Lucy, how are you?

Hi. I’m doing great. I’m so ready to go.

Talk about your family in the sense of… how they thought about work, and how they might have taught you about work. 

Totally. Well, in terms of my immediate family, my dad has always worked in the financial sector. So he’s had an extremely traditional nine to five job where he literally wore a suit every day. So I had that model of what it meant to work. On the other side, I had my mom, who left her job after she had me so that she could stay home. But as I grew a little bit older she worked a couple different jobs. And then about 17 or 18 years ago—maybe more—my mom started her own business in Columbus, Ohio, where we lived. Most of my perspective on work has been super shaped by my mom, especially since she started her own business in the second half of my childhood.

What’s her business? 

She is a professional organizer. Her business is fully based on her own talents and skill set. She works with a huge variety of people: from serious hoarders that you see on HGTV, to extremely wealthy clients with several homes that just enjoy having her on their staff of help. She’s made this business that has sustained her, and my younger sister, and also me, on her talents alone. Her business is her. Not to mention she only just got a website two years ago, meaning, her business completely existed on word of mouth for fifteen years… which is amazing. Columbus isn’t small. I respect her so much for building this business off of what she’s just good at naturally. She’s a huge part of how I think about work.

Just out of curiosity, you said “her business is her,” meaning: if she’s not there as the one on site, it can’t really be done?

Yep.

Has she ever thought about training people, maybe to see things through her eyes? Organize like she organizes?

Definitely. That’s been a struggle. I think most of it is hiring somebody that could truly take that on would be a little scary for her because she needs that control. She’s hired many people who have worked part-time for her who don’t necessarily want to work full-time. For instance, women that she’s forged friendships with who aren’t super invested in taking on her vision, but just are there help her with her jobs. Or she’ll hire my sister’s friends to help her execute the work.

But not to do the work.

Exactly. And I think that is a little bit of control thing, and also just a feeling of being very overwhelmed. Like “Who out there could do what I do?” Regardless, I admire her so much through it all.

So talk about yourself now. How does growing up under those work behaviors manifest itself in you?

So I’m the oldest child on both sides of my family by many years. I was so indulged as a kid… and worshipped… and adored. For better or for worse. That has made me a person that needs to get what they want, but that’s also a person who isn’t afraid to just go for it. I’ve always been so empowered by my family. That’s been a gift I think, in a way. My mom has always fostered the things that she thinks I can and want to do. Now I think that I have a fully formed belief in myself and confidence in myself that I can continue accomplishing my goals. I don’t necessarily see a ton of things in front of me that I couldn’t overcome on my own. I feel like most of the obstacles in front of me are my own obstacles I put in front of me. I think the fact that my mom has built a successful business has taught me that I can do the same.

What’s been your work history? First job to now?

Well, *laughs* my first job was at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.

How old were you?

I was sixteen. I was on the opening team for the fourth store that was opening in my neighborhood in Columbus—

—The fourth store ever?

Yep. And I kept doing a bunch of different jobs for Jeni’s once I moved here to Chicago. I was doing events and demos at festivals and groceries stores—really trying to get a feel for whether or not we were going to have a successful market here in Chicago. Building a following, making sure people would show up (and they did, because the ice cream is great). In 2013 we opened our first shop in Chicago in Lakeview. That was our fourteenth store ever. Then I went to Wicker Park to open our twenty-third store a year and a half later, so we grew maybe nine or ten stores in a year and a half. Then I went over to the Jeni’s in Lincoln Park last winter and I opened that store. And now we have a store in Old Town.

The company has experienced so much growth, and I’ve experienced so much growth with the company. I’ve had many different jobs outside of Jeni’s since I began in 2008, but I always come home to Jeni’s because it does feel so much like home.

So you said Jeni’s feels like home. Why?

We do things the right way. That means so much to me. I definitely think I set the standard really high no matter where I go, in terms of who I work for or where I work. Jeni’s is the same way. We don’t take shortcuts.

Can you think of an example?

Sure… in the summer, if we run out of a flavor because we aren’t able to source the ingredients that we want, we don’t serve those flavors. People get pissed. But we are committed to the quality such that nobody gets a lesser experience. We’ll find people new favorite flavors if we don’t have what they want. There’s no excuses at Jeni’s.

And what about that is home to you?

I think it’s home to me because in general we try to have our company exist as a community—company in the truest sense of the word. But for me I think it takes on another underlying meaning in the sense that I have grown up there. So it has taught me about work ethic, it’s taught me to say, “no excuses,” and it has challenged me. I’ve grown so much as a person and a professional. I think it’s taught me how to keep growing because it’s such a positive place. The best people work for Jeni’s.

Let’s dive into that a little bit. First, when did you step into management?

