Have you ever stood at a crossroad between personal ambition and the pull of family life? Our guest, Lauren Daniels, shares her story with raw candor and inspiring insight, painting a vivid picture of how she embraced the role of a mother while co-owning a thriving family business. Lauren's journey is a powerful narrative of making tough choices, celebrating the spirit of Black History Month by showcasing what it means to be a modern-day trailblazer. She opens up about her joyous balancing act of raising four children alongside her business endeavors.
Take a seat at our table as we serve up a hearty portion of entrepreneurial spirit with "Gobble Up the Bible" and "Little Chefs in Training." Lauren's passion for cooking and teaching children blossomed into a business that's as nourishing for the soul as it is for the body. Discover the fusion of faith, food, and family that led to this innovative program, and the steps they took to plant the seeds from which their dream grew. It's a story that reminds us how aligning with our divine purpose sets a journey to fulfillment.
Navigating the ebbs and flows of life and business, Lauren talks about the twists and turns of the COVID-19 pandemic on her 1st business, and how paying attention to trends led her to her current business, Southern Charm Bistro. Lauren demonstrates the resilience and adaptability required to thrive through uncertainty. We also peer into the future, contemplating strategic decisions for expansion while keeping the Southern charm that's at the heart of their restaurant. Through it all, Lauren emphasizes the grounding force of faith, family, and stillness that guide her in steering both her business and family life. Join us for an episode that celebrates the symphony of leadership, integrity, and love.
Happy Black History Month 2024!
Enjoy!
Drive, Ambition, Doing, Leading, Creating... all good until we forget about our own self-care. This Village of All-Stars pays it forward with transparency about misses and celebration in winning. We cover many topics and keep it 100. We are Proven Not Perfect™️
https://www.provennotperfect.com
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I'd love to hear what you think!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, proven that perfect.
This is Chantrapal Boy.
Do I have a celebration for youthis end of February 2024,
black History Month?
Man, I saved the best for theend of the month.
That's what I did, because, youknow, oftentimes when we think
(00:22):
about Black History Month, wenaturally go way back, right,
way back, and I think weoverlook the very present
trailblazers that are among us.
And that's who I'm talking totoday.
Her name is Lauren Daniels.
(00:42):
She is a sister mom, sistergirlfriend of mine.
I had the privilege of meetingher through a wonderful
organization, talk About BlackHistory, that for 84 years has
been serving Black families,communities and our children and
other children, jack and Jillof America Incorporated and
(01:03):
through this process, meetingthis new sister mom to me, I've
unpacked this fierce, justsolidly centered being named
Lauren Daniels.
So today, lauren is going toshare with us pretty openly her
(01:25):
journey as a very highlyeducated woman who had goals and
desires and dreams, as many ofus do.
And when the time came for herto make a decision on where her
priority was, what her focuswould be, she chose her family.
And you might think that that'sman that's just given up a lot.
(01:46):
When you've invested so much,we're supposed to do it all.
Well, guess what?
This lady unpacked a wholebasket of goodness by choosing
where she felt integrity andwhere she felt led, and now she
is the co-owner of a familybusiness, and she's the owner of
(02:07):
a family business and she's themom of four and she's slaying.
Join me in celebrating thiswoman of God, this trailblazing
leader who puts her family firstwith high integrity.
My sister mom, lauren Daniels,enjoy.
Hey, lauren Daniels, hi, howare you?
(02:31):
Oh, I'm good.
I'm good.
I'm so glad to have thisconversation with you.
I'm glad to.
I'm excited.
Yes, okay, so you're.
Look, this is the beautifulthing we're going to talk about
moms who, like, just do it alland integrate all of it together
business and life and ambitionand all the things right with
(02:53):
family.
And here you are walking aroundwith your little zoom screen,
I'm sure past little people andall the things going on in the
Daniels house.
So, so on point and relevanceis so on point.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
I was like wait, that cartoon is way too loud, Let me
turn it down.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
We have to lay the foundation.
Okay, you, you're a mom of fourfour, Wow, All right, your mama
for and you actually decided togo a little bit different route
.
So tell me, tell me how youknow being a mom, being a wife,
how you decided to see your role, you know, in your home, what,
(03:41):
what, what did, what were yourchoices like?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
So my choices started early on.
So now I'm 40, which I can'tbelieve 40 years young, 40 years
young.
And then I married when I was20.
So I married pretty young andafter about a year of marriage
we had my first son, brock Jr.
So decisions came prettyquickly for us trying to decide
(04:08):
what I'm going to do after Ihave him.
Was I going to go to work orwas I going to send him off to
daycare?
You know, that was the questionthat we both had, and after
looking at everything, we werelike, well, I think the best
decision is for you to stay home, and so that's kind of what I
did.
I did have a political sciencedegree.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
So I know.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Yeah.
So the plan was to go to lawschool and, you know, become
Judge Judy, because I loved her.
I was like I'm going to be justone day.
So that was the plan, and itchanged pretty quickly after we
had Brock, because I felt likeyou know, since I had, when I
had him I was like you know,he's my responsibility, he's
(04:53):
mine, you know, and so I wantedto be with him every step of the
way.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Okay.
So you have to answer thisbecause there are younger women
who are sorting out the timingof love in their life with their
general desire and drive andambition to do the thing that's
on their heart.
For you it was Judge Judy.
(05:21):
For somebody else it'ssomething else.
I just reconciled that at suchan early age, or did you?
I mean keeping it real?
Did you feel like?
You know, I'm choosing thefamily path and that's more
important?
And if I have to just kill mydream of doing, you know,
something independent, then thenit's just killed.
(05:42):
I mean, did you, did you havethe foresight?
I guess is what I'm wondering.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
I think it was easy for me to make that twist is my
mom stayed home, so she was homewith us.
She, my dad, carried, you know,everything in the household.
So she was home with all of us,this five of us.
I have two brothers, twosisters.
I didn't want to do somethingdifferent.
So initially, when I was youngand I was a teenager, I was like
, you know, I don't want to havekids, I just want to, you know,
(06:09):
have a career and not be likemom.
You know what I'm saying.
So that was the mental part ofit, thinking that's what I
wanted to do.
And then I had him and I didtour daycares, I did do that.
And that's at the point where Iwas like, you know, what do I
really want?
Someone else raising mychildren.
And that's what popped in myhead.
And I was like, what, what canI do?
(06:30):
And so there was pressure tochoose the opposite, even from
my husband.
He was like, well, shouldn'tyou work and make sure you help
with it?
Because we were really young.
You know, when you're young,you have no idea what you're
doing Like you're just makingchoices based on how you feel.
Like, yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
I feel love, I feel need, I feel want.
Yes, it's all right.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Some of us have a lot past that phase, though, lauren
.
Yeah, I mean, it's really hardto move past that phase, but
eventually you do, if you gainknowledge along the way and you
understand what's important.
Like you move past the feelingsbecause you have to, Otherwise
it corrupts good decisions, Likeyou know what I mean.
So, just because I felt like Iwanted to be something else at
(07:18):
that point, I made the decisionto be a mom, you know.
So I had Brock.
I was like I have to take fullresponsibility of being.
That's my job, Like you knowwhat I mean.
So I'm going to do it for thebest of my ability, no matter
what I see around me, either.
If I see my friends, you know,going to law school or doing all
these things that I felt likewere wonderful, I said I'll just
put a pause on it and I feellike I would be blessed doing
(07:40):
that too.
It was kind of like a wholeprocess.
After thinking about it, I waslike you know what, if I just
wait and do my duty based onwhat I chose, I think I'll come
back, you know.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Yes, it always does, and that's that's the part of
Just going with what you knowand believe is the right thing.
That's the amazing thing when Iwatch how people's stories come
together and their life unfoldsright, so fast forward.
Then Brock was just number one,then you kept going right.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
So you know if you have number two after having
number one.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Yes, so then number two, three and four, and I guess
the question that I have is atsome point you started to build
a creative interest in doingthings that were outside of the
home and you did it inside thehome.
Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Yeah, so what happened was my husband started
a civil engineering firm.
He's been doing it now foralmost 20 years and I said to
myself I worked for him for fiveyears and I did everything as a
secretary.
I did all the invoices, thetaxes, you know things like that
and I worked in his office.
So it was almost like at home.
(09:04):
You know, there's a head.
And then when I was working forhim as a head and then at some
point I was like you know what?
I think I need to step awayfrom all the headship and I
really wanted to do somethingfor myself.
So after I had Emmanuel, that'swhen my husband was like hey,
you know.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Emmanuel, maybe number three.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
He's now 12 and he said well, how about you put
Emmanuel into school for threedays a week, cause he wasn't
ready to go to kindergarten.
So my rule was I'll stay withthem, they go to kindergarten,
I'll work them through theprocess of getting through
school and make it.
You know, do all the fieldtrips and you know all the
things that moms do typicallywhen their kids are in school
and not homeschooled.
And so when he went three days,he was like well, you can work
(09:46):
for me and, you know, do thosethings for a little bit.
So I started doing that.
At first I was hesitant but Iwas like, okay, I'll do the
three days, cause he wasn'treally talking yet.
So that was my thing.
I'm like they can't talk, theycan't communicate with me, I
don't know what's going on atschool, they shouldn't be there.
You know, that was my wholelike philosophy.
So he only went a few days.
So I was okay with that at thatpoint and I started work for my
(10:06):
husband.
And then I was like but Icooked a lot at home.
So I was like, always cooking,you know.
So I scheduled our meals.
I did, you know, like breakfast, lunches, you know all the
things and I used to watch FoodNetwork, like it was nothing,
like it was like-.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
That was your nerve pill, with kids in the house and
the husband and the businesses.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Yes, that was my nerve pill.
And then I would recook booksand like, do different recipes
at home, and originally I didnot know what I was doing.
I did not know how to cook atall, like that wasn't something
that I had naturally in me, youknow, and so over time I just
became like more passionateabout it.
