Sprinkles Co-Founder, Candace Nelson, On Innovation & Reinventing The Bakery

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There is loss in growth. There's just an evolution that takes place when you're. When you're building and growing a business, and I think people should just be aware of that. It's normal to feel a little sad about that, even though it's what you want. Hey, everyone.

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The word daily to 310-496-8363. And today on the show, my Guest wants you to know that everyone can be an entrepreneur. And I'm sure that somehow you have intersected with this woman. And I'll tell you why, because she created the cupcake atm. And if you know what I'm talking about, you know what I'm talking about. And that is Candace Nelson, who is the founder of Sprinkles. You guys, I'm sure anyone with a cupcake obsession knows about this brand. So Candace is a serial entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, Wall Street Journal.

Contributor, angel investor, TV personality, executive producer, and mom. You guys, there were naysayers when she.

Started with Sprinkles, but she kept going and she's going to tell the story in this podcast. In 2017, Candace Co founded Pizzana, a.

Fast growing chain of award winning neo Neapolitan pizzerias.

Leading the third wave of pizza in the U.S. pizzana cemented Los Angeles as a pizza destination and revolutionized pizza takeout.

With its innovative heat and slice at home method.

Pizzana also ships its frozen pizza nationwide.

And you guys, if you love Sprinkles, you're gonna love pizz.

Lana, I'm telling you, this whole podcast made me so hungry. Candice also co created an executive produced Best in Dough, which if you love cooking shows like me, you gotta watch this one. It's on Hulu, you guys. And I can't wait to get into this podcast.

So why don't we jump in and get started.

She also has a new book out.

You're gonna need to read it if you've got a big dream and you want to get it out in the world.

Here we go. Candice, I'm so excited to have you on the show. Thank you so much for coming on.

Thank you for having me, Laurie. I'm so excited to be here.

This is so crazy. I literally remember being in, I think it was Chicago and we were walking down the street, my husband and I and some friends, and all of a sudden I see this like ATM that serves cupcakes. And for me, this was life changing. Like the world had changed in a way that blew my mind because I want to share what that means. Like I looked at it and thought that is the most fun, unique, innovative way to get a business out there. And truly it made me think of things in such a different light. Where in the world we're going to dive into everything, but I have to start with where in the world did that idea even come from?

I love that you say it made you think of things in such a different Light. Because that's exactly what innovation is. It's looking at the world with new eyes and seeing possibility that other people don't necessarily see yet, and creating a vision for the future that doesn't exist yet. So the cupcake atm, great example of innovation and also a great example of entrepreneurship in general because it was, it came from a personal need. And I think that's where a lot of the best ideas come from. I was pregnant with my second son.

I just love that you said it came from a personal need of needing a cupcake atm.

Yes. I didn't know it was a cupcake ATM yet, but I did know I needed a cupcake in sort of not the middle of the night, but it was late at night.

Yes.

And I couldn't get my hands on a cupcake. And I thought to myself, I, first of all, I'm pregnant and this isn't just like a want to have, this is a have to have right now. You know, those cravings. And I also thought, well, I own a cupcake shop and even I can't get a cupcake. This is ridiculous. Right? So instead of just dismissing the idea as impossible or silly, I started playing with it. I call it what if thinking. And I started saying to my husband, my partner, Charles, I was like, what if you could get a cupcake anytime, day or night? I mean, we pay rent 24 hours a day. Why wouldn't you want to monetize 24 hours a day? So that was basically the idea of the cupcake atm. I had seen a really, you know, high end vending machine in my travels and I thought, huh, I wonder if you took that technology and applied it to cupcakes, what would happen?

Here's the thing is what made you okay? Because yes, a cupcake ATM is genius. And, you know, we can think about it and be like, that's amazing. People need this. I need this. Did you put test ATMs out there? What made you decide to go for it? Was it a quick thing where you're like, I absolutely know we need to do this? Like, how did that idea get started?

When we opened sprinkles in 2005, it was an incredibly groundbreaking, disruptive idea. There had never been a cupcakes only bakery before. There really hadn't been upscale cupcakes to begin with. I set about to reinvent the cupcake from the inside out. So we went from people saying that will never work to fast forward. A few months later, cupcake bakeries were popping up everywhere. So all of a sudden we Went from being this disruptor to just being one in a crowded pack. You know, if you're successful, competition is going to come. And in our circumstance, it was a lot of imitation as well. So there was market confusion, right. And we thought, God, what are we going to do to continue to innovate, to continue to be a leader in this field? And. And so we were always open to ideas for innovation, whether it was, I don't know, different marketing campaigns. We had this great campaign that we put out on the early days of Facebook with whisper words, where people would come in and whisper a word and get a free cupcake. Everything we did was like, through the lens of innovation, but not just that. It was based in the sprinkles ethos, which was surprising and delighting and bringing joy to everyday moments. So that really helped to frame what we were doing with our business. And the Cupcake ATM was a great example of just a surprising, delightful invention that would make people stand up and take notice again. The irony is, when we first launched it, we sent out press release to all the media and nobody wanted to cover it. I think they were just over covering cupcakes in general. Yeah, it was a great idea, but so, sure enough, leave it to the people. We just unveiled the cupcake ATM and someone came by and took a video of it, put it on YouTube and it started blowing up immediately. Sure enough, then all the media cameras showed up.

