Alissa Leinonen started Gourmondo, Seattle’s leading catering and gourmet box lunch company, 24 years ago. Back in 1996, Alissa had a dream that she turned into a reality by refinancing her car and opening a 470 square-foot, four table café. Gourmondo has now tripled the size of the company in the last three years, serving between 3,000-4,000 guests per day across all divisions (box lunches, catering, and cafes) with more than 250 employees. Alissa is known for building her business around the working parent model, having led by example for many years raising her two children. She shares tips on running a business in a family-first way, how she brought the company back after a near-death mistake in 2006, and how her daughter’s persistence resulted in their number one selling sandwich. Alissa is resilient, thoughtful and fueled by lifting up people who want to work hard and just need someone to give them a shot.

<p>Alissa Leinonen started Gourmondo, Seattle&rsquo;s leading catering and gourmet box lunch company, 24 years ago. Back in 1996, Alissa had a dream that she turned into a reality by refinancing her car and opening a 470 square-foot, four table caf&eacute;. Gourmondo has now tripled the size of the company in the last three years, serving between 3,000-4,000 guests per day across all divisions (box lunches, catering, and cafes) with more than 250 employees. Alissa is known for building her business around the working parent model, having led by example for many years raising her two children. She shares tips on running a business in a family-first way, how she brought the company back after a near-death mistake in 2006, and how her daughter&rsquo;s persistence resulted in their number one selling sandwich. Alissa is resilient, thoughtful and fueled by lifting up people who want to work hard and just need someone to give them a shot.</p>

Shauna Swerland, CEO of Fuel Talent, launches the What Fuels You podcast, where she sits down with influential, interesting and successful leaders to learn from them. She digs into the stories and choices that made them who they are today, with the goal of sharing the inspiration, perseverance and stories of resilience that are normally only shared within an inner circle. You'll walk away feeling fueled by each episode as Shauna uncovers things like personal hardships and failures, what it’s like to become an entrepreneur and tips on building a successful career.

What Fuels You

Shauna Swerland, CEO of Fuel Talent, launched the What Fuels You podcast to sit down with and learn from influential, interesting and successful leaders. She digs into the stories and choices that made them who they are today, with the goal of sharing the inspiration, perseverance and stories of resilience that are normally only shared within an inner circle. You'll walk away feeling fueled by each episode as Shauna uncovers things like personal hardships and failures, what it’s like to become an entrepreneur and tips on building a successful career.

<p>Shauna Swerland, CEO of Fuel Talent, launched the What Fuels You podcast to sit down with and learn from influential, interesting and successful leaders. She digs into the stories and choices that made them who they are today, with the goal of sharing the inspiration, perseverance and stories of resilience that are normally only shared within an inner circle. You'll walk away feeling fueled by each episode as Shauna uncovers things like personal hardships and failures, what it&rsquo;s like to become an entrepreneur and tips on building a successful career.</p>

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