Choosing Joy in the Midst of Hardship with Mignon Francois | Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder? Podcast EP. 346
My guest today is the incredible Mignon François, a speaker, entrepreneur and community leader who has inspired thousands.
Mignon is the Founder and CEO of The Cupcake Collection. A multi-million dollar bakery brand she created from scratch. Since planting its roots in 2008, Mignon’s business savvy has earned her the titles of “Woman of Legend and Merit” by Tennessee State University, “Emerging Business Leader of the Year” and Black Enterprise Magazine “Family Business of the Year Award.”
In her new book, Made from Scratch: Finding Success Without a Recipe, Mignon shares her story of climbing out of a life of continuous upsets, struggle, and lack to building a legacy that would bless her and future generations.
8:07 – Mignon 101
- Mignon is a mother of 6 plus 1 and a grandmother of 8.
- She followed Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps plan and put money in envelopes to budget.
- Her neighbor asked her to bake cupcakes, but all Mignon had was $5, so she had to make it work.
- Mignon turned $5 into $60 that night and $60 into $600 by the end of the week.
15:01 – Healing and hope
- Mignon turned her ancestors’ enslavement into healing and hope for future generations.
- She is passing privilege onto her children and grandchildren.
23:58 – Prosperity
- Mignon felt that God was telling her she’d be prosperous.
- At the time, she was living in a home without regular electricity and water.
- She had so many business ideas and realized she was never afraid to fail. She was afraid to be successful.
32:28 – God’s idea
- Mignon sees her successes as God’s idea.
- God blessed her and started putting things in her hands that she could give.
34:25 – Highs and lows
- Mignon realized that things weren’t happening to her, they were happening for her.
- Highs and lows work together for your good. All things work together for your good.
50:25 – Get to know you
- Last thing that made her laugh? She laughed at herself.
- Last time she cried? After the shooting in Nashville.
FEATURED QUOTES
I turned $5 into $60 that night and $60 into $600 by the end of the week. I’ve been flipping that money for 17 years.
I have been sitting in a home that doesn’t have regular electricity, and I have been sitting in a house where the water doesn’t turn on.
I was never afraid to fail. I was afraid to be successful.
It took for us to be at rock bottom for us to realize that there was nowhere else to go but up.