Smart Snacking: Meet Late July Snacks Founder Nicole Bernard Dawes

Last week, our Founder, Jessica, got the chance to catch up with Late July Snacks Founder Nicole Bernard Dawes, as part of her column for SELF.com. After finding that the two parents and entrepreneurs had more in common than just their love for taco trucks, we decided to have Nicole stop by the Honest blog so we could pick her brain, too! We hope you enjoy this quick peek into the lives of busy modern parents:

With a desire to create healthier products that still taste great, Nicole Bernard Dawes created Late July Snacks to fill a void in the natural foods marketplace. Nicole is dedicated to bringing health and transparency to the snack food aisle, as well as to the country’s food policies in general. Today she’s sharing a few things that make her job as a mom, entrepreneur, and food advocate a little bit easier.

What wakes you up in the morning: Coffee or Tea?

Coffee

Favorite websites:

Besides Honestly, I’m always checking in on Food52, Goop, Well + Good, The Kitchn, Inc., and Fast Company.

Favorite app:

My favorite not-specifically-for-work apps are a tie between Instagram and Uber. For work I use our Ring Central Meetings app all the time. You can have a video meeting with a whole group from anywhere, very easily!

Sweet, savory, or salty snacks?

Salty AND sweet. I really can’t choose!

Favorite comfort food:

My two guilty pleasures are fresh baked donuts and Mexican beer (not necessarily together!)

Which dietary habits apply to you?

I prefer a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, but keep an open mind.

Go-to workout:

I love to hike, and my husband and I try to make it a daily activity. Our kids love to join on the weekends. If hiking isn’t a possibility, I’d choose anything outdoors over a gym!

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I always wanted to have my own snack company, except for brief period where I wanted to be a talk show host!

What advice did your parents or family give you that you’ve used the most?

My late father will always be a huge inspiration in my life. He was a fearless entrepreneur who taught me to trust my instincts and not to get mired in over analysis. He also taught me the value of family vacations, and to always ask for the sale.

What advice would you give to yourself in your teens or your twenties?

Spend a year abroad in high school. Don’t quit taking dance in college — it’s great exercise and much more fun than the gym when you get older! Take economics as soon as you get to college, don’t put it off! And finally, if you start a company one day, do your own sales from day one, don’t leave this important task to anyone else.

What song, movie, or book title best describes who you are and what you do?

The song “The Underdog” by Spoon. I find being the underdog incredibly motivating and the idea of “come from behind wins” fits nicely with my overly optimistic personality.

If you could go back in time and bring one thing from the present, what would it be and why?

I would bring our current P&L statement so my father would know Late July succeeded before he passed away. We never talked about the possibility that we wouldn’t succeed, but my father passed away at a very difficult time for the company.  Since I was time traveling anyway, I’d also bring a bunch of my sons’ little league pictures to show him. He tried in vain for years to turn me into a little league player, but dance was always my sport!

What 3 things would you put in a time capsule for the future to find and why?

A variety of Organic Seeds (just in case GMOs have taken over and we need to start over), a recording of this song my son wrote me recently about life moving too fast (a gentle reminder we’re only on this earth for a very short time), and a copy of the Humans of New York book (I love this snap shot of our lives today).

Click here to learn more about Late July Snacks and find out where you can buy your own bag (or two). We especially recommend them paired with our DIY hummus!