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http://www.zoefoods.com/blog/

Table Tricks

Since we just moved to a new house, we received a terrific house-warming gift (not including the very delicious homemade cupcakes from a neighbor, and my husband thought no one does that anymore) – but a deck of cards of questions appropriate for the whole family called Table Topics. To follow on to my blog from the other day about getting your kids to eat what is in front of them, the best way to achieve this is to not talk about what they’re eating!

Forget reverse psychology or any other tricks of the parent trade. Just get your kids involved and thinking about something else and having a real dialog. Even my four and five year old girls can participate in the questions posed by Table Topics. The best part about it – dinner has not only become relaxing, but entertaining! I can’t begin to tell you how much fun it is to have a lively dialog with your pre-schoolers and spouse.

Table Topic: What do kids know more about than their parents? It’s not just princesses and groovy girls, it’s what any good manager, psychologist, or believer in the “The Secret” would tell you – believe in your children and treat them in the way that you would like them to behave and those dinner-time woes may just fall by the wayside.

The Secret: When Opportunity Knocks

If any of you have read the book, The Secret, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I don’t want to get all “new agey” on you, but, I really think there’s something there. We attract what we believe and what we want. So I believe there’s truth in the old adage, “be careful what you wish for.”

In all honesty, Zoe Foods has been a roller coaster ride for the last eight years. If anyone had ever told me it would be so hard to start a business and turn it into a success, I would never have believed them in all of my naïve optimism. More stories on this topic, but I’ll save them for another day.

If Zoe were a cat, the company would be in its ninth life. The company is small, and is going through a difficult time with consolidation in the grocery industry, Whole Foods Market's discontinuing brands to make room for their private label products, product challenges, management challenges, etc. All of that said, we have some really exciting opportunities coming our way, and I can see that the light at the end of the tunnel and is not an on-coming train, but rather daylight. So hold on for the ride…

I leave for LA tomorrow on a 6:30am flight (I’ll be up at 4am – ugh) for some sales meetings in LA with my VP sales and some of our brokers, and a meeting with Jackie Warner of Bravo’s show Work Out, and the founder of Sky Sport Spa. Now there’s an entrepreneur for you! Despite the obvious differences between our companies, from my research on her, we have a similar philosophy – make a difference in people’s lives via a healthy lifestyle. So the roller coaster ride continues with interesting opportunities at every corner. Stay tuned… And yes, I did work out this morning and felt the burn (while my kids darted in and out of my bedroom and my dog pranced around with his bone in his mouth).

How many more bites do I have to take to get dessert?

Am I the only mom that hears the same thing over, night after night at the dinner table? And by the way, it’s not, “mmm, this is delicious.” How about the litany of complaints ranging from: “It’s too spicy. “I won’t eat the tops of the broccoli, mommy, just the stem.” “Will you count how many more bites I have to eat to get dessert?”

Ugh – dinner used to be relaxing. After a long day at work, my husband and I need dinner to be more relaxing, but even more importantly, we want our girls to learn to eat a variety of foods and to enjoy eating healthfully. As hard as this can be after a long day at work, we persevere. With the increasing rates of childhood obesity and diabetes, and the number of girls that have eating disorders, we realize how important it is that we teach our kids to try new foods and to know when they are hungry and when they are full.

Once the girls had some teeth, my husband and I decided that our family would all eat the same thing for dinner – i.e. no specially made meals, no chicken fingers (“mommy, I didn’t know chickens had fingers!”), and no noodles with butter. Although dinner isn’t as relaxing as we might like, our girls are learning. They eat chicken, fish (I didn’t even eat fish until college!), red meat, pork, and pasta of course, along with a variety of vegetables, fruits, and the requisite daily treat.

So hang in there, teach your child to enjoy lots of different foods, tastes, and textures, always include at least one thing in their meal that you know they will enjoy that’s good for them, and pass the ketchup on your way out by leaving it in the fridge.

Be Yourself & Be Fair

I just read a blog on the Wall St. Journal site about “The Benefits of a Feminine Leadership Style” (http://blogs.wsj.com/independentstreet/2008/06/09/the-benefits-of-a-feminine-leadership-style/#comment-14448). Here are my thoughts:

I have worked for both "good" and "bad" bosses of both sexes and thus, don't think it is gender that makes someone effective or successful in managing other people. So what does make someone a good manager of people? From my experience it is whether they have the capability to be fair when put to the test, and if they are authentic.

In the eight years I have been running Zoe Foods, an all natural foods company that produces cereals and bars, I am sure that I have made all types of management mistakes. But, the two things that I have always done is to be myself and make every effort to be fair. As a result, I believe I have earned the respect of my employees and shareholders, and if the company can produce excellent products that live up to their claims, the company too, will be successful.
As a mom and an entrepreneur, I find the same is true with my family and children, as at work. The main difference - my employees don't have tantrums - usually ;)

A Momtrepreneur’s Answer to the Question: “What Do You Do?”

