Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew, cover it with chocolate and a miracle or two? The candy man can, and this time, the candy man is Kevin McCarthy, CEO of Unreal Snacks.
Kevin’s story is a great one for anyone who thinks they need the “right” résumé to succeed. He joined Unreal in 2014 at 22, fresh off a congressional campaign, with zero food experience. He was one of three employees. Today, Unreal is the largest better-for-you chocolate brand in America, sold in 35,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada.
Kevin joined me on How Success Happens (where I ate an embarrassing amount of peanut butter cups on camera), and I’ve broken down 5 bite-sized success tips from our conversation to help give your career a sugar rush.
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Sometimes the Smartest Move Is Shrinking
Unreal launched in 2011 and exploded fast, but the infrastructure wasn’t there to support it. “The company used to be in 34,000 stores,” Kevin says. When he arrived, it relaunched in just 38. “We were trying to do way too much way too quickly, and we weren’t learning at an appropriate pace.” The fix was going small, nailing the basics, and climbing back one step at a time.
Takeaway: If growth is outpacing your learning, slow down until you’ve mastered a smaller version of your business.
The First Bite Is Your Real Marketing Plan
Kevin believes a healthier product only works if it delivers on pleasure. “The bite is the moment of truth,” he says. “When you have a big name like Unreal, you need to deliver on the taste.” That obsession drives Unreal’s high repeat-purchase rate, and its loyal customers have become what Kevin calls “the best marketing engine of anything.”
Takeaway: Before you spend a dollar on ads, make sure your product earns a second purchase on its own.
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Give Your Team a Perk That Makes Them Smarter
Unreal has an unlimited chocolate policy: employees can buy as much chocolate as they want, from Unreal and its competitors, then report back on taste and shelf presence. “We’ll do close to a ton of chocolate this year,” Kevin says. The result is lively internal debates, like testing thousands of samples to decide whether a peanut butter center should be gritty, crunchy or smooth. Everyone gets a voice, “but then we pick a path and we move forward.”
Takeaway: Design perks that turn your employees into sharper students of your market.
Good Surprises Are Dangerous Too
Kevin’s leadership philosophy centers on staying level. “You can never get too excited. You can never get too down.” He goes further: “I don’t like surprises that are bad. I also don’t like surprises that are good because we’re probably not prepared for them.” Landing a big retailer like Costco is worth celebrating, but it also means “now you gotta succeed.”
Takeaway: Treat every big win as the start of a new to-do list, not a finish line.
Think Massive, Act One Step at a Time
For the person in their kitchen whose friends keep saying “you should sell this,” Kevin says to start by being clear about who you serve and why your product is different. Dream about building a massive, well-loved brand, but be ready for the unglamorous work and the near-failures. “You’re gonna take step one, but there’s gonna be step two million someday down the road.”
Takeaway: Write down exactly who your product is for, then take the very next step toward reaching them.
Learn More
Load up on Unreal candy at unrealsnacks.com or at major retailers including Costco, Target and Whole Foods. And follow the brand on Instagram at @unreal.snacks.
Want to go deeper on the topics Kevin covered? Check out these stories on Entrepreneur.com:
About How Success Happens
Each episode of How Success Happens shares the inspiring, entertaining, and unexpected journeys that influential leaders in business, the arts, and sports traveled on their way to becoming household names. It’s a reminder that behind every big-time career, there is a person who persisted in the face of self-doubt, failure, and anything else that got thrown in their way.
Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew, cover it with chocolate and a miracle or two? The candy man can, and this time, the candy man is Kevin McCarthy, CEO of Unreal Snacks.
Kevin’s story is a great one for anyone who thinks they need the “right” résumé to succeed. He joined Unreal in 2014 at 22, fresh off a congressional campaign, with zero food experience. He was one of three employees. Today, Unreal is the largest better-for-you chocolate brand in America, sold in 35,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada.
Kevin joined me on How Success Happens (where I ate an embarrassing amount of peanut butter cups on camera), and I’ve broken down 5 bite-sized success tips from our conversation to help give your career a sugar rush.