Calloway Cook is passionate about empowering people to improve their health with nutrition and dietary supplements rather than pharmaceuticals.

He founded Illuminate Labs when, as a supplement consumer, he couldn’t get any of the manufacturers of the products he was buying to send him updated test results proving their products were safe.

Calloway Cook, President at Illuminate Labs

Q: What would you like to see your team accomplish in 2019?

Achieve profitability — we only launched earlier this year.

Q: What were the most challenging areas in the early stages of the company’s growth?

Paid advertising. It’s hard to tell the story of Illuminate Labs in a small text box limited by character count.

Q: Who is your role model or hero? 

Elon Musk.

Q: What is your favorite book? 

A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Gordon Malkiel.

Image result for A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Gordon Malkiel.
A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Gordon Malkiel

Q: Do you use any specific method or system to run daily operations? 

I have an extensive, regularly updated to-do list. There are tasks categorized as short-term or long-term. Every workday, I assess my responsibilities based on that list and update it as I work. It helps me stay organized.

Q: Why did you choose your present industry at this time?

Because the dietary supplement industry in the U.S. desperately needs a transparent company.

Q: What is the best/worst moment you can remember in your career?

Worst — When I started my professional career, I was struggling financially like most recent grads. Trying to live off $30,000 before taxes with a $330 minimum student loan payment wasn’t fun. Best — Quitting my day job and launching + successfully raising investment capital for Illuminate Labs.

Q: Looking back – if you could advise a younger version of yourself to do something different – what would it be?

Nothing, everything I’ve done in regards to business, has been strategic and has worked well.

Connect with Calloway Cook on LinkedIn

Follow Illuminate Labs on Instagram: @illuminatelabs

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