I was just at a new parents’ meeting for my children’s new school. All very exciting, but I admit that I did have an ulterior motive – meet some mothers of the other girls in my daughter’s pre-K class to arrange some play dates over the summer. That way, my daughter would have a friend at her new school. Sounds easy. It turns awkward when I explain that I won’t actually be at the play date because I work full-time, oh, but my girls’ nanny will be there.

This of course leads to the question: “So, what do you do?” Now you think this would be easy to answer, but there are so many options... I work in the natural foods industry, I run a natural foods company, I could even say that I started a natural foods company and run Zoe Foods. Or, I could just say that I’m an entrepreneur. Nothing seems to roll off my tongue because I don’t work for someone else in the way that most people do. I don’t leave it all behind when I come home at night; the day’s challenges and goals are always brewing in the back of my head, and of course the bottom line is always part of my consciousness.

How do I explain in a casual situation what I do for work when I’m an entrepreneur who adores her family and being a mom? I’m at the school function aren’t I? I’m present. My life’s work just goes in two directions: (1) my family, and (2) my job.

Building a company is hard, growing a brand that can make a difference in people’s lives with all natural, nutritious and delicious foods is harder, but raising your kids to be kind, respectful, considerate, and loving people? Isn’t that the toughest challenge of them all? And that’s the task that I outsource on a part-time basis! Now where’s the sense in that?

After five years of deliberating on these questions, I’ve come to the conclusion that we are all here on this planet to achieve different things and that being an entrepreneur and a mom are not mutually exclusive. In fact, most moms are entrepreneurs! Entrepreneur (n.) a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, esp. a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk. In my book, a family is certainly an enterprise, and no one will deny that raising a family takes a lot of initiative, tons of effort, and contains risk!

How a woman balances her roles is as varied as the number of women who choose to take on both work and family. Maybe I’m only dreaming that I can do both at once and do both well, but I don’t think so. I really believe that I can, and some of the cool stuff that is taking place at Zoe Foods right now and with my kids is proof that I am beginning to achieve the goals that I set out for myself.

So in answer to the question “What do you do?” I think next time I will say I’m a CEO – Common Everyday Over-achiever* of all things ranging from kids’ play dates to doctor’s appointments, and yes, Zoe Foods.

Note: I would like to attribute this very clever definition of “CEO” to Kris Kaplan, a fellow EO (Entrepreneur’s Organization) member, and clearly, another CEO.

Slowing Down the Course of Time – Do Less, Not More

Last week was my girls’ last week of school. On the last day, the school had a sing-along and a picnic. During that time the kids ran around and played. At age 3-5, they do not really comprehend the full import of the day – that many of the 4 year olds, and all of the 5 year olds will be attending different schools in the fall. They are at school five days each week till noon, and then during weekly playdates, and birthday parties every couple of weeks. Then, school is over. Everyone’s lives are about to move on in very different directions. The parents of course were all in awe that their babies had just finished pre-school or pre-K and how quickly the year had whizzed by.

I discussed how quickly the time has gone by with one dad and soon discovered that he held the same opinion as that of my husband: the faster we run, and the more we take on, the faster time goes by. So does that mean that the converse is true? If we do less, time will slow down?

Sounds crazy but at 42 years of age, there’s still so much I want to see, do, and experience in my life and with my family that I cannot imagine how I will squeeze it all in. (Even that sentence was long just to get everything in!) There’s just so much fun to be had and many wonderful people to meet.

My wise yogi friends seem to have figured it out by being in the moment. The thing is, I am in the moment. There are just so many wonderful moments and they all whiz by so quickly. Why is it that when you’re little and your birthday is only a month away it seems like forever, and now that I’m almost 43, my 40th birthday celebration seems like it was yesterday?

Multi-Tasking Mania

I’m sitting at my desk in my Zoe Foods office with my earpiece on for my cell phone, typing on the keyboard for my desktop, and my laptop PC open and on to my right that I’m checking occasionally for interesting emails.

My director of operations, Tim, walks in and just starts to chuckle as he hands me something I recently printed and left on the printer (one of my many projects). I look at him with a quizzical look, and then say, “oh thanks, yeah, I printed that.” He said, “Why don’t you have a phone hooked up to your other ear, since you’ve got a computer going for each eye?”

Tim turns to leave and I say, “Ooh, now I have my next blog idea – thanks.” I take the earpiece off after listening to Verizon’s hold music (trying to get a new phone number for our home which we just moved into a couple of weeks ago) when I realize that after 25 minutes on hold, I had become accustomed to Verizon’s hold music and that it was actually helping me to tune out all of the junk and focus on just one project.

