It’s Sisters’ Day!
National Sisters' Day always falls on the first Sunday in August (how fitting for Fatty Sundays)! While they may not always agree, sisters share such a unique bond unlike anything else, and they deserve their own holiday! And sisterhood is, of course, a huge part of Fatty Sundays.
Together, Ali and Lauren have been through it all. From growing up enjoying 'fatty Sundays' with their family, to now building a chocolate pretzel biz, they've shared many amazing memories as sisters and co-founders.
In honor of the day, we asked Ali and Lauren separately five questions on what it’s like being sisters and work partners. And guess what? They basically had the same answers! They must be sisters after all. Check out the special Q&A here!
What is the best part of working with your sister?
ALI: I love that we can step back together and say that we created an entire business out of something delicious that our very own Mom used to make us! It's so so so cool! I also love that she's super smart, and numbers, strategy and goal-oriented. Our skill-sets vary a lot, so it's really the best having someone to work with that excels (pun intended!) in the areas that I do not.
LAUREN: There is an innate trust that we have with each other that is nearly impossible to have with anyone that isn't family! Knowing we always have each others' backs even during the hardest of times - as sisters, co-founders, business partners, friends, all of the above - is something that is really invaluable. Ali is also uber creative in all ways that I am not - keeps me on my toes! She's the left brain to my right brain behind Fatty Sundays and I couldn't imagine it any other way!
LAUREN: There is an innate trust that we have with each other that is nearly impossible to have with anyone that isn't family! Knowing we always have each others' backs even during the hardest of times - as sisters, co-founders, business partners, friends, all of the above - is something that is really invaluable. Ali is also uber creative in all ways that I am not - keeps me on my toes! She's the left brain to my right brain behind Fatty Sundays and I couldn't imagine it any other way!
What is more challenging about working with your sister?
ALI: Communication! We're both working on it, always! It's also hard to separate work from life. We are lucky to love what we do, but, have a hard time NOT talking about work in some capacity whenever we're together.
LAUREN: Our relationship will always be sisters first but is constantly evolving as we grow a business together as co-founders and our lives outside of Fatty Sundays continue to move through different stages. Sometimes navigating this while working day-to-day with a team can be challenging! We know each other so well and are able to push each others' buttons unlike anyone else, for better or worse. When it comes down to it, we can fight like sisters are known to :)
How have you celebrated National Sisters' Day in the past?
ALI: I don't remember... does that make me a bad sister?! I do think we should do a spa day or something similar to celebrate, though! :)
LAUREN: I don't know that we have, but we should start! Fun fact: we have another older sister, Risa, and we're always trying to recruit her to join the team full time. If we could do anything it would probably include manicures and frozen yogurt with lots of topping (including Fatty Sundays of course)!
How do you handle tough situations, arguments or disagreements with your sister when it comes to Fatty Sundays?
ALI:
I try to be as mature and professional as possible! Easier said than done, but we all know that staying calm to work through things always results in a better outcome.
LAUREN: It varies! Sometimes it is an in-person open conversation, other times a screaming match (with or without some tears involved), or we've had full family meetings to get through some of the more complex situations. As co-founders we've always been aligned on the mission of Fatty Sundays but all relationships take a lot of hard work. It usually always boils down to working on our communication.
You must spend a lot of time together in the office. Do you also see each other on your down time? What are some things you like to do together outside of Fatty Sundays?
ALI: During the summer months, we see each other (and our parents!) a ton on the weekends swimming at their pool. Throughout the Fall and Winter we do see each other a lot too because of work commitments and all of the holidays, too. So, I guess we do spend a lot of time together, even outside of work! During the earlier years, especially before I had my daughter, Ruthie, we spent even more time together. It was like we lived at our parents house together again since we did so much work from there.
LAUREN: Spending a lot of time together is an understatement! I'd say majority of our time together outside of work is more generally family time, with our parents and husbands and Ruthie (Ali's daughter!). We definitely have a lot of family hang time in the summer by the pool and should probably be better about hanging out more unrelated to Fatty Sundays in any direct way! Always a work in progress.
LAUREN: Spending a lot of time together is an understatement! I'd say majority of our time together outside of work is more generally family time, with our parents and husbands and Ruthie (Ali's daughter!). We definitely have a lot of family hang time in the summer by the pool and should probably be better about hanging out more unrelated to Fatty Sundays in any direct way! Always a work in progress.
We all have a special gal in our life. Whether it be your sister, sister-in-law, BFF or work wife, show them how much you love them a little extra today!
Happy National Sisters’ Day!