It's so interesting. I can probably go back in my camera roll and find that picture of it. I'll have to go back and do that, which is so crazy. So what would you say that you can remember that you've dropped a pin in? That were some of the biggest things or initiatives or moments that put sprinkles on the map?

I think the first was opening day. And just those first few opening weeks and months.

Was there certain things you did that set that up to make it so powerful?

Exactly, yes. So I had already started testing my idea on a small scale before I poured my whole life savings into opening this store and concept. And I highly recommend doing that if you are considering a business, definitely test it for traction on a smaller scale first. I was just baking cupcakes out of my West Hollywood apartment and it had kind of picked up steam. So I already had this baked in, so to speak, customer base who were really excited about me opening my business. But we also had the power of email marketing because there was an email newsletter that went out on day one called Daily Candy that was sort of announcing to the world well, to Los Angeles. What was hot and happening that day? And we were the feature for the day. So we had this incredible line when we were opening the doors on opening day. Well, I had no idea. I thought people would come by and buy one to two cupcakes at a time. They were coming by to buy two to three dozen at a time. My recipes were yielding that much, right? So I was working out of these small mixers. My recipes were just sort of domestic size recipes. They were not set for primetime. Our cupcake case was constantly bare. So not only were people showing up, but they weren't able to get their cupcakes. And instead of not giving it, you know, leaving and never coming back, it actually almost fueled demand and fomo because people in this town, in particular in la, they're not used to being told they can't have what they want. So I think that scarcity was the first thing. It really got people talking and scratching their heads, you know. The second thing was the celebrity component. Here we were in the middle of Beverly Hills. We were really near the agencies, and celebrities would come in on their way to meeting their agent, or the agents would come in for gifts for their clients. And really shortly after opening, Katie Holmes was on, you know, some press junket for some movie, and she started talking about her secret little, you know, find in Beverly Hills Sprinkles. And I remember I was. Somebody just started blowing up my phone and they said, have you seen it?

Have you seen it?

And I was like, what? What are you talking about? Katie Holmes discussion about your cupcakes on National.

Oh, my God. What was that like?

Well, it was incredible because if you think back to that time, this moment was the beginning of Tomcat. Right? You remember that?

Yes, I remember that for sure.

So she was in the limelight like nobody else. And the media realized that she loved cupcakes, so they started gifting them to her on the red carpet and gifting them to Tom Cruise in order to get an interview. So Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise was Tom Cat Fever. And Sprinkles was playing this role that was somehow right in the middle. And then sure enough, eight months later, Oprah had us on her show. So there was incredible. And we weren't doing any marketing. We were bootstrapped. We were scrappy. We had no money for marketing. So it was this incredible organic virality that just came from word of mouth.

What was the hardest part during that time? Because it's like everybody's dream for somebody big to shout them out or to get on These different shows, but we forget you don't actually know what's about to come with it. So what were some of the challenges that came with becoming viral?

Well, again, just production and operations. We were drinking from a fire hose. We had no idea what had hit us. But also I feel like because these were sort of pre Instagram and pre TikTok days, we had this incredible show, this incredible personality shouting us out. But we had no way to get our to really capitalize on that and to get our product into people's hands who weren't in Los Angeles. We weren't shipping cupcakes at the time. There were no mixes. And so we had this amazing promotion going on and people around the world were hearing about us, but my gosh, yeah, do anything about it. We couldn't get our product into their hands. So it was a little bit of a wasted opportunity and we felt bad about that. We wanted to grow, grow, grow as fast as we could. It's really hard to scale a brick and mortar business quickly.

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So from the beginning of your idea to what it is now, how has that idea changed? Because we always talk to entrepreneurs and it's like sometimes they feel like they have to dial in that whole idea in the beginning. And I'm like, you're, you may not even be selling cupcakes by the time you're done with this. So what were some of the things that you started with that no longer even exist or that you've pivoted into or different ideas?

Well, I mentioned my customer base, people who are ordering from me for their, you know, parties and other occasions when I was just baking out of my house, they really liked my custom decorations. Oh, they loved them. And so when I opened the store and there was a line out the door and we were doing everything we could just to get actual cupcakes into people's hands. Yeah, I remember being back there furiously trying to, you know, create custom decorations and work with fondant and work in these colors. And Charles might have husband and partner came in and he was like, no more custom decorations. And I couldn't believe it. I felt like I would be letting my early customers down.

