Conversations with Chris Allen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Allen.

Hi Chris, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I recently got introduced to the world as one of 12 contestants on Netflix’s hit reality show Million Dollar Secret. In the game, I competed against 11 other people from all walks of life in the ultimate game of backstabbing, deception, and intrigue. But long before I went on Netflix, I’ve been competing in my daily life as an entrepreneur and business consultant focusing on the alcoholic beverage industry. I exited a career in finance in 2018 when the grind of climbing the corporate ladder no longer served me, and went back to business school with the goal of starting my own company. While there, I fell in love with the alcoholic beverage space as tons of new and exciting innovations came into the market around the time White Claw became a breakthrough hit. Along with a business partner, I wondered if I could take what White Claw had done and marry it up with my personal passion – wellness. Together we engineered the world’s first zero-sugar spiked coconut water, Osena. After years of growing Osena into an international brand, I spun out my own beverage consulting business, Impact Beverage Consultants, to help others achieve their dream of having a “drink of their own”. Coming off my appearance on Million Dollar Secret, I hope to connect with others around the world and help people achieve their dream of business ownership in a way that preserves their mental and physical wellness.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Getting a beverage business off the ground is no easy feat – we’ve overcome significant doubt among the investor and distributor base, challenges with third-party manufacturing, logistics and transportation issues in getting product to the end consumer intact, and major uncertainty in the macro economy. Particularly, as a small beverage brand, you often have to outsource your production to others in a structure called “contract brewing”. Working within this structure is extremely challenging as the ownership of your product’s quality is in the hands of someone else.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In the wake of Million Dollar Secret, I’ve been blessed to be connected with business professionals from around the world. I hope to be able to continue to grow my presence as an online personality and grow content to help people get into business ownership in a sustainable way for their physical and mental wellness. It is a journey that is rife with challenges and I want to share my experiences to help others. In addition, I work primarily in the beverage consultant/beverage architect space helping others launch their own beverages.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I was very blessed to be part of a family that frequently traveled – and as a child growing up in the “Disney Decade” of the 1990s, there was nothing better than our annual trips to Walt Disney World. It was on these trips that I fell in love with the entertainment industry and particularly the world of movies.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://drinkosena.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callennd/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-d-allen/
• Twitter: https://x.com/callenND
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@callenND
• Other: https://www.cameo.com/callennd

Image Credits
Credit: Virtual Reali-Tea Podcast