Juff Church | Influential Leaders to Follow in 2022 | Exeleon Magazine

Embracing Excellence
www.exeleonmagazine.com
Jeff
Church
Matthieu
Kohlmeyer:
Disrupting the
F&B Industry
IN - FOUCS
T R A N S F O R M I N G T H E
B E V E R A G E S I N D U S T R Y
Entrepreneur
Corner
THE JOURNEY OF
FRAN MAIER
Influenti l
a
L E A D E R T O F O L L O W
I N 2 0 2 2
Moustafa Hamwi:
Where Passion
Meets Leadership
IN - FOUCS

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Embracing Excellence

C O N T E N T S
JEFF CHURCH
12

C O N T E N T S
SCOTT TRUEHL
22

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F E AT U R E D S T O R Y
C E O & C
n in luential leader is someone who is
capable of leading different things
simultaneously. A leader is also a creative
person who can articulate the company's
vision into an understandable and digestible
way for all stakeholders.
While they have their heads in the clouds, but their feet
are placed irmly on the ground when it comes to the
essential nuts and bolts of running a business. It's also
important for them to gain consensus among peers,
investors, and the board to support the ambition,
motivations and goals of the organization.
Interestingly, these are the characteristics of one such
game-changing businessman in the beverages industry.
Jeff Church is the man of the hour who has taken the
reins to bring a revolution in the energy drink category.
As the CEO and Founder at Rowdy Energy Drink, he
aims to deliver smarter, cleaner and 100% natural
energy drinks for sustained energy.
For the past 21 years, he's been on his own— starting,
buying, building or selling brands and it's been an
incredible professional joy for him. “I've tried over the
years, from time to time, to manage a portfolio of brands
and yet I keep getting pulled into the action, where, I
have to admit, I'm most engaged and inspired,” he
shares.
AN UNDERSTATED ENTREPRENEUR
Growing up, Jeff never thought that he could be an
entrepreneur because he believed that all
entrepreneurs were born, not made. He had envisioned
Ted Turner, who created Turner Broadcasting, and
Richard Bronson of Virgin, that they were larger than
life characters and unless someone had their same
sizzle or chutzpah, no one could be a successful
entrepreneur.
But Jeff couldn't have been more wrong about this.
While there are unique outliers like Steve Jobs, Ted
Turners and Richard Branson, the vast majority of
entrepreneurs are ordinary people who decided for
their own reasons, at the most basic level of
empowerment, that they want to be their own boss. He
believes “As an entrepreneur some would want that
primal independence but also leave their own stamp or
mark as an amazing experiment of humanity.”
A
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www.exeleonmagazine.com 13

Infact when Jeff was young, he was
more worried about failure than he
was about mediocrity. He recalls, “I
just didn't want to fail in front of my
high school friends. But later at the
age of 38, I started to get the
entrepreneurial itch and began to
think that I was now more afraid of
mediocrity than I was of failure.”
He recollects a late night special
where an interviewer invited a few
senior citizens to share the most
regretful memory in their
professional careers. While they
had all been pretty successful in life,
they all wished to have taken “the
shot” at really trying to change their
stars. Perhaps, a yearning for a
certain degree of professional risk
in their careers.
This discussion caused a dramatic
shift in Jeff's mindset and
encouraged him to inally take the
entrepreneurial plunge. As a
President of twelve businesses, in
both — North and South America –
he then decided to drop his 6
months' notice period before going
all in to pursue his entrepreneurial
dream.
A BUBBLING ENERGY
REVOLUTION
Jeff started his irst energy drink
business with Suja Juice in different
places. Sometimes, working from
his co-founders James' nightclub
closet, also called the ice chest
room and the other times, in his
very own garage. These humble
beginnings eventually led to
remarkable success as the company
now generates nearly $250 million
in annual revenue and $40 million
in pro its.
He shares, “I learned and validated
a lot of what to do but even more
important and unfortunately more
costly was learning what not to do”.
These were the really valuable
lessons that Jeff brought to his next
venture, Rowdy. “I feel that inally
in my career, with Rowdy being my
th
8 company, that I have my own
playbook of what makes sense and
what doesn't make sense,” he
concludes.
Rowdy is a unique and healthy
energy drink with complete focus
14 Exeleon Magazine

on the wellness and
longevity of the people.
Jeff found that there is
a widening gap in the
total energy drink
category that
generates more than
$17 billion in annual revenue.
However, less than 1 percent of
energy drinks are “better” and
devoid of arti icial lavor,
ingredients and chemical
preservatives. To undo the
notorious reputation that energy
drinks have earned themselves,
especially among women, Jeff based
his new thesis at Rowdy — to bring
clean, better, and functional energy
drinks to consumers.
An amusing story behind the name
Rowdy is that his partner Kyle
Busch, one of the top drivers in
Nascar, is nicknamed Rowdy. The
name was also in luenced by a 20-
year old movie called Days of
Thunder that starred Tom Cruise as
the star of the movie and his
cantankerous competitor was
named Rowdy Burns. The name
'Rowdy' was loosely meant to be
Dale Earnhart who was always
known for his attitude to win — at
all costs.
Rowdy is Jeff's
eighth company that
he's either started
or bought in the
past 22 years. Of
the seven excluding
Rowdy that have
been sold, using a baseball analogy,
three have been what he would
refer to as “home runs”, two would
be “doubles” and the other two
would be “blazing strikeouts.”
About ten years ago, he researched
and did a deep dive on the
differences between the ive
businesses that were successful
versus the two that weren't. He
realized that all the successful
brands had an element of
disruption whereas the
ROWDY IS UNIQUE, IN A
TOTAL ENERGY DRINK
CATEGORY THAT GENERATES
MORE THAN $17 BILLION IN
ANNUAL REVENUE THAT
LESS THAN 1% OF ENERGY
DRINKS ARE BOTH BETTER
FOR YOU AND “CLEAN” OF
ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR,
INGREDIENTS AND
CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVES.

