PeopleForce Podcast with Michael Mendenhall
The PeopleForce Podcast takes a fresh look at the entrepreneurial journey on the path to success. Host Michael Mendenhall, TriNet SVP/CMO/CCO, interviews dynamic business leaders as they share their insights on how they got there, plus their viewpoint on today’s business trends.
Becoming a Trailblazing CEO, Debunking Corporate Myths and Inspiring the Next Generation
Michael talks with Jane Miller, author and CEO of Rudi’s Bakery, on her rise from running a billion-dollar business to growing a purpose-driven startup. She shares 30+ years of wisdom bringing brands to life, building first-class teams and being true to oneself.
Episode 8 Transcript
Michael Mendenhall: Welcome to PeopleForce Podcast by TriNet. And I'm your host, Michael Mendenhall.
TriNet is a full-service HR solutions company committed to empowering small to medium-size businesses by supporting their growth and enabling their people. We work with amazing small to medium-size businesses and I'm excited to bring their stories to life here. You can catch new episodes of PeopleForce Podcast every month on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and Rise.TriNet.com.
Today I have the pleasure of introducing Jane Strode Miller, CEO of Rudi's Bakery. This is Jane's second time as the CEO of Rudi's. She was there from 2008 to 2014, when Rudi's was number one organic bread in the entire country. And she introduced a whole line of gluten-free breads. Most recently, Jane was the CEO of Lily’s Sweets, which sold to Hershey's in 2021. Previously, Jane has held senior leadership roles at several renowned consumer products good companies. At age 36, she was president of a billion-dollar division of Frito-Lay. She has also ran a division of Best Foods, was the president of Heinz in the UK, and was a part of a team that brought Hostess out of bankruptcy. She is also author of the book, "Sleep Your Way to the Top " as a go-to guide for grads, pre grads and new execs.
Jane, thank you for being here. Can't wait to hear your stories. Jane, it's wonderful to have you here on this podcast for TriNet. We're pleased that you could take the time out. I know you have a massively busy schedule coming back into this company and really turning it back around again. So thank you so much for being here.
Jane Miller: Oh, thanks Michael, for inviting me. I am so thrilled to be able to talk to you about whatever we're gonna talk about.
Michael: That's awesome. Well, you know, many people want to hear how you got here. You know, how did you get here? You know, what was your pathway? Did you know you wanted to do this? Was this a passion from the beginning? And so I wanna go all the way back. And let's go back to where you grew up, and what lessons did you learn that then you started to apply? And then what is it that you looked at when you decided to go for higher education and when you wanted to study a certain specific topic, and then eventually was that something you actually pursued?
Jane: Gosh, going way back. I'll try to make it a little bit short. I'm from Peoria, Illinois. So, right in the middle of the country. And my mother got pregnant with me when she was a teenager and then proceeded to have my three younger brothers. And so she had graduated from high school but never had the opportunity to go to college because she started a family with my father. And so she was a stay-at-home mom.
And then when she was in her very early thirties and I was about 13 years old, and my youngest brothers were three, my father left us. And just in those days, you could be a deadbeat dad. And so all of a sudden, here's my mom with four kids, no education, no work experience at all. And she had to go out into the world and try to support all of us.
And it's kind of crazy to even just think back about what she was able to accomplish. I mean, she literally worked three jobs at any one time. She started the morning as a school bus driver, she went to a nursing home and was like the activities director and other things at a nursing home. And then she was like the 911 operator at night. And we just never had any money. And we were on what was called food stamps back then. And, you know, I think from a very early age, it just was really clear to me that education was the way out of this predicament that she had gotten into when my dad left us. And so I'd say it's probably the first lesson that I learned was that I needed to be independent. And I think related to that, I wanted to make money, because I felt that I didn't ever wanna be in that situation that my mom was in. So I'll pause there, but that was kinda my first life lesson, I would say.
Michael: Well, when you were talking about like the food stamps, I remember though the Green Stamps where you got the green stamps and you paste them on and after so much, you actually got like discounts.
Jane: Right, right, right.
