#108: How She Became the Mac & Cheese Millionaire (Erin Wade, Homeroom Restaurant)

Meet Erin Wade, founder of Homeroom and author of The Mac & Cheese Millionaire. Erin didn’t just create a comfort food hotspot—she built a 7-figure business with top 1% profitability in the restaurant industry (yes, the one where most fail), achieved 10X employee retention, and got acquired—all without spending a dime on ads.In this episode, Erin breaks down her growth playbook for how she bootstrapped a niche concept with a $9K Kickstarter, created systems that scaled culture and operations, and turned customer experience into a competitive edge. Whether you're building a brick-and-mortar or scaling any kind of service-based biz, this is your roadmap to doing more with less—and winning big.💡 Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:How to Bootstrap Like a Pro: Why Erin started with $9K, induction burners, and still built a 7-figure brand.How to Retain Talent in High-Turnover Industries: The transparent system she used to create 10X retention in a space known for burnout.How to Get Paid to Market: Erin’s scrappy, profitable approach to marketing that generated buzz without buying ads.How to Create Scalable Customer Experiences: The “Stoke Out Rule” that turned team creativity into viral customer love.How to Build a Business Acquirers Chase Down: Why Erin never planned to sell—but built like she might.Whether you're early-stage or prepping for a future exit, Erin's story will show you how to scale with soul, strategy, and smart systems.📄 If you’re ready to activate AND get sh!t done, subscribe to our Growth Playbooks for weekly, actionable frameworks and strategies to help you scale smarter—no fluff, just results.👉 Join our Growth Playbooks here: ⁠⁠⁠shegetsshitdone.com/join