How the CEO of Mingle Mocktails Balances the “Yucky” Parts of Business With Creative Puttering
By B2B Pulse Staff
The most successful SaaS leaders know that scaling a company isn’t just about metrics. It’s about managing your own psychology. Here’s what one founder learned about the art of slow mornings, the “yucky” work, and building a business around conviction.
Let’s be honest: building a B2B SaaS company can feel like a nonstop grind of dashboards, board decks, and uncomfortable sales calls. But what if the secret to sustained growth isn’t grinding harder—but embracing the “art of puttering”?
Laura Taylor, the 54-year-old CEO and founder of Mingle Mocktails, has spent the last seven years building a CPG brand in the fast-growing mocktail space. Her journey from corporate executive at Tableau Software to founder offers a masterclass in balancing the messy, creative side of entrepreneurship with the “yucky” parts of business that no one talks about.
For revenue teams and go-to-market leaders, Taylor’s daily rhythm holds surprising lessons about energy management, conviction-driven innovation, and how to stay sharp when the stakes are high.
Section 1: The Morning Putter — Why Downtime Fuels High-Output Leadership
The source material shows: Taylor wakes up around 2 or 3 a.m., reads on her Kindle, sometimes buys random items (like a pencil holder), then goes back to sleep. By 6:30 a.m., she’s up with her dogs, making tea, and easing into the day slowly.
The “Puttering” Strategy in Practice
Most CEOs brag about 5 a.m. cold plunges and marathon morning routines. Taylor does the opposite. She calls it the “art of puttering”—a deliberate, unstructured window of time that feels completely open.
“Over the last year, I’ve really embraced what I call the art of puttering,” Taylor shared. “That early window is the only time in my day that feels completely open.”
She’ll spend 15 minutes with her Bigelow French Vanilla Chai or Lavender Chamomile tea, reading from a daily prayer journal or meditating using the Insight Timer app. Then she walks her dogs for about 30 minutes. “Getting outside is essential for my mental freedom,” she said.
Why This Matters for B2B Leaders
For revenue teams obsessed with efficiency, “puttering” sounds like a waste. But neuroscience suggests the opposite. Unstructured downtime activates the default mode network—the part of the brain responsible for creativity, long-term planning, and connecting disparate ideas.
Think of it this way: The best product launches, sales plays, and content strategies often emerge from moments of not trying. Taylor’s 2 a.m. Kindle sessions and her Amazon impulse buys (like that pencil holder) are small acts of freedom that prevent burnout.
Actionable Takeaway
Block the first 30–60 minutes of your morning as non-negotiable personal time. No Slack. No email. No dashboards. Use it for reading, walking, or just sitting. If you’re an early-stage founder, this is harder but more critical. The ritual matters more than the content.
Section 2: The “Yucky” Part of Business — Why You Have to Do Things You Hate
The source material reveals: Taylor previously worked at Tableau Software, struggled with alcohol, and quit drinking in 2015. She launched Mingle Mocktails two years later, sensing the “better-for-you” trend was coming for alcohol.
The “Yucky” Work That Scales Companies
Let’s talk about the parts of business that no one romanticizes. For Taylor, that means managing supply chain chaos, distributor negotiations, and the inevitable headaches of a CPG company—everything from label approvals to cost-of-goods analysis.
“I’ve learned to check my email, prioritize, and handle what’s urgent,” she said. But she also admitted that building a company involves “yucky” work—the unglamorous tasks that don’t inspire but are essential for survival.
For B2B SaaS founders, this is the equivalent of:
- Configuring CRM fields at 10 p.m.
- Writing documentation nobody reads
- Following up on invoices
- Firing underperformers
The Balance Between Creativity and Execution
Taylor’s key insight: She balances those “yucky” parts with creativity. Making mocktails, testing new flavors, and designing the customer experience are the fun parts. But she doesn’t avoid the boring stuff. She sequences it.
The GTM Lesson
In B2B, the “yucky” work is often what differentiates great companies from mediocre ones. The sales team that loves pipeline generation but hates CRM hygiene will bleed data quality. The product team that loves building features but hates user testing will ship things nobody wants.
The fix: Pair the “yucky” task with something creative. Taylor’s morning puttering gives her the mental reserves to tackle the annoying parts of her day.
