Daniel: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome to another episode of the You Should Talk to podcast. I am your host, your sponsor, your Everything, Daniel Wiener. You should talk to pairs, brands, and marketers for free with vetted agencies because finding great agencies is tough, especially in 2026. Super excited to be joined today by, I'll say friend, friend slash colleague slash ran several searches.

We'll talk about. We've got Anna Grant, who's general manager at Current Backyard. Anna, how you doing? 

Anna: I'm doing great. Thanks Daniel. How about you? 

Daniel: I'm wonderful. Excited to, excited to, uh, to chat with you. Um, we'll, we'll dive right in. For those who don't know and they should know what is current, 

Anna: so Current is a startup in the outdoor cooking space.

We've been around for just over two years, and we're really focused on changing the outdoor cooking landscape through innovative. Electric technology. So really bringing the joy of outdoor cooking to people and places who might have been excluded in the past, whether they lived in a [00:01:00] condo or a wildfire prone area, or a place with strict HOA rules.

Um, just, yeah, bringing that incredibly important shared experience back to, to more people. And I'm a big, um, lover of food and being outdoors and bringing people together of a food. So it's a really great place to be. And yeah, we're just getting started. 

Daniel: I love it. Uh, we'll talk about our, the searches we ran together in a little bit, but during the course of those searches, a lot of the agencies purchased, uh, you know, the product and stuff.

And I always ask like, do you actually like it? You know, 'cause of course the agencies would never tell you they didn't like a product. It's often everybody like fawn over the product. So, uh, that's great. Especially exciting when people get excited about the product and aren't just, uh, aren't just doing it to win the business, you know?

Anna: That's right. Yeah. Definitely fun products and make awesome food. 

Daniel: Cool. We will dive right in. What's an unpopular opinion you have in the marketing world or a uh, a hot take of sorts? 

Anna: Yeah, I would say I think a lot of brands think they have more [00:02:00] of a traffic problem, but my kind of unpopular opinion is often it's more of a positioning problem.

So I think what is a challenge now with. Just so many brands out there with access to so many tools, they can all do many things relatively well. But I think something that can be a challenge is really understanding that consumer behavior, why they care, and really what makes your product and your brand different, why consumers should pay a certain price for that product.

Um, so that's definitely something that is important to me. And in, um. Current, obviously we are a newer brand, we're entering a newer category, really looking to define that category in that mass premium space. And I think that positioning is just something that's really critical that, um, yeah, it makes up a ton of the work that we do, a lot of the work that we rely on our agency partners to help us solve for and something that we're always continuing to refine as well.[00:03:00] 

Daniel: I love this. I don't often get, uh, that, uh, as an answer to this question. And I'm curious 'cause I take the opinion like nobody cares. And I think when I talk to brands, you know, even myself, I'm like, why does nobody care what I do? I'm screaming for the mountaintops. And brands kind of think the same.

You're in it every day and you're thinking everybody should care about this. Uh, I guess my question back in terms of current, like why should folks care and how do you think about that in your own positioning, I guess. 

Anna: Yeah, so for current, we we're really in two categories. So the, the key category that we play in that we're really looking to define is electric grilling.

And electric grilling has this misconceived idea of, oh, it's like a George form and it's a hundred dollars. You plug it in, it's. Pretty crappy, but you know, it gets the job done. Whereas current is really looking to be on par with a $1,000 gas grill in terms of performance. So we are really appealing to people who [00:04:00] want the best grilling experience and.

They're willing to pay for that experience, but we really want to actually make that experience even better. So we want them to have the benefits of tech and a connected experience of dual zone cooking, of more precise cooking. So it's really about. Yeah, why should consumers care? They, they might not be able to grill today, or they might have other restrictions.

They want an easier way to grill or a more design forward way to grill, or a more tech forward way to grill. So for us, positioning, I think a lot of it comes back to understanding. Why our consumers have purchased. We read all of our consumer reviews. We go through any interaction with our customer care team to really understand what draws the consumer to current, why they purchase, what feedback they have about our product, about, uh, interacting with the current team.

And I think that's a really important part that goes back into the positioning to really understand, yeah, what, what makes a consumer tick. Why they think that our brand is right for them, [00:05:00] why they're willing to pay a premium price for our product. So I feel like it's almost like a, um, yeah, a continuous loop of understanding kind of what it looks like today.

