Welcome to How Leaders Lead where every week you get to listen in while I interview some of the very best leaders in the world.

I break down the key learnings so that by the end of the episode, you'll have something simple you can apply as you develop into a better leader.

That's what this podcast is all about.

Today's guest is Mignon Francois, the founder and CEO of the Cupcake Collection,

a destination bakery with locations in Nashville and New Orleans.

Now get this, Mignon started her business with nothing but a $5 bill.

She turned that five bucks into $60 with her first order.

Those $60 became $600, and now she sold over $5 billion cupcakes

and was awarded the honor of Family Business of the Year by Black Enterprise Magazine.

And as sweet as her success has been, no pun intended,

it hasn't come easy. As you'll hear today, Mignon has persevered through some real adversity,

but you'll also hear just how strong her mentality is, and for her, that strength comes from her faith. Now, faith is an incredibly

personal thing, and it looks different for each one of us. But when you know what you believe in,

whether that's religious faith, a sense of spirituality, or simply core values you hold dear,

you've got an anchor that will help you stay strong and grounded

as you make your decisions and navigate all the challenges of leadership. I know this conversation

is going to inspire you, so let's get into it. Here's my conversation with my good friend

and soon to be yours, Mignon Francois.

I want to get into how you lead and grew this incredible business that you created from scratch.

I want to take you back. What's a story from your childhood that shaped the

kind of leader that you are today? My mother was always in leadership roles. And we were always

with her. So we would either get in her car and drive downtown to where she worked and catch

...