Connect with Lauren Fernandez:
Website: https://fullcourse.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenefernandez/

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Episode Summary:
In this episode of The Jeremy Haselwood Show, we shine a light on a woman who's rewriting the rules of the restaurant industry, Lauren Fernandez. As CEO and founder of Full Course, Lauren brings a unique blend of legal savvy, franchise experience, and heart-centered leadership to a space that traditionally overlooks early-stage, underrepresented restaurant founders.

Lauren opens up about how her upbringing as the eldest of four shaped her into a natural leader and peacekeeper. From there, she walks us through her journey out of corporate America into entrepreneurship, where she now leads with empathy, strategy, and a bold vision for inclusive growth. Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, or someone trying to build with purpose, this episode is rich with wisdom and insight.

What You'll Learn:

• The origin story behind Full Course and why she created it to address systemic gaps

• Why the restaurant industry is often overlooked by traditional investors

• The invisible barriers facing women and minority founders and how Lauren is removing them

• The role of emotional intelligence and intuition in building brands with soul

• Why Lauren believes the future of food is diverse, culture-forward, and founder-led

Quotable Moments from Lauren Fernandez:

"I realized that the absence of early-stage capital wasn't just a market failure, it was a barrier that kept too many brilliant founders on the sidelines."

"You can have the best food in the world, but if you don't have a growth strategy or support system, your brand will hit a wall by unit three."

"Restaurants contribute a trillion dollars to the U.S. GDP every year. Yet there's almost no venture capital that works for early-stage restaurant brands. That's a broken system."

"We're here to level the playing field, especially for underrepresented founders. Not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it's a massive business opportunity."

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