Yes.

But he said, no, this business is different now. Look at the line down the street. They don't care about what color the fondant is on cupcake. They just want a cupcake. I remember there were cupcakes that were coming out of the oven that didn't have time to cool. And the customer said, I don't care. I need to get out of here. Just throw the frosting on. I'm going to eat it right now. And it was dripping off like butter on hot toast.

Like, okay.

So people really didn't care about those decorations. Oh, my God.

It's such a good point. Because there's so many parts of businesses that people think is making their business and it's actually bottlenecking them. I'll never forget the first time I started doing, like, did big women's events, but it started small. And I remember at it was like the second one that still had like just a couple hundred people. And I wanted to reach a lot more than that. And a woman came up to me and said, don't ever change. The thing that makes this magic is that it's small, and if that changes, you'll lose everyone. And I was like, oh, no. But it's. You will get comments like that. And I'm sure you did too, right before you're about to go into something that's huge. So did you have those moments of like, oh, my God, this is if I lose this, or was it just like the demand was kind of already there?

I think you've really put your finger on something which is just that the specialness when something small in a startup and trying to protect that at all costs, because there is something magical in that. And Charles and I, whenever we travel the world, we love that process of discovery, right? And there has been this explosion of just with globalization, of going to all these different cities around the world and seeing the same business kind of take takes the fun out of travel and exploring. And so one of the inspirations behind Sprinkles was to have this really special local neighborhood bakery feel. But by the same token, we wanted to scale and the demand was there to scale. So how do we balance those two things? And one of the things that we made sure of was there were certain things that had to be exactly the same. The product had to be the same. And consistent in the service and sort of the company culture had to be the same. But beyond that, that we wanted to encourage a local flavor within each of our markets. And so we did that by basically becoming a really active and contributing part of the community. We connected with local food banks, with local charities. We got involved with local schools. So that there was still that local neighborhood bakery feel to it. Because I do think there is something so special about that. And we were really focused on not losing that.

Yeah, it definitely feels that way. It's funny, in. In our Newport home, we have. I go and get fruit bowls over by this, you know, where your sprinkles is over in Newport. But we sit and we eat a fruit bowl, and sprinkles is right next door. And I'm like, how in the hell is there a continuous line all day long every day, whenever we come and get a fruit bowl here? Like, it is crazy. And it really does feel local, like at all the different ones that I've been in. So it is really magical. How do you sometimes when you. I can imagine, like, from a founder's perspective of when you are expanding like that and when we are growing bigger, how are you kind of keeping your finger on the pulse? I know it can feel impossible sometimes, but what is that? How are you, like, keeping touch with those particular sites? And are you going there personally sometimes? Are you having different people go in? Do you have meetings? Like, what does that look like? To make sure that everything is staying the way that you want it?

Yeah. I think that all comes down to building your team, which Charles and I were not very good at in the beginning. We were. For some reason, we had this chokehold on the business. We thought we were the only ones that could do it. We white knuckled it for months without building a team, and we almost completely fizzled out. But when we started to hire and staff and train, we realized the beauty of team. And I also want to highlight that there is loss in growth. Right. I mean, I initially came to baking and to building sprinkles from a passion. I loved to bake, and I loved my time in the bakery and frosting and working with my team. But I also had goals to grow the business. And so that meant I was spending less time in the kitchens. That meant there were some employees I would come, I would run into. I didn't know their names, you know, and that was really different from the beginning days. But that's where you have to lean on your team. We had regional managers. We, of course, would Go periodically and we would go for a long period of time to set up the store. But it wasn't something that we could be doing every day. My role ended up evolving a lot from being in the kitchen and managing to stepping into my own personal brand, amplifying through media and tv, continuing to work on PR initiatives, marketing initiatives. There's just an evolution that takes place when you're, when you're building and growing a business. And I think people should just be aware of that. It's normal to feel a little sad about that, even though it's what you want.

Candice, what would you say you discovered is your zone of genius and what was absolutely not your skill set that you knew you had to build a team for?

Well, it doesn't really matter. You can sort of overanalyze every aspect of your business, from the aesthetic to the product to the this and that. But, but if your AC isn't working, for example, or your ovens are broken, it doesn't matter you're not in business or if your website goes down. So I really believe in the power of operations, but that is not my strong suit. And from day one, Charles and I were drinking from a fire hose. It was just bananas. So we both had to choose Elaine really early on, which was great because we have complimentary skill sets.

Did you guys work together before this ever?

We did, actually. We met working previously. We weren't dating when we worked together, but I was able to see him and vice versa in a really high pressure, high stakes scenario, which was investment banking. And so I always knew if we could work that hard for somebody else, we could certainly do it for ourselves.