Transformin
theBeverage
Industry.
16 Exeleon Magazine

YROWDYENERGYROWDYENERGYROWDYENER
ng
es

unsuccessful brands were more
commodity brands.
The successful businesses had an
“it” factor that protected the gross
margin for a foreseeable future.
These could be things like route to
market, intellectual property, an
amazing team of people among
other things. He says, “if you had
some amount of these
competencies, you were putting
yourself in a much higher
probability of being successful.”
INNER HARMONY AND BALANCE
Being a serial entrepreneur, a
beverage expert, business coach,
investor, and a father among many
things, Jeff focuses on three aspects,
or buckets, in his life: family and
marriage; work; and self-care. He
ensures uninterrupted care and
attention while focusing on one
particular bucket at a point in time.
Jeff adds, “When I've felt really good
about one of them, it unfortunately
has meant that I may not be doing
well on the other two.” However,
he's learned that if he's mediocre in
each of them, he tends to be in a
pretty balanced place.
He also subscribes strongly to the
theory of an emotional bank
account— a paradoxical similarity
between relationships and a bank
account. He remains cautious of the
fact that one can withdraw from the
emotional bank account but it
cannot, and should not, be
overdrawn.
HIS 3 BUSINESS TENETS
Jeff's advice to emerging and
aspiring business leaders is
extraordinary and multi-faceted. He
proposes to recognize the “law of
two” that points towards being
wary of your time and money. This
can often result in running out of
both and can cause you to be
proverbially being held over a
barrel and having to give up a lot to
keep the business going.
He also suggests learning on
someone else's “nickel” rather than
your own. Infact, Jeff encourages
young people to not quit their day
job to pursue their passion, until or
unless you have the right
experience and skill set to be
successful.
It would also help to approach your
passion as a hobby and focus on it
on nights and weekends while
working your normal job. “When
the timing is right you would have
made limited mistakes on your own
nickel thereby expanding your own
cash runway,” he adds.
Lastly, and most importantly, he
advises to keep your heads in the
clouds and your feet planted irmly
on the ground. Jeff thinks that too
many people are dreamers and a
dream without a vetted and
realistic plan is a pipe dream.
“While it's fruitful and important to
dream of an idea that you have,
however, too many people don't
build smart executable plans in
order to be successful and their
dreams don't become realities. I like
to do both, dream but keep my feet
on the ground planted in realism
and humbleness,” he concludes.
A HEALTHY & ENERGIZED
FUTURE
Jeff is hopeful of a bright future for
himself and his venture, Rowdy
Energy Drinks. As the energy drink
category is a large one, about $17
billion in size, and less than 1% of
the market is both Better For You
(BFY) and without any arti icial
sweeteners, ingredients and
chemical preservatives.
His mission is to help consumers
understand that they can get great
functional beverage energy drinks
without having to sacri ice clean
ingredients. Subsequently, there
have been many ingredient
breakthroughs over the past decade
and today more than ever there are
great choices of functional
ingredients. In many cases they are
supported by clinical studies and
yet only a very few energy drink
brands are embracing this. This is
where the existence and expansion
of Rowdy Energy and their new
Power Burn line comes in.
Jeff's company uses only ef icacious
levels of ingredients, often times
backed by clinical studies, and
continuously seeks to provide
consumers with a waterfall of
several bene it platforms including
natural energy, demonstrative
levels of electrolytes, thermogenic,
calorie burning ingredients, mȩntal
focus and clarity and synergistic
amino acids to help build lean
muscle mass.
Rowdy Energy seeks to support
those that embody a spirit of
quality and premium work life. It's
not just for all-star athletes but also
caters to other people — the
weekend warrior, superhero mom,
the ambitious college student, and
the men and women in uniform.
****
18 Exeleon Magazine

I LEARNED AND
VALIDATED
A LOT OF WHAT TO
DO BUT EVEN MORE
IMPORTANT AND
UNFORTUNATELY
MORE COSTLY WAS
LEARNING WHAT
NOT TO DO.
19