Michael: No, that was tough. And I think, you know, when I was growing up, you know, we had a family core that was there. My dad was present. But certainly we had five kids and didn't have the funds to provide us with a lot. But there were a lot of sacrifices. And the one important thing I thought that was interesting is my mom always said, we will fund and find a way to fund anything that is a skill that can never be taken away from you. So if you want to take music lessons or voice or a sport, anything that would be with you the rest of your life. What was your experience relative to what you were saying about, you know, you didn't have a lot, you had a deadbeat dad, your mom's working three jobs and resources are limited. Did you have to become almost an entrepreneurial spirit at that point to try to figure out how to do certain things with very little?
Jane: I would say, you know, it's funny, growing up in Peoria, you almost didn't realize quite so much how you didn't have anything. You know, back in the day, you didn't have any social media, you didn't know what other people were doing. It was just kind of what your neighbors were doing. So I would say that I wasn't as conscious about being scrappy in that way. I think what I was really conscious about was making sure that I got really good grades so I could go on to college and then eventually, you know, go on to graduate school. So I was very focused on being a student and making sure that I put all my efforts there. And I'd have to say I give my mom so much credit because, you know, I helped her a lot with my twin brothers, who as I said, we're about 10 years younger than me, and she could have very easily said, don't go to college, stay here, keep working at your job at the store and making money that was helping support the family to help her. And she was the biggest proponent for, you have to go on to college, you have to go do something different. Do not be in this situation that I am in where you don't have any choices. And she had a lot of thoughts about how you create choices for yourself. And I think that has probably been one of the foundational pieces for me and my career, is how do you put yourself in situations where you have choices?
Michael: So, that's interesting. And I want to know, you made a choice when you graduated high school to go to college. You have that moment where you have to make a choice. What is it you want to do? Where is it you want to go to find out what you want to do? And that's always a very uneasy position to be in. And again, there's risk involved in all of that, but there are choices. What was your choice? And what did you then study? And how did that apply to what you actually did in your career?
Jane: I love that question, Michael, because I actually studied Russian when I went to college.
Michael: Wow.
Jane: So here, imagine this, you know, you grow up in this poor family, you have no money, and then you decide to study Russian, which is, that doesn't seem like there's any sort of practical piece of that. But there actually was, which was, I was really good at languages. I'd studied French and German and I'd been an exchange student to Turkey. And, you know, back in that day, Russia was a superpower. And I really.
Michael: But you did that, just to interject, as a female. Another interesting point, going to Turkey back then.
Jane: Yeah, oh my gosh, yes. That was kind of a, that's like a probably a whole nother conversation for a whole other day. But the decision to study Russian was I wanted to get good grades because at that point, as I was, you know, the choice I was making to go to college was that I was gonna go to college as a stepping stone to go to law school because I wanted to be a lawyer. Now, I didn't actually know any lawyers, but all I knew was that they made a lot of money. And I was like, okay, huh. I'd never had a, you know, I never had a business course, never had a law course. But I was gonna be a lawyer. And so I was gonna study Russian so I could get good grades so that I could go to law school. And that was the extent of my thinking at the time. I didn't even know that you could apply to all kinds of different colleges across the country. You know, my counselor introduced me to Knox College, which is an amazing liberal arts school in Galesburg, Illinois about 45 minutes out of Peoria. And I was able to get, you know, pretty much a full scholarship to go. And so again, it was like, that was a pretty easy decision. I wasn't thinking about Harvard or Stanford or any place else. I was just thinking, I'm gonna go someplace and I'm not gonna have any debt when I graduate from college.
Michael: Well, that's smart.
Jane: So it was smart, I guess.
Michael: That's awesome. So now you graduate. Did you graduate in Russian?
Jane: I did, I did. I was a Russian studies major, and then I, right after I graduated I moved down to Dallas, Texas and had to work.
Michael: All right, well back, back up. Back up.
Jane: Okay.
Michael: Illinois to Texas. What happened there? A big jump.
