In this post, we cover our interview for our "Together Talks" campaign, with Yoseline Torres Phillips, Founder & Chief Food Safety Officer of Tru Food Solutions. This company remains connected to their core values as their company DNA embodies how they operate with their clientele. These guiding principles serve as the steward to guide the company and each specific project they consult on to provide optimum results for their clients.
"Together Talks" feature # 141: Tru Food Solutions presented by KLS - Dedicated Logistic Services for Excellence -Driven Businesses In The USA
Reflect on a goal you set and how it made you feel to accomplish it? How did you handle the transition? What have you learned from being an entrepreneur?
Talk about your journey of being an entrepreneur?
What is the next thing you need to develop as a leader?
What aspect of entrepreneurship do you appreciate the most?
Share a mistake and what you learned from that experience?
If you had a magic wand, what would you change about your industry?
What is your why?
Piece of Advice
In Closing
Story of how it was created?
It was back in 2020. I had been working in the industry for over 25 years. I had obtained experience in the food manufacturing, food service, even did some consulting work, but still working for an employer. At that time I was traveling a lot internationally and domestically and I was a single mom, I was raising my son. It was very difficult and in 2020, I realized I have all this experience and I had been thinking about being an independent consultant for a while. The organization I was with I felt a disconnect and figured this is probably the sign for me to make the decision and I did.
I left the company that I was working with and I started contacting people from the industry, other consultants and started working in projects here and there. I had actually came up with the name for my organization, one day sitting in the living room with my son. We were coming up with names and I was explaining what I was trying to accomplish and the Tru Food Solutions came to mind. Really that's what I'm attempting to do and provide, real solutions that clients can depend on and that's how it was created.
I registered the company and started doing projects and here we are today.
What separates your company from competition?
We seek to understand the client and their operation which is very critical when you're engaging in a relationship. Understanding the specific needs of a potential client is paramount. We make sure we don't just bring a "script" and try to sell them on everything. Instead we collaborate to understand what they need and then fill in any gaps that may be missing. Transparency is key and we strive to have everything discussed and understood before we enter into any agreement.
Our company offers competitive pricing, we design packages that are tailored to each specific project. It is based on their specific needs, that's how we establish our pricing, offering better value for the price compared to what other competitors may be offering. But we ensure to never compromise quality at any point.
Our flexibility of customizing projects, being that most of our clients are food manufacturers and their operating hours can be so different and varied. We work around our clients scheduled to fulfill their needs.
For example, we had an organization with three shifts. They were working back to back and they needed all the employees to be trained on a particular subject. I was able to get that training done at their time covering all three different trainings and that adds a lot of value to what we offer to clients.
Additionally, we offer all our services in the Spanish language if needed. We get requests for training to be delivered in Spanish quite often.
What have been the biggest challenges?
It has been hard to keep up our pipeline with qualified leads. It's been four years and I'm still in that stage of connecting with clients. Despite being in business over four years we are still introducing our company and creating our brand. That has been the biggest challenge. Luckily I do have some help from my husband, I just got married last year. He's been instrumental in helping with some of the marketing of the business and my website. That has taken a lot off my plate so that I can focus on what I'm really good at.
Reflect on a goal you set and how it made you feel to accomplish it?
At the beginning of this year, I received a request for a specific type of training from a client.
I had done some other type of work with them previously and this time around they requested a training. But I knew a lot of things had to happen before I was able to offer it. I went on a very aggressive journey to get the training material prepared and get it accredited before I could take on that project for the client.
At the end of May, this year, I was able to deliver the training timely for the dates that the client needed it. It was an amazing feeling looking back at the trajectory and everything it required to get it accomplished on time. This showed me that when you set clear and actionable goals, it really helps you steer your business towards growth, improve performance, and be in alignment with your long-term vision.
How did you handle the transition?
When I was younger, I wouldn't put a lot of thought into things. I just felt and believed that I could do anything. At this stage of my life, I needed to think through it a little better. At the time, when I was considering starting my business, the concerns were the unknown. Not knowing what it will be like working for myself, not knowing the implications, the fact that all my life I had been receiving a paycheck constantly, etc. All I knew was that I had all these great salaries and employee benefits from the employers I had worked for. It was really going into the unknown in every area that made it a little scary and yet that was the same fear that pushed me into doing what I'm doing now with my business.
What have you learned from being an entrepreneur?
I have learned the importance of believing in myself and my capabilities. I have learned that I must continue to evolve in the knowledge I have gained because pairing that with my passion, has served me well. When passion meets your purpose and you explore with curiosity the unknown, you tap into the wow factor and become dedicated to making a difference, and the world a better place while improving yourself along the way. I believe that my growth has allowed me to speak with confidence. I would say I have grown a lot, but there's still knowledge to be gained, and I love learning.
Talk about your journey of being an entrepreneur?