(10:49):
I even tried out for MasterChef.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Really.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Yes, I did, I did, I did.
So I got to the point where Iwas like I think I can do this,
I think I can be like this selftaught chef and like do all
these things from watching andseeing and reading all of these
blogs and recipes and stuff.
So I started, I did like thiswhole.
I went to Miami and did thiswhole like interview.
It was really cool.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
You really did this.
Yes, I did this, yes.
So then I was like, after alittle bit of time for working
for my husband, I said you knowwhat?
I think I want to open arestaurant.
Like that was my first jump.
And he was like Lauren, I don'tknow if that's a good idea.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Now, where was baby four in this mix?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Savannah was not here yet.
Not here yet, okay.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
But you're full on.
I'm really enjoying cooking andI believe I'm good at it and I
want to step out in it.
So you try out for MasterChef.
Do you get to the runner-ups oranything, or what was that?
Speaker 2 (11:50):
like I got to like second interview, wow, and I
wasn't picked.
That's pretty cool, but it wasreally cool.
It was a cool process Cause Igot to see what everyone else
was doing, what it was like tobe like behind the camera with a
producer and be asked certainquestions, and even like
learning more about myself andhow I dealt with people, cause
(12:11):
being at home, as you know, as amom, you don't you're not
around a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Yeah, I was around like kids, you know.
So it was very good You'rearound to be people and they are
nutty.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Yes, exactly so you know.
So I started to learn a littlebit by myself and you know, and
that sort of thing.
What'd you learn?
Speaker 1 (12:28):
What'd you learn, tell me?
You show up.
You've been political sciencedegree, so we know you're
packing all of it and you'vemade this choice to live your
life this way, dedicated to yourfamily.
Yes, anticipate in this process, I would imagine, with people
from all walks of life, alldifferent experiences.
(12:48):
You show up.
What did you pull courage?
Your courage, where did it comefrom?
To say I can do this?
Because I actually think for awhole lot of women that would
have made a choice like yoursinitially, that would have been
a real, real milestone of adecision to make.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
I think for me the courage came from just people
try my food, like me knowingthat the food was really good,
like people were like oh my God,you did this.
This is so you know, so good,and that confidence builds you
up to the point where, like, Iwant everyone to try my food,
you know.
So that's kind of where I was,but personality wise, I was
(13:31):
still like an introvert.
So I think for television theywant like excitement and like
crazy personalities and like I'mlike super laid back and like
chill.
You are chill, yeah, and Ithink for-.
Which is good, it's good, butfor TV that doesn't work.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah, okay, get it.
They like wrong.
Everybody's gotta be chill.
Everybody can't be over the top.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Right, right, right, that's true.
Actually I was like why can'tthey pick me?
But I think I was too quiet,too reserved, okay, and I didn't
know enough at that point ofhow to navigate that kind of
world.
So that wasn't picked, but it'sokay.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
So when you left, not picked, and you learned a lot
about yourself, did you saythere's something that I wanna
do later on, or did you?
What did you learn?
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Well, what I learned was is that maybe at that point
I wasn't ready for televisionlike the big scene, so I needed
more time, you know, to hone myskill to deal with people.
You know that sort of thing.
So we used to attend thischurch here in Estero and I said
, well, honey, why don't I startlike a small group and maybe I
(14:48):
can teach people how to cook andwhat I've learned over the
years?
And you know that sort of thing, and that's kinda how the buzz
of wanting to teach people howto cook started.
So I started a group.
It was called Gobble Up theBible.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
Yeah, so it's really cool and all these kids signed
up and I was like, oh my God,what are we gonna do so?
Speaker 1 (15:12):
okay, the theme, lauren is yet again.
You're surrounded by littlepeople.
Girl, what kind of penance areyou paying?
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Well, I knew I was good with kids.
Like at that point I'm like youknow what?
I know I'm good with kids.
I got three of them, so I madeit.
So you know, I'm an expert atthat at least.
And then food.
So those were the two things Ifelt like I was really good at.
I was gonna be the mom and Iwas good at cooking.
So I was like I gotta somehowcombine those two together, you
know, and that's kinda how.
And then I'm a Christian, sothat also played a role in like
(15:46):
knowing how I could tie food,the kids and the Bible into all.
One thing, you know, and itreally worked.
Like it was a great, greatsession.
We did like a few sessionsafter that and we would get
maxed out like every time, likeit was really cool yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
I love that idea.
Yeah, so here you are.
Were the lessons that you weresharing, things that were
practical, that moms and kidscould do together?
Was it sort of with a familybend Cause?
That really screams of youreally knowing your brand, your
brand, your market.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Yeah, it had a family band, so everything tied into
like Genesis.
So I took, like, for instance,the Tower of Babel, like the
language changed and we werelike we're going to learn about
other countries.
So we did like different foodsfrom everywhere, like Hong Kong
and like you know, like um, wedid like Italy and like all the
(16:45):
things that ties to how culturestarted, like from a biblical
perspective.
So it was pretty cool and so Iwas able to tie that into food
and the parents will come, theywill cook with the kids, they
will learn something new, theywill get the recipes to take
home and the Bible study to takehome too.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
So Wow, oh my God girl, that is such a great idea.
Okay, so then, this leads youto what next?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
That led me to opening Little Chefs in Training
.
So after my husband saw whichhe's always like my check, like
he's always the person that says, okay, lord, what did you just
do?
Does it make sense, like as faras, like you know, my vision
and my dream, how it wouldactually play out into the real
world, and he saw, he's like,well, I think this is what you
(17:31):
should be doing, like on, like areal level, and so the power of
partnership.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
I talk about that all the time and I want all of the
you know, young women that areolder women, quite frankly who
are considering being yoked andwho they're yoked with man.
You cannot underestimate yourchoices, because the right one
will push you when you don'twant to move.
(17:59):
They will see what you can see.
They will inspire what is justa spark.
Wow, that's so good.
So never settle people, neversettle, never, never settle.
That's very true.
So here's this man pouring intoyou, telling you what he sees.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Yes, and when he said that, I was like Okay, he was
like if you start here, maybeit'll eventually get to the
restaurant.
But I think he's like I think ifyou do this it'll work, because
we don't have anything likethis in Fort Myers, where we
were living at the time, and soI just started doing my research
, like how to start a business.
What's the process of doing thattrying to find a building or a
(18:39):
space to do it in, likemarketing and like a whole like
you know, like how to create alogo, and so the fact that I was
home, I had time, so it helpedme to that time helped me to
figure out exactly, you know,what I needed to do to start a
(19:00):
business.
So I had a little bit of acough, but, yeah, that time
helped me figure out what I needto do to start a business.
And so I said that with mysister and she helped me create
a logo.
I had the name, like what Iwant to do, but we have to
actually figure out what itwould look like.
And that's basically how itstarted, like me going to our
(19:22):
house like what am I going to do, and it like fast tracked into,
like having a logo creating awebsite, what type of classes I
want to teach.
It just kind of like went sofast after that.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
I feel like that is the case when you are in your
lane.
You know what I mean.
I am, you know, on a spirituallevel, as a Christian myself.
I find the times when an ideacomes gently, sometimes, loudly
sometimes, but when it isabsolutely the lane that is
(19:56):
ordered for me, it just comes,every single aspect of what I
need.
It's not hard, it's not right,but, girl, let me decide
something.
That's really not what I'msupposed to be doing.
Oh, it's like pulling teeth, itis, it's a push, it's so it
feel you feel the work Right.
(20:18):
Yes, I think the difference forme is when it is really the
lane for me.
I can work until we hours inthe morning and it's it's life
giving the other way around,girl look, no, that's very true.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Yeah, I think when you're, when you're on the right
path, like we're God wants youto be, the path is much easier.
And it's very clear if you'rechoosing the wrong path, you
know, sometimes we fight againstit, of course, until we realize
it.
But then at some point, whenyou're like sweating, you're
like, oh my gosh, I don't thinkthis is what he wants me to do,
(21:01):
and you kind of just give up atthat point.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
But I have to ask you this because it just hit my
mind.
So when I think about you beingdrawn to Judge Judy and drawn
to law and a law degree andthink about then what later
would come up as the path, theblessed path for you, can you
see, looking back, anysimilarities between little
(21:28):
chefs as an idea that wouldspawn into even more that we'll
talk about?
But can you see any connectionsbetween the judge Judy vision
and maybe who you were becomingat that point?
Speaker 2 (21:42):
I think just the whole research aspect of it
loving to learn and gatheringinformation is so natural for me
and I learned that over theyears just what kids like,
learning about how kids bodieswork and what they need when
they're sick, and all thosethings just reading and learning
(22:03):
what I should and should not do, based on being a mom that
played into the business aspect.
So if someone asks me aquestion I don't have the answer
, I'll go easily be able to findthe answer based on just doing
research and I love to read.
So that was another thing thatalso helps, because most people
when they start businesses theytypically go out and outsource,
(22:24):
like, oh, I need someone to openup a sunbiz, go to sunbiz and
open up a business frame.
But I did that all on my ownbecause I was just able to find
it, Like you know.
So I think that part of me withthe law still plays in, because
as a lawyer you gotta do a lotof research.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
You gotta have the right answers.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
A lot of reading.
Gotta have the right answers,so, and there's no mistakes when
it comes to being a lawyer,right?
Speaker 1 (22:47):
So yeah, oh, my God, detail.
So okay, so now Little Chefs.
Little Chefs is rocking androlling, I believe.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Yes, little Chefs is rocking and rolling and for
about five years we did that andthen COVID hit Right.
So we had the COVID issue,where our kids stopped going to
school for like a whole year andeveryone was concerned about
their kids being in small groupsor even being too close to each
(23:20):
other.
You know that sort of thing.
So we actually had to closeLittle Chefs for a little bit.
For about a year I closedbecause my kids were out of
school.
But before that, actually likemaybe a year into Little Chefs,
that's when Savannah happened,so my last little bouffa she's
(23:44):
four now Savannah Daniels.
