Day: December 12, 2021

Female Founders: Alessandra Pollina of Quotable Media On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and…

Female Founders: Alessandra Pollina of Quotable Media On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Persistence- you will not thrive or succeed if you do not persist when things get tough. Literally no successful business owner will ever tell you that it was easy all of the time or that the success they wanted came on the first try. The number one thing that business owners I’ve talked to on my podcast say, and what I truly believe myself as well, is that the only difference between someone who seems successful and everyone else is that they didn’t stop before they got to that point. To achieve a level of success is simply to keep going until you figure out a way that works, rather than quit before you’ve gotten there. That’s where persistence comes in.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alessandra Pollina.

Alessandra Pollina is the founder and owner of Quotable Media Co. which she launched in 2012 at just 23 years old. Quotable Media Co. is a PR and media agency which works to elevate female-led brands and produces Quotable: A Female Millennial Entrepreneur Podcast and Quotable Magazine. You can learn more at quotablemediaco.com.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I have been doing PR from the very beginning. I studied it in college, where I was in the school of communication and was most drawn toward the PR concentration because I liked the idea of getting to promote brands and causes that I cared about in a really conscientious way. Sharing important causes with the people who needed to know about them resonated with me, so I dove into those classes and I had a variety of internships in all different types of companies throughout, until I had a really good sense of what I liked and wanted to do. When I graduated it was tough out there, and I ended up with a terrible job that didn’t pay a livable wage, and I realized I needed to make a change. So within a year of graduating I started taking on my own clients while working part time for another small agency, and that’s when my business started.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

The whole experience of starting and running a business is interesting, but I don’t know that there’s one specific instance I can point to as the most interesting thing that’s happened. The most interesting part to me is getting to interact and be around other business owners and learn about what they’re doing in their businesses. I’m fascinated by people in general (I minored in anthropology in college because I just love learning about people and how we are the same, different, and how we’ve approached life throughout time) and find it so interesting to see the ideas other business owners have, how they choose to do things, the innovation, all of it. I guess I would say that getting to talk to hundreds of other business owners, between my agency’s clients, guests on my podcast, and interviews for our magazine, is something I never imagined I would do and is one of the most fascinating parts of my work.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I don’t know if it’s funny but the biggest mistake I made was charging too little for too long. Of course when you’re first starting out and have less experience you may charge less than people who have been in business longer, but I think that — maybe partly because I was also very young — I waited longer than I should have to raise prices and gain confidence in the value of my services. Looking back now I think some of the proposals I sent out to people and the fees I proposed for certain projects are kind of laughable, but not exactly funny. It was all part of the growth process, but also a mistake to let it go on for too long. I eventually learned that not every project is a good project, and if it’s not paying enough it’s probably not worth taking on and is just taking up space and time from a better client that might be worth waiting for. I realized over time that you have to consistently be working toward upward growth in business, and even if I took on small projects or charged less than I should have at the beginning I should have been working toward charging more and more with every proposal/client/quarter. You never get bigger or grow as much as you can if you aren’t consciously working toward it, even when it’s scary.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

There are two people that I consider instrumental in my business being where it is now. One is the person who led the small agency that I worked for when starting my business. He was my mentor from the very beginning- literally the first agency owner who took a chance on me with my very first internship in college when I had no experience, and then also hired me when I needed a new opportunity to get out of that first terrible job. I learned so much about PR and business from working with him, and he was so supportive of me starting my own company too. There was never competition, just support, and to this day we are great friends and support each other in business all the time. The other is my friend who I met through a networking group for female entrepreneurs that I began a few years into my business when I was craving connection with other women in business. While I had a viable and ‘successful’ business at that point, I wasn’t in growth mode and wasn’t making as much money as I wanted or could be. She has helped me for years now in believing in my worth, gaining confidence in my business, encouraging me to raise my prices more and take the scary leaps that I needed to in order to become more successful. I don’t think I would have seen the growth that my company has had in the past several years without her pushing and inspiring me in all the right ways.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?

