Trial and Error
- Meg Hull
- Jul 2
- 7 min read
I am still adding pages in this chapter of new beginnings. There are so many opportunities and skills that I am learning in this entrepreneurial journey. Let me just say I have never been the one who wanted to be in front of a large group, in fact, I spent most of my life avoiding it. I chose workplaces where I could work one on one, and that was my comfort zone. I am learning to push myself outside of my comfort zone and reach new heights. I feel confident and passionate about Shredder Cheddar and it has absolutely changed how I feel in a crowd.
Back in October, I stood in front of a room full of people and pitched Shredder Cheddar for a Key4women Pitch contest in Portland. This was the first time I had spoken in front of a crowd since high school, and it was an exhilarating experience for me. Since then I have pitched Shredder Cheddar to a number of investors, and it keeps getting easier. I know my product and I am absolutely passionate about what I am doing, and I am able to exude confidence in every pitch. This June, I was asked to pitch my company, Hull-some Foods, to a group of mentors with the Studer Community Institute Venture Mentor Services (https://www.studeri.org). I waited patiently with eight other companies that were chosen from twenty companies to pitch on this day. One by one we were asked to go into a room to pitch to 50 mentors. It was my turn….
I confidently walked into a room full of eager mentors. I felt at ease the moment I walked in and saw Shredder Cheddar on the big screen. That mouse squeezing the wedge of cheese reminds me that I can do anything, and that I have come a long way. I am here at this moment, because I have worked very hard and will continue to rise to the top. I turned around to face the crowd, seeing some familiar faces, and I began my pitch. I had been working very hard leading up to this with my SBDC advisor on my financial projections. I could confidently say what the expectations were for my company in the next five years, which answered a lot of questions in the crowd. I had two minutes to pitch, and six minutes to answer questions. I was having such a great time answering questions, and I wanted to continue past my time to answer all of the questions. I was really enjoying talking about Shredder Cheddar and what I will accomplish in the coming years. As I walked out of the room, I received high fives from the mentors, and I thought to myself what a positive group of people! I knew that this would be an incredible opportunity to lay down some roots in Pensacola and feel more connected to this community.
After pitching to VMS, I was out with friends at a local favorite restaurant listening to music at The Burrow (https://www.oddcolony.com). A guy sitting behind me asked “Are you Meg with Shredder Cheddar?” Of course, I should have known this is a small town and the VMS mentors are a part of our community. Yet, it still surprised me that I was recognized. He told me that I did a fantastic pitch and he was very intrigued. I felt once again so excited and knew I had something special.
With my patent filed and trademarks registered, I confidently took the trip to Colorado Springs to do my first test run with my co-manufacturer. My flights were delayed and I didn’t arrive until late in the evening, but I had a wonderful place to stay. In my previous Trail Talk, I announced that I would be going to Pueblo, Colorado to meet my co-packer, and I had reserved a hotel and car for the short trip. A very generous person from Washington who followed my journey, reached out to offer me their condo and car in Colorado Springs for my trip. I couldn’t believe that this had been offered to me, and I just felt that there were such amazing and kind people in the world supporting my journey. This made traveling so much easier, and I appreciated it so much! After a restful sleep and waking up to Pike's Peak in view, I made my way down to Pueblo. On my drive, I received a call from an 850 number, which is the area code for Pensacola. I answered on speaker with road noise, and said, “This is Meg!” I heard the caller say, “ This is Chris from SCI!” I was trying to hear what he was saying and it was breaking up, but I did hear “You have been selected to be in the VMS program, and we are very happy to have you!” I was elated and I thanked him for this opportunity. I felt a rush of confidence that I am still on the right track and continued my drive to my co-manufacturer. I had a big day ahead and this just added to the excitement.
You can read about this opportunity for these five small businesses with VMS here....https://localpulse.com/2025/06/five-pensacola-businesses-selected-for-premier-mentoring-program/
I arrived at the manufacturer. I met my team and walked into my first co-packing facility. I recognized the kitchen equipment from Pensacola’s local commercial kitchen supply store, that I perused the aisles of. I knew this equipment, but I did not know how to use it. The idea was that I make the first batch, then the team would make the second batch. I truly thought that nothing could go wrong. I truly thought I would go home with a saleable product. Wow, did I have that wrong. It is a test run for a reason, and I was there to work out the kinks. I made the first batch with the help of the kitchen team with the new kitchen equipment. Everything was different in this kitchen: new people, new kitchen, new equipment, and my product was scaled up. This batch took all day, and that was not something I was prepared for. I went there after eating only a bowl of oats, and I had no lunch or dinner. I stood in that kitchen making Shredder Cheddar for 10 hours!! It was a challenging day for me, and I walked away humbled.
I made it back to Colorado Springs for dinner at 11p at a great little restaurant that came recommended, Shugas. Slept in that nice condo that I was kindly offered. I woke up to the sunshine coming in the windows and a bright new day ahead. I messaged someone who follows me on instagram who lives nearby, and asked him to take me running in the mountains. We met for a 6 mile run in the Garden of Gods. It was hot and dry, but the air was cold in my lungs. I was definitely not used to the elevation coming from below sea level. The area was so lush and the landscape was rocky. It was absolutely beautiful, and I had been so grateful for this morning run. My flight was delayed home, so I actually was gifted one more day in Colorado. That evening, I asked my new friend if he was interested in running a double, and he said he would do a run group, Cool Down Running (https://cooldownrunning.com/pages/run-clubs), and I should join. It turned out the run club met next door to where I was staying, so I ran with them. I met new runners, and pitched Shredder Cheddar to them. I asked them to follow me on social media, and now I have several new followers. They were excited to hear about a new savory product that they could eat on a run! After visiting Colorado Springs and meeting their athletic community, I can see that this is yet another opportunity to build sales channels there. There are so many opportunities as long as you open yourself up to it.
Now that I had completed my test run for Shredder Cheddar, it was now Fuel & Iron’s turn to make this product. The most ideal situation was that this happened while I was at their facility, but unfortunately we ran out of time. After my experience in their kitchen with everything going wrong, I really wanted to trust they could get it right. We made some adjustments and they took a slice at making it on their own. Unfortunately, these things take time and we will do another test run in the coming weeks. I felt very defeated at first when I did not leave the kitchen with a saleable product. Then they also struggled when they tried to make it, and I realized this is a unique and challenging product. Now, I understand that I was a little overzealous when I thought it would turn out the first trial run. I am coming to terms with this now, and I know perfection comes with time. I trust that we will get it right, and I know we need to be diligent and patient during production. With this said I will be making another trip to Colorado to oversee the next trial run. I am learning a new skillset; project management. I wear so many hats and I am constantly learning new skills in this entrepreneurial journey. This is one of the many reasons I am so excited for the opportunity to partner with my co-manufacturer and VMS.
Last month I began crowdfunding with my GoFundMe https://gofund.me/3c1dd17d and I have received a few generous donations which have helped me pay for manufacturing and building sales channels. My massage client in Portland that I have had since 2008 sent me the largest donation yet. I was blown away by their generosity and kindness. I cannot thank y’all enough for your support and generous donations to the Shredder Cheddar fund. I appreciate each of you so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I feel so loved and supported; it is absolutely incredible to feel that from each of you.
As an athlete I created a product that I saw a need for; we need more savory snacks to eat on the go. We need more natural products that are healthy. We ultimately need more Shredder Cheddar, because we all love cheese. Shredder Cheddar was an idea that I ran with, and here I am bringing it to you. Thank you for being patient!
Power your potential,
Meg
Founder, Athlete, & CEO
Women Owned Business
Comments