What if everything you've been told about food marketing is wrong? What if your customers, instead of flashy campaigns highlighting features and benefits, crave the messy and imperfect reality of creating something new?
Jake Carls, the chief rainmaker at Mid-Day Squares, has proven this concept in a big way. Starting with three people, no social media following, and a condo kitchen, he has built a multimillion-dollar snacking company that customers not only buy from, but are genuinely happy with.
Table of Contents
The documentary approach that changes everything
Why vulnerability is always better than features The hard way
The serendipity strategy that really works
The documentary approach that changes everything
Traditional food marketing follows a predictable script: highlight nutritional benefits, show off perfect packaging, and emphasize convenience. Mid-Day Squares took the opposite approach. "We just took out our phones and started filming everything, and we started documenting as if we were producers or we were making a film, sorry, a documentary," explains Carls.
The result? Customers began to watch their journey like a TV show, and became emotionally invested in their success. When people see the struggles behind the scenes—machines breaking down, the business nearly shutting down, the founders nearly getting divorced because of the stress of manufacturing—they don’t run away. They move forward.
"If I told you all the good stuff 24 hours a day, you'd say, Oh, that's great. And then eventually you'd say, That's not real," Karl writes. "And I think our victory was when we showed you the good, the bad, and then the ugly."
Why is vulnerability always better than features?
While competitors were focusing on protein grams and fiber content, Mid-Day Squares shared stories. Real stories. Stories where you cry yourself to sleep questioning every decision you made. These weren’t well-intentioned marketing ploys—these were true glimpses of what it’s really like to manufacture something.
This approach works because humans are built to tell stories, not give specific details. "Our brains are built to tell stories," Carls explains. "When you go home at night and talk to your family or friends, you think, 'How was your day?' You're telling a story. So businesses need to operate on the same level."
The business results speak for themselves: millions of customers, nationwide retail distribution, and a community that actively promotes the brand because they feel personally connected to the journey.
The hard way that actually works
When the 26 co-manufacturers told them they would have to modify their products to suit existing equipment, most companies agreed to compromise. Mid-Day Squares chose a different option: built its own factory. This took two and a half years, nearly broke relationships, and caused countless problems.
But it also gave them a competitive advantage. "The bad and the ugly came from many of our operational problems. So there was a storytelling aspect to it," explains Carls. Every manufacturing challenge became a theme. Every malfunction became a story that brought customers closer.
This willingness to choose difficulty over convenience extends to their marketing approach. Where other brands outsource everything, Carl's flies over 140 flights a year and builds relationships in person because "there's something deeply special about human-to-human connection that can mean anything."
serendipity strategy
In an increasingly digital world, Mid-Day Squares bets on the physical presence. City by city, event by event, relationship by relationship. The ROI doesn’t come immediately—it’s a two-year investment in a relationship that eventually becomes a major investor. It’s a coincidence that leads to a creative breakthrough.
"I'm a big proponent of chance, and of not being afraid to walk into a meeting and do it your way and get on a plane. Even if it's a 12-hour flight to a meeting, you might not get anything out of it, but who knows. You might get something bigger out of it," Carles says.
For small business owners overwhelmed by the complexities of digital marketing, this approach offers a ray of hope. Sometimes the most sophisticated strategy is simply being genuinely human, speaking your mind consistently, and trusting that authenticity will find its audience.
Are you ready to transform your brand story? Start by asking yourself this question: What if you showed your customers the real journey, not just the highlight reel? Your next breakthrough may lie in the story you're afraid to tell.
