Local Women in Business

Ryan Flynn, Co-Owner/Designer, Salt & Barrel

I am deeply grateful to live in a time when women can be respected in the work place. I’m not saying we still don’t have obstacles, but it’s rewarding to be a part of an industry, once male dominated, where the paradigm is shifting in both the front and back of the house. Women and men are yin and yang; both important blends in all business. I believe at Salt & Barrel we’ve achieved an equal balance of both.

My greatest mentor/inspiration is my father. He has run a successful business for 60 years, and in doing so, he has taught me how to be kind, open and fair. He says one of the most important things in life and business is ‘to find common ground with your people’ and ‘know who you are and own your mistakes.’ These teachings have been so valuable throughout my career and have helped me lead in an authentic way. What am I most proud of? Naturally I am very proud of the beautiful space we have created at Salt & Barrel, with lovely food and service, but I think I’m most proud of the mentorship within it. Over time, I’ve started to move past the success of the restaurant and towards the ‘people’ part of it. As an owner, if your role is to mentor somebody, what you’re essentially doing is taking stock of what you’ve learned, the mistakes you’ve made, the successes you’ve had, and kind of coalesce them and translate it back out so to pass it on in a meaningful way. So I guess for me, the next level of success is being a part of someone else’s growth, and influencing them to achieve greater things. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some very special people, who, I am proud to say, have moved on to grow and follow their dreams. I’d like to think I was a part of that.

DRINK UP GET DO WN