This founder went from waiting tables to selling his company for $281 million: It 'blew my mind'
In 2006, Justin Gold was mountain biking when something struck him that changed his life: a business idea that helped make his nut butter brand, Justin's, a household name.

"I'm on a mountain bike ride right here in Boulder, [Colorado], and I'm eating an energy gel [packet]," Gold told CNBC in a recent interview. "And I was curious why you couldn't put peanut butter or almond butter in that same type of squeeze pack and have an on-the-go, plant-based protein experience like an energy bar."

Gold had been selling nut butters at a popular farmer's market in Boulder for two years by that point. He'd landed a coveted placement in the local Whole Foods Market, too.

But at the time, consumers still gravitated toward a handful of traditional peanut butter brands. Almond butter wasn't particularly popular yet, much less the flavor combinations Justin's was selling, like maple almond or chocolate hazelnut.

So, despite positive feedback from customers, Justin's had yet to turn a profit — and Gold was still waiting tables and working a retail job to make ends meet, he said.

Within two years of introducing nut butters in tiny pouches, Justin's was profitable and Gold soon quit his day jobs, he told Entrepreneur in 2012. The business was acquired by Hormel Foods in 2016 for $280.9 million, according to an SEC filing from that year.

Here's how a simple packaging strategy changed the company's fortunes.