#44: Lauren Bush Lauren, Founder and CEO of FEED — Building a business while making an impact, when not to take advice, learning to be direct, and how public service shaped her leadership

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Startup to Grown up the Podcast. My name is Alyssa Cohn. I'm an executive coach, an angel investor and the author of From Startup to Grownup.

Each week I talk to founders, creators.

Advisors, investors and builders of all kinds about their insights and experiences in going.

From startup to grownup.

Welcome back.

And I'm thrilled today to have Lauren.

Bush Lauren on the podcast. Lauren is the CEO and co founder of Feed Projects, Fashion that gives back. I love Feed Projects. You can find them@feedprojects.com and every bag you buy provides a certain number of meals to feed kids living with food insecurity. So it's a really good cause and I have my own feedback myself. Lauren and I covered a ton of ground, including her early days as a scrappy entrepreneur and her multiple attempts that getting into Whole Foods and how she ultimately succeeded. Try, Try Again. We talked about the founding insight of Feed and how she realized she could combine the world of fashion, which she was drawn to, along with her desire to make an impact in the world of children living with food insecurity. We also talked about company building, how she grew to realize who exactly she needed on her team, how she learned to be more direct and mistakes she made in hiring and what she learned from them. Something that all entrepreneurs and really all leaders can relate to. We also talked about what was like growing up in the Bush family and how she took the lessons of public service into her life. Lauren is a joy, such a delight and we had such an amazing conversation. I know you're going to love it and you're going get a ton out of it. So please enjoy this tremendous conversation with Lauren Bush. Lauren, the CEO and co founder of Feed Projects.

Lauren, welcome to the show. I am so excited to have you. I'm so excited about all the different things you're involved with and I just have loved our conversations and I first want to start off by tell us about Feed and tell us specifically about the Founding Insight.

Sure. Thank you for having me. This is so much fun.

Yeah.

So Feed is a social business I started 15 years ago, so in 2007. But even prior to starting it, I had this sort of amazing life changing opportunity, starting when I was a sophomore in college at Princeton, to travel around the world with the UN World Food Program. And it was really through that sort of firsthand experience of being able to travel and visit countries and communities around the globe that are dealing with food insecurity and with hunger that I came back from those experiences and those meeting with families and meeting with community leaders saying Gosh, hunger is this massive global world issue. I think now it's like 804 million people globally wake up hungry and don't necessarily know where their next meal is coming from. I think it's like one in eight people, roughly, just to give a sense of scale. And yet, when you visit families and communities and specifically children, just because of where they're born, they're born into this life of poverty and of hunger. I came back from those experiences, obviously very moved and wanting to do something. And as a student in college, you're like, well, I'm, you know, what. What can I do? And I would go and I would talk to my friends and, you know, peers in different colleges and in my college about what we could do, and I didn't quite have an answer. So feed kind of came out of that feeling of frustration about, on one hand, being, you know, my eyes open to the realities of just the great disparity that exists in the world.

Yeah.

And then the frustration of not then knowing what I personally could do to help others get involved.

I mean, it's so inspiring. And I guess I maybe have two questions. Like, you were sitting there as a sophomore in college, la la, la. And like, how did you come. How did the. Did the UN come to you? Did you see a flyer? Like, how did you even. How did that even come?

It honestly was like, divine luck in some ways. I was actually on the Today show, so backing up further. Yeah, I started to model a little when I was in high school, and then I did it through college to, like, earn a little money and, you know, do fun things. And through that experience, I was involved in this. And I always loved design and fashion design. So prior to that, too, even in high school and through college, I would spend. I did, like, a summer course at Parsons in Central St. Martin. So I was kind of using my free time, you know, outside of school to also learn about the fashion industry via modeling, but via these classes, too. So an opportunity came up just through all that. I forget even how now that you're asking, to basically design a wedding dress and that the funds from that were going to be used to help a women's charity. So I was like, great. So it was like this random project I helped with other. Many other people help participate, too. But I was selected as the spokesperson for the project to go on the Today show to talk about this project. And as luck would have it, the UN World Food program was tuning in that day. A representative there, communications officer, and saw like, oh, this is a college Student who clearly cares about world issues and a cause, maybe she would be good. So it's kind of a weird, funny thing. And yet, at the same time, in college, I was taking ethics classes about development work and actually was even thinking about hunger as a world issue and grappling with that. So philosophically and intellectually was something I majored in. Anthropology, I was just interested in that. So when I came across the World Food Program's radar, and they were looking for a student ambassador, essentially to get more young people aware of world hunger and active in. In the fight to end world hunger, and they designed a website that I helped them design to get students active. So really, with such luck, but obviously in meeting them, I said, I really want to understand the issue. I want to know that I'm being effective for what you need me to be effective in order to engage students. And that's how I was able to go on a few trips with them, to really see firsthand and really learn firsthand about the issues of hunger.

That makes so much sense because at first they would be looking at you because you were involved in this charity thing because of your design background, but, like, little did they know that you were also an anthropology major and that you had this sort of ethics, philosophical kind of leaning. So actually, it was like a prepared mind for you of, like, the marriage of a couple of things coming.

It was so, like, it was just one of the most fortuitous things in my life.

And so when you were in, I'd love you to hear just maybe one or two experiences of what it was like when you were in those places, because then you also come. I understand that you were moved, and I definitely want to hear about that. But, like, then when you came back, you said, well, obviously I was. Obviously, I had to do something. Well, actually, a lot of people go and do see things that they don't have to feel that frustration and they have to do something. So first of all, maybe share a story or two from those experiences. And then what was the inner drive that brought you back to make a difference?

