In one fell swoop, Laura O’Neill made the move from Australia to Brooklyn and from the event production industry to running an ice cream business with a cult-following. If you haven’t had Van Leeuwen’s ice cream, it’s really that good. She’s now bringing Bali to Brooklyn at her new restaurant Selamat Pagi. What has she taken away from all this? It’s never too late to pursue your passions.
Talentedly: How did starting Van Leeuwen Ice Cream influence your managerial and leadership style?
Laura O’Neill: A lot! in the early days it was just us running the trucks with one friend and a couple of girls that helped out on the weekends. Coming from a place of knowing every level of our business from the ground up has really influenced my management style. It’s easy to remember to be fair, kind and grateful for our team, but also to know what needs to happen in order to meet our high standards for quality and service. I often say “you’ll catch more bees with honey than vinegar.” It’s something Ben and Pete’s mom told me in the early days.
TLY: Has it changed again with the opening of Selamat Pagi?
LO: Definitely, we like to be super involved with Selamat Pagi, but it’s in a different way. The concept is ours but it is brought to life by our incredible team in the kitchen and front of house. They house a level of restaurant expertise beyond our ice cream experience, so we rely on them to lead our vision. That said, so much of what we have learned through running Van Leeuwen has been applied to Selamat Pagi. Though they are very different projects, they share the same ideals.
TLY: Selamat Pagi stemmed from your personal experience in Bali. Does this personal connection make the way you manage this business different from Van Leeuwen?
LO: I guess Selamat Pagi was my initial idea, while Van Leeuwen was Ben’s, but once you start to develop a concept it really takes on the life of everyone involved, so Van Leeuwen and Selamat Pagi are both equally near and dear to Ben, Pete and myself. We each lend something different and important to the endeavors.
TLY: Were there any professional learnings from starting Van Leeuwen that you were happy to not repeat when opening Selamat Pagi?
LO: One thing we did with Selamat Pagi was keep the interior super simple. We did all the design ourselves and Ben made most of the furniture. We’ve added to it over the past two years and allowed it to evolve, but it was cool to take a simpler approach this time around and save some pennies. We’ve also gotten really good at hiring over the years and I think that rings true in the awesome team at Selamat Pagi.
TLY: So many innovators strive to get people to try the new and foreign, whether in technology or food. What’s the hardest part in getting people to try a new cuisine?
LO: It’s important to have interesting yet approachable cuisine and also to have options for all diets. We are super vegan friendly at Van Leeuwen and Selamat Pagi. It’s imperative to strike that balance between what you want to serve and what people want, and all with integrity.
TLY: What advice would you give to your 21 year old self?
LO: Pursue your passion; it’s easy to think it’s too late to embark on certain things, but I only started playing music seriously a little over a year ago and of all my pursuits, it’s the most rewarding so far! I remember feeling in my 20s that it was too late to get into music, that I’d missed the boat. With that said, it’s also testament to the fact that you can do it all. You don’t have to choose one career; you can dabble. That’s what keeps things interesting. My band “Laura & Greg” have our first album coming out on vinyl and digital in December. (www.lauragreg.bandcamp.com)
TLY: What do you think managers in any industry can learn from the food services industry?
LO: It’s all about inspiring the team. Give them a product they can be proud to serve and a message they can be happy to spread. I was having a conversation with my friend, actor and film director Eleanor Wilson last week about how we set the tone for any environment we are in. It’s a such an important thing to remember.
(This content was originally posted at Talentedly.)
Lydia Loizides is serial entrepreneur, technology provocateur and relentless challenger of the status quo. She spends her days as Founder & CEO of Talentedly, a technology company on a mission to help people grow from good to great at work (technology + people = amazing results). The rest of her waking moments are spent running, reading, learning, and trying to prove that the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is 42. You can follow Lydia @lydiaNYC @GetTalentedly, on LinkedIn and the Huffington Post.