I think we have a really negative mindset around women founding businesses — and not that women don’t think they can do it but that there is so much negative talk about how hard it is to get funding and things like that, that it makes people think it will be too hard to reach success and that it may not be worth getting involved in. I’m not even talking about the women who want to start the business but other people who maybe would be investors or other key players — it’s exhausting to try to convince them to come on board, because they’re already coming into the conversation with stats like that one from EY in mind and think it may be a losing battle. I also think that women are more likely to start companies that need less or different funding, so it makes it look like we’re not starting businesses based on stats like that, but really we may be starting different types of businesses or being more creative about funding. Ultimately I think if we encourage women to found companies and show that they’ll have the support they need, there will be more and more who do it. The main blocker is fear, and feeling like it may be the wrong time for your life or family. We need to encourage women and reiterate that there is no right or wrong time and you can have a family and a company, and do whatever else you want to do in life!

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

I think we should focus more on the success and achievements of women founded companies than on the obstacles and challenges. It’s been proven that female led companies are more profitable, nicer places to work, and can be just as successful, but for some reason people don’t focus on that enough and instead always focus on how hard it can be for them to get started. I think one of the things to keep in mind too is that women are often so strategic and smart with funding and how to get a project going in a really thrifty way that they often don’t need as much funding, yet media only want to talk about startups that are receiving tons of funding, as if that somehow means they’re more viable or more important. In reality, women-led companies tend to fly under the radar more, so people aren’t as aware of what’s even happening with them, and then it looks like the male-run companies are more prevalent — but really they’re just spending more money, because they can.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

Women are smart and able to come up with unique solutions to problems. Women are compassionate, and make great leaders, and as I said, are able to make a lot happen with little resources. We’re extremely efficient, which I think comes from generations of having to make our personal projects happen along the fringes of our other responsibilities of running a household and taking care of children. When women lead, it creates better workplaces, happier families, great role models, and innovative companies, all of which help make our society stronger.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

The main myth is that being a founder means you have to be working 24/7, and that you’re always putting out fires and struggling to get or stay ahead. In reality, if you set your company up in a solid way, and create and maintain the right systems and have the right people in place to support you and the company, things should run smoothly a lot of the time. You can absolutely take time off and have room for personal growth, if you take the time and effort to create the right support as you grow. A lot of people skip that or don’t put the effort in to set their business up like that, so then they feel constant stress or pressures, but that’s a personal choice and something you can resolve if it’s important to you. You can run a strong business and have a life outside of it. As I said before, you can be a founder and have a family and do the other things you want to do in your life, and I think sometimes people don’t believe that.

Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?

Absolutely not everyone is cut out for it! There is a lot that goes into being a successful founder beyond just having a good idea for a business. I just did a podcast episode for my Quotable Podcast on some of the things that I think go into creating a strong business with longevity, and a lot of what I talked about has to do with not giving up. That’s a certain mindset that can be really tough to hold onto throughout years of building a business. There will be so many things that come up over time that might make it feel like it’s easier to just do something else or give up, and it will be tempting to give in to that. You have to be willing to not make a lot of money for a while, to potentially deal with difficulties for a long time before things are running smoothly, and maybe even put a lot of other things on the back burner for a while, without a guarantee that what you’re working toward will pay off — all of which are things that most people aren’t willing to do long term. It’s a big gamble and you need to have a lot of faith in yourself and just an unwavering belief that you will make it work eventually — and of course the drive and skill to actually make it so. Most people don’t have that kind of belief in themselves and would rather have a steady paycheck and not take on the stress of being responsible for their wellbeing or that of others. Most people would rather rely on someone else owning the business and just show up for work each day even if over time they don’t have the opportunity for growth that they would if they started their own business. And that is totally fine! Also, I think to be successful you need to have a certain amount of personability. You need to be someone that people want to work with, and who can get people to want to be a part of whatever you’re doing, whether it be employees or other stakeholders, and even just other community members whose buy-in you’ll need at some point. You can found a business without it, but there’s a certain amount of personality that I think is important to actually becoming successful, because people want to work with people they like. Being likable can take you far.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, what are the “Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder?” (Please share a story or example for each.)

