Couples Journey from Family Sunday Night Popcorn Tradition to a $250 Million Sale

I’m addicted to podcasts and listen to at least one a day, typically during my morning walk. Since my walk usually averages 20 to 30 minutes, I tend to listen to podcasts that I can get in within that time frame.

Once in a while a longer podcast comes out that’s much longer, and keeps me listening in long after my walk has ended. That happens a couple of times a month.

More rare indeed is a podcast that I listen to more than once, take notes on, and transcribe.

Well, I recently found one worth listening to multiple times. Tony Robbin’s Boom Chicka Mom and Pop interview with Angie and Dan Bastian.

Because I am obsessed with studying entrepreneurial couples, I love hearing success stories.

In the podcast, Angie and Dan Bastian share their story of how they started their popcorn business in the garage of their home while Angie was a nurse working in mental health clinic in Gallup, New Mexico and Dan was a school teacher working in high school.

They share that at the time, they wanted to do something together that would teach their children.

Their inspiration was the popcorn on the farm made by Angie’s mother ever Sunday night.

So, they started it in the garage, packaging it for hockey games at their local Civic centre.

Despite their concerns about being called crazy, the business expanded – they got a break in working with the Vikings at their camps, getting the players to eat their popcorn.

Tony Robbins often talks about the “proximity is power” concept, and Angie and Dean applied it when they starting supplying their product to the Vikings players.

Their business continued to grow quickly, no longer a “little mom and pop company”.

In tandem with their growth, they decided to invest in their marketing approach. I love Angie’s point about how she wanted a brand that would playfully honour women, which led to a feminine color palette and name – this is a such a great example of how an irritation or annoyance as a business owner can lead to a creative and unique approach. .

They chose the name BOOMCHICKAPOP, and shortly thereafter their business skyrocketed.

Tony has a way of getting people to speak with radical authenticity, and the couple is transparent about stepping on each others toes, arguing, the emotional roller coaster ride, and the fear factor of not knowing if the deal would close or not.

I love how they normalize some of the very real challenges of entrepreneurial couples. So many of us feel like odd ducks; when we can hear an authentic, vulnerable, and heart warming story like this one, I just have to share it.

If you need a little inspiration or mojo, check it out!

I agree with Tony’s closing comments – this is an extraordinary story about an extraordinary couple.

Oh, and by the way, they sold their “Mom and Pop” business for $250M – BOOMCHICKAPOP indeed!