Ido Leffler: Yes To Rapid Growth (The DOcast)

May 16, 2014 - no comments. Written by Richard Hanley Jr. in Entrepreneurship, The DOcast.

Ido Leffler is always smiling, it’s his brand. [photo credit: www.ChristopherMichel.com]

Ido Leffler and his partner Lance Kalish took Yes To Carrots, a small and vibrant natural skin care brand in Israel, from a measly 6 products in 16 stores, to a global brand with 100 products in 28,000 stores in 29 countries — in less than 5 years. They wrote the fantastic book Get Big Fast and Do More Good about their story and the lessons learned on their path to purpose and profits.

I had the pleasure to talk with Ido (via Skype) from his office in San Francisco, CA to talk about strategies and solutions that he utilized in conquering many of the problems product businesses face.

Be sure to get a pen and a pad, his story is jam-packed with ideas and tips to grow your business.

Interview with Ido Leffler

Sponsored by: Hanley’s Foods — Louisiana-inspired, natural, fresh foods. Enter “docast” at checkout for $4 off.

The process of the oh-so-important product development. (3:55)
“Virtually every time we [rushed product development] we had to put out numerous fires.” (Tweet this)
“You’ve gotta work with people that truly understand the industry you’re in.” (Tweet this)
Book mention: The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason (9:30)
Finding focus groups. (10:25)
How Yes To Carrots went from 16 stores to distribution with Walgreens. (13:35)
“We were so confident, that we didn’t really leave too many questions out there about our dedication to what we were going to build.”
“When you’re in the water [surfing] and you feel the wave pulling back, that’s when you need to start swimming.” (Tweet this)
Yes To’s manufacturing experience. (21:10)
“One of the keys with a manufacturer is getting them to truly believe in your dream.” (Tweet this)
Ido’s advice on tradeshows. (27:45)
“You’ve got to treat a tradeshow the way you treat your wedding.” (Tweet this)
What Ido wishes he had done differently. (34:50)
What’s a book, a song, and a quote that you love?
- Book: Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz & Marching Powder by Thomas McFadden, Rusty Young.
- Music: Anything Bob Marley.
  Richard: I picked one for him (my favorite) Don’t Worry Be Happy (video)
- Quote: “For things to change, you have to change. For things to get better, you have to get better.”
  — Jim Rohn
Check out the Global Entrepreneurship Council. Ido is working with this organization of the United Nations to level up entrepreneurship worldwide!
[Yes To’s mantra] “Incredible People, Kick-ass Product, and Awesome cause.” (Tweet this)
Ido’s official endorsement for Hanley’s salad dressings. (44:40)

Check out Ido at:
Twitter: @IdoLeffler
Twitter: @YesToCarrots
Facebook: /YesToCarrots
Web: YesToCarrots.com

Play the interview

The DOcast is a podcast of interviews from amazing entrepreneurs who are doing the unthinkable. With topics on how they got started, where they’re going, and how you can learn from them.