Undaunted

Kara Goldin was in her mid-30s when she created her company, almost by accident.

As the youngest of five children, Kara Goldin learned early in life to fend for herself. She never wanted to be a CEO, but after working several corporate jobs and starting her family of four children, she created Hint Water, the United States’ number one brand of unsweetened flavored water.

Goldin was in her mid-30s, had worked at Time and CNN, and was seeking to shed pregnancy weight after the birth of her third child, Keenan. After drinking 10 to 12 cans of Diet Coke a day, Goldin forced herself to drink water instead, despite not liking its taste. She put fresh fruit in her water to flavor it. Family and friends loved her fruity water, and she decided to sell it.

She asked her local Whole Foods manager if he’d carry it. Goldin notes that he probably thought she was crazy, but he agreed to try – and the rest is history. Today, you can buy Hint in all 50 states, and it has US retail sales of more than $200 million a year.

Goldin worked in media and technology in the early internet days.

When she was 14 years old, Goldin...