When Todd Graves and Craig Silvey came up with the idea for a restaurant in southern Louisiana that only sold chicken fingers, they probably didn’t expect to get the lowest grade in a startup-pitching assignment for Silvey’s LSU undergraduate business class — or to get rejected for bank loans when they tried to make it a reality.

Yet the concept, which eventually became Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, propelled Graves to his debut Tuesday on the Forbes 400, a ranking of America’s richest people. He’s reportedly the country’s 107th-richest person, with an estimated net worth of $9.5 billion, largely driven by his ownership stake in Raising Cane’s.

“If people tell you something can’t be done, it makes you strive so much more to do it,” Graves, now 52 and the company’s co-CEO, told students at Nicholls State University in 2009.

To raise enough money to open the fast-food chain’s first location in 1996, Graves moved to California from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to work 90-hour weeks in an oil refinery — and, later, fish for salmon in Alaska — according to the company’s website.

He spent between $40,000 and $50,000 of his own money, plus roughly $100,000 from friends, family and a Small Business Administration loan, to get his restaurant off the ground, he told the “Trading Secrets” podcast in May.

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Today, Raising Cane’s — named after Graves’ yellow lab Raising Cane — has more than 800 locations internationally and brought in $3.7 billion in net sales last year, a company spokesperson tells CNBC Make It. Graves owns more than 90 percent of the company, and has no plans to take it public or sell his stake to private investors, he said.

“I want my kids in the business to be able to carry our values on after their mom and I are gone,” said Graves. “They can turn this into a worldwide business and continue to grow.”

When Graves and Silvey — who left the business in 1999 — opened their first location in Baton Rouge, Graves had zero business management skills, he said. He worked seven days per week at the restaurant, from opening at 8 a.m. to closing at 3:30 am the next morning, he added.

As the company grew, Graves figured out how to recruit employees and develop leaders on the fly, he said: “I was building a plane while I was flying it.”

Most entrepreneurs finance their businesses with a mix of debt and equity. Graves relied almost exclusively on loans when starting out, he told the “How I Built This” podcast in 2022. He’d offer private investors a 15% interest rate on a loan, which he’d then use to secure additional funding from community banks that treated the debt as equity, he said.

In retrospect, the approach was “stupid,” and nearly cost him the business when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in 2005 — shutting down 21 of his 28 storefronts in the Baton Rouge area — but it allowed him to maintain his ownership stake while growing his company, he said.

“Debt to equity, you should have proper balances in your business, and that helps you get through tough times like a major hurricane — but I levered everything,” said Graves, who credited his business’ survival to reopening as much as he could quickly after Katrina passed. “Luckily I lived through that, but that’s when I really learned to balance risk.”

The company — which turned 28 this year and is on its third real-life yellow lab mascot, Raising Cane III — had its first billion-dollar quarter in sales earlier this year and is on track to finish 2024 with nearly $5 billion in sales, says the Raising Cane’s spokesperson.

Contrary to the company’s hard-charging early expansion, Graves now preaches the value of not rushing into opportunities or growing too quickly at his brand’s expense, he told “Trading Secrets.”

“The vision of Raising Cane’s is to someday have locations all over the world, and be the brand for crave-able chicken finger meals, great crew, cool culture and active community involvement,” Graves said. “You have to stay disciplined, because if you are successful, opportunities are crazy, and you can grow it towards something not special at all.”

His outlook echoes advice from other successful entrepreneurs. Kind Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky and Vuori CEO Joe Kudla advocate for taking a step back to self-reflect before big decisions, and Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck says he takes his time to analyze any potential opportunity.

“Sometimes, you can take big risks. Sometimes, you need to be very safe and methodical about how to back out of situation,” Beck told Make It last year. “Control the things you can control and acknowledge the things you can’t control.”

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Today’s job market seems to be taking a turn for the better, but it’s still not as strong for candidates as it has been in recent years.

That can make it hard to negotiate a job offer once you finally land one.

But it’s not impossible, says Tessa White, a career coach with 20 years of HR experience and founder of The Job Doctor.

Negotiating a job offer successfully comes down to one thing, she says: Job-seekers “better be crystal clear on their value proposition.”

It’s the first thing she helps clients figure out when revamping their resume and preparing for interviews.

A big mistake people make is thinking their value proposition lies in the tasks they’ve done before and can continue doing in a new job. But this can limit your value proposition and later negotiations because “your leverage is in your outcomes,” White says.

“When somebody goes in to get a job and they say, ‘I’ve done this before and I’m really good at it,’ that doesn’t mean anything. That’s just white noise,” White says. Consider instead that “the language of business is numbers.”

Highlight your value proposition by explaining the main problem you solved in your previous role, how you did it, and what the outcome was, backed by numbers.

For example, say you’re up for a job where your main objective is to introduce the company into a new market. Pull up the numbers that support how you’ve accomplished this before, White says: “In my last job, I did this, and I was able to gain 12% penetration in this particular target market with a 98% retention rate of customers.”

“All of a sudden, I want that [candidate],” she says.

