Featured Alumni Business: Beyond The Shaker
Name Of Business:
Beyond The Shaker
Tagline:
Think Differently About Salt
Mission/Description:
Beyond The Shaker’s unique aim is to make available all-natural sea salts from around the world for gourmet cooking at home. In addition to specializing in natural sea salts, the company also offers an original line of chef-crafted gourmet blends that pair unrefined sea salts with premium organic, sustainable and locally-produced ingredients.
Alumni Name and Contact Information:
Scott Rousseau M’11
p: 617.528.0055
e: scott@beyondtheshaker.com
Located:
Woburn, MA
Founder’s Past Life/Business:
Scott worked in finance the better part of his career. Tired of the corporate world, he decided to leave behind his life as a stock-broker and mutual fund wholesaler to attend business school and prepare himself for a small business acquisition.
How The Idea Began:
With a penchant for cooking he focused on food-related businesses that were in need of new management. After searching for nearly 18 months, he discovered Beyond The Shaker was listed for sale. Knowing how quickly top-quality business get acquired, he flew out to Michigan to meet with the owners, negotiated a purchase price and signed the purchase-and-sale agreement within three weeks of discovery. The next challenge was preparing for ownership and moving the warehouse operations from Michigan to Massachusetts.
Favorite Thing About The Business:
Strategy. Scott grew tired of corporate policies that seemed arbitrary and he loves being able to make his own decisions without middle-management approval. He likes to study consumer behavior and make decisions that have a direct impact on his business.
Worst Thing About The Business:
It’s always on his mind and there’s always more he can do. When he’s home from the office, he tries to limit his work to two hours per night and enjoy his time at home with his wife.