Building S’well and a Life in Chapters with Sarah Kauss

Sarah Kauss is the founder and former CEO of S’well, the category-defining brand she built from $30,000 of her own savings into a company generating over $100M in annual revenue and helping displace billions of single-use plastic bottles. Today, she is a Managing Partner at Avignon Partners and serves as an investor, advisor, and board member, working with leadership teams to build and scale companies across retail, tech, and wellness.But this conversation isn’t just about building S’well. It’s about searching for the idea, building something in the right season of your life, and recognizing when it’s time to begin the next chapter.Sarah describes herself as a “restless soul” – someone who always knew she wanted to build something meaningful but spent years on a nonlinear path before the right idea emerged. We talk about that search, the career “jungle gym” that prepared her to build S’well, scaling quickly, the decision to bring her husband into the business as the company grew, and how becoming a mother reshaped her relationship to work and success – and ultimately led to her decision to step away.This is a discussion about timing, identity, motherhood, and taking the long view of a life – where building something extraordinary is not the final chapter, but one of many.******Learn more about Sage Haus: helping busy households hire vetted, professional House Managers, Family Assistants, and Meal Prep Chefs – whether you need 10 hours a week or 40+👉 Get started at https://themothers--sage-haus.thrivecart.com/hiring-services-deposit/*******⭐️ Follow The Mothers and leave a 5-star review if this resonated💬 Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it📱 Join The Mothers on Instagram @themotherspod✍️ Subscribe to ⁠⁠Sara’s Substack⁠⁠ for reflections on life, work, meaning & motherhood💼 Find Sara on ⁠LinkedInThe Mothers is a production of Backline Media.