Of course, it's gonna evolve over time and ensuring that we're listening to all of those signals and adjusting accordingly so that the traffic we do drive to our site. Uh, the consumers who go there really understand, yeah, who we are, why they should care, why. Our product is right for them. Um, so yeah, I think that's definitely something that's important considering you can spend so much money driving traffic to your site, but if that positioning is not really clear.

It's going to not be, not be as efficient in terms of that. ROII 

Daniel: like that. Very, very analytical. Um, you've had quite the journey instead of experiences. I would say not the, not the norm from what I see, uh, generally in this world. We've got Ernst and Young, we've got Diageo, we've got Stryker, uh, on the financial side, and then transitioning into marketing with Sonos.

Proud, uh, Sonos Beam owner over here? Yes. [00:06:00] Uh, now, current, can you tell us a little bit about that journey and what you've seen in terms of consumer behavior, but also just curious about the financial experience and if you think that has made you, uh, a better marketer or maybe more CFO friendly? I'm curious.

Anna: Yeah. It's definitely a unique background and. I would say it was probably a little bit more organic where I started my career in finance when I was even in high school. I loved economics. I, uh, did a Bachelor of finance and accounting and I thought I would move more into a finance career. Um. And then of course it was a global financial crisis back in 2007.

So chatting to some mentors and advisors, um, it felt like a good place to start was an audit. So Ernst and Young, um, I was still very young, very kind of hungry for learning, and it was really a great place to start my career in terms of understanding how businesses actually work and getting exposure to.

[00:07:00] Um, multinational companies very early on and just building so many important strengths, not only on how businesses work, but how people work and how to kind of navigate various, um, complex organizations. So it was a really good place to, to kind of start and to learn was almost like a, a second degree in terms of, um, yeah, just, just working hard and, and learning from so many different people.

Um, and then. Very quickly realized audit was not the right path for me. So moved quickly onto the brand side. Diageo was a really great place to be, as was Stryker. Um, again, in more finance roles. But here I really started to partner with marketing teams and that was what made me. Even more interested in not just how businesses operate, but kind of how people operate, how consumers operate, how consumer behavior drives businesses, and, um, eventually moved out to, to the US with, uh, Sonos for a similar role in terms of.

Being in finance, but really partnering with [00:08:00] marketing teams. And again, just, just kind of grew more excited by that, uh, connection to consumer behavior. And so made the leap, um, to, to actually work in the marketing team. And I do think that finance background has been really critical in my marketing career in terms of just understanding.

Not only how kind of consumer behavior drives purchase and, and various metrics in terms of brand and all the way down the funnel, but really how to think, um, more like a p and l operator and kind of how the various parts of the marketing mix actually influence the p and l. I think something that's been very, uh, near and dear to my heart has been incrementality where.

Often you can see metrics, but you, you really need to understand is that actually an incremental impact to your business and is that sustainable in terms of driving profitable growth? So, um, I do think that finance background and just being able to kind of [00:09:00] understand a p and l and various metrics and, um, obviously when you work.

And kind of oversee a whole company and work with multiple agencies, you see so many metrics. So it's always really important to just understand kind of what really matters and, and kind of what you need to focus on to, to drive your business and brand forward. 

Daniel: What was the biggest culture shock, uh, coming from Australia to the us?

It turns out you went personal or in the work world? 

Anna: Um, it was interesting. When I was in Australia, I'd always wanted to live and work abroad and I was initially thinking maybe like a New York or a London, but ended up in California after spending some time traveling in the US and I feel like it was a little bit less of a culture shock going from Sydney.

Australia to Santa Barbara. Um, somewhat similar. Kind of like people, everyone was very like friendly and quite laid back. But I would say, um, my, my time at Sonos back then, 2000 and. 14. It was definitely felt like a startup. So it was [00:10:00] really fun working closely with founders who were very passionate and very involved.

And that was, I would say the biggest, um, change from coming from kind of like big multinational companies in Australia to actually being like hands on with these passionate founders who were just yeah, really inspiring to work with. So, so that was a. A very positive shock, I would say, and, and something that I really loved.

And actually getting to bring my dog to work, Barbara was awesome as well. Is 

Daniel: that, is that not the norm in, uh, Australia? 

