The Mac & Cheese Millionaire: Building a Better Business by Thinking Outside the Box
Erin Wade
Wiley (September 2024)
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re probably right.” Henry Ford
Why did Erin Wade write The Mac & Cheese Millionaire? “I wanted to write this book to give to other people the language I wish I had been given to understand my own dissatisfaction at work and the tools to create something more compelling.
“I also wanted to write this book because a huge part of my success was embracing my competitive advantage as a woman, and I believe there are valuable lessons for people of all genders in talking openly about that.
Wade goes on to explain that hers “is a story for anyone who has ever loved their work or would like to. It is about the spark that is passion, and what happens when it is given fuel to become fire. It is about how to find connection, meaning, and purpose, even in unlikely;y places. it is about commitment, and what it takes to sustain the long-term relationship that is a career. It is also about macaroni and cheese.”
I am among those who, while beginning to read The Mac & Cheese Millionaire, felt that she was a close friend who had written the book especially for me. Wade immediately establishes a personal rapport with skillful use of direct address. I felt as if she were taking me back to her future, to the time when she decided that she could build a better career by thinking out of the box. She got out of hers and summoned the courage to leave her position as a corporate attorney in order to plan and then launch her own restaurant, Homeroom.
Visit her website and you will learn that years ago, before she was the founder of the Homeroom restaurant, “Wade got home from a long day as an attorney when she was hit with a craving for mac and cheese. She pulled out her dad’s family recipe and started cooking. That homemade mac changed the course of her life — and others. Erin set out to open the kind of restaurant she wished she could’ve dined at that night. She boxed up her law degree and committed to chasing her crazy, delicious dream of opening a mac and cheese-focused restaurant. “It was truly a labor of love — Homeroom opened its doors on Valentine’s Day 2011 in Oakland with lines out the door. It’s become a favorite eatery among Bay Area locals and visitors alike, serving up made-to-order mac and providing a different way of doing business.’
These are among Wade’s concluding thoughts: “Success for Homeroon was never about how long I would own it or run it a certain way. It was an exploration into whether it was possible to love work, and ho to create a place where other people did, too. On this metric, Hometroon exceeded my wildest dreams years ago. I hope it inspires you to create your own version of Homeroom, whatever it looks like. Whether you are switching jobs, pursuing a great idea, starting your own company, introducing collective success at your work, or pushing for a lofty new title, I hope that my search for love helps you find yours.”
Over recent years, many commencement speakers urge graduates to “love what you do and do what you love.” Erin Wade offers an excellent example of someone who knew what she would love to do and then did whatever was necessary — however much she disliked much of that– in order to achieve her goal.
Years ago during an interview, Rod Steiger was asked if he was ever asked for career advice by young people. “Oh yeh, sure sure sure! And I always look them right in the eye and ask, ‘Do you want to be an actor or do you HAVE TO BE AN ACTOR? The longer it takes for them to answer, the less likely that they’ll ever make it.”
Erin Wade knew what she had to do and did it. How about you?
Visit her website and you will learn that years ago, before she was the founder of the Homeroom restaurant, “Wade got home from a long day as an attorney when she was hit with a craving for mac and cheese. She pulled out her dad’s family recipe and started cooking. That homemade mac changed the course of her life — and others. Erin set out to open the kind of restaurant she wished she could’ve dined at that night. She boxed up her law degree and committed to chasing her crazy, delicious dream of opening a mac and cheese-focused restaurant.
“It was truly a labor of love — Homeroom opened its doors on Valentine’s Day 2011 in Oakland with lines out the door. It’s become a favorite eatery among Bay Area locals and visitors alike, serving up made-to-order mac and providing a different way of doing business.’
These are among Wade’s concluding thoughts: “Success for Homeroon was never about how long I would own it or run it a certain way. It was an exploration into whether it was possible to love work, and how to create a place where other people did, too. On this metric, Hometroon exceeded my wildest dreams years ago. I hope it inspires you to create your own version of Homeroom, whatever it looks like. Whether you are switching jobs, pursuing a great idea, starting your own company, introducing collective success at your work, or pushing for a lofty new title, I hope that my search for love helps you find yours.”
Over recent years, many commencement speakers urge graduates to “love what you do and do what you love.” Erin Wade offers an excellent example of someone who knew what she would love to and then did whatever was necessary in order to achieve her goal, however much she disliked much of that.
Years ago during an interview, Rod Steiger was asked if he was ever asked for career advice by young people. “Oh yeh, sure sure sure! And I always look them right in the eye and ask, ‘Do you want to be an actor or do you HAVE TO BE AN ACTOR? The longer it takes for them to answer, the less likely that they’ll ever make it.”
Erin Wade knew what she had to do and did it. How about you?