Solving the Food Waste Problem Through Technology

Monisha Saldanha (00:00:02) Welcome to Colorado Tech People, the podcast where we talk with the founders and leaders using technology to solve real world problems. I am your host, Monisha Saldanha an executive with 15 years of product management experience. Today's episode explores how entrepreneurship can be a powerful force for scaling positive impact. I'm joined by Eddie Connors, co founder of Goodie Bag

a company working to reduce food waste by connecting surplus goods with consumers. We'll talk about the hard decisions behind building a mission driven business, ⁓ how technology enables impact at scale, and what it takes to turn purpose into a sustainable company. Eddie, thank you so much for joining me today.

Eddy Connors (00:00:50) Monisha, it's my privilege.

Monisha Saldanha (00:00:52) Well let's dive in. First question for you. What was the problem Goodie Bag was created to solve, and what is the solution?

Eddy Connors (00:01:02) Great question. Every great business has a big problem it's solving. So good place to start. Goodie bag as a marketplace is addressing two problems ⁓ on both sides. ⁓ On the supplier side, there's a food waste problem. So here in the United States, ⁓ 40% of food produced for human consumption ends up going to waste.

And that happens across the entire supply chain. ⁓ Where we are focusing right now is in food service. It's in retail. ⁓ So restaurants, bakeries, grocers ⁓ that have perfectly good perishable products that don't sell when they need to, that then go to waste, we're preventing that. We're solving that problem to prevent it from going to waste through connecting it to customers on our mobile app

or or our mobile app based marketplace. ⁓ And then on the consumer side, the problem that we're solving there ⁓ is affordability, ⁓ first and foremost. ⁓ Most American consumers, over 80%, are looking for deals and discounts to inform their next meal. ⁓ And I think ⁓ most people can relate to the raising living costs ⁓ that we're experiencing in the economy. ⁓ and food being often

the the ⁓ Every day people need food, people are are it's a huge budget that they ⁓ have ⁓ for their discretionary income ⁓ and so the ability to save money on quality food is the problem that we're addressing on the consumer side.

Monisha Saldanha (00:02:47) Amazing. And then what is the solution that you offer?

Eddy Connors (00:02:51) Yeah, so Goodie Bag, it's a mobile app based marketplace and we can connect people to perishable products from nearby retailers ⁓ at extremely discounted prices for pickup. So I know you're in Colorado, this is a Colorado based podcast. I I have roots in Denver, that's where I am. We started in Boulder ⁓ and a local pizzeria Barcetta was our first partner. ⁓ the

The team there would prepare all these lunch slices so that people could walk in and get something ⁓ conveniently, quickly, ⁓ and for the for the restaurant, for the pizzeria, what doesn't sell by the end of that lunch rush typically would would get discarded. And so now what they can do is they can use Goodie Bag, which for them is accessible through they have our our mobile app on their iPad. ⁓ And

They essentially just tell the application how many goodie bags they have of their perishable product and when our customers need to pick it up by. So in Barchetta's use case, they say, Hey, we have eighteen dollars of ⁓ pizza slices ⁓ and we have that's their goodie bag, so they can have however many of them that they have. And they'll say, come get it in the next two to three hours.

And then it's at that point that we send real time notifications ⁓ to customers on our app who can purchase it on a first come, first served basis, and then go pick up ⁓ the bag from Barchetta.

Monisha Saldanha (00:04:31) Fantastic. ⁓ And how many users do you have both on the ⁓ retail side and on the consumer side?

Eddy Connors (00:04:41) Yeah, so we've grown to have over five hundred fifty ⁓ partners is what we call them, which are different locations that have sold a goodie bag. ⁓ and ⁓ We've had over a hundred seventy thousand ⁓ people make a customer account with us. ⁓ and so that's been since we launched in early twenty twenty three in Boulder. ⁓

Monisha Saldanha (00:05:07) Fantastic. So hugely popular. ⁓ and What's the demographic of your consumer base?

Eddy Connors (00:05:15) That is candidly a question we are looking ⁓ to better understand. ⁓ And so from the consumer base anecdotally, ⁓ we see it range from ⁓ students to seniors. ⁓ And I started this after graduating CU Boulder, and one of our assumptions was that it was going to be very popular amongst the the college student base. ⁓ That quickly proved not to be true.

