How To Win When Everyone Doubts You with Laureen Asseo, Founder of Fresh n’ Lean

Laureen Asseo is the Founder and CEO of Fresh n' Lean, the largest organic prepared meal delivery service in the US. 

She was only 18 years old in 2010 when she founded the company out of her one-bedroom apartment, all while attending the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. She had always dreamed of being an entrepreneur, and actually had goals for establishing her own sustainable fashion brand, but her journey took a turn when her father faced serious health problems after years of poor eating habits and inactivity.

Desperate to help him reverse the damage, she started cooking for him and formulated a business plan in the process: make eating well a no-brainer for people who lack the time or desire to prepare healthy meals. She started creating recipes and cooking & delivering meals herself. 

The business grew rapidly and over the past three years, Fresh n’ Lean has recorded revenue growth of more than 500%, has a team of 400+ employees, and is generating over $100 million in revenue without any outside funding. 

We’ll talk to Laureen about what it takes to build a business as a young woman in an industry largely dominated by men, how she dealt with the many naysayers who thought her idea was absolutely impossible, and the biggest lessons she’s learned over the past decade running her company. 

In this episode, we’ll talk to Laureen about:

* Hear about Laureen’s childhood and how it influenced her love for food and culture. [02:27]

* Find out how it was always her childhood dream to have her own business. [4:47]

* Laureen shares the story of when her journey pivoted as her father’s health declined. [7:25]

* What the early days of meal prepping for her father looked like for Laureen. [9:35]

* How Laureen felt when she graduated without a fashion brand and why she doesn’t regret the choices she made. [10:49]

* What motivated her to forge on with building a company without any outside capital. [13:47]

* Educating her customers on this disruptive idea of buying prepared meals online. [16:35]

* Some of the tactics that helped Laureen grow demand for her product, including word of mouth and demos. [18:54]

* Supporting the development of her self-funded business by focusing on scalability. [21:32]

* Hear Laureen’s perspective of being a young, woman CEO in manufacturing; how she overcame certain challenges. [26:34]

* How doubt and criticism for her business impacted her when she was younger versus now. [32:31]

* Laureen speaks candidly about her own health and how she prioritizes a work-life balance. [35:47]

* Mistakes and challenges she learned from in the past decade of Fresh n’ Lean. [40:16]

* You have to do it in order to know it won’t work; don’t be afraid of making mistakes! [40:47]

* Some of the horrible advice Laureen received during her entrepreneurial journey. [43:35]

* Laureen’s advice for entrepreneurs: don’t always listen to what big executives have to say about your business. [40:47]

Follow Laureen: 

Laureen’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laureenasseo/

Fresh n’ Lean’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshnlean/ 

Fresh n’ Lean Website: https://www.freshnlean.com/

Follow Yasmin:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/

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