Great question. So, yeah, in terms of experiences, I mean, gosh, it's hard to pick a few out, but I guess, I mean, one that is extremely emotional still. For me, it was the very first trip I took with the World Food Program was to Guatemala, and the very first stop on that very first trip. So it's, like, brand new to all of this was in, you know, very rural Guatemala to this what's called a therapeutic feeding clinic, where essentially, kids who are Very malnourished are taken and sort of, you know, they try to revive them with like nutrient rich, calorie rich foods and interventions. So to see firsthand the level of what malnutrition literally does to children was beyond heartbreaking and jarring and shocking and all the things you would think it would be. And one of the little boys I met kind of on the way out, literally I could cradle him in my arms. I now have kids of my own. I didn't at the time. And he looked to be, I would say, three or four years old from his physical size, like his height and weight. And he was clearly in pain, like clearly, you know, suffering. And he was 7 years old. So just the physical manifestations of what happens when you're that severely malnourished and then the next. So we kind of gathered our, you know, cried and gathered ourselves and went to the next spot that the World Food Program wanted to show us. And that was a school, like same community, same village. And the school kids were laughing and playing and curious, like it was the vibrancy you expect and curiosity you expect from kids. And it was extremely bare bones school. I don't even know if they had electricity. I'm sure they didn't have computers, like super basic. And we came at lunchtime, so the moms of the community were preparing, I think it was like tortillas and some sort of, you know, stew. And kids were lining up and getting lunch and they were just, you could tell, just healthy and learning and vibrant. And what I quickly learned was, gosh, school feeding is just this amazing answer to not only hunger, but to, to poverty in many ways. Because by feeding kids in school, you're getting kids to go to school and stay in school longer. And that's just what I was, you know, then able to see happen around the world in different ways. And it's just, it's what our government is able to help subsidize here in the US which is awesome, for free and reduced priced lunch meals. So school feeding specifically became like, wow, if people just knew how effective this program is and how much it can change a kid's life by not only guaranteeing that they'll get this meal a day, but that they'll, because of that meal, often go to school, stay in school longer, you know, with that education, hopefully break out of the poverty cycle they were born into.

Right?

And one other little tidbit, like I was in Kenya and I met or no, sorry, it was Rwanda. And you know, you're talking to kids and, you know, when you go to a school here and you're talking to kids, like, one of the obvious, like, go to questions like, well, what do you want to be when you grow up? And for some reason, in traveling, I don't know. I've always been hesitant to ask that question in some communities and cultures, just not knowing what kids even aspire to be, like, what examples they even have in their lives of what they can be.

Right. Or how culturally appropriate it is to ask questions.

Yeah. I don't know. I always shied away from it, but there was, like, one little girl who was, like, kind of, like, tagging along close to me the whole day and seemed just very bright and precocious. And I was able to ask her, like, what do you want to be when you grow up? And.

Sorry.

And she just, like, blew me away. She said, I want to be the first female president of Rwanda. And it just, like, took. I mean, you can tell it took me aback because there's this little girl. I mean, I wish you could have seen the school she's in and the community she's in. It's like dirt roads, you know, truly rural Rwanda, who obviously has, like, not so distant past of, like, a horrible genocide. And she wants to. She aspires to great things. Like. And it's just, you know, the lack of food is so closely tied to the lack of opportunity.

Yeah.

And that's what just breaks your heart. Like, if we can just. By feeding people, by feeding kids specifically, like, you're just giving them that not only, like, essential thing they need for life and development and their. For their brains and their bodies and everything, but you're also just. It's just giving them opportunity and allowing them to, like, hopefully have a better chance of fulfilling those big dreams that they and their families have for themselves and their communities and their countries.

Yeah.

So another reinforcing. Like, gosh, school feeding is just awesome.

Yeah.

If it can help that little girl get even, like, an inch closer to that dream.

Totally. You know, thank you for sharing that. That is so. And that's so significant and so, like, tangible. And it sounds like you walked away understanding. Actually, there's this one thing, school feeding, but this idea that actually this food. The food element matters. The school feeding really matters. And that was maybe what you focused in on when you came back thinking, that's where I want to make an impact.

Yeah. I think if you take any world issue or major global issues, like, whoa. And then it's overwhelming, and then to your point, it's Much easier to sort of say, what can I do? And walk away, because it is. And I get overwhelmed too, a lot, so. I understand, but. But yeah, if you can focus in on, like, one specific part of the solution.

Yeah.

I'm not saying school feeding is gonna, like, cure hunger, but it's definitely working. It's proven, it's helping. There's a tangible. There's a way to do it. I know the great organizations that are on the ground doing it, so how can we just get more support and more awareness for. For them.

Right. Um, right.

And that's really why I started Feed.

Right. So that makes complete sense. So then. And also, it's like you already had that experience of, oh, we made wedding dress to give to charity. Okay. So like, explain actually to everybody what Feed actually is and what it does and how those two things with the product and the fashion link to the feed. The feed part of it.

Totally.

Yeah.

Yeah. I think it really comes from this crux that I was at. After traveling and getting to know the World Food Program. And at the same time, as I said, I was like, taking design classes and doing internships in New York City and learning about the fashion industry through modeling, but also through just my own exploration and having this sort of, you know, quarter life crisis of, like, what am I going to do after college? You know, like, what's my life path and purpose going to be? And really had this kind of simple aha moment for like, oh, I could design something and use it as a vehicle to raise money and awareness to feed kids. And like, who doesn't want to feed kids? We can all get behind that. And honestly, it costs so little to do that. So that was the aha moment. And that's kind of where I started to put the pieces together. Even before I graduated into, like, how do. And even as a consumer, I was looking already for products myself to buy from companies that had, you know, a values mission, give back sustainability, like something that I could believe in and hold onto.

And.

And I didn't see a lot out there. And so that was part of me, like, oh, I created.

Totally. So what was that first experience? Like, I know that first of all, I would think, like, you'd have to make a bag and samples and then how did you get into your first store, first kind of sales process?

Totally.

Yeah.

So after figuring out. Yeah. How to turn an idea into like a bag spec and then a sample and getting it right. That took a while.

Yeah.