Hmmm, how many things am I working on at the moment? Well, I’ll only admit to several. How many different things are going through my brain, that’s a story for another day, but probably common to many entrepreneurs and multi-tasking moms – and when you combine the two – well, watch out!

How much can any of us really get done at one time, and get done well? Am I really accomplishing more by having so many projects going at once, or is Zoe Foods that grossly understaffed? Questions to ponder for another time… because now I’m going to run home to spend a little quality time with my kids before I go to an EO (Entrepreneur’s Organization) Board meeting.

A Kick Start to Healthy Eating

A little while ago I wrote about my belief that there is no magic bullet. I certainly did not mean to leave anyone hanging as to what might be a healthy option. So I’d like to share with you a healthy meal plan that was created by a registered dietician for Zoe Foods. In working with this dietician, our goal was to create a meal plan that would help you to learn what a balanced diet would be like for one week. The thought is that you can then continue with these eating habits and add your own combinations and variety. We wanted to help get you started. We also learned that every day does not have to, nor can it be perfect. But over the course of a week, you will have eaten healthfully, and hopefully enjoyed your meals, as well as learned that it’s not as hard as it looks. So have some fun with it, and take a look at the following link: (http://www.zoefoods.com/mealplan.htm).

Don’t Get Stuck In A Rut!

We all fall into ruts from time to time, whether it is about how we look or feel, or whether we are achieving our goals. I’ve learned that the key is to not fall down too far, and if I do, to acknowledge it to myself, my family, and my colleagues. Recently, I’ve been in a bit of a rut with too much to do, and not enough time for family, work, friends or myself.

Here’s just a small sample of my to do list for the next couple of days: My family has just moved to the next town and we need to unpack, set up phone and internet service (thank goodness for my Blackberry), change our address at the P.O., unpack, buy a birthday present for my daughter’s friend’s birthday tomorrow, unpack, repaint the kitchen, unpack, take better care of myself and get more sleep, unpack … At Zoe Foods I just have a couple of things going on :), reformulate Zoe’s Granolas to make them taste as good as the leading brands, hire a new VP of Sales, get our marketing intern up and running, revise Zoe’s Granola packaging, increase sales... UGH – where to begin!

Well, I guess the good news is that I’ve recognized that I’m completely overwhelmed at work and at home and so I’m in a bit of a rut. Two things that I’ve found to be helpful: (1) Write my to do list for one day only on one of those magnetic boards that kids play with and have it next to my desk. At the end of the day, have completed everything on it and slide the slider to erase all of the cross outs – yeah! The next day I get to start with a clean slate – not so overwhelming. (2) Stop committing to so many things – and tape “You can only do so much” to my computer monitor as a reminder!

As a friend said to me recently, if you’re on an airplane and the oxygen masks drop down and you’re with your small children, what do you do? My answer was to help my children first of course. I am just now beginning to understand that this is the wrong answer. If I can’t breathe, how will I possibly help anyone else?

Looking for the Magic Bullet to Weight Loss?

I hate to be the one to break it to you – but it doesn’t exist. And by the way, there’s no fountain of youth, and I have yet to find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. But hey, I don’t mean to be negative, just realistic. As the founder of a natural foods company, I am often asked the question “will I lose weight if I start eating Zoe’s Granolas and/or Zoe’s Bars?”

Although there is no such thing as a magic bullet, a little discipline and common sense do go an awful long way. Easy advice to give, harder to actually follow – I know because I’ve been there too.

When I first started Zoe Foods – about eight years ago – I received an email from a woman sincerely thanking me for making Zoe’s Granola. She said that she began eating Zoe’s Granola in place of her normal breakfast. Before long, she had begun to lose weight and not be hungry before lunch. Since she had lost some weight and was feeling better, she started walking regularly. Before she knew it, she had unintentionally lost more weight, and felt stronger and more energetic.

I couldn’t believe that Zoe’s Granola had become the catalyst for change for this woman to lead a healthier lifestyle. Although Zoe’s is not a magic bullet, I was pretty excited about its potential to make a difference in people’s lives. This has been my dream for a long time.

Starting Zoe Foods eight years ago is part of my dream to make a difference in people’s lives through a business that would be interesting, challenging, and allow me to work with amazing people. My dream to grow Zoe Foods into a natural foods brand that is available in grocery stores nationwide persists. Because my team and I believe in this dream, we are beginning to see how we can achieve our goals.

Keep believing in yourself, and you too can achieve your goals whether they relate to your weight or anything else you would like to achieve in your lifetime.

No unicorns today, but maybe tomorrow…

I had forgotten this story until just now… in November I was with my husband and our two girls, and some friends of ours and their two children. Tina gave all four children a penny to throw in the fountain so that they could make a wish. My youngest daughter, 3 years old at the time, started to cry after she threw her penny in the fountain. Through her tears she explained to me that she wished she had a unicorn, but after the penny went into the pool, no unicorn appeared.

