Building my startup - from Trash to Treasure: The MIGHTY MEATS Origin Story
For 12+ years Dom Crockett has guided c-suites through design-thinking exercises that achieve clarity and deliver products and experiences that resonate. He’s done work for ConEdison, Madison Square Garden, AAA, Citibank, Exelon and the US Veterans Association to name a few. Today, he leverages that experience to produce products and services that are a net benefit to people and the planet. Currently, he’s the founder of MIGHTY MEATS a CPG company that leverages underutilized food ingredients to produce a ground beef that Moms and athletes love.
Here’s Dom’s founder story!
I was working at a company called Bionic where we taught Fortune 500 companies to think and act like startups.
One day during a normal status meeting a VP had proclaimed a great success.
We had helped a beer manufacturer figure out what to do with the leftover barley from the beer making process.
We were going to help them upcycle leftover barley into a non-dairy milk alternative for its customers.
That was significant to me because it is a tangible example of how Innovation is not always traditionally disruptive.
Sometimes innovations can look like going through a supply chain and finding ways to upcycle — adding value for customers and investors.
And since I was already knee deep in nutrition and natural health and wellness. Specifically the studies of Weston Price.
I knew two things:
- Organ meats are the most nutritionally dense parts of the animal
- Organ meats are a part of the meat production supply chain that are often wasted
So with the combination of those two thoughts I wondered
how might I upcycle organ meats in a way that makes them delicious and attractive.
And the MIGHTY MEATS seed was planted.
I had worked on MIGHTY MEATS on nights and weekends while working full-time
Because of my experience at Bionic I was adept at running digital experiments to gauge customer demand.
So I made an Instagram page and started to make content that would engage my desired audience. I discovered that people who were not squeamish about eating organ meats and wanted a way to incorporate it into their lives seamlessly.
As the followers grew, I worked on perfecting the recipe and designing the logo, brand, and e-commerce website.
My first customer was Otto from Kansas. Seeing the notification that someone had willingly purchased my product was incredible!
While spending $0 in paid advertising I delivered 142 pounds to 35 customers.
“Sweet! People want this stuff and my demand is outstripping my supply and my profit margins are healthy.”
So I thought…
But I had to hold off on popping the champagne.
FedEx shipping costs and buying dry ice ate all profits.
At that point, I began to ask what the next steps were for MIGHTY MEATS.
I thought : How might I get my assumptions clear enough to confidently communicate them to an investor?
That’s when I thankfully found the Colorwave Founder Accelerator. Working with the team provided the opportunity for entrepreneurs, like me, to further develop my startup idea in a safe environment with guides who keep them on track during the inevitable feelings of being overwhelmed and confused.
The program helped me explore the assumptions that need to be true in order to have an investable startup. And then put it in a singular narrative through a pitch deck.
I found the environment to be incredibly supportive and collaborative — I met other founders and we were able to exchange stories.
I left the accelerator with a Pitch Deck, financial model, fleshed out distribution plans.
Most importantly, I now have a network of folks asking great questions and making the future better.