So she happened.
And so while I'm doing classes,summer camps, what is?
We used to do a lot of cookingcompetitions with, like Girl
Scouts and Boy Scouts.
I'm walking around fullypregnant, like doing this thing,
and I'm like, oh my gosh, Ican't believe this is actually
(24:06):
happening.
So she was my actual surprise,in the sense that Emmanuel and
her are eight years apart, wow,yeah, so it's a huge gap, but
she's actually a blessing,because the older they're really
close in age.
So when you have kids that areclose in age, they don't have
(24:27):
any mercy for each other becausethey're always like competing
or like you know, it's alwayssome drama.
But then when you have a littleone that comes into the mix,
everyone's like so dedicated tomaking her feel happy.
So they understand what itmeans to like actually have a
child Like.
You know what I mean, like howto love and how to give and how
to take care when they're sick.
(24:48):
You know that sort of thing.
So they've seen that.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
Oh, and you're such an amazing mom that is so
beautiful to think about it thatway.
It really is.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Yeah, at first I thought it was gonna be really
difficult.
Like I have this business.
Now we have three older kids.
How am I gonna manage all ofthis?
Cause it was just like a monkeywrench.
Cause I thought, okay, now allthree of them in school have
time during the day to do what Ineed to do, you know.
But then she came and I'm like,oh my gosh, I have a baby.
Like for a whole year I lookedover and I'm like I have a baby.
(25:16):
Like what is happening?
Girl, I understand that, yeah,but so far, I mean, I feel like
it's helped.
My daughter, my son, she loveswhen they come in the house,
it's like she jumps on them, shehugs them.
Like her and the youngerEmmanuel, they fight all the
(25:37):
time.
It's crazy, cause he used to bethe baby.
So it's like that's how it'scompeting.
But the older two they totallyget what it's like to be a mom
or dad.
You know that sort of things.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Oh yeah, all right, so COVID happens.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
COVID happens.
I closed, little Chefs, causewe were all concerned about what
we found out.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
You never thought about doing a Zoom version,
because a lot of people you knowimmediately went to what's a
virtual option.
You never thought about doinganything like that.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
I did maybe like two Zoom versions of what we used to
do.
I did like bakery boxes wherethe parents would come up and
pick up the bakery boxes withthe items in it and with the
recipe, but it sort of just keptfizzling on me.
I wasn't getting enoughresponse cause everyone was in
flight mode, like no one knewwhat they were going to be doing
(26:28):
.
Yeah, so at that point I waslike, what can I do?
And we have this space.
I'm like we have this beautifulkitchen.
Like I was like I can just dotakeout.
I was like I can just dotakeout.
They're only allowingrestaurants to do takeout right
now.
So I created a little menu.
I sign up for all the door,like Door Dash and Uber Eats,
(26:51):
and I even did.
I was even a ghost kitchen.
We're like, yeah, so so crazy.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
I used to do Okay, that was like such a crazy
concept in 2020 that I'd neverheard of before.
But seriously, on Door Dash,you know, my son was just like
oh yeah, I think this is from aghost kitchen.
What the heck is a ghostkitchen?
Tell the people what a ghostkitchen is.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
I'm gonna tell y'all, I'm gonna tell y'all, like,
there was three brands that wedid.
The first one was Tiger Bytes,which was like is he's a rapper?
Which he's like a millennialrapper.
I don't even know what he'srapper, but I picked up this
brand and what they do is Ican't remember the name of the
company, but they have like afew brands on their website.
(27:35):
You could pick from the brand.
If you have a kitchen license,you can cook all the brands,
right.
So I did Tiger Bytes, mr BeastBurgers and then Mariah Carey's
Cookies.
That yeah, yes.
And so during COVID, everyonewas on lockdown.
They couldn't go anywhere, butyou know, you could only really
(27:55):
order takeout.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
And so the most popular one was Mr Beast Burgers
, and so we used to get like 60orders a day oh my gosh,
non-stop.
It was crazy and like peoplereally love burgers or is this
like a COVID thing, like what ishappening.
So I was in there slingingburgers for like a whole year.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Yeah, yes.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
And I was like Did they give you the recipe?
Did you have to follow theirrecipe?
Speaker 2 (28:25):
So they just gave us the components, like the boxes
that you needed, what to buy,like a whole guideline of what
to do and what Mr Beast Burgersconcept, what it should look
like.
You know, you're justreplicating someone else's brand
, right?
And then DoorDash would come in.
They would pick up the orderand deliver it to someone with
(28:47):
all the packaging, all of thelabels.
Wow, or Mariah Carey's cookieswas like we would bake the
cookies, it would be her brandand we would just ship it out to
whoever ordered that day.
You know, so it's kind of cool.
So that's what sparked in mymind.
I'm like, oh my God, if theycould do this, I could do this.
(29:08):
That's right, I'm gonna createmy own brand, Like you know.
So I started coming up like alittle, like a little takeout
menu, Southern takeout menu,because we have like no Southern
food in Fort Myers.
That's the best of all.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Which is really crazy .
Yes, because you know there isa population of African-American
there for sure, but I guessmaybe the thing that I often
miss is that it is more of anisland heritage than it is a
deep South Southern US heritage,right?
(29:44):
People keep reminding me ofthat, like I think immediately,
oh, but you know it's Fort Myers, right, but it's a very
different origin than me,perhaps you know, being from New
Orleans.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
That's very true.
And then the deep South part ofit is more weirdly like.
You have more Caucasians thatare deep South representing in
Fort Myers and you doAfrican-American deep South.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
That makes sense to me.
Now that I'm starting tounderstand its apocryphal more,
I get that I mean before movinghere, that completely flew over
my head.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
Yeah, and when we moved from Fort Lauderdale that
was confusing to me too.
When we moved here I was likewhere is the culture at?
Like, where do we go to eveneat Southern food or to go to
cultural events, Like, where isthat?
And it wasn't here that wecould find anyway.
You know, now it's gotten a lotbetter.
But yeah, like, a lot of mycustomer base are, you know,
(30:49):
they're Caucasian Southerners,Like that's who comes in the
restaurant, you know.
So it's very different in FortMyers.
It's a different, you know.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
This is a different heritage because I'm sure to a
lot of the African, the blackAmericans that are there with an
island heritage, they'relooking for the Jamaican or the
you know whatever.
Yeah, it's different, it's justdifferent Wow.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Yeah, so that when we were closed down for COVID like
we just made a major pivot, itallowed us time to to like redo
the whole restaurant.
Like the front spacerepresented had murals on the
walls of, like cooking classesand kids and food.
Like we had someone come in anddo this big mirror and paint
this mural and we covered it allup.
(31:42):
And I was so sad we cover allof it up with wallpaper.
I'm like I'm not painting itover it.
I was gonna put wallpaper up,you know so, but we did
wallpaper and we have, like inthe restaurant, all of these
beautiful black and white photosof different jazz singers, the
greats, yeah, over errors oftime, like the 1930s and 60s.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
I think Billie Holiday is on the wall.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Yes, diana Ross, we have Louis Armstrong, cap
Callaway, Sarah Vaughn, so wetotally did a pivot.
We changed the name.
I wrote out some names, thatSouthern Southern Charm Bistro,
yeah, so we just I just kind oftook that time to do my research
(32:28):
about what was in the area,what we needed in Fort Myers,
and that's kind of how ithappened, like just writing down
those ideas and doing myresearch.
And so and my husband is my, Iwant to call him my bank, but my
finance here, but everybodyneeds one right.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
You've got to, and I'm sure you had to justify the
dollars because you know, beinga businessman, being a business
person and business family, youknow that's there was an
opportunity cost, right.
So investing in Southern Charmare not being invested in the
civil engineering firm orinvestments that you could have
done.
(33:06):
So how did you, how did youguys come to agreement that this
was ready to go Like?
Did you literally legit pitchand Well, I think he okay.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
So, like you said, he's my partner, so any step of
the way, like we make decisions,whether they're smooth
decisions or whether we'rearguing about it, like we make
decisions together so we he wasthere when I was doing Mr beast
and he was like, oh my gosh, Ican't believe we just made like
(33:39):
$6,000 today, like you know, andthen of that 6000 we would have
to give 30% of that to thebrand.
Like back to Mr beast, you know, in a sense.
So he's like we should be ableto keep all of that, you know,
in his mind.
He's thinking, you know.
So he was like, if you do comeup with your own brand, if you
do something, let's just makesure we're making that kind of
(34:01):
money.
Like that's how he's thinking.
So as we sat down and we lookedat the numbers, what it would
look like to change the lightingand the painting and do the
wallpaper, we always, withhaving a family for you always
have to have a cushion.
So we did have a cushion and wesaid, well, we can, we can just
do the minimal.
As far as decorating in thefront, the kitchen was already
done.
We had already spent the majormoney of doing the space in the
(34:23):
back.
So it was just more about likethe marketing of our space and
then the decor and then gettinga bear and wine license, which
we do have.
That wasn't a major cost, it'sjust a process, you know.
So we did that and I wasnervous, of course, to open and
(34:46):
just I'm always nervous to dolike a big, grand opening, so
like I just paste myself and Ididn't do like a full
announcement to maybe like twomonths after.
So I just the menu.
People would start finding usbased on our Google page and our
website and they just startedcoming in and slowly people
started ordering and I startedseeing what people wouldn't
(35:08):
order, what they wouldn't wouldorder what they like, what they
didn't like, and I would justadjust the menu based on that,
you know.
But I just gave myself somespace because, being it being
new, I was really unsure what Ididn't expect, you know.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
So but you also.
You also leaned into theprivilege of a financier, quite
frankly, right, because somebodyelse you know who's put all the
money in and there's no moremoney coming.
They're about how do I quicklyget to revenue?
Right, you had the ability tobe a bit more organic, which I
(35:42):
think was a was a competitiveadvantage, but, frankly, because
you just around what the whatthe market was telling you,
that's really neat.
So how many iterations did youactually see before you were
like this is it, this is grand.