Where we were having a lot of adoption on the customer side from middle-aged ⁓ people. ⁓ We saw our first customer was a single mom. She walked in with her two ⁓ two young kids ⁓ picking up dinner ⁓ for them. ⁓

And ⁓ we've done surveys and and have have aggregated anonymized data that way. That shows that the age demographic does ⁓ very much span from from like I said students to seniors. ⁓ But ⁓ given that we don't right now in the application ⁓ ask for ⁓ age or sex, we actually don't entirely know ⁓ s ⁓ where where our customers fall in that regard. ⁓

Monisha Saldanha (00:06:27) Yeah, it's a tricky one, right? Getting to know your customers without putting unnecessary barriers in front of them using your product.

Eddy Connors (00:06:36) Big time.

Monisha Saldanha (00:06:38) Interesting. ⁓ Many people care about reducing waste, but fewer build companies around solving this problem. ⁓ What gave you conviction that this could scale as a business?

Eddy Connors (00:06:52) Yeah, ⁓ it's been validated in the market, which is a huge signal that there's ⁓ business viability. So it's one thing to know that a problem exists, right, with with food waste. We knew that it's been quantified. There's ⁓ estimations on the economic ⁓ loss that's occurring ⁓ from this food going to waste. ⁓

And when there is a financial incentive to ⁓ improve, ⁓ that is typically ⁓ a requirement for ⁓ a business solution to be viable. ⁓ And ⁓ that obviously exists because of ⁓ there being ⁓ hundreds of ⁓ billions of dollars going to waste from from food. ⁓ And then we had ⁓

a frame of reference ⁓ in ⁓ the marketplace globally ⁓ for this business model ⁓ that was being very successful in Europe ⁓ and ⁓ it ⁓ very much de-risks the ⁓ the the general model ⁓ since it has been adopted at scale in other markets ⁓ and so we were able to see a huge gap in the United States for ⁓

this ⁓ surplus marketplace model ⁓ that we ⁓ saw an opportunity to fill and improve.

Monisha Saldanha (00:08:24) And have you identified a moat? Like what's to prevent the European business from coming into the US and eating your lunch? Sorry I had to say that. ⁓ But ⁓ w no, sorry. ⁓ But ⁓ what what is your moat? Like what it What protects your business against competition?

Eddy Connors (00:08:34) Ha ha.

Eddy Connors (00:08:44) The network. ⁓ So it's a it's a great ⁓ question and it's interesting. ⁓ It's unique for marketplaces and for for ours in particular, the the ⁓ the market that we're in. ⁓ Supply is the ⁓ lifeline. It's the it's the It's the blood of the of the marketplace. ⁓ I said that wrong. I meant to say ⁓ what I think I meant to say lifeblood. ⁓ but ⁓

So what that means is there they're without goodie bags being available on the platform, there is no value ⁓ being ⁓ exchanged. ⁓ And in order for us to ⁓ per ensure that there's goodie bags, there's supply on the platform, we need to deliver superior value to those businesses.

And so ⁓ where we focus and where we have ⁓ built superior value ⁓ is ⁓ on the independent retailer ⁓ who ⁓ has needs that weren't being addressed by the European incumbent. ⁓ And ⁓ those were largely oriented around marketing ⁓ and ⁓ ease of use. ⁓ And so ⁓ we've done ⁓

we've built product features and functionalities ⁓ that have better delivered that value. So we do things ⁓ that are attracting new customers for these businesses that use our platform, ⁓ that allow them to increase the the overall revenue they generate through upselling within our application and ⁓ built functionality that allows them to get paid out sooner, ⁓ they can ⁓

use the the platform itself through ⁓ their point of sale system if it's with one of our integrated point of sales. ⁓ And so from a product engineering standpoint, we've built features and functionalities that are providing superior value. That itself is not a moat in today's age, right? Like f like With the AI engineering age that we're in, ⁓

Eddy Connors (00:10:55) building features and functionality ⁓ is not a moat. ⁓ However, ⁓ whoever can do it more effectively and can be quicker with ⁓ iterating and innovating and implementing those features and functionality, that is ⁓ where the moat is created, coupled with network effects. So

there is no reason for a a supplier to ⁓ switch platforms ⁓ if they are getting superior value from Goodie Bag and that is compounding the value of our consumer network for the business. Because the more ⁓ valuable the the more businesses quality and hyper local businesses, the more popular businesses that are using Goodie Bag