Anna: Definitely not. No. One of the SI ordered back, yeah, back in the day was Google, so I think they might've been able to bring their dogs to work and get lunch on the job. That was very much the, the, yeah, not the norm.

So, um, yeah, being able to bring my dog to work was great. So I quickly adopted a little Yorkie and got to bring her to work every day. So that was, that was a good change. 

Daniel: That's awesome. Uh, 2026 is, for lack of a better word, weird. I would say. We've got, you know, uh, wild and depressing [00:11:00] world events. We've got AI in the headlines, we've got all sorts of stuff going on.

Uh, I'm curious, what is your best piece of advice to other folks sitting in your seat, marketing leaders or otherwise about how to, I'll say survive, but also how to thrive in 2026 and beyond? 

Anna: Yeah, I've been thinking about this for a little while and something that I think is quite challenging in this day and age is authenticity.

Like you don't really know what is real anymore. And so I think something that I want to focus on and potentially some advice would be like building authentic. Relationships and connections. Um, ideally in person and being an authentic leader and really caring about people, that's something that I think is really important and will just always be important.

While the world does become potentially less authentic, I think as a leader, just kind of showing up as someone who really cares about people and relationships and. Um, [00:12:00] investing to build that connection I think will be really important and, and definitely something that our team as a newer team and bringing on newer agency partners has been focused on.

And it just goes a long way to, to actually care about people and to show that you care and to show that you appreciate people, um, is really important. 

Daniel: I agree. I do a lot of in-person stuff and I try to do more. I used to host dinners and stuff, and I still do. Plenty. I find it very difficult to get people to leave their homes like it's myself included sometimes, you know, it's, it's easier now when it's not dark at like five o'clock in the afternoon.

But yeah, it's hard to get people, uh, out and about. I think we're all maybe indicative I am at least, you know, once you're there and out, you're like, oh, the world is is great. But like the thought of leaving and like, you know, uh, getting out of your comfy clothes and stuff to a lot of people, were still on that like COVID mindset.

I went to a conference last week that, you know. Before I was like, oh, it's okay. Like I'll go and stuff. And once I was there, like the energy of, you know, being around a million people is, uh, is [00:13:00] wonderful. So, uh, I totally agree. I think it's still just hard to get people to do those things. 

Anna: Yes. That's totally fair.

And I live, um, 30 minutes north of Asheville, so very much in the middle of nowhere. So. I suppose for me, in terms of getting people together, it's probably more like in a work setting. Let's meet up in Atlanta or New York and get everyone together and have dinners and maybe could get a yoga class in or do something that's really important just to build those relationships.

But I agree if it's more of just a organic, let's get together for dinner, it can be more challenging these days. But again, current does make it easier to bring people together and have those kind of shared. Experiences over food, which, which definitely go a long way. 

Daniel: Absolutely. Uh, most leaders I chat with these days are getting hit up more than ever on LinkedIn, everywhere.

Phone, text, email, uh, everywhere. My question to you, is there anything a vendor can do to stand out when you are not in market for that solution? 

Anna: Yes. [00:14:00] I would say often people come to you and say, oh, I do X, Y, and Z, and it's like, okay. Sure, I've got really great partners that are supporting me with that.

But I think what a vendor could do to stand out is to actually bring insight about your brand, potentially a gap that you may be aware of, you may not be aware of, and how this vendor could solve that gap. So I think showing that they've actually done their homework and dug into your brand and sometimes they've used their tool to, to kind of help solve.

For that. I think that does go a long way. But if someone's just coming to me saying, oh, I've done this, or I've got this experience, potentially I've worked with this brand, it's like, oh, okay. But the ones who actually go a step further and, and really show that they care about understanding your business and what drives it and what they can do to drive your business forward even faster, I think that definitely makes 'em stand out.

Daniel: I [00:15:00] love it. Um, we'll dive in. Before we do stories of your, your agency past, uh, we just ran three RFPs together and survived and we're still here and having nobody killed each other. No one died. Uh, I think we had some fun too. We did creative. We did media, we did pr. Uh, I'll put you on the spot. You can give it to me straight.

How did, how'd we do? You know, you told me before everything's going well, but I'm just curious. Coming in, you know, we were introduced. I don't think we had met prior to, you know, jumping on the phone and stuff. Any, uh, I don't know, preconceived notions or I don't know how, how did you feel at the very beginning?

