GARY: Next on Start Up, we head to downtown Los Angeles to meet up with Brian and Sara, the owners of People's Choice Beef Jerky, a fourth generation business that continues to reinvent itself.

All of this and more is next on Start Up.

ANNOUNCER: If your career is on pause, you can earn a business or tech degree from Walsh College, with a flexible schedule for working professionals who want to expand their skills for a changing marketplace.

Learn more at WalshCollege.edu Walsh College is a proud supporter of Start Up.

ANNOUNCER: Whether your business is starting up or scaling up, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation can connect you with services and support.

From finding employees to accessing state-wide resources and partnership opportunities.

Michigan, Pure Opportunity.

CONNIE: I truly thought "I'm gonna be alone for the rest of my life."

I realized I can try so many different things.

I can make anything happen.

More than 60% of sales in Amazon's store come from independent sellers like Connie at Seattle Gummy Company.

Amazon, a proud supporter of Start Up.

ANNOUNCER: As a business owner, your time is valuable.

Bluehost's AI website builder allows you to type a description for a fully generated website, with managed WordPress hosting and built-in security.

Learn more at Bluehost.com Bluehost is a proud supporter of Start Up.

ANNOUNCER: Running a business isn't easy.

BambooHR supports your HR strategies by automating operational tasks leaving you with more time to concentrate on what's most important to you and your business.

Learn more at BambooHR.com BambooHR, a proud supporter of Start Up.

♪ GARY: My name is Gary Bredow.

I'm a documentary filmmaker and an entrepreneur.

As the country faces significant challenges, small business owners are navigating their way through a changing global marketplace with strength and perseverance while continuing to push the economy forward.

We've set out for our 13th consecutive season talking to a wide range of diverse business owners to better understand how they learned to adapt, innovate, and even completely reinvent themselves.

This is Start Up.

♪ Early variations of dried meat can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians, but the closest version to modern-day beef jerky started with the indigenous societies of the Andes Mountains in modern-day Peru.

Cultures from around the world have discovered different ways to preserve meat, and for good reason.

The preservation of meat is an effective way to create sustenance that can last for long periods of time, with the process resulting in a high-protein, low-fat, and highly nutritious piece of meat.

Today, I'm heading to downtown Los Angeles to meet up with Brian and Sara, the owners of People's Choice Beef Jerky.

From what I know, this is a fourth generation family-owned business.

And Brian and Sara have completely reinvented the brand, modernized their approach to marketing and are expanding globally.

I'm excited to learn more and maybe even have an opportunity to make a little jerky myself.

♪ Is yours the really tough jerky that- that tears your teeth out or is it the like more of the chewier.

you know... BRIAN: We have a little bit- we have- we have a little bit of both.

GARY: So I like them both at different times and they're both great.

BRIAN: Totally.

And that's the beauty of of jerky is you have folks that like the tear your teeth out cowboy style, right, where you really gnaw on it, um, and- and, you know, those people say that's the real jerky.

And then you have people that like the softer style.

But, you know, we are, we're- we're jerky texture agnostic.

We're here for it all.

GARY: How did this business start?

BRIAN: Our story starts in 1929 when my great-grandfather, John Bianchetti, he was the son of immigrant parents from Italy.

And John saw the immigrant experience, missing the flavors, the taste, the sounds and smells of the home country.

And so he thought, how can I serve this community?

How can I solve this problem?

So he founded People's Sausage Company and People's Market, where he made meat products, German bratwurst, Italian sausage, Mexican chorizo for that community.

And he really solved the need there.

And that was the foundation of the company was making premium meat products for the area here in LA.

GARY: How long was that iteration of the business, did it exist in that form with your grandfather?

BRIAN: Yeah, so my great-grandfather, yeah, great-grandfather was the one that founded the company and really built it around the manufacturing of those products and serving the local community.

When my grandfather took over, he was the one that really expanded the business through sales and distribution.

So he took the products that we were manufacturing as well as other meat and cheese products And he went out to local restaurants, carneserias, meat markets, grocery stores to distribute and sell that product.

So he was the one that really expanded the business.

But it was my dad around our 50 year mark of the company that saw an opportunity in the snack food space.

And he saw kind of the changing of the market, the growing competition from the distribution standpoint, and really took a look at what made us special, which was again, that manufacturing, that making of our product.

So we retooled the company to focus exclusively on jerky, and that's what really put us on that path to where we are today.

GARY: When you took over for your father, what did you want to do different?

MARK: Yeah, kind of, you know, my dad made a statement to me years ago, which I thought was pivotal.

