Taking the Leap: Building a Business Through Feedback & Community

Join host Molly Baker and our guest, as she shares her journey from corporate career to building a hospitality concept rooted in community, connection, and courage. From navigating the leap out of financial services and tech to opening a market, bar, and eatery as a new mom, our guest talks candidly about redefining success, betting on herself, and creating a space that feels like home. Whether you are in corporate dreaming of something different, already on your entrepreneurial path, or simply curious about what it takes to build a mission-driven brick and mortar brand, this conversation pulls back the curtain on risk, resilience, and the reality of building a business.

MB (Molly Baker): What is top of mind for you professionally right now?

HB (Haley Borden): It honestly changes every day, but today it is all about planning. I am meeting with our social team to map out content for upcoming events and the holidays, working on some holiday planning because November kind of snuck up on us, and reviewing potential menu changes with our chef. There is always a mix of creative ideas and operational details, and a lot of forward thinking about how to keep things fresh for our guests.

MB: What are you really good at?

HB: I have always been someone who puts a lot on my plate, and I think my strengths are organization and grit. I like to see the whole picture of my day, decide what I want to accomplish, then reverse engineer how to get there. Balancing being a mom, a business owner, a friend, and a family member takes constant adjustment. I am not perfect at it, but I have gotten better at managing my time and energy so that the right things get my focus on the right days.

MB: What has been the most pivotal moment in your career so far?

HB: This year, without question. I left a stable corporate job to open and run a business in a completely different industry. My background was in sales and marketing in financial services and then tech, and I completed my MBA in 2022 knowing I wanted something different. Taking the leap into hospitality and entrepreneurship has been the biggest pivot I have ever made. It is scary and stretching, but also incredibly energizing.

MB: How do you define success today, and how has that changed for you over time?

HB: Right after college, success was very traditional to me: salary, title, promotions, how quickly you were climbing the corporate ladder. Over time I realized careers are deeply personal and rarely linear. Now I see success as building a life that feels aligned. Having work you are passionate about, while also making space for the things that matter most to you. For me that means time with my family and my boys, being present in our life, and building something that contributes to the community in a meaningful way. It is definitely a riskier path and the definition of success is less black and white, but it feels much truer to who I am.

MB: Who has had the most impact on you professionally?

HB: My husband. He has always encouraged me to chase what is stirring inside me, even when it is inconvenient or uncomfortable. He supported me through my MBA, even though it meant time away from each other, and he has been all in on this business journey. He also owns a business, so we are two entrepreneurs trying to figure it out together. It can be stressful and messy, but we tag team a lot, especially with the kids and home life. His belief in me and his willingness to carry part of the load has made this leap possible.

MB: Okay, so now tell us who you are and what your business is.

HB: I am Haley Borden, founder of Good Graces, a market, bar, and eatery in Raleigh.

MB: What inspired you to leave the corporate world and open Good Graces?

HB: It really started when I was getting my MBA during the pandemic. I had my son a month before I graduated, and that combination of school, work, and becoming a mom made me zoom out and ask some big questions. What did I want my career to look like? How could my life and work operate together instead of fighting each other? What kind of legacy did I want to build for my family? I loved a lot of aspects of corporate life: the stability, the benefits, the clear structure, but I could feel that I wanted something more hands on, more rooted in community, more creative in a tangible way. I knew I loved hospitality, great food, great coffee, and the feeling of being in a warm, thoughtfully designed space. When a friend texted a group asking what we felt was missing in Raleigh, the idea of a place like Good Graces kept coming up. I reached out to a few concepts in other cities, but nothing was the right fit. That is when it shifted from “I wish we had this here” to “What if I built this here, for Raleigh, from scratch.”

MB: You were brand new to hospitality. How did you bridge that gap?

HB: I knew what I did not know, which helped. I brought in people who were experts where I was not. We worked with a hospitality consultant who advised on everything from kitchen layout to menu and operations. A local designer took my half formed vision and translated it into a space that feels warm, elevated, and special, but not stuffy or overly girly. I also have partners who are very focused on the numbers: margins, costs, and making sure this is a healthy business, not just a pretty space. We are still only a few months in and learning a lot, but having that foundation of expertise has been critical.

MB: What has surprised you most about the transition from corporate to entrepreneurship?

