346. CEO Masterclass with Carolyn Creswell, Founder and MD of Carman’s Kitchen, on how to fire people, doing what you love, understanding menopause and having genuine work-life balance

The Inner Chief

“The biggest thing a leader can bring to the business is the responsibility to put the right people on the bus. And to have the bravery to say that there's a reason that they need to hop off the bus.”

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Carolyn Creswell, Founder and MD of Carman’s Kitchen, on how to fire people gracefully, doing what you love, understanding menopause and having genuine work-life balance.

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In 1992, as an 18-year-old university student, Carolyn founded Carman’s when she bought the small muesli business she was working at, for $1,000.

More than 30 years later, Carman’s Kitchen is now Australia’s favourite muesli brand, alongside being a market leader in deliciously good for you snacks.

Carolyn’s determination and focus on producing quality products using whole foods, has seen Carman’s grow internationally, exporting to more than 30 countries.

Carolyn won the 2007 Ernst & Young’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was named the 2012 Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year. She is also a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

In this episode we talk about:

✅ Her philosophy on continuous improvement and evolution as a business leader.

✅ The mindset and process required for better hiring and firing; and

✅ Why menopause in the workplace is a critical issue, and how she is navigating this for her own wellbeing and those in her organisation.

Stay epic,

Greg

Connecting with Carolyn Creswell

You can connect with Carolyn via LinkedIn. You can learn more about Carman’s on their website.

Books and resources

• Jim Collins interview - Tim Ferriss show

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