⁓ that will translate to greater density of consumers ⁓ using Goodie Bag because we have the more popular supply. ⁓ And ⁓ those ⁓ those networks ⁓ serve ⁓ create that ⁓ of ⁓ synergy ⁓ so that ⁓ the the defensibility is essentially ⁓ the hyperlocal network that has been created ⁓ and so ⁓

it's very ⁓ easy ⁓ for ⁓ the product ⁓ to be created. I'd say ⁓ easy might be an overstatement, but ⁓ the product itself can be created. Anybody can recreate Airbnb. ⁓ Right? There's there's gonna be challenges to get it ⁓

to where it's f functional at the scale that Airbnb is functional. ⁓ But ⁓ when it comes to how a marketplace is a marketplace remains defensible, ⁓ it truly is ⁓ in ⁓

Eddy Connors (00:12:52) in the network ⁓ that they've created ⁓ that is harder to replicate ⁓ and acquire. ⁓ And so we've been really intentional about building genuine relationships with the suppliers on our platform ⁓ and with the customers that come into our community. ⁓ And ⁓ yeah, that's that's definitely where where the emphasis and focus is for us. ⁓

Monisha Saldanha (00:13:15) Well makes a lot of sense. And ⁓ what were the hardest early decisions that you had to make when shaping the product and business model? Did you just copy what there was in Europe or did you have to make some decisions?

Eddy Connors (00:13:30) Yeah, I would say the ⁓ hardest ⁓ one of the hardest decisions was to ⁓ just ⁓ begin building it ⁓ without being technical. ⁓ So ⁓ when I came I I went through the business school at CU Boulder and didn't ⁓ study formally study engineering or computer science. ⁓ And so app creation was foreign to me. ⁓

And so I think that decision was in retrospect ⁓ a critical one that served us well to ⁓ take action on, ⁓ even ⁓ if ⁓ and even though we've since had to rebuild the entire application from scratch. ⁓ Going through that process of ⁓ building an MVP that got us into market, allowed us to start ⁓ facilitating sales, ⁓ I'd say that was a critical ⁓

critical decision to make around the product and ⁓

and engineering. ⁓ And then as far as like ⁓ from there, ⁓ we we had a bare bones ⁓ understanding of ⁓ what the ⁓ platform had to be able to accomplish in terms of ⁓ the the value. ⁓ Surplus product needed to be communicated, ⁓ consumers needed to be able to purchase, ⁓ receive that that notification ⁓ that it was available, purchase it and be physically near it to pick it up. ⁓

And so ⁓ from from the MVP, ⁓ it became really a game of just listening to the the feedback and the needs of ⁓ the businesses and the consumers ⁓ to then ⁓ prioritize ⁓ improvements and iterations from there that addressed the ⁓ most ⁓ frequently requested ⁓ feedback.

Monisha Saldanha (00:15:27) And you said you had to rebuild the app? Why did you have to rebuild it?

Eddy Connors (00:15:32) It couldn't scale. ⁓ It was ⁓ having too many issues, ⁓ load times, double payments. ⁓ the The ⁓ infrastructure in which we built it on was ⁓ not the ⁓ ideal infrastructure ⁓ that ⁓ our engineering team so we we replaced our engineering team. So the MVP was built with ⁓ an outsourced contract ⁓ that

was cost effective, got us in market, but ⁓ ultimately, yeah, wasn't was not built on the tech stack that was ideal for us to take this nationwide. ⁓ And so upon transitioning to who who is now become our our lead engineer ⁓ and engineering team, ⁓ it was ⁓ we s we switched to a different tech stack. We went we went into ⁓ building on AWS's back end and ⁓ a flutter front end. ⁓ And ⁓

that was ultimately just the best decision for us to make ⁓ at the time. ⁓

Monisha Saldanha (00:16:38) What are the biggest operational or logistical challenges in building a marketplace around surplus or unsold inventory?

