Blending Passion and Faith: Building a Thriving Protein Snack Business with Tia Marsh

What happens when you combine a passion for powerlifting, a love for baking, and a deep-rooted faith? Meet Tia Marsh, the inspiring force behind Faithfully Fit, a protein snack company that's redefining nutritious living. Drawing from her childhood experiences in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and her journey to Oklahoma City, Tia shares how she transformed a Facebook live workout community into a thriving business. Her story is one of resilience, faith, and innovation, as she crafts delicious, healthy snacks like her popular blueberry crumbles while keeping God at the forefront of her business endeavors.

Join us as Tia reveals the essential keys to entrepreneurial success—learnability, patience, and unshakeable confidence. Discover how continuous learning fuels business growth, and patience becomes a virtue in both parenting and enterprise. Tia’s insights into understanding your audience and confidently navigating niche markets will leave you inspired. Plus, with an engaging online presence across various platforms, Tia invites listeners to connect and explore the wealth of resources Faithfully Fit has to offer. Tune in for a journey filled with lessons of faith, nourishment, and entrepreneurial wisdom.

Thank you for listening!  YouTube - @3KeysforYourJourney -Tune in for a new episode every Sunday.  Connect with us at www.ocfo.info

Transcript

Greg Jones 0:02

Sweetened by faith, powered by protein. Entrepreneur, mom and wife, Tia Marsh started her business in November 2020 with a desire to make better food choices, eat better and, most importantly, increase protein intake. Stay tuned for our next episode with guest Tia Marsh. Owner of Faithfully Fit fit.

Speaker 2 0:30

Are you ready to unlock your potential? Tune in to Three Keys for your Journey podcast, where business owners share invaluable insights and empowering strategies to guide you towards success. Based in Oklahoma City, our host, greg T Jones, will inspire and motivate you every week. Get ready to join our conversation as we build community together.

Greg Jones 0:57

Well, hello Tia, how are you today? I'm good. How are you? Oh wow, this is a special treat. I mean, all my guests are special treats, but I've got Tia Marsh in studio. I mean, I think I said on your website, you make normal snacks taste great.

Tia Marsh 1:12

I try Wow, all right.

Greg Jones 1:15

So, for our listening audience, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Tia Marsh 1:19

Yeah, so I was born in Pennsylvania, harrisburg, pennsylvania. Um, I have three brothers. I mean, my mom she bakes all the time, so like she actually owns a bakery in Pennsylvania, and that's kind of like where the interest started, um, but then, like, when we got here to Oklahoma, we moved in 2016, and when we got here I'm trying to fast forward without giving you the whole history uh, from 2016, 2016. So now, um, but I started power lifting here. We got here I'm trying to fast forward without giving you the whole history from 2016 to now but I started powerlifting here. We got recruited on a team. They saw us lifting at Gold's Gym and they were like, hey, you guys should do this. So me and my husband started powerlifting and then, like I wasn't getting anywhere near as much protein as I should have been consuming in order to, like, maintain my muscle, in order to get stronger, lift more, and I'm wanting to keep up with all these other people and I'm just like you're not doing the main thing you need to do to get there.

Greg Jones 2:15

Just to back up just for a second, so for people listening. As a power lifter, one of the key things in your strength and conditioning is protein.

Tia Marsh 2:24

Absolutely Okay, absolutely Okay, absolutely.

Greg Jones 2:25

And so you were not getting enough protein to maintain where you wanted to get to in terms of your lifting. Is that what it was?

Tia Marsh 2:34

So I wasn't getting enough protein to maintain my muscle, which I needed to increase my numbers, my like, how much I'm benching, how much I'm dead lifting, squatting. So that's what I needed to have a come to Jesus with for myself. Like you need to eat more protein. You can't just be snacking on all this crap and like getting full off of chips and pasta, like, yeah, pasta has protein in it. It's actually higher in protein than people realize but like I needed to increase my protein. So, um, I snack a lot, so I started adding protein to my snacks. I really wanted pie one night and I made a healthy version of that pie with protein in it, and it just kind of grew from there.

Greg Jones 3:13

Is this the famous blueberry crumbles? Is that what it is?

Tia Marsh 3:17

Yeah, okay, all right, the OG blueberry crumbles.

Greg Jones 3:21

You were craving that, but you made it in a more healthy way.

Tia Marsh 3:24

Exactly Yep.

Greg Jones 3:25

So this all started based on just one you and your husband wanted to start powerlifting. You weren't getting enough protein, but you also liked the snack, and the two combinations came together, wow, okay. So how did the name Faithfully Fit come about?

Tia Marsh 3:41

So during COVID. So I did start in 2020. But before I started making the snacks, I was doing a live workout on Facebook and that's what I called my workout page Faithfully Fit, because we were all believers, like we all went to church to some capacity and we would all hop on this live and I would put myself out there, had a whiteboard behind me and I'm like, all right, guys, this is the workout we're going to do and we all did it and I had like a good, consistent two or three friends that would hop on and occasionally like a random person here and there. But yeah, so I was like I want to keep that name, I want to keep that going.