I tried to explain to her that when we make a wish, it doesn’t always happen immediately, and that sometimes we need to keep wishing in order to make it come true. Luckily for her, Christmas was around the corner and Santa Clause must have gotten wind of her wish because she received a unicorn in her stocking :)

Why did I suddenly recall this story from this past December – because I realized that today, I was having a “no unicorn day.” My wish and dream to grow Zoe Foods has had its challenges, and today feels like a day with few “wins.” Like my daughter, I too will keep wishing and working hard to make my dream to have Zoe’s Granolas and Zoe’s Bars available in retail stores throughout the country. Please share your dreams and wishes with me – I’d love to hear from you.

Dream, Believe, Achieve - it really works!

Okay, so I started Zoe Foods because I wanted to produce all natural foods that could make a difference in people's lives. (the dream) Sounds great - but clearly, I had no idea as to some of the crazy adventures I'd encounter along the way. After many years of travel for work, this was a new one…

All excited, flying to Fayetteville, Arkansas for a minority and women-owned vendor’s fair to pitch Sam’s Clubs! I know that when traveling in the state of Maine people say “you can’t get there from here,” but I didn’t know that was relevant in traveling from beantown to the land of Sam Walton.

Feeling pretty good because my first flight arrived in Charlotte on time and I was 20 minutes from landing in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Suddenly… thunderstorms and insufficient fuel to circle Fayetteville until the storm passes - plane diverted to Little Rock. We're told we will refuel and try again - delay waiting for gate and fuel. An hour after we should have landed in Fayetteville, we finally pull up to the gate and fuel truck. New plan – all passengers can deplane and take a bus from Little Rock to Fayetteville – only a 30 minute flight, but a 3 hour bus ride! No worries, the bus will pick us up in 45 mins outside of baggage claim. Not the end of the world – should still get into Fayetteville in time for a good night’s sleep before the big meeting – say 9:30pm.
All off, collect luggage, and wait for the bus. 75 mins later - no bus. The passengers have begun to bond. Someone finds the bus waiting in a completely wrong part of the airport. Load luggage, get on bus. Bus driver uses toilet (another 5 mins delay – ugh – he’s had 75 mins – clearly my NY upbringing and impatience start to surface). Now we find that the driver doesn't know how to get to Fayetteville. Local passenger to the rescue – sits in front and guides driver.

20 mins out, A/C on bus conchs out. I'm thinking - thank goodness, it was way too cold. Then there's a rumor that the bus is going back to be switched out because it's not working correctly. No one believes nasty rumor until we notice a sign pointing to Little Rock airport, and then suddenly we're in the sticks.Turns out - we're heading to the "bus barn". All off, unload luggage.General confusion as to which bus to get on next. Then we see one with an engine running, so the crowd of lemmings migrates over. Luggage on, lemmings on.Off we go. Arrive at Fayetteville airport only 6 hours late! The good news, the hotel shuttle seems to be in good working order and 9 weary passengers board. Silence. Arrive at hotel, 9 tired compatriots and no rooms except for 2 available at the Sleep Inn next door. Draw straws. 7 unlucky passengers load back on to the shuttle for another 5 mins drive.

Almost 12 hours of travel from Boston to Arkansas for a 15 minute meeting that will be over in less than 12 hours from now. If the meeting results in new business from Sam's Club, I'll make the trip again next week! (Believe)

(p.s. received a verbal commitment to launch Zoe’s Honey Almond Granola in the Northeast – excellent start and worth the trip – now we just need to make it happen!) (Achieve)

Cutting out of work to meet my kids for a couple hours

Zoe Foods is a small, family-owned company that I founded eight years ago. The last eight years have been a roller coaster ride – especially trying to balance the full-time work of an entrepreneur with that of a young family. Your emails and support of Zoe Foods have made this ride worthwhile. My personal goal has never wavered. Inspired by my mom, I started Zoe Foods with a passion to make a difference. This blog is about just that – making a difference, whether it’s at home with your family, at work, and within our greater community - and the challenges we face in trying to do so.

I’m rushing to get this blog done so I can leave the office to meet my two girls at my cousin’s sons’ ice skating birthday party. My girls (ages almost 4 and 5 yrs old) have been asking me for the last several days to promise to leave work to meet them at the party. I wouldn’t promise despite their persistence. I only said that I would try really hard. Zoe Foods is going through so many changes and the industry is changing, that I never know what is going to come up. As a small company, there’s only one other person who can pick up my work, and I didn’t think it fair to dump my work on someone else so I can go to a party with my kids. Then I realized… they’re not going to be 4 and 5 for very long, and before I know it they won’t need my help skating, nor even want me there. Missing a couple of hours of work really won’t make or break the company, so off I go!

I’d love to hear how you try to make a difference in the lives of others and the challenges you face. More later…