Eddy Connors (00:16:48) The real-time nature of it. ⁓ So ⁓ you have a finite window from when you can make the sale. ⁓ Right? Some of our businesses will will say come get this in the next hour. ⁓ And ⁓ that's the window that we have not only to facilitate the sale, but also the pickup ⁓ for that customer to be able to get there. ⁓ So I'd say, yeah, the the real-time nature of it ⁓ and the ⁓

unpredictability of supply. ⁓ It's difficult, ⁓ it's really challenging to maintain ⁓ consistent ⁓ a retained customer base to keep customers coming back ⁓ if we aren't able to deliver ⁓ a certain level of consistent supply ⁓ for them to ⁓ be able to purchase. ⁓ So I think those two things are ⁓

inherently difficult when it comes to building a surplus ⁓ marketplace ⁓ in Vin ⁓ and and you can look at that that lesson has been learned ⁓ across the s the the the supply chain like ⁓

Misfit markets or imperfect foods. ⁓ Those are two companies that ⁓ kind of ⁓ also ⁓ pioneered this model in wholesale. ⁓ So they would do wholesale to to ⁓ delivery, d ⁓ direct to consumer that way. I'm sure most people are familiar with it, ⁓ where you can order ⁓ foods that otherwise were not ⁓

eligible to be sold at full price on grocery shelves. ⁓ Misfit markets and imperfect foods will source those, ⁓ physically ⁓ package them and ship them to your door. ⁓ They ran into the challenge of consumers not ⁓

Eddy Connors (00:18:37) Not wanting just the random stuff that they were getting. They they wanted the staples, they wanted the milk and the eggs, they wanted that consistency, that predictability, in order to have it become a habitual practice. ⁓ And so they actually shifted their model to ⁓ supplement the surplus with ⁓ the ⁓ fixed fixed ⁓ staples ⁓ so that they could build a in ⁓ a retained customer base. ⁓ And

That's ultimately a similar learning that we've had in retail, where on both sides of the platform there was a request for more consistency and variety. So businesses were coming to me saying, Eddie, I don't always have food I'm throwing out, ⁓ but ⁓ I would love the opportunity to use your platform to bring a new customer into my my business as a as a local retailer ⁓ who doesn't have ⁓ a fat marketing budget that they're dropping on ads. ⁓

And then the consumer would say, Hey Eddie, this is ⁓ this is cool, but I don't always want baked goods. Like I don't I don't I want something I can ⁓ eat as a meal and and I want more variety in what I'm able to purchase. ⁓ And ⁓ so so that was a extra layering that since being in market we added into our marketplace ⁓ that allows for more consistency and variety for the consumer ⁓ and for the the retailer. ⁓

Monisha Saldanha (00:20:00) And Earlier when we were talking about the network effect, you were talking about the importance of hyperlocal. ⁓ What are the markets that you're in and have you seen any differences in consumer or retail behavior across the markets?

Eddy Connors (00:20:07) Yeah.

Eddy Connors (00:20:16) Yeah. ⁓ Yeah, so we started in Boulder. ⁓ We spent essentially that year out of my co-founder's parents' basement. ⁓ and and out ⁓ cards to get our first couple hundred customers on, going door to door to all the businesses. ⁓ We got into the TechStars Accelerator that summer of 2023, ⁓ came out of that and launched in Denver ⁓

and then in Charlotte, North Carolina, ⁓ and Charleston, South Carolina, ⁓ and then Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ⁓ And ⁓ then we just launched New York City ⁓ in April, ⁓ April tenth. And so that's a whole different beast of a market than compared to any of the other ones. ⁓ As far as different behavior. ⁓

Eddy Connors (00:21:08) The ⁓

Eddy Connors (00:21:13) ⁓ We we ⁓ are so I'd say we were genuinely surprised to see how many customers ⁓ the majority of our customers ⁓ being willing to drive to get their goodie bag. ⁓ So ⁓ it's not uncommon for ⁓ goodiebaggers to ⁓ purchase their goodie bag ⁓

and then plan a commute to pick it up through using ⁓ a car or using a vehicle. ⁓ New York City has been very different in that regard given ⁓ the density ⁓ of it and the nature of the city transportation ⁓ not being friendly, ⁓ to cars and ⁓ being much more ⁓

Ne needing a more a more ⁓ dense ⁓ radius of ⁓ suppliers near ⁓ where the consumer is living in order for it to be considered viable. ⁓ Whereas in Charlotte, for example, or in Charleston, ⁓

seeing fifteen thirty minute commutes for the goodie bag is ⁓ is not uncommon ⁓ via via car transport. So the overall radius of ⁓ supply can be much more spread out than what we're noticing in New York City. ⁓ But ⁓ otherwise ⁓ there hasn't been ⁓ much of a stark contrast in our go-to-market strategy ⁓ across those markets. ⁓

Monisha Saldanha (00:22:46) And how has launching Goodie Bag in Colorado influenced your journey as a founder?

