Twelve years ago, Sarah Smith left a secure aerospace career while pregnant to become a stay-at-home mom and start a small side hustle. That side hustle became Southern Caramel, now an internationally awarded gourmet caramel brand selling on Amazon. In this episode, Sarah shares the journey of building her dream alongside her father as her business partner, and navigating the bittersweet tension of reaching her biggest wins after losing him to cancer.

00:00 Intro

01:03 Meet Sarah Smith + The Sweet Story Behind Southern Caramel

02:07 The Leap: Leaving Aerospace to Build a Business From Home (2013)

04:33 Why Caramel Won (And Why It Was the Smart Niche Move)

07:06 From Home Kitchen to “Real Business” Mode (Inspections + Wholesale)

08:45 The Family Power Move: Dad Joins and the Vision Gets Bigger (2018)

12:51 Grief + Growth: Losing Her Dad and Finding the Next Chapter

17:42 Bite-Size Joy: The Brand Values That Built Customer Love (And 10% Give-Back)

22:23 The Shelf-Life Disaster That Nearly Ended It All

25:46 The Breakthrough Recipe Pivot: No Corn Syrup, All Craft

27:41 From Setback to Standout: 6-Month Shelf Life + Award-Winning Caramel

30:18 Big League Moment: Amazon Launch + Bigger Space + Bigger Team

33:18 The Support System: How WeVenture Helped Her Scale Smarter

47:30 Final Words: “If I Can Do It, So Can You.”

48:08 Outro

Sarah SmithSouthern Caramel

https://southerncaramel.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southern.caramel/

Episode Sponsors

Valley Bank Local business banking partner helping you start, grow, and scale with confidence. https://valley.com/business

Harbour House Oceanfront Venue Florida’s premier private oceanfront destination for weddings and special events. https://www.harbourhouseevents.com/

About weVENTURE WBC

weVENTURE Women’s Business Center supports entrepreneurs and small business owners through education, mentorship, consulting, and a powerful network of resources. Their mission is to strengthen the local economy by helping businesses launch, grow, and thrive in Florida's Space Coast and Treasure Coast communities.

Co-Hosts + Production Credits

Darcy Manning | THE DARCYMM COLLECTIVE Luxury beauty agency serving Central Florida (bridal, business portraits, private lessons).

https://linktr.ee/darcymm IG: @makeupbydarcymm | @darcymmcollective

KyAlea Monma | HOKU Design Group Award-winning brand and media design agency recognized by USA Today and DesignRush for excellence in brand storytelling. https://www.hoku.design LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyalea/ IG: @hokudesigngroup

Brand + Production: @hokudesigngroup | https://www.hoku.design

Location: Harbour House Oceanfront Venue