If you make a product and people like your product, they have to come to you to buy it.

And I got to thinking, what my dad told me, I said, you know what, if we could come up with really good, good quality product and we make it, guess what?

I mean, they can get restaurant supplies anywhere, but beef jerky, something that's, you know, we can make and then kind of come up with some different ideas, different flavors, profiles.

GARY: Sure.

MARK: And it worked.

GARY: And this was your idea for the most part, to put the focus.

MARK: Yes, yes.

We transitioned, I would say in the 80s, to ready-to-eat beef jerky.

GARY: Now, talk about you selling your dad and ushering in a new generation.

How did that all play out?

BRIAN: Yeah, so I grew up working in the business, 10, 11, 12 years old, and I remember being on the production floor.

So kind of growing up in the business, I got to see what the value of it was for our family and giving us that- that purpose.

When I was in college, I sort of finally made a decision, I want to come back, but I knew that I needed to go pave my own way.

So I went and worked in advertising for about four years, learning the ropes of digital marketing, branding, everything that sort of it takes to have a successful brand in today's world.

Knowing that I wanted to bring that back to the family business.

GARY: Got it.

That's what I was gonna ask.

BRIAN: And bring that skillset back and expand it.

'cause one of the amazing things about our business is up until my sister and I started at the company about 10, 12 years ago, we'd never done any advertising or marketing.

It was 100% word of mouth.

It was relationship-based.

It was just the quality of the product.

And so for me, I saw that and I said, "We have a great history.

"We have a great story.

"We have a great product.

"We just need to go out there and tell that story to more people."

And so coming in, talking to my dad on the ways that I thought that we could grow and innovate, but still stayed true to our identity was through the expansion of marketing and advertising and selling on new channels like e-commerce.

MARK: I've been here since 1978.

GARY: Okay.

MARK: So I've been here almost 48 years now.

And I've seen a world of difference from the USDA in terms of inspection.

GARY: Sure.

MARK: To just employee relationships, how we're- you know, we've developed those.

And more importantly, with my son and my daughter taking it to a whole different level with the internet.

GARY: A whole new world.

MARK: Whole new works.

It's just been crazy.

But behind it all, it's a lot of work.

♪ GARY: We've never featured a true, you know, fourth generation business.

And- and I find it fascinating.

It's- it's another aspect of entrepreneurship, of small business ownership, is the acquisition of a family business from a prior generation.

How much- how much autonomy from- from your father's generation to yours is there?

How much of this is- is your Start Up, we'll say?

BRIAN: You know, people might say, "You're the fourth generation.

"You have a foundation, entire business that you're taking over."

The truth is that that also presents its own set of challenges as you have to rework things and undo certain things as you evolve and change.

And we're very blessed to have this opportunity to build this legacy, but, you know, it wasn't as simple as just coming in and keeping going on the direction that we've been on.

It's innovating, it's changing, it's figuring out what's next.

We needed to transition the business in terms of the infrastructure, the logistics, to be able to sell on our website.

We needed to have shipping, you know, fulfillment.

We had to have our packaging that could sustain the, you know, the shipping.

So we made that shift and built out our business online, which was really a godsend during the pandemic when retail stores closed.

GARY: Yeah, exactly.

BRIAN: Distributors were closed, retail stores were closed.

And so that business completely stopped for us, but we had our e-commerce to help us get through.

And when I look back at that, you know, I think the diversification of channels was such a big lesson there.

and the importance of having opportunities to sell in different places so that you could stay nimble and if something were to happen like a pandemic, you would have an option of selling in a different place.

GARY: How much B2B are you guys currently doing?

BRIAN: So right now, our online to offline, online is about 65% of our business and the rest is wholesale, retail, more traditional business.

♪ ♪ ♪ GARY: Talk about growing up in a family business like this.

SARA: I never thought I'd ever work for the- the family business.

GARY: Wow.

SARA: The meat industry in general is a very male-dominated industry at the heart of it.

It is changing and it's evolving, obviously.

But after college, I worked in sales at a home remodeling and design website and worked there for a couple years.

And then it wasn't until my brother was working at the family business that he called me up one day and said, you know what, I think you'd be a great addition to work for the family company.

Why don't you come on down?

So I wasn't too happy working at my current job.

So I said, you know what?

I think it's time for a change.

And so I've been with the company for about seven years.

GARY: Being a multi- generational brand in business, how do you continue to create a fresh message around a hundred-year-old company with a very traditional product too?

SARA: Gary, it's something I am literally working through every single day.

