FOXBUSINESS.COM PROFILES ENTREPRENEURS AGE 35 AND YOUNGER

Thirty-year-old Rodrigo Veloso launched O.N.E. a healthy beverage line in 2005. Little did he know four years later the company would be worth close to $50 million – and he would be married to the president of the company, Emilie Veloso.

“We met at a business plan competition at the University of Texas at Austin” says Emilie, and even though she was competition then, she soon jumped ship and opted to partner up with Veloso.

The business offers healthy alternative drinks to the market – including innovative cashew and coffee berry juices. Its top seller is its coconut water. But as it gains popularity in the U.S., how does the company stay ahead of its competition?

“O.N.E. stands for ‘one natural experience,’ and we are not a coconut water company. We are a better-for-you functional fruit juice company, so we offer a wide variety of products,” says Rodrigo. Then he quickly adds, “But we are still the number one coconut water in the United States, which we are truly proud of.”

While he points to quality, his wife Emilie observed that her husband’s native tongue has helped the company’s success. “To be able to speak Portuguese with our suppliers – you cannot really put a price tag on that,” she said.

Educating their consumers is essential. But, Rodrigo points out, it’s just as crucial to educate his sales force, which is why he and Emilie go to meet sales representatives in person.

“We have to educate people. There is a big difference between saying, ‘here try this,’ versus taking the time to explain the health benefits.” They have also started an innovative new way of teaching the benefits of O.N.E. to their sales reps – a game show that offers incentives of $100 dollars for a correct answer. Not bad, especially in this economy.

Troy Munson, sales manager of Manhattan Beer (one of their distributors), agrees that the strategy works and that the added fun probably keeps the company at the front of sales reps minds when they are out on the streets. “The game show – nobody does that… I think they have taken it to another level,” he said.

But Emilie reminds other entrepreneurs – even those with close personal relationships with their distributors -- that getting everything set up takes time. “Rodrigo has a100 ideas, but to get to the shelf it has a lot of players involved. The supplier, the packager, everything extra.” She adds, “If you think it’s going to take 6 months, it’s going to take a year. If you think it’s going to take 3 months, it’s going to take 6 months.”

Still, through all the trials and tribulations, they have one another. “We complete each other,” says Rodrigo. “I am much more the bigger picture and Emilie is an incredible executor, and when we get home we can fully understand each other.”

Emilie chimes in. “When you are an entrepreneur, you can have three ups in a day and three downs.” But through all the fears, anxieties, and excitement, “we get to go through it all together.”

THE SIX SHOOTER

1. Where were you the moment you decided your business plan?

RODRIGO – I was in Sweden studying at the Stockholm School of Economics – starting my MBA. While growing up I spent a lot of time on our family farm. While living abroad I always thought about all the incredible functional fruits native to Brazil that should be introduced to the world.

EMILIE – I watched Rodrigo present his business plan at an international business plan competition at UT. I was his competitor at the time. After his presentation I was sold on the idea and knew O.N.E. would be a great success. A few months later we started dating. At the end of each day I was 100 times more excited about O.N.E. than my own job. So right before O.N.E. launched its first product in the U.S. I joined the company.

2. What was the one thing you didn't know that you had to bluff your way through? 

RODRIGO – Everything. Even though you learn a lot from business school and you try your best to learn about an industry in order to avoid making mistakes, I believe that you only realize how little you know when you actually go to market.

EMILIE – I am not very good at bluffing.

3. What one life lesson did you learn that helped you build your business?

EMILIE – Always maintain the highest degree of integrity and honesty

RODRIGO – The values I learned from my family - perseverance, integrity and the desire to give back.

4. Who is your role model or inspiration?

RODRIGO – My godfather, who lost his health at a young age. He was a politician and lost his voice and physical health. Through this hardship, he remained mentally strong and happy and never lost his optimism and faith. He is still alive today and close to 90 years old.

EMILIE – Women who find true balance between work and family life

5. What do you wish you had more of: time or money?

RODRIGO – Time because there are a million things I want do in my personal life and for the company.

EMILIE – As every business owner knows, cash flow is everything, so probably money.

6. What is the one word your employees would use to describe you? 

RODRIGO – Optimistic.

EMILIE – Hardworking. 

 

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