DiscoverThe Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish#203 Erin Wade: The Mac and Cheese Empire
#203 Erin Wade: The Mac and Cheese Empire

#203 Erin Wade: The Mac and Cheese Empire

Update: 2024-09-17
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When Princeton-educated attorney Erin Wade left law to open a restaurant, she didn't just create award-winning comfort food—she engineered a revolutionary workplace culture. This conversation reveals how she transformed an Oakland mac and cheese restaurant into a laboratory for modern management principles.


Wade shares her groundbreaking 'color code of conduct' system (now adopted globally) and her radical approach to open-book management. A masterclass in building culture, solving industry-wide challenges, and leading with precision rather than convention.


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(00:00 ) Intro


(02:30 ) Wade's surfing obsession


(04:42 ) Defeating overthinking


(05:00 ) Wade's background in food


(06:40 ) Wade's law detour


(10:20 ) On being fired


(12:40 ) Early mistakes and freedom


(20:00 ) Employee-centric companies


(32:30 ) Homeroom Hard Times


(34:40 ) How Wade's law background helped (and hurt)


(42:40 ) The Color Code of Conduct


(49:30 ) Why Wade sold Homeroom (and how she felt)


(55:58 ) Impact vs. Intent


(59:00 ) Why titles are important


(01:04:00 ) On success


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#203 Erin Wade: The Mac and Cheese Empire

#203 Erin Wade: The Mac and Cheese Empire

Farnam Street

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