Kara Goldin is the CEO and founder of HINT Essence Water, a brand of all-natural flavored water with no calories, sugar, sweeteners or sodium. In 2005, Kara left her job as a successful marketing executive at a large media company to follow her true dreams of starting a business that would benefit the health and quality of her family’s lives. A mother of three at the time (now four!), Kara has been able to grow her startup business into a multimillion-dollar international company through determination, business smarts and the help of a strong team behind her. Don’t just sit there … Think Up!

We all hear people talking about how risky it is to start a business, especially in this time, but with the right idea and the determination to succeed; your idea can become a successful reality.

That’s what happened to me and my "baby" — HINT Essence Water. In 2004, I was an AOL Marketing Executive and mother of three at the time (now four!) and I found myself spending a lot of time in the grocery aisles. I quickly realized that beverages were headed in an unusual direction. Simple, all-natural foods were popping up in most areas of the store, but in the beverage aisle it was all about functional claims. I saw drinks that would make me smarter, more energetic, calmer and more resistant to illness, but there was no good alternative to the juice and soda my family was drinking. Nothing seemed to fit in with the healthy lifestyle I was promoting in my home. One day my daughter went to get a drink and she went right for the soda, but when I asked her again, she went for my water with lemon. 

That was it, the trigger for HINT, all-natural flavored water that wouldn’t compromise my family’s health. I realized there was nothing on the market like this so I decided to do it myself. I knew going into this process that I would have to become a student of the industry so I could determine which products and marketing work. A key part in succeeding was to find a void in the market that HINT would fill. Entrepreneurs must find specialty niches, as established brands dominate and constantly reinvent themselves.

There are several key components to creating a great business. Having energy is what I believe to be the most crucial aspect of having a successful business. Even four years into HINT, every day, there’s not a lot of downtime. And at night, you’re constantly thinking of new ideas and ways to grow the brand. Another important part of creating a brand is surrounding yourself with trustworthy and creative people. I work with my husband, Theo, who is the current COO of the company and we work just as well in the office as we do at home with our four children.

For many it is hard to make money in the first few years. Try to bankroll your business without financing. It allows you to try things versus going to a board every two minutes to see whether it’s OK that you do this. Make sure that your company is well-funded. You still need money to run a company in any kind of economy. Given that a number of companies with "me too" products will go out of business during times like this, companies with great products and cash to have a sales force in place will benefit. 

How do you make your brand grow?