Alda Hjaltalín

Alda became a VP of sales and marketing at the biggest production company in Iceland, Sagafilm when she was only 19 years old. She worked on projects such as Inception by Christopher Nolan and the CASE (now on Netflix). She then founded her own company and sold it at only 23 years old so she could help raise another startup company to international levels and moved to New York. She eventually became a partner and then founded Tiger Gummies with her new team in NYC.

Where did the idea for Tiger Gummies come from?

Myself, Brandon Webb and Dr. Bob Adams wanted to start a company that could have a positive impact in the US. The health care system here is not really modern and up to date compared to other first world countries. Where preventative health care is a huge priority with organized sports, supplements, and healthy diets in school cafeterias. Especially with a world pandemic going on we figured now was a good time to launch a business that would help our future generations live a longer, healthier life. We noticed that no kids vitamins really have everything we need, all of them only have around 8-9 vitamins per gummy. So we created a formula with over 22 vitamins per gummy that actually tastes good. So 2 gummies for mom and 1 gummy per kid. That’s how we came up with Tiger Gummies, once we found the perfect formula, passed an intense taste test with over 25 12-year-old picky eaters we knew we had something special.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

No day is the same when you’re an entrepreneur launching a new brand. But a good morning routine for a good mindset is crucial to start the day off well. So I always make my bed, do my morning stretches and meditate for a bit so I can go into the day feeling fulfilled as I know I’ve done the most important work of the day which is self-work. Everything else is extra. It helps me create happiness and approach whatever the day brings with a positive and optimistic attitude.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I act on them before I let my brain overthink it. I think it’s crucial to act on your ideas or go far enough so it’s too late to turn back before you give your brain a chance to overthink it and become anxious or stressed about it so you back out. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it doesn’t have to be the best idea in the world. Ideas are useless unless you act on them. So act on them before your brain tries to hold you back.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Saving the planet. All aboard on that trend, please. We’ve only got one “home”.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Holding myself accountable.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Everything that is meant for you, will always be yours.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I constantly question how I can take better care of my employees and my customers. What value can I give them today? I think it’s a question every entrepreneur needs to ask themselves at least once a day. Did I bring value to anyone today?

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

People. Your business is your people. The better you are at hiring and taking care of the people that work for you the faster your business grows. If you’re not taking care of the people that work in your business then you are not taking care of your business. It’s easy to get lost in optimization and passion and conquering the world but it’s the quality of the relationships that you have with your employees that sometimes makes the business.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Not knowing my business worth. I sold a part of my first company for much, much less than I should have because I didn’t recognize my worth. The thing is if you price your company too low, the world won’t raise your price for you. You’ve got to be able to know your worth in the entrepreneurial world. I priced myself too low and how I overcame it was to always get second opinions from mentors and friends on pricing points just to be able to look at it from many perspectives and get closer to the right price.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

A business that helps me create time. For example, an app that sets up time bulks for you and holds you accountable to them. I truly believe that there are not enough companies in the business of helping people with their most precious resource, time. So an idea of a customized time bulk app or organization tool to help you organize your time, show you the progress day by day even if you’re only being 1% better today than you were yesterday it still matters a lot because many small things make one huge thing.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I bought a year subscription to the Instagram template app MOJO. Definitely gave my brand a huge makeover and everything looks so much cleaner and next-level design. I highly recommend it for small businesses and entrepreneurs who are still doing most of the legwork themselves. I’m always looking for apps that can help me save time but still keep the high quality I want for my brand.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Taskade actually helps me a lot and then just my apple calendar of course. Taskade is perfect for Tiger Gummies as it’s designed around remote teams and we are all remote. It’s more of a collaboration platform which is perfect for small businesses where almost everything you do is a collaboration and everyone wears multiple hats.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“No rules rules: Netflix and the culture of reinvention” by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer. It’s one of the best entrepreneur books I’ve read.

What is your favorite quote?

“You are enough”. So simple yet so powerful. You already have everything you need to go out and get whatever you want. You just got to believe it.