Undaunted

About the Author

Kara Goldin is the founder and CEO of Hint, Inc., best known for its award-winning Hint® water, the leading unsweetened flavored water. She has been named one of InStyle’s Badass 50, Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs, and EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Northern California. Kara is also an active speaker and writer, and hosts the podcast “Unstoppable with Kara Goldin,” where she interviews founders, entrepreneurs, and other disruptors across various industries.

Main Idea

"Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters" by Kara Goldin is both an autobiography and a business memoir that offers insights into self-development and entrepreneurship. The book shares inspiring stories from Goldin’s journey of turning her unsweetened flavored water into one of the most successful beverage businesses. She emphasizes the importance of dealing with fears, moving forward despite uncertainty, and turning criticism into motivation. Goldin’s experiences demonstrate that setbacks can be learning opportunities and that anyone can achieve their true purpose by being undaunted.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. If I Can Do It...
3. Six Degrees of Discouragement
4. Find the Personal Path
5. A Fruit Infusion
6. Just Get Started
7. Build the Airplane While You’re Flying It
8. Gathering Clouds
9. Find Partners You Trust
10. A Breakthrough
11. Persevere
12. Disaster Strikes
13. Celebrate the Wins
14. Transform Setback into Opportunity
15. Know Your Consumers
16. Align With a Cause

Introduction

Kara Goldin begins by sharing her journey of creating Hint Water and how she overcame a series of "no" and "you can’t" to build a thriving company. Her story is a testament to the power of perseverance, creativity, and determination. She highlights that doubts and doubters are part of any journey, but they should not stop you from pursuing your dreams.

If I Can Do It...

Goldin shares that she never envisioned herself as a leader or entrepreneur. However, when an executive at a large beverage company dismissed her idea for unsweetened flavored water, she decided to prove him wrong. This chapter illustrates the power of turning criticism into motivation and the importance of believing in your ideas, even when others doubt you.

"I never thought I would become a leader, run a company, or do anything particularly great, for that matter. But when an executive at one of the world’s largest beverage companies told me no one would want my unsweetened flavored water, something clicked. I decided to prove him wrong." – Kara Goldin

Six Degrees of Discouragement

Goldin discusses the technical challenges she faced in creating a preservative-free product and how a discouraging meeting with a Coca-Cola executive almost made her give up. Despite the setbacks, she continued to push forward, proving that persistence is key to overcoming obstacles.

During this phase, Goldin encountered numerous rejections and technical hurdles. A significant setback occurred when a senior executive at Coca-Cola dismissed her product idea, suggesting that Americans would not buy unsweetened drinks. This moment was both disheartening and eye-opening, pushing Goldin to rethink her strategy and approach.

"Listen, sweetie, I’ve been in this business a long time. There’s one thing I know. Americans want sweet drinks." – Kara Goldin

Find the Personal Path

After experiencing health issues related to diet soda, Goldin discovered the benefits of drinking water infused with natural fruit flavors. This personal discovery led to the creation of Hint Water. Goldin emphasizes the importance of finding personal inspiration and following a path that aligns with your values and passions.

Goldin’s journey began with a personal health crisis. After giving birth to three children in quick succession, she struggled with weight gain and other health issues. Realizing that her diet soda addiction was part of the problem, she switched to drinking plain water but found it unappealing. By infusing water with fruit, she created a healthier, more enjoyable alternative. This personal success sparked the idea for Hint Water.