In one of the founder spotlights during the Women & Worth Summit: Actions Speak Louder Than Words, Gail Becker discussed how she pivoted from a prominent corporate career to leading a successful startup. Becker talked about her journey from a corporate job to launching her startup. Becker founded CAULIPOWER when she realized there were no viable options for an already-made cauliflower crust pizza. Unlike other startups, she went all in and hired consultants to teach her about the food industry. Becker had many disapproving friends and colleagues, but she kept with her career goals despite them.
When asked about her opinion on diversity in her company Becker said, “Diversity in people leads to diversity in thought.” Becker knew what she wanted her company to represent and quickly worked to make those dreams a reality. She wanted a different environment than what she had when she worked in corporate America and realized if she wanted things to be different, then she would have to create them herself. And so she did.
I learned many significant ideas about entrepreneurship from Becker, however, the following pieces of advice really stuck out to me. Firstly, do not be afraid to admit what you do not know, and hire those around you to help. Secondly, you need to figure out which rules you want to break and which you want to follow. Lastly, Becker said sometimes doing things differently and challenging others’ advice is what makes your company unique. She continued on to say that when it comes to fears, they are all-consuming. The trick is learning to bet on yourself and run with it. Overall, Becker gave a shining example of how to start a company, create diversity within said company and be confident in your choices.