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22 EXELEON MAGAZINE
SCOTT TRUEHL
Dominating the Change Quotient
hange is constant in the
Cworld of business, even when
things are going well. As you
progress with your company and
expand into more areas, you'll ind
that change becomes essential for
continued growth. Even companies
that are already successful will go
through times when changes are
needed to ensure that their
business continues to grow at a
healthy rate. This is especially true
for small businesses and startups,
as their growth can be much more
rapid than an established company
that has taken years to reach where
it's at now.
Scott Truehl, Executive Vice
President and Partner at Friede &
Associates, is an in luential leader
who has recognized the power of
change with irst-hand experiences.
Scott has embraced change through
a career that has included stops in
government, real estate, and the
utility industry. He embraces
change now by leading a
construction irm helping clients
navigate the process of building or
renovating a new facility effectively
and ef iciently.
DONNING MULTIPLE HATS
Before helming the primary sales
and marketing duties at Friede &
Associates, Scott's professional
career had seen several stops that
ultimately led him to become a
partner at the irm. He began his
career as the Governmental Affairs
Director of the Madison Chamber of
Commerce, wherein he represented
the membership for over six years
with a wide variety of topics before
the city committees, boards, and
commissions. In his advocacy role,
Scott got to see the irst-hand
challenges faced by the small
businesses due to government
regulations.
At the same time, Scott also worked
on his sales skills and earned a Real
Estate Broker license selling
condominiums on the weekends.
His career then transitioned into
becoming a Development Specialist
with Wisconsin Power & Light
(WP&L), helping industries locate
and grow across Wisconsin.
And after serving for eight years at
WP&L, where his stops included
Local Operations Manager,
Economic Development Specialist &
Manager, and Director of State &
Local Affairs, Scott got an invitation
from his current business partner,
Roger Friede, to join his nearly 100-
year-old family construction irm,
and to “put his knowledge and
experience to work” for their
construction clients.
SPEARHEADING FRIEDE &
ASSOCIATES CHANGING
BUSINESS
Roger offered Scott a chance to help
him change the focus of his family
business. His idea was to transform
the irm “from a hard bid,
governmental and industrial
contractor, to a professional
services company that would offer
clients additional assistance with
their construction projects. Further,
they would do so primarily in a
design-build manner where the
contractor and customer work
together to design and build their
facility.”
The ability to help transform a
company was appealing to Scott,
and he saw tremendous potential.
As a result, he joined the irm at the
start of 1998, with his primary
focus on creating a sales and
marketing program for the irm that
would help the company grow
geographically and also in the types
of projects they would construct.
I N - F O C U S

Executive Vice President & Partner
Friede & Associates

REDEFINING CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION
Now, after nearly 25 years on the
job, Scott looks after the outside
connections to bring in new clients,
helping them in the development of
their project. He works with them
to assess their needs, then offers his
recommendations about the type,
size, and potential costs of a facility.
“I work with them in the selection
of an architect or designer. We help
develop preliminary site and loor
plans, as well as initial building
elevations & materials,” explains
Scott.
Afterwards, he helps to transfer
that information to the estimators
and project managers to create
accurate budgets and project
schedules for the projects. As part
of helping the clients, Scott can also
be seen working to ind potential
building sites and assisting in the
state & local approval process. And
lastly, Scott also gets involved in
negotiating state & local incentives
and assisting the clients with their
inancing process.
And when it comes to customer
satisfaction, Scott makes sure that
he and his team leaves no stone
unturned in delivering the best of
services. He says, “We work to
provide the best product that our
clients can afford to meet their
needs. Our ield staff is incredibly
talented and experienced and
builds each project as if they were
building for themselves. Our crews
make sure that safety & quality are
always the driving force as they
construct each project.”
THE POWER OF CHANGE
Scott has been incredibly blessed
throughout his career to have
worked in various jobs under great
mentors and business coaches to
grow through both successes and
failures. Learning under multiple
mentors and in different
environments empowered Scott to
have the con idence to try new
things and form a perspective of
improving things at hand. “This
attitude had helped me ind
solutions to challenges that may not
have been visible when we started
something, but certainly would
have adversely impacted the
outcome had we not identi ied
them.”
This is also something that Scott
would like aspiring and upcoming
business leaders to remember. In
his dictionary, the biggest
roadblock we face is the fear of
change. “Most people want to ind
that comfortable spot and stay
Scott and his partner Roger Friede receiving one of 7 2021 ABC of
Wisconsin Projects of Distinction awards
24 EXELEON MAGAZINE

there. I am always looking to grow
and to see if we can do it better or
differently.”
Hence, Scott wants newcomers to
constantly look for ways to change,
grow, and improve. He wants them
to work on understanding the
clients' evaluation criteria and offer
them services where the
advantages lie.
Another essential aspect that
emerging leaders must focus on is
understanding the employees' point
of view. “Your employees are the
ones that are making your business
successful, and they, not you, know
what problems they are facing and
holding them back. If you want to
know how your company can
improve…just ask,” says Scott. “But
don't ask if you are not willing to
change. If you want to destroy
whatever good feelings your team
has for you and your business, just
go out and ask for their ideas and
then do nothing with them. You will
build up a sense of hope and then
crush that hope if you do nothing.”
TRUST IS THE KEY
Scott perceives the company's
future to be bright as long as they
keep inding great people to join
their team. He illustrates an
example when the pandemic
peaked, and many contractors
downsized their marketing budgets
and cut back on the business
development. However, Scott and
the irm went the other way to open
a new of ice in Madison with
additional business development
staff.
At present, Scott is reaping the
same bene its by attracting people
who were worried about their jobs
with larger irms, or those that felt
like just a number, and he has
shown them how they can make a
difference at Friede & Associates.
“Together we can build the kind of
company I always wanted to work
for. One the values the team and
their individual contributions. One
that realizes that we're all in this
together and that we all play a role
in delivering our services. And
hopefully, one that inds ways to let
us have fun doing what we do and
with the folks we work with”.
Standing in front of the company's Award Winning Walnut
Street Flats Housing project.

