How Julie Laux Is Helping Parents Safely and Easily Introduce Solids

When CEO and Head Chef Julie Laux began introducing her baby to solid food, she was a working mom who didn’t have time to make separate meals, most of which would end up on the floor anyway. The 101 before one Founder, a food connoisseur and recipe expert, began experimenting with the idea of modifying adult meals as a way around the issue. Thus, the solids program was born. 

101 before one provides parents and family members with recipes that are easy to make and meant for the entire family to enjoy, as well as access to medical professionals on hand to consult on personalized recommendations and accommodations.  

Below, we asked Julie what makes her company’s product stand out from others on the shelves, the most rewarding part of her journey thus far, and what she has learned about herself through the process. 

Q: How and why did you start working on 101 before one?

A: While most kids grew up watching cartoons on Saturday mornings, I was tuning into the Food Network to watch hours of cooking shows. When I became a mom in 2020, I knew I wanted to share my lifelong love of food with my daughter. We got the okay to introduce solid food at my daughter’s six-month well-check, but I was disappointed in the lack of detail provided. I had a ton of questions leaving that appointment.

So I did what most parents do these days: Googled “How to introduce food to my baby.” Every website and course I came across talked about making separate meals for your baby. Given I was working full-time, I just didn’t have time to do that. Once I discovered the “baby-led weaning” style of introducing solids, where you modify what you eat and serve it to your baby, I knew I had to turn my lifelong passion for cooking into a baby cookbook. I compiled a team of pediatric experts and doctors to write the book with me and we published our book in under six months.

Q: What problem does 101 before one solve? 

A: Parents are not getting enough information about starting solids from their child’s pediatrician. The 2015 LEAP trial of introducing peanuts to infants found that high-risk infants who were introduced to peanuts both early and often when starting solids are 80 percent less likely to develop a peanut allergy. To put it plain and simply, pediatricians are not communicating this critical information about starting solids to their patients.

Our team of experts, however, understands that pediatricians don't have the time to talk about everything in well visits. That’s where we come in.

Q: What makes your product different from others in the market?

A: Our unique approach to starting solids makes it a family affair—from parents to grandparents to siblings, everyone is invited to share one meal together. We also don’t make “baby” recipes. We take everyday classic dishes like lasagna, lentil curry, turkey burgers, BBQ ribs, you name it, and make them baby-friendly and optimized for infant nutrition.

Parents love that our meals are for them, just as much as they are for their baby. The original intention of “baby led weaning” was for parents to simply share a meal with their baby. Unfortunately, social media has turned BLW into making separate meals for your baby. We’re going back to what it’s supposed to be. This approach to introducing solids reduces food waste and is more convenient for busy working parents, just like I was when my daughter started solids. It also eliminates the “transition to table food” that many babies have to go through when starting on traditional purees, which can be hard for both the baby and parent to move past.

Q: Did you always know that you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

A: Yes. I grew up watching my dad start and grow his own business, and I remember going to his office all the time and sitting in his chair coloring while he worked. He has owned his business for more than 30 years now.

When it was finally time to choose a major and go to college, I knew I wanted to double major in marketing and entrepreneurship to follow in my dad’s footprints. I had many “hobby” businesses from childhood to college and beyond, but I was waiting for my million dollar idea. On January 3, 2021, the idea for 101 before one popped into my head and I knew that was it.

Q: What’s been the hardest and most rewarding part of your entrepreneurial journey?

A: The hardest and most rewarding part is one in the same: the freedom to make your own schedule and work whenever you want to. I have had the wonderful opportunity to stay at home with my first daughter, and now my second. Being here to enjoy those special moments on a daily basis is something I will always remember. At the same time, that also means I’m working very odd hours of the day.

For 101 before one, I can truly say I’ve worked every hour of the day, including from staying up until 1 a.m. to literally getting up at 3 or 4 a.m. to get something done. When you have kids, working while they sleep is just about the only option. I am truly grateful for the flexibility entrepreneurship brings and also the impact our business is having on parents and babies.

Q: We dare you to brag: What achievements are you most proud of?

A: Self-publishing our book in just six months and all of the work that went into getting that done is our most proud achievement so far. Most printed books take more than two years to get on the market, but we just didn’t have that time. We knew we needed to get this information out to the public ASAP, and going through a publishing house would have slowed us down a lot.

Having a background in graphic design meant that I designed every single page of our 250-page book from scratch. I also took all 300 food photos in our book in a make-shift studio closet in our house. Our printed book was and is a labor of love. There’s nothing like it on the market today. 

Q: Have you felt like giving up? What made you persist?

A: Having your own business means working 24/7/365 and there have been plenty of times I’ve been burned out. But what keeps me coming back is the individual families we are helping. We get messages daily thanking us for helping guide our users on their solids journey. Those kind words are the reason we get up in the morning to continue our mission. 

Q: What have you learned about building a team and a support network around yourself?

A: When I started 101 before one, I knew to grow and scale quickly, in addition to gaining the credibility we needed to be taken seriously, we needed to bring in a team of professionals.

We have a pediatric dietitian to focus on nutrition, two speech-language pathologists feeding therapists to focus on oral motor skills and serving food in age-appropriate ways, a pediatric allergist to ensure we're introducing food allergens safely and correctly, and a pediatrician to ensure babies are growing and thriving.

In addition to our team and the knowledge they provide, we have also hired more individuals to help support our growth this year. My husband and I hand-packed 5,000 orders in our living room over the course of a year and a half. When my second daughter was on her way, we knew we had to move fulfillment out of our house. As an entrepreneur, it can be hard to let things go, but I am grateful for our fulfillment team to take that off my plate so I can focus on more important things. 

Q: How would you describe the journey you’ve had in a few sentences? Would you do it all over again?

A: I like to call it my “real life MBA.” We’ve had ups and downs, and as true entrepreneurs, we’ve had to figure it out on our own. I am so proud of the accomplishments that our team has been able to achieve in just a short amount of time; from self-publishing our book in just six months to helping over 10,000 families introduce solids to their baby in less than two years. 

I would absolutely do it all over again because of the impact we’re having on so many families. 

Q: What’s next for you and your company?

A: We are excited to be working on two additional printed books to form a suite of three total books, along with more digital resources inside of our Digital App Community.

One vision that I have had from the very beginning of the project is to go back to where it started: provide a free guide to every parent so they understand the importance and basics of starting solids in 2023.

Julie is a member of Dreamers & Doers, an award-winning community that amplifies extraordinary women entrepreneurs and leaders by securing PR, forging authentic connections, and curating high-impact resources. Learn more about Dreamers & Doers and get involved here.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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