#1 Grit #2 Motivation #3 Persistence #4 A strong support system #5 Self-belief

Grit- it’s not easy. Even if it feels easy at first because you’re so aligned with what you’re doing and you feel so called to this business, I think for almost everyone there will come a point where you find yourself in a tough spot. Whether it’s a tough business decision, a negative experience, a hard situation with a client or customer, frustration at not making enough money as you hoped or needed, having to fire an employee, having stock shipments delayed, or having a sick kid at home on a day when you had a huge meeting planned, there will be times that are not easy. Having grit will get you through. Not taking no for an answer, consistently figuring out a way to make ‘it’ work, never letting someone’s harsh words make you quit, just having the stamina to make it through the tough times and not let them break you or your love for the business- these are all the ways that having grit will help you succeed. There’s a certain capacity for letting things roll off your back, and also for plowing forward when you know you’re right that I consider the grit you need to succeed.
Motivation- a lot of people I’ve seen start businesses and quit before they felt successful because they lacked motivation. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just a fact of life. Sometimes you lose motivation for your business or whatever you’re doing. Some people just aren’t very motivated in general but maybe decided to start something because it seemed fun or easy, but then didn’t want to stick with it once that part of it wore off. The people who I’ve seen succeed and thrive the most are those who have an innate level of motivation within themselves and/or constantly seek to build and hold onto motivation. I think it’s important to continuously create motivation within yourself so as not to risk losing it. My motivation is always reinvigorated by talking to other successful business owners and hearing about what cool things they’re creating or have worked on. It keeps me excited for new possibilities and motivates me to do more and do better. Whatever motivates you, I think it’s important to consciously take part in that on a regular basis and make sure you don’t let your motivation die.
Persistence- you will not thrive or succeed if you do not persist when things get tough. Literally no successful business owner will ever tell you that it was easy all of the time or that the success they wanted came on the first try. The number one thing that business owners I’ve talked to on my podcast say, and what I truly believe myself as well, is that the only difference between someone who seems successful and everyone else is that they didn’t stop before they got to that point. To achieve a level of success is simply to keep going until you figure out a way that works, rather than quit before you’ve gotten there. That’s where persistence comes in.
Support system- most of what I’m listing are innate qualities that you ultimately have within yourself, while this one is not. I do realize that people have succeeded without a strong support system, but I also believe a strong support system is one of the things you need to fully thrive- to fully *feel* like you’re thriving. Without it, you can still succeed but I don’t think you’ll feel as much of a sense of thriving and feel like you’re succeeding. Without a support system it’s easy to overlook your success or not even feel or believe in it at all. With a strong support system, people succeed faster and thrive more. You have the power to create your support system. This isn’t built in, and it’s not something you can just say you don’t have if your family or friends are not that supportive of your business. You get to create your support system, and build the group of people around you, so you have full control over your support and what it looks like and provides for you, which is really empowering. Your support needs may be different from someone else’s. It may be one person who you know will champion you no matter what. It may be a small group of business owners who you can bounce ideas off of. It may be an online group that you interact with on a monthly basis for questions and feedback. Or it may be a perhaps more traditional support system of a husband who will make dinner when you have to work late and family who live in town and can watch the kids if you have a last minute meeting. Whatever it is for you, feeling supported helps people do the things they need to do and be in the mindset they need to be in to truly thrive so I think creating that for yourself is incredibly empowering and important.
Self belief — different than just having confidence, self-belief is there even when the confidence wans or wavers. Sometimes I’m not feeling super confident about something specific or for a certain period of time, but I always believe in myself and know that at the end of the day I’m capable and going to make things happen. Failure to accomplish what I want throughout life is not an option and I wholeheartedly believe I have the power to accomplish things. It’s this self-belief, even in the face of uncertainty, or when your general confidence isn’t quite where you want it, that ensures you won’t give up.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