Eddy Connors (00:22:55) That's great question. I mean, we've benefited tremendously from being ⁓ integrated into the Colorado ecosystem. ⁓ I mentioned I went to the Lead School of Business at CU Boulder. ⁓ we went through the Techstars Accelerator, their they're farm to fork one based out of Minneapolis, but ⁓ Tech Stars was founded in Boulder ⁓ in the 2007-ish. ⁓ One of the co-founders of Techstars, David Brown. ⁓

was actually an an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at CU Boulder ⁓ and he was like a mentor to us when we ideated. ⁓ So Goodie Bag came out of a ⁓ startup pitch competition at CU Boulder that my former college roommate and I ⁓ attended after we graduated. It was that summer. ⁓ so ⁓ just the fact that they had that structure for us to go ideate and ⁓ it was very lightweight.

But that's that's where we mustered up the idea and got enough validation on the market and conviction. ⁓ And through that that process, shout out Silicon Flat Irons and the awesome people there who ran that, Brad Bernthal, who has since retired, and ⁓ Sarah. ⁓ Great people. And what what they would do is they'd bring in awesome mentors once a week.

when we met and one of those mentors was David Brown, who has since become ⁓ an informal advisor and then now officially on our board of directors ⁓ and is an awesome mentor. He's he's ⁓ Just through the nature of ⁓ what he's seen ⁓ transpire during his tenure at TechStars, ⁓ he's filled with ⁓ entrepreneurial experience. ⁓ And so that's been a great resource for me personally as a CEO and for our company. And

And ⁓ Colorado also has introduced me to people that have ⁓ since invested ⁓ into Goodie Bag ⁓ and has partnered with Goodie Bag. So one of our partners is Chiba Hut. ⁓ 24 other locations or 18 in in Colorado are on Goodie Bag. And their their owner, ⁓ Kyle Archer, is an awesome dude. ⁓ And ⁓

Eddy Connors (00:25:10) He's also come onto our board of directors. And so Colorado has definitely in that regard created rich relationships that have continued to serve serve us. ⁓ So yeah, it's it's been it's been very supportive in that regard.

And then In order to raise our our pre seed round of for for ⁓ we raised venture capital money, ⁓ We did have to go outside the state to find ⁓ the ⁓ aligned investors for our pre seed round, which I would say is the one area in which we did not rely on Colorado for.

Monisha Saldanha (00:25:52) How do you attract talent to a company where impact is just as important as growth?

Eddy Connors (00:25:58) You let it be known that that's the case, ⁓ that we're in we're in business to create a better world.

We're in business to ⁓ find a path for how ⁓ we can leverage capitalism as a means to scale positive change in society. And that that is built into the DNA of the company. It's built into the DNA of the mission statement. It's why we've incorporated as a public benefit corporation ⁓ and it's what drives me as a co-founder and CEO. ⁓ And ⁓ just making that known and expressed, ⁓

allows for like-minded people to f to find the role and the position and it allows for ⁓ the universe to ⁓ work in your favor ⁓ whereas ⁓ once it's once it's an expressed intent ⁓ now all of a sudden the relationships in my life can can help ⁓ source the right person for the right role that's

how we found our our now co-founder and COO Bree, who is actually back to David Brown, a a a co-professor ⁓ with David at at the Leeds School of Business. ⁓ And she dropped her much higher paying full time job, ⁓ which which wasn't the adjunct professor, she was working at a different tech company

⁓ to come in at the ground level with us because of that the the mission, because of the opportunity to create genuine impact. ⁓ And

Eddy Connors (00:27:34) That is the advantage of being a mission-oriented company in today's world is that people are yearning for purpose. People are yearning for ⁓ no more delineation between ⁓ work and life. ⁓ If this is what you're dedicating your waking hours to, you want it to feel like it's part of your legacy, like it's part of the imprint that you're having. ⁓ and so By us making that known that

that's part of Goodie Bag's ethos, it it it actually creates ⁓ an advantage for us in hiring because ⁓ other companies don't allow for that to be true. ⁓

Monisha Saldanha (00:28:16) Cool. And what have you learned about scaling a marketplace business? It's a tough one. ⁓

Eddy Connors (00:28:24) Yes, it can has its unique challenges for sure, Monisha. It's ⁓

