Cordia Harrington: The ‘Bun Lady’ Shares Her Recipe for Success - a podcast by Leah Glover Hayes

After establishing herself as a successful McDonald’s franchisee, Cordia Harrington was determined to take her career to the next level by becoming a supplier for the world’s largest restaurant chain. Her efforts were rejected 31 times before McDonald’s finally gave her the go-ahead to launch a bakery business. Today Cordia, also known as “the bun lady,” is CEO of The Bakery Cos., which sells more than $100 million of buns and other baked goods annually to McDonald’s, grocery stores and other institutional clients.

Cordia relates the inspiring story of running her first McDonald’s as the single mother of three young sons. She tells us how her company strives to help its employees reach their full potential, why she tries to be transparent about the struggles she’s faced, and why helping others in the business world make connections has become the most fulfilling part of her work.