Back in 1997, Timothy Heitmann had Popcorn Palace popcorn at its storefront in Chicago and thought it was “awesome.” He wanted to include it in the items he distributed to convenience stores through his company, Joseph and Edmund’s 5th Avenue Deli. But before he could, Popcorn Palace went bankrupt. Heitmann acquired the company’s name and recipes. By trying various distribution channels and eventually focusing on a social cause, Popcorn Palace in 2014 had $8.5 million in sales. It’s made the Inc. 5000 an amazing nine times. Heitmann shares sales lessons learned.