Matthieu Kohlmeyer
Founder | La Tourangelle
I N - F O C U S
28 EXELEON MAGAZINE

Disrupting the F&B Industry
t is said that vision is not just a picture
Iof what could be; rather it is an appeal
to our better selves, a call to become
something more.
When Matthieu Kohlmeyer set out from
France to Northern California, he had a
vision to build a company from scratch.
That vision led to the formation of La
Tourangelle, a company producing
specialty artisan oils that are natural and
organic.
Two decades later, La Tourangelle stands
out as a premier brand selling over 24
million bottles last year in the US with over
25,000 stores nationwide.
Exeleon proudly interviews the Founder of
this incredible brand on his journey and
dives into how more F&B brands can
follow suit and apply sustainable methods
in their business operations.
What according to you makes one an
in luential leader? How do you integrate
the same thought into your leadership?
In luential leaders are driven by purpose.
They decide to take action to make a
diﬀerence and create solutions. The
problems they are trying to solve can be
small and local or large and global, no
matter, their energy will create a
movement. This positive lywheel is
beautiful to witness and so inspiring. I
thrive to lead my business with passion
and storytelling. By clearly articulating the
“why” of our action and by sharing how we
help make a diﬀerence, my goal is to make
what we do less about work and more
about mission.
Talk to us about your growing up years.
What is your earliest memory as a
leader that you can remember?
I grew up in Paris metro, France. Culture
and travel were my main hobbies. Art
exhibits, cultural events, and history is an
endless source of inspiration and discovery
in Paris. I feel that my youth was not spent
leading but exploring through culture and
arts but also travel. Travel included
adventure- hitchhiking, train riding,
meeting lots of folks, and learning. After I
inished high school, it became clear that I
wanted to be an entrepreneur. The fact that
I started my irst business 9,000 miles
away from my hometown is rooted in my
passion for discovery.
What was the idea that led to the
formation of La Tourangelle? How has
the company changed the artisan oil
market?
It all started with my desire for

I N - F O C U S
30 EXELEON MAGAZINE

entrepreneurship and adventure. I was
casually engaged in various projects but
once in business school, I discovered the
CPG space through an internship at
Unilever. As I was getting ready to travel
across North America ahead of a semester
at the MBA of University Laval in Canada,
my father mentioned to me that one of his
California-based nut oil suppliers had
expressed interest in making French-style
nut oils locally. I spent the summer
researching the opportunity and then
followed on to write La Tourangelle's
business plan while inishing my graduate
degree. The supplier was convinced and
oﬀered to fund the venture. I ended up
graduating and starting the business right
out of school. Since then, La Tourangelle
has grown to bottle and sell over 24 million
bottles last year in the US alone. We have
elevated the specialty oils category and
made high-quality specialty oils available
to most by gaining distribution in over
40% of supermarkets in America.
How is the company helping make a big
impact on tackling climate crisis? Why
is it an important subject for you?
La Tourangelle is making good food. We
believe that good food has to be good for
the table, the community, and the planet.
Agriculture and food are both major
sources of global warming emissions AND
a potential solution to global warming. By
promoting regenerative agriculture and
healthy soil build-up at scale, our agri-food
system has the potential to sequester huge
amounts of CO2. Simply detailed,
regenerative farming is a holistic practice
of land management that employs
techniques such as crop rotation, cover
cropping, composting, animal pasturing,
and a complete absence of tilling to combat
climate change by capturing carbon in the
soil while producing nutritionally dense
crops. In essence, La Tourangelle could go
from being a massive emitter to a massive
sequester. This solution is not well
understood by consumers. We believe that
consumers want to make the right thing
and that we can lean on their power to help
farmers make the change. Oilseeds farming
represents 100 million acres in the USA
alone. This is a huge area of opportunity.
Being the CEO and Founder, what role
do you play in the day-to-day
proceedings of the company?
La Tourangelle has around 150 employees
between California and France. I'm very
involved in the day-to-day operations and
actively lead our growth and initiatives. We
have built a very strong team. I essentially
split my time between supporting and
coordinating our existing business,
promoting innovation and internal
entrepreneurship, and making a point to
carve out time to meet new people and
advise external projects to constantly
enrich my vision and learn from others.
What is the process followed by the
company to ensure optimal quality and
results in its production?
Being a food business, quality is critical. We
are IFS and BRC certi ied and a irm
believer in lean manufacturing. Quality is
also oﬀering the best food products leaning
on our commitment to table, community,
and planet. This constant search for better
opens lots of opportunities and forces us to
rethink how we operate.
What are the changes that F&B
companies should be making to reduce

their environmental impact?
F&B companies hold a lot of power. They have the
power to promote attributes and should leverage their
strengths to promote better farming, better nutrition,
and better packaging. It is my belief that F&B
companies have a huge responsibility to make better
choices and support initiatives that will have a massive
environmental impact. The winners of tomorrow will
be the ones that embrace their power and
responsibility.
What is your vision with the brand? What does the
future look like for La Tourangelle?
La Tourangelle is 20 years old but still a quickly
growing company. I believe that we will double the size
of our business in the next few years by continuing to
expand our leadership in the premium oil market, by
expanding into adjacent categories (nut butters,
condiments, and dressings) and all this by leaning on
our commitment to make delicious, healthy &
sustainable food products.
The fact that I started my ﬁrst
business 9,000 miles away from
my hometownis rooted in my
passion for discovery.
‘
‘
‘‘
32 EXELEON MAGAZINE

