Episode 149
March 14, 2023

Baking a Sweet Business

with Loren Castle, Founder and CEO of Sweet Loren's

About this episode

Joining the show today is Loren Castle, Founder and CEO of Sweet Loren’s, the accessible, good for you, and delicious cookie brand. Loren talks about her passion for putting healthy, real food made from natural ingredients into her body turned into a serious baking hobby which subsequently led to founding Sweet Loren’s. She shares about the unconventional household she grew up in, her approach to ensuring that the growth of her business is sustainable, and her key pieces of advice for turning entrepreneurial dreams into reality!

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In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

  • [02:49] Loren shares what her upbringing was like as a middle child in an unconventional household in New York City.
  • [08:20] A story from Loren’s childhood that highlights her innate leadership and organizational skills.
  • [15:49] The life-changing diagnosis that Loren received at the age of 22, and how it became her motivation for the founding of Sweet Loren’s. 
  • [24:29] When Loren realized that her casual baking endeavors had the potential to become a successful business and positively impact people’s lives. 
  • [33:31] The catalytic meeting and the journey that followed of turning Sweet Loren’s into what it is today. 
  • [42:28] Loren explains the reasoning behind her decision to not raise a second round of capital.
  • [45:22] Why Loren recommends doubling down on what you are good at until you have perfected your niche, rather than broadening into multiple categories. 
  • [49:52] Some of the biggest challenges that Loren has experienced on her journey of founding and running Sweet Loren’s, and the exciting future that lies ahead.
  • [54:22] Advice from Loren for successfully turning your entrepreneurial dreams into reality! 

To Find Out More:

Sweet Loren’s

Sweet Loren’s on Instagram

Loren Castle on LinkedIn

Lee Greene on LinkedIn

Quotes: 

“I just wanted to have as many adventures and experiences as possible.” —[0:12:24]

“Even though working in a bakery sounds sweet, it was one of the hardest jobs I ever had.” — [0:14:55]

“I remember [my therapist] saying to me, ‘Don’t you think this could actually become the biggest positive in your life? Don’t you think you could become so much stronger because of it?’ A light switched on in my brain when I heard that.” — [0:20:23]

“I became my own nutritionist and fell in love with real food.” —[0:22:30]

“The only reason that most people don’t eat healthy is because it’s too hard, or doesn’t taste as good.” —[0:22:56]

“Baking helped cure me in a way. It’s very therapeutic, it makes you feel really happy, it creates a stillness. There’s something magical about it.” — [0:25:21]

“Food should be delicious and accessible and clean. It should be that for everyone and it’s not when you rely on packaged food.” — [0:27:01]

“I’m really proud that we’re building a business that’s sustainable.” — [0:44:20]

“I’m a really big believer in becoming the number one at what you do before you move into other items.” —[0:45:22]

“Sweet Loren’s is the number one natural cookie dough brand in the US now, but when I started, I knew peanuts and no one cared or appreciated this category.” —[0:50:11]

“I truly think there is nothing better than making your dream a reality and if you’re an entrepreneur, just owning that and loving that and building your own future.”

“Make sure you have a business plan, sometimes entrepreneurs want to create a product and want it to grow, but find people that help you put numbers behind it…what is the overall goal? If you could dream huge what would it be, figure out what makes you happy in that because then you can drive the company and the ship forward.” —[0:54:39]

Read the transcript

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