8 minute read
GROWN
On “Grow”ing Pains & Building a Purpose-Driven Business:
The Shannon Allen Story
by Faizun Kamal, Consultant, The Franchise Consulting Company
Get ready to meet Shannon Allen, ladies and gentlemen! After reading this piece about her story and why she started her business with her husband, Ray Allen – 2X NBA champion, you will be inspired to “grow” your passion, whatever it may be.
I sat down with Shannon to get a peek behind the veil of what makes this mompreneur tick. And what I came away with was…. well, read on and decide for yourself!
What is your
company? grown
What is your title?
CEO/grownwoman
Please describe what our company does:
grown is the first ever USDA organic certified fast food restaurant (with a drive thru) in the US-we make “real food, cooked slow, for fast people.”™️
How did you start your business?
We were in LA for the 2008 NBA Finals (Lakers/Celtics). This was the moment we had all prayed for, & the thing my husband Ray dreamed of & worked for his entire life- the NBA Championships. Everything seemed perfect-
except for one thing- our 17 month old son, Walker was suddenly not himself. He was lethargic, peeing thru his diaper, excessively thirsty and then began vomiting.
The night before Game 5, Ray said: “Shan, something’s wrong with Walker.” This is the night after he scored more three pointers in a finals game than any player in NBA History- after he went on a virtual rampage & helped his team come back from a massive deficit to win game 4- yet this is where his mind was. “Promise me when you wake up tomorrow, if he’s not himself, you’ll take him in.”
The next morning, I woke up in a pool of Walkers urine. He was lethargic, limp like a wet noodle. I rushed him to the hospital for a blood test. The doctor, face white, said: “Your blood sugar is supposed to be between 70-120; Walkers is 639. He has Type 1 Diabetes and is in ketoacidosis which means his blood sugar is poisoning him to death; if he doesn’t get insulin soon, you are going to lose him.”
THIS WAS THE MOMENT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING.
In an instant I became a warrior for my son- an activist, an advocate. I threw myself into a life of intense focus & advocacy to raise awareness and money for research for a cure for my Walker & millions like him living with Type 1 Diabetes. It changed the course of our lives forever, and like his initial diagnosis, what happened next was the thing I never could’ve prepared myself for.
I was on my way to buy groceries for dinner and Walker, who was in his car seat, was suddenly suffering from extremely low blood sugar. I needed real food & I needed it NOW. I frantically scanned the highway in search of what I wanted- a delicious, freshly prepared meal made with organic ingredients & the convenience of a drive thru- for Walker and my sons who were all in tow.
What I quickly discovered was that what I was looking for did not exist and that simple realization left me feeling powerless, defeated and broken.
For the first time since Walker’s diagnosis, I felt the tears welling up in my eyes.
It also empowered me to action. This was the moment that grown was born.
I called my husband Ray and told him we were going to reinvent fast food. It took eight years to get our doors open & 18 months to successfully complete our organic certification process.
We are thankful to our amazing #grownteam that continue to invest in this collective dream to make grown all over the country and the world, but most importantly to our community of grown guests in Coral Gables, Miami Dade and South Florida that overwhelmingly and faithfully support us with your patronage, loyalty and for championing grown every
single day. Your faith in our mission to change the world one USDA organic certified fast food meal at a time is the thing that sustains us.
I never dreamed of being a foodtrepreneur or restaurateur; the truth is, grown was born from pure frustration and desperation. grown is the future of fast food and we won’t stop until we are accessible and affordable to every family – regardless of mean income or zip code.
Walker is 13 years old now & is the most resilient, brilliant, loving, athletic, happy, joyful, kindhearted & talented person I know. To the world, Ray may be the 2x NBA Champ & Hall of Famer, but, in our house, Walker will always be the real MVP whose daily battle with diabetes gave birth to our family’s resilience, our shared grown mission & this extraordinary movement!
How long have you been open?
We celebrated our 5 year anniversary on March 25th!
How has becoming an entrepreneur changed your life as a mom?
