How I became a board member of a major supermarket

 ⏱ Episode Breakdown 00:00 – Andrew questions the real value of being on a board 02:00 – Jesse’s framework: people, impact, learning, and comp 04:00 – The unique story of Schnucks: family values and $4B scale 06:00 – What makes a board seat “worth it” for Jesse 08:00 – How he ended up on the Schnucks board 09:00 – The role of impact in Jesse’s decisions 11:00 – Mistaking board work for operational work 12:00 – A pivotal moment: “You think in a way none of us do” 13:00 – Desired Future State (DFS) and shifting legacy companies 14:00 – What Jesse learned from the Festival Foods acquisition 16:00 – The Boomerang Principle & culture as a daily habit 18:00 – Why having kids at home is the most finite resource 19:00 – Business never stops—even at 70+ 21:00 – Why grocery hasn’t been fully rolled up (yet) 22:30 – What's happening at Gateway X behind the scenes 23:30 – Jesse’s goal: build an AI-focused startup studio in St. Louis 25:00 – The talent challenge: how to attract builders to the Midwest 26:30 – Borrowing ideas from South Park Commons and Brickyard 28:00 – “My only dogma is no dogma”: bootstrapping vs. seed-strapping 29:30 – Why Jesse doesn't feel like a fraud when changing direction 30:30 – The deep commitment to St. Louis and building there 32:00 – Closing: unapologetically building the thing that only you can In this episode, Jesse and Andrew go deep on something unexpected: what it’s really like to sit on the board of a $4B+ grocery company—and why Jesse said yes.It turns into a powerful conversation about board dynamics, generational leadership, family legacy, the nature of impact, and Jesse’s renewed mission to attract startup talent back to cities like St. Louis. They also touch on ego, post-exit motivation, and why some founders never stop building.Whether you're a founder thinking about joining a board, building something meaningful in a smaller city, or wondering what “impact” actually means, this one hits home.

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