Jane: Yeah. So the day after I graduated from college, I married my college sweetheart. And he was gonna go to get his MBA at Southern Methodist in Dallas. And so we were going to move to Dallas right after we graduated. So that's what we did. And he started in the MBA program. My plan was to work for a year while he was getting his MBA. And then I was gonna go to law school. And so I get down to Dallas and I'm going to support the family because he's getting a graduate degree. And I show up in Dallas, Texas and with a Russian degree. And you could imagine how unemployable I was. I mean, back then, I don't think anybody actually in Dallas had ever heard of Russia, let alone that somebody that would study Russia. You know, and I never learned how to type, right, I didn't have any secretarial skills. And so it was such a crazy transition, because I show up and I'm looking for a job, and I ended up being the receptionist at a little bank. And then I worked at Lord & Taylor, a department store, at nights and on the weekends. And it was quite a...
Michael: That's funny. I actually worked at Lord and Taylor to help pay my way through college. Did you?
Jane: Did you? I was in the men's department. I was specifically selling ties.
Michael: I was selling shirts.
Jane: I love that.
Michael: White on white. I'll never forget it. White on white.
Jane: Oh my goodness.
Michael: So then how did you wind up then at Pepsi, or Frito-Lay, I should say first, Frito-Lay. You wound up at Frito-Lay.
Jane: I did. Well, what happened was, in the course of that year that I was working those two jobs, I got exposed to the business world and I had the opportunity to take both the GMAT to go and get an MBA like my husband was doing, and I also took the LSAT to go to law school. And like, you just don't know like how the world works, but on the LSAT I did mediocre, and on the GMAT I did amazing. Again, I never had a business class. And it just happened that year that the Zales Corporation, which is a big national jewelry company, had a full scholarship for somebody that had retail experience to get their MBA at SMU. So, it was so extraordinary. And so, because I'd worked at Lord and Taylor selling ties in the men's department, I qualified to be the person...
Michael: You're starting to sound like Ralph Lauren. He was selling ties before he started his brand.
Jane: I didn't know that. I love that.
So, just fast forward, I got my MBA at SMU and then I had the opportunity to start in the marketing department at Frito-Lay, which was also in Dallas. And that was...
Michael: I heard your first day was quite interesting. Do you wanna explain what happened there?
Jane: Oh . You must have read a little excerpt from my book.
Michael: Yeah.
Jane: So back in the day, you know, there wasn't the internet. So if you were gonna do research on a company, you would actually have to go to the library and do research. And again, I didn't really, you know, this is my first big job. And so back in the day, Frito-Lay had an office down and close to downtown Dallas. And we were up on whatever floor it was. But on the, you know, the lobby level, there was like a little convenience store. And so it's my first day, and back in the day, you know, you wore, you know, full suits with little bow ties and a dress and you have a little briefcase. And I thought I would pick up my lunch on my way, you know, to go up the elevator. And so I go into the little convenience store and I buy my favorite drink, which is a Diet Coke. And I get on the elevator and literally everybody's like looking at me in horror. And I, you know, I can't imagine why.
And then this really big man says to me, young lady who are you? And I'm like, I'm, at the time, my name was Jane Gentry, I'm Jane Gentry, and it's my first day as a marketing assistant. And it turns out that this was Leo Kiley, just a wonderful man who was the head of sales and marketing at the time. And he just, I introduced myself, he gets off at the executive level. I keep going up, and a woman on the elevator says, you realize that Pepsi actually owns Frito-Lay? And so you really should never have a Coke in your hand again. And so you can see why everybody's like horrified, right? I mean, it's like, today I probably would've been fired on the spot because Coke and Pepsi were so, you know, competitive. But I'm just there with my little Diet Coke, like I have no idea that Pepsi owns Frito-Lay.
Michael: But tell us your trajectory there, because you wound up running a massive piece of business.
Jane: Yeah, you know, I ended up being the first female president at Frito-Lay. And about a billion-dollar business. It was about a billion-dollar business. And that was about nine years later. And so I started in marketing. Yeah, you talk a lot about risk, Michael. You know, I had a pretty cushy job in marketing, but there was an opportunity to go into sales. And really, no women were doing that. No women from marketing were doing it. But it looked to me that that's where the power of the company was really going. So I pivoted into a sales role, then I had an opportunity to do an operations role. And then I had the opportunity to get promoted to president. So, you know, I was very fortunate at Frito.