Yeah, I mean so as I mentioned, like starting this out of college, I had a a shorts company prior that was doing like athleisure wear from recycled ocean plastic and direct to consumer order on a Shopify, we'll ship it to you. ⁓ Now being the app ⁓ product ⁓ mobile app based hyperlocal marketplace, ⁓ it's ⁓

in it's notoriously very difficult and then add the layer of restaurant tech. ⁓ Every business is has its challenges, but this one has notoriously difficult challenges when it comes to onboarding independent retailers, independent restaurants, bakeries, cafes with technology and then the nature of a hyper local marketplace and the need for active, engaged consumers in that density. ⁓

There's so much that we could have the whole hour just talking about this topic. I think I think maybe high level, just some nuggets, is ⁓ being really close and and this probably remains true irrespective of if the business is a marketplace, but ⁓ being ⁓ incredibly close to the feedback of the suppliers and buyers on the platform. ⁓ and

ensuring that the value that they are receiving is felt and ⁓ if there's friction that it's being ⁓ identified. ⁓

Eddy Connors (00:30:09) And I I think ⁓ also in this ⁓ in this lesson ⁓ has been ⁓ just try different ⁓ strategies ⁓ and ⁓ don't let hesitation ⁓ delay ⁓ learnings. ⁓ Action needs to be taken in order for there to be learnings. ⁓ And then ⁓ building density ⁓ to ultimately ⁓ arrive at a place of ⁓

⁓ replication ⁓ is gonna be key for marketplaces. ⁓ To to truly know that you have ⁓ retention on the supply side and retention on the consumer side. ⁓ it's it's critical. ⁓

Monisha Saldanha (00:30:55) I lo I love that action needs to be taken for there to be learning. So I think that's like a really good quote actually.

Writing that one down. ⁓ Yeah. ⁓ and what kind of impact have you seen on businesses that use Goodie Bag to reduce waste?

Eddy Connors (00:31:03) Maybe we can we can frame that ⁓

Eddy Connors (00:31:16) We've seen seen some over the course of a year ⁓ have a ⁓ 12k ⁓ s ⁓ impact ⁓ received over twelve thousand dollars in ⁓ pure ⁓ salvaging of ⁓ product that would have gone to waste ⁓ on a per location basis, ⁓ which ⁓ for a single ⁓ unit ⁓ restaurant or ⁓

whatever the the location type is, bagel shop, ⁓ can be the difference between ⁓ profitability and break-even. ⁓ And then the greater impact we see is when we then include ⁓ the revenue lift from ⁓ upsells, ⁓ people that buy something else when they pick up their goodie bag, ⁓ and the repeat revenue ⁓ from the customers that were introduced to the brand through Goodie Bag. ⁓

We've seen revenue lifts ⁓ of $70,000 ⁓ over the course of a year ⁓ for a restaurant, ⁓ again through our platform, which is ⁓ turning otherwise unsold inventory into ⁓ revenue and a marketing tool. ⁓

So it's been super cool to see it in in that way and ⁓ it's also created ⁓ an opportunity for ⁓ a a liberated ⁓ chef, a liberated ⁓ staff to be less concerned with overage, ⁓ which has historically ⁓ been a a a problem in ⁓ spaces that operate based on pars and operate based on pre-made products like bakeries like bagel shops like grab and go style ⁓ where they feel restricted.

in ⁓ what they're able to create because of that fear ⁓ of waste. ⁓ And so having Goodie Bag as a really effective solution to that ⁓ has allowed these businesses also to increase regular in store revenue ⁓ through ensuring that they have enough product ⁓ for new customers or regular customers that are coming in. And ⁓ if they want to try a new SKU, a new creation, they're less ⁓ concerned with what if it doesn't sell because ⁓ they have Goodie Bag. as

Eddy Connors (00:33:28) Yeah. ⁓

Monisha Saldanha (00:33:32) That's great. So Goodie Bag can help ⁓ encourage innovation in the food sector. What ⁓ What is your vision for Goodie Bag? Like What do you hope it becomes in the future? If all goes according to plan?

