As March is known for women’s history month, we like to acknowledge the many accomplishments women have made over the years. Women have come a long way since the beginning of time. We now see more women in positions of power. These women are changing the way our society is. And one of them is my mother, Kara Goldin. In this article, I will be explaining how my mom started her own company, Hint Water, and the influence she has had on me.
My mom grew up the youngest of five in Scottsdale, Arizona. She studied communications and finance at Arizona State University. She then moved to New York City and worked her way from executive assistant to manager of airline circulation at Time Inc. After she met and got married to my dad Theo, my mom moved to San Francisco, CA where she became the Vice President of Shopping and E-commerce. From hearing about these experiences, I learned that if you work hard enough it will pay off.
After having 3 kids, my mom became very addicted to Diet Coke and gained weight. My mom soon learned that products that were apparently labeled as diet weren’t healthy for you. To help her lose weight, my mom cut out Diet Coke all together and switched to drinking water. She eventually lost 100 pounds after a few months. While this achievement was good, she was getting bored of plain water. So she started throwing chopped fruits into her water. Eventually, she started serving it to us when our friends came over. With so much popularity with her creation, my mom went to the grocery store to see if there was a similar product. She only found fruit water that contained sugars and dyes. So in 2005 she decided to start Hint Water, a beverage with natural fruit flavor and no calories, sugars, and preservatives. Today, Hint Water is sold in millions of grocery stores across the country. They also have a line of spray sunscreen that contains no harsh chemicals. I learned that if you see a problem that is having a negative effect on society come up with a solution.
My mom has had some bumps in the road. When she explained the idea for the company to my dad (who would become the COO), she also told him that they would in addition be expecting their fourth child. My mom delivered the first case of Hint to Whole Foods on the way to giving birth to my little brother. Another bump she hit was when she was having a hard time getting Hint on the market. She went to a Coke executive to get advice about starting in the beverage industry. He simply laughed at her and said “Sweetie, Americans love sweet drinks. No one will buy your product”. Probably one of the biggest lessons I took away from her is to never give up on your dream despite what people have to say.
Today, Hint is one of the most successful water companies and sold all across the United States. This company wouldn’t have been what it is today if it weren’t for the highs and lows that my mother went through. I’m so proud of everything she does and I hope to be as great of a woman as she is.
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