When I decided to turn my baby food delivery business idea into a reality I imagined that someday I would open outlets all over the country. Or perhaps I would franchise the business. I thought that one day I would be the CEO of a baby food empire.
Over time I came to realize that this business is not about empire building. It is about heart. It is about love. And it must be run by individuals that have a true passion for infant nutrition and believe that a child’s taste for food is formed from the very first bite…..mothers. It cannot be run by some “hired gun” store manager. Or a franchisee who cares more about opening a string of sites than changing the lives of children and their families.
Childhood obesity is an epidemic in our society. Helping children form healthy tastes and eating habits is going to require commitment and training at an individual level. No corporation can facilitate change in the same way that a mother supported by her friends can.
I also figured out that I do not want to be the CEO of a big company. CEOs don’t have time to change diapers and drive kids to soccer practice. CEOs don’t have time to get to know their customers on a personal level. CEOs are too bogged down with board meetings, personnel issues, and operational chaos. The reason I started my baby food delivery business is because I wanted to stretch myself intellectually every day just as I had during my 15 year career in high tech. While at the same time being a conscious parent involved in every aspect of my children’s lives—like the stay-at-home mommies of the past.
Mischelle (Schelly) Weedman-Davis left her 15-year high-tech career to become a stay-at-home mom but later became the founder of Sprouts Baby Food, Inc. She now uses her talents to support her husband’s Seattle law firm, the Davis Law Group so she can spend more time with her family. But she remains committed to infant nutrition and helping others that want to start their own baby food business.
Photo from SeattlePI.com.
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