I N - F O C U S

F
Entrepreneur Corner
FRAN MAIER
The Journey of
rom co-founding Match. com
Fto spearheading TRUSTe,
from being a trailblazer in
women entrepreneurship to
advising some of the most
promising startups, from building
BabyQuip to pitching the brand on
Shark Tank, the journey of Fran
Maier has been nothing less than
inspiring.
A serial entrepreneur who has
spent close to three decades of her
life building companies and brands,
Fran is rightfully considered a
pioneering leader.
In an exclusive conversation with
Exeleon Magazine, Fran Maier
discusses her journey, reveals how
she evolved as an entrepreneur, and
gives advice to women leaders on
how they can pave their own
pathway towards success.
What according to you makes one
an in luential leader? How do
you integrate the same thought
into your leadership?
In my mind, leadership is about
inspiration and follow-through.
Setting the vision isn't enough. You
have to work with the team on the
more speci ic goals and strategies
so that they are engaged and also
can be held accountable. And
follow-through means that you as
the leader are also accountable, you
need to make and meet your
commitments.
At BabyQuip, we have company and
brand values. These were
developed as a team and include
being “Family First,” “Clean, Safe &
Accountable,“ and “Going Above
and Beyond.” These values serve as
touchstones for dif icult decisions.
Talk to us about the idea of
BabyQuip. What were the pain
points that you wanted to
address through this brand?
In early 2012, I left my last position
(at the time President and Chair of
TRUSTe, - now TrustArc) and
bought a three-story home in the
Potrero Hill area of San Francisco.
As it happens, it was in Airbnb's
neighborhood, and everyone was
talking about it. Before long, I was
renting two rooms on the third
loor of my home on Airbnb. I
quickly realized that this could be a
great money-maker and give me the
time to think about what I wanted
to do next.
I N - F O C U S
36 EXELEON MAGAZINE

Because of my vacation rental side
hustle, as well as the emerging ride-
sharing businesses, I began to think
about how travel and work (gig
economy!) were changing. Change
is always a great catalyst for new
companies. What new companies
could emerge and take advantage of
these changes?
I came across a baby gear rental
business, and it clicked for me
almost immediately. I remember
how dif icult it was to travel with
my sons when they were small. I've
seen how dif icult it is for parents at
airports. And as a vacation rental
host, I didn't have the gear families
needed (nor did I want to buy and
store it).
And with the emerging gig
economy, I was con ident that we'd
ind people who would be eager to
rent gear and help families enjoy a
better vacation.
We launched in 2016 and found
that we had tapped into a large
untapped market!
Having built multiple startups
over the years, how different was
the journey of BabyQuip since its
formation in 2016?
My irst start-up was Match.com, in
the mid-90s, a very different time!
Some big differences include:
Ÿ There is much more support
for founders, including female
founders. Back then there were
no accelerators. Very few
founder-centric services. And
very little support for female
founders - now there are a range
of accelerators, investment
funds, coaching services and so
much more. I wish I had had
that then.
Ÿ With Match, we tried to get
press, with BabyQuip we try
to get In luencers! (Press is
good too). The whole in luencer
economy is so powerful and
took me by surprise.
Ÿ Everything is a subscription
now. Then there were no AWS,
you had to buy servers! Now a
big part of our operating budget
is paying subscriptions for cloud
services, email services,
mapping services and more.
Ÿ Advertising is much more
concentrated. Back then, we
used display ads and bought on
a number of different media
sites. For our irst years, we only
spent ad money on Google
search.
Ÿ Community matters more. We
said we had a community at
Match, but I know we have a
vibrant community at BabyQuip
with our Quality Providers (the
independent contractors, mostly
moms, who rent and deliver the
baby gear that they own). We
have a private Facebook group
where they share ideas, deals on
baby gear, pics of how they pack
their car and more. This factor is
key to keeping our Quality
Providers working on the
BabyQuip platform.
What hasn't changed is building a
trusted brand and understanding
what needs drive your marketplace.
Both Match and BabyQuip are
marketplaces, and trust is critical.
At BabyQuip we work hard to
deliver “Clean and Safe” to parents
just like we delivered “Safe,
Anonymous and Fun” to Match
customers.
What was the experience for you
going to Shark Tank and pitching
your product?
Going on Shark Tank is on every
consumer-focused entrepreneur's
Bingo card because it drives so
much brand awareness. What you
don't see is that it is a rigorous
process and it's never guaranteed
that you will be selected, that you
will be ilmed, or that even your
ilmed segment will air! So, it's a big
bet.
What was especially fun for me was
that I did this with my son, Joe
Maier, BabyQuip's CTO. We worked
together for months improving our
pitch and making sure we were
ready. He procured the Pack Mule (a
live animal we had on stage) so we
could say “You need a pack mule to
carry all that bulky baby gear.”
What an experience to share with
your adult son!
Good news is that we rejected a
low-ball offer from “Mr. Wonderful,”
Kevin O'Leary. Bad news is that our
segment aired on March 6, 2020,
and rather than getting tons of new
orders, we got cancellations and
few new orders due to the onset of
the pandemic.
Nonetheless, it helped our brand,
and I wouldn't have passed on it for
the world.
What would be your advice for
aspiring and emerging
entrepreneurs to building a
startup in today's changing
environment?
I N - F O C U S
38 EXELEON MAGAZINE