GARY: Struck a nerve.

SARA: Yeah.

No, I think one of my goals and- I it really is funny I constantly I'm thinking this: how can you reinvent beef jerky again and again and again and position it in different ways but i think it's really important to listen to customer trends listen to customer behaviors um, so then you can kind of evolve and change your product.

For example we recently in the last two years launched a new product called the Beef Jerky Crisps.

So they're basically a potato chip, but it's in the form of a beef jerky.

So it's sliced really thin, it has just beef water and salt.

And so that caters to people who are looking for a very healthy, clean product.

So I think, you know, just constantly evolving and innovating and thinking of different ways to position your product is kind of what I go after.

GARY: Is it crunchy?

SARA: Super crunchy.

You can hear that.

GARY: So it kind of tastes like a chip, like a beef jerky chip.

SARA: Yep, it's a beef jerky chip.

You'll have to try some.

GARY: Oh my gosh, I'm stopping in the store on the way down.

SARA: And the whole bag for 1.8 ounces has 40 grams of protein.

GARY: Oh my gosh.

♪ GARY: What is the brand focus?

BRIAN: Yeah, I would say there's a few things.

It's focused on quality ingredients.

It's our handmade process, which allows us to achieve a certain quality and attention to detail that makes for a better product.

And it's our flavors.

We have a lot of fun with our flavors here at People's Choice.

We're always testing new things right here in our test kitchen.

But coming up with new flavors and exploring different cuisines.

Living here in Los Angeles and right here in our backyard, we have amazing flavors and cultures from around the world.

Where we'll go out to Korean barbecue and say, hey, that marinade was amazing.

Let's try that.

We'll come in and we'll whip something up in the test kitchen and then see if it works.

GARY: Is everything done here?

BRIAN: Everything is done here.

From all the raw ingredients to processing, packaging and shipping.

♪ GARY: Well, I want to learn everything there is to know about beef jerky.

RAMON: Okay.

GARY: Okay, so- so what do we do first?

RAMON: So the first step of making beef jerky, you have to slice it, right?

And then from the slicing, it goes to a marination station.

Marination station, we put all ingredients, liquids, and everything.

We marinate it about 30 minutes.

And then once we marinate it, we put them on top, and we start laying it.

So now we're going to start laying.

GARY: Where does this cut of beef come from on the cow?

RAMON: From the ribs of the cow.

GARY: OK.

Why- why is that meat preferred for beef jerky?

RAMON: One, it has a lot of tendons.

Not tendons, but marbling.

GARY: Marbling.

RAMON: Marbling.

So when you cook it, it's easier to chew.

It's not as tough of beef.

GARY: And then talk about how long it takes to cook.

RAMON: This one, it might take about seven to six and a half hours.

GARY: Not too bad.

RAMON: No.

GARY: And then once this actually goes into the oven and comes out, is it ready to package at that point?

RAMON: Ready to package.

GARY: That's it?

RAMON: Ready to package.

GARY: Let's talk about Brian and Sara and their dad, Mark.

What kind of people are they to work for?

RAMON: They're awesome.

They treat you like family, okay?

That's why I'm here.

Been here for 25 years because of that reason.

They help you when you need something, they're there for you, yeah.

GARY: Amazing, I think it's done.

RAMON: You hired.

GARY: All right.

man.

Was there any sort of financial investment or any sort of loans or large purchases that had to be made when you took over, yourself and Sara took over the business?

BRIAN: Yeah.

So, in the last 12 years, we've continued to grow the business and we've grown it significantly each year.

And our approach is a little bit different than maybe other companies.

And part of that is that we're privately held.

We're family owned.

So we don't have obligations to venture capital or private equity.

We're focused on paced, profitable, durable growth.

If we're building a business that's going to last 100 more years, we need to make sure that we're building in a way that's going to last.

And so we've financed most of our growth through profit, through minimal debt loans, just to be able to acquire building and equipment.

But it's always financing with a specific goal of growth that we wanna hit.

But we're conservative, we're paced.

We don't wanna transform the business overnight because again, we're here to stay and we wanna build a business that lasts.

♪ GARY: What was your, I guess your approach to coming into market the company?

Were you focused on doing more video stuff, more traditional?

Are you utilizing social media?

Like really dive into the overall marketing strategy and plan.

SARA: You know,we like to play around with what works and what doesn't work.

So we're running Google ads, we're doing Meta advertisement as well.

We do a lot of influencer marketing, really growing our social media over the years.

So we really do run the gambit in terms of marketing.

