SALSAOLOGY at "Competition & Copycats"-- Discussion Panel Hosted by Ellevate Network

SALSAOLOGY was happy to have our founder, Lori Sandoval, among the female founders on the “Competition & Copycats: How to Stand-Out & Protect Your Brand" panel hosted by Ellevate Network and Nora Agency. Ellevate is a global network of professional women committed to elevating each other through education, inspiration, and opportunity. 

Our founder, along with fellow boss ladies Vanessa Dew, co-founder of Health-Ade Kombucha, and Rachel Geicke, co-founder of Snow Monkey, discussed ways they have been able to overcome copycats and have their brands stand out from the competition.

The evening started with everyone sipping on some delicious Health-Ade Kombucha flavors, while nibbling on tacos made with our Ancho Chile & Tamarind sauce. After some mingling and introductions, it was time for the boss ladies to take the panel stage.

Throughout the panel, moderated by Nicole Swartz of Sprout Society, the female founders spoke from personal experience about what worked and didn’t work as they were trying to get their brands established. The main takeaways included:

1. Protect your brand with a trademark. This is one of the first steps you should take when sharing your brand/idea with the world. Not only will it protect your ideas and products, but it’ll allow consumers to easily identify your brand among the competition.
2. Stand out from your competition. Put on “blinders” so your focus is on your brand’s image/mission, rather than what all your competitors are doing. It’s good to be aware of what your competition is doing, but always stick true to your brand’s message and what works for you.
3. Quality is very important. Higher quality products do mean higher costs, but don’t shy away from it. As long as your branding communicates the value, a higher price point is fair.
4. Follow your dream(s) now. Although it may seem scary at first to take the first steps, there is no better time than the present. If you wait too long, someone else might come up with a similar idea or you might become discouraged. There’s no one way or right way to get your brand or idea going-- you’ll learn from your successes and failures and it can only make you and your brand stronger.

The panel discussion was followed by a quick Q&A session, before ending the night with all the delicious flavors of the superfood ice treat provided by Snow Monkey!

We thank Ellevate Network and Nora Agency for hosting and inviting us to be a part of such a wonderful event. We love getting to support other female founders and empower other women to follow their dreams, no matter how big. Be sure to follow along on our Instagram @salsaology for more behind the scenes content of events. To learn more about Ellevate visit their site here.

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