Oh, that's awesome.

Yeah, so he kind of took operations team and ran with that and I, you know, I was product in brand and marketing, so certainly helpful because in a scrappy startup you are scarce on resources. You don't have the people that you need. So to have somebody who was complimentary to my strengths was everything.

Oh my God, that's so huge. I literally, whenever people say they're starting anything, I'm like, have you thought of co founders? Like who else can you bring into this picture?

It's so important. And I actually, I devote a chapter to that in my book on your co founder. I call it your co sous chef, but I highly recommend it. And they talk about it all the time in the tech world. They don't talk about it as much in sort of the retail and consumer. But I think it's just as important, I mean, to have someone who has your back, gives you emotional support, someone that you trust, complimentary skill set, but also very important, same work ethic. It's everything. Because running and starting and running a business is super hard.

There's a lot of. So if you were, if you were in, let's just say you didn't have your co founder right now or your partner in this and you were looking for one, what would be some questions? If you had some people in mind? Let's say you have a few people in your life already. Maybe some people listening already kind of are like, oh, I think I have someone I'd like to ask. What are some main questions that you would make sure that you would ask them? And then what values would you make sure that you share?

Well, I think that comes back to just your overall vision for the company and making sure you are aligned. What does success look like for you? Is it an exit at some point or is it just to, you know, run a lifestyle business forever and ever and, and be a contributing part of your neighborhood and community? Two very different things. And you have to make sure that whoever you team up with has those same goals because otherwise there's going to be some resentment down the line. I think you have to think about equity and kind of how that, how that works, you know, whether you're doing 50, 50 or if you're going to do it some other way and make sure everyone is financially aligned as well.

Those are huge. Do you think that everyone is an entrepreneur or what do you think are some traits that definitely are if you don't agree with that?

I think everyone can be an entrepreneur and that's the mission in my book, is just that what we see on the media these days is tech savants building rocket ships into space or people who've dropped out of college and completely mishandled investor funds. I mean, it's just this very sort of larger than life picture that we get of entrepreneurship. And it's very intimidating. And I wanted to share my story about building a big business out of something very simple, something that anyone could make, because you can disrupt industries even with things like cupcakes. So I think if you are passionate and you have a plan, you can get there. Sweet success is meant to be that plan. You know, I mentor a lot of women and people who want to start businesses as well as business owners, and they really need mentorship, they need inspiration, they need a roadmap. And so that's what I'm hoping to provide in. Sweet.

Oh my gosh, that's awesome. And you guys, she's talking about her book Sweet Success, which is a simple recipe to turn your passion into profit, which is so awesome. I love, love, love when women write about the real journey of what it looks like. And I love that you took something that was a need for you and you were passionate about and shared it with the world. And I can only imagine all of the amazing stories that are in there. I literally cannot wait to read the entire thing because those books, it's like that is my ultimate, favorite thing to read about. So that's happening right after this. I want to know, why do you think right now is a good time to start a business, despite what everybody has always said? I'm telling you like they tell you during the pandemic. It was a bad time. They tell you now is a bad time. The future will be a bad time. It will never necessarily be a good time in the world to start a business. So why do you think right now is a good time?

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I think during periods of disruption, there is even more innovation than normal. And if you look back to the Great Recession, some of the biggest tech companies were built during that time. In fact, not just some of the big tech biggest tech companies, but the majority of Sprinkles growth was throughout the Great Recession. So for people to say we're going into a recession, it's a terrible time to start a business, are just really not paying attention to what happened in the last recession. But I think it's also a time to be really financially prudent. People need to be really focused on profitability. This is not a time where companies need to grow at all costs and not have any mind twice towards the bottom line.

Right.

You have to be more pragmatic. But I think women in general are really good about that. I think women have a great way of being financially prudent with their businesses, with their financials, and I think it's a wonderful time to solve problems. And I think also just in light of what we've been through over the last few years, there's a lot of people who are turning to entrepreneurship just because they want more purpose in life. They want more professional purpose as well as purpose in life. And entrepreneurship is really the key to that.

So good. Okay, so you said you mentor a lot of women. What would you say is like some of the main challenges that you see over and over and that you just wish that if you could sit down with every woman who is in that situation, that you could let her know these three things?

Well, I think women have to lean into the mindset piece and get accustomed to feeling scared. Right? Feeling scared of the unknown. In entrepreneurship, there's very little structure. So you ultimately are betting on you. And I think a lot of women are financially prudent, yes, but maybe a little more risk averse than our male counterparts. They maybe haven't had as much modeling in their life. As far as entrepreneurs, they maybe haven't been, I don't know, led to believe they can do the things that they are capable of. So it's about facing fear, learning to bet on yourself. And then also how about funding, you know, making sure that you, if you aren't comfortable with the numbers, finding someone on your team or someone to delegate, delegate to who is comfortable with the numbers and making sure that you can either bootstrap it yourself or scrape together some finances, whether it's grants, non dilutive grants or equity crowdfunding, or if you're planning on, you know, starting a high growth company, go to angel investors or VCs. And I think a lot of women are just intimidated by that process.

