Vote Now: Spicy Success Story

Hey NWA Family,

Happy Halloween! 🎃

While everyone else is handing out candy today, I'm serving up something with way more kick — a story about two people who got knocked down and came back swinging with hot sauce.

Here's what happened:

Randy and Shauna Pulayya met at JFK airport. (I know, sounds like a rom-com, right?) Fast forward through 20 years, 60 countries, and one treasured family recipe, and they're now the powerhouse couple behind West Indian Peppa Sauce.

But here's the gut-punch: Last year, they both got laid off from their corporate jobs.

Most people would panic. They pivoted.

The Secret Sauce (Literally)

For two decades, Randy's great-grandma's Guyanese pepper sauce recipe was their family's best-kept secret. You know that recipe in your family that everyone asks you to bring to every gathering? That was theirs.

When I first tried their sauce, I immediately thought of my own family gatherings and those dishes that just hit different because they carry generations of love and tradition. That's what Randy and Shauna bottled up — his Guyanese heritage meets her Vietnamese culinary sensibility.

Now it's on shelves from Florida to right here at Ozark Natural Foods. (Side note: If you haven't grabbed a bottle yet, what are you waiting for?)

The NWA Connection That Makes Me Proud

Even though they're based in Orlando now, Shauna's roots run deep in Van Buren and NWA. They got their start at the Arkansas Food Innovation Center (AFIC) — and I have to give a massive shoutout to Daymara Baker and her amazing team who are making food entrepreneurship dreams a reality on a regular basis.

Every time I interview founders who leveraged AFIC, I'm reminded why I love telling these stories. We've got the infrastructure and the people to turn kitchen-table dreams into nationwide brands. Daymara and her crew don't just open doors — they help you build the entire house.

Why This Episode Hit Different

Look, I've recorded a lot of episodes. But watching Randy and Shauna talk about involving their kids in the business, about turning their multicultural heritage into their superpower (Guyana meets Vietnam — talk about flavor fusion!), about choosing optimism when the corporate world showed them the door — it reminded me why I started this podcast.

Their authenticity is contagious. No polished PR speak. Just real humans building something meaningful, one batch at a time.

Three Things You'll Learn:

1. How to test your idea — Farmers markets are gold (Randy breaks down exactly how they validated demand)

2. Why your "weird" background is your advantage — Their Guyanese-Vietnamese fusion perspective? That's their unfair advantage

3. What to do when life punches you in the face — Spoiler: Make pepper sauce

Your Halloween Challenge

Do one thing today that scares you a little.

Randy and Shauna walked away from corporate security to bet on themselves. You don't have to quit your job (unless you want to), but maybe you send that email, make that call, or finally start that thing you've been thinking about.

And if you need some liquid courage? Well, their sauce pairs great with everything. 😉

Listen here: https://iamnorthwestarkansas.com/333

Support the movement:

• Grab a bottle at ShopWIPS.com

• Follow their journey: @ShopWIPS on Instagram and LinkedIn

• Share this with someone who needs to hear it

🎙️ EXCITING NEWS: We Need Your Vote!

I'm humbled to share that I Am Northwest Arkansas has been nominated for several ARKAST Podcast Awards happening later this month! We're up for:

• Best Business Podcast

• Best Community Podcast

• Best Male-Hosted Podcast

• Podcaster of the Year

Voting is open NOW, and your support means everything. If this podcast has inspired you, made you think differently, or connected you to our amazing NWA community, I'd be honored to have your vote.

Vote HERE — it takes less than 2 minutes and your vote truly matters.

Thanks for being part of this community. You're the reason I keep showing up every week to tell these stories.

Now go spice up your Friday,

Randy Wilburn
Host, I Am Northwest Arkansas®

P.S.—Seriously, if their story resonates, hit reply and tell me. Or better yet, share your own "I took the leap" story. I'm always listening. 👂

🎃 A Halloween Toast to NWA 🎃

From the trails of the Razorback Greenway to the lights on Dickson Street,
Where dreamers and doers and founders all meet,
We carve out our futures like jack-o'-lanterns bright,
Turning corporate layoffs into entrepreneurial flight.

So here's to the hustlers with pepper sauce dreams,
To AFIC's magic and bootstrap schemes,
To taking the leap when the path isn't clear—
This is Northwest Arkansas. We build our futures here. 🌶️👻

Happy Halloween, NWA!