Eating Crow Episode 22: Kelly Parthen

Kelly Parthen is a Pea Brain. Her company, Bean Sprouts asks each employee to name themselves after a fruit or veggie. Bean Jovi, The Podfather, etc. She even signs her emails, "peas out."It's not a gimmick, it's how they operate at their core.As a female founder and CEO she's experienced the challenges of raising money and growing a business.Especially a business she knew nothing about.By the end of our call I was ready to apply for a job.Key Takeaways for Leaders and Entrepreneurs:Go where your customers areTraining is everythingWeed in vs. weed outKelly's Eating Crow Moments:Closing their first storeHiring a COO for a 20 store company when they were at 4 storesNavigating COVIDIt's not often I put a follow up after the Eating Crow Moments. Frankly, Kelly and her partner, Shannon, are really sharp operators. They have a unique ability to see around corners and anticipate critical market shifts. For example, they use a revenue share with their partner destinations vs. paying rent. This has allowed them to not only survive the COVID downturn but look at 2021 as a growth year.You can find Kelly here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyparthenWebsite: http://www.beansproutscafe.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/BeanAppetitSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/eating-crow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.