Casey White '14

Entrepreneur Type

Founder / Co-founder

Passion

Every day is another opportunity for our company to carry on my grandfather’s legacy. This is what has motivated me most and continues to motivate me today. Our retailers and customers love the product, and most have been following and supporting us for almost a decade. They’re the ones who pull Jaju off the shelf, and we’re constantly reminded through social media tags, posts, and chatter that our community continues to show up for us. So, we make sure we continue to show up for them through new product launches and innovation.

Inspiration

My grandfather and the idea of complete professional freedom inspired me to pursue entrepreneurship. My grandfather was an entrepreneur who started a Polish deli alongside his siblings in the 1950s. He was always so proud of his store and the community he built. At an early age, I noticed how hard he worked, but I could also tell how fulfilled he was by the work he was doing.

That was a rare thing to see, but I noticed it was a common theme in my family. Everyone enjoyed working, and I realized this during the most pivotal years of my life. It shaped how I perceived work. Work shouldn’t just be something you do to pay the bills; it should bring you joy and ignite your soul.

Entrepreneurship seemed like it would ignite my soul while also allowing me the freedom to step away from corporate structures, red tape, and rules that I didn’t think I was willing or able to follow. :)

Key Moments

Getting into big-box retail shaped my entrepreneurial journey because it was the first time I paused to think about how far we had come as a business. The moment we received our first large purchase order from Big Y, I realized that I was actively building a legitimate business with real potential.

Hardest Part

Every part is hard. I think cash flow management in an industry that is difficult to forecast and predict has been the most challenging task for me, and it’s something that will continue to be challenging as long as we’re in business.

I’ve learned quickly that cash is everything and that it’s extremely important to measure the return on investment (ROI) of every decision you make. It’s also important to avoid letting emotion drive business decisions. Getting overly emotional happens (we’re all human), but it’s something that should make you pause. It’s important to reflect and think decisions through before saying yes or no to a new deal.

Failure

We said yes to a grocery chain when we shouldn’t have. We were over the moon about the opportunity to become a more national brand, but the decision nearly bankrupted us. We didn’t have the funds to properly support the launch, and the next few years were financially challenging.

The lesson we learned was to say yes only when it makes sense, both strategically and financially. Otherwise, it’s not the right time. A “no” right now doesn’t mean “no” forever.

Bentley Spark

I always say that the entire Bentley curriculum prepared me for entrepreneurship. I got to experience every aspect of business from a very early age, and I took GB 320 during my junior year. The course required us to partner with others and develop a business plan for an idea we hadn’t come up with ourselves.

We had to figure out forecasting, marketing, finance, accounting, operations—all of it. It was one of the first times I realized that I enjoyed seeing what I had learned in my other general business classes come together as a cohesive business concept.

Advice

Do it. It’s never going to feel like the perfect time because life always gets in the way, so just go for it. When you have an idea you can’t shake from your mind, it’s important to give it a go. What’s the worst thing that can happen? You fail? Well, what a great story that will be.

One-Liner

In your 30s, having a nontraditional job basically makes you the party’s built-in icebreaker.