MADE Maven Special Women's Issue April 2018 | Page 25

MADEFEATURES
putting in the hard work. I am putting
my foot in everything and at the end
of the day, that’s what I have to show
for it. So whenever I’m feeling down
or I’m feeling
inadequate, I just
try to remember
those words.
Another thing
he told me was
flavor and having
a palette can’t
be taught. It’s
just something
that’s inside of
you. When you’re
passionate about
something and
actually good at
something, you
know there are
certain things
that just can’t be
taught, so I try to
remind myself of
that as well.
MADE: Having
a mentor is
important and
I love that Michael affirms you and
is helping you cultivate your gift.
Your hard work is paying off! With so
many projects going on at once, how
do you keep your passion alive?
AC: I’m like a chicken with my
head cut off right now! (laughs) In
all honesty, there’s so much going
on, but it’s making sure I set aside
that time to get back to the roots,
get back to the basics and get in the
kitchen with my family because that’s
ultimately where my passion stems
from. There was a minute there where
I gotten away from that and it was
always work and I had to put into per-
spective the foundation of where all
of this started. Now I make it a point
to make sure that I’m back in the
kitchen with my kids and that they’re
in there with me getting their hands
dirty. It’s also important to take a min-
ute for yourself for self-love, so I try
to take a moment, early in the morn-
ing and a couple times a week for
myself to write down what it is I need
to do or write down what it is I’m
grateful for or write down a goal that
I want to reach for that month and
really take the time to just be with
myself. I think that’s really important
and it’s something in this day and
age that we forget
because we’re al-
ways on the move.
We’re always on
the go. Work is in
our pocket these
days, we’re so
accessible. Setting
those boundaries
for yourself is what
keeps the passion
alive.
MADE: What’s
your biggest
piece of advice
for women in
entrepreneurship?
AC: My best
advice would be
to not take “No!”
for an answer.
There are going
to be several peo-
ple who are going
to tell you “No!”
and you have to break down those
barriers and push past those walls.
Don’t let anyone box you in or let
the no’s get you down. Within those
no’s, there’s going to be somebody
who says, “Yes”. There’s going to
be somebody willing to teach you
or take a chance on you and that’s
all that matters. So, if you know that
you’re passionate about something
and you know that you’re talented
and capable, that should be the only
motivation you need. You don’t
need anybody else to empower
you. The empowerment comes from
within yourself. Especially as an en-
trepreneur and building a business
around yourself. It has to come from
within yourself.
MADE: Speaking of
entrepreneurship, let’s talk about
your meal kit, Homemade. Meal
kits are so popular today. What
made you want to come out with
your own meal kit and how did you
differentiate yours from the others?
#mademaven
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