I believe strongly in reaching back to pull up those behind you. We’re all stronger together, and anything that one woman can do to help another succeed is something they should try to do. The first thing I did was found a networking group for other female millennial entrepreneurs, so that we could all learn from and be inspired by each other, as well as aid each other along our journeys. These connections I find to be invaluable, and it’s something I feel strongly about creating and facilitating. I like to think that this group has created positive opportunities for lots of other women and helped them build their business. In 2020 I started a grant for women in business, where we supported a women-founded startup. We gave $5,000 to one woman who was working to start a business but needed that leg up to really get it going. We plan to offer this grant annually and hopefully grow it over time.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I’ve always wanted to start a nonprofit daycare center specifically for single mothers who have little support. It will be free to attend, and provide mothers an opportunity to have the space and time to go to work or school, or even just ‘be’, while knowing that their child is safe and well taken care of without having to piece together childcare or take days off when they don’t have access to it. It would also provide free resources for going back to school, or improving job prospects if they desire to take part in these opportunities, so they can improve their situation in life. I imagine it as a sort of community center, where children and their mothers will both feel at home and supported, in a place that is not tied to religious, educational, or government funding or obligations. I think there are so many women who have a hard time getting the leg up they need because there are many obstacles in the way if you don’t have family or money to help, and if we can remove just one of these obstacles (limited access to affordable childcare) many families will be able to crest the hill and become self-sustainable and be able to thrive and set their family up for generational success, which will have a tremendous positive impact in the long term. I don’t think it’s fair that single mothers end up having to put their dreams on hold and often never are able to live out their potential. I guess if we were going to turn it into a movement, I’d dream to have one or several in every major city, so that this kind of organization was the norm and not a one-off place in one city. I hope to actually get started on the first one in the next 2 years so that may be my next project!

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I’d love to have lunch with Whitney Wolfe Herd of Bumble. I found it really inspiring when she took her company public earlier this year and would love to hear more about her journey. It’s incredible to see the level of success she’s reached, especially given we’re the same age and I started my company before she did, so I can imagine the timeline of what she’s done, but she scaled so quickly and effectively!

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Female Founders: Alessandra Pollina of Quotable Media On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Leah Garcia of NULASTIN On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

“Never quit a race.” Metaphorically speaking, a race is competition, life, business, forward progress, challenge. Once you quit, you learn to quit, and it gets easier and easier.

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry,, I had the pleasure of interviewing Leah Garcia.

Leah Garcia is an entrepreneur, television talent, award-winning infomercial host, and athlete. She is the Founder and CEO of NULASTIN®, a direct-to-consumer personal care company that is disrupting the beauty industry with novel, clinically proven, naturally derived, ethically sourced elastin-replenishment products for lash, brow, hair, and skin. Raised on a ranch in Northern California, she spent years on the rodeo circuit where she captured several all-around championships; a foundational sports path that transitioned her to professional mountain bike racing, fitness, world travel, marketing, and a profound passion for ethics, performance, and wellness.

Thank you for the opportunity! I had a rural upbringing, and growing up on a ranch, I have always been adventurous and ready for the unexpected. Hard work and responsibility were the norm, along with involvement in sports/outdoor activity and a heavy emphasis on etiquette. These were values that my mother (female mentor #1) had instilled in me. My Mom’s family is Basque — both my grandparents immigrated from Northern Spain and no one in my family had graduated from college, making a college degree one of my first major life goals.

At university, I found my niche in studying public speaking and business all while competing in rodeo and triathlons. The first job I landed after college was at an employment agency where the founder (female mentor #2) did everything one should do to run a smart business. Every morning, we would read affirmations centered around lessons from, “A Course in Miracles.” The teaching was to “step into our fears” and meet them face-to-face. I am forever grateful for her guidance. I ended up working in the hospitality industry as a sales manager and loved collaborating and creating with a team of women. After a couple of years under the leadership of a powerhouse G.M. (female mentor #3), I noticed that although I came from a Spanish speaking family, my lack of fluency in the language was preventing me from being able to help a lot of the Spanish speaking staff who turned to me to help communicate with upper management. So, I decided to quit my job, buy a one-way ticket, and move to Spain to immerse myself in the culture.

