Founder Friday with Katie Wilson of BelliWelli
BelliWelli is an innovative and rapidly growing consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand co-founded by Katie Wilson alongside her husband Nick Wilson. For most women, a healthy gut is the missing piece of their wellness routine (70% of Americans suffer from daily digestive issues!). BelliWelli is approaching gut health in a fun, honest, and refreshing way. They acknowledge the reality of the daily struggle with stomach issues that many (most!?) modern women face, they make them feel seen and heard, and BelliWelli makes products that taste great and support their digestive health goals.
We caught up with Katie to hear what’s new for BelliWelli, what’s coming up next, insights into what’s happening in the industry, and advice she would give to her past self and up-and-coming women founders.
What’s New
The biggest win for BelliWelli in 2023 was their nationwide launch in Target. For a young brand to not just launch in 500 stores or only local to them in SoCal but all across the U.S. is a huge deal that we’re applauding Katie and the team on.
They also have another big update in the works that has a little something to do with a few new products in the mix and potentially launching with a retail partner, but we’ll have to wait and see how that all unfolds! 👀
What’s Next
Katie and the team are working to continue growing their retail footprint with BelliWelli's delicious bars. Their Target launch was an excellent propeller into getting into carts and kitchens across the U.S., and they are hoping to be in as many households and available to as many people as possible in 2024.
What’s Going On in the Industry
As BelliWelli likes to remind everyone: hot girls have IBS. Functional foods continue to be a hot topic, but in the past couple years, it's clear that flavour is and will always be paramount. It’s fantastic if a product has functional benefits, but people will still always grab the great tasting options—functional doesn’t outweigh taste.
Riding this wave has been a good lesson as BelliWelli continues to iterate on their own packaging. They focus on the delicious aspect of their bars first and foremost, and then they talk about all the functions.
And today, consumers are smarter than ever before. Katie mentions that when she switches from her entrepreneur hat to her consumer one, she realizes she is far more discerning. Everyone has been overloaded with so much in the ‘better for you’ space—whether in the beauty, food, or other spaces—that we all just got tired of consuming so much.
It's become more difficult to earn a consumer since everyone is much more thoughtful about what they're purchasing. We’re inundated with ads and getting targeted with amazing products that we’ll likely never buy because we’re tired.
Because of this, focusing on a quality product and honing in on habituation is such an obvious point. Katie’s theory is we’ll go back to sticking with brands we love for long periods of time versus sampling a million little products.
Our loyalty to brands will swing back because it's exhausting to keep trying a new thing every week. Consumers will appreciate a thoughtful brand they can trust—something Katie and the BelliWelli team are incredibly focused on building.
Advice to Your Past Self & Other Women Founders
“It’s all your fault,” Katie says. “If things go well, that's your fault, and that's great. If things are going wrong, that's your fault. But guess what? It also means you have the power to change course and pivot.”
There are two pieces of advice Katie has received from mentors that she especially loves—both sound ironically cynical but are actually empowering. The first is around everything being your fault, and the second being about how you don’t get points for effort.
As an entrepreneur, you can talk about how hard you're trying or how much effort you put into something. Ultimately, the proof is in the pudding. You have to show up, do the work, and make sure that you are moving the needle.
Which also means that you can never, ever stop being scrappy. You’re never above merchandising a shelf or doing boots on the ground work.
You can't wish what you want into existence.
The51 is proud to partner with the National Angel Capital Organization (NACO) in telling founder stories to accelerate the representation of women within Canada’s innovation economy.