I started my business in 1992. When my daughter was old enough to go to school, I remember standing with her at the bus stop and the other mothers would sneer at me because I worked. I can’t even think about what Susan Axelrod endured in the 1970’s when she formed her business!
Axelrod was a pioneer. She set the way for other businesswomen like me. She started her business as she says in her book, With Love & Quiches – A Long Island Housewife’s Surprising Journey from Kitchen to Boardroom, by accident.
Axelrod and her friend, Jill, started a business called Bonne Femme, out of their kitchen. This came from a love and passion for cooking that they both had. Within a year, Susan Axelrod bought her out of the business.
Susan Axelrod had a passion for food. She always did, even as a child. Her love for food and her palate expanded as she traveled and experienced different tastes.
She started with a passion and took that passion and built a successful business, which started in her house, graduated to the garage, and eventually went to a manufacturing facility in Freeport.
But the story wasn’t that simple. Susan Axelrod, like all business owners, faced adversity. She had collection issues, staffing problems, and when the Twin Towers collapsed, she lost a ton of business. Business is like a roller coaster – one day you are at your highest point and one day you are at your lowest point. If you can’t “stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
Susan Axelrod writes: “Here is one of the very first lessons every entrepreneur needs to learn: you are going to suffer adversity and setbacks. There is no escaping them. But your success depends on how you handle those setbacks. If you can push through, keep your spirits, your determination and your courage up, and if you can learn from the experience, you’ll come out much stronger than you were before.”
She is truly an inspiration to all women, especially women business owners. And she’s been acknowledged through the years with high accolades from various groups and organizations in which she was recognized.
Throughout With Love and Quiches, Susan Axelrod tells lots of stories. I particularly loved the one she told of her at a trade show with her husband Irwin. One woman wanted to buy her last apple for cash. When Axelrod said no, it was against the rules. The woman hit Irwin on the head with her bag and took off with the apple. Susan Axelrod took after her out of principle and got back the apple. (When I read this I couldn’t stop laughing!)
The book includes a chapter on creating company culture, having a family owned business, marketing and branding and more. As you read this book, you will get inspired and you will get a sense of what it takes to run a successful business. After reading this book, I had dozens of takeaways I learned that will use in my business.
You can pre-order With Love and Quiches via Amazon. Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/With-Love-Quiches-Housewifes-Surprising/dp/1626340714/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395693772&sr=8-1&keywords=with+love+and+quiches
