For Caryn Wasser, becoming the second-ever employee of direct-to-consumer baby and children’s food brand Little Spoon was “like going to business school and getting paid to do it.” 

“When I was deciding whether to join Little Spoon, I knew it was definitely a major risk since it was a company that was still finding its footing and just really getting started,” she told Ad Age. “But my dad said that joining this company would be like getting paid to go to business school. And I definitely want to pass along that advice to people. You can take the lead whether you take out a loan and go to business school or you join a company that might offer you a chance to feed that entrepreneurial spirit.”

Since joining Little Spoon in 2018, Wasser has risen to chief brand officer. Her marketing efforts include targeting millennial parents seeking out healthy yet convenient snack and meal options for their kids and not finding them among the “dusty” offerings from rival brands in the parenting category, she said. In those five years, Little Spoon’s marketing has helped sell more than 30 million meals and raise $90 million, according to the DTC brand. 

Other marketing initiatives include a partnership with psychologist Becky Kennedy to educate parents on managing the emotional outbursts of mealtime; the launch and expansion of Little Spoon’s community platform “Is This Normal,” which currently has more than 1.2 million email subscribers, to connect parents to a roster of experts who offer advice and information on everything from child development milestones to postpartum struggles; and, most recently, a nostalgia-packed campaign tied to the launch of a swath of new products. 

“There’s a lot of confusion, stigma and outdated narratives in the parenting space, and recognizing that many products were really falling short of their needs has been so fundamental for us,” Wasser said.

Which entrepreneur do you admire the most and why?

The entrepreneur that has consistently inspired me the most has been my Uncle Steven, who passed away late last year. His lessons stick with me in every single choice I make and the way I interpret the methods of many entrepreneurs in the public eye today: Don’t be afraid to fail, never compromise on your values, know your worth, have conviction even if you are unsure, question everything and never worry about having an opinion that is unpopular.

What’s currently on your bedside reading list?

Admittedly my bedtime readings are a vice that help me decompress and turn off my overactive mind. I’m rarely reading something profound and almost always reading some detective story or murder mystery. Right now I’m in the middle of a detective series that I’m desperately sick of but it’s a five-book set, so I’m just getting through it! Better than scrolling through mindless TikToks, right?

What is the best career advice you’ve gotten?

My dad’s advice when I contemplated joining Little Spoon: “Joining a startup is like getting paid to go to business school—do it.”

Name one brand, other than the one you work for, that you admire.

Graza is killing the game right now. It’s really clear that their brand people know the fundamentals of brand and how to adhere to, bend and break the rules—it’s coming through in every piece of their execution—from the packaging-plus-unboxing experience to the content approach and partnerships they’re executing. So impressed.

What is your secret weapon for business success?

Creativity. Being creative far transcends design or campaign magic—it drives strategic thinking, helps in thinking outside the norm for interactions, business decisions, how to unblock operational challenges and everything in between. If you are creative and approach with curiosity and imagination, you can work your way in and out of any scenario you find yourself in.