And finding the right factory and. Yeah. The whole backend, then I yeah. Was like, how do we sell this thing? And this was before Shopify. You know, I'm feeding myself now. Right. This was before you're just like, oh, easy, I'll like E Commerce. Yeah, start a website. And yet I wanted the feedback to be as accessible as possible. So one store I had in mind, which was Whole Foods, which actually wasn't our initial launch partner. So I'm from Texas and grew up loving Whole Foods and thinking, what a great place because you're feeding your family, you're spending money on that. Why not also be feeding kids while you're doing that? So that was to come later. Although I initially thought they'd be a great launch partner, but basically a friend of a friend introduced me to a buyer@Amazon.com oh. And this was like, yeah, right when they were moving beyond selling books, which is now crazy because they sell everything. And. And they actually built for us a little, like, landing page that had a ton of information and videos and pictures and, like, really brought the story of feed to life.

Were they interested in the mission when they did that for you, or.

I think they must. I mean, it was like, oh, it's.

A new vendor and we're. We're. We're new at this.

No, I think they. I mean, whoever I was working with, and I wish I knew that person's name to give them a shout out. Yeah. Had a heart for what we were doing. And clearly, like, you know, I guess at the time they had the freedom more to do landing pages and things that I think now probably they don't. So I had a friend, my friend coded like a very basic feed website which just when you hit buy, linked to Amazon and they did all the fulfilling and et cetera, et cetera. So that's where we started for the first few years.

And I feel. I'm not sure if we've actually said so the idea is a certain amount of money goes to. Explain the model.

Yeah.

So for every feed product we make and sell, there's a number on it and that gives a certain amount of meals to kids around the world. So it's very. It's meant to be very tangible, very measurable for consumers. So it's not. Yeah. You know, you're doing something good and, you know. Exactly.

Kind of. I love that number.

Helping have.

Yeah, my new feed bag has 50 on it.

Yes. Well done.

Yes. Thank you, thank you. That's. Yeah. That's amazing. So then. So then you. Okay, so then you're able to kind of feed the children and it is very tangible on each feedback, and actually it's embedded into the design in terms of what you've just done and the impact you've just made. That's beautiful. So then tell us how, because I know there's a beautiful story about how you got into Whole Foods. I think it's a very entrepreneurial story. So explain that process.

Yeah. So again, I kind of wished Whole Foods to be the first, but they weren't. Amazon was amazing, but I still was like, gosh, Whole Foods would be great for feed, given our mission. And before I even had a bag prototype. So when I was still in college, I was on, like, a school break at home, went with my dad to Austin, who had some work there. Like, literally went to their headquarters and knocked on their door and got a meeting with someone who was very kind but was like, you know, that's great, but, like, we're really focused as a organization, as a foundation on obesity, not on hunger. Which I was like, okay, but, like, I'm not asking you to change your, like, philanthropic mission and strategy. I just want to sell a reusable bag. Within the cost of that bag will be, you know, school meals, a donation to give school meals. Would you be interested? And she, you know, again, kind of lovely, but got. It got a. Got pushed to someone else. To someone else. Then it slowly died. And that's when I was like, you know, I need to take this a step further and at least have a bag, a physical bag prototype to share and to show. I think that's, like, a great entrepreneur lesson I've learned over the years. Like, it's one thing to have an idea, but it's a whole nother thing to actually have a product.

A physical product.

A physical product, or like, a picture.

Of the website kind of thing or product.

As real and as tangible as you can make your ideas. Yeah, it's so much easier to sell.

It's very important.

And even the fact that we were already selling on Amazon, I think, really helped us then eventually get into Whole Foods. So fast forward, still in college, Bag prototype now finalized, very proud of it. And John Mackey came and spoke at Princeton. So I, of course, went to his talk and was super inspired. Like, weaseled my way into this little smaller dinner he did with a handful of students after sat next to him, and I'm not an aggressive person or a salesy person, but I put my bag next to him and positioned it and sort of waited towards the end of dinner when I was like, oh, I have, you know, an Idea, I'd love to show you. And he was very kind and listened and then sort of passed me off to his deputy. He was there, who passed me off to another.

Yeah.

And again, I was like, but I have the bag prototype this time. And I like, talk to the head guy. And long story short, it took sort of graduating again. Getting feed selling at that point on Amazon felt more real. And then a gourmet food buyer from the northeast region connected us to a marketing junior regional marketing person who's like, oh, this is great. And at the time, it's also so much about timing, as is anything in life. But at the time, Whole Foods was still using plastic bags. They were just getting ready to ban plastic in their stores. So really ramping up. Reusable bags. It's hard to remember a time now. Cause they're a leader in this. And that regional marketing person really believed in it and took me around to 12 different Whole Foods regions, like a roadshow. And we, like, sold the bag into every region. So it ended up being this nationwide launch.

Oh, wow.

Which was awesome. And the result of which, because it was so big, was that we were able to feed or fund all the school feeding program for Rwanda for one year through the World Food Program.

Wow. That's amazing. Amazing.

I know. It was awesome.

So good. And that bag was not a purse. It was sort of a reusable shopping bag.

Yeah.

With a big. And that was like your first thing where I remember seeing you all with the big feed. Yeah, yeah.

We still have some of those. Like. Yeah, the heritage. Bigger branding, but, yeah, reusable. And it zipped up into a little pouch, a burlap pouch. So making it super. Yeah. Functional and easy for grocery shopping.

So relevant for Whole Foods. But I think when you say timing is everything. Totally agree. But also interesting to note that actually John Mackey, the CEO and a founder of Whole Foods, was not the person that could help you get into the stores. And that it's also about who you're able to connect with and what's the appropriate person to do the appropriate thing you want them to do.

That's exactly right.

Yeah.

My thought, obviously, going in was like, oh, you can move mountains.

He's the boss. Yeah.

And it often really is the, like, you know, doers on the ground who are going to actually get it done. Because, yeah, he has much bigger fish to fry.

Yeah.

And not that he didn't want it to happen or he didn't care about it, but it just wasn't a priority. And yet, for this Regional marketing head. It was a priority.

Right, so. And she really got it.

Yeah.

And it's also, you know, we'll talk about leadership in a little bit, but just also what I talk about with my CEOs that I coach. And the truth about leadership is when you're the big boss and you tell them do this and actually it's counterproductive. Actually, that kind of power is not very helpful in getting things done inside of a company. So he probably also realized he can't just. First of all, he's not going to champion your idea. It's like, you're an idea. Okay, good luck, you know, I'll pass you along. But even if you were going to champion it, the truth is you can only use that tool like once or twice. That kind of big this shall happen sort of school of management and leadership. Yeah.