There were so many great mentors, you know, mainly men actually. 'Cause there were very few, you know, women in the organization at the time. But it was a very, you know, it was a competitive environment, a challenging environment, but you know, one where, you know, you could really get rewarded for your success. And I was surrounded by some amazing, amazing men.
Michael: And culture has a lot to do, you know, with, you know, being able to, certainly that was the way at Disney, but a culture where you can progress like this, where you're supported, you're mentored, and very little politics. Were there a lot of politics? 'Cause you get to these big companies, you can find a lot of politics going on with people trying to get ahead and move up. Did you find that that was a culture that had some of that? Or was it more, you know, mentoring people, you knew what your next role would be, et cetera?
Jane: You know, I think it was kind of a combination. 'Cause it was very collegial with those of us that were sort of peers. But what I found as I moved up in the organization, that it did become more political. And I have to say that I was quite naive at the time and was not very politically savvy. And was, the more senior I got, I would say probably the more I got ahead of my skis in terms of being able to be successful, because I just didn't really have a political bone in my body. I just kinda showed up the way I show up in the world. And, you know, that works well in a lot of situations, but as you're mentioning in some of the bigger companies, I think you need to, a lot of times be a little bit more savvy, a little bit more in tuned to kind of some of the maneuvering that's going on the sidelines.
Michael: Did you find being a female, though, in a male-dominated industry and business, that that also presented issues? Or was it no, they really, that really didn't affect, you know, your career.
Jane: You know, I always felt like I was very blessed to be supported by so many men that really saw my results and appreciated it. I would say my biggest issue was me, that I am very, I think maybe you could even see in our short time together, very passionate, very animated. You know, and now I've been a CEO for, you know, 15 years or whatever, and a president for like, almost 30 years. And so I have a lot of confidence to sort of show up in the world as, you know, Jane Miller, who's like, woo, you know? But, you know, but when I was, you know, in my early 30s and kind of showed up like that, it was definitely seen a little bit less professional, and not as polished. And it took me a little while to sort of really understand that. So I think my biggest barrier to success was always just me, because I really wanted to show up in the world the way that I wanted to show up. And I think one of the advice that I give young people is, you know, show up however you want, but understand that you're not gonna necessarily be successful in an environment that doesn't appreciate or value your particular style. So, you know, that doesn't mean you have to be inauthentic. It just means you need to find your tribe and go someplace where you can really excel versus being like a square peg in a round hole.
Michael: Yeah. So, from Pepsi, you then move, you stay in sort of the same industry. Talk to us about that move and why you did that, and then the challenges that were associated with that.
Jane: So I went right from Frito-Lay to Gateway Computers for about a year. This was right before the bust in the late '90s. And there was so many people from consumer products that were going into the computer industry. And at the time I was just like, “Oh, I'm gonna leave this boring old food business and I'm gonna get into the exciting world of computers and had a really nice opportunity with Gateway.” It was really growing quite fast at the time. And what I realized in the year that I was there, after having spent 14 years at Frito-Lay and Pepsi, was that I really loved the food business. I loved everything about the food business. It was so real. It's the fabric of our lives. Is what we eat.
Every great experience we have in our life involves food for the most part and sharing it with others. And I loved the environment of having factories where people were so dedicated to making great products and the route drivers that delivered the products at Frito-Lay and other companies. And they were so much depending on leadership to make sure that the company was making the right decisions and that they could keep their jobs and be able to support their families. Where I found the tech industry to be a much more cutthroat, a lot less grassroots, I would say. And so I had the opportunity to run a division of Best Foods, and that's, if you've ever had Orowheat bread or Thomas’ English Muffins or Entenmann's cakes, I had a chance to run that business. And it was so funny because I was so sure I didn't wanna be in the food business. I wanted to do something sexier. And what I found was that I really just needed to go back to the food business. And so I did that.
I went from there onto Heinz, was their chief growth officer and then became the president of Heinz in London. And then I came back to the U.S. and was part of a team that got Hostess outta bankruptcy the first time. So the first 25 years of my career was all with really big companies. And then 15 years ago, I was able to kind of pivot to get into the natural and organic industry. And it's, you know, private equity backed, so a very different model than working for a, you know, multinational company.