Harness the change! As noted
earlier, change is the catalyst for
new businesses.
Early on, as you're forming the
business I typically recommend:
Ÿ Be Sure You're Solving a Real
Problem with a Large Market.
Ultimately, you need to be
solving a big enough problem
that will generate customers,
payments and orders, and even
pro its! Try to igure out your
target market and the attributes
of your target
consumer/customer. Listen and
understand their needs and
make sure your solution
uniquely solves their problem.
Being hyper focused on this is
critical!
Ÿ Make a business plan and
assess the need for funding.
Not every business needs
venture capital to scale. If you
decide to go that route, develop
a robust business plan that
outlines when you need capital
and how much you need. You
may ultimately change the plan,
but it's always good to have a
clear plan and pitch.
Ÿ Participate in an accelerator
program to ine tune your idea
and get helpful feedback from
other entrepreneurs and
advisors. Many accelerators will
invest and connect you to others
who can help.
Where do you see the future to
be for women entrepreneurs and
women in business?
I'm happy to share that BabyQuip's
investors are mostly women or
female-focused funds (such as How
Women Invest). These funds were
not around years ago and make
such a big diﬀerence. However, they
recognize that women often
understand market needs more and
that these companies, from
marketplaces like BabyQuip to
companies focused on women's
health, are likely to succeed.
AS SEEN ON
I N - F O C U S

That said, women still only get just
over 2% of venture capital and that
metric has been way too obdurate.
In addition, women's companies
often get lower valuations despite
that research has shown that
women-led companies generate
higher returns!
So much has to change to help
women entrepreneurs succeed
including more successful female
entrepreneurs with large exits (so
they in turn can invest in other
start-ups), more women venture
capitalists writing large checks, and
more female role models. I'm so
tired of seeing that the primary
visual of an entrepreneur is a
youngish guy wearing a hoodie!
Being a serial entrepreneur and
advisor with multiple hats, how
do you ensure work-life balance?
Well, it's easier now that my
children (two sons) are grown.
Looking back, I know I chafed at the
goal of work/life balance, it seemed
to me, to be condescending to
women. How often were men asked
about it? In my view, you can't get it
right all the time, each day or even
each week. But if you're focused
you can ind the time you need to
take care of your children and
family and yourself (which is often
the person most neglected).
My company is remote with mostly
women. During the pandemic,
almost all had children at home,
from babies to teenagers, and it was
super hard on everyone. I had to
leave it up to them how best to
manage their work and home
responsibilities. There was no
choice, I had to trust that we knew
our goals and that we would work
toward them together, the best we
could. We emerged from the worst
of the pandemic in early 2021 and
have been growing rapidly since.
The lexibility we extended to our
team during the pandemic might be
the future of work for everyone.
What has the journey been like
for Fran Maier over the years?
Looking back, what would you
have done diﬀerently when
starting out?
Despite being an entrepreneur
since Match in the mid-90s, I didn't
always have the con idence. For
example, and this was a big mistake,
we sold Match in 1998 way too
Pack Light.
Travel Happy.
I N - F O C U S
40 EXELEON MAGAZINE

early for way too little money (less
than $8M). Had I had more
con idence, and more support
(which women don't usually get), I
know now that I could have raised
the money, taken my fair share, and
taken it to the next level (Match was
sold a year later for more than
$70M). Good news is that I got a do-
over when I transitioned TRUSTe
(now TrustArc) from non-pro it to
for-pro it in 2008.
So, it's all about Con idence. As I
share with women founders, you
know your market and you know
your solution. Believe that you can
do what you are setting out to do.
That's more than half the battle.
With con idence you are more likely
to ask for help, persevere, and
continue to take risks. That will
ultimately lead to success.
What does the future look like
for BabyQuip? On a personal
front, where do you see yourself
standing in the coming years?
BabyQuip is growing very rapidly.
We had our irst month with over
$1M in bookings in March and we
recently added our 1000th Quality
Provider. We just closed a funding
round of $3.4M! We've already
added some key players to our
team, especially in business
development, to form new
partnerships with other hospitality
brands. And we've opened a few
cities in Mexico.
So BabyQuip's now in its growth
phase, which is very exciting, but
also comes with new challenges.
Biggest challenges are keeping the
growth going more ef iciently,
taking advantage of our position to
expand into new markets and new
services, and making sure the
demand/supply lywheel is
spinning.
My role becomes more focused on
building out the team and ensuring
a positive working environment
and looking outward to help form
partnerships and alliances and
building the BabyQuip brand.
Personally, I'm getting ready for my
irst international vacation since
2019. I'm going to Morocco! I need
a break from the day-to-day, some
time to just think, and great
Instagram pictures of my own!
I N - F O C U S

