From Faking a Business to 25,000 Stores - Here's the Simple Strategy That Landed Her Deals With Walmart and Target

"I don't know what I wanna do with my life," she remembers telling her mom on the plane to that reunion. Her mother suggested she manifest something. Phillips replied, "You mean lie?" When they landed, she started telling relatives she had just launched a gluten-free lasagna company. There was no company. No lasagna. No kitchen beyond her New York studio apartment."

"Phillips had no co-packer, no CPG resume and no business degree when she cold-pitched Whole Foods and they said yes."

"Believe in the product, get it into people's hands and adjust when necessary."

Vanessa Phillips founded Feel Good Foods, a gluten-free frozen food brand now distributed in approximately 25,000 grocery stores including Target and Walmart. She began by fabricating a lasagna company concept during a family reunion, then developed it into a real business despite lacking industry experience, co-packing relationships, or formal business training. Her background in a restaurant family provided foundational food knowledge. A celiac disease diagnosis during college redirected her career path and inspired her product focus. Phillips succeeded by believing in her product, getting it into consumers' hands, and making adjustments as needed. She cold-pitched Whole Foods without a traditional pitch deck and secured placement, demonstrating that authentic product quality and determination can overcome conventional business barriers.

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