People are coming back and youstart to see the build, the
traffic come through the door.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
And I would say about four iterations.
And then the feedback to solike what started happening was
people, which I didn't expect.
What people started doing, likeall the glory views and they're
all like just the praise of thefood and the space and what it
looked like, and I was like, oh,wow, like people actually like
(36:25):
my food.
So that made me feel great andmore confident as we kept going.
And then feedback from myhusband, so he would try my food
or the kids would try it.
Now they're older they wouldsay, mommy, this is wonderful,
this people would love this, youknow, and just my family and
stuff.
So it's very helpful, becausecarrying the burden of someone
(36:46):
saying they don't like your foodis very hard to get through.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
So they don't like anything.
If you're in business, rightlike, that's like take it
personal, rightly.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
Yeah, and I think the fact that I took it personal
help me to see, help me to makethings better that weren't good,
you know, and and I thinkthat's kind of how the menu over
time, because now it's stuck.
Like people love my biscuits.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Yes, they are so good .
Speaker 2 (37:21):
So that that and that you are coming to Fort Myers if
you are near Southwest Florida.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
I'm not playing seriously.
First of all, there's somethingon the menu that you will
probably love but, thosebiscuits Gosh, I'm pretty sure,
like with one, you know, you notonly have a pleasure experience
, but you do gain a little late.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Yeah, you do, yeah, yep, and what I do to is like I
make the jams in house, so I dolike a raspberry jam or
blueberry or whatever seasonalfruit there is, so I can do a
peach jam, like we've been doingmango jam.
So like I try and integratethings into the menu and they're
very fresh, not too heavy,where you can actually eat it
(38:05):
for lunch, you like, you knowI'm saying, and then people call
for the biscuits.
They take them home.
They could take them homefrozen or baked, you know.
So just anything that I do atthe.
Maybe it's not big and that'sbecause I want to do everything
that's on there.
I try and I do it well, likeyou know what I mean to try not
to overwhelm myself.
I think after people startedcoming in I was like, okay, now
(38:27):
it's time to do a soft opening,let's just do it, like you know,
and everything just sort offell into place at that point.
So now it's been a full yearand a few months of Southern
time Are.
We have a lot of things thatwe're going to do, that we're
looking forward to, like to, tonew, to new projects that we're
(38:49):
super excited about.
We're thinking about twolocations, which is kind of like
within a year and a half maybehave to two locations that are
more visible, you know.
So people can see us more, andthat is something.
And then a biscuit product thatwe're trying to market to
grocery stores.
So Excellent.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
So you know that's where I was going next, because
I was really curious.
Coming out of this, youprobably now are thinking about
okay, I can start to scale thisright and you can scale it a
couple of ways.
You've got two great thingsgoing on.
The experience is justwonderful.
I feel like you're in aSouthern, hospitable, intimate
(39:37):
setting.
So I'm hopeful I'm putting aplug in as a consumer that that
Southern charm has to maintainthat Southern charm right.
So spaces.
So I'm not going to be able tospeak in that way.
But then also, with thebiscuits being like such a hot,
hot product, man, how do youstart to package that and get it
(39:59):
on the shelves?
And you know all the big onesand that really is going to
change the game, couldpotentially change the game.
Pull through for your product,pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (40:08):
Yes and that, and that's actually the plan.
Like I feel like not.
Have we done this a full year?
What is it that's comingthrough to our customers?
That I could pivot and actuallymake more money?
That's hands off like that.
I don't have to do too much togather money.
And my husband said you know,every review we look at, like,
(40:30):
our rating on Google right nowis 4.9.
Wow, so in every review thatsomeone mentions our biscuits
Wow.
So I was like, oh well, I thinkthis is it.
Yes, I think there's a message,yeah, there's a message.
And so recently I actually gotthe nutrition facts back from a
(40:53):
science lab that have to,because you need nutrition facts
and packaging that makes sensein a freezer section.
So nutrition facts are back.
I got packaging already done asfar as it was designed.
And today I actually was inconversation about what that
packaging, the company thatactually prints the packaging
and the process on that.
So I'm not far away, I'mrunning with it.
(41:14):
I'm like I'm just going to runtill it's done, you know.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
So yeah, it's not going to be hard.
It's just like we talked aboutwhen you're in the lane, it just
pulls you.
It just pulls you.
You know, I kind of feel thesame about you know,
recommitting and growing,proving that perfect Right.
You get to a space where youstart to get pulled into
divergent, competing prioritiesand then it does just don't
(41:41):
produce goodness.
And then when you start to goback to what you were told and
shown, you know it all starts toeven those things start to, you
know, feel better.
Speaker 2 (41:55):
That's true.
I mean initially we were openfrom 11 to three.
The hours for some of ourcustomers were a little strange,
but I was like you know.
I have a family.
I have to leave the restaurantat three o'clock to pick up my
children.
I'm like there's no other way.
This is going down Like.
You know what I'm saying so Itry and keep, even though we're
busy and people want things.
(42:16):
As far as catering and thatsort of thing, I have to say no
sometimes because I have to putmy family first.
I'm like you know I love what Ido when I, when I'm in the
kitchen, but then outside ofthat I'm still a mom and a still
wife have to cook and clean,like everybody else does, you
know.
Speaker 1 (42:33):
So but that's the beauty and that's, quite frankly
why I was like you know what,lauren?
We've got to talk in the provennot perfect community room,
because most of this communityis driven women who have a
passion and love for a thingalongside a passion and love for
(42:59):
their family, alongside deepfaith, right and expectation for
many things, and the challengefor many people is weaving in
together that passion for thething and the passion for family
.
And I was so inspired bywatching you and learning more
(43:20):
about your story where you'veliterally woven these things
together and man to create theboundary that says I'm not going
to allow fear to tell me that Ihave to strike with how
customers want this businesstoday, right?
(43:41):
No, your boundary is yourcommitment to being in the home
and getting all the things done,and business just weaves into
that and it's happening andyou're still growth, right, like
you're not changing thatboundary.
I think that's beautiful.
Do you see it that way?
Or is this just by accidentthat this is happening?
(44:03):
Are you trying this?
Well?
Speaker 2 (44:06):
I see it that way.
I think, because, like, theprayer is to always make sure
that I'm honoring God right, soI think he helps me to leave
that process because I feel likeyou know, I know people are
going to make mistakes, right,but if I can like, try my best
(44:28):
to not make mistakes that aredetrimental to our family or
even to the business, by actingfor help, you know, as far as,
like, praying and acting theLord to help me, see, whatever I
supposed to be doing, whateverI do, help it honor him right,
because that's our goal in life.
We are Christians, like, we'resupposed to honor him in
(44:49):
everything that we do.
And so, even though, like atone point, my husband was like
we should move the time to seveno'clock people are wanting to
be open longer I was like, honey, I can't do that.
I'm like, how can I do that ifI got to be home with Savannah
only four?
She's not a teenager, you know.
If she's in school, she's doneat three, she needs to see me.
(45:09):
I'm like I can't be at therestaurant till seven o'clock,
it's impossible, you know.
So I, you know there'schallenges, right.
So there's always someonesaying, oh, you should be doing
this and you should be outletting people know who you are.
And I'm like you know, to me Idon't feel like it's necessary,
not yet, but I'm like you know.
I said what I do like myproduct is what people need to
(45:32):
see, not me yet, until the kidsget older and there I know
they're okay, then maybe I'llhave more time for that, but
right now I just don't thinkit's the time.
Speaker 1 (45:42):
Girl, I'm telling you this right here has just
blessed so many people.
Because that's the thing we getimpatient, yes, get impatient.
We get this vision and we wantto go and we believe that if we
don't go at that pace, we'regoing to miss out, we're going
to lose, it's going to close up,that window is going to close.
(46:04):
I even hear people say thatright, even some Christian
leaders say that you know, whenit comes to you, you got to do
it now, or else you knowsomebody, somebody else will be
inspired and it'll be done.
But I actually rest verysimilar to where you are.
If it's yours, it's yours,right?
And even if you are the 9,999thperson to do it, you've never
(46:27):
done it.
It's never been your touch,your unique touch, your voice,
your placement, and so now it'sjust a matter of how do we stay
still and patient and let itcome in the process and the time
that it should.
Girl, that's a whole, whole lotof word.
Speaker 2 (46:46):
Yeah, to keep it to prayer, but I think having, like
any mom or wife, if you have alot going on at night, you
really need to take time to prayLike that's the one thing that
will help you see things clearlybetter.
Like you're going to havedifferent opinions.
Of course you're going to ask,like your, your family, people
(47:07):
that are close to you, what's agood direction to take, because
then you have to take all thatinformation in and then pray
about it.
Say, hey, lord, like whatshould I do?
Like what is the next step?
What will make things easierfor us?
You know and better, and Ithink going to him with all the
information you have from otherpeople helps you to guide you
where you need to go.
(47:27):
Like that's, I think, that'simportant.
Speaker 1 (47:30):
I'm doing a lot of sitting still too, because you
know I used to approach thatprayer time from a place of like
here's my list and blah, blah,blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,
blah, blah, blah, blah, blahblah.
And what I have come to reallyappreciate in the season that
I'm in is when I go and sort ofsit in that space of prayer with
(47:56):
no list but just just stillnessand welcoming and obedience, I
feel that I really get pouredinto and the conversation starts
to happen with my soul.
Speaker 2 (48:18):
You know what I?
Speaker 1 (48:19):
mean.
Yes, the list is important too.
We all have specific thingsthat we're praying for.
But I feel like, you know,there's there's sort of two
times a day, right.
There's that time where I'vegot that list and there's that
time where I'm just sitting andI'm receiving, with no noise,
with no, just just listening andreceiving.
(48:40):
You know.
Speaker 2 (48:41):
Right, right.
And I think that's importantbecause otherwise how do you
receive this peace, Like ifyou're not sitting right, If
you're not receiving, becausethat's important, Otherwise you
can't get through the day or thenext thing.