Oh my gosh, I was so intimidated by that process. I had raised money for my company probably a year and a half ago and it was the same scariest, most intimidating thing I had ever done because I had said like I had told myself that I was terrible with numbers. And that is not a great affirmation to say every single Day. But I had to totally change the way I thought about that. And I just leaned so hard and to help, like you had said about somebody who just found somebody who had that skill set and had them help me. And that was like game changing, but it's truly crippling. So where would you say are those the areas where you watch women sit stop the most? And what are a couple things that they could do if. If that is like, where's the roadblock that you mostly see?

Well, the first thing I'll say is with the imposter syndrome and the fear and learning to bet on yourself, just know that you're not alone. I remember watching Whitney Wolf Herd. You know, Bumble had just gone public. She was youngest billionaire ever, and she's sitting on this stage getting interviewed and she was like, I hate public, public speaking. I'm scared of being up here. And I was like, what? Just knowing that alone is encouraging. I think it makes you feel better. You're not alone, right? Yeah, that always feels better. And then I think you have to do things to sort of build your confidence and learn to bet on yourself. So there's small steps. You can take whatever you're most afraid of, like, challenge yourself to grow in small ways because that's how you're going to look back, that you're be able to look back and say, oh, I used to be scared of going to a party alone or standing up and giving a toast and look at the progress I've made. So learning to bet on yourself. And then I think, listen, when I was coming up in the world, in the career world, there wasn't as much out there in terms of resources for women, in terms of professional networks, in terms of, you know, angel investors and VCs that are actively investing in women. There's a lot more out there these days. So it is about finding your network, nurturing your network, and leaning on the support that's out there for women.

Oh, so good. Tell me about the traits that you've had to develop that you are most proud of, that you did not come into this with like those moments where you step back and you're like, holy shit, I did that. And now I understand, like this, this almost like this universal law or this universal truth of like how you can be in business or some. Do you know what I'm asking? Like some traits that you have picked up along the way that you did not have before or some skills.

When I initially started Sprinkles, I came to it from a place of passion. And loving to bake. But very quickly, people started to look at me as a leader because my business was taking off, and I didn't embrace that role for a very, very long time. I think, honestly, it's probably only now that I'm starting to embrace it and realize that I have so much to offer to other women who are, you know, wanting to follow that same path. So I've always been really comfortable in my doing right and creating, but I've been less comfortable in terms of my teaching and my mentorship. And I think that I've really come to own that more in the past few years. I. This book has been part of that process, and I'm really excited to step into that more sort of leadership role for business, for women. Oh, my gosh.

I will tell you, I am so excited for you to do it because I have interviewed so many people, and I can tell you that they're all awesome. But you have one of the most powerfully approachable demeanors that I have gotten to experience, which I think will allow people to move faster because you're the most kind, unintimidating, but intimidating in your own way. But, like. But I think that allows people to move forward quicker by letting their guard down. So that is. I just can't even wait for everything, everyone who's going to get to experience you, because I'm already just like, this is. You're incredible. So I would love to know what is the thing, even as of recently, let's say. Let's say even in the last six months, something that you have stopped doing and something that you have started doing that has drastically improved your personal life or your business life.

I've realized the power of. This is going to sound crazy. The sun, totally.

Right? Yes.

I think as I get older, I have been taught to fear the sun at all costs. Right. I live in Los Angeles, sunny Los Angeles. I'm doing everything inside. I'm working out inside in the gym. Like, hats and sunglasses protect the skin at all costs. There is nothing like 10 minutes of sunshine on your skin. Taking a walk, just standing in the backyard, it's so good for you. And I don't want to be so scared about a wrinkle here or there that I miss out on the beautiful benefits of the sunshine.

I actually love that because while I do wear sunscreen, I am outdoors so much because I can't function without it. Like, I've learned that fairly early on in my life that I was like, you're really weird and not as nice when you don't get outside, I swear.

I know that we already have research that shows the benefits, but I think there was more noise about how bad it is for you. And sure, be careful with, you know, wear sunscreen and all that moderation, but I think some people have taken it too far, and I'm definitely one of those people. I need a little dose of sunshine every day. Just a little injection.

I'm saying there's the power of just nature and being outdoors is insane. I actually just was talking to someone and there's new research coming out about like, I don't know if have you ever heard of. I think it's emdr. It's like that. It's like trauma therapy. They say, like when you're. When you're walking, it's like a version of that because you scan the horizon over and over. And I was like, well, that is why I work out all my shit on my walks.

