529: Lessons for an Entrepreneur on the Way to $250 Million with Angie Bastian, Founder of BOOMCHICKAPOP

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Angie Bastian, along with her husband, Dan, are the founders of Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP, one of the most successful homegrown snack food stories in the 21</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">st</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">century. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Angie and Dan Bastian were looking to put aside some money for their kids’ college fund when they started a small kettle corn business out of the family’s garage. They sold the popcorn at festivals and sporting events, eventually becoming the official popcorn of the Minnesota Vikings after delivering several free bags of popcorn to the players to eat while they watched film during training camp. Eventually, Angie retired from her work as a nurse practitioner and Dan from teaching history to run their company full-time. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The ultimate game changer took place when Angie’s Kettle Corn became BOOMCHICKAPOP, and the rebranding took place. Several years later, Dan and Angie, sold the business in the fall of 2017 as a part of a $250 million dollar buyout by Conagra Brands.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode, Angie shares with us:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">How the popcorn company started,</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The behind-the-scenes story of the naming of BOOMCHICKAPOP,</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The strategies they used to overcame setbacks to build the company, </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Why we should not discount our own unique perspectives, and </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Her personal passions driving her today.</span></li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Don’t di