Meet Lynley Connor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lynley Connor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lynley, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
I think people often confuse a difficult season with a bad mission.

Almost everything worthwhile becomes difficult at some point.

COVID was difficult.

Building facilities was difficult.

Launching new businesses was difficult.

The apartment project was difficult.

The question I ask myself isn’t whether something is hard.

The question is whether the mission still matters.

If the purpose remains meaningful and there’s still value being created, I keep going.

If I’m only continuing because of pride or emotional attachment, then it’s time to reevaluate.

Persistence matters, but so does self-awareness.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I often joke that I became an entrepreneur completely by accident.

My first business was a vegan bakery called Seed & Sugar in Long Island, New York. At the time, I wasn’t chasing entrepreneurship or dreaming of becoming a CEO. I simply loved food, hospitality, and creating something meaningful. During that chapter of my life, I experienced the unexpected loss of one of my closest friends, which ultimately changed the course of my life and led me to California.

After relocating, I became a Food Service Director for a charter school and was tasked with building their first commissary kitchen. I was 26 years old, learning the school nutrition industry, and focused on serving students. Then one conversation changed everything. I was preparing to take another position when Claye Cantwell asked me a simple question: “Why don’t you run my company instead?”

Looking back, I don’t think I fully understood what he saw in me at the time. But he saw leadership potential that I hadn’t yet recognized in myself. In August 2019, we became business partners, and seven months later COVID changed the world.

At that time, Top N Catering was a single-facility operation generating approximately $3 million in revenue. Like many businesses, we faced uncertainty and the very real possibility that we might not survive. I remember furloughing employees and wondering if this was the end. I gave up my salary to retain key managers, and for weeks I did whatever was needed. I helped prepare meals, loaded trucks, made deliveries, handled accounting, worked with vendors, created compliance documentation, and then returned the next morning to do it all again.

What happened next taught me one of the most important lessons of my career: businesses don’t succeed because of buildings, equipment, or even strategy. They succeed because of people.

As schools and communities needed support, our growth accelerated rapidly. We expanded operations, opened additional facilities, and built the infrastructure necessary to serve more communities. Today, Top N Catering operates facilities throughout Southern California, serves more than 30,000 meals daily, and employs over 200 team members.

While I’m proud of that growth, what excites me most isn’t the revenue or the facilities. It’s the people.

Many of our leaders started in entry-level roles. Drivers became managers. Production staff became directors. Team members who simply wanted an opportunity built careers. Some trusted me enough to relocate their families and help us open entirely new regions. Watching people discover capabilities they didn’t know they had has been one of the most rewarding parts of my journey.

That philosophy has influenced everything I’ve built since. In 2024, I co-founded Breaducation, the first women-owned clean-label school bakery company of its kind in California. We generated over $500,000 in revenue during our first year while creating healthier options for students. I also co-founded Red to Black Consulting to help small businesses and nonprofits navigate growth and avoid some of the challenges I faced along the way. Beyond food service, I’ve partnered in developing a nine-unit apartment community and expanded our work into programs supporting homeless and food-insecure populations.

One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of is that our work serving vulnerable communities led to our team receiving the Jim Dawe Humanitarian of the Year Award. That recognition meant a great deal because it reflected something I’ve always believed: you can build a successful for-profit company with a nonprofit heart.

If there is one thing that sets me apart, it is that I’ve never been motivated by titles. I’ve held titles like CEO, owner, and co-founder, but I don’t define myself by any of them. The company isn’t me. The company is every person who shows up each day to make the mission possible. My role is simply to create opportunities, remove obstacles, and help people grow.

The greatest lesson I’ve learned is that success is not found in the next milestone. In business and in life, we often tell ourselves, “Once I reach this revenue goal, buy this house, or achieve this promotion, then I’ll be happy.” What I’ve learned through entrepreneurship, leadership, and even teaching yoga for the past decade is that those boxes never truly exist. Every time you check one, another appears.

Real fulfillment comes from being present where your feet are planted.

I could spend every day worrying about what might happen tomorrow. We could lose a contract. The economy could change. A project could fail. But none of those things are happening today. Today, people are being fed. Teams are growing. Communities are being served. There is purpose in the work we’re doing.

If I want the world to know anything about my story, it’s that businesses are ultimately about people. The meals matter. The facilities matter. The growth matters. But what matters most is the impact we have on the lives of others.

I’ve never been motivated by building companies. I’ve been motivated by building people, and the companies grew as a result.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend were visiting for a week and I wanted to show them my version of San Diego, I wouldn’t start with the tourist attractions. I’d start with the place that feels most like home.

The first stop would be my dome home in Alpine. Over the years, it’s become a bit of a sanctuary for friends and family. Everyone who visits says the same thing: they leave feeling more grounded, more creative, and somehow more connected to themselves. We would spend the first morning drinking tea outside, taking in the quiet, and simply slowing down to reconnect.

From there, I’d take them to one of my favorite places in all of Southern California: Mount Laguna. We’d spend the morning hiking through the pines, enjoying views that most people don’t realize exist in San Diego County. One of the things I love most about living here is that within an hour you can be surrounded by mountains, forests, deserts, beaches, and city life.

After the hike, we’d head west and completely change the scenery by spending the afternoon in Encinitas. We’d walk along the coastline, watch the surfers, and enjoy one of the most beautiful beach communities in California. Encinitas has a way of reminding people to slow down and enjoy life.

As the sun sets, we’d head to Trilogy Sanctuary. Most people think it’s just an aerial yoga studio, but it’s really a community centered around wellness, creativity, connection, and self-expression. If the timing lined up with one of their Full Moon Gatherings, that’s where we’d spend the evening. There’s something special about bringing together movement, music, and community under the moonlight.

And because I’m originally from the East Coast, no perfect San Diego day would be complete without ending it in the least glamorous but most comforting way possible: a late-night stop at Rudford’s Diner. At 1:00 in the morning, we’d order pie and fries, laugh about the day, and solve all of life’s problems from a diner booth.

The truth is, San Diego has so much to offer that it’s impossible to show someone everything in a week. But if I wanted them to understand why I’ve built my life here, I’d show them the contrast that makes this place so special: mountains and beaches, adventure and stillness, community and creativity.

To me, the best parts of San Diego aren’t necessarily the places themselves. They’re the people you experience them with and the moments that remind you to be fully present while you’re there.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Without question, the first person I would recognize is Claye Cantwell.

There are moments in life when someone sees something in you before you’re able to see it in yourself. For me, that was Claye.

At the time, I was preparing to take another Food Service Director position in a different county. Instead, Claye asked me a question that completely changed the trajectory of my life:

“Why don’t you run my company?”

Looking back, I don’t think I fully understood what he saw in me at the time. I certainly didn’t envision owning companies, opening facilities across Southern California, or leading hundreds of employees. But he believed I was capable of more than I believed I was capable of, and that opportunity changed my life.

I think one of the reasons I care so deeply about developing leaders today is because someone once did that for me.

I’d also like to recognize my Uncle JP.

He was one of my earliest supporters and believed in me long before I had any accomplishments to point to. During culinary school, he was my biggest fan. He always made me feel like there wasn’t a goal too big or a dream too ambitious if I was willing to put in the work. Having someone believe in you that deeply at a young age leaves a lasting impact.

Beyond any individual person, I’d have to recognize my friends and family.

I’ve been fortunate enough to experience some incredible professional opportunities, but those opportunities came with plenty of sacrifices, challenges, and long periods of uncertainty. Through all of that, my friends and family have been the community that keeps me grounded.

They’re the people who remind me that life is bigger than revenue, job titles, and business growth. They’re the reason I can continue showing up with energy and perspective.

The truth is, no one builds anything meaningful alone.

People often see the business growth, the awards, the facilities, or the accomplishments, but behind every one of those moments is a community of people who believed in me, supported me, challenged me, and helped me become a better leader and a better person.

If my story has any success in it at all, it’s because of the people who walked alongside me.

Website: www.wearebreaducation.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynley-connor-8365018b/