I recently went one-on-one with Loren Castle, founder and CEO of Sweet Loren's.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Loren: I was diagnosed with cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, at 22 years old, right after graduating college–and everything came to a halt. After six months of chemotherapy and months of tests, I was cancer-free, but forever changed. I realized throughout that year that my health was everything to me, so I cut out most dairy, anything artificial, and highly processed ingredients so I could focus on feeding myself healing, less inflammatory foods. But, I couldn’t find anything to satisfy my sweet tooth in the packaged goods aisle that was also better for you. While I’ve always had a sweet tooth, I saw warm cookies be the highlight of peoples’ day when I had worked at Levain Bakery in NYC when I was home for college vacations. From there, I started recipe testing to solve my own dilemma, and after hundreds and hundreds of trials and errors testing every type of healthier flour, chocolate, sugars, and oils, I found the right combination. When I saw how much friends and family absolutely fell in love with my recipes, I knew I wasn’t the only one who wanted healthier ways to satisfy their sweet cravings. That is when I knew I had to find a way to turn my better-for-you cookie recipes into a business and turn this negative thing that happened to me, into my superpower, and Sweet Loren’s was born. Never taking on VC or PE money and maintaining a profitable business for years now has its own challenges, but it has made us always think scrappy and smart, and build a sustainable, healthy business.

As the CEO and founder of Sweet Loren's, a better-for-you baked goods company, my mission is to make convenient and inclusive baked goods and snacks that are incredibly tasty. Not only are they better ingredients and best tasting, but also allergen-free so that everyone can enjoy the same food together. Sweet Loren’s is the fastest-growing and largest natural dough brand in the U.S. and we’ve grown to become the #3 cookie dough brand in the country. We were a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year Greater Los Angeles 2024, and have made it to the Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies for the last six years in a row.

What started out as just a personal hobby to make warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies that were better for you to fill my need, has exploded into something much, much bigger that I’m beyond excited and grateful about because it now changes the lives of millions and it’s making a major impact in the food industry as well by setting an example that smaller or female owned or better for you brands can win against the big conventional players.

Adam: How did you come up with your business idea? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with great ideas?

Loren: I was inspired to start Sweet Loren's after overcoming cancer and finding a passion for creating great tasting, better-for-you food because I believe more whole, good ingredients are so incredibly important for our health and well-being, mentally and physically. Health became everything to me; really my purpose in life. I just never wanted to feel like I had to be on some special diet for the rest of my life with mediocre-tasting food. Life should be enjoyed. This combination became my number one priority, and necessary for my health and recovery. When family, friends, and strangers couldn't stop raving about my cookie dough, that's when I knew there was a bigger need than just myself, and I took the leap to start Sweet Loren's. To start with cookie dough but the idea was always to grow into so much more and solve more problems for others.

My advice for others would be to follow what you’re incredibly passionate about and what you have a need for in your own life. That passion will shine through in your commitment to growing your brand and others will see it, and it will become contagious. Be obsessive about it and care more than anyone else. Also, make sure your product is truly differentiated - it’s not enough to be just slightly better than the rest, make sure you stand out. Bring on mentors you can really trust from the beginning to help you stay focused and supported. 

Adam: How did you know your business idea was worth pursuing? What advice do you have on how to best test a business idea?

Loren: I was hustling trying to get meetings with buyers and someone I was in business writing class with worked on the floor at Whole Food Market in NYC so, I asked him how I could get a meeting with a buyer there. He somehow managed to set up time with the buyer. I didn’t even have a packaged selling product yet, but I brought in flavors of cookies I baked fresh that morning for him to try out. He called me the next day and said he had never tasted something so good and wanted my cookie dough as soon as possible! Aside from great feedback from friends and family and strangers time after time, and after winning two baking contests, that’s when I knew I had something really good. 

Feedback from real people in person is the best feedback you can get. The best test that told me Sweet Loren’s was worth pursuing and what needed to be tweaked was when I was recipe sampling on the floor at Whole Foods in the early days. There’s nothing like that face-to-face feedback to help you shape and chase your vision. Throw your ego out the window and just listen to what consumers are telling you will make them buy it more. 

