The Aaron Caulfield Podcast
Sophie Roman - Becoming CEO, Scaling The Pop'd Shop, and Discovering Her Roots (#12)
Sophie Roman co-founded The Pop’d Shop in 2017 with Mark Wieder.
They met at The Great Social Enterprise Pitch in Sophie’s hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where they ran the business for several years.
Earlier this year they moved the company to Puerto Rico.
The move was both strategic for the business: they now source fresh, natural ingredients from local fincas (farms), and deeply personal for Sophie: she is part of the diaspora—millions of Puerto Ricans from all over the world who are reconnecting with their roots, a subset of which are returning to Puerto Rico to build the local economy.
With this interplay of business strategy and cultural significance as the backdrop, Sophie is as optimistic as ever for the future.
She recently stepped into the CEO role and is focused on scaling the company. The Pop’d Shop now ships whole-fruit sparkling tonics to anywhere in the US and Puerto Rico.
When asked what she would tell young entrepreneurs, Sophie said, “You don’t have to face the starving artist. You can create opportunities for yourself through art...Entrepreneurship, if you’re creative, can be the biggest exercise in creativity.”
Resources mentioned include:
Connect:
- Follow Sophie on Instagram @lilsophiebigroman
- Subscribe to Aaron's YouTube channel: youtube.com/aacaulfield24
Sophie Roman co-founded The Pop’d Shop in 2017 with Mark Wieder.
They met at The Great Social Enterprise Pitch in Sophie’s hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where they ran the business for several years.
Earlier this year they moved the company to Puerto Rico.
The move was both strategic for the business: they now source fresh, natural ingredients from local fincas (farms), and deeply personal for Sophie: she is part of the diaspora—millions of Puerto Ricans from all over the world who are reconnecting with their roots, a subset of which are returning to Puerto Rico to build the local economy.
With this interplay of business strategy and cultural significance as the backdrop, Sophie is as optimistic as ever for the future.
She recently stepped into the CEO role and is focused on scaling the company. The Pop’d Shop now ships whole-fruit sparkling tonics to anywhere in the US and Puerto Rico.
When asked what she would tell young entrepreneurs, Sophie said, “You don’t have to face the starving artist. You can create opportunities for yourself through art...Entrepreneurship, if you’re creative, can be the biggest exercise in creativity.”
Resources mentioned include:
Connect:
- Follow Sophie on Instagram @lilsophiebigroman
- Subscribe to Aaron's YouTube channel: youtube.com/aacaulfield24