Section 3: Why Taylor Launched a Mocktail Company — and What It Means for B2B Innovation
The source material states: Taylor quit drinking in 2015. She noticed how hard it was to navigate social and work situations without alcohol. She started making her own mocktails and realized how much better they made her feel.
The “Conviction-Driven” Start
Taylor’s origin story is a textbook example of conviction-driven innovation. She didn’t start Mingle Mocktails because market research told her to. She started because she lived a problem.
“I started researching the space and sensed that the ‘better-for-you’ trend was coming for alcohol,” she said. “Once I had that idea, I couldn’t let it go.”
That personal conviction is exactly what separates successful B2B startups from also-rans. The best SaaS products—from Slack to Figma to Notion—were built by founders who experienced the pain firsthand.
The “Can’t Let It Go” Metric
Taylor’s line—“I couldn’t let it go”—is the ultimate proxy for market fit. If you can’t stop thinking about a problem, there’s a good chance others feel the same way.
For GTM teams, this means:
- Sell the problem, not the product. Taylor’s mocktails aren’t just drinks; they’re social lubricant for people who are sober-curious.
- Build marketing around identity. Taylor’s audience isn’t just “people who want a non-alcoholic option.” It’s “people who want to feel included in social situations without alcohol.”
- Lead with story. Taylor’s personal journey (Tableau → drinking → sobriety → Mingle) is more compelling than any feature list.
Section 4: A Day in the Life — The Actual Workflow of a CEO
The source material provides: Taylor’s typical day starts at 2 a.m. with reading, then 6:30 a.m. with dogs, tea, and meditation. By 8 a.m., she’s in her home office.
The Energy Map
Here’s what Taylor’s day actually looks like in terms of energy management:
| Time | Activity | Energy Level |
|---|---|---|
| 2:00–3:00 a.m. | Light reading, Amazon browsing | Low (waking up) |
| 6:30–7:30 a.m. | Dog care, tea, meditation, walk | Medium-low (ramping up) |
| 8:00 a.m. onward | Home office work | High (peak performance) |
What This Reveals
- She respects her natural rhythms. Instead of forcing herself into a “perfect” schedule, she works with her body’s natural wake cycle.
- She has two startup “sprints.” The 2 a.m. window is for low-stakes creativity (reading, thinking, small impulsive purchases). The 8 a.m. window is for high-stakes execution (email, meetings, strategy).
- She protects the “puttering” time. No one schedules meetings at 6:30 a.m. She doesn’t either.
For B2B Revenue Teams
If you’re a VP of Sales or CMO, your energy map determines how you spend your best hours. Don’t schedule your most important calls at 3 p.m. if you’re a morning person. Don’t do creative strategy at 9 a.m. if you’re a night owl.
Strategy: Map your energy peaks and valleys for one week. Then align your most important GTM activities (pipeline reviews, product demos, content creation) to your peak hours.
Section 5: The “Power Hours” Framework — How Taylor Structures Her Workday for Maximum Impact
The source material notes: The article is part of Business Insider’s “Power Hours” series, which gives readers an inside look at how powerful leaders structure their workday.
What Leaders Can Learn from a Mocktail CEO
Most B2B leaders are obsessed with productivity hacks. Taylor’s playbook reveals something more fundamental: structure isn’t about cramming more in. It’s about creating space for what matters.
Three Concrete Actions You Can Take Today
- Build a “puttering” block into your morning. Even 15 minutes of unstructured time—no screens, no to-do lists—recharges your creativity.
- Identify your “yucky” tasks and pair them with a creative reward. If you hate pipeline cleanup, follow it with a brainstorming session about a new outreach sequence.
- Use your personal story as a GTM asset. Taylor’s sobriety journey isn’t a secret. It’s the core of her brand. What pain point did you solve for yourself? That’s your best marketing.
Conclusion: The Paradox of High-Performance Leadership
Laura Taylor’s story defies the standard “hustle culture” narrative. She wakes up at 2 a.m. to read on her Kindle. She buys pencil holders she doesn’t need. She walks her dogs for 30 minutes before starting work. And yet, she built a seven-figure CPG company in a category that didn’t exist when she started.
The lesson for B2B leaders is counterintuitive: The best way to do the “yucky” work is to protect the creative spaces that make it bearable.
Taylor says she “embraced the art of puttering.” But what she really did was build a company around her own rhythm—not someone else’s template.
And if you think about it, that’s exactly how great go-to-market strategies are built. Not by copying competitors, but by leaning into what makes you unique.
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