The Young and The Relentless
Special Report: Entrepreneurs in Their 20s
By EMILY BRYSON YORK
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff
Working at a bakery during high school, Juli Novotny was often tempted to warn patrons about what unhealthy ingredients their tasty treats were packed with. She never did, but today takes pride in offering a much healthier alternative.
Novotny, a longtime vegetarian, makes cookies, many of them raw, without milk, eggs, or wheat. What’s left? Things like almond meal, almond butter, cashews and bananas. The cookies are selling like hotcakes, even at nearly $3 a pop. Her register-side bins at Whole Foods stores are often empty.
It wasn’t easy. While her youth is an asset in terms of the flexibility it affords her lifestyle, she was an unattractive loan candidate at age 24.
“When I went to get a loan, they said if you don’t own a home or own a business, you’re not worth anything,” she remembered. “So you can’t get loans.”
These days, Novotny said, aspiring twentysomething business owners ask her for advice on how to get loans.
To get started, Novotny appealed to two supportive aunts, who advanced $25,000, which she’s already started to pay back. She was open for business in late 2005. With an additional $20,000 loan, Novotny built a kitchen in Poway. Although her business is headquartered in Los Angeles, the kitchen is closer to her vendors and presented an opportunity to design her own space.
Her cookies are sold in 75 stores nationwide, up from 25 a year ago. She would not disclose revenues, but she said they doubled in 2006 and she expects them to triple this year. She was profitable within the first year. The next step, she said, is setting up national distribution.
While Novotny loves the creative and philanthropic aspects of being a business owner, she struggles with the pressure, lack of sleep and the necessity of delegating.
“Sometimes when the pressure is on I think all I want is a simple 9-to-5 job with a consistent paycheck and some security, but ultimately, I am living my dream life,” Novotny said.
She credits her tech savvy and design skills for being able to get off the ground so fast. She designed and maintains her own Web site, and put together an initial set of marketing materials herself. Novotny says being single and not having any children has contributed to her freedom in terms of the hours she keeps and being able to make money last longer.
While she emphasizes that she isn’t getting rich, Novotny said she’s content working for herself, building a good team, and donating profits. In her “spare time,” Novotny, a UCLA grad, is working on her master’s in nutrition science at Clayton College. She also counsels clients on healthy eating.
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