I’ve always wanted to run my own shop ever since I started in Chicago in 2013. In 2015 I stepped into a management position. I was an assistant for a while and then took my boss’s position when they were promoted. When I first started, I messed up so much, all the time. I still do, for sure.

Did you seek any resources as you took on your new role?

Well, I had people who were there for me at the home office. And I had one other manager in the city, so she was a resource for me, but she was up to her neck in hot water too. So we were in it together. And I also had my friends and my team who were totally willing to go the extra mile for me. In terms of resources of how to handle and manage what was in front of me, I didn’t necessarily seek out any guide or mentor or even book. It was all about the people around me.

*Laughs* Right, how do you aim for it then? Or do you not intentionally aim for it?

Oh, we definitely do.

Okay, so it’s not pure coincidence that everyone is awesome?

I think that since Jeni’s is such an awesome place and people know that. The brand is amazing, it just attracts amazing people. But for me personally, I’ve met so many great people since I’ve started working here that I just look for things I’ve seen in those people somewhere along the line. When I hire, I ask questions that are especially centered around hard work and work ethic. That’s how I safeguard myself against anyone who doesn’t feel like working.

Does Jeni’s as a company have any criteria in terms of like the kind of person they’re looking for?

A lot of it is up to the shopkeeper of each shop, but it’s totally an entry-level position. Anybody’s eligible to work. I’ve had people from all kinds of backgrounds. This is something you get in food service that you don’t necessarily get at other places. It’s so diverse. But no, no specifics. Our internal values are talent, hustle and guts. These are what we measure everyone on. Talent: that something extra, that creative spark. Hustle: that willingness to go the extra mile, that relentless tireless work ethic. And guts: daring and bold and kind. The more you can trust your team, and the more responsibility you give them, the better a manager you are. I have amazing people that I trust with everything—and that allows me to relax and give everyone so much more attention.

What’s unique about managing and working in your industry, as opposed to others, as far as you know?

Well, like I said, it’s usually pretty diverse. At Jeni’s specifically there is a serious passion and interest in what we’re doing as a company. I don’t really get applicants who’ve never heard of Jeni’s. It’s a special place. I think managing in food service, because it’s so diverse, there’s a lot of specific challenges because you’re dealing with people who are in such different seasons of life. There’s people that want more hours, people who want less hours. People who need holidays, people who have school, people who just moved here and don’t know anyone. So there’s so much balance needed. Always. And that’s where strong leadership comes in because strong leadership has to fill in the gaps. You have to jump in all the time, solve problems and just be present.

What about it will make it yours?

I think I’m really good at creating spaces of home to other people. I think that’s where the root of my leadership began. Even as a kid, I would build a Barbie house and not even play with the Barbies. I would just make sure every room looked great. All of my favorite places in the world are food establishments and I want to contribute to that. My next dream job would be working for a brand and helping to bring it to more people. Working for a smaller brand, trying to bring their product to more grocery stores or expanding their shipping opportunities.

Who are you lending your ear to these days?

I’m reading a little bit of everything. Reading things that don’t necessarily pertain to my work. It’s more things that help me escape because I’m so involved in my work every other moment of each day. Honestly, for my job at Jeni’s, the most important voice I can listen to is Jeni’s. She’s brilliant. She’s really good at reminding us—and the world—about the things that really matter.

She seems wonderful.

She is. And I’m really lucky because I’ve grown up with the company so I’ve gotten close with her. I feel like that relationship can continue no matter where I end up.

What’s a deal breaker for you if you were to take on a new job?

If people don’t care about their mission at work, it’s not gonna work for me. I think that negative energy brings everything down. I’ve always worked under people at Jeni’s who are totally passionate about it and even militant about holding up our mission.

Our mission is to make better ice cream and to bring people together. And everything that we do—everything I do as a manager—is to uphold those two things. And if I’m working for a company where the folks around me don’t care about their mission, I couldn’t do it.

Work is a big part of your life. So why would I work somewhere where people didn’t care about what they were doing? I can’t even imagine it. I’m so lucky.

That’s a priority for you?

Yea. And that’s funny because as a manager I think it’s important to question and think about what’s appropriate or what’s funny to laugh about with your employees. I probably have blurred that line sometimes, but I think laughter is always a helpful managing tool. We have so much fun. When it’s cold and rainy and slow, we’ll be laughing at something stupid and guests will say, “You guys make it seem like it’s great to work here.” Stuff like that makes me happy.

I really encourage my team to keep things in perspective. Our goal is to provide the best experience to go along with the best ice cream. So first thing’s first, you gotta believe that it’s the best ice cream. Second thing is that you must do your best to give a great experience to customers. Something I tell my team is: “it’s just ice cream,” which allows for so much joy and positivity in the workplace instead of taking it so seriously that it drags you down. Like the worst thing that could happen on a Saturday is we could run out of ice cream. But in the big picture, it’s just ice cream.