As Jill Van Gyn walked towards the filming room, where she and her FATSO peanut butter would stand before the DragonB次元官网网址檚 Den judges, Van Gyn thought she was going to throw up.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 always over prepared and IB次元官网网址檓 always terrified before I go in, but the moment I start to do it, it becomes super easy,B次元官网网址� Van Gyn said of her DragonB次元官网网址檚 Den experience.
The born-and-bred Victorian said she originally decided to audition for the show because she loves a good challenge.
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B次元官网网址淚 thrive in those environments, the challenge of auditions and being in front of people where the wrong word could have a huge impact. I enjoy that kind of pressure, so when I heard DragonB次元官网网址檚 Den was coming to Victoria, I thought it would be something I wanted to do,B次元官网网址� Van Gyn said.
After the audition, Van Gyn was then selected to fly to Toronto to film her segment. Then she only had a one-in-three shot of her episode actually being aired, making the price of flights and time away from her business a risk. But itB次元官网网址檚 paid off: FATSO peanut butter will be featured in the Sept. 27 episode.
Van Gyn began watching DragonB次元官网网址檚 Den more after starting her own company. SheB次元官网网址檇 study how other food entrepreneurs pitched their product and how they were evaluated.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e always been a big fan of Arlene Dickinson,B次元官网网址� Van Gyn said. B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 really been able to be a strong voice in a sea of men in business.B次元官网网址�
While she canB次元官网网址檛 reveal what happened when she met the Dragons B次元官网网址� despite many people asking if she got a deal B次元官网网址� Van Gyn said sheB次元官网网址檚 most looking forward to seeing FATSO become a recognized brand across Canada.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 scary because thereB次元官网网址檚 no way to quantify what happens after you get on a show like this. Are my sales going to go up? Is this going to sink me? I donB次元官网网址檛 know,B次元官网网址� Van Gyn said. B次元官网网址淭hese are all unknowns.B次元官网网址�
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FATSO peanut butter began in Nov. 2016, and in two short years, Van Gyn has brought it from Victoria to Vancouver, and now itB次元官网网址檚 sold as far away as P.E.I. The CEO credits the local support from her fellow Victorians as helping her achieve her success.
B次元官网网址淲e have people who have really dedicated their lives to making Victoria an amazing food city, and the fact we have people who are dedicated to buying local has really held up a lot of these companies,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭he support IB次元官网网址檝e enjoyed in Victoria has been fundamental in bringing FATSO into a national brand.B次元官网网址�
Her appearance on DragonB次元官网网址檚 Den will air on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. Van Gyn will be watching herself with friends and family from a private screening (complete with FATSO snacks, of course) at the Victoria Whole Foods store.
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