That is exactly why hiking. And that's what I was. When I was pondering my answer to this question, I was like, well, do I say the. I'll. I'll mention it too. Just how I used to work out, kind of hard and grueling, and I thought it was sort of punishing in a way.

Yeah.

And now I'm much more about being in nature, walking, hiking, thinking, listening to podcasts, great music, like just kind of feeling better about my body and exercise and making it feel like a refuel rather than just so much exertion.

I'm exactly in that same boat. I used to do the same thing, and now I'm like, if I don't enjoy it, I'm probably not going to stick to it as much. I think it's. I don't know why. Maybe just like business is now hard, so I can't also do everything so hard all the time.

That's exactly right. That's exactly right.

So you just. Yeah, it's been. That's been an amazing, amazing change for me. So for you, what is the most fun thing that you are doing in your life and then in your career?

Well, I am planning a trip. It was the trip that got away pre Covid my family and I. So I grew up overseas and I grew up a lot of my life in Southeast Asia. I was. Would move every few years. My parents never had to worry about me having perspective, like a global perspective. I just grew up with it. But my kids and granted, I wanted this for them. We have been. Had roots in Los Angeles. They have known their friends since they were this big and they have this longevity and these deep roots. But I have to be more intentional about showing them the world. So every year our family takes an international trip somewhere. And that's our commitment to fun and adventure, but also to raising our kids with a global point of view. And we haven't done it in a while because travel's been hard, obviously. But New Zealand was our trip that was on the calendar on 2020 March, our spring break for 2020. And so we're finally getting to do that this spring break. So I'm really looking forward to that because there is just that. I love travel. It gives me so much renewed energy. Again, getting outside of your head, seeing things with a fresh perspective. I think it's so important, even if it's traveling in your own city. Right. I mean, sometimes I get just in my usual routine and it's like there's so much in Los Angeles. Yes, there's a lot of traffic to get there, but every time I, you know, brave the 405 or the one on one and I do it, I feel so much better. So in terms of business, I'm very excited about continuing to grow Pizzana, which is my pizza concept that you mentioned in the beginning. We are expanding within Southern California, but we're also taking pizza on it to Texas. Dallas is opening in a few weeks and we are now shipping nationwide via Gold Belly, our frozen pizzas. And I co created and executive produced a show for our chef, Danieli Uditi, that's now streaming on Hulu called Best. So I encourage everyone, okay, Best in Dough. It's super fun family show, very joyful, kind of exactly what the world needs right now. Oh, my God.

Tell me about Pizzana.

Pizzana is an award winning pizzeria. It is what we call third wave of pizza. The first wave being Domino's, the second wave being like the mods and the, you know, the sort of really quick customizable pizzas. And this is now sort of this wave of more slow food, artisanal style pizza. And Danieli, our chef, is from Naples, Italy. He brought this, you know, sourdough starter to the United States and he makes this slow dough. We call it Neo Neapolitan pizza. And it is so delicious. So we're bringing this great technique, this historical technique from Naples, but we're, you know, bringing in this sort of American sensibility and modern style of eating. So it's elevated, but it's still accessible. And I think it's just exactly how everyone wants to eat right now.

Oh my God, that just made me so hungry.

It's delicious.

I can't wait.

And I'm a pastry chef, so there are some great desserts on the menu as well.

I have so many questions for you. Do you think that women can get to a place of your success and still not totally burn out or still be healthy or still have somewhat of a personal life? Because I hear a lot of fears and I have them myself around. Oh my God, am I going to pay very high cost for this success? And I get that there is seasons, but tell me about what that had looked like for you.

I agree with the seasons part. I think balance is over time for me because you can't put something into the world like birth, something totally new world without giving it 150% totally. And I woke up a few years into my sprinkles journey. I had my first son and I woke up and I was like, wow, I have no friends. None. There was no one I could call to ask, like about breastfeeding or tummy time or where the best mommy in me was. Nobody. I had completely. And listen, I didn't really. There weren't as much as I said. There wasn't as much in terms of support system for women entrepreneurs back then.

Right.

But even then, I kind of looked at entrepreneurship as like, like me taking on the world and that professional networks were more for people working in companies.

Right? Wrong.

Wrong. Entrepreneurs need support and network more than anyone. It's such a lonely journey. And at that point, after that point, it was very humbling for me and it was lonely. And of course I was home breastfeeding and Charles was, you know, trying to hold the company together. So I. I missed him too. Right. We were used to working together all day long. So after that point, I really became much more intentional about nurturing my relationships even outside of my family. Whether it's my mommy friends or my professional networks or what have you, it just is the only way to survive in the long term because it nurtures your soul. And like, even this week, I'm on this crazy book launch schedule and podcast tour and I don't know why, but all of my friends have their birthdays in September and October.

I know.