I could have used your advice 20, 20 years ago at the time. It's like baffling. You're like, oh, yes, but I think you like it. So like, let's just do this.

Right.

But agreed, like now I understand how that dynamic works.

Right, Totally.

And it's like, be nice to everyone. You never know who your internal champion is going to be.

Love that lesson.

You know? And you never know. So many times we've worked with someone who was in this position and now they're at a whole new company in another position. And if they remember you fondly and your company, you know, like, that opens doors. And if they don't remember you fondly, that closes doors.

Yes. Life lesson, people.

I know.

I hope you're all listening. This is like gold. It's so true. It's so true. Because, you know, the world is small and things come around over and over again. And someone who you think may not be influential can be very influential.

Yeah.

And so I think be nice to everyone is a good rule for many, many reasons. Something I'm constantly relearning myself, actually. So speaking about leadership and your understanding of that now, I guess I'm just, I'd love to turn to your company and I know that you've had, you know, some expansions, some contractions, you know, kind of paint the picture of the journey of the company from 2007 to today. And maybe some of the key leadership lessons that you learned along the way.

That's a big question. I know. I'm like, it's like nine lives of feed in nine different phases and companies.

Yeah.

So many lessons. I mean, we've been everything from, yeah, a three person team, like super Scrappy, everyone wearing a million hats to, I mean always on the smaller end to a 20 person team, to a team that has, you know, half consultants and half full time and everything in between. So I think it's about being flexible and sort of a. Where is your, what's your. What can your business support in that time? But also what do you really need? Yeah, Honestly for a time so many people told me, which wasn't, not which wasn't wrong. Okay, you need this person and that per, you need this like team of like six different functional areas.

Like marketing.

We always had marketing pretty down but more which is something that I lean into and like that's I would say one of the strong suits I bring to the table. And partnerships like planning and merchandising and you know, exciting for all intents and purposes on a day to day. We are a consumer goods bag company brand. We have plans to evolve beyond that. But that's what we are today. So in order to do that, well, yeah, you need X, Y and Z. And that's not bad advice. But I think sometimes that leads me or left me as a leader feeling like, oh, I need to, I don't know, like I need to bring in all these experts and not that those experts aren't great, but it's kind of figuring out is that a board member, is it an advisor who actually needs to be full time, can it be a consultant? And you at the end of the day like, you know, no one is going to like look out for your business the way you will and care and just I guess be careful who you give trust to and license to to tell you how your business should be run.

Right, right.

So that's been a journey and one of yeah. Coming into my own leadership and like feeling more confident over the years.

Yeah.

It's funny as more the longer I've done feedback on one hand, the more humbled I am and the more I know what I don't know. But the easier I am to ask questions and figure out possibly the best answer, the best path forward without needing to just fully surrender that power and license to others. Does that make sense?

It totally does. Could you give us an example of people were giving you advice, you don't have to name names but like people were giving you advice and you sort of did that. Like maybe you hired the CFO or the planner or whatever and then you realized this was not the right thing for us at the size. And then now the kinds of advice that you're getting and how you kind of think about that differently.

Can we think of a specific.

Yeah.

Yeah. Gosh. I mean, I think it's exactly that, like feeling like we need this big team.

Yeah.

When in fact, not that the more smart people obviously working alongside you and doing a good job obviously the better. Um, but you do realize how much like a mishire or, you know, hiring someone who maybe doesn't have the right skill set is like slows you down.

Yeah.

So I'm trying to think of. Sorry. I mean, we did have a CFO for a time who kind of just couldn't quickly build us a good P and L. Like we were flying blind for years and yet paying this person salary. So, you know, there's like, I think.

Sometimes that's also about not at the right scale.

Not at the right scale.

Bring in maybe even like a big deal CFO or like a big deal executive. And they kind of need 10 people around them to operate.

And I'm trying.

And you're like a scrappy startup. Right. And you need them to get their pencils involved.

Yeah. So much of the interview process, it's like you're pitching and you're selling your company. But at the same time, I've learned to really level set and be like, here's, you know, the team. Here's what your day to day will be like. As I see it. Like, are you prepared? And I've definitely made that. That's a great example. I did hire someone to come in as sort of, you know, a president level person in the past who said. Who only came from big companies.

Yeah.

And she very much said. Right. You know, she knew our size. It was. I was as transparent as I could be in hiring her, but at the same time. And she wanted to do something entrepreneurial. But in practice that's very different than in theory. And I don't.

It's a kiss of death. I want to do something entrepreneurial. I've never done it before. Oh, great.

Yeah.

Right. People think they want that. Yes.

And until some people thrive in that environment and others don't, and it's like, that's fine. Whoever you are. That's fine. It's just I've learned to do a better job of like really trying to again, be as. Yeah. Suss out who actually wants that experience.

Totally. Are there questions. I don't want to put you on the spot, but like, are there specific kinds of questions you ask people to begin to suss that out or how do you kind of get your spidey sense involved so you can Suss that out.

Part of it is, I mean, my best, I think interview question or the most telling is often like, what do you love doing? Like, what if the job cause people like you naturally gravitate to doing what you love doing? Not to say we all don't have to do pieces of our work and job and day that we don't prefer to do. So understanding that I think is so telling. And if that correlates with being sort of entrepreneurial and getting stuff done and being a doer, yes, great. But if it's someone who's like more just like on the strategic level. Not that that's not a value.

I know.

But in an organization our size, less so. Possibly.

Totally. Right. I think it's so funny that people like to say also it's I'm so strategic and you're like thinking, that is not the right answer. Yeah. Right.

And I give. I mean, I've learned too over time you give exercise, you know, like you really give hypothetical exercises and you can kind of suss out how someone thinks. And that's been really helpful also in just getting inside someone's brain before you're.

Yeah, yeah.

Working together.

