The most remarkable ventures often sprout from the seeds of sheer necessity. But, transforming that seed into a thriving tree of business is no walk in the park – believe me.
There are endless hours of strategizing, conceptualizing, and facing disheartening rejection on the way to finding that elusive treasure – product-market fit!
Today, it gives me immense pleasure to share my interview with an entrepreneur who is nothing short of amazing. In an impressively short time, she conceived and launched a business that has now blossomed into something incredible & shared by countless people around the world.
Allow me to introduce the Founder of Wholesome Yum, Maya Krampf…
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Hi! My name is Maya Krampf, and I’m the founder of Wholesome Yum. I create easy, healthy recipes, all with 10 ingredients or less.
Our offerings also include the Wholesome Yum app (for custom meal plans, automatic grocery lists, and more), Wholesome Yum Foods (a line of natural zero sugar ingredients and food products), and I wrote two cookbooks, the USA Today Best Seller Easy Keto Cookbook and the Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook.
I started experimenting with a healthy eating lifestyle in 2010 and was stunned by its positive impact on my problems with low energy levels, mood fluctuations, anxiety, and sugar addiction. Eating better made these issues virtually disappear.
Although I pursued computer science in college, I was just one class shy of a nutrition minor, which I leveraged later. This intersection of interests led me to start creating my own recipes.
In 2015, I decided to start a website to have a place to record these recipes – Wholesome Yum was born! The aim was simple – to prove that eating healthy and eating delicious food didn’t have to be a choice, that you could do both.
Starting the site was a labor of love and required a ton of time, but luckily not a lot of financial investment. Little did I know, it would evolve into a career and resonate with millions all over the world. I am humbled by and grateful for this every day.
The primary thing we focus on is creating content that’s genuinely beneficial for our audience. I try to put myself in their shoes and imagine what would help them the most.
This guiding principle shapes everything we do, whether it’s our recipes, apps, or food products, and across all channels, including our website, emails, and social media. Ultimately, our mission is to serve our readers and customers. While search engines driving most of our traffic, we also highly value our loyal email list and social media platforms.
Truthfully, most of my inspiration has come from blogging, marketing, and entrepreneurial online communities, more so than traditional media like books or podcasts. I am so grateful to many small business owners who have helped me learn along the way.
I have learned a lot from them and from doing research online, but probably most of all — and this is the fun part! — I have learned from experimentation and seeing what works for my audience. No two businesses are the same, no two sites are the same, and what makes a business fun is testing to see what sticks!
One key insight I’d share is the importance of delegating. Initially, I wanted to handle everything myself, but learning to trust and empower a team has been transformative for my business — and I only wish I’d done it earlier. They’ve become my backbone, freeing me to innovate and expand.
Equally critical is to focus on your target audience when developing content and products. It’s absolutely fine to pursue a passion project for your own enjoyment, but if you’re aiming to build a business, you need to prioritize what serves your customers best.
The truth is, there are so many lessons I’ve learned — each one reshaping not just how I manage my business but also altering my perspective on how I view other businesses and life in general.
Find me on the Wholesome Yum website for recipes, Wholesome Yum Foods and Amazon for products, and on social media at Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
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She wanted to sell fancy throw pillows she was making.
I gave her very basic steps. Enough to get started (I don't know much about ecom).
A few weeks later she showed me her site. It…
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