Shazi Visram is an American entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, best known as the founder, CEO, and Chief Mom of Happy Family Brands. In 2013, she was acknowledged by President Barack Obama as "not only an outstanding businesswoman, but also a leader that all of us can emulate."
Video Shazi Visram
Early life and education
Visram was born in Toronto to immigrants from Pakistan and Tanzania. At the age of three, she moved with her parents and brother to Birmingham, Alabama, where they lived in a room at the motel the family operated. Visram says that owning their own business was her parents' biggest source of both stress and pride. She credits her entrepreneurial parents for their example: "I could see that if you wanted to build something, you could--and should--build it yourself."
Visram graduated from Indian Springs School in Indian Springs, AL before attending Columbia University, where she received her BA in History and Visual Arts in 1999, and later her MBA from Columbia Business School ('04) in Management and Entrepreneurship.
In 1999, Visram was the first employee in Horizon Media's interactive division. Following her time at Horizon, Visram founded Maven Marketing, her own digital marketing and media consultancy.
Career
Founding Happy Family
While attending Columbia Business School, Visram began writing her business plan for Happy Family after chatting with a friend, who admitted to feeling guilty about not being able to make homemade food for her babies. Visram discovered that many parents wanted access to healthy, organic options that weren't available at that time.
After a brief round of investment from family and friends--the first person to write a check to the company was Visram's mother, Zarin--Visram raised $23 million from 186 individual investors from 2004 to 2012, including Honest Tea CEO Seth Goldman, chef Tom Colicchio, and actress Demi Moore.
2006-2013: Growth, initiatives, and sale to Danone
On Mother's Day 2006, Visram, along with Founding Partner and COO Jessica Rolph, formally launched Happy Family, known at the time as Happy Baby. By 2011, Happy Family was the #2 fastest growing company in the food industry and the #17 fastest growing company overall in the United States.
Along with the Happy Mamas, a network of moms providing support and guidance to parents in their communities, Visram pushed the company to "Think Outside the Jar," leading to the development of pouches as an alternative to jars in 2009. That same year, Visram co-authored her first book with Dr. Robert Sears, "Happybaby: The Organic Guide to Baby's First 24 Months".
Through Happy Family, Visram built the Happy to Help initiative, working to help nourish and support children in underserved communities by partnering with organizations like UNICEF's Project Peanut Butter, Feeding America, the Neurological Health Foundation, and Healthy Child Healthy World.
In May 2013, Visram sold 92% of the company to Groupe Danone, noting "the broader opportunity we weren't able to tap into" provided by Danone to bring more than 100 products to market in 34 countries. Following the sale, Visram remained CEO until December 2017.
2014-present
In 2014, Visram partnered with The Small Things to open the Happy Family Children's Village, in memory of her father, Amir Visram. The village, which housed 45 children as of 2016, provides education and nutrition to Tanzanian children separated from their families, and prepares them to assume leadership roles in their communities. Upon the opening, Visram said, "I believe that all children deserve to be happy, and oftentimes that starts with the little things, like access to nutritious food and a proper education."
Under Visram in 2016, Happy Family launched the first see-through organic baby food pouch--Happy Baby Clearly Crafted--a development followed by rival baby food brands. 2016 also saw the publication of Visram's second book, "The Happy Family Organic Superfoods Cookbook for Baby & Toddler" with Cricket Azima.
The following year, in 2017, Happy Family released a new organic infant formula and "infant support platform with expert resources and premium products," along with the Happy Mama Milk Mentors, a support team for breastfeeding moms. About the correlation between the two, Visram said, "No matter what, we believe we need to be there for parents at every turn to support the individual choices that work for their very individual families."
Happy Family generated revenue surpassing $150 million for the first time in 2017. Visram envisions the company as a billion dollar brand. In December 2017, Visram transitioned from her position as CEO of Happy Family, while maintaining her role as chief visionary and "Chairmom" of the board.
Philanthropy
In addition to her work with Happy Family, Visram serves on the Board of Overseers at Columbia Business School and works with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) as a mentor to young entrepreneurs from low-income communities.
Visram is also an avid supporter of Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), a commitment constantly reaffirmed by the motivation she gets from her son Zane, whose regressive case of autism was diagnosed when he was two and a half. Visram said, "I think the most significant thing I feel is this immense desire to protect them, especially Zane who just needs so much support and love. I believe it's why I feel a need to be a voice for him and all kids who are wired differently."
Visram is a mentor for startups and an impact venture investor, with investments including EpiBone, Ovia Health, Recycle Track Systems, Simple Mills, and Bulletproof. She is also a Strategic Advisor at wearable breast pump maker, Willow.
As a businesswoman and mother, Visram has also spoken out on the importance of generous parental leave policies and the need for CEOs and other executives to lead by example.
Maps Shazi Visram
Personal life
Visram lives in Connecticut with her husband Joe and two young children, Zane and Asha. In 2009, she and her family's story was featured in American Express's "Shine a Light" broadcast campaign, which aired during the Super Bowl and Golden Globes.
Recognition and awards
- An Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Company
- New York Region Entrepreneur of the Year (Ernst & Young, 2011)
- Top Ten Female Entrepreneurs (Inc. Magazine, 2011)
- Moms Who Are Changing the World Nominee (Babble, 2011)
- Crain's New York Business 40 Under 40 (2012)
- Rockstar of the New Economy (Fast Company, 2012)
- Young Global Leader Class Member (World Economic Forum, 2013)
- Innovator of the Year (Stevie Awards, 2016)
- Distinguished Early Achievement Award (Columbia Business School, 2016)
- 20 Most Influential Moms of the Year (FamilyCircle, 2017)
Values
Visram has shared many of her personal and business values in interview and speeches:
- "When I started this business [Happy Family], my very naïve dream was to change the world with organic baby food. I can't tell you with 100% certainty that our business changes the world on a daily basis, but what I can tell you with absolute certainty is that we're feeding the young minds that will."
- "We, unlike a lot of big food companies, are not just about marketing based on the perception of nutrition or sustainability. My company's DNA is all about actually giving people, from even before conception through childhood, and someday maybe even beyond that, the best possible nutrition in the most transparent way possible."
- "I think immigrants are the best mentors for entrepreneurs that you can possibly have. Immigrants are the ultimate entrepreneurs."
- "Life is short, so don't waste a moment on guilt or anything that doesn't serve you."
- "Smart people invest in stages. They start small. They protect their assets. They try to mitigate risk by making a number of small investments. And then they go back and support the ones that meet milestones and have a brighter future."
References
External links
- "Leading a Healthy Life". Milken Institute.
- "How This Daughter of Immigrants Went From Living in a Hotel to Commanding a National Baby Food Empire Worth $150 Million". Inc.com. 2017-06-14.
- "How to Emotionally Connect With Customers While Staying on Message". Inc.com. 2017-05-24.
- "New Organic Baby Formula Modeled After Breast Milk". The Wall Street Journal.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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