a whole list of ideas that we kind of pull from our team, from our brains, our followers, our customers. We put it out there and we take all of the answers and kind of figure out which, I think last year it was like which 10 do we think would be something. And then we have, as a team, we kind of figure out the chocolate type that, you know, we do dark milk or white chocolates. We figure out which chocolate type would work best. And then what the topping situation looks like. And then we try out 10 or so different flavors on dark milk and white chocolate and get the whole team involved. We taste test all of them, narrow it down. Can we do it better? What are the options? Like really think it through and think about the like, you know, would everybody love this? Is this like too niche? Is it too boring? Whatever it is. And just kind of narrow it down until the best one wins. And how often do you do that? So it's generally yearly. Last year we did salted caramel. It was our newest flavored stark chocolate. It was salted with caramel bits and sea salt. This next piece of advice is for our entrepreneurial. Here he comes. Noodle has always been family oriented and values his friendships. He is considering going into business with his master, Jonathan. But he's slightly concerned about doing business with a loved one. What advice would you give someone who works closely with a friend or a family member? It's all about communication. And yeah, just being the best communicator possible and just continuing to work on that. There is nothing better than working with friends or family. It just takes discipline and growth and it evolves. How do you think about the reporting structure? Like would Noodle be Jonathan's boss or would it be the other way around? I think finding that like delegating and being very clear on the responsibilities is really important. Knowing where you're good at. When we first started we were doing a lot of the same things. Who knows how to run a business when you first get started. And as we've grown we've really delegated and separated which has helped to make everything. She's really good at certain things and I'm really good at certain things. Our skillsets are like polar opposites which I think works for our advantage. Especially in the background. Especially in your background like the accounting versus design. I mean that sounds like a great partnership. So I love that Noodle, you hear that? Well in closing we like to leave everybody with a final thought. And so I'm going to share three quotes and ask you which quote resonates the most with you and why. And you could each have your own quote. You can agree on the same one. Let's see what you think, okay? Number one, trust because you are willing to accept the risk. Not because it's safe or certain. Two, I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. Three, opportunities don't happen you create them. I'd say three opportunities don't happen you create them because it's true. Like if you just sit around thinking that or thinking about things you want to happen it won't. You have to put the work in and see it through and you're going to have an idea and it's going to be great. It's going to fail like a thousand times and just you got to keep at it. But it's all in your control. I'd say the second one about failing 10,000 different ways. I think hindsight's 20-20 and you learn from your mistakes and you just keep going. We've all been there. We sure have. Well I had a lot of fun meeting you today. Thank you. Really I so much enjoyed this conversation. I absolutely am obsessed with this product and packaging. Thank you. I'm hoping you'll let me open up one of these bags after we finish. They look amazing and meeting you is such a pleasure. I want to make sure that everyone watching understands and knows how they can find your product and follow you. Let everyone know what they can do. So our website is Fattiesundays.com. We ship nationwide. And to Canada. And to Canada. And on social we're at Fattiesundays. F-A-T-T-Y-S-U-N-D-A-Y-S like the day of the week. Wonderful. Well follow Fattiesundays. Follow GoDaddy because every week we are bringing entrepreneurial conversation and inspiration to you across social. On Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, all those places. So follow us and we will see you soon. Bye.