Sarah Dee, Jessica Dee Sawyer and Liz Dee are the Co-Presidents of Smarties Candy Company. The three women are fifth generation candy makers. Sarah holds a Bachelor’s degree in management and marketing from Emory University. Jessica holds a Bachelor’s degree in art history from University of Colorado Boulder. Liz holds a Bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and a Masters from New York University in media culture and communication.
How have your life experiences made you the leaders you are today?
Liz: I think the best leaders lead by example. They inspire others to do great work by walking the talk. There are countless life experiences that have prepared us to lead Smarties as Co-Presidents. Learning from our company’s previous leadership first-hand has been one of the greatest preparatory experiences we could have asked for. Sarah, Jessica and I grew up in a candy family, seeing leadership in action during both good and challenging times. We observed how company executives dealt with challenges and overcame adversity both professionally and personally. Learning from their experiences equipped us for when we—inevitably—hit bumps in the road in our own careers.
How has previous employment experience aided your tenure at Smarties?
Jessica: Sarah, Liz and I have a variety of previous employment experiences that inform our tenure at Smarties. Because I wanted to work at Smarties someday, I thought it would be worthwhile to work in the candy industry in college. I worked at a chocolate retail outlet that made their own fudge and candied apples. It was a great experience to work directly with both candy production and retail. I loved seeing the joy that candy brought to people of all ages. I felt lucky being a part of that joy then, just as I do today when I hear about the love people have for Smarties.
What have the highlights and challenges been during your time at Smarties?
Sarah: Many of the highlights of my career actually stem from challenges. One example that immediately comes to mind is when we modernized the company’s systems and practices. As a small family company, our fathers ran the business with pens, paper, fax machines and filing cabinets. As the business world became more tech-savvy—people emailed instead of called and there were new programs to organize and maintain information—it was a challenge convincing company leadership that becoming early adopters of this technology would actually help the company. Sure, there would be a learning curve, but the enormous amount of space we used for physical files could be cleared, and what used to take hours to organize or analyze could take 5 minutes with the touch of a button. We managed to convince the leadership and modernized our company’s systems and practices. It was definitely a struggle in the beginning, but, as you can imagine, this turned out to be a major highlight in the end.
What advice can you offer to women who want a career in your industry?
Liz: For women interested in the candy industry, I recommend getting involved in any way you can. Attend relevant events, seek out introductions to avoid cold calls/emails, demonstrate your worth and, once hired, make yourself invaluable to the company you serve. Find the intersection of what you’re good at, what you enjoy and what the industry needs, and go all in. That’s the sweet spot where successful and fulfilling careers are made.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career to date?
Liz: There are many important lessons I’ve learned thus far in my career. One of the most important lessons I take to heart is to conduct all aspects of one’s life with integrity. Someone who does the right thing when everyone is watching doesn’t impress me nearly as much as someone who does the right thing when no one is watching. (And in today’s modern times, it seems like someone’s always watching!) I have never regretted working hard and taking the high road when faced with antagonism, and I have the ultimate respect for people who stick to their firmly held moral principles, especially when it’s inconvenient to do so.
How do you maintain work/life balance?
Sarah: It is a constant challenge to maintain a work-life balance. As a company, we pride ourselves on our family-friendly hours, encouraging us to spend more time with our families than a more traditional or corporate environment.
I was raised to believe that if you want someone to do something for you, you first need to show them that you are prepared to put in the time to do it with them. That is how I manage people. It’s certainly helped create a strong team environment, but as a new mom, it also creates challenges for me as I want to spend time with my kids.
For me, my job is incredibly important and a huge part of my identity. I am proud to be a working mom, and I am proud to be a role model for my daughters. I want to instill in them a strong work ethic. We all want 25 hours in the day, right? But we don’t get that extra hour, so we need to make sure we use all the time we do have.
The most important part of creating and maintaining a work-life balance is making sure your responsibilities are being met without putting undue pressure on others. I try very hard to make sure my team at Smarties does not feel any extra burden because of my life outside of work, and I make sure that my kids are loved and properly cared for while I am at work.
Ultimately, if you can feel good about the framework you have set up at home and at work, you can make it work and everyone will be happy. The key is a good team of people who know that—when push comes to shove—you have their back.
Jessica: I find work-life balance to be challenging, and something that’s continually evolving. Having two young children at home, it can be hard to be away from them. When I am at work, I remain focused and efficient so that when I go home at the end of the day, I am able to give my family the attention they deserve. Of course, because of our positions, the emails and calls never stop. Luckily, my nearly 4-year-old understands that her mommy has a pretty cool job and needs to work from home every once in awhile.
What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
Liz: I think the biggest issue for women in the workplace is lack of representation in leadership roles. I would like to see board rooms and heads of companies be more representative of the general population. A diversity of people, opinions, skillsets and leadership structures will help companies thrive.
How has mentorship made a difference in professional and personal life?
Jessica: When we started working at Smarties Candy Company, our fathers, Jonathan and Michael, were still coming into the office every day. We would have daily meetings where we would just sit down and talk. These meetings gave us the opportunity to ask questions and learn about the history of the business organically. As we began to learn and understand more and more, the meetings evolved into more specific project-based discussions where we would delve into different areas of the business in detail. Both of their doors were always open, giving us access to the resources we needed to learn and get our work done. It was a relaxed and natural process to get to where we are today thanks to the second generation’s mentorship.
Which other female leaders do you admire and why?
Liz: Any time I see a woman who is a leader within her company or field, I am inspired by her success. I admire women who write their own story, not allowing themselves to be limited by irrational societal norms or pressures.
What do you want Smarties to accomplish in the next year?
Sarah: We have a lot of exciting projects in the pipeline for the next year. One is to revamp and update our tablet-making system in our U.S. facility. Our ultimate goal is a more streamlined system and improved efficiency in each of our two candy factories. It is a top priority for us to continue to manufacture Smarties in North America. In order to do that and remain competitive, we need to produce candy as efficiently as possible. This project will allow us to do so.
Liz: Kicking off our first year as Co-Presidents is our #LittleSmarties campaign, which champions remarkable smarties throughout history who left their mark on the world, such as Jane Goodall, Marie Curie and Amelia Earhart. We are sharing creative DIY costume ideas, honoring the story behind the name “Smarties” and celebrating intellectual curiosity at every age.