What does success actually look like for you—and are you building your food business around it? If you haven’t clearly defined your own version of success, it’s easy to end up chasing someone else’s without even realizing it.
For the first part of our lives, success is defined for us—the next milestone, the next step. Good grades, good performances. But as business owners, that structure disappears… and we’re left to figure it out on our own.
In this episode, Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) and Clint Matthews (Start Right Foods) unpack how making sure you’re defining your own version of success will impact how you make decisions.
They also share how their own definitions of success have evolved over time—and how those definitions directly shape the decisions they make in their businesses today, because success isn’t one-size-fits-all. But when it’s undefined, it can lead to comparison, second-guessing, and misalignment.
And when it’s clear then your brand, your strategy, and your decisions start to fall into place!
In This Episode, You’ll Hear:
- Why success feels clearly defined when we’re younger—and why that changes as a business owner
- How your definition of success influences your daily decisions
- Real examples of how evolving priorities shift business direction
- The difference between building a business that looks successful vs one that actually fits your life
- Why defining success is the foundation for a clear, aligned brand
- Katie’s recommendation on where to start
Key Takeaway:
If you don’t define success for yourself, you’ll default to someone else’s definition, and that’s where misalignment starts.
What’s Next:
If you’re ready to define YOUR version of success and start building a brand around it, Katie put together a simple way to get started with your purpose, vision, and values.
👉 Join Katie’s weekly newsletter list to get access here.
Every week Katie walks you through putting these insights and your ideas into action…because you don’t need more ideas, you need to prioritize them based on your goals so you can make more confident decisions in your business.
Note: if you’re listening after 5/1/26, just send Katie an email katie@realfoodbrands.com, and she’ll share the newsletter issue with you.
Let’s Connect!
Connect with Katie Mleziva on LinkedIn or ➡️ Set up an intro call here if you’re ready to talk about your vision.
Let’s Go Shake Up Shopping Carts!
Katie Mleziva – Host & Food Brand Strategist