Michael: Yeah, so let's talk about that. 'Cause so many of these small businesses that are listening, you know, are hoping either to scale and become public, you know, do an IPO, or be acquired. And, you know, we had the opportunity at PeopleForce to talk with Bobbi Brown, who sold her company to Estee Lauder. And she sold her name along with it. And it was really interesting when the Lauder family was involved, how great it was to work with them, to have the resources, the distribution, et cetera. When the Lauders sort of stepped out, that sort of soured a bit and they started to take things in a different direction. And she had a little emblem, you know, that was attached to a necklace that was her non-compete date, when it was up. And she launched, yeah, and she launched two new brands. And she said, you know, back then when you could get $400 million, I thought that was huge. You know, in hindsight, in retrospect, I probably should have waited and not jumped so quickly into that relationship. So you've been private equity, big company back to private equity. Talk to us about that and the differences in how you had to operate and the differences in what they were actually looking for that would be different than sort of the big enterprise that these companies get sold to. Because, you know, at times you can jump very quickly for the money, that there's a lucrative offer, and lose complete control of the product. So, walk us through that piece.
Jane: It's such a great question because there's so many people that come from big companies and think that they wanna go to a smaller company just for that, which is, oh my gosh, I'll grow this and I'll sell it to a big company. I have all this equity and, you know, it's just a whole different kinda ball of wax. And it was interesting because I, so I went from part of this team that got Hostess outta bankruptcy to being the CEO of Rudi's Bakery in Boulder, Colorado, which was a national company based in Boulder. We really grew it into something, you know, really, really special.
But I'll remember my first couple weeks in the job where I was, you know, in this office here in Boulder and, you know, you're the person who's going in and it's, you know, you're changing the toilet paper in the bathroom. It's like, I didn't realize I was the person that was gonna be doing that. And then, you know, and every week you're kinda, you're going through, you know, pay, you're like, do we have enough money for payroll? You know, what bills are we gonna pay when money came in? And it was so amazing because, you know, you sit there and you go, I worked for all these big companies. I never once worried about getting my paycheck. I never once thought we weren't gonna be able to pay a bill. In fact, I don't even know who pays the bills in these big companies, you know?
So there's a little bit of a, you know, a culture shock because you have, you know, less resources, you know, you are doing more yourself. You know, I always felt in the big company world that I always made a difference, you know, that I always was very connected. But what you kind of realize when you go to a smaller company is at the bigger company you could be run over by a truck and there would be somebody that could step into your job. If I would've gotten run over by a truck at Rudi's, there wouldn't be an obvious person to be able, you know, to move into my job. And so, you know, it's a really different skillset to be able to have, you know, in a lot of cases, less resources when you go to smaller companies. And not just money, but, you know, really talented people too.
I mean, my whole career at all these big companies, you know, I was surrounded by people that were amazing, and I think that's really upped my game. You know, when you're working with, you know, you're on a an all-star team, you're only gonna get better because you're with all stars. And I think that was the other thing that I really needed to start to wrap my mind around, which is, how, when you are in these smaller companies, how do you surround yourself with really good talent? 'Cause at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you're selling Doritos or Rudi's bread or widgets or whatever, it's all about the team. And you have to surround yourself with great people or you're not gonna get great results.
Michael: That was interesting, 'cause when I was at HP, I had like a $3 billion budget in marketing and communications. And then when I left, I went to this little company that did flash technology in the data centers that scaled it so that you would reduce all the latency, which is what you have today in terms of all the streaming services that you have. And they're like, you have $6 million and you have three people. And I'm like, I got $3,000 and I had $3 billion. And I'm like, okay, well we can do this. We're just gonna recalibrate. But what I found really interesting is, in your career, the people you meet, so the people I met when I was president at the Walt Disney Studios and all of those artists and all of the talent that I worked with came along with me because they're like, he's quality. He is precision. He will think of big ideas. He's about creativity. He's all those things that we enjoyed working with him. So they came along and said, we'll help you, we'll definitely help you. And they cut their rates for me, knowing that I was a small company. And so when you saw the work that came out, you would've thought we paid an agency, and we hired amazing talent. And in fact, we did all of it ourselves with these independent contractors that came along with me. And the interesting thing is, they're still with me today. And you pick up new people that begin to want to work with you. And I found that really rewarding, that, you know, you're in these big companies, yet these people still wanna do business with you because they enjoyed the relationship. Do you find that?