Adam: What are the key steps you have taken to grow your business? What advice do you have for others on how to take their businesses to the next level?

Loren: We took a grow-slow approach and have been bootstrapped since day one. This has been key to our growth and success because we’re able to be profitable and grow at a steady pace. While it’s been steady growth to get us where we are now, Sweet Loren’s is now surpassing some of the biggest names in baking in sales including Toll House and Pillsbury in some major retailers. 

A recent key step to growth has been the expansion of our product offerings into puff pastry and pizza. Moving into savory, where something like our products has never existed before and they’re the first-of-their-kind, provides more opportunities for consumers to engage and fall in love with the convenient and delicious products we offer at Sweet Loren’s to eat more times during the day beyond to satisfy your sweet tooth. 

My advice for people looking to take their business to the next level is that when you don’t have funding and you are just starting out, you have to be very specific about where you spend because it could be the make or break of your business. Does the packaging really need to be redone now? Do we have the funds to cover creating and launching a new flavor? Is that a distraction or is that a smart business decision? Be scrappy and watch every dollar spent. Many years later and I’m grateful that we don’t need to raise funds if we don’t want to because we built a sustainable and profitable business. 

Adam: What are your best sales and marketing tips?

Loren: You can do a lot with a little when your product, story, and packaging are truly amazing and are unique. There are scrappy ways to market and stand out, and if you hire really talented people and create great systems, you'll be surprised how few people you might actually need to bring on. Stay focused on your plan and only hire the best people you can find. Don’t get distracted by shiny objects like fun new projects that aren’t in your plan or budget. I grew my business based on two product SKUs, not 100, which helped us stay focused and profitable over time.

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Loren: You have to put your ego aside. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Know them well. Surround yourself with as many skilled and talented as possible that balance out your strengths and weaknesses so you can work as a strong team. You can be a great visionary, but maybe not great in finance. You can be smart in numbers, but not good at managing people. You can be creative but not good at strategy. That’s okay — just know those strengths and weaknesses and partner with the right people. Be great to work with and have your passion and positive attitude be contagious.

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams?

Loren: Get the best people in your court and let them own what they’re great at!  Also, find a mentor or advisors you can trust. At the very beginning, I was a one-woman show and didn’t have that team with the strengths I needed. Once a week, I met with an incredible female business mentor, Daniella. Not only did it give me insight and experience I had not yet learned, it helped me get out of my head, see things differently, and set and keep goals. She helped build my confidence as a first-time entrepreneur. Eventually, I could hire a team and fill in the gaps. Then I brought on a mentor named Joe and we’ve spoken weekly for over seven years now, he’s been an incredible emotional support for me to keep dreaming big. The mentor was really an important piece of my growth and the company’s growth. I highly recommend surrounding yourself with more accomplished, experienced people and soak up all you can from them!

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

Loren: I love the quote “ “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Learn from your setbacks, stay positive, have fun in this game of business & life, and try again until you do win”. It’s a great one to live by as an entrepreneur. I have it on my bookshelf in my bedroom. Take the shot if you want something. Even if it doesn't work out, you will learn from it and do better the next time. We just got into Sprouts and H-E-B supermarkets — it has taken seven years of meetings and not giving up. Now, finally a yes! 

Don't take no for an answer; keep taking those shots and keep showing up with a positive attitude and positive data on your product. One day you'll be big enough or powerful enough that they can't ignore you, and you will get your yes.

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

Loren: Try not to take things so seriously, enjoy this precious ride! You can still have a sense of humor and enjoy the ride even if you are a serious person or focused on a serious business/mission. Life is precious and this is a marathon, not a sprint. Lots of ups and downs, and patience. If you love what you do, are passionate about it, feel like it makes the world a better place, and you surround yourself with a great team - it’s not ‘work’, it becomes fun to build it.


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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