I think a lot of it is trial and error, to be honest, and things are constantly changing and evolving.

So you kind of have to just keep innovating in terms of that.

GARY: What's the biggest challenge with this business right now in your mind, with your role?

SARA: Truly staying competitive and staying relevant.

I think we're constantly trying to innovate.

We're constantly trying to evolve the business, push it forward, and I think also finding a balance of growing the business, but then also making sure it's profitable at the same time.

GARY: What do you love about being in downtown LA and what are the biggest challenges of operating and doing business here?

BRIAN: Los Angeles is a core part of our brand identity.

I mean, being here for a hundred years, it's just, It's our home.

But I will say there's a compelling financial reason to move the business, to go to somewhere where labor is cheaper and you're going to get better incentives.

But because we've been here for so long and our roots are so deep with our employees, with our community, with customers, we're going to do everything we can to stay here and continuing to thrive.

But it's also not easy.

There's a lot of challenges of operating here in downtown Los Angeles, whether it's cleanliness, safety, security.

But again, we're here to be part of the solution.

And so we've been working with local policy makers and community leaders to say, you know, we all acknowledge that there's a problem here in downtown LA, but we wanna fix it because it's our home.

GARY: And are you, have you been in any way affected by the tariffs?

BRIAN: So it hasn't directly impacted us because we source a majority of our inputs and ingredients here domestically.

Like we talked about, our beef comes completely from the US.

GARY: Great.

BRIAN: But the truth is, even for a small business, a local business like ours, we're still impacted by the tariffs.

And for example, our packaging comes from overseas.

And we've looked for domestic sources, but there's just nothing that can compare to what's made overseas.

So packaging comes from overseas.

Seasoning, a lot of the seasoning that we use is grown around the world.

And that's truly- GARY: Global flavors.

BRIAN: Global flavors.

We can't grow certain peppers or spices here.

We just, from a climate perspective, we can't.

GARY: Sure.

BRIAN: So, you know, that is impacting us.

And then I think the biggest thing that we've experienced over the last few months with all of the uncertainty and the ups and the downs, I mean, you and I were talking before the interview about where is it right now?

We don't even know because it changes so much.

It's creating a lot of uncertainty and people are a little scared with the economy.

And so they're not really spending money right now as well.

And which I get.

I completely get.

If you don't know what's going to happen to the economy, you're not going to go out and buy a bunch of jerky or whatever it might be.

So I think the uncertainty on the consumer side has definitely slowed things down.

But again, we're working really closely with our suppliers to figure out solutions, you know, the last thing any business wants to do is raise prices.

So we're here working as hard as we can to keep our prices and our supply chain secure.

♪ GARY: Have you guys completely taken over or is there still some involvement from your dad or your mom and dad?

BRIAN: Sara and I say that we want our parents here for as long as they want to be here.

Because we really, I mean this seriously, we really cherish working with both of our parents here every day.

We understand that not everyone has that opportunity.

GARY: Sure.

BRIAN: And we've had our highs and lows and we've had our issues and problems.

but we've always put the business and family first, and that's helped us push through any issues or challenges that we've had over the years.

So, yeah, both are very still involved, but also I think understand, again, that Sara and I both are really invested in this company, in the future of this company, and so I would say they feel comfortable and confident that it's in good hands.

GARY: What do you see for the future of this company?

What do you want?

MARK: I think my son and daughter wanna grow it.

They wanna make it bigger.

They want to expand.

But I just told them, that's fine, but just keep it in perspective.

GARY: What does that mean?

MARK: Bigger isn't always better.

Bigger takes up a lot more time.

Now, with families and when you start having children, you might want to go coach.

Or they might want to be a dancer.

You might want to be a gymnast.

Whatever.

Guess what?

If you want to spend time with them, you can't be at work for 16 hours a day either.

GARY: Exactly.

MARK: So I said, you know, you keep it in perspective, you know, but you need to grow.

You need, you need to grow or else you'll be stagnant.

And they are.

GARY: What is it that keeps you up at night right now?

What are you worried about?

Whether it's business, personal, anything, right now?

BRIAN: Being the fourth generation of a multi-generational family business is- is a lot of responsibility.

I really look at myself and I know my sister does as well as stewards of our company and continuing that legacy, hopefully for the next generation.

So, you know, all the work that I do here is for the family, it's for the business, and it's for continuing that legacy.

Just wanting to make sure that we're investing in that long-term success.

So making sure that we're well positioned for innovation and continuing to evolve, to make sure our finances are in order, to make sure that we have good relationships with our customers.