So that's really important.
Speaker 1 (48:57):
Well, miss Lauren, this has been such a beautiful
conversation.
I am sure that the folks in thecommunity have really been
blessed by your words.
Even the way you speak you justthe harmonious confidence and
courage, just peacefulness, girl, it just radiates from you.
(49:17):
And you've got four babies anda husband and multiple
businesses that are in demandand growing.
So that is your gift.
That is your gift and thank youfor sharing that peaceful space
with all of us.
We can do it right.
(49:37):
No matter what it is we'retrying to do, it can be done.
It just takes that faith andconviction and being still and
making sure that you're thinkinglonger than just the short-term
goal.
You're thinking journey, andthat's what I think you do so
well.
Speaker 2 (49:55):
Thank you so much, sandra, I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (49:59):
Awesome, so good to have you.
I'll see you soon.
Thank you, alright.
Hey, proven that perfect.
This is Chantrapal Boy.
Do I have a celebration for youthis end of February 2024,
black History Month?
Man, I saved the best for theend of the month.
That's what I did, because, youknow, oftentimes when we think
(00:22):
about Black History Month, wenaturally go way back, right,
way back, and I think weoverlook the very present
trailblazers that are among us.
And that's who I'm talking totoday.
Her name is Lauren Daniels.
(00:42):
She is a sister mom, sistergirlfriend of mine.
I had the privilege of meetingher through a wonderful
organization, talk About BlackHistory, that for 84 years has
been serving Black families,communities and our children and
other children, jack and Jillof America Incorporated and
(01:03):
through this process, meetingthis new sister mom to me, I've
unpacked this fierce, justsolidly centered being named
Lauren Daniels.
So today, lauren is going toshare with us pretty openly her
(01:25):
journey as a very highlyeducated woman who had goals and
desires and dreams, as many ofus do.
And when the time came for herto make a decision on where her
priority was, what her focuswould be, she chose her family.
And you might think that that'sman that's just given up a lot.
(01:46):
When you've invested so much,we're supposed to do it all.
Well, guess what?
This lady unpacked a wholebasket of goodness by choosing
where she felt integrity andwhere she felt led, and now she
is the co-owner of a familybusiness, and she's the owner of
(02:07):
a family business and she's themom of four and she's slaying.
Join me in celebrating thiswoman of God, this trailblazing
leader who puts her family firstwith high integrity.
My sister mom, lauren Daniels,enjoy.
Hey, lauren Daniels, hi, howare you?
(02:31):
Oh, I'm good.
I'm good.
I'm so glad to have thisconversation with you.
I'm glad to.
I'm excited.
Yes, okay, so you're.
Look, this is the beautifulthing we're going to talk about
moms who, like, just do it alland integrate all of it together
business and life and ambitionand all the things right with
(02:53):
family.
And here you are walking aroundwith your little zoom screen,
I'm sure past little people andall the things going on in the
Daniels house.
So, so on point and relevanceis so on point.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
I was like wait, that cartoon is way too loud, Let me
turn it down.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
We have to lay the foundation.
Okay, you, you're a mom of fourfour, Wow, All right, your mama
for and you actually decided togo a little bit different route
.
So tell me, tell me how youknow being a mom, being a wife,
how you decided to see your role, you know, in your home, what,
(03:41):
what, what did, what were yourchoices like?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
So my choices started early on.
So now I'm 40, which I can'tbelieve 40 years young, 40 years
young.
And then I married when I was20.
So I married pretty young andafter about a year of marriage
we had my first son, brock Jr.
So decisions came prettyquickly for us trying to decide
(04:08):
what I'm going to do after Ihave him.
Was I going to go to work orwas I going to send him off to
daycare?
You know, that was the questionthat we both had, and after
looking at everything, we werelike, well, I think the best
decision is for you to stay home, and so that's kind of what I
did.
I did have a political sciencedegree.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
So I know.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Yeah.
So the plan was to go to lawschool and, you know, become
Judge Judy, because I loved her.
I was like I'm going to be justone day.
So that was the plan, and itchanged pretty quickly after we
had Brock, because I felt likeyou know, since I had, when I
had him I was like you know,he's my responsibility, he's
(04:53):
mine, you know, and so I wantedto be with him every step of the
way.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Okay.
So you have to answer thisbecause there are younger women
who are sorting out the timingof love in their life with their
general desire and drive andambition to do the thing that's
on their heart.
For you it was Judge Judy.
(05:21):
For somebody else it'ssomething else.
I just reconciled that at suchan early age, or did you?
I mean keeping it real?
Did you feel like?
You know, I'm choosing thefamily path and that's more
important?
And if I have to just kill mydream of doing, you know,
something independent, then thenit's just killed.
(05:42):
I mean, did you, did you havethe foresight?
I guess is what I'm wondering.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
I think it was easy for me to make that twist is my
mom stayed home, so she was homewith us.
She, my dad, carried, you know,everything in the household.
So she was home with all of us,this five of us.
I have two brothers, twosisters.
I didn't want to do somethingdifferent.
So initially, when I was youngand I was a teenager, I was like
, you know, I don't want to havekids, I just want to, you know,
(06:09):
have a career and not be likemom.
You know what I'm saying.
So that was the mental part ofit, thinking that's what I
wanted to do.
And then I had him and I didtour daycares, I did do that.
And that's at the point where Iwas like, you know, what do I
really want?
Someone else raising mychildren.
And that's what popped in myhead.
And I was like, what, what canI do?
(06:30):
And so there was pressure tochoose the opposite, even from
my husband.
He was like, well, shouldn'tyou work and make sure you help
with it?
Because we were really young.
You know, when you're young,you have no idea what you're
doing Like you're just makingchoices based on how you feel.
Like, yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
I feel love, I feel need, I feel want.
Yes, it's all right.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Some of us have a lot past that phase, though, lauren
.
Yeah, I mean, it's really hardto move past that phase, but
eventually you do, if you gainknowledge along the way and you
understand what's important.
Like you move past the feelingsbecause you have to, Otherwise
it corrupts good decisions, Likeyou know what I mean.
So, just because I felt like Iwanted to be something else at
(07:18):
that point, I made the decisionto be a mom, you know.
So I had Brock.
I was like I have to take fullresponsibility of being.
That's my job, Like you knowwhat I mean.
So I'm going to do it for thebest of my ability, no matter
what I see around me, either.
If I see my friends, you know,going to law school or doing all
these things that I felt likewere wonderful, I said I'll just
put a pause on it and I feellike I would be blessed doing
(07:40):
that too.
It was kind of like a wholeprocess.
After thinking about it, I waslike you know what, if I just
wait and do my duty based onwhat I chose, I think I'll come
back, you know.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Yes, it always does, and that's that's the part of
Just going with what you knowand believe is the right thing.
That's the amazing thing when Iwatch how people's stories come
together and their life unfoldsright, so fast forward.
Then Brock was just number one,then you kept going right.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
So you know if you have number two after having
number one.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Yes, so then number two, three and four, and I guess
the question that I have is atsome point you started to build
a creative interest in doingthings that were outside of the
home and you did it inside thehome.
Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Yeah, so what happened was my husband started
a civil engineering firm.
He's been doing it now foralmost 20 years and I said to
myself I worked for him for fiveyears and I did everything as a
secretary.
I did all the invoices, thetaxes, you know things like that
and I worked in his office.
So it was almost like at home.
(09:04):
You know, there's a head.
And then when I was working forhim as a head and then at some
point I was like you know what?
I think I need to step awayfrom all the headship and I
really wanted to do somethingfor myself.
So after I had Emmanuel, that'swhen my husband was like hey,
you know.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Emmanuel, maybe number three.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
He's now 12 and he said well, how about you put
Emmanuel into school for threedays a week, cause he wasn't
ready to go to kindergarten.
So my rule was I'll stay withthem, they go to kindergarten,
I'll work them through theprocess of getting through
school and make it.
You know, do all the fieldtrips and you know all the
things that moms do typicallywhen their kids are in school
and not homeschooled.
And so when he went three days,he was like well, you can work
(09:46):
for me and, you know, do thosethings for a little bit.
So I started doing that.
At first I was hesitant but Iwas like, okay, I'll do the
three days, cause he wasn'treally talking yet.
So that was my thing.
I'm like they can't talk, theycan't communicate with me, I
don't know what's going on atschool, they shouldn't be there.
You know, that was my wholelike philosophy.
So he only went a few days.
So I was okay with that at thatpoint and I started work for my
(10:06):
husband.
And then I was like but Icooked a lot at home.
So I was like, always cooking,you know.
So I scheduled our meals.
I did, you know, like breakfast, lunches, you know all the
things and I used to watch FoodNetwork, like it was nothing,
like it was like-.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
That was your nerve pill, with kids in the house and
the husband and the businesses.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Yes, that was my nerve pill.
And then I would recook booksand like, do different recipes
at home, and originally I didnot know what I was doing.
I did not know how to cook atall, like that wasn't something
that I had naturally in me, youknow, and so over time I just
became like more passionateabout it.
(10:49):
I even tried out for MasterChef.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Really.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Yes, I did, I did, I did.
So I got to the point where Iwas like I think I can do this,
I think I can be like this selftaught chef and like do all
these things from watching andseeing and reading all of these
blogs and recipes and stuff.
So I started, I did like thiswhole.
I went to Miami and did thiswhole like interview.
It was really cool.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
You really did this.
Yes, I did this, yes.
So then I was like, after alittle bit of time for working
for my husband, I said you knowwhat?
I think I want to open arestaurant.
Like that was my first jump.
And he was like Lauren, I don'tknow if that's a good idea.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Now, where was baby four in this mix?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Savannah was not here yet.
Not here yet, okay.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
But you're full on.
I'm really enjoying cooking andI believe I'm good at it and I
want to step out in it.
So you try out for MasterChef.
Do you get to the runner-ups oranything, or what was that?
Speaker 2 (11:50):
like I got to like second interview, wow, and I
wasn't picked.