HB: How nonstop it feels. I expected it to be a lot, but the intensity still surprised me. When you have poured your heart, time, and savings into something, you care deeply about every detail. It is hard to turn your brain off. Hospitality is very human. There are so many variables and so many touchpoints with real people, and that means mistakes will happen. Learning to give grace, both to our team and to myself, has been a huge part of this. It is not going to be perfect from day one. The goal is to keep moving in the right direction.

MB: How has your original vision for Good Graces evolved now that you are open?

HB: One big shift was our service model. We opened as counter service: you ordered at the counter, took a number, and sat down. We tried to layer in hospitality through runners and table touches, but it quickly became clear it was not working the way we hoped. The space is cozy and designed for lingering, which is lovely, but it made it tough for the kitchen to pace orders and for us to seat people efficiently. So we pivoted to a full service model with servers using handhelds. It has helped the kitchen keep up, given guests a better experience, and created more natural opportunities for feedback. It was hard emotionally to change something we had planned so long, but listening to customers and staff made it clear it was the right call.

MB: What have been the high and low points of your entrepreneurial journey so far?

HB: The high is being in the space and feeling it come alive. Seeing regulars, watching friends and family enjoy the food, hearing someone say they had a great experience, or seeing them discover something in the market, those moments make everything worth it. The low is when someone does not connect with the vision or leaves unhappy. It is hard not to take that personally when you know how much heart and effort has gone into every detail. I’m learning to separate preference from real issues and to let go of what I cannot control.

MB: How do you manage online reviews and criticism without letting it consume you?

HB: I try to treat reviews as data points, not verdicts. I read them, look for patterns, and talk with our team about anything that needs attention. If multiple people mention the same issue, that is real feedback. If one person loves something and another hates it, that is usually preference. Shifting to a server model has helped because guests now have more chances to share feedback face to face. And I remind myself constantly that we are only a few months in. We are building something for the long term.

MB: How has becoming an entrepreneur affected your family life?

HB: It has definitely built my resilience and deepened my gratitude. The early days of a business take a lot of time and energy, and we have leaned heavily on our support system. Our family and friends have stepped in with the kids when I need to be at Good Graces, which has made everything possible. It has also made me more intentional about being present when I am home. I am practicing turning off the stress and remembering that while the business is important, it is not my whole identity.

MB: What does an average day look like for you right now?

HB: No two days look the same. I might be on the floor talking to guests, running food, or clearing plates. I might be unboxing new market products, building gift boxes, or managing corporate orders. And on the strategy side, I am planning events and community programming and thinking about how Good Graces can become a true home base for people. That mix of operations and vision keeps me excited.

MB: How has the community responded?

HB: The response has been incredibly encouraging. We were much busier than expected in our opening weeks and definitely understaffed, but the excitement showed us that Raleigh was ready for something like this. We are still working out some early kinks and figuring out how to keep people coming back, but the energy from the community has been amazing.

MB: What is one thing you wish you had known earlier in your career?

HB: I wish I had questioned the default path sooner. I learned so much from corporate life and had roles I loved, but I wish I had taken more time earlier to ask what truly brings me joy and how to build a career around that. Looking back, the clues were there: I always loved events, gathering people, and creating experiences. It just took time and perspective to realize I could build a life around those things.

MB: Did 21 year old you ever imagine you would be doing this?

HB: Not at all. If you told 21 year old me I would open a restaurant and market, I probably would have laughed. But if you described the heart of it, creating a warm space for community and connection, I think I would have recognized myself in that.

MB: What keeps you up at night right now?

HB: The usual entrepreneurial things: operations, costs, staffing, reviews, and decisions that do not have clear answers. A lot of our choices impact our team and the future of the business, so I feel that responsibility. I just try to make the best decision I can with the information I have and trust my gut.

MB: What advice would you give someone considering leaving corporate to start a business?

HB: Do your homework. Learn the industry, build a thoughtful plan, and be honest about your gaps. Bring in people who know what you do not know. Build a strong network and lean on mentors. And once you have prepared, you have to be brave enough to make the leap.

Find Haley on Linkedin and visit Good Graces on Instagram and their website!

As for us, follow @namedrop.pod on Instagram & LinkedIn and@molbakes on Instagram for all future episodes and insights.