ASHLEY
HAYWOOD
Embrewing Success in Every Step
a transformational leader? How
do you integrate the same
thought into your leadership?
A transformational leader is one
that can transform lives and the
Earth through their leadership. For
me, this includes being impeccable
with my diligence in sourcing
ingredients and materials ethically
and making products that truly
bene it my customer's health and
wellbeing.
Talk to us about your growing up
years. What is your earliest
memory as a leader that you can
remember?
I was certainly a bit bossy as a
young girl, which served me in
some ways but not others. I was
proactive with my friends, did well
in school, and loved asking
questions. Good leaders are the
ones that aren't afraid to ask the
questions everyone else is thinking
but are too afraid to ask.
What started your love for Tea?
How did this love go on to
become the start of Embrew LLC?
I've always loved tea, and just a
little bit sweet. I found myself
sweetening my cup the same way
every single time and thought there
should be a lightly sweetened tea
bag that was already out on the
market. After over 10 years of
looking for one and coming up
empty, I set out to create the irst
high-end, lightly sweetened, tea
bags and Embrew was born.
What makes Embrew stand out
from the crowd?
Each Embrew tea bag has loose-leaf
grade tea and natural sweeteners
inside, so it simpli ies the tea
experience for those looking for
premium lavor, but cringe at the
thought of a grocery store tea bag
or messing with loose leaves,
infusers, or sticky honey. This is a
big upgrade that no one else in the
tea space has.
Being an entrepreneur, speaker,
mother, and wife, how do you
ensure work-life balance?
I ensure I have balance and avoid
burnout by setting boundaries for
myself in all aspects of my life
allows me space to be me and do
things just for me. I decide upfront
how I want to spend my day, and
make sure I don't compromise what
I want to do versus what I “should”
do.
What is the approach/process
followed by you in order to
ensure optimal quality in all your
products?
We source our teas from diﬀerent
farms all over the world. The world
is a huge place, but by buying
directly from growers who we
know by name, we've brought the
human connection back into the
process. Buying Direct-Trade
products allows us transparency
into the supply chain and ensure
the farmers are respecting the land,
Founder | Embrew
44 EXELEON MAGAZINE
I N - F O C U S

the plants and the people working
hard to make a living. This means
our customers have visibility as
well so you can feel good about the
farms you're supporting.
How is this diﬀerent from the
other tea products?
The majority of the growers who
aren't part of a Fair-Trade Coop or
selling directly to the manufacturer
only receive about 10-15% of the
money customers pay for the
product, sometimes even less. This
is because there are multiple hands
buying and selling the raw
materials through a long,
cumbersome supply chain that
drives up the prices and drives
down the portion paid to the
farmers.
Most companies boast high-
quality tea, but as we all know,
it's certainly a matter of taste.
Here's what we DON'T do:
1) We DON'T used overly
processed, shredded, low-quality
tea leaves.
2) We DON'T buy our products only
knowing the country of origin
where farming practices may be
questionable for the environment
or for human consumption.
3) We DON'T used bleached brew
bags. Only unbleached bags with no
tag, string or staple to reduce waste
and allow for composting.
We DO use high-quality tea leaves
from growers with careful farming
practices and use all compostable
or biodegradable packaging.
What has the journey been like
for Ashley Haywood over the
years?
Every moment is full of diﬀerent
emotions, levels of motivation, and
focus—but what's constant is
looking for opportunities to give
tea-loving people more me-time
without having to clean up an
infuser or mess with a sticky honey
bear again.
46 EXELEON MAGAZINE
I N - F O C U S

Looking back, what would you
have done differently if you were
to start again?
If I could go back, I wouldn't change
much, since I've learned a great
deal from the journey. But I would
tell me start-up entrepreneur self to
have con idence in the building of
something great. To love the
process, not just focus on the end-
goals.
What has been the biggest
roadblock during your journey?
What has been your biggest
learning?
Time has been my biggest
roadblock, along with my mental
attitude. I never realized how much
my own expectations of myself hurt
my progress of building the
business with joy. Having the right
headspace and intrinsic motivation
is critical in trusting and building a
business when you have no idea
what you're doing.
I've learned time and time again
that trying new things is good, even
if they don't work, it's part of the
process to get you to the thing that
does inally work.
Finally, what does the future look
like for you, both personally and
professionally?
I'm working on an e-book about
the dangers of caffeine, adding
more speaking engagements this
year, and focusing on PR
opportunities for Embrew and my
personal brand. This will allow me
to grow the business in a
sustainable way without continuing
to waste money on digital
marketing that doesn't offer a good
ROI. Personally, I plan to learn more
about the tea herbs I can grow in
my own backyard, chase my new
obsession with mushrooms, and
learn to move my body in more
luid and feminine ways with
acrobatic dance.
I N - F O C U S

MOUSTAFA HAMWI
Where Passion Meets
Leadership
a passionate leader? How do you
integrate the same thought into
your leadership?
To de ine a passionate leader, we
have to de ine 2 things i) Passion ii)
A leader
To give you some context on how
much depth the de inition I am
about to give you has: I spent years
of research on the topic of passion
where I travelled the world to
conduct in-person interviews of
160+ leaders, authors, speakers,
coaches, celebrities, Olympians, and
Nobel Prize laureates talking about
one topic…PASSION
So, the de inition that came out is:
Passion is consistently doing what
you love, what you are good at, and
what is of value to the world
So, if it doesn't tick all these boxes,
I'm sorry but it's not passion. You
can call it anything else that you
want, but I promise you that it's not
passion.
The shortest de inition I can give
you of a leader is “someone who
takes ownership and demonstrates
courage, humility and discipline to
walk the talk”
So put both de initions together
and will be “a leader is a person
who walks the talk to deliver on
their true passion”
Brief us into your journey of an
inner search and your
experiences traveling to India.
My journey started by trying to
answer a question: Do You Know
What Makes You Tick?
Without knowing the answer to this
question, you will always feel
like something is missing, no matter
how successful you are, which is
how I felt many years ago when I
was running a multimillion-dollar
business in Dubai while living a
seemingly successful life.
Although my life looked super
successful on the outside, like the
stuﬀ you see in movies and rap
videos, I was all empty on the
inside. Sure enough, I had a nervous
breakdown
My business was great, and my
lifestyle was enviable, but I wanted
more out of life than this golden
cage. I kept asking myself, “WHAT
AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?” It
became increasingly apparent that
having clarity about one's passion
I N - F O C U S
50 EXELEON MAGAZINE

