top of page
Michelle, Founder & Visionary at To Be Honest Beverage Company: Advize Career Interview
Michelle, Founder & Visionary at To Be Honest Beverage Company, shares a dynamic career journey starting with community management and progressing through diverse roles in after-school programs, sales, and fitness instruction.
This multifaceted experience fueled the creation of a non-alcoholic beverage company, where overarching business strategy, securing funding, and marketing are key responsibilities.
A typical day balances networking, operational tasks, and strategic planning, reflecting the entrepreneurial spirit required in a startup.
Essential skills include strong communication, critical thinking, and self-promotion, along with a future-oriented mindset and unwavering self-belief.
The freedom of independent decision-making and problem-solving are highlighted as rewarding aspects, although navigating startup challenges and maintaining focus amidst numerous opportunities are significant hurdles.
The non-alcoholic beverage industry's emphasis on compassion and positive impact resonates deeply with Michelle's mission, and they advise aspiring entrepreneurs to explore online side hustles to build essential business skills.
A philosophy degree fostered critical thinking, and a significant career lesson centers on combining purpose with unwavering resilience.
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Michelle Houston
Founder & Visionary
To Be Honest Beverage Company
California Polytechnic State University
None
Philosophy
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
Business Strategy
Pell Grant Recipient, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student
Watch all of this Advizer's videos below
Career Path Of A Founder And Visionary At To Be Honest Beverage Company
Michelle's career journey began with "community manager" work at Cal Poly's gender equity center, transitioning through roles in after-school programs, sales at MINDBODY Online, and fitness instruction. This diverse experience, culminating in personal health changes and the creation of "a non-alcoholic, hemp infused spirit alternative," led to founding To Be Honest Beverage Company.
Main Responsibilities Of A Founder And Visionary At To Be Honest Beverage Company
As founder and visionary of To Be Honest Beverage Company, Michelle's main responsibilities encompass "overarching business strategy," securing funding, and developing marketing strategies, all while maintaining a "larger vision" for the company's growth into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. This includes crucial leadership and team development, ensuring every team member feels valued and contributes to the company's success.
A Day In The Life Of A Founder And Visionary At To Be Honest Beverage Company
A day in the life for Michelle, Founder & Visionary at To Be Honest Beverage Company, is currently "a little bit of everything," balancing networking ("making connections, having the ask be out there"), operational tasks (warehousing, distribution, manufacturing), and strategic planning ("where are we headed, what do projections look like"). This dynamic reflects the early stage of the company, with the expectation that as it scales, Michelle's focus will shift toward "leadership, strategy, and vision."
Most Important Skills For A Founder And Visionary At To Be Honest Beverage Company
Michelle, Founder & Visionary at To Be Honest Beverage Company, identifies "people skills, communication, self-promotion, and critical thinking" as essential for her role, emphasizing the importance of "cultivating and nurturing talent" and "connecting compassionately" in communication for networking and business growth. The ability to "think futuristically" and strategically plan, backed by self-belief and the capacity for self-promotion to secure funding and investment, are also highlighted as crucial skills developed and honed throughout their career.
Favorite Parts Of Being A Founder And Visionary At To Be Honest Beverage Company
Michelle, Founder & Visionary at To Be Honest Beverage Company, most enjoys the "freedom" of owning her business, making decisions independently and driving the company's direction. This freedom allows Michelle to embrace "critical thinking and problem-solving," fostering strong relationships and mentorship opportunities as the company grows and hires a core team.
Biggest Challenges Faced by a Founder and Visionary at To Be Honest Beverage Company
Michelle's biggest challenge as Founder & Visionary of To Be Honest Beverage Company is maintaining focus amidst the many directions a startup can take, describing the process as "a lot of trial and error," requiring risk-taking and constant evaluation of whether opportunities align with the company's long-term vision. This is further complicated by the typical startup hurdles of finding and retaining the right talent, a challenge that will only grow as the company scales.
Favorite Parts of Working in the Non-Alcoholic Drinks Industry as a Founder and Visionary
Michelle, Founder & Visionary at To Be Honest Beverage Company, finds the non-alcoholic beverage industry most rewarding due to the "type of people that are called to this industry," driven by a shared philosophy of compassion and authenticity to create positive change and a "thriving, health, wellbeing" lifestyle; this fuels Michelle's own mission and inspires their work within the "sober curious movement."
What Type of Person Thrives in the Beverage Industry, According to a Founder and Visionary at To Be Honest Beverage Company
Michelle, Founder & Visionary at To Be Honest Beverage Company, identifies two key traits for success in the CPG industry: a "rational type person" skilled in data analysis and strategic planning, and a resilient, communicative business owner comfortable with risk and rejection. Further, in the non-alcoholic beverage segment, authentic compassion and a purpose-driven mission focused on positively impacting lives are crucial for long-term success, as "people who are really wanting to positively impact lives, create a brand and business that is centered around a lifestyle" will thrive.
What a Founder and Visionary at To Be Honest Beverage Company Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Beverage Industry
Michelle, Founder & Visionary at To Be Honest Beverage Company, wishes they had realized earlier the crucial role of "belief in yourself, believing in your ability to continue to show up," and resilience in overcoming the inevitable challenges of building a business from scratch. This unwavering self-belief, Michelle emphasizes, is essential for navigating setbacks, questioning, and self-doubt, ultimately leading to success.
Entry-level Opportunities for Aspiring Founders
Michelle, Founder & Visionary at To Be Honest Beverage Company, suggests undergraduate students interested in the beverage industry explore online side hustles to test "marketing, sales, operations, and administration" skills—essential for any business. This hands-on approach, whether "an online store or an Etsy shop," allows aspiring entrepreneurs to develop a strong foundation before scaling up, proving "the opportunities are endless."
Significant Career Lesson from a Founder and Visionary at To Be Honest Beverage Company
Michelle's significant career lesson centers on the powerful combination of understanding "the why" behind one's work and possessing the "resilience to keep going." This unwavering belief in oneself, coupled with persistent effort, allows for success in overcoming any challenge.
College Experiences That Helped A Founder At To Be Honest Beverages Succeed
Michelle's undergraduate philosophy degree fostered a questioning mindset, encouraging a proactive approach to problem-solving and critical thinking; this, coupled with seeking out challenging roles that demanded "figuring things out," laid a strong foundation for their entrepreneurial journey and current success as a founder, emphasizing the importance of exploration and self-discovery during college.
bottom of page