I guess 

Anna: I would say at the beginning, just unsure of kind of how it would go and the process. And the biggest thing, of course is like. Finding someone who's great. And when you start off a process, and like you said, we didn't even know each other, it's like, oh, who are we even gonna chat to at the start?

And who are we gonna vet and will we find someone great who we feel like will [00:16:00] be a very strong partner for us? So I'd say just uncertainty about the process and the partners. Um. But obviously yeah, on the other side of, of that process and, and feeling like we're in a really good place. So I appreciate all the work that you did for us, Daniel.

And um, yeah, obviously just finding vendors and partners and agencies that. Are more of an extension of your team is critical to particularly the startup world. So it was, it was, yeah. Wonderful. Having your support to, to help us find those partners. 

Daniel: Thank you. Any surprises or anything that particularly stood out about the process?

I would say creative, uh, was. Not to, not to impugn the work of media agencies, but creative was particularly, uh, fun. You know, it's a cool product and seeing it come to life, uh, in pitches for me at least, was, you know, extremely exciting to see. But I'm curious for you, throughout the process, for any of them, even pr, was there anything that you know, particularly stands out [00:17:00] to you, good, bad, or otherwise?

Anna: Um, I would say, I mean. One, just like high level observation. The process does take quite some time, of course, to find the right partner. So for other brands who are looking to do a similar process, just understanding that. So even toward the end when we, oh, we're close, or we, you know, we're going through reference checks, or we need to make a decision by this stage, like it does take time to, of course.

Really feel great about your decision. And I think that was also the challenge is you came to us with many great options. And so, um, for me as a leader, like making the right decision is always. Tough sometimes to really feel like, okay, this is definitely the right decision when you are juggling between potentially two agencies who could, who could have been great.

So I'd say just like time and that decision making process and and trust in the process was something that stood out. But I think another thing that stood out as just, it was really fun to see how different [00:18:00] agencies approach the same brief and to see the different thinking. Uh, with the creative process it was.

A really great process, I would say, to see the capabilities of each agency, to see where they've really shone. Some shown more on the design approach or the strategic thinking, or the kind of. Above and beyond kind of campaign ideas or outta the box thinking. So it was really fun to see where they shone.

And then of course in those areas, where did we as the brand need the most help in our next phase of growth? And trying to kind of weigh up those, um. Decisions in terms of which agency we should move forward with based on that decision framework. So yeah, it was a fun process. It took some time, it took, um, yeah, I guess trust in ourselves to make the right decision in terms of who to move forward with.

And yeah, now being a few months beyond those decisions we're feeling great. And, [00:19:00] um, yeah, really fun to see how the next few months cheap out with all these great agency partners fully onboarded. 

Daniel: Good. Love to hear it. Uh, I'm curious, obviously not with any of these agencies at least yet, uh, it's been, it's been too soon, I would say, but can you think of a really negative agency experience you've had in the past and what made it so negative?

Anna: Yes, one does come to mind. Um, and it was a tough. Agency relationship in that it started off really actually as a recommendation from another agency who we do work well with an agency that we trust. And, um, we took that recommendation to heart, like, okay, we feel good about moving forward with this new agency.

And from the start, it, it was relatively strong from the start in terms of having, um. Time from, from their founder and he was quite hands on. And, and that [00:20:00] was kind of also why we decided to move forward with this new agency. And then of course, a couple months, actually maybe not even a couple months, maybe one month in things change and this person moves off the account and new people come on.

Um, and he just started to notice some cracks in terms of the, the work that's being done, the communication, the level of. Proactivity, but really just a level of partnership in terms of understanding what our business needs and what problems we're looking to solve and working with this agency to help solve those issues.

Um, and then of course, things just kind of at times got even worse in terms of having new people come on and communication, getting even more challenging. Um, just, yeah, more and more cracks started to, to show. So of course when you are working with an agency and you start to see that you can lean in, you can give feedback, you can chat to their, uh, founder and, and give this feedback and try to solve for it.

But at times you [00:21:00] just realize, well. As much as you can lean in and try to solve for it. Like we're, we're trying to run our business and trying to drive growth, and if we don't have the right agency partner to support with that, um, it's just, it's not gonna work. And so that's kind of where you came in and, and helped us to, to bring in a partner who can feel like an extension of the team and be that strategic thought leader and also execute and communicate and be proactive.