It's really all of it.

And thankfully we have a fantastic foundation and we're not going anywhere soon, but it really is, I think that knowing that I have that responsibility on me, that it's not just about me, but it's about our family and that legacy.

GARY: Here's the big question is what happens to the company if it doesn't go into a fifth generation and nobody wants to step up and carry the jerky, you know, put on the jerky throne or whatever it be?

SARA: My heart will break.

My heart will break, but life will go on.

I think, you know, our parents never pressured us to work for the family business.

So I think I will take that into the next generation and not pressure anyone.

So if they want to come back and work for the company, we're here with open arms, but if not, that's okay too.

GARY: And you have a long time to go.

SARA: Yes, yes!

GARY: You're not going anywhere yet.

SARA: They're not pushing me out yet.

Okay.

GARY: What does the future hold?

Where do you want to see this company?

How big can this get?

BRIAN: The question isn't necessarily how big we can get, but it's how deep we can get.

And what I mean by that is again going back to this question of durability it's investing in a good quality product that really, you know, appeals to people that they like it, they build a relationship with it and and they continue to order it and purchase it and coming up with new products and new innovation to keep them engaged is- is really, I think, the secret to our success and always being open and curious for big changes like my dad went through and adjusting the company.

Because you you never know what the future is going to hold.

You never know what's going to change.

And so, for me, staying open and curious and giving us the ability to adapt with whatever the future may hold.

GARY: Driving through downtown LA to meet up with Brian and Sara, you can see that the area has seen better days.

And when we pulled up to the building, I wasn't so sure what to expect.

But when we got inside, we were greeted by a warm smile in a beautiful and tastefully decorated workspace.

The upstairs centerpiece was a large Texas longhorn mount that seemed to represent strength and quality for a company deeply rooted in the beef industry.

You could feel the history here, but it was cloaked in modernization and a look toward the future.

Brian and Sara have taken on a huge responsibility, carrying the torch for a 100-year-old family legacy with People's Choice.

And the way that they have reinvented the brand while maintaining the same quality and philosophy would likely make great-grandpa John incredibly proud.

Starting and operating a business can mean a lot of things.

It can mean investing in a franchise or buying an existing business, starting from the ground up or reimagining an existing business.

But it all comes down to the same thing.

Perseverance, vision, and work ethic.

All qualities that this entire family seems to possess in spades.

And despite the current challenges in downtown LA, this family is all in and fully committed to being part of the solution.

They're manufacturing in the US.

They're employing over 50 local people in the community.

And they're not going anywhere.

This is what it means to walk the walk, and I hope that People's Choice Beef Jerky is around for countless generations to come.

For more information, visit our website and search episodes for People's Choice Beef Jerky.

Next time on Start Up, we head to Novi, Michigan to meet up with Yushu Zhou, the owner of We Rock the Spectrum, a gym that aims to create a welcoming, inspiring, and sensory-safe environment for neurotypical and neurodivergent children.

Be sure to join us next time on Start Up.

Do you wanna learn more about the show?

Or maybe nominate a business?

Visit us at StartUp-usa.com and connect with us on social media.

♪ ♪ We've got a long road ahead of us ♪ ♪ A long road ahead of us ♪ Got a long road ahead of us ♪ ♪ Before we pay our dues ♪ We've got a long GARY: You're not my father.

ANNOUNCER: Running a business isn't easy.

BambooHR supports your HR strategies by automating operational tasks leaving you with more time to concentrate on what's most important to you and your business.

Learn more at BambooHR.com BambooHR, a proud supporter of Start Up.

ANNOUNCER: As a business owner, your time is valuable.

Bluehost's AI website builder allows you to type a description for a fully generated website, with managed WordPress hosting and built-in security.

Learn more at Bluehost.com Bluehost is a proud supporter of Start Up.

COLIN: When you get obssessed with an idea, and you can't stop thinking about it, and you dream about it and you wake up thinking about it.

That's when you know you have to start something.

More than 60% of sales in Amazon's store come from independent sellers like Colin at Sheets and Giggles.

Amazon, a proud supporter of Start Up.

ANNOUNCER: Whether your business is starting up or scaling up, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation can connect you with services and support.

From finding employees to accessing state-wide resources and partnership opportunities.

Michigan, Pure Opportunity.

ANNOUNCER: If your career is on pause, you can earn a business or tech degree from Walsh College, with a flexible schedule for working professionals who want to expand their skills for a changing marketplace.

Learn more at WalshCollege.edu Walsh College is a proud supporter of Start Up.