WTF Moments, Delusional Optimism, Failing Publicly and Going Direct to Consumer with Sara Cullen (Founder/CEO, GEM)
Inside the unfiltered founder rollercoaster of building the first real-food vitamin
🎧 Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.
Me (Carly): Sara, in those early days—did you ever have those ‘shit-hit-the-fan’ moments? How did you get through it?
Sara: Carly, of course. I had one of those moments yesterday. You just… get through it.
No meditation. No pretending to meditate. Just making sure you have stellar people around you—people who lift you up in the hard moments and celebrate you in the good ones.
Sara is the founder of GEM: the first real-food vitamin.
GEM was born out of her own health challenges. Traditional gummies and pills weren’t cutting it—they were loaded with sugar and preservatives. Sara pointed out that 92% of Americans are nutrient-deficient. Our food doesn’t nourish us the way it used to, and she’s on a mission to change that with real-food vitamin bites.
She doesn’t shy away from sharing the unfiltered reality of being a founder. From the public failure of her first CBD-based startup—derailed by co-founder issues—to the profound lessons she’s learned as a mother to her 8.5-month-old, Sara tells it like it is.
That same honesty showed up when she talked about being a female founder. Still on the theme of motherhood, she shared that unlike many of her peers, she wouldn’t hide her pregnant belly while fundraising. Most women do (understandably).
TBD what the ‘right’ answer is…
In our conversation, we discuss:
Sara’s upbringing on a farm in Oregon—experimenting in the kitchen and dreaming of becoming a baker
Her experience joining a startup through Venture for America and founding her first company, Plant Water (plus the lessons learned along the way)
The personal health crisis that sparked the idea for GEM—and how she found the conviction to launch
The early product challenges of balancing taste with nutritional function
Fundraising and hiring insights, plus practical advice for other CPG founders raising venture capital
The advantages and challenges of building a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand
Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship—and how becoming a new mom has shaped her perspective and leadership
My key takeaways:
Founder must-have: ✨Delusional Optimism✨
It might be genetic according to Sara, but it’s essential for founders. You have to believe—deeply and irrationally—that you won’t fail.
⛔️ Fail Publicly
Get comfortable failing out loud. It’s a skill you can build. Push your limits. Drop the shame (have personally implemented this in my own founding journey - a WIP). Failure is a personal construct.
🔭 Vet Investors for Vision
The most important question to ask a potential investor: Where do you see [Company Name] in 10 years? If your visions don’t align, it’s not the right fit.
✈️ Fundraise In Person
Sara takes in-person fundraising to the next level—possibly even more intensely than Celine (described here). During fundraising, she hopped on a flight at a moment’s notice to meet a potential investor face-to-face.🌱 Community is power.
Community matters—both for personal support and as a growth engine. Sara built GEM from a Facebook community, which allowed her to be very in-tune with her customers.
📉 Common CPG founder pitfalls fall in 3 categories:
Managing cash flow
Fundraising
Over- or under-hiring in the early days
Not every CPG brand is meant to raise venture capital. Tune out the Silicon Valley noise and find the path that’s right for your business.
🔄 DTC vs. Retail: Know What You’re Optimizing For
DTC = stronger customer relationships
Retail = broader distribution
Both come with trade-offs. Many brands start DTC and grow into retail.
🦸♀️ Being a mom is a founder superpower.
No explanation needed.
Sara’s craft that she’s spending a lifetime honing? Motherhood.
Where to find She Leads:
Where to find Carly:
Where to find Sara:
Where to find GEM:
Referenced:
Sara Blakely: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarablakely27/
Venture for America: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venture-for-america/
In this episode, we cover:
(1:22) Growing up on a farm and childhood influences
(5:09) Pivoting majors at Cornell
(6:28) Being practical vs. the dreamer
(9:14) Joining Venture for America
(12:33) The lessons from founding Plant Water
(16:25) The health crisis that inspired GEM
(19:28) Finding the conviction to launch
(22:57) Balancing taste with nutritional function
(25:23) Operating as a DTC brand
(26:27) The greatest challenges working on GEM
(28:49) Remote work challenges and culture trade-offs
(33:35) Advice for CPG founders on venture capital
(39:36) Juggling motherhood and leadership
(41:34) Redefining success