Yanni Hufnagel has come a long way to becoming a successful entrepreneur. The renowned entrepreneur acknowledges that the business journey has not always been a walk in the park. When he was establishing his Lemon Perfect company in his early entrepreneurship days, Hufnagel had such a rough ride that he called his mother to express his challenges and uncertainty in following up on the project. Nonetheless, he remained steady and persistent in building his brand. Looking back, he is proud of it and is always willing to share his experience and lessons learned.
Hufnagel entered the beverage industry with no clue about what it entailed. Previously, he had been a basketball coach, a career that spanned almost a decade. Some teams he coached include Vanderbilt Commodores, Nevada Wolf Pack, and Harvard Crimson. He likens the entrepreneurial journey to a game of basketball, where “the ball has to bounce your way.” You might have several disappointments, but your breakthrough eventually comes.
After his first pitch to an investor went terribly, Yanni Hufnagel contemplated quitting. However, he motivated himself that there was no looking back, and soon, things started happening. 2017 was a milestone year for him, as it was when he came up with Lemon Perfect, a lemon-flavored zero-sugar drink with five calories.
His luck eventually came when the beverage enticed a Whole Foods investor at a trade expo. When the investor queried his wife’s opinion, she approved of the drink’s taste and urged him to invest in the product. He credits luck and good decision-making as some of the factors that enabled the brand to survive the initial stages and avoid some mistakes that would have been costly.
Hufnagel has always been at the forefront of promoting Lemon Perfect. According to him, Lemon Perfect is a beverage that can help individuals maintain their health.
Hufnagel considers personality the most important thing when looking for employees. Richard Branson once said that friendly and helpful people make the best employees. Apple’s Steve Jobs, on the other hand, stated that recruiting employees was his most important duty at the company. And Yanni Hufnagel shares in the sentiments of these renowned entrepreneurs.