Eddy Connors (00:33:48) Ha ha ha ha ⁓ As it as it always does Monisha, right? It's just whether it's our plan or whether it's God's plan. ⁓ Sometimes they align. ⁓ Yeah. ⁓ The vision I have for Goodie Bag is to ⁓ be a ⁓ nationally adopted ⁓ community ⁓ that allows for the real real time sale of ⁓ all ⁓

Monisha Saldanha (00:33:51) Yeah. ⁓ There is a plan. ⁓

Eddy Connors (00:34:18) unutilized ⁓ inventory, ⁓ hyper-local inventory. ⁓ When we talk about food, ⁓ there's such a great opportunity to ⁓ have ⁓ all ⁓ independent retailers ⁓ leveraging Goodie Bag to ensure none of their perfectly good food ever goes to waste ⁓ and ⁓

at the same time allow for ⁓ savings to occur on the consumer side and for discovery to occur on the consumer side so that when someone says hey where should we go to eat today the first place to check is goodie bag is there a goodie bag near me that I can ⁓ that I can go and pick up

Is there a new place on Goodie Bag that I can try at a an entry level price? ⁓ At an exclusive ⁓ price? ⁓ And ⁓ I think that is the base layer of ⁓

where Goodie Bag can go. Goodie Bag can become the go-to platform where you ⁓ go to find exclusive deals near you ⁓ on food. ⁓ And then it naturally through having consumers that are hyperlocal in the community that are looking for ⁓ real-time ⁓ deals ⁓ on ⁓

⁓ inventory ⁓ on in this case food that otherwise would not have been sold. ⁓ There's an opportunity for us to ⁓ translate it across verticals ⁓ for other inventory, other assets that ⁓ are otherwise not getting utilized. We can be a bridge if they're consumer facing ⁓ to make sure that they are utilized. ⁓

Monisha Saldanha (00:36:04) Fantastic. What a fantastic vision. ⁓

Eddy Connors (00:36:06) A as an example, Monisha, there's there's like local plant shops that have hit us up. They're like, Hey, like these plants they're they're gonna die. Like I'd love to get them to someone, like can we put on our platform? ⁓ And we're like, we'd love that. Like, yes, let us just build the tech to allow that to come on. ⁓ But yeah, there's other there's other areas where there is a time sensitive ⁓ opportunity to connect ⁓ connect supply to demand. ⁓

Monisha Saldanha (00:36:31) ⁓ Gosh, and flowers. I can imagine flowers as well. ⁓ Great. And what is one book you recommend every builder read and why?

Eddy Connors (00:36:48) That's great question. ⁓ what is one book I recommend every builder read ⁓ and why? ⁓

Eddy Connors (00:36:59) Yeah, I think

Not not not one is coming to mind from like ⁓ a startup ⁓ standpoint. ⁓ I think candidly Monisha for me, ⁓ this journey has been a test of perseverance ⁓ above all else. ⁓ I think anybody who is ⁓ considering or is in this game of ⁓ being a founder, being a creator, ⁓ building their own business, ⁓

It's going to come down to a test of purpose and perseverance. ⁓ And ⁓ I think that ⁓ that conversation is often overlooked in the entrepreneurial community, ⁓ where it's more hyper-focused on ⁓ the tactics and the tools to ⁓ go from zero to one ⁓ and then from z one to a hundred, which are great. I love I love all that. I'm a huge ⁓

adopter of Claude Code and it's doing wonders in our internal workflows and all that good stuff. ⁓ but I think if there's if there's misalignment ⁓ around purpose ⁓ or it'll inherently lead to ⁓ a breaking of persistence, of perseverance.

Because unless there is clear awareness on ⁓ why you're doing what you're doing, ⁓ there's gonna be infinite reasons to quit and to stop. ⁓ And ultimately that's how a business fails, is that the founder quits. ⁓ And so ⁓ I would highly encourage ⁓ people to ⁓ find sources of inspiration that allow them to reflect on on their why and on their purpose.

Eddy Connors (00:38:38) And a book that has recently done that for me, ⁓ which I have deeply enjoyed, ⁓ is ⁓ a trilogy called Conversations with God. ⁓ And it's ⁓ not religious in nature, but ⁓ it explores our relationship to ⁓ a higher power and ⁓ I think can be a source of inspiration for for founders and for that case anyone.

Monisha Saldanha (00:39:05) Great, wonderful. Well, thank you for that recommendation. That's new for me ⁓ and thank you for joining me today, Eddy. It's been a great conversation.

Eddy Connors (00:39:15) My absolute pleasure, Monisha. Thank you for hosting me.

Monisha Saldanha (00:39:19) And thanks to our listeners for listening to this episode of Colorado Tech People. If you enjoyed this conversation about entrepreneurship and sustainability, consider sharing it with someone passionate about building businesses that create real impact. Don't forget to subscribe so you can hear more conversations with the founders shaping Colorado's tech ecosystem. Until next time, keep building solutions that make a positive difference in the world.