The En Factor Podcast features conversations with entrepreneurs who have started, stumbled and succeeded.
In this newest episode of the En Factor, we welcome Rowena Scherer who is the Founder and CEO of eat2explore. Rowena joins us to share her professional journey from growing up in Malaysia to leaving an executive job on Wall Street in order to follow and combine her passions of cooking and traveling by starting her venture. Rowena’s mission with eat2explore is to help children develop the essential life skill of cooking at a young age while exploring the geography, history, language, art, and social studies of different countries through their food. eat2explore accomplishes this mission with experiential cooking kits representing different countries, and comes with recipes and other elements of the country’s three most well known dishes. Now with over 24 countries available and more additions coming to her product mix, Rowena shares more on taking the risk to start her own venture, growing her brand and evolving her product mix, and the importance of traveling and experiencing other cultures and the great things they have to offer. Join us as you will not want to miss out on Rowena’s incredible journey from a Wall Street executive to living out her culinary dreams and helping others experience multicultural learning through food!
Key Words – Women in Entrepreneurship, Culinary
Chapters
00:00 • Introduction: Welcome Back to the En Factor!
01:38 • Exciting New Opportunities and Community Invitation 03:33 • Introduction to Today’s Guest: Rowena Scherer
03:47 • Rowena’s Background: From Wall Street to Entrepreneurship
04:48 • The Inspiration Behind eat2explore
05:48 • Cultural Expectations and Entrepreneurial Journey
11:23 • Transitioning from Corporate to Culinary
16:41 • The Birth of eat2explore
21:03 • Navigating Entrepreneurship: Learning and Adapting
31:16 • Balancing Roles and Networking
33:20 • Building a Team and Overcoming Challenges
36:46 • Finding and Working with Freelancers
39:34 • Manufacturing and Sourcing
44:37 • Funding and Scaling the Venture
48:31 • Travel and Inspiration for New Products
51:34 • Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
54:27 • Reflections and Future Plans
Episode takeaways
- Rowena’s entrepreneurial journey began in a family of entrepreneurs.
- She transitioned from a corporate career to pursue her passion for food.
- eat2explore was inspired by her desire to teach her children cooking skills.
- Failure is a part of the entrepreneurial journey; resilience is key.
- Customer feedback is crucial for evolving a business model.
- Networking and mentorship play a vital role in entrepreneurship.
- Rowena emphasizes the importance of cultural learning through food.
- The company has expanded to offer options for both families and adults.
- Rowena’s culinary education helped shape her business vision.
- Building a team allows for better focus on growth and networking. Finding the right team is crucial for success.
- Trial and error is a significant part of entrepreneurship.
- Having a clear vision helps guide decision-making.
- Scaling operations requires careful planning and execution.
- Global awareness through food can create meaningful connections.
- Funding challenges are common and require strategic thinking.
- Listening to customers is essential for growth and adaptation.
- Building a supportive community can aid in the entrepreneurial journey.
- Women entrepreneurs can leverage networks designed to support them.
- Food can be a powerful tool for education and cultural exchange.
The En Factor® Podcast
Conversations with Entrepreneurs
Hosted by Dr. Rebecca White
Our audience of aspiring and established entrepreneurs are inspired to persevere throughout their entrepreneurial journey. You will hear first-hand stories of success, resilience through failure, and how to become a master in your field.