Meet Vicky Nguyen of Yummmm!Bar in Costa Mesa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vicky Nguyen.

Vicky, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Always in a rush, with never enough time to eat, I relied heavily on granola bars to help curb hunger pangs. Although tasty, those snacks never filled me up or kept me satisfied, instead it left me wanting more. It was a constant battle between the mind and the taste buds. I tried the health bars at the specialty food markets, but nothing seemed to satisfy my palate, belly or wallet.

Without a lot of experience in the kitchen, I experimented with different healthy ingredients that could potentially keep me fuller longer and finally came up with a creation of my own. As the first taste tester of this new creation, I was delighted to see this bar made a great impression on my sister. Shortly after, I brought a bar to work and let one of my co-workers taste test it. That’s when he planted a seed in my head to start selling the bars.

For the first two years, I made bars over the weekends and sold them to friends and co-workers. In 2017, I contemplated many times whether to make this into a business or not, but an intuitive nudge kept pushing me to do it. I am excited to continue growing my business along with other exciting business ideas and inspiring future entrepreneurs to do the same.

I’m also extremely blessed to have the most amazing people in my life who have supported, encouraged and inspired me to keep pressing forward.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Absolutely not. It’s been one incredible roller coaster of continual learning, changing, and growing. I’ve learned that if I spend too much time thinking about an opportunity, I will talk myself out of it, so I lean towards one of two directions – go for it or let it go and see if it is meant to come back later.

The number of licenses, permits, and insurance for food was overwhelming at the beginning of the business and the process took forever. First lesson learned was to be simply flexible and patient. Knowing the value of my business was also another struggle. I had a hard time charging a competitive price for the bars. I think I was just excited that people were interested in buying my product. I quickly recognized that I was doing a disservice to myself and my business by not pricing it at the value it was worth, especially considering the amount of time and work that goes into a premium bar.

I’ll share a story that almost made me quit before I even started. One day a co-worker found a hardware nail in his sample bar. It was during a time where I started introducing the bars to my co-workers and friends. I was petrified and beat myself up extremely hard after he handed me that nail. It didn’t bother him finding the nail and he even placed an order. The thought of someone getting sick or hurt from eating my bars didn’t settle well with me. I came up with any excuse possible not to move forward, but that intuitive nudge made it clear for me to continue. So I kept the hardware nail as a reminder to keep moving forward even when faced with speed bumps. I found out later the nail came from the store where I purchase my ingredients, so I made it my goal to do some major quality control.

You’re going to face a lot of disappointments in your business, but one thing to keep in mind is embrace every small win because if the focus is only on the bigger picture, you’ll always feel behind. So stop and celebrate even the most minuscule wins.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Yummmm!Bar is a refreshingly tasty and healthy snack ‘cold-pressed’ raw bar, mindfully crafted to keep you full and sustained while going about your busy day. Why soooo many Mmmm’s in Yummmm!Bar? Well, the 4’s Mmmm are a reminder that this raw bar is shaped to Maximize satisfaction, Magnify energy levels, Minimize hunger pangs, and that it’s Made with love from home.

Life is demanding, and we do our best to balance it. We are occupied with an endless number of to-do lists, run short on time, and need a snack bar like Yummmm!Bar that can keep up with us. The bars are eaten cold because it’s the coconut oil that holds the eight simple ingredients in place. It’s is not just a snack bar, but a representation of healthy balancing in the midst of being “busy.” Yummmm!Bars are currently sold at farmer’s markets, local gyms, and online.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was extremely shy and sensitive, but as I got older, I began finding my voice and learning that my sensitivity was not a bad thing. Being sensitive helped me relate and connect to many individuals. My favorite things to do include finding creative ways to eating healthy, exploring new countries, athletic activities like surfing, yoga, running, and trying out the latest workout trend. Other highlights in my life include reading, meeting interesting people, and spending quality time with my friends and family. A fun fact about me is you can always catch me laughing at my own jokes.

Pricing:

• Man-This-Is-Good Bar: Decadently delicious! Known as the chocolate chip cookie’s “tastier looking sister”, each bite makes you want more. Bag of 12 bars for $35
• Mouthwatering PB&J Bar: Deliciously tart and sweet dried cranberries, some people refer to it as the peanut butter and jelly bar. Bag of 12 bars for $35
• Manifest-Your-Delish Bar: Hearty yet deceptively slim tasting. Looking for that crunch without the extra calories and guilt? This is the pumpkin seeds bar for you! Bag of 12 bars for $35
• Can’t decide on the flavors? Get yourself the assortment bag of the 3 flavors. Bag of 12 bars for $37

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yummmmbar.com/
• Phone: 714.477.0640
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @yummmmbar
• Facebook: @yummmmbar

Image Credit:
Jerry Singleton @gts310

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