And help us problem solve and, and drive our business forward. So yes, I've seen definitely both sides in terms of working with partners who are incredible. Um, and then also partners who no matter how much you can kind of lean in and, and give feedback and try to get back on track, are just not the right partner for your brand and for your stage of growth.

Daniel: I'm curious, did that tarnish the relationship in any capacity with the agency you did? Like who made that recommendation? 

Anna: It hasn't. And I think we've kind of chosen for that path because we still feel great about the agency who did provide the [00:22:00] recommendation. Um, and yeah, I think, I think the, the other agency might've just been kind of going through its own kind of phase of transition and um, that likely led to some of the experiences that we had.

So, yeah, it's always interesting when you have multiple agencies and, and sometimes they know each other and some of them work very well together and some of them don't. But yeah, no, we're, we're feeling good about the, the roster of agencies that we have supporting us today. 

Daniel: That's great. Yeah. I think that's one of the myths I hear in agency land a lot is, oh, like we play great in an ecosystem and we, we work incredible with, you know, all of your partners and stuff.

And I find that to be not the truth, unfortunately, more times than not. 'cause I feel like. Agencies are vying for each other's business often. Um, and the, the Kumbaya happiness only lasts for a short period. So when you do find like a really strong ecosystem of specialist agencies, I even when people come to me and they're looking for a new agency and they tell me things are [00:23:00] like, great, they're all working together.

I'm like, you should try to fix that before you go crazy. 'cause that's like really difficult to find a group of. Mm-hmm. Um, you know, specialists who work well together. 

Anna: That's right. Yeah. It can be tough. And yeah, we, when we brought on all of our new agencies earlier this year, we got everyone together in New York for a couple of days, and I do think that was really important just to build those connections and understand how.

We need to collaborate together and who to go to, to, to get this. And I do think that's, that's helped a lot. Uh, I think just selecting the right agencies from the start and ensuring that the people that you think you can trust and you can work well with, and you're going to enjoy working with them. And if you bring multiple groups together who kind of fit that brief and then bringing those people together and building those relationships, that's how we've approached it.

And, and so far it's working really well. We also get the teams together. Um, obviously virtually on a monthly basis and kind of talk about where everyone is feeling like there there's some [00:24:00] challenges to solve or where we can collaborate better or just learnings from across the different businesses. So I think always keeping that dialogue very open and, and collaborative has been helpful as well.

Daniel: It's also 'cause I scare everybody that I work with and tell them they all need to play nice. 'cause if you ever, well it's, again, I know they're all good at what they do, but if you ever reported back like, oh, so and so is not playing nice, like, that would be even worse. I'd rather you tell me we didn't love the work on X, Y, and Z versus like, oh, like they're not being good partners to everybody.

So, uh, on the flip side, I'm curious if you can talk about a positive agency experience you've had in the past and what made it so positive? 

Anna: Yeah, I would say, I'm trying to think. 'cause obviously we just brought on a few, a few new agency funds, 

Daniel: even at a former, even at Sonos or one of the other companies.

Doesn't, doesn't have to be a current, 

Anna: I mean, I, I do think, yeah, the, the recent experience has have all been really positive and. 

Daniel: This is too, this is too complimentary. This is, this is, this is gonna sound fake. You know, everybody's gonna be like, oh, just because Danny was sitting right there. [00:25:00] 

Anna: Um, I think, yeah, one that comes to mind is, I mean, yeah, obviously all the ones we're working with now have been, have been really wonderful.

But, um, one that, that particularly comes to mind is, is I'd say stellar rising from a, from an advertising perspective. Um. From the start through the process in terms of just their capabilities, I really loved that they were data driven and analytical and had a really strong um. Kind of focus on that and bringing thoughts around incrementality and consumer behavior into the mix.

And obviously not just focusing on performance, but how brand is so imperative to really build demand and to to connect with your consumers. So from the pitch process, they were great, but in terms of working with them, I think they've been very strong in terms of. Just, yeah, feeling like an extension of the team and having senior people support our business and think more strategically about how we can [00:26:00] grow and where we need to focus.

