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At 27 years old, Julie Smolyansky found herself leading a 12 million dollar public company. Her father had died suddenly of a heart attack, and just 24 hours later she was addressing all of her employees as their new CEO. Over the next decade, Julie would go on to grow the company to one of the most recognizable food brands in the world, earning a spot on Fortune Magazine's '40 Under 40'. Since then she has launched a non-profit, produced several documentaries, and authored The Kefir Cookbook, sharing her entrepreneurial story and over 100 globally-inspired sweet and savory recipes using Kefir.Many doubted Julie's ability to run a public company at such a young age, but her confidence came from having incredible role models in both of her parents. After emigrating to America, her mother opened a small Russian Deli to support the family. This eventually grew into a larger food distribution business working with Russian stores all over the United States, securing exclusive contracts like the right to distribute a then little known brand called Nutella in America. Her parents got the idea to bring Kefir to America after visiting a trade show in Germany to source food for their delis. The Russian population in Chicago was growing, and they knew that their would be growing demand for this staple Russian drink. In our conversation with Julie, we uncover how her parents created their own recipe for the drink, and the steps that they took to turn Lifeway Foods into a public company within only 2 years of inception. We also discuss the importance of having the right mentors in your life, and why a strong network of support contributes more to success than experience. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.