Oh my God, I love them so much. But could their birthdays be a little bit more spread out? I am burnt. And there have been a few times this week where I'm like, I don't know if I can go to that birthday. I can't. I'm spent.

But oh my gosh, send them Cupcakes, I think, go.

And it's like, no, I'm there. And it. And it's exhausting. But there will be a time after this book launches and after Dallas opens that I will get it back. I will get it.

Yeah, I definitely feel you on that. And there are. It's that I woke up quite a few years ago, and I was like, I have no friends as well. And that was the loneliest place. And then you schedule it in. You're like, I'm going to keep these friends. You're like, dang it, do I have to? But then you're always so, so freaking grateful because they're the people who really. They get you through. And it's. It's not that you couldn't get through before, but they actually get you through and make a good life. And that is what it's all about at the end of the day, because it is no fun to be like, hey, we're so successful. And you have no one to even call and share that with or share a glass of wine with or, like, get giddy and send a little text or anything. So I love that. I love that. That's. That that's changed for you. That's hard, though. That takes a lot of effort in deciding who gets that time and then committing to it. Okay, so tell me about just your mindset and your belief system around risk and fear and failure. What are the things that you have? What's the belief system and mindset that you've created in order to get through the tough stuff, pick yourself back up and move through things and not get stuck there?

After we exited Sprinkles, essentially we sold the majority to. To private equity. It had been such a rocket ship to success. Not to say there weren't tons of challenges, and there weren't a bazillion times when I thought I was going to die. But it really was a bit of lightning in a bottle, and we had a successful exit. Charles and I were kind of looking at each other like, we got this. Like, that was awesome. Okay, next. And we started a few businesses, and a couple of them didn't take off. And Pizzana only now is really hitting its stride. And I have to say that I have kind of learned my tough lessons later on after having success, and that's almost a little harder.

Oh, that's interesting because you think, oh.

Wait, maybe I don't have the abilities or the skill set that I did. Maybe I overestimated my abilities. Right. And so I've really learned how you have to be patient and persevere and keep at it to build an enduring business. That's really more the norm than what we experienced with Sprinkles. And it's built my resilience even more, I would say, because it challenged me. But the failure is where the growth happens. I've learned so much on the second time around, and I do think that humility just in general is, is an underrated but incredibly important skill set in entrepreneurship. It's like I just always look around and think I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm gonna figure it out, you know? And I do believe so much in challenging yourself, continuing to grow, not resting on your laurels. And so as a result, you're constantly in situations where you don't. You're not comfortable, you're not that comfortable. But I think by doing that, you're continuing to sort of exercise that muscle of like, okay, I'm scared. I don't know what I'm doing, but I know I can bet on my. I bet on myself in the past and it's been okay, and I've got me now, and we're going to do it again. We're going to get there.

Okay. So I picked up that you are like a believer in challenges and challenging yourself. Obviously, it's what you said. I so swear by challenge being one of the most key components to like, a fulfilled and happy life. Who would you be if for the next five years you had zero challenges, you didn't take anything on, you didn't start anything new, you just kind of did what you do all day, but nothing came at you. How would you mentally. How do you think that you would mentally feel?

I think if you're not growing, you're dying. And also at this stage in life, it's really important for me to continue to prove that I can do it because a lot of people are looking at me and saying, thinking they're not saying it. She's on the back half of her career, right? I'm approaching 50, I'll be totally honest. And I really want to stay relevant. And I have friends who have reinvented themselves who were starting businesses after being empty nesters. And I'm inspired by them. And so I think just as in business, if you're not growing, you're dying. It's the same. Personally. Innovation is key in business. It's also key in your personal life. So I guess I could get really good at golf and that'd be fun. Ish, but not for me, that's how I feel.

I think you either know or you're like, yeah, you are. You're either interested in that or in business or really taking on a new challenge or you kind of know that you could be happy maybe doing different things like golf or whatever that is. And there's nothing wrong with that either. It's. I think the important thing is kind of like. Exactly. It's just, you know, what you need in order to make yourself feel good every single day. So what would you say are some things that you will not skip over doing in your life that is so important for you to do in order to remain a sane human being?

I have to have quality time with my, my boys and my family. Dinner is essential, particularly I have boys, so they're not always as forthcoming with the information. Right. And I've got one teenager who's real tight lipped and then another who's a preteen. And so really cultivating that communication, keeping connected, not pressing for them to share when they don't want to, but being available. So if the moment should arise when they do have something on their mind and they want to share it with you, you're there and you're present and you're there to listen. And for me that happens so much at the dinner table. But also drive, my kids, you know, my teenager doesn't drive yet, so driving around when you're not seeing their, you know, you don't have eye contact, I feel like that's sort of a more relaxing way. And there's a lot of driving in la, so trying to drive them around as much as possible. And dinner time is non negotiable. Just conversation, like encouraging them to share without pushing them to, I think is the right balance for me right now.

