Push People to Do More Than They Think They Can: Interview with Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, co-founders of Food52

Several years ago, I interviewed Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, co-founders of Food52, in an interview originally published in Thrive Global. Here is an excerpt from our interview:

Adam: What is something about each of you that would surprise people?

Amanda: That I’m an introverted homebody — and that both Merrill and I are expert toast burners.

Merrill: I seriously considered pursuing a singing career and came very close to going to a musical conservatory instead of a liberal arts university. I still love to sing and have studied voice off and on for my entire adult life. I studied both piano and voice starting at a young age, and I did a lot of acting in high school as well. I continued to perform through college when I was in an a cappella group (one of my proudest moments to date is singing a solo at Carnegie Hall!). I’ve always struggled with a certain degree of stage fright, but over the years and with constant exposure, I learned to push through it. That ability to plow forth in the face of fear has served me well as a founder. Unlike some founders, I don’t crave public speaking opportunities, but I’ve learned to embrace them to a certain extent.

Adam: How did you get here? What failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Merrill: We’ve simply refused to give up. When we were raising our first round of funding for Food52, food and cooking didn’t have the buzz that they do now, so it was an uphill battle convincing investors to trust in our conviction that this space would soon be a massive opportunity. It took us eight months to raise that first seed round of 750K, instead of the three to six months we’d planned for, but we kept at it and eventually found great investors who believed in us.

Adam: What are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Amanda: Listen. Be decisive. Be human. Push people to do more than they think they can — they’ll appreciate it later.

Merrill: Set clear goals and expectations. Just because you think you’ve communicated clearly, it doesn’t necessarily mean information has been received the way you intended it to be; always ask people to reflect back what you’ve said when it comes to anything of importance.

Adam: What are your best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?

Amanda: See ambiguity and change as positives. It’s important to constantly reiterate the importance of this to your team and, when recruiting, to make sure you have ways of screening for people with a high tolerance for ambiguity.

Also, someone recently noted that Food52 is not a data-driven company, we’re a data-guided company, and that’s exactly right. We value and pay attention to our data but are not ruled by it. Our gut and vision about what we want to create are just as important. So I’d caution leaders against being too controlled by data.

Merrill: In the early days of a start-up, the founders have to be in the weeds in order to make sure everything gets done. As you grow and hire more people, it can be difficult to adapt and let go of the day-to-day. But as a leader, that is your job — to pinpoint what it is that only you can do for the company, prioritize your time and energy around whatever that is, and delegate the rest.

Adam: How have you built such a large community? What are the keys to building a large and engaged audience?

Amanda: Put simply, we gave people a space to express themselves and be heard in a meaningful way. This is the foundation to any healthy community. People want to congregate in a place where they feel heard and can relate.

Adam: How can anyone pay it forward?

Amanda: Take the time to meet with people in your profession who are younger than you, and be open about the lessons you’ve learned and obstacles they may face. Encourage them and follow up with them.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Amanda: Don’t ask for permission.

Merrill: Be fearless.

Adam: What can you share that foodies will find especially interesting?

Merrill: People on the internet will always want more chicken and cookies.


Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one-on-one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

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