She Never Gave Up

Alissa Leinonen launched her catering and box-lunched company, Gourmondo, as a simple, four-table lunch café in the Pike Place Market almost 30 years ago. Today, Gourmondo has become a turnkey catering company, offering full services for social and events catering, a successful corporate café division, a retail line of gourmet grab-and-go products, and an in-house bakery.

Gourmondo offers family-friendly production schedules, and family meals to all employees. The company is also known for its philanthropy, especially for at-risk youth.

Along the way, Leinonen has racked up numerous business awards, including the Pacific Northwest EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in the “Unstoppable” category. She was named one of America’s Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs on the Inc. 5000 2020 list, and also received the Enterprising Women’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2021.

“I think it is incredibly important as leaders to put our energy and our efforts into where we want to go and what we want to achieve” she says, “and less time looking back or being fearful of the unknown, because those are distractions that do not serve us.”

Leadership

Humility, compassion, and tenacity. You need to believe in your team and yourself, and recognize that the core of what makes your company successful is the team, and they are your greatest asset. I think a great leader is curious, asks questions, and makes a commitment to continual learning and improvement. Great leaders are comfortable drawing outside the lines, taking risks, and are even more willing to learn from their mistakes.

Overrated Traits

I have no patience or tolerance for leaders that are externally focused and not thoughtfully paying attention to the internal needs of the business, as well as those who engage in self-promotion. I also believe that trying to do and be everything for your company is egocentric and diminishes your ability to serve the business successfully and empower the team around you. Great leaders focus on their strengths, know their weaknesses, and look for support from others in areas where they are less effective. The notion that a great leader needs to do everything for their company is inaccurate.

Prominence

There is a real advantage for women in business. Women who are confident and comfortable in their own skin are an empowering force. Focusing on superpowers such as creative thinking, emotional intelligence, humility, inclusive collaboration, and leading with empathy are significant advantages for women. Embracing and owning these superpowers makes us unstoppable in business.

Lessons Learned

My mother was a single mother who owned her own business. She taught me that making mistakes is an important part of how we learn and grow in business, and it’s not the mistake that defines you, it’s how you move through them. Putting your focus and energy on the solution, and not the problem, and having the humility to learn from mistakes is what makes you a good leader. Don’t stop taking risks, and recognize that some of your greatest mistakes can become your greatest successes if you are willing to learn.

Advice

It does not matter how smart, experienced, or educated you are, or even how much money you have. Believing in yourself and being passionate about your work will always lead to great achievements. It is this passion and conviction in your work that is the North Star for success.

Networking

Networking is important, but I am not a great networker. I recognize the positive impact and importance of expanding your community and your reach and networking is a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow through others. As I have become more involved in the business community in Seattle, I am inspired by the incredible leaders I have met. Networking when authentic is very powerful, and allows people to build lasting relationships and create new business partnerships and collaborations. Any time we can enhance and expand our social and professional connections it benefits us both personally and as leaders.

Do Differently

I think so often we push ourselves, and we are striving and never feel we have done enough, or think we could have done better. I would try and be more present. It’s easy to get swept up in striving and always trying to make things better, to become preoccupied with perfection, and become overly critical. This relentless striving and pursuit of perfection creates untenable pressure and comes at the cost of the opportunity for greatness. I remind myself to put my energy where I want to go, and not look back, because I am not going that way anymore.

Unwind on a Saturday

I love to wander around Pike Place Market. I love all the incredible local merchants, the beautiful vendors, and the energy. I often frequent Frank’s Quality Produce, DeLaurentis, Pure Food Fish Market, Piroshky Piroshky, Le Panier, or my friend Stephanie’s Kitchen and Market. All are merchants I admire and have worked with for years. In the evening you might find me at Café Campagne, Maximilien, The Pink Door, Il Bistro, hanging out at the White Horse Tavern or watching a cabaret show at the CanCan. The Pike Place Market is the center of the Seattle universe. It brings me a ton of energy and joy and inspiration to see these amazing local merchants just doing beautiful work.

Autobiography Title

Never, Never, Never Give Up