Podcast Summary: "How I Built This with Guy Raz"
Episode: Bobo’s: Beryl Stafford—A Single Mom Turns a Baking Project into a $100M Business
Date: March 9, 2026
Guest: Beryl Stafford, Founder of Bobo's
Host: Guy Raz
Duration: Key content from 03:33–63:30
Overview
In this episode, Guy Raz interviews Beryl Stafford, founder of Bobo's, now a $100 million oat bar company. Beryl recounts her journey from being a newly divorced single mother with no business experience to building one of the most recognizable natural food brands in the U.S. The conversation explores Beryl's resilience, the unique Boulder, Colorado food startup culture, scrappy beginnings, scaling a food business, and finding purpose—and eventual success—against the odds.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Starting Over After Divorce
- Life Change & Financial Necessity (04:08–11:21)
- Beryl describes her world collapsing in her early 40s after her marriage ended. Out of the workforce for over a decade, she felt her only skills were those of a mom—skills that didn't translate easily to the job market.
- She tried working at a gourmet cookware store for $7.45 an hour but didn’t want to return to a law firm or enter tech.
"I didn't wanna go back to a law firm and put on a pair of pantyhose and go work for someone else. But I didn't know what to do."
—Beryl Stafford (10:20)
2. The Mother-Daughter Baking Project
- Origin of Bobo's Bars (13:14–16:52)
- The eventual oat bar recipe came from a cookbook her daughter, Alexandra ("Bobo"), found.
- Initial recipe: oats, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter—simple, homestyle, but not market-ready for health-focused Boulder.
"She did open up the cookbook and say, I want to make these just one afternoon... I happened to have them all in my cupboard and I said, great, you know, do it. And they were delicious."
—Beryl Stafford (13:23)
- Recipe Iterations & The Nudge to Go Commercial
- Health-minded friends encouraged her to experiment with healthier ingredients (e.g., brown rice syrup, coconut oil, less processed sugars).
- Early local support suggested market potential in Boulder's vibrant natural foods scene.
3. Scrappy Beginnings, Community Support
- Branding "Bobo’s" and Initial Sales (17:17–21:20)
- The brand name honors her daughter’s nickname; the logo—a little girl—was sketched in five minutes by a friend.
- Beryl’s initial sales method: Saran-wrapped bars with hand-drawn labels, sold door-to-door to neighborhood coffee shops and co-ops.
- Overcame shyness—pushed by a friend—to approach local businesses.
“I wrap them in Saran Wrap and I go to the printer. I get labels printed with her artwork... I had four flavors. Original chocolate, cranberry, and coconut.”
—Beryl Stafford (19:24)
4. Initial Doubts and Social Challenges
- Fear of Judgment and Family Naysayers (25:23–27:46, 45:40–46:31)
- Beryl discusses the apprehension of being seen as “the former tennis mom now selling bars.”
- Kids, ex-husband, and family expressed skepticism, sometimes condescendingly.
“My family thought that I was cuckoo to do this... She said, well, how many of those can a person eat? And I thought to myself, how crazy of a question is that?”
—Beryl Stafford (46:23)
5. Scaling Up: From Home Kitchen to Shared Commercial Space
- Moving Production to Commercial Kitchens (28:07–33:50)
- To comply with health regulations, Beryl moved to a shared kitchen, eventually partnering with Justin Gold of Justin’s Nut Butters, forming an LLC and sharing staff.
- Beryl admits having little to no business knowledge—she learned by doing, buying ingredients at retail prices until learning about food-industry sourcing.
"I was buying at Whole Foods. Full retail... I did that for almost a year, just figuring out the ingredients."
—Beryl Stafford (32:17)
6. Breakthrough: Whole Foods & Regional Growth
- Getting into Whole Foods (34:33–38:05)
- Gained entry to Whole Foods by word-of-mouth and direct pitching; local store managers welcomed her, having tasted her bars at a co-op.
- Learned about shelf life requirements, packaging regulations, and organic labeling through trial and error.
"She said, I want these. Tell me everything, but you're gonna have to get your packaging together... And she goes, I'm gonna get you in 12 of the Colorado stores."
—Beryl Stafford (35:56)
7. Grit, Authenticity, and Imperfection
- Staying Hands-On and Differentiation (33:03–33:50, 42:35–43:08)
- Rejected advice to outsource manufacturing, insisting on maintaining a rustic, imperfect look and homemade taste—key to the brand identity.
- Early growth was slow and hands-on, with minimal staff.
8. Learning by Experience and Self-Reliance
- Growth Pains and Skill Accumulation (44:27–45:13, 62:39–63:30)
- Spent years learning basic sales, distribution, pricing, and management by trial.
