We recently connected with Cyndi Smith and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Cyndi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

At Fierce & Kind Spirits we donate 25% of our profits to our foundation, The Fierce & Kind Equity Foundation. In fact, starting the spirits company was a secondary goal to the mission. During Covid, my partner, Basem Harb, and I decided that we wanted to do more to give back. The economic inequities and how they were impacting different people in different industries, communities, and places around the country during the pandemic became so evident. We wanted to do something to make a difference and to create economic opportunities to people in underserved communities. I had been a public school teacher for 12 years and spent most my career in the education space, which I felt was a good path toward making sure that if everyone got an equitable education that they would therefore gain equitable access to careers, entrepreneurship, and wealth. My early optimism about changing the system faded quickly. Education is critical, but changing education is a difficult challenge. So, taking a different approach, we wanted to do something that got more money and economic power into underserved communities. Putting money into people’s pockets and building generational wealth changes people’s lives, changes communities, and advances generations. And the private sector can take a significant role in making that happen. 25% is a big percentage, but at the end of the day, with a successful brand, that money won’t make a big impact in our lives or the lives of our investors. It will, however, make a big impact in the lives of new entrepreneurs. Just imagine if the CEO’s of mega companies funneled 25% of their mega profits into the communities of the people whom they employee and serve as customers. We’re about investing in people and communities who are ready to change their circumstances. So, to answer the question :) we have selected several organizations to collaborate with. The first is Defy Ventures. Defy provides leadership and entrepreneurship training to incarcerated men and women – lowering the average recidivism rates of their graduates to below 10% in 3 years, compared to the California average of 66%. Their program is amazing – and we also get the opportunity to go into the prisons for mentorship and coaching. It’s more than writing a check. The second organization is Women’s Empowerment International which is based in San Diego and provides grants for women entrepreneurs in San Diego and around the world. They are changing the lives and economic power of women globally. We’re working with them to launch the Fierce & Kind Salon Series in 2025. In addition to these organizations, we host a few dedicated fundraisers for communities that are close to our hearts. We release special edition collections in the summer for Pride and in collaboration with Susan G Komen in the fall. All profits from these collections are earmarked for organizations and campaigns that support the people in their communities.
Whether it’s 1% for the environment, 10% to provide meals for the homeless – whatever is important to companies, their employees, and their consumers, it not only helps to make incremental change in the world, it is also good for business. It builds community and connection around your brand. I don’t see any reason NOT to give back!

Cyndi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Prior to starting a spirits company, I was the VP of Global Product Development in education technology. I managed teams and spent a lot of time traveling to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Central America and around the US. I loved the travel and the network of friends and colleagues I built around the world. When the pandemic was just beginning to break out of China, late February 2020 I was in Dubai for a conference. Little did I know then that once I got home, I would be grounded for two years. Those two years taught me a lot, and gave me a chance to breathe – which I hadn’t done for a long time. It was nice to be settled, not constantly preparing for, being on, or recovering from a long haul trip. My partner, Basem Harb, and I, had met just six months prior. We decided to shelter-in-place together – and that’s how Fierce & Kind was born! We shared a need to give back to the community and a love for whiskey! After just two years on the market, we’ve gained incredible traction. We have been picked up by Albertsons/Vons/Pavilions and Whole Foods – and expect to be on shelves in early Q2 2025. What I’m most proud of and what I love most about my role in the company is first that I get to work with my amazing life partner, and next exploring the creative energy around building experiences that bring people together. Whether it’s to fundraise for a local organization, a session of our Bourbon & Blues series, an unique activation with a partner – I love creating the unique and memorable moments that have the built the strong community we have around our brand. We have amazing, award-winning spirits which, of course, I am extremely proud of. But I love that Fierce & Kind is so much more that a great bottle of booze!

Have you ever had to pivot?

My life has been a series of pivots. To most people, my decisions to make big life changes have appeared impulsive and sudden. In fact, they were each the result of literal years of contemplating, planning, researching, and exploring. I just never let on what I was thinking or feeling. I’ve never been afraid to change jobs or careers or move to a new city or go back to school – in fact, I love the thrill of starting something new. However, I will admit that I have always been afraid of starting a company. I do wish that I would have tackled that fear earlier in my life. I remember high school years sitting in diners with my best friend drinking bad coffee, trying to come up with great ideas for companies. I have my partner, Basem, to thank for helping me take the leap. As a serial entrepreneur who had never worked for anyone else, joining forces with him provided a security blanket for me. Now, on the other side of it, I still have moments of sheer terror – what do I think I am doing?!?! – but my life and career experience assures me that my strong work ethic, creative problem solving, and courage to test out new ideas – all those things in repetition- will lead to success. And that will belong to us and our partners and investors! It’s never too late to do something that you love!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My first pivot was early in my life and it’s a story I tell often – especially when I was teaching high school juniors and seniors. I spent my early life planning to be a lawyer. I never really explored doing anything else. I loved studying history, was a good writer, and my father was a lawyer. I was always encouraged to pursue this career path. On my first day of law school I had a moment. I was about to walk in to the building to attend my first class. Some times when I think back it was a moment of intuition, some times it was a moment of fear or insecurity – whatever it was, it was powerful enough to get me to back away from the entrance. I sat across the street for what seemed like hours, watching people enter and seeing them take their seats in the classroom windows above. I finally stood up and walked home. What was going through my mind? I was trying to think of reasons why I wanted to be a lawyer and when I decided that it was my path. I wasn’t able to answer either question – so I requested a deferment to the next semester. Then I opened up my mind and heart and start questioning myself, asking every person I met about their careers and why they chose them. I volunteered, I took classes, I networked – and everything was leading to one thing: education. I resisted it at first because becoming a teacher had never appealed to me. But, I decided to let my judgement and bias go – and I went back to school to get my Masters in education. I thrived in my early years of teaching, as hard as they were. And when I was ready to move on from being in the classroom, I was able to build a very successful business career in education. It’s hard to say what my life would have looked like if I had walked through that door – but I do know that I found a career that felt like a good fit for me, that I was good at, and that brought so many amazing experiences!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fiercenkind.com/
• Instagram: @fierce.kind
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyndi-smith-b592376/

Image Credits

Megan Jane Burgess
Tim Henry
Steph Pate