215: Slim Chickens - From a Garage to a Global Hit with Tom Gordon

As a part of the Game-Changers Series for Startup Week, Caleb Talley sat down for a conversation with Tom Gordon, the co-founder, president, and CEO of Slim Chickens.  They talked about the early days of Slim Chickens, how the company has adapted through the pandemic, the current and future expansion of Slim Chickens, and much more.  You do not want to miss out on this tremendous episode!   Shownotes (1:20) The beginnings of Slim Chickens (6:12) Handling finances with a young business (8:21) Taking outside capital after initial investors (11:15) Building a culture that welcomes everyone from the community (13:40) Going international (15:33) Making menu decisions (18:49) Adjusting to the pandemic environment (23:55) Tom gives advice to his younger self   Links Caleb Talley Tom Gordon Slim Chickens     Quotes “We say none of us really ever lost.  Everybody who has a company that they start from scratch makes sacrifices.  And those are things you’ve got to do.  You know, you don’t pay yourself.  You sell a car to make payroll.  You know, you take your money to the bank after Friday lunch to make sure you make Friday payroll for your people.  That’s real-life in business.  That’s real life in American capitalism, and if you stick to it, you know, often you can get to the next level.”  (7:45)   “You know, those are lessons that are learned and will always be valuable to me and Greg Smart.  And it just takes time.  Surviving is the key, and if you can survive long enough and have enough time and adjust quick, you know, I think that anybody in the US, anybody in this country has a shot at it.” (25: