Susan Feldman, co-founder of One Kings Lane & more recently In The Groove, has that classic entrepreneurial story: she worked out of her own home pulling 16-20 hour days, had no clue how to even file an LLC, & well, it was the height of the recession. “I think sometimes it’s better not to know. Ignorance is bliss, you just ask things, beg people to help you, & move as fast as you can,” reminisces Susan on the experience. At the time of launch, Susan & her business partner, Ali Pincus, had done everything they could to prepare…for failure. Instead they completely disrupted the e-commerce decor business & One Kings Lane took off within six months.

Growing up in a retail family, Susan spent her entire career working in retail & wholesale. It wasn’t until 13 years ago when she moved to Los Angeles, something she told herself she would never do again after a short stint in the city post-college, that she sparked the idea for her first business. “After about a year of talking about it my husband said to me ‘If you really think this is a good idea you must go do it, otherwise stop talking about it,” & that was all the motivation Susan needed to create the company. Knowing she wanted a partner in the endeavor, Susan enlisted Ali Pincus & within six weeks of chatting about the idea together, & a year of Susan thinking on it, One Kings Lane was born.

Selling what they had built for the past seven years was what Susan relates to selling a child, “It was pretty emotional but I think at the end of the day it was the right decision. It was fun while we did it for sure which is why I’m crazy enough to start another business,” she notes in regards to her latest website launch, In The Groove. The site focuses on woman 50+ providing them with up-to-date knowledge, trends, & more. Again, something Susan wasn’t able to find on her own — so she created it, right here in this same kitchen.

When she’s not dreaming up her next business idea in the kitchen, Susan spends as much time as she can cooking & entertaining. This kale caesar slaw recipe is one of her favorites for dinner parties as it’s easy, delicious, & you can customize it however you’d like by switching up the lettuce type, add protein such as chicken, or throw in some croutons for a heartier version. Some tips Susan shared in perfecting this recipe include breaking down the fiber of the kale to soften it. She does so by squeezing a little lemon on it or sprinkling some salt over it & massaging it with her hands. Another tip is to cut the kale off the rib (aka the stem) by folding the leaves in half around the rib & using scissors to cut it off. From there you can rip or chop it into bite-sized pieces. Susan first started making this salad when kale was just becoming popular proving that, once again, Susan is ahead of her game regardless of whether you’re talking ingredients or million dollar ideas.