White gives another example of the difference between discussing your previous tasks versus how those responsibilities helped solve a bigger problem: “If I’m applying for a job and I go and say, ‘I’ve done HR for 20 years, and I know how to do business succession planning and recruiting and training’ — everybody on their resumes has that experience,” she says.

“But if I go in and I say, ‘I’m the person that you hire if you’re a company that wants to go fast and go public, and you need to build up your departments and make sure they can scale quickly’ — I’m all of a sudden the top candidate for the job, instead of just another person who has 20 years [of experience].”

Put another way, “give me your professional highlights reel, not your job description,” White says.

“If you’re clear on your value proposition,” she says, “and you can clearly articulate what the company gets if they hire you, and the problems you can solve and the skills you have to solve those problems for the company, you will be able to negotiate much higher pay.”

Want to earn more money at work? Take CNBC’s new online course How to Negotiate a Higher Salary. Expert instructors will teach you the skills you need to get a bigger paycheck, including how to prepare and build your confidence, what to do and say, and how to craft a counteroffer. Pre-register now and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 50% off through Nov. 26, 2024.

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Growing up in Nara, Japan, one food that was a constant in my home was tofu. It’s truly been a lifelong staple. 

When I was a baby, once I could eat solids, my mom commonly prepared two dishes for me — one was a mix of tofu, rice porridge, sweet potato, kabocha (squash), and nori (seaweed) paste, and the other was miso soup with rice porridge.

I carried on that culinary tradition with my two kids when they were small. I never bought any ultra-processed baby food; instead I opted for tofu. It saved me time, money and stress, and it was a way for us to connect with our roots while living in the U.S.

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When we arrived here in 1994, tofu was harder to come by. If I could only find shelf-stabilized packaged versions, I kept about two dozen of them in the house at any given time. Even today, I always have several packs of tofu in my refrigerator.

In Japan, tofu is enjoyed by folks of all ages. My in-laws are 95 and 88 years old. They still live in Nara, and have tofu, natto (fermented soybeans) and miso soup every day. They attribute their longevity and immunity, in part, to that daily routine.

Here is why tofu is my No. 1 kitchen must-have.

Tofu is traditionally made from soybeans and nigari, the liquid that remains after removing the salt from seawater. In the U.S., calcium sulfate is often used as the main coagulant. 

Either way, tofu contains all the essential amino acids that meat, poultry, eggs, fish and dairy do — but without cholesterol, since it is plant based.

It also is rich in calcium, iron, vitamins, fiber and isoflavones, a type of plant estrogen. 

Studies have shown that the consumption of tofu can help reduce the risk of heart disease, fight cancer and reduce the risk of bone loss. 

It takes 70.6 kilograms of greenhouse emissions to produce just one kilogram of beef, but only 3.2 kilograms of emissions to produce the same amount of tofu.

I typically purchase 14 ounces of organic tofu for $2 or $3, which is often much less than the same amount of poultry or beef would cost me at the grocery store. 

To me, it is simple math. In the course of the week, if you were to swap out one or two beef burgers for a tofu burgers, you would feel better, pay less for groceries and do something small to help the environment. 

Tofu has a very natural, subtle flavor, so it can be matched with just about any cuisine or dish. Since it’s soft, you can also prepare it without a knife and cutting board.

As a nutritionist and cooking instructor, I am always developing new recipes, and tofu makes it very easy to experiment.

I serve tofu in a variety of ways: pan-fried or in soups and salads, in nimono (slow cooked roots and veggies), dumplings, veggie pancakes, vegan curry, burgers, cabbage rolls, mochi and ice cream, to name a few. 

My go-to lunch is a tofu miso soup with seasonal roots and leafy vegetables, seaweed, ginger and goji berries. Generally, I make a large pot and return to it throughout the week, serving it with multigrain rice, natto and nukazuke (pickles). 

My other perfect, simple meal is hiyayakko. It is cold tofu — usually the silken or soft variety — topped with nori, sesame seeds, ginger, shiso, scallions, natto and a little bit of soy sauce. If you prefer it warm, you can always pop it into the microwave for one to two minutes and then add your toppings. 

I often call tofu my best friend for happy living. I hope you are inspired to incorporate it into your kitchen, too. 

Michiko Tomioka, MBA, RDN, is a certified nutritionist and longevity expert. Born and raised in Nara, Japan, her approach focuses on a plant-based diet. She has worked in nutritional roles at substance recovery centers, charter schools and food banks. Follow her on Instagram @michian_rd. 

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It’s no surprise to Evana Oli that her 12-year-old daughter Zoe is a successful business owner.

The Atlanta-based middle schooler is co-founder and CEO of Beautiful Curly Me, a doll company she launched at age 7 after being teased about her hair texture in school. Beautiful Curly Me boasts brown dolls with natural hairstyles, children’s books and hair care products.

At first, Oli wasn’t sure how serious her young daughter was about starting her own business. But after a few months and lots of pestering from Zoe, Oli took $5,000 from her savings to get a prototype of the doll designed ,secure an affordable manufacturer and launch the brand.

In 2022, the Beautiful Curly Me brought in revenue in the low six-figures, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. Oli declined to share 2023 revenue.