and purpose aﬀects one more than
just direction; it impacts the quality
of life and increases the probability
of success!
This question triggered me to start
an inner search of true passion,
purpose, and meaning.
After years of courses, workshops,
and books I'm still lost so I was at
the stage now where I had to go
deeper on my journey inwards
before I looked for resources
outwards. I remember waking up
one day with a jolt of energy and a
thought that got stuck in a loop in
my head: “I'm going to India.” And
so, I bought a one-way ticket to
India.
The story of my journey from
Cavalli to Manali is a whole book in
itself, but not the purpose of this
interview. I will, however, share two
key incidents that stand out for me
and that were pivotal in my life.
The irst of them could be described
(for lack of a better word) as a
coincidence—meeting Swami
Yogananda who had been
meditating in caves for over 13
years. He had just stepped out of a
life of solitude and meditation and
started teaching wisdom-seekers in
his ashram in a small village outside
the town of Manali in the
Himalayas. On one of my many deep
conversations with him, trying to
get an answer about life and the
purpose and meaning of everything,
he said, playing with his long beard,
in an Indian accent, “Do you know
what you are thirsty for? If you do
not know what you are thirsty for,
you cannot quench your thirst.”
His words made me realize that
while I had bought this one-way
ticket to India seeking an answer, I
did not even have the most
essential element right: the
question!
As my journey continued from one
place to the next, across the span of
this vast, beautiful landscape that is
India, I experienced another
coincidence (if you still believe in
coincidences). One day, on my way
to the meditation center, I decided
to walk into a hospital to get myself
checked up. When the results came
in, I felt as if my life stopped and
everything crumbled and collapsed
around me; I was told that I had
benign prostate enlargement that
was, at that moment, labelled
medically as an incurable disease!
The summary of that healing
journey is that I dedicated all my
time and energy towards healing
with the help of everything I had
access to: Ayurveda, vegan diets,
juicing, and all kinds of meditations
(including laughter meditation and
crying meditation). You name it,
and I did it. And as you might have
guessed, I eventually healed!
however, this interview is not about
physical healing and medical
miracles.
I am here to talk to you about the
self-re lection I had to go through
when I faced the reality of a serious
“WHAT IF…?” What if these were
the last days of my life? DID MY
LIFE REALLY MATTER?
I N - F O C U S
52 EXELEON MAGAZINE

Imagine you live your life, thinking
you are on top of the world—
you're ruling, you're the king,
you're “it.” And then, you realize
none of this is worth it. When it's
time for you to die, you are going to
re lect on your life in a totally
diﬀerent manner
That is what triggered me to make a
180-degree shift in my life and
focus on spreading passion &
purpose in the world.
How are you helping leaders and
entrepreneurs ind purpose and
live passionately?
I work with high-preforming
entrepreneurs of passion & purpose
“Passionpreneurs” to help them use
passion to DOMINATE THEIR
MARKET NICHE and leave their
mark.
That's what I call the Way of the
Passionpreneur.
I do this through either one-to-one
coaching but that is very exclusive
as I can only handle a handful of
entrepreneurs, so they need to be
dam serious and already having a
serious level of success, so my job is
to take them to new heights.
Or by helping underdogs write &
publish their books and then use it
to spread their message to the
world, build their personal brand
and
What does a day in the life look
like for you? How do you ensure
work-life balance?
On the long term the work-life
balance is a myth. I aim to have a
life that I do not need much of a
break from. That is a truly
passionate life. The way to do it is
to always ask before you do
something:
1. Does it directly relate to my
passion in life?
2. If not, does it bring me closer to
the direction of my passion?
If neither of the above, I avoid doing
it.

With time you will not need a
break from what you love. This
takes some time and depends on
what responsibilities in life you
have. But remember the
de inition of passion, the irst
word is “consistently” so if it
really matters to you, then you
will not quit on it
Looking back at your journey,
what would you have done
diﬀerently when
starting out?
Very good question, I
would have started the pursuit of
what my passion is at a much
earlier age, and then would have
stayed consistent with it till it
paid oﬀ. Starting late has
advantage of being more mature
but it's much more challenging as
you make a lot of sacri ices. It's
like investing, the earlier you
start the better it is on long run
What would be your advice for
aspiring and young business
leaders?
Find your real purpose as early
as you can and dedicate the rest
of your life to make it happen,
you only have this life to make an
impact. Regardless of you believe
in reincarnation you cannot
guarantee what format you will
come back in as it might be less
powerful. So why leave it to
another life. It's all about this life
to make an impact and leave your
legacy.
Finally, what does the future look
like for you, both professionally
and personally?
I have achieved my goal of hitting a
100 authors at Passionpreneur
Publishing (as of date of this
interview) which is the seed for
Passionpreneur Organization where
we are building a community of
Passionpreneurs who are
on a journey of
changing the
world and having fun
while doing it.
As this becomes more in motion, I am
redirecting my attention toward
bring more healing to the world.
Think about it, “Compassion” is the
other side of “passion.”
That will be through writing more
books, speaking, doing retreats in
nature that involve healthy food,
yoga, therapy, etc. Everything that I
used to heal myself in 2012 and then
launch my passion into the world and
connecting all of that into social
impact be it for people or the planet
now it's time to be less on the
business side and more on the giving.
We all need it, i want it for me and for
the world remember, one life to leave
a legacy
I N - F O C U S
54 EXELEON MAGAZINE

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