Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryan Daniels.
Bryan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I worked in healthcare IT for over 15 years. During that time I also worked many side hustles and in the back of my mind I knew I wanted to start something of my own one day. I had planned to save up, retire early and become an entrepreneur. At that point I’d been a mobile DJ and a soccer coach for decades, so I earned a personal trainer certification, got a business license, and clocked in at my corporate job for the last time.
But what does that have to do with granola bars? Well another hobby of mine while I was employed was to homebrew beer with my friends. My favorite part of the process was the smell of the steeping grains. But at the end of each batch the last step was to throw the grains away. One night I decided to take the grains home instead. I dried them out in the oven and the next day I researched granola bar recipes.
After some experimentation I crafted a granola bar that wasn’t just edible, it was delicious! I shared some with my coworkers and eventually they started ordering them from me. Once I retired, they still texted me to order more granola bars. It got to the point where I had more orders than inventory. I was already busy with my personal training and DJ businesses, but I realized the potential scalability of the granola bars. The issue was getting more spent grain for production. The solution was reaching out to my local craft breweries – they were more than happy to let me upcycle their waste into something good.
Around 6 months after leaving my comfortable career, I dove head first into the consumer packaged goods industry. I started selling them at a local farmer’s market. Then I built a website and began selling them across the country. I sold my bars wholesale to mom and pop shops around the area. I shared my idea at an event called 757 Shark Tank and won 1st place. These early successes propelled me and gave me confidence to continue.
Today we have a cozy brick and mortar storefront where we also produce the granola bars. We’ve built a loyal following on social media and created unique intellectual property with the Granola Gang. In 2026 we are celebrating 7 years of fighting hunger, food waste, and boring snacks!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think any small business has a smooth road and mine is no exception. The biggest struggles are common across businesses like mine: rising cost of inputs like ingredients and packaging, lack of capital funding, and marketing. These are obviously things that all businesses face, but the problems are magnified when you don’t have economies of scale of large corporations.
The COVID pandemic in 2020 was a huge obstacle. It shut down place like farmers markets and breweries, essential components of my operation. Luckily, our market was eventually able to open with drive-thru service and the breweries continued to brew beer for distribution. So I continued production and focused on direct-to-consumer internet sales.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I choose to share my time and energy between a variety of interests. I have always loved DJing, and mixing music is something that’s brought me joy as well as side income. I have played all types of gigs from bars and nightclubs to weddings and sweet 16 parties. I am known for catering to my audiences and genre flexibility.
I have also played sports, especially soccer, for my whole life. After graduating college I began coaching for a local youth club. I eventually worked my way up to coaching high school varsity soccer and the valuable experiences I’ve had through coaching are innumerable. I’m deeply proud of the relationships I’ve built throughout the years and I’m thankful for the opportunity to positively influence the next generation.
I believe having varied interests has helped me grow my business. Being creative and flexible are important to deal with the unavoidable obstacles that show up in the small business world. And the planning and leadership skills I’ve developed via coaching has a daily impact on my operations.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I can honestly say that I was fortunate enough to lead a safe and blessed childhood. It feels unfair to single out any particular moment as my “favorite”. As I’ve gotten older and lost more people who I love, I really appreciate the times I got to share with my entire family.
So I would have to say my favorite childhood memory is our family reunion in Atlanta, GA. I had just turned ten and thought it was a big deal that I was “double digits” now. We all gathered at a park for a cookout. The music was loud, the grill was smoky and everyone was in the best mood. Then it seemed like rainclouds just formed from every direction overhead. The sky opened and within 5 minutes the campsite and parking lot were flooded.
We ultimately took the party back to my aunt’s house and we all eventually dried out. On the surface it isn’t that dramatic of a childhood memory. But when I see old photos from that day (a time before cell phone cameras), I see my family getting rained on, but still smiling, enjoying life and thankful to be in each other’s presence.
Pricing:
- 12 granola bars = $20
- 6 granola bars = $12
- 3 granola bars = $7
Contact Info:
- Website: https://allgoodgranolabars.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/allgoodgranola
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/allgoodbars
- Twitter: https://x.com/allgoodgranola
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/allgoodgranola
