Founder & CEO of Unapologetic Foods

Whatever you're doing, doing it well. I think it's worse to say yes to 100 things and doing all of them badly. I don't think there's any value in that. Instead, pick your 10 things and really do them well.

What is more important? If in five years, I'm the one shaking hands in the dining room, or if in five years, I've been able to grow and build an organization that I can really be proud of that can actually help other people elevate themselves. I pick the latter.

As leaders, we shouldn't be insecure if another person on our team is better than ourselves. That's fantastic. That's what we should aspire for. I believe there are wonderful team members who are doing equally if not a better job than me. That's a feel-good moment for us as entrepreneurs.

Whatever you're committing to, can you truly commit? If you cannot, you must have the courage to take a step back.

One of the biggest mistakes we as entrepreneurs make is that we end up making the entire journey about ourselves. We become the protagonist. That's a mistake in many ways. I am not the protagonist. The guests are. The team members are. We are all a collective show that we're putting together. That's the orchestra that one must create.

I look at integrity over talent any day. I'm okay to work with somebody who might make a few extra mistakes, but to me, integrity is the most important factor. I can't teach you that. That is something that you have to teach yourself and you have to coach yourself on.

When we talk about "coaching" and "mentoring", I want to demystify that it's not something we have a program for. It's a level of respect for each other, a two-way street. The employee sees us in a different light, and we see them in a different light. Both parties have to come together for it to work.

I think the engineering side of the brain looks on the business side to optimize things, to grow. But there's also the instinctual, the part of it that is so emotional where we all start. I think so many of us suppress that very voice that we have within. It's a really powerful voice, and it's where the magic lies.