Greg Jones 4:20

Wow, that is awesome. So Faithfully Fit was born, Okay. So what is Faithfully Fit now?

Tia Marsh 4:26

Now Faithfully Fit is my faith-based protein snack company. I want to help people focus on nourishing their temples but at the same time, I want to make sure that God is in everything that I do, because obviously without Him, I have nothing and I am nothing. So I want to make sure that he's at the forefront of everything and, like sometimes it's hard doing that, having a food business, cause I'm like how do I just be like hey, try these snacks. Also love God. Like without making it sound just random, um, so I do struggle with that, but like I don't want to forget where my help comes from. So that's what Faithfully Fit is now. It's a faith-based company that tries to help you take care of your body inside and out.

Greg Jones 5:11

Wow, Okay, that is awesome. So I have to tell our listening audience I have tried. I have some favorites. I love the popcorn. You have some popcorn mixes. I had never tried the ranch flavored popcorn and I have to say, between the cheddar blazing cheddar and the ranch, I think I'm more of a ranch fan now.

Tia Marsh 5:34

Really I don't know why, but you know so for whatever reason.

Greg Jones 5:38

So, as an entrepreneur, particularly starting your business, you know right during COVID and you know fast forward now where we are now. Tell us about what are some things that you have found six keys to the success of your business.

Tia Marsh 5:57

My three keys that, like I just try to embody with everything is confidence. Embody with everything is confidence, having patience and learnability. No-transcript. When you do something for so long, it's easy to like adapt this mindset. Like nobody knows more than I know about this. Nobody can teach me anything about my baby. Like this is my business, I did this. So like you can't teach me anything I don't already know. But like I've learned so much from other people coming by tables at pop-up events and they're like hey, did you know? Like you can do this, that and the third, and I'm just like, really, so I'll go home and experiment and I'm like, oh, okay, that does work.

Tia Marsh 6:54

Like, or um, I used to use um, I can't believe it's not butter. Like full transparency, I used to use I can't believe it's not butter as my um adherent oil for my cheddar stuff. That's horrible. Like I can't believe it. I can't believe it's not. Butter is a horrible product. Like as far as like wanting to be healthy. So um, one of the other business owners that I vended beside at the admin market, she was like you should switch to coconut oil. It's much healthier. People will receive it better, people who are on like different dietary needs, like that's going to sit better with them. I'm like, all right cool, that's what I use now.

Keys to Success

Greg Jones 7:26

So this is awesome. So learn. You said learned ability. So you're talking about really taking your entrepreneurship journey, but continually taking opportunities to learn how to improve your business, and you gave a great example. I was using one type of butter, learned about something else. You're learning about how to do pop-ups. You're learning specific kinds of things to help increase your business. So why is that important to you to become one of your keys?

Tia Marsh 7:51

Because I don't want to ever get stuck Like there's always room to grow and I don't know everything, so like I need to be able to learn from other room to grow.

Greg Jones 8:02

Um, and I don't know everything, so like I need to be able to learn from other people, to grow and be better in any way. That's awesome. Okay, what?

Tia Marsh 8:07

about your second key, um, second one being patience. Um, just like knowing everything's not going to happen when I want it to happen, or maybe I'm not ready for the steps that I want to happen now, like it has to be in God's timing. And so he's like, hey, this is like a three year off thing. I know you want it in the next one month, but, trust me, like I have things lined up, I'm going to get you there, but you need to wait. So just learning to be patient and wait on his timing, that's, that's the main thing.

Greg Jones 8:35

So you know, again, again, we're talking real practical here. I understand sometimes being patient is a challenge. So in those moments where you feel very impatient, how do you remind yourself that you need to be patient?

Tia Marsh 8:53

Sometimes it's a very delayed reminder because I'll get so stuck in something. I'm like, all right, all right, how do I make this happen now? Like, how do I meet? Like who do I need a bug? Who do I call? Like this needs to happen tomorrow. And then I'll get sat down really quick and he's like it's not going to happen tomorrow, it's not going to happen next week. You need to chill out so I get my reminders. By God, there's no question about it. He will literally sit me down.

Greg Jones 9:26

I guess one of the best life lessons that we can have is being patient, and sometimes the way patience works within us is that we're sometimes in an impatient environment and we are taught by circumstances sometimes, sometimes by ourselves and sometimes even, as you said, by self-reflection. So I mean, I think that's awesome. Before the show started, we were talking, you also have a little one at home and we were talking about potty training, I think yep, so you talk about patience.

Tia Marsh 9:53

That does take a lot of patience and it helps you gain more, absolutely helps you gain a lot more patience um, it helps you gain more, absolutely. It helps you gain a lot more patience, because he marches to the beat of his own drum and I'm just like it's potty time. He's like, no, no, it's potty time. No, not right now, mom.

Greg Jones 10:07

So it's interesting how you say that in your business and in life, how there are circumstances that really indwell that patience in us, and I love as a key to your success thinking about some people want success overnight, particularly with their business or even in their careers, but you got to learn to be patient and it's in timing that things happen. So I really appreciate you sharing that, and your last one was it confidence.

