Founder Nicole Bernard Dawes encourages employees to unplug from work, says ‘They didn’t..
Nicole Bernard Dawes runs two consumer brands worth over $100 million. She rarely disconnects from work. She wants her employees to enjoy full time off when they leave for the day. She accepts that her routine is a personal choice. Her team did not choose an entrepreneurial path.
Dawes spoke to Fortune and said she never fully unplugs. She does it to avoid slowing down any project. She wants employees to feel free to switch off when they go home. She built her first brand, Late July, in 2003. It sells organic tortilla chips and is stocked in Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Whole Foods. Campbell’s bought the full business in 2017. Late July reached $100 million before the sale.
She launched Nixie in 2018. It started with sparkling water and now includes zero-sugar sodas. The brand raised $27 million earlier this year. Nixie sells in more than 11,000 grocery stores nationwide. Dawes has been in business for over 20 years. She worked through recessions and many sleepless nights. She returned to launch a second startup, knowing it would demand constant attention.
She grew up in a business family. Her parents ran Cape Cod Chips and a health-food store. She spent weekends in the store or around the factory floor. She remembers how hard it was for her parents to step away. She wanted a different approach for her children and her staff. Employees should spend time with their families. She says founders choose this life. Employees do not.
Dawes still builds space for small private moments. She has family dinner most nights. She walks daily and exercises. She spends time reading and visiting the beach. She treats grocery shopping like a hobby. She enjoys seeing new products and watching shoppers buy her brands. She says her passion makes the workload lighter.
She feels lucky to build products that people enjoy. The work is demanding but satisfying. She wakes up ready to keep going.
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