How Success Happened for Stacy Madison The founder of Stacy's Pita Chips, Stacy's Juicebar and BeBOLD Bars talks about her entrepreneurship journey.

By Robert Tuchman

Stacy Madison

As the founder of Stacy's Pita Chips, Stacy's Juicebar and BeBOLD bars, Stacy Madison seems to have a key talent leading with taste in the health food industry.

I had the pleasure of learning about Madison's entrepreneurial journey, beginning with the invention of her first product.

Related: Interested in Booking Guests From the How Success Happens podcast as Corporate Event Speakers?

Changing the way people snacked during the low-carb phase was no easy task for a pita chip manufacturer. But whether it was the pita chips, her juicebar or her new company, BeBOLD bars, she's a passionate believer in following happiness. By doing so, work becomes something that you love.

But how exactly did she grow Stacy's Pita Chips into a national snack brand?

With determination and a pile of debt, she decided to leave her career as a social worker and take a leap of faith and buy a food cart. Called Stacy's D'lights in Boston, the cart served healthy sandwiches rolled on pita bread. Every day she and her partner stocked a heavy inventory of fresh pita bread to make roll-up sandwiches. The bread was then baked into chips at the end of each day to hand out for free in line. The demand for the chips became so large that they decided to offer the chips to a much bigger market.

Related: Listen to Stacy Madison Now on the How Success Happens Podcast

After leasing space in a brewery complex, Madison eventually purchased a Sealy Mattress factory in Randolph, Mass. and produced 1.6 million lbs. of bread every day. From there, the bread was baked into chips. Madison ended up leading the brand to becoming one of the best-selling natural snack food brands in the nation. But the journey didn't end there.

In 2006, Madison sold the pita chip company to PepsiCo and decided to travel around Southeast Asia with her best friend and twin girls for five months. Upon returning from her travels, she took that same passion for healthy food and started Stacy's Juicebar in Needham, Mass. There she sold juices, smoothies, acai bowls, salads, sandwiches and energy bars.

Just like the pita chips, the energy bars quickly became a customer favorite. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, Madison had to close the juice bar. But she's since taken her passion for healthy snacking and turned her focus back to the natural food industry, launching BeBOLD energy bars with her brother David Lowe.

Madison's story is an inspiration story for all entrepreneurs. With enough belief in yourself, your product and your passion, any entrepreneur can be successful.

Robert Tuchman

Entrepreneur Staff

Host of How Success Happens

Robert Tuchman is the host of Entrepreneur's How Success Happens podcast and founder of Amaze Media Labs the largest business creating podcasts for companies and brands. He built and sold two Inc. 500 companies: TSE Sports and Entertainment and Goviva acquired by Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

AI Is Going to 'Replace Everybody' in Several Fields, According to the 'Godfather of AI.' Here's Who He Says Should Be 'Terrified.'

Geoffrey Hinton, called the "Godfather of AI" due to his pioneering work on AI, says some fields face a heavier risk of replacement due to automation.

Living

Learn From Top Nonfiction Books Without Reading Them All With This App

Get caught up with 15-minute summaries of nonfiction best-sellers with Headway Premium.

Growing a Business

Don't Wait For Customers to Find You — Here's How to Go to Them Instead

In today's hyper-connected world, passive customer engagement is no longer enough — businesses must proactively deliver timely, relevant value within customers' existing digital journeys to truly stand out.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Growing a Business

Selling as a Founder Is Brutal — It Was Also the Reason We Reached $400M in Revenue

Selling is one of the hardest parts of building a startup, but arguably the most important. This piece shares hard-won, tactical lessons from my early days, offering a blueprint for founders navigating the messy reality of doing sales with no team, no leads and no playbook.

Business News

Meta Is Reportedly Planning to Release New AI Smart Glasses With Oakley and Prada

The Oakley Meta AI glasses are expected to cost more than the Ray-Ban Metas.