That's pretty cool, but it wasreally cool.
It was a cool process Cause Igot to see what everyone else
was doing, what it was like tobe like behind the camera with a
producer and be asked certainquestions, and even like
learning more about myself andhow I dealt with people, cause
(12:11):
being at home, as you know, as amom, you don't you're not
around a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Yeah, I was around like kids, you know.
So it was very good You'rearound to be people and they are
nutty.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Yes, exactly so you know.
So I started to learn a littlebit by myself and you know, and
that sort of thing.
What'd you learn?
Speaker 1 (12:28):
What'd you learn, tell me?
You show up.
You've been political sciencedegree, so we know you're
packing all of it and you'vemade this choice to live your
life this way, dedicated to yourfamily.
Yes, anticipate in this process, I would imagine, with people
from all walks of life, alldifferent experiences.
(12:48):
You show up.
What did you pull courage?
Your courage, where did it comefrom?
To say I can do this?
Because I actually think for awhole lot of women that would
have made a choice like yoursinitially, that would have been
a real, real milestone of adecision to make.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
I think for me the courage came from just people
try my food, like me knowingthat the food was really good,
like people were like oh my God,you did this.
This is so you know, so good,and that confidence builds you
up to the point where, like, Iwant everyone to try my food,
you know.
So that's kind of where I was,but personality wise, I was
(13:31):
still like an introvert.
So I think for television theywant like excitement and like
crazy personalities and like I'mlike super laid back and like
chill.
You are chill, yeah, and Ithink for-.
Which is good, it's good, butfor TV that doesn't work.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah, okay, get it.
They like wrong.
Everybody's gotta be chill.
Everybody can't be over the top.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Right, right, right, that's true.
Actually I was like why can'tthey pick me?
But I think I was too quiet,too reserved, okay, and I didn't
know enough at that point ofhow to navigate that kind of
world.
So that wasn't picked, but it'sokay.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
So when you left, not picked, and you learned a lot
about yourself, did you saythere's something that I wanna
do later on, or did you?
What did you learn?
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Well, what I learned was is that maybe at that point
I wasn't ready for televisionlike the big scene, so I needed
more time, you know, to hone myskill to deal with people.
You know that sort of thing.
So we used to attend thischurch here in Estero and I said
, well, honey, why don't I startlike a small group and maybe I
(14:48):
can teach people how to cook andwhat I've learned over the
years?
And you know that sort of thing, and that's kinda how the buzz
of wanting to teach people howto cook started.
So I started a group.
It was called Gobble Up theBible.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
Yeah, so it's really cool and all these kids signed
up and I was like, oh my God,what are we gonna do so?
Speaker 1 (15:12):
okay, the theme, lauren is yet again.
You're surrounded by littlepeople.
Girl, what kind of penance areyou paying?
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Well, I knew I was good with kids.
Like at that point I'm like youknow what?
I know I'm good with kids.
I got three of them, so I madeit.
So you know, I'm an expert atthat at least.
And then food.
So those were the two things Ifelt like I was really good at.
I was gonna be the mom and Iwas good at cooking.
So I was like I gotta somehowcombine those two together, you
know, and that's kinda how.
And then I'm a Christian, sothat also played a role in like
(15:46):
knowing how I could tie food,the kids and the Bible into all.
One thing, you know, and itreally worked.
Like it was a great, greatsession.
We did like a few sessionsafter that and we would get
maxed out like every time, likeit was really cool yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
I love that idea.
Yeah, so here you are.
Were the lessons that you weresharing, things that were
practical, that moms and kidscould do together?
Was it sort of with a familybend Cause?
That really screams of youreally knowing your brand, your
brand, your market.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Yeah, it had a family band, so everything tied into
like Genesis.
So I took, like, for instance,the Tower of Babel, like the
language changed and we werelike we're going to learn about
other countries.
So we did like different foodsfrom everywhere, like Hong Kong
and like you know, like um, wedid like Italy and like all the
(16:45):
things that ties to how culturestarted, like from a biblical
perspective.
So it was pretty cool and so Iwas able to tie that into food
and the parents will come, theywill cook with the kids, they
will learn something new, theywill get the recipes to take
home and the Bible study to takehome too.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
So Wow, oh my God girl, that is such a great idea.
Okay, so then, this leads youto what next?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
That led me to opening Little Chefs in Training
.
So after my husband saw whichhe's always like my check, like
he's always the person that says, okay, lord, what did you just
do?
Does it make sense, like as faras, like you know, my vision
and my dream, how it wouldactually play out into the real
world, and he saw, he's like,well, I think this is what you
(17:31):
should be doing, like on, like areal level, and so the power of
partnership.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
I talk about that all the time and I want all of the
you know, young women that areolder women, quite frankly who
are considering being yoked andwho they're yoked with man.
You cannot underestimate yourchoices, because the right one
will push you when you don'twant to move.
(17:59):
They will see what you can see.
They will inspire what is justa spark.
Wow, that's so good.
So never settle people, neversettle, never, never settle.
That's very true.
So here's this man pouring intoyou, telling you what he sees.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Yes, and when he said that, I was like Okay, he was
like if you start here, maybeit'll eventually get to the
restaurant.
But I think he's like I think ifyou do this it'll work, because
we don't have anything likethis in Fort Myers, where we
were living at the time, and soI just started doing my research
, like how to start a business.
What's the process of doing thattrying to find a building or a
(18:39):
space to do it in, likemarketing and like a whole like
you know, like how to create alogo, and so the fact that I was
home, I had time, so it helpedme to that time helped me to
figure out exactly, you know,what I needed to do to start a
(19:00):
business.
So I had a little bit of acough, but, yeah, that time
helped me figure out what I needto do to start a business.
And so I said that with mysister and she helped me create
a logo.
I had the name, like what Iwant to do, but we have to
actually figure out what itwould look like.
And that's basically how itstarted, like me going to our
(19:22):
house like what am I going to do, and it like fast tracked into,
like having a logo creating awebsite, what type of classes I
want to teach.
It just kind of like went sofast after that.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
I feel like that is the case when you are in your
lane.
You know what I mean.
I am, you know, on a spirituallevel, as a Christian myself.
I find the times when an ideacomes gently, sometimes, loudly
sometimes, but when it isabsolutely the lane that is
(19:56):
ordered for me, it just comes,every single aspect of what I
need.
It's not hard, it's not right,but, girl, let me decide
something.
That's really not what I'msupposed to be doing.
Oh, it's like pulling teeth, itis, it's a push, it's so it
feel you feel the work Right.
(20:18):
Yes, I think the difference forme is when it is really the
lane for me.
I can work until we hours inthe morning and it's it's life
giving the other way around,girl look, no, that's very true.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Yeah, I think when you're, when you're on the right
path, like we're God wants youto be, the path is much easier.
And it's very clear if you'rechoosing the wrong path, you
know, sometimes we fight againstit, of course, until we realize
it.
But then at some point, whenyou're like sweating, you're
like, oh my gosh, I don't thinkthis is what he wants me to do,
(21:01):
and you kind of just give up atthat point.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
But I have to ask you this because it just hit my
mind.
So when I think about you beingdrawn to Judge Judy and drawn
to law and a law degree andthink about then what later
would come up as the path, theblessed path for you, can you
see, looking back, anysimilarities between little
(21:28):
chefs as an idea that wouldspawn into even more that we'll
talk about?
But can you see any connectionsbetween the judge Judy vision
and maybe who you were becomingat that point?
Speaker 2 (21:42):
I think just the whole research aspect of it
loving to learn and gatheringinformation is so natural for me
and I learned that over theyears just what kids like,
learning about how kids bodieswork and what they need when
they're sick, and all thosethings just reading and learning
(22:03):
what I should and should not do, based on being a mom that
played into the business aspect.
So if someone asks me aquestion I don't have the answer
, I'll go easily be able to findthe answer based on just doing
research and I love to read.
So that was another thing thatalso helps, because most people
when they start businesses theytypically go out and outsource,
(22:24):
like, oh, I need someone to openup a sunbiz, go to sunbiz and
open up a business frame.
But I did that all on my ownbecause I was just able to find
it, Like you know.
So I think that part of me withthe law still plays in, because
as a lawyer you gotta do a lotof research.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
You gotta have the right answers.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
A lot of reading.
Gotta have the right answers,so, and there's no mistakes when
it comes to being a lawyer,right?
Speaker 1 (22:47):
So yeah, oh, my God, detail.
So okay, so now Little Chefs.
Little Chefs is rocking androlling, I believe.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Yes, little Chefs is rocking and rolling and for
about five years we did that andthen COVID hit Right.
So we had the COVID issue,where our kids stopped going to
school for like a whole year andeveryone was concerned about
their kids being in small groupsor even being too close to each
(23:20):
other.
You know that sort of thing.
So we actually had to closeLittle Chefs for a little bit.
For about a year I closedbecause my kids were out of
school.
But before that, actually likemaybe a year into Little Chefs,
that's when Savannah happened,so my last little bouffa she's
(23:44):
four now Savannah Daniels.
So she happened.
And so while I'm doing classes,summer camps, what is?
We used to do a lot of cookingcompetitions with, like Girl
Scouts and Boy Scouts.
I'm walking around fullypregnant, like doing this thing,
and I'm like, oh my gosh, Ican't believe this is actually
(24:06):
happening.
So she was my actual surprise,in the sense that Emmanuel and
her are eight years apart, wow,yeah, so it's a huge gap, but
she's actually a blessing,because the older they're really
close in age.
So when you have kids that areclose in age, they don't have
(24:27):
any mercy for each other becausethey're always like competing
or like you know, it's alwayssome drama.
But then when you have a littleone that comes into the mix,
everyone's like so dedicated tomaking her feel happy.
So they understand what itmeans to like actually have a
child Like.
You know what I mean, like howto love and how to give and how
to take care when they're sick.
(24:48):
You know that sort of thing.