And if we do see areas that are not performing well, really providing insight on why they think it's happening and recommendations and a path forward. Um. And then having not only those kind of senior people to support your business, but really strong specialists who are very much kind of part of the team and everyone shows up together on a weekly basis and helps you kind of problem solve and think of problems you didn't even know that you had.

So. I would say, um, yeah, just that, that kind of trust and connection and willingness to go above and beyond has been great. Positive. So yeah, I've been fortunate to have a lot of really positive agency experiences and, and not too many negative ones, so That's great. Yeah. Feeling good about where we're at.

Daniel: What are you most excited about or bullish on in the marketing space at the moment? And I'll, I'll preface unless you're dying to talk about ai, get it so much that I'm curious if there's anything else, uh, that you're most pumped about. Uh, at present, 

Anna: I would say, yeah, almost like a, [00:27:00] a flip side of AI is again, like coming back to that authenticity and connection.

I do think that. Real life experiences are something that that excites me. And this is something that we tested out last summer in terms of bringing our current products to Smorgasburg food festivals across LA and New York. And we had all of the chefs at this food festival. Cooking on our products and designing, uh, their menu, using our products, and just building that sense of connection.

And obviously people sharing on socials and talking about our products. That was something that's really fun. And this year, um, we're doing something a little bit different in terms of more of a influencer and press event in New York, um, in the next couple of weeks and just bringing people together to again.

Have that, um, shared experience over food and conversation and, um, learning. And I think that's really something that does excite me. Um, obviously the world is very much [00:28:00] in, in a digital space and that's gonna continue and probably, um, become even more prevalent. But I do think balancing that with those kind of real shared human connections and experiences is something that's, that definitely excites me.

Daniel: Love it. I assume my press pass and influencer pass is coming in the mail. One of the most sought after listened to marketing podcasts in, uh, in, in the us. You know what, uh, my, my final marketing related question. What is something that keeps you up at night or stresses you out from a marketing or business standpoint?

Anna: I would say that. I think always balancing kind of like long term brand building and short term driving performance, and definitely in a startup world you have that challenge where you kind of have to hit a number this quarter and the next six months and the next 12 months and you have to drive.

Improved profitability and hit your ROAS [00:29:00] target so that you can fund future growth. But at the same time, at current, we are build building a brand for the long term. We're looking to define a category and really create a category and change consumers ideas about this electric grilling category. And so it's really balancing the two.

So it's kind of, what am I focusing my budget on? In the next several months. Obviously it kind of has to balance the two and, and that's always a challenge and that's something that does definitely keep me up at night. 

Daniel: I think it's, uh, arguably the hardest challenge because my question that I talk about a lot on this podcast, but in general is do you, and I'll phrase it in a question, do you think.

I of course know you have to hit numbers or you know, the company ceases to exist. But do you think it ever stifles creativity of like, we want to do this cool thing, especially in the world like this, like you have such a cool product, there's a million different things you can do. Do you ever find yourself grappling with like performance versus trying some wacky [00:30:00] out of bounds idea that may or may not be easy to track or measure?

Anna: I do think that's true because yeah, like you said, we have kind of numbers to hit and so. The way we approach it is we allocate the largest portion of our budget to ensuring that we can hit our target. And working with Stellar Rising, our advertising agency, they have a really great model to understand, obviously diminishing returns and budget needed to hit your targets, and then kind of what is above and beyond that you can put into brand building.

But then we have like another kind of clickup in terms of, okay, let's take another. Smaller portion of our budget. That's more of a, um, kind of, yeah, where we can place a bigger bet. Not a lot of money, but where we can have more creativity. It's likely not going to succeed, but if it does, it's gonna have really strong kind of return and of course, more longer term.

Return. Um, so that's something that we think about, but I definitely think that, yeah, creativity is tough when you kind of looking at metrics and you have CFOs and CEOs and board members looking at metrics and you don't [00:31:00] need to hit those metrics. So again, that's definitely, yeah, something that keeps me up at night in terms of.

Balancing the two. And I do think if you're looking to create a category defining brand, you need to be creative. You need to be memorable. You need to spark emotion, you need to connect. You also need to have that positioning that tells consumers why you are different and why they should care. So it's really kind of balancing everything and ensuring that you are not just focusing on performance marketing and features and benefits and price promotions to drive short term sales, but really how you create that ecosystem and build that funnel and resonate with people of the long term and resonate with 'em so much that they tell their friends and family about your brand.