Jane: Oh, I couldn't have said it any better. It's so amazing to me, especially I think with agencies, how badly they get treated by clients. You know, and in my world, co-manufacturers, you know, that are making our products for us. What I have learned along the way is it's about relationships and trust and people feeling like they're partners. And that you're not just trying to, you know, negotiate them down just to get a cheaper deal. That, you know, you just don't have the resources, you're trying to negotiate just so you can kinda keep the business running, whether it's what, you know, what you were doing at the smaller company or what I've been doing. But it is about relationships. People want to work with people that they trust. And I think that that's the foundation for a great company, both with your employees and then also the relationships with others that support the business. And I do think it sounds very much like your career, Michael. I think the thing I'm most proud of is the number of people that would wanna work with me again, and that would say that I'm somebody that they would follow.
And my new company, well it's actually my new old companies, 'cause I'm back at Rudi's again after about a eight-and-a-half-year hiatus. And I brought a number of people over from companies that I've worked with in the past. And we're starting to build a team that is absolutely first class.
Michael: You know, it's interesting you bring up people. TriNet has really focused on the people that are in the companies that we actually co-employ. And we really look at them as if they're our employees. Because we do, on record, employ them. And some of the biggest things that we see that where we try to help, and I wanna talk a little bit about this, is in the labor market that we're in today, you know, retention of your employees is so important, so critical. In certain areas, the competition for certain types of talent is pretty extreme. You're seeing, you know, salaries go up, you're seeing a lot of things happening in the marketplace where we're fully employed as a nation and yet we have like 10 million jobs that are not filled. And you're all looking for the same sort of talent, that the idea of how you build a culture and treat your employees becomes important. Then part two to that question would be that we really believe employee satisfaction is what drives customer satisfaction. As you think about your customer experience. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Jane: Well, I think that's exactly right. I think in a market where, you know, there are again a lot of jobs that are unfilled, but a lot of the talent that any one of us wants, it could go to many other companies. It really is, you know, you have to start with competitive salaries, though. I really think you do. I think that that is kind of the ante to get in. But I think the thing that keeps people, that retains them is an environment where they feel like they're respected and that their opinion matters and that they're doing something that's bigger than just them. I mean, all of us, for the most part, spend more time at work, whether you're working from home or you're working in an office, but in the work world, than you do with your family. We're waking hours. And so you just don't wanna be doing something just for the money. You wanna be doing it because you have an opportunity to be with people that you like, to be able to have success and create things that maybe you couldn't create otherwise. So it's, you know, it's complicated because I do think there is a lot of competition for really great people, and how you keep, as the leader, keep communicating and try to keep people feeling like they're part of something that is important is what we're trying to do at Rudi's.
It's hard though. I have to say, Michael, I think the hardest thing of a turnaround is not turning around the business, it's getting all the people to be part of the turnaround. And with everyone's own personal agenda, whether it's the money they need to make or the recognition they need to get, whatever it is, you've just got this, this soup of, you know, that depending on how the ingredients come in, it can come out in all kinds of different ways. And I think that that, you know, as long as I've been doing this, the people piece is the most rewarding. It's the most important, but it's the hardest. And I am continually learning myself every day how I can be a better leader.
Michael: Yeah, and it's probably the most valuable asset in many companies.
Jane: Oh, no question. I think in every, every company, it is the most valuable asset. I mean, I have the most amazing story that I just will tell quickly about Rudi's. We're launching a whole new line of products and we're going exclusive with Whole Foods nationally in October. And we had a co-manufacturing partner that was going to make this product for us. We make the bread and then it's a value-added product. It's gonna be amazing, coming out in about six weeks, as I said. Two weeks ago, yesterday in the evening, I get the call that the co-manufacturer that's gonna make this product that's gonna reinvent the business for Rudi's is shutting his doors.
Michael: Oh my gosh.
