From Wall Street to Wafels

Becoming a Young Global Leader (YGL) truly turned my life around! Mainly due to the transformative power of this community, I went from deal-maker in Wall Street, to shaping an award-winning gourmet food truck into a engine for social good.

When I first joined the YGLs, I thought it would be a great place to close business deals. I soon realized, however, that this was not the case and that this was a community focussed on making a difference in the world. I was humbled and inspired by everyone I met so much so that I closed my business and started roaming the streets of New York City on a yellow Wafel truck.

As I reflect on how fast Wafels & Dinges has expanded, here are the principles for our growth for which I credit the YGL community:

Build values from the inside out
Invite your entire team to participate in workshops so that they can provide their inputs into what the company values should be.  In my experience this led to our team feeling a great sense of commitment to the values they crafted themselves, and we realized how values defined by words  “purpose”, “paying-it- forward” and “making a better world” were essential to them.

Empower your team
Leaders create leaders, not followers. Encourage your staff to always aspire higher, leverage their many talents, and support them on achieving their dreams.

Favor purpose over profit
Never compromise on your mission. It truly works: what keeps your clients coming back is the quality of the experience they have with you. Keep focusing on it, make sound financial decisions, and profits will follow.

Redefine the concept of “best place to work for”
Aim at being a company that makes a difference in the world. It will be your best strategy for talent acquisition, retention and satisfaction

Make social engagement part of your DNA
Build social engagement into your business model. These efforts are then easier to deploy and implement because they are just part of the way you do business.  At Wafels & Dinges we are committed to improving the communities where we operate in. Simple programs, such as neighborhood beautification projects, a disadvantaged youth employment program, and a readiness program for emergency relief efforts.

Last October, after mega storm Sandy devastated areas of New York, we were among the first food trucks providing delicious, dignified meals to New Yorkers in distress without power or heating. In less than 2 hours, New York based YGLs committed over $10,000 dollars to food trucks relief efforts. By doing so, they helped feed close to 2,000 people!  Serving those meals, I felt I had come full circle. Each of them felt as the best deal I ever closed in my life.

Author: Rossanna Figuera is Co-Founder and Ambassador of Good Things, Wafels & Dinges and was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2010. 

Photo Credit: Eric Vitale Photography