I love that. I always tell my clients, get evidence. Right. So it's not just like they worked at LinkedIn. That's great. You know, it's like, well, okay, what do they do? They have a team of 10 people who actually did the work, or was it them? You can't fall in love with their resume or even their romantic notion of wanting to be entrepreneur or, you know, in your case, a social activist or something. Right. Like it needs to be someone who wants. Wants to get the job done and you need to gather evidence that they know what that means and have done that before.

Yes.

Sounds like you've gotten better at that.

Yeah, I'm trying.

Totally. And now what is if you think about the advice because. So you had 20 people at some point and now you're a small team. Tell us about the model that you're. Because I know you have folks who are more like contractors or, you know, advisors. And then tell us who's giving you advice and how you're thinking about that new through your more mature, let's say more experienced filter.

Yeah. So I would say in the last. I mean, I think this is like Covid really propelled this model because I know a lot of other fellow like friends who are entrepreneurs and founders are leaning into this as well. Yeah. In this zoom sort of virtual world, like it's much easier to find talent Obviously anywhere. But also leaning into companies who are, you know, can, can you definitely need like the everyday people who wake up and like are working hard for you. So I'm not saying to like replace your team tomorrow with consultants, but getting a company who's working across many other companies your size or whatever is such a value because then you're, you're, you know, paying what you would pay maybe one person or maybe less, but you're getting the experience and the breadth of knowledge of many people.

That's a really good point.

And for certain functional areas, I don't know, that's been a real unlock in the past few years and it's been really, yeah. Helpful for us compared to having like one full time person. Right. So it might be a cheaper, but it also is just, I think more efficient.

Right. That completely makes sense.

Not for all functions though.

Right, right. Which functions have you, what are some of the functions you've decided that can be a consultant and what are some of the functions that you've decided should be in house?

It's more on the planning and the finance front right now for us. Yeah, things that are like core brand marketing, storytelling, like all that needs to be in house because that's very personal to the brand and not to say there aren't great companies out there who do that really well. So I think it's always good to get fresh perspectives too. And we do occasionally on the creative brand side work with, you know, outside people or consultants. But yeah, for the most part it's more in like the functional ops type finance planning areas which can be sort.

Of more almost routine in a sense, like has to get done by somebody who knows how to do them.

Totally. And then they can say, hey, that line item is like too high. Like they know they have knowledge from other companies to say look in your fulfillment, like maybe that's too much and you're like, oh great. Like thank you for that perspective.

Totally. Yeah. And they're also not politically, you know, incented inside of the company to like build their team or to write. They're sort of more like they can be almost like more dispassionate in the way they even relate to the team and relate to the company. That's cool. And then are there if you can you think about some advice that you've gotten, you know, recently where now again, through your more, let's say sophisticated lens, you've kind of realized that was good advice, but not for me or I've triangulated that a little bit and I'M not really sure that that's the direction we're going to go in. It's okay if nothing comes to mind, but I'm just curious, is it tangible? Example?

Totally. I mean, I think most entrepreneurs have always got the like, ooh, that's going to be really hard. Or like, kind of the don't do it, don't do it. Which you like, inevitably have to ignore to some extent. Totally. But I think if these brands can exist, like, we can too.

Right.

I mean, early on it definitely was like, we were this strange business model. An anomaly in the sense that we were, you know, a for profit company, yet a very charitable for profit company.

Right.

And when I started Feed, you know, it was very much thought of, like, if you want to do good in the world, you're a nonprofit, you're in government, like, that's the areas in which you can make a difference or you're a business. And like, that's just about growing your business and driving value for shareholders.

Right.

And I was like, no, I think we can kind of like try to do the both. And I'm not saying we have done that perfectly. Like, I think there's been a lot of hiccups and yeah, major lessons learned and how to balance those two. But it can be done, you know.

Right. And you're doing it.

I'm doing it, yeah.

At first they said, don't do that.

It was really confusing to a lot of people who just have grown up in the model. And I think that's the brilliance and beauty of like being young and naive and like, not knowing all the rules. Like, I didn't feel, it didn't feel like a big leap to like, say, this is our business model.

Right.

Which if I had been entrenched already in like, bags, let's say how they traditionally bag companies run, I think it would have been like a scarier thing to actually say, this is our model.

Right.

We're going to do that.

Totally makes sense. Actually, I think that, you know, a lot of great founders, they come into a new industry and they are like, super helpfully naive. Yeah. You know, like, there are so many founders. I mean, I'm thinking about the founder of True Pill who came from, like, you know, like they were doing some connect, they was doing some other app and they got bought by LinkedIn. And then he was like, oh, suddenly they're gonna disrupt pharmacies, you know? Cause they didn't know it couldn't be done. Or the founders of Flatiron Health, who came from AD Tech, you know, and I think what you're saying is that you didn't, you were not encumbered by the sort of understanding of what the bag industry or frankly what philanthropy should be.

Yeah.

Even charity. You were not encumbered by any like, perspective on those two industries.

Yeah, I think that was extremely helpful.

Yeah.

And had I been encumbered. Yeah. I don't know if I feed would be around, honestly.

Right.

And it took explaining early on to even stores and companies we want to do business with because they would often direct me to their CSR department, which is lovely. And I want to talk to those people, but I want to talk to your CMO and your cfo and I want to do business with you. And by doing business with you, we will be able to give back and we will be able to sustain and grow our business. So it took a lot of explaining early on, I'm happy to say, because the world has evolved and commerce has evolved as it has. We're not an anomaly. Like it doesn't take as much explaining, which is cool. That's so neat that this has been the way things have gone.

Right. Because now you have peer companies too that are doing the same kind of thing with the give back element of it.

I mean, we started right around Tom, so the two of us were again kind of anomalies. But like bombas now, I mean, there's so many Patagonia, look how cool that is. I know, I know.

Such a mark. So as an entrepreneur, so there you are like, oh, wow, why can't we do this with bags? Like, I'm so naive.

That's great.

But then also, you know, as an entrepreneur, the entry level position is leader. And that's certainly true for you because you, you were a kid out of school pretty much. So like, I'm just curious, what were the hardest elements of management that were hard for you to learn and how did you learn them?

