What does it take to leave a comfortable corporate career and build a food brand from scratch? Adam D'Eramo, co-founder of Awake Caffeinated Chocolate, made the leap from PepsiCo to entrepreneurship over a single lunch conversation with two friends—and hasn't looked back in 12 years.

In this episode, Adam shares the unfiltered reality of building a consumer brand: from testing their first product in a college convenience store to watching 75% of their customers disappear overnight during COVID.

He breaks down the critical difference between having an idea and having a viable business opportunity, reveals how a persistent team member saved the company by pushing for e-commerce (when the founders resisted), and explains why resilience isn't just helpful for entrepreneurs—it's a prerequisite for survival.

This conversation is for anyone wrestling with the "golden handcuffs" of a stable career, wondering if their side hustle could become a real business, or looking for honest insight into what it actually takes to stay alive as an entrepreneur when everything falls apart.

In This Episode

• The pivotal lunch conversation that sparked Awake Chocolate's founding
• Why "golden handcuffs" kept Adam at the breaking point—and how he broke free
• The crucial difference between having an idea and having a business opportunity
• How a college convenience store test proved Awake had product-market fit
• Surviving COVID: Losing 75% of customers in one week and the fight to stay alive
• The team member who persistently pushed for e-commerce (and saved the company)
• Building a culture where ideas are welcomed and continuous improvement is the standard
• Why resilience is the most unglamorized secret of entrepreneurial success

Key Takeaways

• Start before you're ready: If you're waiting for the perfect moment to leave corporate, allocate time on the side to test your idea. The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.
• Ideas vs. opportunities: An idea becomes a business opportunity when people will pay for it AND you can turn a profit. Market test early and often.
• Use digital research tools: Concept testing through apps costs just a few hundred dollars and provides feedback in under 24 hours. Awake uses this multiple times per year.
• Break big problems into small ones: During COVID, Adam and his team focused on solving the problem right in front of them—this week, this month, this quarter—rather than being overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge.
• Listen to your team: The marketing manager who persistently advocated for Amazon and e-commerce ultimately helped save the business during the pandemic when all physical locations closed.

Memorable Quotes

• "I think the hardest regret for me to carry for the rest of my life would be if I didn't try this. A regret of inaction."
• "There's no substitute for executing an actual market test. When we found out we were selling 20 bars in a week, it was euphoric."
• "Are you a quitter? Quitters are losers. If no, then it doesn't look good today, but you've gotta find a way to solve this problem."
• "I haven't heard a single story that was all sunshine and rainbows. Everybody's had adversity. Resilience isn't just a nice attribute for an entrepreneur, it's a prerequisite."
• "The biggest strength of our partnership is that we know what we don't know. It's liberating to go find people who have that knowledge and capability."

About the Guest

Adam D'Eramo is the co-founder of Awake Caffeinated Chocolate, a functional snack brand that launched in 2012. After leaving PepsiCo with his co-founders Matt and Dan, Adam has spent over 12 years building Awake from a campus-exclusive product to a nationally distributed brand available in major retailers across Canada including Costco, Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws, and more. Adam is passionate about entrepreneurship, continuous improvement, and building teams with an entrepreneurial mindset.

Connect

• Awake Chocolate Website: AwakeChocolate.ca
• Instagram: @AwakeChocolate
• LinkedIn: Adam D'Eramo

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