Every decision I make as a business owner has consequences- my children, my husband, my family-is what’s most important to me. Whenever I am faced with an opportunity or a challenge I ask myself how it could positively or negatively affect my babies- our life. Being a Mom in business is like having an integrity halo.
How has motherhood changed your entrepreneurial mindset?
My children are so proud of what we’ve built-of our team- that we are who we say we are. This is what drives me.
How has motherhood made you better equipped to take on a leadership position within your respective field?
Moms are the ultimate jugglers- we all have a million balls in the air- chaos is our normal. If you are a small business owner and a mother you are uniquely equipped for wearing many hats, multitasking, becoming an expert on the fly and assessing what needs to be done when-Moms are so clutch at prioritizing- this is an essential tool in business- what needs to happen right now? Ok, let’s do that. Everything else can wait. I think a lot of time you can get bogged down in wanting everything to be “perfect” before you start- Moms are used to jumping in, getting our hands dirty and making shit happen.
How has the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic affected it?
We are a restaurant, so it’s been increasingly challenging to navigate. However, the silver lining for us has been that even with the global pandemic; our flagship location (with drive thru) never closed- we’ve been able to service our customers at the drive thru, for pickups/ takeouts and thru our contactless at home delivery partners which ultimately
means our team members kept their jobs and are able to feed their families. Which was my primary concern- keeping our team and our guests safe. Contributing to the health/ wellness of our community is our raison d’etre, so we have been especially cautious about safety protocols and pivoting as new information is dispersed.
Name one mentor that has played a pivotal part in your ongoing success and how they have impacted your career and overall professional mindset:
My Mom is my mentor. She owns/operates the number one independently owned real estate company (Sterling Realtors) in central Connecticut. At 71 years young, she is still at the top of her a field- a Black woman with over 40 years of experience, wisdom and an impeccable reputation built on integrity, referral business and a desire to put families in homes. If I’m blessed enough to accomplish 1/1000th of what she has, I will have done better than I could’ve dreamed.
What is it about you that makes you uniquely positioned or prepared to be an entrepreneur?
I am an idea person by nature. Brainstorming, ideating and holding space for women/ momtrepreneurs to fulfill their dreams is the kind of work I could do full time. So often we hear that folks are looking for “coaches” when what they really need is a cheerleader. I feel most alive and useful when I’m supporting the dreams of others.
Why do you think building a community of ambitious working moms so important?
Lol. Where do I start? So often we are looking for a place to be seen, heard, understood and valued- it’s the essential piece of the puzzle of personal fulfillment and feeling whole enough to actually put ourselves and our dreams first. Being a Black women in business- and not just any business- a business whose mission is reinventing fast food (no small task) it is essentially important for me not just to occupy a seat at the table- but, to build a banquet hall of my own with unlimited seats for passionate entrepreneurs to follow.
What do you want your child(ren) to learn from you as business leader and/or entrepreneur?
I hope my children know that when they have a problem that needs solving, they need look more further than their own imagination. Every great invention, business, good or service was derived by someone that was ultimately, solving their own problem. If you are brave enough to create the thing you “wished” existed and you never lose sight of your “why”- you won’t just solve your own problem, you’ll solve the problem of the masses.
What is the one question you get as a mom and an entrepreneur that you dislike answering the most? Why?
“Who built this for you?” They’re implying that there’s some guy behind a curtain pulling the marionette strings that actually created grown and executed the dream; but, pushed me out front to be a spokesperson or face of the brand. Its offensive and ridiculous-but, I get it all the time. What they’re really saying is that I (a Black woman with 5 children, one of whom has a very serious medical condition, married to a professional athlete, couldn’t have possibly created it).
This year has been challenging, to say the least. How are you maintaining positivity during this time?
Gratitude. We are alive and healthy. We have each other. Nothing else matters.
What has been the most rewarding part of pandemic parenting and running a business simultaneously?
Loved every second of working from home & zoom school.
What do you hope the next generation of mom entrepreneurs learns from you and your experiences? Create the thing you wished existed.