- Emphasizes the importance of self-taught resilience:
"A light bulb went off once midway through my career here, that you and I and everybody can figure anything out. Anything... It's not about being the smartest person in the room. It's about desire, focus, and time."
—Beryl Stafford (62:39)
9. The Jump to a National Brand and Bringing in Leadership
- Hiring a CEO & Outside Investment (50:34–54:32)
- After substantial growth and exhaustion, Beryl considered selling but instead hired TJ McIntyre as CEO, transitioned to Founder/President, and began raising capital.
- With external investment, pressure increased and the nature of the business changed.
"He said, you know, I want to run this company. Don't sell it. You're too little, you're too young, you're too small. You need to grow. And, you know, what's wrong with you? Are you tired?"
—Beryl Stafford (51:47)
- Raising Money and Investor Dynamics
- Outside investors brought both resources and new challenges in aligning decision-making and economic terms.
10. Navigating Trends, Competition, and Distribution
- Evolving in a Crowded Market (47:07–49:59, 57:20–60:29)
- Beryl discusses the challenges of fending off competitive brands and dietary trends (protein, keto, paleo) while maintaining authenticity and resisting fads.
- Distribution partnerships (e.g., with Costco) present both major opportunities and operational risks.
“There are so many bars out there, and retailers will trade you out very quickly.”
—Beryl Stafford (57:20)
11. Reflections on Luck, Grit, and Building Something Real
- Luck vs. Grit and the Power to Learn (61:35–62:39)
- Beryl attributes her success to being open to learning anything, toughing out difficult stretches, and embracing the joys of building something from scratch—emphasizing that necessity and love for the project fueled her.
“I attribute this successful brand to my grit and love. What you do, you know, it wasn't really work for me. It was fun... I had to be tough and figure it out.”
—Beryl Stafford (61:40)
- Enduring Brand Identity
- The original, hand-drawn Bobo’s girl still appears on every package—a testament to the company’s grassroots origin.
“The packaging... still has that same drawing of a smiling blonde haired girl. The one that Beryl’s friend sketched out in five minutes in her kitchen using a Sharpie.”
—Guy Raz (63:30)
Memorable Quotes & Timestamps
-
On persistence through adversity:
“It was the kind of feeling where your heart physically hurts. Yeah, I remember feeling that.”
—Beryl Stafford [09:52] -
On the skepticism of family/friends:
“How many of those can a person eat?... how many people are in the country?”
—Beryl Stafford [46:23] -
On learning by necessity:
“I was buying at Whole Foods. Full retail... I did that for almost a year.”
—Beryl Stafford [32:17] -
On embracing imperfection:
“I don’t want them to look like their guillotine cut with four square corners. They're imperfect. Each bar. And I wanted them to look like that.”
—Beryl Stafford [33:40] -
On the power of self-driven learning:
“You can figure anything out. It's not about being the smartest in the room. It's about desire, focus, and time.”
—Beryl Stafford [62:39] -
On scaling up and keeping authenticity:
“We're not trendy and we're not adding any superfoods to it.”
—Beryl Stafford [49:34] -
On the surreal feeling of success:
“Anytime I would see somebody that I didn't know eating a Bobo Bar... that just touches my heart, you know.”
—Beryl Stafford [62:10]
Important Segments (with Timestamps)
- Beryl's Family Doubts & Early Motivation: 03:33–04:08, 45:40–46:31
- Personal Struggles & Launching the Business: 09:18–14:37
- First Sales & Hand-Drawn Brand: 17:17–21:20
- Moving into Commercial Kitchens & Partnering with Justin’s: 28:07–33:50
- Whole Foods Breakthrough: 34:33–38:05
- Growing Pains and Joining Naturally Boulder: 33:03–33:50
- Becoming Profitable, Scaling Distribution: 43:08–44:03
- Hiring a CEO, Raising Capital: 50:34–54:32
- Navigating Trends and Competition: 47:07–49:59, 57:20–60:29
- Biggest Lessons & Final Reflections: 61:35–63:30
Tone and Style
The conversation is candid, encouraging, and at times self-deprecating—full of practical wisdom. Beryl’s story is one of humility, honesty about failures and ignorance, and a refusal to be boxed in by circumstance. Guy Raz’s tone, as always, is warm, curious, and supportive, guiding the listener through the milestones and emotional beats of the founder’s journey.
Conclusion
Beryl Stafford’s journey with Bobo’s is a testament to the power of resilience, the strength found in community, and the willingness to start small and learn everything the hard way. Her story is proof that with enough grit and an openness to learning, even the most unorthodox beginnings can lead to building a $100 million brand—one oat bar at a time.