Belgian Treats For Americans To Eat with Anouck Gotlib of Belgian Boys

When Anouck Gotlib met her husband on a flight from Belgium, she had no idea she would be shifting her plans to start a business. But she believed in her husband’s idea so much, that that is exactly what she did. She left fashion for food and never looked back. 

Today, we sit down with Anouck Gotlib, CEO of Belgian Boys, a company that provides European treats in the United States. Anouck shares the challenges she’s faced, why a mindfulness coach is important, unique ideas for raising capital, and so much more. 

“​​He was bringing those waffles, cookies, and treats that he grew up with in Belgium, for himself to enjoy. And his American friends in the dorms were like, ‘Oh, my God, Greg, this is good. Where can we buy it?’ And, like, you couldn’t buy it in the US at that time. They couldn’t find it. And at that point, he was like, ‘maybe, maybe this is something I should look into and pursue.’” – Anouck Gotlib

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This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

• Anouck discusses how the idea for Belgian Boys came to be (3:22)
• Anouck talks about starting the branding and product development (6:47)
• The challenges of starting a business in the food space (10:45)
• How the pandemic affected Belgian Boys (18:58)
• Why a mindfulness coach is important for business and personal life (21:57)
• Anouck shares how Belgian Boys was financed in the beginning and how the first round of raising capital went (26:55)
• Anouck talks about balancing Belgian Boys, fundraising, and being a mom (30:41)
• How Anouck handles the challenges she faces now (33:22)
• Anouck shares tips for raising capital and finding creative ways to gain capital (37:08)
• Rapid fire questions (41:26)
• Anouck shares what’s she is most grateful for (44:48)
• What being an Entreprenista means to Anouck (46:24)

Resources Mentioned:

• Slack
• LinkedIn

Our Favorite Quotes:

• “Did I know that I wanted to open my own business? Absolutely not. I was really someone’s ‘plus one’ on this journey. And that was absolutely not my dream ambition or something I thought I would do. I just got into it, I guess.” – Anouck Gotlib
• “Most of our consumers have never been to Belgium, never will go to Belgium or to Amsterdam, or the streets of Paris. Our consumer buys our product, because it tastes so freakin’ delicious.” – Anouck Gotlib
• “Greg and I had one rule, and we were like, it’s got to be people we can go out to dinner with two nights in a row and still want to go out for a third night.” – Anouck Gotlib

Connect with Anouck Gotlib:

• BelgianBoys.com
• Anouck on LinkedIn
• Belgian Boys at Target 
• Belgian Boys at Walmart

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

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Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

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