So they've seen that.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
Oh, and you're such an amazing mom that is so
beautiful to think about it thatway.
It really is.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Yeah, at first I thought it was gonna be really
difficult.
Like I have this business.
Now we have three older kids.
How am I gonna manage all ofthis?
Cause it was just like a monkeywrench.
Cause I thought, okay, now allthree of them in school have
time during the day to do what Ineed to do, you know.
But then she came and I'm like,oh my gosh, I have a baby.
Like for a whole year I lookedover and I'm like I have a baby.
(25:16):
Like what is happening?
Girl, I understand that, yeah,but so far, I mean, I feel like
it's helped.
My daughter, my son, she loveswhen they come in the house,
it's like she jumps on them, shehugs them.
Like her and the youngerEmmanuel, they fight all the
(25:37):
time.
It's crazy, cause he used to bethe baby.
So it's like that's how it'scompeting.
But the older two they totallyget what it's like to be a mom
or dad.
You know that sort of things.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Oh yeah, all right, so COVID happens.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
COVID happens.
I closed, little Chefs, causewe were all concerned about what
we found out.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
You never thought about doing a Zoom version,
because a lot of people you knowimmediately went to what's a
virtual option.
You never thought about doinganything like that.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
I did maybe like two Zoom versions of what we used to
do.
I did like bakery boxes wherethe parents would come up and
pick up the bakery boxes withthe items in it and with the
recipe, but it sort of just keptfizzling on me.
I wasn't getting enoughresponse cause everyone was in
flight mode, like no one knewwhat they were going to be doing
(26:28):
.
Yeah, so at that point I waslike, what can I do?
And we have this space.
I'm like we have this beautifulkitchen.
Like I was like I can just dotakeout.
I was like I can just dotakeout.
They're only allowingrestaurants to do takeout right
now.
So I created a little menu.
I sign up for all the door,like Door Dash and Uber Eats,
(26:51):
and I even did.
I was even a ghost kitchen.
We're like, yeah, so so crazy.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
I used to do Okay, that was like such a crazy
concept in 2020 that I'd neverheard of before.
But seriously, on Door Dash,you know, my son was just like
oh yeah, I think this is from aghost kitchen.
What the heck is a ghostkitchen?
Tell the people what a ghostkitchen is.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
I'm gonna tell y'all, I'm gonna tell y'all, like,
there was three brands that wedid.
The first one was Tiger Bytes,which was like is he's a rapper?
Which he's like a millennialrapper.
I don't even know what he'srapper, but I picked up this
brand and what they do is Ican't remember the name of the
company, but they have like afew brands on their website.
(27:35):
You could pick from the brand.
If you have a kitchen license,you can cook all the brands,
right.
So I did Tiger Bytes, mr BeastBurgers and then Mariah Carey's
Cookies.
That yeah, yes.
And so during COVID, everyonewas on lockdown.
They couldn't go anywhere, butyou know, you could only really
(27:55):
order takeout.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
And so the most popular one was Mr Beast Burgers
, and so we used to get like 60orders a day oh my gosh,
non-stop.
It was crazy and like peoplereally love burgers or is this
like a COVID thing, like what ishappening.
So I was in there slingingburgers for like a whole year.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Yeah, yes.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
And I was like Did they give you the recipe?
Did you have to follow theirrecipe?
Speaker 2 (28:25):
So they just gave us the components, like the boxes
that you needed, what to buy,like a whole guideline of what
to do and what Mr Beast Burgersconcept, what it should look
like.
You know, you're justreplicating someone else's brand
, right?
And then DoorDash would come in.
They would pick up the orderand deliver it to someone with
(28:47):
all the packaging, all of thelabels.
Wow, or Mariah Carey's cookieswas like we would bake the
cookies, it would be her brandand we would just ship it out to
whoever ordered that day.
You know, so it's kind of cool.
So that's what sparked in mymind.
I'm like, oh my God, if theycould do this, I could do this.
(29:08):
That's right, I'm gonna createmy own brand, Like you know.
So I started coming up like alittle, like a little takeout
menu, Southern takeout menu,because we have like no Southern
food in Fort Myers.
That's the best of all.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Which is really crazy .
Yes, because you know there isa population of African-American
there for sure, but I guessmaybe the thing that I often
miss is that it is more of anisland heritage than it is a
deep South Southern US heritage,right?
(29:44):
People keep reminding me ofthat, like I think immediately,
oh, but you know it's Fort Myers, right, but it's a very
different origin than me,perhaps you know, being from New
Orleans.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
That's very true.
And then the deep South part ofit is more weirdly like.
You have more Caucasians thatare deep South representing in
Fort Myers and you doAfrican-American deep South.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
That makes sense to me.
Now that I'm starting tounderstand its apocryphal more,
I get that I mean before movinghere, that completely flew over
my head.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
Yeah, and when we moved from Fort Lauderdale that
was confusing to me too.
When we moved here I was likewhere is the culture at?
Like, where do we go to eveneat Southern food or to go to
cultural events, Like, where isthat?
And it wasn't here that wecould find anyway.
You know, now it's gotten a lotbetter.
But yeah, like, a lot of mycustomer base are, you know,
(30:49):
they're Caucasian Southerners,Like that's who comes in the
restaurant, you know.
So it's very different in FortMyers.
It's a different, you know.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
This is a different heritage because I'm sure to a
lot of the African, the blackAmericans that are there with an
island heritage, they'relooking for the Jamaican or the
you know whatever.
Yeah, it's different, it's justdifferent Wow.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Yeah, so that when we were closed down for COVID like
we just made a major pivot, itallowed us time to to like redo
the whole restaurant.
Like the front spacerepresented had murals on the
walls of, like cooking classesand kids and food.
Like we had someone come in anddo this big mirror and paint
this mural and we covered it allup.
(31:42):
And I was so sad we cover allof it up with wallpaper.
I'm like I'm not painting itover it.
I was gonna put wallpaper up,you know so, but we did
wallpaper and we have, like inthe restaurant, all of these
beautiful black and white photosof different jazz singers, the
greats, yeah, over errors oftime, like the 1930s and 60s.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
I think Billie Holiday is on the wall.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Yes, diana Ross, we have Louis Armstrong, cap
Callaway, Sarah Vaughn, so wetotally did a pivot.
We changed the name.
I wrote out some names, thatSouthern Southern Charm Bistro,
yeah, so we just I just kind oftook that time to do my research
(32:28):
about what was in the area,what we needed in Fort Myers,
and that's kind of how ithappened, like just writing down
those ideas and doing myresearch.
And so and my husband is my, Iwant to call him my bank, but my
finance here, but everybodyneeds one right.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
You've got to, and I'm sure you had to justify the
dollars because you know, beinga businessman, being a business
person and business family, youknow that's there was an
opportunity cost, right.
So investing in Southern Charmare not being invested in the
civil engineering firm orinvestments that you could have
done.
(33:06):
So how did you, how did youguys come to agreement that this
was ready to go Like?
Did you literally legit pitchand Well, I think he okay.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
So, like you said, he's my partner, so any step of
the way, like we make decisions,whether they're smooth
decisions or whether we'rearguing about it, like we make
decisions together so we he wasthere when I was doing Mr beast
and he was like, oh my gosh, Ican't believe we just made like
(33:39):
$6,000 today, like you know, andthen of that 6000 we would have
to give 30% of that to thebrand.
Like back to Mr beast, you know, in a sense.
So he's like we should be ableto keep all of that, you know,
in his mind.
He's thinking, you know.
So he was like, if you do comeup with your own brand, if you
do something, let's just makesure we're making that kind of
(34:01):
money.
Like that's how he's thinking.
So as we sat down and we lookedat the numbers, what it would
look like to change the lightingand the painting and do the
wallpaper, we always, withhaving a family for you always
have to have a cushion.
So we did have a cushion and wesaid, well, we can, we can just
do the minimal.
As far as decorating in thefront, the kitchen was already
done.
We had already spent the majormoney of doing the space in the
(34:23):
back.
So it was just more about likethe marketing of our space and
then the decor and then gettinga bear and wine license, which
we do have.
That wasn't a major cost, it'sjust a process, you know.
So we did that and I wasnervous, of course, to open and
(34:46):
just I'm always nervous to dolike a big, grand opening, so
like I just paste myself and Ididn't do like a full
announcement to maybe like twomonths after.
So I just the menu.
People would start finding usbased on our Google page and our
website and they just startedcoming in and slowly people
started ordering and I startedseeing what people wouldn't
(35:08):
order, what they wouldn't wouldorder what they like, what they
didn't like, and I would justadjust the menu based on that,
you know.
But I just gave myself somespace because, being it being
new, I was really unsure what Ididn't expect, you know.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
So but you also.
You also leaned into theprivilege of a financier, quite
frankly, right, because somebodyelse you know who's put all the
money in and there's no moremoney coming.
They're about how do I quicklyget to revenue?
Right, you had the ability tobe a bit more organic, which I
(35:42):
think was a was a competitiveadvantage, but, frankly, because
you just around what the whatthe market was telling you,
that's really neat.
So how many iterations did youactually see before you were
like this is it, this is grand.
People are coming back and youstart to see the build, the
traffic come through the door.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
And I would say about four iterations.
And then the feedback to solike what started happening was
people, which I didn't expect.
What people started doing, likeall the glory views and they're
all like just the praise of thefood and the space and what it
looked like, and I was like, oh,wow, like people actually like
(36:25):
my food.
So that made me feel great andmore confident as we kept going.
And then feedback from myhusband, so he would try my food
or the kids would try it.
Now they're older they wouldsay, mommy, this is wonderful,
this people would love this, youknow, and just my family and
stuff.
So it's very helpful, becausecarrying the burden of someone
(36:46):
saying they don't like your foodis very hard to get through.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
So they don't like anything.
If you're in business, rightlike, that's like take it
personal, rightly.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
Yeah, and I think the fact that I took it personal
help me to see, help me to makethings better that weren't good,
you know, and and I thinkthat's kind of how the menu over
time, because now it's stuck.
