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Our series “How I became a ...” digs
into the stories of accomplished and
influential people, finding out how
they got to where they are in their ca-
reers.
When Sierra Tishgart and Maddy
Moelis were beginning to build out their
kitchens post-grad, they realized that
the process was exhausting, time-con-
suming, and ridiculously expensive. Us-
ing Tishgart’s background as a James
Beard award-winning food editor at
New York Magazine and Moelis’ back-
ground working at such startups as Zola
and Warby Parker, the first-time entre-
preneurs created Great Jones and a new
way to outfit their kitchens.
USA TODAY caught up with the start-
up founders and childhood friends.

Question: How did you get your
start?
Maddy Moelis: I went to business
school in undergrad and studied mar-
keting and consumer behavior, and
when I graduated I started working at
Warby Parker in the very early days. I
have since worked at a few other star-
tups, most notably Zola, the wedding

registry company. At both Warby and

Zola, there was a ton of learning, and

people that I met and experiences that I

went through helped formulate our

opinions on how we built our ... startup.

Sierra Tishgart: I went to journalism

school and worked as a journalist. I

worked at New York Magazine for five

years as a food editor, and that really

helped in us launching Great Jones be-

cause we got to know and ask advice

from chefs and cookbook authors.

Q: What led you to create Great

Jones?

Tishgart: Maddy and I have known

each other for 20 years (we were child-

hood friends from summer camp).

When I was working as a food editor I

started to feel like I wanted to prioritize

my own home cooking. But, when I went

to go figure out what I needed and why

in my own kitchen, it was confusing and

overwhelming and prohibitively expen-

sive to get nice things. Maddy had a very

similar experience , and we had a hunch

that we could really modernize the proc-

ess of outfitting your kitchen.

Q: What does a typical day look

like?

Moelis: It is crazy, and I think it’s very

different for both of us. Once the day

really starts, there’s tons of meetings

and conversations and people coming

out of the office. So, I try to get here first.

I really covet my hour in the morning at

my desk. Once everybody else comes in

... it’s a lot of meetings, conversations,

creative brainstorms, and decision

meetings.

Tishgart: This started as just Maddy

and I, and we felt a lot of vulnerability

around making decisions and really

learned to trust each other. Now, it’s so

exciting that we get to include more

people in those decisions and on our

team as we build out that team, and

(we) get to learn from new people and

hear their perspectives.

Q: How do you balance work, life,

and such a busy schedule?

Tishgart: It’s hard. We both try to do

small things and make sure that, along

with our team, we’re doing other kinds

of activities. When our team got togeth-

er to celebrate Chinese New Year, we got

out of the office, we got to interact with

each other as people and not just co-

workers, and activities like that really

put your headspace in a different light

and allow us to connect with each other

in a different way.

Q: What advice would you give to

someone who wants to follow in your

footsteps?

Moelis: I wish someone had encour-

aged me more to trust my intuition. I

think that for people who have an entre-

preneurial spirit, there’s something

there that they can’t ignore that they’re

listening to or following. If you’re sec-

ond-guessing that all the time, it’s really

going to get in the way.

Tishgart: Be really mindful of who

you’re surrounding yourself around,

and what your team and extended team

looks like. (It’s) recognizing that your

team goes beyond perhaps the person

who’s sitting next to you every day.

HOW I BECAME A ...

From great friends to

Great Jones founders

First-time entrepreneurs Sierra

Tishgart and Maddy Moelis have been

friends since childhood. TORY WILLIAMS

Search for kitchenware

bubbled up into big idea

Susannah Hutcheson
Special to USA TODAY

Quick hits

❚ What’s your coffee order? Moelis:

Large cafe au lait with regular milk

❚ What’s your favorite book? Moelis:

“Give and Take” by Adam Grant, Tish-

gart: “Bluets” by Maggie Nelson

❚ Who’s been your biggest mentor?

Tishgart: Nic Jammet, who’s one of the

founders of Sweetgreen, has definitely

been a mentor and adviser to us both.

❚ What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever

done? Moelis: For my grandpa’s 85th

birthday, he took us on a bus tour of his

life. So, we basically drove around for a

day tracking his life, and he narrated

the tour. Tishgart: One time, I took my

dog to the dog park and (NBA star) Joel

Embiid was there.

agement, along with evidence. Four

months later, nothing had been done,

and I received no feedback about the

report. When I asked for an update,

the company director became furious

with me and asked me to resign or

face dismissal. My fear now is going to

interviews and being asked why I re-

signed without having another job. I

know it’s not acceptable to bad-

mouth my previous employer, but

how do I answer this question without

getting into my feelings about the in-

justice done to me? – Anonymous

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.: First, I com-

mend you for bringing such a big dis-

crepancy to your employer’s attention.

While I don’t know all of the facts, a

real problem exists when an employee,

in good faith, notifies an employer of po-

tential misconduct or wrongdoing and

is asked to resign instead. This indicates

an unhealthy workplace culture.

As you go through the interview

process, it is best to answer questions as

honestly as possible. You can say that

you resigned due to a conflict of ethics.

If pressed, you may say something like,

“My previous employer asked me to re-

sign because I reported a discrepancy.”

Be prepared to explain what hap-

pened leading up to the resignation, but

keep it surface-level and dispassionate.

Stay positive during the interview,

steering the conversation to your per-

formance and relevant accomplish-

ments. Emphasize what you can offer a

prospective employer because of your

experience and skill set.

Question: I’m finishing up my sen-

ior year at college, so I’m preparing to

interview all sorts of prospective em-

ployers. Beyond working at my home-

town cafe in the summers, though, I

don’t have much interview experi-

ence, especially with high-profile

companies. What do you recommend

for a successful interview? – Anony-

mous

Taylor Jr.: To ace any interview, do

your research. Learn the company’s his-

tory, culture, and business

Focus on the skills you have refined in

other areas. Don’t discount your experi-

ence at your hometown cafe either. Any

and all experience matters!

ASK HUMAN RESOURCES

Be upfront about how previous job came to an end

Johnny C. Taylor

Columnist

USA TODAY

Johnny C. Taylor Jr., a human re-
sources expert, is tackling your ques-
tions as part of a series for USA TODAY.
Taylor is president and CEO of the Soci-
ety for Human Resource Management,
the world's largest HR professional soci-
ety.
The questions are submitted by read-
ers, and Taylor's answers below have
been edited for length and clarity.

Question: In a previous job, I dis-
covered a $29 million theft inside my
company and reported it to top man-