As far as my journey, the first stage, that phase of the startup, I had this great idea, which I had been contemplating for a while. For years, I kept thinking I needed to gain more experience and more knowledge. Back in 2020, I got inspired by the consistent need that I identified that the industry had for that personalized and customized consulting services. Taking my knowledge and expertise into the food service field, the food manufacturing, and supply chain organizations was the next career path for me.
I got to see it all being in the food industry, I was exposed to all these different areas of the food industry. I identified my market and potential clients at that stage, the startup stage. I didn't really need to do any big monetary investment. My investment was going to require more of my time and having to switch gears as far as my mentality and the modus operandi, how I will be doing things. I knew that all that had to shift.
The second phase was the challenge phase. The inconsistency of the money coming in, it was challenging learning how to address that. Also learning to develop an adequate proposal for projects by properly estimating timeframes for the project completion. I am extremely passionate with what I do, and I spend the time if I must do my own research. There were situations in which I had submitted proposals and here I am finding myself still putting all this time, which I didn't price or contemplated in the first place on the proposals submitted. Those are things I have learned from, but that were part of the growing pains. I now can say am much better at estimating time for the variety of projects and services we offer.
What is the next thing you need to develop as a leader?
My knowledge and use of Artificial Intelligence to grow my business. AI was believed to be for large corporations, not anymore, if I want to be competitive and improve efficiency I must develop and leverage technology within my organization.
What aspect of entrepreneurship do you appreciate the most?
It's definitely that human touch I can put in all I do. Being me, being transparent, and upfront is greatly appreciated by my clients and to me that's very important. I don't need to come with an agenda. instead, I just sit with the client, I listen to what they need and we determine what I'm able to provide. We develop our program to help take them to that next step.
But I'm doing that with transparency and it's me, authentic. You see me, you're working with me. This is the one that you are going to be dealing with moving forward.
Share a mistake and what you learned from that experience?
When I started, I put all my eggs in one basket. What I mean by that, I was focused on completing projects from a particular consultant that I had started working with. She was sending me projects, I was taking them as they were being offered, but I was not thinking as the owner of my company. I wasn't thinking about me, the entrepreneur growing my business. I realized that I needed to pause and that I actually needed to spend the time building my clientele.
Once I realized that, I started to very purposely, dedicating and spending time to build my own clientele. And I started seeing how doors started opening, word of mouth, referrals started popping up from all over. It was a necessary shift.
What is your why?
I would say during my tenure in the food industry and occupying all different various roles and positions, I experienced a significant need for expert, passionate, and competent professionals for a variety of food safety and quality related projects. I came from food manufacturing and food service working for a variety of different organizations. I always thought, if an organization could bring a specialized individual in and work on a particular project, it would create more streamlined results.
Having that expert individual, who is professional, and also possesses passion about doing it with excellence, I felt there was a huge need. I wanted to fill that gap. My why is to help fulfill this need. Through our customized and dependable solutions, that the food industry so desperately need I can fill that void. It is so rewarding when I work with a client and I see the project coming to to fruition, seeing all the changes within the organization and how satisfied they are with the the help that was provided to me that's the most rewarding thing that can happen.
If you had a magic wand, what would you change about your industry?
The level of understanding and the importance is given to food safety matters. If you're handling food, no matter what part of the supply chain you're at, you are touching lives. While the food industry may be just like any other for-profit organization, understanding what adequate and safe food safety practices are, is priceless and yet very costly if you don’t have them. My magic wand will transform the mentality of all those engage in a way or another in activities related to the entire food supply chain to think food safety first.
Do you have a moment that brings you the most joy?
I get those joyful moments quite often, actually. The reason is when I look at things, like my time, my efforts, and the passion I put into things, I realize they're all in alignment. That is what it makes my job exciting and meaningful. This, what I'm doing with you, I'm doing it because, I have the time to do it. I didn't need to consult with anybody to ask if I could set aside an hour of my time to, do this interview. My flexibility and the flexibility to help others brings me a lot of joy.
Piece of Advice
Work is a tool to serve your family and community. The Bible teaches that work is important, but it should not come before family time, so make sure to appreciate and value family. You never know when that family is not going to be there or that you might not be there to have those precious moments because work is occupying all those significant and important moments of your life.
I have learned the importance of saying no. It is so important that we learn rather sooner than later to say no and be confident about it. Many times we want to look good or we want to demonstrate that yes we are capable. But not saying no, when a no is needed, can be detrimental to your growth and to your health.
Something I read in an article a couple of years ago about advice from Women Entrepreneurs that stuck with me, and I have frequently shared it with other women and that is “gender nor race can restrain you from reaching goals. Do everything in your power to obtain and gain the knowledge you need to be successful. Do not be prideful but rather strategic, and It is okay to ask for help. So, ask for help when you need it and surround yourself with people that motivate you, cultivate and stimulate your passions”.
In Closing
KLS wants to thank Yoseline Torres Phillips, Founder & Chief Food Safety Officer of Tru Food Solutions for today's "Together Talks" feature.
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