Meet Ashley Nickelsen | Founder & Chief Snack Officer of B.T.R. Bar

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Nickelsen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
B.T.R. stands for “be BOLD, TENACIOUS & RESILIENT,”  my parents’ personal mantra and something that has stayed with me throughout my life. Five years ago, my parents were diagnosed with cancer, and our lives changed forever. As their primary caretaker going back & forth between chemotherapy appointments and hospital visits, I starting inhaling sugary snacks with ingredients I could barely pronounce out of hospital vending machines. My energy levels were suffering, I had constant brain fog, and my stress levels were through the roof. With a background in food studies & biochemistry, I started making low-sugar superfood protein bites in my kitchen. I would bring them to the hospital for my parents and myself. When the doctors, nurses, and other caretakers became obsessed with the bites, I knew I had something. That was how the idea for B.T.R. Bar came about – as a simple idea in a hospital cafeteria.

After my parents passed away, I totally forgot about these superfood bite creations. Five years later, in the middle of a pandemic, I was doing a lot of soul-searching. This time of transition forced me to think more diligently about my purpose, and it hit me. I dusted off my recipes and decided to start this company in honor of my parents with the ultimate goal to help us all snack better, to help us all snack with a purpose.

I knew I wanted to launch the business direct to consumer first so I could gather feedback, incorporate that feedback quickly, and build a loyal community of customers and brand ambassadors. We soft-launched at the end of 2020, and we’ve been seeing double & triple digit growth every month. What’s most important to us is the feedback that we’ve been receiving. We’re filling a real need. Low-sugar, plant-based, functional ingredients, and the cleanest label on the market. Our customers are buying 10, 11, 12x – they get drawn in my the ingredients, they stay for the delicious taste. B.T.R. Bars are becoming a part of their daily routine, and I couldn’t be prouder.

What should our readers know about your business?
B.T.R. Bar is a functional snacking company that was founded at the end of 2020. We make the first protein bar with a purpose – each bar boosted with plant-based superfoods, purpose-driven adaptogens, and functional mushrooms. The protein bar aisle is a sea of more of the same. Although there are thousands of protein bars on the market, we are the first to check all the right boxes for the customer: no added sugar, clean transparent label, and ingredients that serve a purpose with the functional benefit labeled front and center of pack.

Starting a business is never easy, but when you have a clear vision and a purpose, you have this unexplainable drive to wake up and do whatever necessary to bring value to the world. B.T.R. Bar is still very much in infancy. We’re only a few months old, but the process of getting the business off the ground is what’s most exciting! Some of the major obstacles to overcome in the beginning is prioritization. As a solopreneur, you’re always making decisions about where and how to spend your time and money. Marketing, sales, operations, new product innovation, etc. But it all comes back to the customer. What does the customer want and need? That’s my #1 piece of advice. Get out of your head. Quiet your ego. Become customer obsessed. Make your customers feel special. They are literally the lifeblood of your business, so what they want, what they say, what they need, comes first.

Another piece of advice I share with entrepreneurs everywhere: don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress. Get things done. In the beginning, it’s all about making it work. If you wait to send an email until you’ve selected the perfect font or color, that hesitation can cost you valuable customers and sales.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love this question! I lived on the East Coast for most of my life, but moved to San Francisco about two years ago so I’m still learning all the fun spots to visit. But in my short time here, our trip would be focused on two major buckets: 1. food and 2. nature. There is an incredibly diverse array of restaurants, food trucks, and bakeries all over the city, so we would eat our way through San Francisco. In addition, we would take in all the sights and sounds that San Francisco has to offer. Beautiful Fisherman’s Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge, Baker Beach. Since California is full of amazing hiking trails, we’d take a trip a few miles north or south to hike the gorgeous trails and take in the fresh California air.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents – 100%. I am who I am because of them. My parents had a way of making everyone around them feel special, loved, and heard. That’s one quality about myself I’m extra proud I inherited, simply by being in their presence. My parents were my cheerleaders. I’ve always been a hard worker, but my parents were the ones who helped me overcome my own doubts to rise even higher. I still feel their presence every day as I make decisions for my business.

In addition, I consider myself a lifelong learner. I’m a sponge. I subscribe to every newsletter, I read a book a week, I try to listen to as many business, marketing, and leadership podcasts as possible. I take lessons from the women before me who shattered glass ceilings. I take notes, I evaluate my strengths, and I identify how I can do that in my own way.

Website: https://www.eatbtrbar.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btr.bar/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/btr-bar

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/btr-bar

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHyumZDB_oWQWWLtrQznG_g

Image Credits
Riser Design Wonderkind