Jane: On that day. Like, no notice, we were start, we were gonna produce our product in 10 days. So this was two weeks ago. 10 days later, we were gonna produce all this product that's gonna go national in Whole Foods and I get the call and they not only shut the doors, they fired everybody. Like, our equipment is held hostage, like all of this stuff that we had put into this. So this is two weeks ago. The most amazing thing, and this talks about team and how people can rally together, is this last Monday, so 10 days after we found out the co-man was closing, we set up everything within our bakery to make this product. And this week, we had every person in management in the company on the line making this product so that we could get it shipped next week so it'll be in the warehouses to go to Whole Foods at the 1st of October.
Michael: Wow.
“I have never in my career seen anything as extraordinary as this. But what I would say is it's a group of people that wanna win and that care so much about the company that they tried to figure it out. And it's just…
Michael: That's awesome. But it's a sense of purpose. I think the big thing is, have a sense of purpose as a company. And when you have a sense of purpose, people really believe, the people that work there, should believe in that sense of purpose and take ownership in the company.
Jane: Yeah, I mean yes, that's exactly right. And where you actually feel like that this is your company. You're not just being told to do something, you're figuring it out. And, you know, we have daily huddles, what are we doing? What's been our production? What's happened? And it's just, I would say I've been back at Rudi's about 11 months now. This experience in the last two weeks has changed our culture because we have a purpose. And it was extraordinary.
Michael: Jane, were you on the line?
Jane: Yes, I actually have, I have a video that I'd be happy to send to you of the first box that, so I don't need to be so secretive, is fabulous Texas toast. So it's thick gluten-free bread with amazing butter and garlic, and which…
Michael: Oh, wow.
Jane: You know, look, how can you go wrong with that? But no, I have video, which I’d be happy to share. They gave me the very important responsibility of putting the product in the box before the box was sealed.
Michael: I have a funny story to this. But when I worked at Disney, we would multiple times and usually during peak periods, you know, with seasonality, we would have to work in the parks. And then we would have to do a report. So you would be assigned to different tasks in the park that you'd have to work during the day. You'd have a full day of working in the park. And I'll never forget, they're like, you're going to be with a cast member on Main Street popping popcorn during the parades. And I'm like, okay, great. Well, people don't realize it's not pre-pop. You have to pop everything with the oil and everything. And these lines go way out and you're working like mad. And I started to laugh. I said, you know what's gonna be hysterical? Somebody's gonna walk by and say, oh yeah, there's Michael working at Disney. Yeah, you know what he's doing? He's popping popcorn on Main Street. You know, and we were an executive. But everybody had to do it, from Michael Eisner on down. But it really gave you, one, a sense of understanding about what other cast members go through every day and the amount of work in the labor that's involved, but also you're in touch with the customers. And you're interacting with them and you're hearing things and seeing things. And that was so important. That's why I wanted to ask you, were you on the line? That's probably a good example of really being in touch with the product and, really, like you said, building a culture around that, which is what Disney did around, you know, the guests are always right. And anyhow, so that was very interesting. But there's one last thing I want to talk about is your book.
Jane: Oh, yes.
Michael: Talk about the book.
Jane: Oh gosh, so, it's already...
Michael: I wanna know how you got to the title. Why don't you explain how you got to the title of the book and what's in it.
Jane: So the title of the book is "Sleep Your Way to the Top." And it's really important because, when I first came out with the book, there was two reactions. There was the people that got the joke and they're like, oh my gosh, that's so funny. And then there was the other people that were like, how could a woman in business say you should sleep your way to the top? And the funny thing is, it's a funny business book and it's about kind of all the lessons that I had in the first probably 30 years of my career. And a really honest look at all the mistakes that I made. And the reason I wrote the book was I wanted for that next generation of leaders to know that it's okay to make mistakes, and you can recover from them. And just to, just learn and keep learning. And that was really the purpose of the book. So, “Sleep Your Way to the Top,” where that came from was when I had an opportunity for a big promotion at Frito-Lay, one of the guys that was up for the job told a peer of mine that I must have slept with somebody to be able to get the job. And…
Michael: Oh God, how terrible.