Oh my gosh. Still learning, by the way, Every day. Every day.

Every day. All of us. Yeah.

I've always, I think this on the strengths front, always been like a very collaborative, like servant leader mentality, like cast a vision, especially because of our mission. That's just been what I've. That's how I operate. And that comes easily.

Yeah.

What doesn't come as easily is like accountability and like OKRs, like setting, you know, like giving people the structure which they want. They want feedback and they want, you know, like, I've learned that over time. So initially where feed was like la dee da. Like we'll tackle this together and we're just one big, happy, flat team. There's still a lot of that, by the way. At the same time. Yeah. I really respect and appreciate the fact that people want a hierarchy and they want to know their goals and what structure they're working in and what's to be gained by that. So I think I've had to learn how to put in play that accountability piece for the team as well.

And that kind of structure and that kind of goals, probably. And so when you are really trying to explain to somebody, no, I'm serious, this is your job, or like. No, I'm serious, you missed this goal or whatever, like, what does that look like for you now? Like, what have you learned to be able to say? Or how do you set up a context to be. Make sure that you're more clear? Like, how have you grown, let's say, in terms of holding people accountable and clarifying goals.

And again, I have a lot of work to do on this still, if I'm really honest. Yeah. I think it's about setting the bigger vision, which again, comes easier for the company, for the path forward. And then it's like, how does that trickle down to people? And it's. Again, it's not. Yes. People take their work and their performance very personally, as do I. Like, we're humans, and that's like the messy part of being a human and working with other humans. But I do think there's a way to be. Yeah. Kind transparent, direct with. But also. Yeah. Like holding people to standards and making sure it's just understood. So it's just, it's having the courage, I think, to just have. Be direct.

Yes.

Which is tough.

It is hard for people.

Maybe as a woman too. It's like extra hard for some reason, like, been conditioned not, you know, to maybe a Southern woman thing as well. It's like conditioned to be.

Yeah.

Really sweet and nice and. But at the end of the day, I mean, ultimately, if it's an unhealthy dynamic, let's say, within the company, that will keep playing out until it comes to a head.

Yeah.

And I've learned to more quickly recognize when that's the dynamic and have to like, address it more quickly.

Yeah.

Because otherwise not only does that person create, like, the whole team suffers and thus the company suffers.

That's a great point. I think that's so, so significant. You know, I had Paul English on the show. He's the co. Founder and CTO of. Former CTO of Kayak. And he said I have a contract with the employees, and if I let somebody around and don't kind of correct bad behavior, then I'm letting down everybody else, all the other employees. And you don't always think of it that way when you're like, I'm so uncomfortable that I have to talk to this person. But if you think about the bigger.

Picture and the comfort, that's exactly right.

It's so, so important.

Yeah.

You take it out of just the one person in that dynamic and you put it. Yeah. You frame it that way. I love that. That's so true.

Yeah. And so if you're speaking, though, about, like, oh, we're all one groovy family and, like. And you're a southern belle. Right. And you're so nice. I know. But, like, then if you think about culture, have you been sort of deliberate about building culture? I mean, I can only imagine that there's something important there because you're on such a mission. Yeah. And then also, how has that changed as the company has kind of grown and then it contracted and there's remote people like. I know, I know, I know. What's the journey of culture that you can share?

Yeah, we. I think culture has always been one of feed strong suits, which has been a joy and a pleasure for me being a part of it for 15 years. You know, my right hand, Christina, my COO, she's been with the company 13 years.

Oh, great.

Yeah. I've, you know, another girl, eight years. You know, we've. We've had, like, long timers.

That's so helpful.

Which is awesome. Especially in Covid, where you're like, ah, we're like, not seeing each other every day, and you just don't have those human interactions in the same way.

Totally.

So to have. Yeah. That year after year trust that's been built is. Has been huge. And you know, on the cause side, this is a pre Covid thing. Like, we would every, you know, I don't know, two to three years, we would go on a team trip to actually see the school meals, like, to really bring it to life.

That's so cool.

Because it's one thing for me to say, oh, here's the cause that I saw and the need I saw and the kids I got to visit. But it's another for people to have their own experiences, and I think that's hugely important. And I'm kind of itching to get back out there myself, but also to have my team go and experience that again, to be reminded.

Right.

Because I think you do need those. Even though Feet is so mission oriented on the day to day function, you know, like, we need those reminders to keep us grounded in that purpose. So yeah, Feed is just, we call it like the Feed family. Like it has been this like very tight knit and yet as we have matured and obviously with COVID you know, we've had to. It has shifted and not necessarily in a bad way, but I do feel like we're not in that phase where I mean, I personally in my life can't be in that phase where I can like stay in the office until like 10pm and work all hours. You know, I have a family now. It's like we've all, you know, grown up together in some ways. So it's just, it's where I think colleagues before again being in an office and we are mostly remote now. Yeah, we just all played a different role in each other's lives. And I'll like always look back on that time with such incredible fondness and I'm so happy I had that experience. But it's also recognizing like, no, this is where the company's at. This is where I personally am at now and kind of being okay with that and then creating those moments and those connections and really grounding again, Feed in that purpose and kind of bigger vision to be a source for good in the world. Um, while also just being efficient in like getting, getting stuff done.

Right, right. Which is just so important. Right. Like, yeah, we could be a purpose all day long, but we need to get stuff done. And I think it's the point like everyone gets, gets caught in the muck and mire of like, oh, I gotta do the spreadsheet or like, oh, that thing is late or whatever. Or like, oh, we have a problem with our supply chain, which I'm sure you struggled with when everyone was in the supply. Yeah. So. But at the same time for you all, it's. So I do want to just say like, I hope it's not inappropriate to say, but with so many companies it's easy to say, well, we're not saving babies here, like calm down. But actually you kind of are. Right. I mean, like, wow. So the point is to get people out in the field so they can really understand their purpose and then you can connect to the spreadsheet or the deliverable or whatever it is.