Zoe is a straight-A student and the co-founder of startup accelerator Youth Mean Business — which provides grants, mentorship, networking opportunities and professional workshops for young entrepreneurs between ages 11 and 17.

“She’s very passionate,” Oli tells CNBC Make It. “She’s always thinking of the next thing and I just love that energy.”

Oli left her 17-year career as a marketing executive to help her daughter run Beautiful Curly Me and Youth Mean Business, handling the companies’ operations while also running her own marketing and product management consultancy.

She credits her daughter’s success so far to these two parenting non-negotiables.

First: Oli wants to make sure Zoe experiences a normal childhood, she says.

“There’s a lot demanding her attention at every point in time,” she says. ”[But] it’s important for the child to still be a child. I think it’s very important to be intentional about making sure she still enjoys being a 12-year-old girl.”

That includes a typical school schedule, extracurricular activities like tennis, track and theater, and regular sleepovers with friends. Zoe can tend to her business responsibilities — attending meetings, creating social media strategy and product development — after her school work is done and during free time in the summer.

“She has a really full, well-rounded life,” Oli says. “It’s just finding that balance and making sure [your child] still remains grounded in who they are.”

For parents of kids with a lot of responsibilities, it can be hard to not be pushy. But overly pressuring them to be the best can cause anxiety and self-esteem issues that make them less likely to be “well-adjusted and successful in later life,” a 2016 study by Arizona State University on sixth graders found.

Try to let your kids self-direct, allowing them to explore their interests in their own way while still providing encouragement when needed, senior child and adolescent educational psychologist Melernie Meheux told Make It in 2022.

“I would always give kind feedback, if you want to encourage and motivate, sort of noticing what they do well, and not being too critical,” said Meheux, adding that children ultimately perform better when they are “relaxed and happy and content.”

It can be natural to want your kids to follow in your footsteps, or yield to your life advice, but you’ve got to allow them to follow their own passions if you want them to be truly happy and successful, Oli says.

Oli says she’s passionate about helping people achieve their business goals through smart branding and marketing strategy, and being active in her community through service opportunities geared towards women and young girls.

When it comes to all of Zoe’s titles and accomplishments, “this is not a situation where I’m trying to live my dreams [through my kid],” says Oli. “I’m just blessed to be able to support her on this journey.”

This outlook is important for raising resilient, successful children. Take it from Debra Lee, the former CEO of Black Entertainment Television (BET). Lee spent her whole life living up to her father’s dream by getting stellar grades, going to an Ivy League university and becoming a successful corporate lawyer. The result: a life and career of unfulfillment and self-doubt, until she took a chance on the TV network while it was in its early stages.

You can help your child be more successful by establishing your expectations without placing strict limits on them, and trusting them to make their own decisions, bestselling author and parenting expert Esther Wojcicki recommends.

“When you trust kids to make their own decisions, they start to feel more engaged, confident and empowered,” she wrote for Make It in 2022. “And once that happens, there’s no limit to what they can achieve.”

Oli agrees, saying, “My job as [Zoe’s] support system is to just help her bring her [dreams] to life, making sure she’s not burning herself out or overstretching.”

Want to master your money this fall? Sign up for CNBC’s new online course. We’ll teach you practical strategies to hack your budget, reduce your debt, and grow your wealth. Start today to feel more confident and successful. Use code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off, now extended through September 30, 2024, for the back-to-school season.

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Encouraging words from insightful people can help you feel empowered and ready to take on a new day.

For World Mental Health Day 2024, which is Oct. 10th, we’ve compiled quotes from advocates, experts and authors who’ve discussed mental health over the past six decades.

Here are 10 quotes that speak to the challenges of mental health and the tools you can use to improve your own.

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” 

– James Baldwin, Life Magazine (1963)

“Loneliness will come and go, quite often as it chooses, over the course of human life.”

– Sam Carr, the self-proclaimed scholar of loneliness, told CNBC Make It (2024)

“Twenty-five years ago, we did not dream that people might someday be able actually to recover from mental illnesses. Today it is a very real possibility.”

– Rosalynn Carter, said at a mental health symposium (2003)

“Healing takes time, and asking for help is a courageous step.” 

– Mariska Hargitay

“You are not the work you do; you are the person you are.” 

– Toni Morrison, “The Work You Do, The Person You Are” in The New Yorker (2017)

“Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.” 

– Maya Angelou, “Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now” (1993)

“We have to have boundaries in order to prevent burnout.” 

– Molly Burrets, a licensed clinical psychologist, told CNBC Make It (2024)

“Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.” 

– Brené Brown

“It doesn’t have to be in meditation, but in quiet periods, slowing down, we can understand what’s coming, we can feel and we can make the conscious choice to live in the present moment.”

– Floyd “Ski” Chilton, author of “There is Another Way to Happiness,” told CNBC Make It (2024)

“There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.” 

– John Green, “Turtles All the Way Down” (2017)

Want to earn more money at work? Take CNBC’s new online course How to Negotiate a Higher Salary. Expert instructors will teach you the skills you need to get a bigger paycheck, including how to prepare and build your confidence, what to do and say, and how to craft a counteroffer. Pre-register now and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 50% off through Nov. 26, 2024.

Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.