Melanie Jones interviews Nicole Tanner at a Utah Business Founder Friday event. | Photo by Jessica Hinkson

Once a month, Utah Business hosts Founder Friday, a free event showcasing the wisdom of one incredible Utah-based founder. In July, Kiln hosted the conversation between Nicole Tanner, founder of Swig, and Melanie Jones, editor-in-chief of Utah Business. Here are a few takeaways from this event.

1. Look for and nurture leadership potential in team members.

To foster a culture of hard work and appreciation (and make succession planning as seamless as possible), Swig offers a leadership-in-training program to teach high-performing team members how to set goals, hit those goals and have hard conversations with their teams. “We are now a leadership company that happens to sell a really amazing drink,” Tanner says. 

2. Competition is a compliment.

When Swig competitors started popping up around the state, Tanner said it hurt—until she realized it was a compliment. “Competition is good for anybody. It means you’re doing something right, and people want to do what you’re doing. It helps you to stay at the top of your game,” Tanner says, advising business owners that focusing too hard on competitors increases their risk of getting sidetracked.

3. Don’t grow too fast.

Tanner says she wants every customer to feel like they are making a purchase from their Swig, regardless of which location they stop by. She waited almost 13 years to start franchising to ensure smart growth that wouldn’t damage the brand. “Don’t franchise unless you’re ready for it,” Tanner warns. “The franchise market is such a great market, but if you’re not ready for it, it’ll eat you alive.”

4. Let go of ideas that aren’t working.

When Tanner started scaling Swig, she realized she needed to simplify the menu. The company let go of products that weren’t selling well, like the Dirtball cookie and shaved ice. “Don’t get stuck on ideas that aren’t working for you,” Tanner says. “[The shaved ice machine] slowed down our lines, but we held onto it for six years. When we got rid of it, our managers all cheered.”

5. Give back.

As a survivor of a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer, Tanner wanted to find a way to help other women who are diagnosed with breast cancer pay their outstanding medical bills. Swig has raised over $500,000 over the last three years through its yearly Save the Cups initiative, with a goal to raise another $200,000 this October.

6. Success doesn’t happen overnight.

Swig built its success, Tanner says, “one step at a time, one drink at a time and one customer at a time.”