Jane: I know, isn't that horrible? And it always just stuck with me that it wasn't that I, you know, I'd had a great career or I had a great track record. It was like someone that would just throw that out in that very, you know, insulting kind of way. And so when you read the book, every chapter is sort of, kind of debunking a myth.
Michael: Oh, that's awesome.
Jane: Like you can sleep your way to the top. And so, it's a fun book.
Michael: This had to have been a bestseller with that title.
Jane: Well, you know, I sold a few books back in the day, I'd have to say. And if you love listening to this podcast and you love this voice, it's also an audio book and it's only about five and a half hours of me talking.
Michael: Oh, that's awesome. I bet that's awesome. Well, how terrific. Well, you know, I hope we at TriNet have served you well 'cause I know you were with us with another company.
Jane: Yes.
Michael: And now you've come back. And why is that? I mean, that is really wonderful. I mean, and it's sort of great news for us, certainly great attribution. But what was the reasoning for that when you decided, no, we're gonna go back to TriNet?
Jane: Well, we had TriNet at my last company. I was a CEO of Lily Sweets, which I didn't mention, it was probably one of the biggest successes of my career. We sold to Hershey's about two years ago. We went from six employees to over 50 in three years. And so, TriNet was such a great partner with us from everything, obviously from payroll services. But, you know, all the training and opportunities that you've got to access, the resources within TriNet was extraordinary. And so when I came back to Rudi's, we were with another company, and really I had such an amazing experience with TriNet. And the team that we've been working with at TriNet, the customer service has been just extraordinary. And we have just felt, literally like we're part of the TriNet family.
And so I'd had such a great experience before. And it's just so important, as you said earlier, I mean, you are our employer actually, all of our employees are, you know, employed by TriNet. And so, you know, having the kind of resources that you.
Michael: We're colleagues, we're colleagues, Jane.
Jane: So I guess we are Michael, yeah. I hadn't even thought about that. But, you know, as you said, you've mentioned a couple of times, it's about relationships and it's about customer service and it's about feeling like, even though we have, you know, 75 employees, so in your whole scope, we're not a huge company, but we feel like we're a huge company.
Michael: So, Jane, what's next? I mean, you've gone through an amazing career, huge successes, huge, but both in enterprise as well as startups. What's next for you?
Jane: We are gonna make Rudi's into a powerhouse brand. It's been around since 1976. I sold it, as I said, about nine years ago. And it was a nice sized company. It's about a third of the size of what it was. So it is a big turnaround. And it's an iconic brand in the natural industry. And what I'd like to do is have Rudi's really be well known across the country and be able to create jobs and really do something special with the brand that is very, very special. So for me, where I'm at in my career, I really just wanna be at the forefront of Rudi's being very, very successful and kind of growing the next generation of leaders as I'm doing that. And along the way I've got two rescue horses and a rescue dog. So I'll probably add a few more to my, my menagerie.
Michael: Oh wow. Well, I mean, you've really demonstrated, you know, what opportunity is, what drive, you know, applying experience, taking risks, and more importantly, choices. And always have choices that you can make as you begin to build your career. I mean, you've had an amazing one. You continue to have one. You know, I wish you the best success with Rudi's. I'm sure we're gonna see some amazing things. I can't wait to taste the new bread coming out now that I know that you had your hands literally on it. And it's been a pleasure. And thank you. I mean, you're incredibly busy with this turnaround for taking the time to do this for us. I appreciate it, TriNet appreciates it, and we certainly appreciate your business.
Jane: Oh, thanks Michael. And I'm so honored to be with the list of people that you brought in here. It's just, it's nice to have an opportunity to talk about some of the things I'm passionate about. And I think, again, just to let that next generation of leaders know that you do have choices, you can make mistakes, and it's just like a really long journey. So, you know, just don't burn any bridges.
Michael: Thank you very much.
Jane: Thanks, Michael.
Michael: Thank you, Jane. That was just awesome stories. I want to remind everybody that our PeopleForce Podcast by TriNet is committed to helping small and medium-size businesses and their leaders with timely and relevant business content. The PeopleForce Podcast drops new episodes every month and we hope you continue catching our new episodes on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and Rise.TriNet.com. To get relevant SMB news and info, make sure you subscribe to our podcast and to our newsletter at TriNet.com/insights
