The Bread and Butter Letter 3: Tamara Leigh from EIO Diagnostics
A bread and butter letter is a letter of thanks for hospitality…our version is full of gratitude, thank-yous and advice and will feature founders we’ve backed, our team, and friends of B&B.
2021 promises to be a busy year for EIO Diagnostics’ CEO and Co-Founder Tamara Leigh — EIO will be rolling out their innovative product to the market later this year. They use advanced image analysis and machine learning to build practical tools that farmers use to improve the health and wellbeing of their livestock, starting with early detection of mastitis in dairy cows. Tamara continues to build out EIO’s technical chops, with new CTO John Stack joining in October.
Tamara recently sat down with us to share the people, things and resources that she is thankful for:
Is there a person from growing up who you feel thankful towards?
My 9th-grade teacher challenged me to apply critical thinking to everything I do and encouraged my natural curiosity.
Who was instrumental at the beginning of your entrepreneurial journey?
I have a great group of girlfriends who really hold each other up and encourage each other to take risks. They were the first people to ever call me entrepreneurial and it opened my mind to the possibility.
What books, podcasts, or blogs have really inspired you as a leader?
“Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change” by Pema Chodron, “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angla Duckworth.
Who is an unsung person at your company you’d like to highlight?
When we went through our serious growing pains, it was people who had left the company earlier — notably Jason Harrison and Mariah Walker — who helped get the new team going on the right track.
What do you look back on and thank yourself for doing when you started your company (i.e. what would you recommend to others?)?
Spend time clarifying the company’s vision and everyone’s role in it. Put the systems and structures in place so everyone can do their jobs well. Focus on execution.
