Sara Fludd is used to rejection.
The self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur, who has done everything from sell toffee and cupcakes in Los Angeles to personalized stork signs, has had her fair share of letdowns. So when months passed after she applied for a national incubator program hosted by Stacy's Pita Chips, she assumed she didn't make the cut.
"I had gotten an email that I was shortlisted as a finalist, but thought with the size of this, it's probably 500 finalists," said Fludd, who now owns St. Petersburg-based Pop Goes the Waffle. "I thought it was like the Oscars where 'It's an honor to be nominated.' And then I got a phone call, confirming you still own the business, you're not in any other incubator ... and they said we would like to welcome you to the class of 2021. I was floored."
She hasn't had a moment yet for reality to sink in. Fludd was one of 10 chosen out of more than 9,000 applicants for Stacy's Rise Project, a 12-week initiative by Stacy's Pita Chips to boost women-founded companies. Companies get paired with mentors from international food and beverage giants PepsiCo. and Frito-Lay.
"It's very intense, and I say it in the best possible way," Fludd said. "It's like getting an MBA in 12 weeks. I've just paced myself, thinking, 'Let me take it all in.' All of it is not actionable right now, but it's also important just having the written data and resources going forward."
Fludd currently sells both liege waffles and waffles on a stick from her food truck, Blossom, and several shops throughout the region, including Kahwa Coffee.
When companies applied for the cohort, they had to list a challenge they would like help in overcoming. For Fludd, who founded Pop Goes the Waffle in 2017, it was to help to sell her famed liege waffles online.
"I have issues with packaging, shipping; the website needed to be updated because it's not a big e-commerce engine," she said. "But in addition to that, they help me with things I didn't even consider. And if they don't have the answer, they've referred me to others — like with packaging, they sent me to someone who does it for Frito-Lay, so I sent them different packaging they can assess."
In addition to PepsiCo. mentors and speaking with Stacy herself, Fludd will get some screen time with Reese Witherspoon. This year's cohort is in conjunction with Hello Sunshine, Witherspoon's production company that made hits including "Big Little Lies" and "The Morning Show."
"The thing for me is, I'm anxious to take advantage of everything I can and ask for everything I can," she said. "I have the keys to the kingdom for 12 weeks. So I have to ask for as much as I can. It's a bit head-spinning, but it's also, 'Girl get in there.'"
After the incubator program, she plans to finish outfitting a building in Gulfport to be open by Q1 of 2022. It will allow for a much larger commercial kitchen to expand the wholesale side of the business and have a small cafe where patrons can get a waffle and coffee.
