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My successes.

Colton Knittig grew up watching his dad enjoy cooking for and entertaining large groups of people, which is where his passion for grilling began. “It was always fun,” Colton explains. “Those days inspired me to grill, too.”

About eight years ago, Colton was grilling on a friend’s porch without an overhead light, so he held his phone under his chin to ensure the meat was cooking properly. That’s when the idea for Grillight, Inc. was born. A little more than a month later, Colton and his co-founder, a product designer with lighting expertise, developed the prototype for the Grillight spatula. “It’s not just a gadget; it’s a solution,” he explains. This makes it easy for Colton to get people excited about his product. “My competitive advantage is not that I’m cheaper or better at marketing. Our product is just significantly better than anything else out there,” he says.

As his company began to grow exponentially, Colton turned to SCORE in search of mentoring advice. SCORE mentor Bob Meehan worked with Colton and Grillight to scale up. “I could talk with Bob about supply chain issues, overseas importing and distribution. Since Bob’s business dealt with similar issues, he gave me great feedback,” Colton explains. Grillight is now available in 4,200 stores and growing. Colton advises other entrepreneurs in Arkansas: “If you want success, don’t be afraid to talk about your business problems and ask for help.”

What inspired you to start your business?

Colton was grilling on a friend’s porch without an overhead light, so he held his phone under his chin to ensure the meat was cooking properly. That’s when the idea for Grillight, Inc. was born.

What influenced you to seek help from SCORE?

As his company began to grow exponentially, Colton turned to SCORE in search of mentoring advice.

How SCORE helped.

SCORE mentor Bob Meehan worked with Colton and Grillight to scale up. “I could talk with Bob about supply chain issues, overseas importing and distribution. Since Bob’s business dealt with similar issues, he gave me great feedback,” Colton explains. Grillight is now available in 4,200 stores and growing.

What would you tell a fellow business owner about SCORE?

 “If you want success, don’t be afraid to talk about your business problems and ask for help.”