Yeah, I mean we always ask people like on their feediversary, what's your favorite feed memory? And you know, some of it's like, oh, this time we did. We're in the office together, this, that and the other. But most of the time it's been these trips is the memory people reference. And I would agree with that.

Yeah, it makes no sense. Now. You talked about your own, you know, your stage of life and so you got out of college, you started feed. Life went on, you got married and you have three kids now.

Right.

And they're killing a really little one.

We had a Covid baby, he's almost.

Two, so on trend.

Yeah.

Covid baby. And so how has motherhood, or I want to say parenthood, I don't like to call it motherhood. Parenthood changed almost like the way you relate to the company and also personally your leadership style, if at all.

Totally. And I'm funny, I mean my oldest is seven, but I'm still sort of unpacking that, you know, new phase, if you will. Yeah, I think first of all, yeah, as a parent, there's a new value on my time again in a way. Pre parenthood, I would go to bed on my emails and wake up on my emails. And now it's like I physically can't do that because I have to put my kids to bed and I've got to wake them up and get them on the school bus. You know, like it's just. And yeah, I'm more. I think I'm more for that reason more direct, more efficient, more effective as a worker because I have more. My time is more finite that I have to spend on feed. Secondly, I think I'm more definitely more empathetic to like co workers who obviously are parents as well or any, I mean parent, dog parents name, have other outside of feed responsibilities because. Or work responsibilities because yeah, we all have a life outside of work and that's important to value and recognize. And I think that's been probably one of the great reckonings of the COVID time period is like we all resuming, like we literally got to see into people's lives in different ways, you know, and we have, I think we all got more empathy but certainly in having kids I have more. Yeah. Empathy for that. And then secondly, I'm definitely have more. I mean it's funny, like I started this work caring about kids, but now in going on giving trips since I've had kids, like your heart just like is open in this whole different way because you can more easily imagine that your kids are these kids that you're meeting. And I mean. Or the. I mean what really broke my heart on the first trip I took after having my oldest was I met A group of moms, like new moms, whose kids were malnourished. And these moms, it's not for neglect. Like, they are working as hard as they possibly can. They're just living in areas where they just can't make, you know, like, it's literally almost impossible to make ends meet, if not impossible.

Yeah.

And to put yourself in that position where, unlike for my life, you care, I mean, so deeply about your kids, but especially their health. You. You fuss over what they're eating. Is it healthy enough? Are they getting enough food? Like, even from the time they're born, are they nursing enough? Like, it's all these things that you're really concerned about as a mom, as a new parent. So to then go and see that reality play out where it's like, not for lack of trying or not for lack of love, these moms, parents just can't provide the way they know they want to and need to for their kids.

I mean, it's just a function of, like, where you're born.

Literally, like, for them. Yeah. They call it, like the birth lottery for that reason, you know?

Who's they? They.

The world. I don't know. Yeah. Because just because it's. And how lucky am I? Like, how lucky are you? How lucky are we?

Oh, how lucky are we?

So lucky.

I know, I know. But I do want to just bring up. I mean, there is a contrast between the way you grew up. Right. And sort of what you're seeing now. And I just think it's so remarkable. So you grew up in the Bush family, and President. Former President George Bush and Barbara Bush are your grandparents, and so you have this whole political lineage. And, you know, also I would just say privileged lineage. And so I guess I want to know, what was it like as you grew up? Was there this notion. I mean, obviously, political is public service. Was there that element of. In your upbringing? And then also, how do you kind of think about your own birth lottery, if you will?

Yeah, yeah. No, I feel extremely fortunate to have been born where and when I was born. Totally. I mean, grew up in the Bush family, obviously. And I don't know, political service or public service rather was just something that was never said, oh, this is what you need to aspire to or do in your life. But it clearly was the example in front of me. And, you know, something that I was brought up subliminally thinking, gosh, this is, like, what we should all aim to do. But I'm grateful that my family wasn't there, was never, like, my Grandparents never directly said to any of us, I think even their kids, meaning, like you need to do it by going into politics. Like they just wanted us to hopefully incorporate it somehow, I think, and go forth in the world and like make it our own.

Did you feel that from around your family, why it's important to serve in some way?

Yes. But again, it wasn't a spoken like this is what you have to do. It was more obviously just an example I grew up around and a conversation I grew up around, like around, you know, the family dinner room table and just the example I had. And even my mom, to her credit, who not in politics, she started a charity called Caritas. So it was helping homeless and abused kids locally in Texas, where I grew up. So I also grew up being exposed through her work to what it means to give back on a more local level and going to women's shelters and soup kitchens with her that she was helping to fund. So it was also through that example.

Yeah.

That obviously was like an early influence. And I do, I mean I very much believe what is it? To whom much is given, much is deserved. You know, who much is given, much is expected. Expected. Thank you. I was like, yes, there's something there, something there. Expected.

Yeah.

I don't know, just a sort of an ethos to like live by.

Yeah.

And it's on a selfish note. Like it's so gratifying to feel that you're able to make a difference and make someone's day better and. Or make someone's life better. Like what a neat feeling to have.

Yeah, yeah. I think, you know, someone in my community, one of the sort of great leaders in the world, Frances Hesselbein, she just, she died at like 107 and she. One of her expressions was to serve as to love. And I think that's, you know, you sort of get the understanding of the feeling of being in service. That is its own joy, actually.

It is, yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, whenever times have been tough with the business and there have been many, you know, bumps along the way, I find if I can kind of recenter myself into that, like why I started the founding intention of service. Yeah, it just snaps me out, you know, it snaps me out of those hard times and it gets me back to a more, I think, abundant and creative and like love filled place to continue.

That's lovely. That's amazing. You know, Lauren, you're so genuine. You're so, you know, confident, frankly. You come in here and you're so genuine and you're so down to it.

Glad that's what projects.

Well, it definitely projects that way. And also you were a model. So I mean, you know, there's something about your, your way that does project confidence and you really created such a successful business and life. I am curious like is there anything what I ask all entrepreneurs is like on the show, what have you ever experienced imposter syndrome?

Oh my God. Every day I'm like, I guess, yes.

