Listen "#52 - Erin Wade (Homeroom Restaurant)"
Episode Synopsis
Ever wondered if you could risk it all—your savings, your sanity, your entire career—on a food you love? Erin Wade did just that. Fired from her law job and flat-out rejected by banks, she built a cult mac & cheese restaurant that broke every rule and every record. In this episode, Erin tells the unfiltered truth about betting everything, surviving the chaos, and what it really feels like to sell your “baby” to a VC-backed food giant.
3:05 The Struggle to Secure Funding for the Dream
5:38 Friends Fly In From LA to Show Support
8:53 Launch Day: Lines Down the Street
10:41 Getting Early Product Feedback That Shaped the Menu
12:54 Creating a Career and Life You Truly Love
14:30 Building a Business Centered Around People
16:30 The Decision to Buy Out His Business Partner
18:01 Preparing the Next Generation for Leadership
19:49 Finding Real Joy in Everyday Business Challenges
22:50 Navigating Personal Struggles While Running a Company
25:36 Passing the Torch After Selling the Business
28:29 Rewriting the Book to Share a More Personal Story
31:42 Loving the CEO Role and Leading With Purpose
3:05 The Struggle to Secure Funding for the Dream
5:38 Friends Fly In From LA to Show Support
8:53 Launch Day: Lines Down the Street
10:41 Getting Early Product Feedback That Shaped the Menu
12:54 Creating a Career and Life You Truly Love
14:30 Building a Business Centered Around People
16:30 The Decision to Buy Out His Business Partner
18:01 Preparing the Next Generation for Leadership
19:49 Finding Real Joy in Everyday Business Challenges
22:50 Navigating Personal Struggles While Running a Company
25:36 Passing the Torch After Selling the Business
28:29 Rewriting the Book to Share a More Personal Story
31:42 Loving the CEO Role and Leading With Purpose
More episodes of the podcast The Exit Whisperer
#61 - Molly Nutt (Oaks Email Studio)
28/10/2025
#60 - Sharmin Ali (PiePie AI)
21/10/2025
#59 - Angela Pointon (11outof11)
14/10/2025
#58 - Laura Roos (Minny & Paul)
07/10/2025
#57 - Carey Lindeman (Promise Care Inc)
30/09/2025
#56 - Elle Hempen (The Atlas)
23/09/2025
#55 - Michelle Caba (718 Beauty Bar)
16/09/2025
#54 - Julie Cole (Mabel’s Labels)
09/09/2025
#53 - Suzanne Shelton (Shelton Group)
05/08/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.