Tia Marsh 10:31

Confidence. So, like I have a different product it's not going to be for everybody and like a lot of times I will let certain things like make me feel defeated, but like I have to know that I have something that is definitely worthwhile and through knowing that it was meant for me, it's meant for somebody, there is a market for it. But I can't, like when we first started doing my business plan, every time you're like what's your target audience? I'm like everybody You're like who are you targeting Greg? Everybody You're like no, you gotta like be specific and I get that now.

Tia Marsh 11:17

So, like, knowing that I do have something that's worthwhile, being confident in that, and then even being confident when I talk to people about my product like I'll be like oh no, they're not going to get it or they're not going to want to buy it. Like this isn't for them. There's plenty of people that I've like made that assumption about. And then we have a conversation. They're like oh my gosh, I really need this. Like I have this going on and I'm just like I should have approached you like without you having to come to me.

Greg Jones 11:41

So Well, I love also about your confidence, and I'll say this about you because you're right, we had, we've had, an opportunity to work together over time and one of the things when I think about confidence and think about you is you take challenges as opportunities and so I know there's been a lot of times where you're like, hey, I'll go do this pop-up or hey, I'll go do this. And you understand, as you meet people, you are the person. That is the problem. You're the product. I mean, they haven't even bought the product yet. You're the product and when you tell your story and you tell it with such confidence, people tend to lean into that. Do you find that happens when you're out talking to?

Tia Marsh 12:20

potential clients. Yeah, the more I stop thinking and just Be real. Yeah, that does.

Greg Jones 12:27

Isn't that interesting how your own story because it's your own story is what is a demonstration of the products that you actually have and, as you said earlier, it's just. Then it just becomes a byproduct of what you're selling. Ok, so you know. Wow, OK, so anything else you want to add. Wow, Okay, so anything else you want to add. I mean, those are three things that I think will stick with me Confidence, patience and learned ability.

Tia Marsh 12:58

I don't know that I would add anything. I mean just like trust the process. Listen to other people, Know that it's not going to be easy. Nothing worth doing is going to be like super, super easy. You have to put in work, so trust the process.

Greg Jones 13:17

Well, that's good, okay. Now everybody asks me all the time like, how do I get in contact with your guests, greg? So for people that are out there saying, oh my gosh, I'm kind of interested in not only your story, but the types of products. Do you mind just telling us a little bit about the products that you have, telling us a little bit about potential locations, how people can find you all that good stuff?

Tia Marsh 13:41

Yeah, so I am on Instagram and Facebook under Faithfully Fit, okc, see, and then, um, you can call me, text me, um, my phone numbers are listed on there Also. Um, my website is faithfully fit, okay, seecom, you can order any of the. So I have popcorns, snack mixes and crumbles. All of my popcorns come in cheddar, blazing cheddar or ranch. Those are the ones that Greg was talking about earlier. He's over there shaking his head.

Greg Jones 14:10

Delicious, by the way.

Tia Marsh 14:12

Yeah, the ranch is actually my new favorite too. It's just like I don't know. There's something about it. Thank you to my aunt for suggesting making that. And then my snack mixes come in cheddar, caramel and chocolate, and then my crumbles come in blueberry, cherry, peach and apple.

Greg Jones 14:28

And then what sizes? Can you get them in all sizes?

Tia Marsh 14:31

Well, actually I didn't have sizes until like two months ago. So now I have a regular size which holds two servings, and then I do have personal servings, which is like pre-portioned, like for people who don't want to get a regular bag and like have to measure it out themselves but they want to stick to calorie counts and things like that. It's already portioned out. It's one serving. Here's your grams of protein, like you don't have to think about it, just eat it. Um. So I do have the two sizes now, um, regular and personal okay, now talk about these crumbles so you want details of like how they're made.

Greg Jones 15:03

Well, no, not well, I mean we're not giving those secrets away here on the show. But I mean, you have different flavors, different the cherry blueberry apple and um peach and when I think of crumble. So you gotta, you gotta, you gotta expand on this. When I think of crumble, I'm thinking of like cobbler is it like?

Tia Marsh 15:23

cobbler yeah, yep, yep, so it's the healthier fruit cobbler. So, instead of like the dough you're not going to have, like the pie crust or anything like that, it's protein and oats combination with a little extra love that I'm not going to disclose on top. And that is where your crumbliness comes from.

Greg Jones 15:46

So help that sweet taste, yeah, and then it's only sweetened with honey.

Tia Marsh 15:50

So you still get that sweetness, you still get the satisfaction like you just had a really good dessert. But it's not a refined sugar, so it's better for you.

Online Presence for Faithfully Fit

Greg Jones 15:59

Wow, love it, love it. Okay, so people can get to you on your website that we got your, your Facebook, your Instagram and we really appreciate you being on the show today. So thank you so much for being here and we look forward to all of our comments and her website. Her contact information will be in the link below, so please click that and I want to encourage our listening audience to look up Faithfully Fit. Thank you so much, tia, for being here.

Speaker 2 16:37

Thanks for joining Three Keys for your Journey. Tune in next time for another episode.