‘Q’ Breakfast Spotlights Innovation in Volusia County

Daytona International Speedway may be the World Center of Auto Racing, but Volusia County officials are focused on the county being a center of innovation. Earlier this month, some of Volusia’s “hidden successes” were on display at the latest Volusia County Economic Development’s ‘Q’ Breakfast.

The meeting, held in the Dennis McGee Room at Daytona International Airport, featured Desiree Haller, founder of SubSafe, maker of waterproof and crushproof containers to keep food and drink safe during adventures or at the beach, and Tim Meadows, founder of Concentrated Aloe Corp., a producer of aloe vera concentrates and powders to the skincare and natural foods industries.

Asked by moderator Lou Paris, Volusia County director of economic development, whether success comes through luck or hard work, Haller said for SubSafe it was both.

“We were a very, very young company when we went on Shark Tank,” she said, referring to the company’s appearance on the television show where prominent investors give entrepreneurs the chance to secure business deals. “Being on the show and having that visibility was a lot of luck.”

For Meadows, entrepreneurial success is about more than hard work or luck alone.

“Keeping your eyes open and being aware of what’s going on is as important as luck and hard work,” he said.

Haller said a lot goes into creating an innovative product and it includes doing your homework.

“The market research is something we went heavy on,” she said. “We just started asking friends and family if (SubSafe) existed, would you use it.”

Paris asked Meadows and Haller about their entrepreneurial journey, describing it as a “rollercoaster” for startups.

Haller said the company, founded in 2018, could have faced obstacles with the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We were blessed enough that we were an outdoor product,” she said, which limited the financial strain on the business. But the company still faced growth and cash flow issues in the early years.

SubSafe got a big break in a deal with Publix Super Markets when the grocery chain put the company’s product in 50 stores. Haller said she pushed to have the product put in the deli department rather than the food container aisle, despite some initial hesitation from a Publix official.

“We got the 50 stores and then Shark Tank aired,” she said. “We sold out within a week.”

The supermarket chain then quickly reached an agreement with Haller to put the product in all its stores.

Meadows said Concentrated Aloe also faced challenges along the way, including finding ways to ensure the purity of the aloe and setting up a production and distribution network.

“Transparency was the answer,” he said. “We are now totally vertically integrated.”

The panel discussion concluded with advice from both innovators, which turned out to be relatively similar.

Haller said knowing what you don’t know is important for entrepreneurs.

“I don’t think that everyone is good at everything,” she said. “Figure out what you’re good at, what you’re passionate about, and delegate.”

Meadows was more succinct.

“Find out what you don’t do well and don’t do that thing.”