Square Root is a female-founded health foods business based out of Chicago that sells certified gluten free, grain free, vegan, and paleo snacks. In this interview, founder Ellie O’Brien and her business partner and husband, Pat, tell the Square Root story.
Ellie was diagnosed with her first autoimmune disease at age 17. Over the next few years, she was diagnosed with three other autoimmune diseases, including Celiac disease. To keep herself feeling her best, it was clear she needed to make dietary changes. She adopted a strict paleo diet - omitting all gluten, grains, legumes, and dairy - and was frustrated that in order to feel good, she had to give up her favorite foods. Ellie knew if she wasn’t happy with the options at the grocery store for people following this diet, other people had to be feeling the same way.
While running her popular food blog, Hungry by Nature, Ellie came up with a gluten free, grain free, paleo, vegan granola recipe that people instantly loved. It was made of all ingredients in their purest form - nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and spices. It had a multitude of uses, tasted incredible, and was allergen friendly! Ellie wanted to share her products with as many people as possible, so as the product expanded, the decision was made to rebrand Hungry By Nature to Square Root Nutnola & Nutnola Butter.
The meaning behind Square Root is simple, if you look at the name in mathematical terms, the square root of a number is the number in its most basic form. Similarly, Square Root’s products are made of all real food in their most basic form - ingredients you can read, understand, and feel good about putting in your body.
Square Root was started over a love for good food, a recognized need for more allergen friendly, versatile snacks and passion about a lifestyle.
Interviewer: “In your eyes, why do you think Square Root's products are the best on the market?”
Pat - “Our origin story is unlike any others and when people learn of our story, they connect with us on a different level. When we can’t share our story, our flavors, inclusivity of all dietary restrictions and ingredients separate us.”
Ellie – “Aside from flavor, because we are no doubt the best tasting grain free granola on the market, we really pay attention to ingredients and accommodating allergies and dietary restrictions. Because we built the business out of a personal need of mine, this is incredibly important to me and I know that it goes a long way with our customers.”
Interviewer: “What different roles do each of you play in running Square Root?”
Pat - “Ellie handles literally everything. I primarily work on the sales side of things, on new business development, existing client management, deliveries to wholesale, deliveries to e-commerce, quality control with co-manufacturers, and brand merchandise.”
Ellie - “I wear a lot of hats! I develop our recipes and have most of the creative control. I manage the relationships with our suppliers, manufacturers and distributors. I also create all the content for our website and social media - making recipes, shooting photos and video - and I run our influencer program. I manage our freelance team that helps us out with digital marketing. And I also pay the bills and make sure we get paid!”
Interviewer: “How do the two of you balance running a company together and being a married couple?”
Pat - “We are extremely organized, but it is a challenge. Task management and a lot of communication, too. We also go on daily walks to strategize, decompress, reevaluate and clear our heads.”
Ellie – “It’s really hard! But communication is the key to making it work. Every Sunday we outline our top tasks for the week and do a weekly wrap up on Friday afternoon. We have distinct roles and responsibilities, so we always know who is doing what. And we have boundaries for when we can talk about work and when we need to shut it off.”
Interviewer: “Similarly, What is the best part and the most challenging part of working with such a small team?”
Pat - “The best part for me is when I’m putting our stuff on the shelf at Whole Foods and can think back to all that it took to get to this point and seeing our names on the back of those bags. The hardest part is time. While we are extremely organized, it constantly feels like we’re spread too thin and working IN the business not ON the business.”
Ellie – “The best and worst part is that we are completely relying on ourselves. Knowing that we built Square Root from absolutely nothing, with no knowledge or background in CPG, is such an incredible feeling. But it is also challenging because we don’t know what we don’t know. We each wear a million hats and are definitely spread too thin and don’t have enough time in the week to get everything done.”
Interviewer: “What would you consider the most exciting part or the biggest success of Square Root thus far?”
Pat - “Working with Ellie every day is the best part. The biggest success has been being accepted into UNFI’s “UpNext Program”. They are the largest, national distribution network and are very selective on what brands they will take on into their platform.”
Ellie – “We have had so much success thus far and am so proud of everything that Pat and I have accomplished. I still get the biggest smile on my face every time I walk into Whole Foods and see our products on the shelf. But I am most excited about being accepted into UNFI and the opportunity to distribute our line to more people!”
Interviewer: “What is your biggest goal for the future of Square Root?”
Pat - “To be a national brand and in every shopping cart in the US.”
Ellie – “To be a household name.”
Interviewer: “Although Square Root is still fairly new and just getting started, what advice would the two of you give to someone thinking of starting their own business or in the early stages of running a company?”
Pat - “You absolutely need to believe in yourself and what you’re selling. You also need to have a partner that is on the same page. No one can do it alone and having someone there is key. You also need to have a resolve like you’ve never had before. There will be so many obstacles and times of struggle that having a great product isn’t enough, you have to keep pushing and keep going when it gets really, really hard…AND IT WILL!”
Ellie – “Being an entrepreneur is hard, takes a lot of work, and requires sacrifice. You need to 100% believe in the business you are building and the life that the business will afford you, and be willing to make concessions now for future payouts. It’s important to take a look at what life looks like in 3, 5, 10 years with the business and if it can give you what you are looking for. If it can, then you need to put your all into it every single day.”
Interviewer: “Finally, What is each of your favorite Square Root product?”
Pat – “The Lemon Blueberry Nutnola.”
Ellie – “It’s so hard to pick a favorite! I love them all for different reasons. But lately, I have been really into our first product - the Maple Cinnamon Nutnola.”