Oh my God, I love that I have to share my husband's favorite memories with his mom, which they were really close growing up and they're still really close. She would always ask him to go driving and he tells those stories all the time and he's like, all of a sudden I would just start talking because it makes space for conversation. That's why we swear by walking every single day. Because if there's something buried inside of you that you want to come out, it's going to come out like you said, either at the dinner table or it's going to come out on a walk. Like making those spaces is so important in family relationships and business relationships. Otherwise everything just keeps getting buried and then it just, there's just too much there to even work through sometimes, or it can feel really overwhelming. So I love that so much. So what is a question that you wish more people asked you or you wish people knew?

I think maybe how to be a good friend. Like, I have an incredible. Particularly given what I shared, which is that I used to be basically friendless in Los Angeles. I have now nurtured my friendships to a point where I have like the best girlfriends ever. And we, you know, we show up for each other. We get. But we can also be honest with one another where it's like, sorry, guys, I'm out. You know, I love you, but I can't tonight, right? We go on girls trips together. We really prioritize one another. And it's, it's so special. Los Angeles has a reputation for. For some reason, I haven't found it to be true. But some shallow and hollow friendships or relationships sometimes can be transactional. And I think maybe because of that or in spite of that, I've found this amazing community of women. We're all very creative and dynamic and we care about our family and we, you know, we're aligned in terms of our values. And, And I just, I mean, I'm gonna start crying. I'm like. I had that one of those moments the other night at a birthday, of course, because there's been a million birthdays, gotta be some birthdays, September, October. And I was really. I was having like a down moment. I was like, feeling discouraged. You know, I'm feeling really kind of like I'm burning it at both ends. And I also have. I don't like to talk about myself. I mean, obviously on a book tour, I do, but I didn't want to hijack the evening. It was, was someone's birthday, but everyone was like, how's it going? And I had to be honest. I was like, it's, it's hard. I'm stressed, you know, and it was just like, it was just so sweet. I mean, everyone came around and gave me a hug. I got a pep talk over here. I got another pep talk over here. They're like, we got you. What are we going to do? How many books we need to buy? And it was just so sweet. And it, and, and it's like, you're right. It's moments like that, that, that, that buoy you and just restore you to feeling like a normal person.

I've loved this whole conversation, but that was one of my favorite parts because I really hope people listening, it is worth every second of starting to find those people and nurture it. That's actually what my first book was about is female relationships and cultivating them for support around like life and business because I didn't have anyone and then my life exponentially changed from female friendships like massively. So just even seeing how your demeanor like you just lit up and they, they save us. They literally save us. It's magical. And our husbands can be the best people in the world. We can have the best partners. But like there is something so special about cultivating female relationships, especially when you are in business, that it is just like, I don't know, it's their little saviors. It's insane. So I'm just so. And I can honestly tell from having this conversation with you that you are happy and supported and loved and you know, you might be stressed, but I can tell it's not like a, like this sucks so bad. Believe me, I've been on those interviews too where I'm like, maybe you shouldn't do this.

You should get a friend.

Like trust me, I've been there too. So I can only say that from.

No, of course, of course we actually like this.

You need friends. So with that said, I just want to thank you for taking the time to just share and pour into everybody on here. And you guys, I want to make sure that you go and get the book. So where can they get the book, Candice? Because I know just from the way that you are on the show, you guys, I know that you are going to get so much out of this book. So where can they grab it?

Thank you so much. I mean, honestly, Amazon any independent bookstore. Also I have, I'm not sure when this is going to come out. If it is before November 8th, I have some fun pre order bonuses.

We can do that. Yep.

Okay, so you should go to read R e a d Readsweetsuccess.com and you can get some fun bonuses just in time for the holidays. My pie course and my cookie ebook for those holiday cookie bake offs.

So amazing. Give us the name one more time.

Of the website readsweetsuccess.com okay.

You're incredible. Thank you so much for this time.

For an amazing interview you really like, you go deep. You ask all the questions that you ask me. So many questions nobody's ever asked me before. So it's really fun for me too.

Well, you're a fun person to get to know. I'm so lucky to have this time with you. So thank you so much. And you guys, you know that the biggest gift that we can give to our guest is to shout her out on Instagram. So what Instagram handle do you want us to use?

I would love that. I'm this Nelson, and that's Candice with an A, C, E. Anis Nelson on Instagram and TikTok, actually.

Good for you, girl.

That's right. I gotta get some street cred in my house with the boys. Although they're mostly embarrassed. It's okay. Keep growing, right?

Trust me, they can deal with it. Okay, you guys, give her a tag on Instagram. Let her know what your biggest takeaway was from this. It's always so much fun to see the impact that these interviews make. So until next time, earn you're happy. Bye, everyone.

Sam.