Mom’s Side Hustle Made $400K in Month 1: ‘Insane Growth’

A Mother's Ingenuity Turns Personal Challenge into Booming Business

I love stories like this one, where sheer determination meets a real need and sparks something extraordinary. Jessica Davidoff, facing her son's severe corn allergy after years of medical dismissals, took matters into her own hands. What started as a quest for a corn-free popcorn substitute led her to sorghum—a nutrient-packed grain that pops just like corn but solves a massive dietary gap.

Drawing from her background as a serial entrepreneur and turnaround CEO, Jessica bootstrapped Cob with $150,000 of her own funds. She refined recipes, tested at local markets, and navigated the brutal realities of food production: fluctuating ingredient costs, supply hiccups, and copacker setbacks that forced restarts. Yet, her resilience paid off spectacularly. Partnering with Novak Djokovic, she raised a $5 million seed round, launched preorders, and hit nearly $400,000 in revenue in their first full month—followed by 10x month-over-month growth that's both exhilarating and chaotic.

What's truly inspiring here is how Jessica highlights the unique hurdles of food startups—demand planning chief among them—and shares actionable wisdom: define your success, validate your idea, build the right team, and keep the pace that's right for you. It's a reminder that the best ventures often stem from solving problems close to home, blending passion with proven strategy.

This piece is a must-read for any aspiring founder eyeing the CPG space. Dive into the full Q&A to soak up Jessica's insights and see how she turned tragedy into triumph—check it out now and get inspired to tackle your own big ideas.