Tell us about that. People need to hear the inner workings here too.

I know all the time. And yes, don't believe this confident exterior, but I'm glad that's what's coming across. No, I just feel, you know, we all compare our. It's hard not to as a human compare yourself to the, you know, this company or that entrepreneur, this founder. And obviously that's only, you know, not that's going to lead to a lot of self doubt and what is it Comparison is like the greatest is the greatest robber of joy, which is true. So I've tried to like also learn in my time as an entrepreneur to like minimize that and accept that everyone's on their own path and their own journey. And I don't know that's more or less how I try to operate from. But it's hard again not to slip into that for a while. Actually, you know, feed was here and there and this crazy celebrity all of a sudden was carrying feed and like all these like, you know, just like this crazy momentum early on. And I got to the point where I started to be like, I'd refer to myself as like Forrest Gump. Like I just like Forrest Gumped into these like crazy situations and partnerships and this, that and the other, which I think was a way for me to like express my imposter syndrome because like behind those Forrest Gump moments was a lot of hard work and like it wasn't total luck. Like a lot is timing and luck as we talked about. But without, you know, good ideas and like some skill to back it up, it's not going to come to fruition. So I've sort of learned over time to stop even internally, but also externally referring to myself as Forrest Gump.

Right.

Because it kind of belittles.

It's so self deprecating.

Yeah. The effort and the. Yeah, the heart and sweat and blood. Sweat and tears that go into actually making stuff happen.

Yeah. Are there any other tools that you use to combat your own imposter syndrome or practices?

Work again, work in progress. Honestly, I think it's like every day is its own day and every struggle I live a lot. It's like there might be a shiny exterior, which is like, what you need to create as an entrepreneur.

Right.

I find, though, one of the best things is I've cultivated a great community. A lot. Female founders, some male founders too, but founders, like entrepreneurs who get those, like, ups and downs you can be really real with. And to have that community or like even a handful of people that you can call when you do feel like an imposter, who can say, who can just, like, I don't know, snap you out of it, believe in you, but who also, really, truly, because they are living it or have lived it themselves, understand the journey of what it means to, like, create something and have to be out there, you know, selling it every day and uplifting your team, even if you don't feel uplifted and all the things. So I feel really lucky. Yeah. To have those friends.

Yeah. A tribe is so important. Yeah. People around you. Yeah. Lauren, just two more questions. What do you wish you had known earlier on your journey?

Everything.

Great answer.

No, I mean, yes and no. Because as we talked about earlier, to start something and like, go against the rules or the status quo, it was great to not know all the rules. You know, I think it made me a little more fearless and maybe more visionary. Blah, blah, blah. What did I want to know? I think probably knowing. So Feed is my first and only job. And in that I didn't have prior work experience within company. Like, I've literally been learn as you go, trial by fire, learn from others. So on one hand, I think I'm a very open person and uniquely able to seek out mentorship and knowledge from where I can because I haven't had the formal training, in essence, prior to Feed, like, I didn't go to business school. Yeah, I didn't have a job. So on the flip side, I think it's made me more open to learning from whatever sources I can learn from. But I think on the other side, there are times in Feed's history I've been like, ah, had I only known that, you know, like, I only known how to set that up, that would have saved us so much time.

Like what?

Like even. Yeah. What is like a production calendar look like, you know, like what? Like simple, basic, kind of like retail, 101 things that we have very much in place now. But it took time and it took other people coming into the company to help teach me to build. So just some of those, like nuts and bolts, if you will.

Yes. Oh, my God. So well said. So True. So true.

You know?

Yes. The nuts and bolts. And it's like, oh, I didn't know it was a thing as a production calendar.

Yeah. You're like, oh, what an unlock. Like, great.

Wow. What else don't I know, right? Yeah, totally. And what advice do you have for other founders as they go on their journeys from startup to grown up?

So when I started Feed, obviously I was a CEO, but I was such. It felt like too big a title to own. And. And over the years, and there's been times when I haven't been the CEO, I've hired a CEO. I am now CEO, and I finally feel like your book title, From Startup to Grown up, like, I finally feel like I've grown up enough to, like, own that title in a new way. And that can only come from, like, the many ups and downs and the many years and the many lessons learned. But I don't know. That's been a big part of my journey, personally, is like, finally owning that.

Yeah, that's so well said. And you know somebody. Greg Gallant was on my podcast. He's the founder of Muckrack, and he said, it's crazy that on my first day of Muck Rack, my. My title was the same as the title of Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple.

Totally. It's like, come on. I know, I know.

Yeah. That's great that you feel like you've sort of stepped into that role, though, now.

Yeah. I mean, there's so much still to learn. I say that very humbly, but. Yeah. For many years, I resisted even having that title. But again, to the structure and the point of people wanting leadership, I don't know. It's nice to feel like you can own it, too.

I love that.

I love that. I think the tribe piece is a big one, even just for, like. Yeah. Finding humor and fun and camaraderie in the good times and the bad, to have your try, whether it's your team, whether it's other fellow friends and entrepreneurs, advisors, that's huge. I think, too, which I've so, too often done. Like, you. You blow past the good, like, the moments that should be. You should stop and celebrate and really recognize, like, it's too easy to just keep running to the next hill to tackle. And I kind of look back and I'm like, oh, I wish we had, like, kind of just celebrated more. I wish I personally had even just taken more time to say, wow, that was great. Like, to kind of relish in those moments. So I think for founders, especially, because you are like drinking from a water hose and learning so much and trying to be so much to so many people to also feed yourself in that way. And yeah, take those moments to take care of yourself. A but also recognize what you and your team have done is important.

Right? Celebrate those moments and relish those times. Amazing. Lauren. Thank you so much. Thank you for joining me today. It was fabulous to talk to you and people are gonna learn so much from this. I really appreciate it.

I hope so. Thank you for having me.

You're welcome. Thanks for listening to From Startup to Grown Up. If you like what you heard, give it a review on Apple Podcasts so other people can find it. And if you know of a founder.

Or someone else who is meant to.

Be on this podcast, drop me a line through my website, alyssacon.com.