Um, yeah, that's always the challenge to solve. 

Daniel: Well, I hope you're sleeping okay at night despite all of that. Um, we'll, we'll finish with a couple fun ones here. What was your very first job? 

Anna: My first kind of job, I started a dog walking business. Love it. And it was 12 years old in [00:32:00] my neighborhood. I had one client who had a one dog.

That was great. It was fun to to think about. Yeah. Starting your, it sounds 

Daniel: like the best job ever. 

Anna: It was a lot of fun. My first job, um, at a little. I guess business, was it a pharmacy delivering beds to, to elderly people in nursing homes in the neighborhood and stocking their shelves? I remember I got paid $4 for my one hour of work in there, which in Australia was two $2 coins.

And I felt very proud about my hard work. I love it, and worked for a really great, um, pharmacist, and I loved working. I love working now, but definitely back in the day, I would always have two or three jobs. I would babysit. I worked at an ice cream shop, I worked at a coffee shop. I kind of was just eager to, to get out there and work and learn and, and earn money and, um, yeah, just keep busy.

And I've, I've, I've loved it to this day. 

Daniel: I love it. Uh, this is perhaps the most important question of, of the podcast, especially because of the space you're in. You've got one meal left that you're, uh, and [00:33:00] then you're, you're gone. The world's ending the next day. What are you, what are you having? 

Anna: I would say fresh pasta.

Okay. Uh, I made quite a lot of fresh pasta in my, my past several years. We have a lot of chickens on our farm, so it has to be fresh pasta from really great eggs. We use a ton of egg yolks and the fresh pasta is bright orange. You 

Daniel: live on a farm, man. 

Anna: We do. Yep. We have all the animals. Um, I love 

Daniel: this.

You're like a poster child for the current, for the grill. 

Anna: Exactly. Um, we, we've had a lot of eggs, so we need to think of ways to use all the great eggs. So fresh pasta, I would say a ravioli with delicious ricotta cheese, potentially some truffles. 

Daniel: Okay. 

Anna: Great Glass. Uh, French or Italian, red wine. Um, and then for dessert, maybe like a, a creme brulee also with some, some really great eggs.

Daniel: Okay. Big on e. I'm big on eggs too. I need to come to the farm. 

Anna: You do, I'll send 

Daniel: you some. I'm spend, I'm spending $14 on, uh, the expensive, you know, pasture raised, free range, all the, all the stuff for a dozen eggs. It's, [00:34:00] it's unsustainable. 

Anna: It is. That's right. Gotta get some chickens. 

Daniel: Seriously. Uh, my final question.

Who is somebody who inspires you personally, professionally, or both? 

Anna: Um, someone that does come to mind. Is Michelle Obama. I, I, I read her book many, many years ago and it kind of just stuck with me in terms of someone that can not only make an impact, but be a really good person and also balance being a great parent and a great wife and just kind of looking to do good in this world.

I think people who, who can kind of do all of that, I think the world needs more people like that at this time. Um, so she's someone that's miss 

Daniel: I, I miss her and her husband every day. 

Anna: Yes, likewise. Um, and then I've got two little kids and they definitely inspire me personally. They are very curious and it's fun.

Uh, they're two and four. Um, just to see the world through [00:35:00] kids' eyes and they're not kind of worried about anything. They're just like living life and having fun and learning and looking at the world in such a kind of curious and organic way. So they, they inspire me as well. 

Daniel: I love it. Before we go, if there's one action folks take, uh, around current.

You want 'em to visit the site? Obviously we want them to buy some product here, but anything, uh, anything additional, any new product, anything you want them to check out in particular, anything they should know about the brand before we go? 

Anna: Well, we've got some great new products that we will be announcing in just about a week, so definitely love, uh, people to come check out our site, look at our new products.

But yeah, just really be open-minded about how the outdoor cooking space is changing and why electric. It is a solution that is really wonderful for so many people who, like I said, want either a more eco-conscious way to cook outdoors or something that's easier or just more inclusive. So yeah, just being [00:36:00] open-minded and, and learning more about current, um, would be a great place to start.

Daniel: Love it. Thank you very much for joining and we will, uh, we will chat with you soon. 

Anna: Sounds great. Thanks so much Daniel. Have a great day.