Like people love my biscuits.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Yes, they are so good .
Speaker 2 (37:21):
So that that and that you are coming to Fort Myers if
you are near Southwest Florida.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
I'm not playing seriously.
First of all, there's somethingon the menu that you will
probably love but, thosebiscuits Gosh, I'm pretty sure,
like with one, you know, you notonly have a pleasure experience
, but you do gain a little late.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Yeah, you do, yeah, yep, and what I do to is like I
make the jams in house, so I dolike a raspberry jam or
blueberry or whatever seasonalfruit there is, so I can do a
peach jam, like we've been doingmango jam.
So like I try and integratethings into the menu and they're
very fresh, not too heavy,where you can actually eat it
(38:05):
for lunch, you like, you knowI'm saying, and then people call
for the biscuits.
They take them home.
They could take them homefrozen or baked, you know.
So just anything that I do atthe.
Maybe it's not big and that'sbecause I want to do everything
that's on there.
I try and I do it well, likeyou know what I mean to try not
to overwhelm myself.
I think after people startedcoming in I was like, okay, now
(38:27):
it's time to do a soft opening,let's just do it, like you know,
and everything just sort offell into place at that point.
So now it's been a full yearand a few months of Southern
time Are.
We have a lot of things thatwe're going to do, that we're
looking forward to, like to, tonew, to new projects that we're
(38:49):
super excited about.
We're thinking about twolocations, which is kind of like
within a year and a half maybehave to two locations that are
more visible, you know.
So people can see us more, andthat is something.
And then a biscuit product thatwe're trying to market to
grocery stores.
So Excellent.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
So you know that's where I was going next, because
I was really curious.
Coming out of this, youprobably now are thinking about
okay, I can start to scale thisright and you can scale it a
couple of ways.
You've got two great thingsgoing on.
The experience is justwonderful.
I feel like you're in aSouthern, hospitable, intimate
(39:37):
setting.
So I'm hopeful I'm putting aplug in as a consumer that that
Southern charm has to maintainthat Southern charm right.
So spaces.
So I'm not going to be able tospeak in that way.
But then also, with thebiscuits being like such a hot,
hot product, man, how do youstart to package that and get it
(39:59):
on the shelves?
And you know all the big onesand that really is going to
change the game, couldpotentially change the game.
Pull through for your product,pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (40:08):
Yes and that, and that's actually the plan.
Like I feel like not.
Have we done this a full year?
What is it that's comingthrough to our customers?
That I could pivot and actuallymake more money?
That's hands off like that.
I don't have to do too much togather money.
And my husband said you know,every review we look at, like,
(40:30):
our rating on Google right nowis 4.9.
Wow, so in every review thatsomeone mentions our biscuits
Wow.
So I was like, oh well, I thinkthis is it.
Yes, I think there's a message,yeah, there's a message.
And so recently I actually gotthe nutrition facts back from a
(40:53):
science lab that have to,because you need nutrition facts
and packaging that makes sensein a freezer section.
So nutrition facts are back.
I got packaging already done asfar as it was designed.
And today I actually was inconversation about what that
packaging, the company thatactually prints the packaging
and the process on that.
So I'm not far away, I'mrunning with it.
(41:14):
I'm like I'm just going to runtill it's done, you know.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
So yeah, it's not going to be hard.
It's just like we talked aboutwhen you're in the lane, it just
pulls you.
It just pulls you.
You know, I kind of feel thesame about you know,
recommitting and growing,proving that perfect Right.
You get to a space where youstart to get pulled into
divergent, competing prioritiesand then it does just don't
(41:41):
produce goodness.
And then when you start to goback to what you were told and
shown, you know it all starts toeven those things start to, you
know, feel better.
Speaker 2 (41:55):
That's true.
I mean initially we were openfrom 11 to three.
The hours for some of ourcustomers were a little strange,
but I was like you know.
I have a family.
I have to leave the restaurantat three o'clock to pick up my
children.
I'm like there's no other way.
This is going down Like.
You know what I'm saying so Itry and keep, even though we're
busy and people want things.
(42:16):
As far as catering and thatsort of thing, I have to say no
sometimes because I have to putmy family first.
I'm like you know I love what Ido when I, when I'm in the
kitchen, but then outside ofthat I'm still a mom and a still
wife have to cook and clean,like everybody else does, you
know.
Speaker 1 (42:33):
So but that's the beauty and that's, quite frankly
why I was like you know what,lauren?
We've got to talk in the provennot perfect community room,
because most of this communityis driven women who have a
passion and love for a thingalongside a passion and love for
(42:59):
their family, alongside deepfaith, right and expectation for
many things, and the challengefor many people is weaving in
together that passion for thething and the passion for family
.
And I was so inspired bywatching you and learning more
(43:20):
about your story where you'veliterally woven these things
together and man to create theboundary that says I'm not going
to allow fear to tell me that Ihave to strike with how
customers want this businesstoday, right?
(43:41):
No, your boundary is yourcommitment to being in the home
and getting all the things done,and business just weaves into
that and it's happening andyou're still growth, right, like
you're not changing thatboundary.
I think that's beautiful.
Do you see it that way?
Or is this just by accidentthat this is happening?
(44:03):
Are you trying this?
Well?
Speaker 2 (44:06):
I see it that way.
I think, because, like, theprayer is to always make sure
that I'm honoring God right, soI think he helps me to leave
that process because I feel likeyou know, I know people are
going to make mistakes, right,but if I can like, try my best
(44:28):
to not make mistakes that aredetrimental to our family or
even to the business, by actingfor help, you know, as far as,
like, praying and acting theLord to help me, see, whatever I
supposed to be doing, whateverI do, help it honor him right,
because that's our goal in life.
We are Christians, like, we'resupposed to honor him in
(44:49):
everything that we do.
And so, even though, like atone point, my husband was like
we should move the time to seveno'clock people are wanting to
be open longer I was like, honey, I can't do that.
I'm like, how can I do that ifI got to be home with Savannah
only four?
She's not a teenager, you know.
If she's in school, she's doneat three, she needs to see me.
(45:09):
I'm like I can't be at therestaurant till seven o'clock,
it's impossible, you know.
So I, you know there'schallenges, right.
So there's always someonesaying, oh, you should be doing
this and you should be outletting people know who you are.
And I'm like you know, to me Idon't feel like it's necessary,
not yet, but I'm like you know.
I said what I do like myproduct is what people need to
(45:32):
see, not me yet, until the kidsget older and there I know
they're okay, then maybe I'llhave more time for that, but
right now I just don't thinkit's the time.
Speaker 1 (45:42):
Girl, I'm telling you this right here has just
blessed so many people.
Because that's the thing we getimpatient, yes, get impatient.
We get this vision and we wantto go and we believe that if we
don't go at that pace, we'regoing to miss out, we're going
to lose, it's going to close up,that window is going to close.
(46:04):
I even hear people say thatright, even some Christian
leaders say that you know, whenit comes to you, you got to do
it now, or else you knowsomebody, somebody else will be
inspired and it'll be done.
But I actually rest verysimilar to where you are.
If it's yours, it's yours,right?
And even if you are the 9,999thperson to do it, you've never
(46:27):
done it.
It's never been your touch,your unique touch, your voice,
your placement, and so now it'sjust a matter of how do we stay
still and patient and let itcome in the process and the time
that it should.
Girl, that's a whole, whole lotof word.
Speaker 2 (46:46):
Yeah, to keep it to prayer, but I think having, like
any mom or wife, if you have alot going on at night, you
really need to take time to prayLike that's the one thing that
will help you see things clearlybetter.
Like you're going to havedifferent opinions.
Of course you're going to ask,like your, your family, people
(47:07):
that are close to you, what's agood direction to take, because
then you have to take all thatinformation in and then pray
about it.
Say, hey, lord, like whatshould I do?
Like what is the next step?
What will make things easierfor us?
You know and better, and Ithink going to him with all the
information you have from otherpeople helps you to guide you
where you need to go.
(47:27):
Like that's, I think, that'simportant.
Speaker 1 (47:30):
I'm doing a lot of sitting still too, because you
know I used to approach thatprayer time from a place of like
here's my list and blah, blah,blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,
blah, blah, blah, blah, blahblah.
And what I have come to reallyappreciate in the season that
I'm in is when I go and sort ofsit in that space of prayer with
(47:56):
no list but just just stillnessand welcoming and obedience, I
feel that I really get pouredinto and the conversation starts
to happen with my soul.
Speaker 2 (48:18):
You know what I?
Speaker 1 (48:19):
mean.
Yes, the list is important too.
We all have specific thingsthat we're praying for.
But I feel like, you know,there's there's sort of two
times a day, right.
There's that time where I'vegot that list and there's that
time where I'm just sitting andI'm receiving, with no noise,
with no, just just listening andreceiving.
(48:40):
You know.
Speaker 2 (48:41):
Right, right.
And I think that's importantbecause otherwise how do you
receive this peace, Like ifyou're not sitting right, If
you're not receiving, becausethat's important, Otherwise you
can't get through the day or thenext thing.
So that's really important.
Speaker 1 (48:57):
Well, miss Lauren, this has been such a beautiful
conversation.
I am sure that the folks in thecommunity have really been
blessed by your words.
Even the way you speak you justthe harmonious confidence and
courage, just peacefulness, girl, it just radiates from you.
(49:17):
And you've got four babies anda husband and multiple
businesses that are in demandand growing.
So that is your gift.
That is your gift and thank youfor sharing that peaceful space
with all of us.
We can do it right.
(49:37):
No matter what it is we'retrying to do, it can be done.
It just takes that faith andconviction and being still and
making sure that you're thinkinglonger than just the short-term
goal.
You're thinking journey, andthat's what I think you do so
well.
Speaker 2 (49:55):
Thank you so much, sandra, I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (49:59):
Awesome, so good to have you.
I'll see you soon.
Thank you, alright.
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