#52 - Erin Wade (Homeroom Restaurant)

Ever wondered if you could risk it all—your savings, your sanity, your entire career—on a food you love? Erin Wade did just that. Fired from her law job and flat-out rejected by banks, she built a cult mac & cheese restaurant that broke every rule and every record. In this episode, Erin tells the unfiltered truth about betting everything, surviving the chaos, and what it really feels like to sell your “baby” to a VC-backed food giant.

  
3:05 The Struggle to Secure Funding for the Dream  
5:38 Friends Fly In From LA to Show Support  
8:53 Launch Day: Lines Down the Street  
10:41 Getting Early Product Feedback That Shaped the Menu  
12:54 Creating a Career and Life You Truly Love  
14:30 Building a Business Centered Around People  
16:30 The Decision to Buy Out His Business Partner  
18:01 Preparing the Next Generation for Leadership  
19:49 Finding Real Joy in Everyday Business Challenges  
22:50 Navigating Personal Struggles While Running a Company  
25:36 Passing the Torch After Selling the Business  
28:29 Rewriting the Book to Share a More Personal Story  
31:42 Loving the CEO Role and Leading With Purpose