During this time in the hotel industry, stress had gotten the better of me and I suffered Bell’s Palsy, or facial paralysis, from the pressure I was putting on myself. The right side of my face flopped and the left side was overcompensated. I couldn’t blink, close my eyes, or even drink out of a straw without drooling. In retrospect, I gave myself 10 minutes to have a pity-party. Then, I got to work planning my future with this new norm. The physical setback, as it so happened, was the best thing that ever happened to me as I began to clearly understand what was important to me in life.

While living abroad, I met (female mentor #4) who owned an English academy, and she hired me on the spot. We worked together on developing her company offerings and under her watchful eye, I was introduced to more insight on running a business, press, budgeting, follow-through, and maneuvering to stay ahead of the competition. Teaching English in Spain was lucrative (for my modest needs) and allowed me to have the money and time to pursue my athletic passions. Riding my mountain bike for exercise went from pleasure to purpose. Within the first year of competing, I turned pro. Professional athletes in outlier extreme sports market themselves, pitch to sponsors, fight for position, set goals, and execute. If we fail, we learn, fix it, and continue.

After years racing all over the world and winning my fair share of titles, the door opened to work for ESPN as a side-line reporter and commentator for the U.S. National Mountain Bike Series. Shortly thereafter, the door swung full circle and I was hired to cover rodeo and bull riding. I filled the rest of my time by starting my own business, Naturally Caffeinated®, Inc., with a tagline, “Wake up your potential.” I wrapped my on-air talent work, personal training, and fitness under this corporation. Being on the road 200 days a year presented an opportunity: how to work out while on the go? I launched the Zone Workout Series, later rebranded to Leah Garcia Fitness. The Zone Workout Series was one of the world’s first hotel room workout programs. Despite my best attempt to get funded, I couldn’t get the funding I needed. Production cost a fortune back then. We didn’t have the technology that we do now for video creation. This was go-time, so I self-funded and mortgaged my home to produce seven videos.

I was eventually hired as a spokesperson for Slendertone and later for Contour Core Sculpting System. I worked at HSN hosting infomercials and in 2008, won the Female Presenter of the Year Award at the Electronic Retail Association. Being involved in the soup-to-nuts building of the later brand, which went on to sell $220M and was one of the most successful direct response commercials, was the pinnacle of my DRTV success-driven heartbeat. Nevertheless, after five years my time as a spokesperson had run its course. What I learned during the infomercial tenure was just as much “what not to do” in business, as it was, “what to do.”

All this brought me to where we are today–Boulder, Colorado. Home of entrepreneurs, start-ups, natural food, outdoor adventure, and organic products. Through mutual friends, I met my business partner, Dr. Burt Ensley, a pioneer in the field of microbiology and the inventor of our novel elastin replenishment formulations. This was the missing link to bringing skin back from sun damage, aging, stress, and environmental challenges. Something that was near and dear to my heart, as, to date, I have not completely recovered from my facial paralysis. No other brand seemed to be truly addressing the loss of elastin. My criteria for launching this company were specific: products that are scientifically proven, performance-based, results-oriented, ethically-derived, and accessible. NULASTIN is not just a cosmetic brand, but a lifestyle brand. My vision is that elastin replenishment becomes an essential part of everyone’s life. The end goal is a more vibrant and enriched personal care journey, one where we radiate confidence along the way.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

At a glance, it appears that skincare and haircare brands are all saying the same thing. So, claiming to be disruptive tends to be cliché. Finding a niche is what everyone wants and at NULASTIN, we are doing just that with our skincare and haircare collection. We are disrupting the industry by providing a synergistic blend of active ingredients that deliver scientifically proven biological activity and clinically supported results. Our flagship ingredient, Elastatropin® is a novel elastin protein, the DNA precursor to human elastin, never-before used in cosmetics. NULASTIN’s technology was developed in cooperation with the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Defense as a treatment for wound healing.

Our elastin source is cruelty-free, vegan and ethically derived, and essential. Inadequate and damaged elastin slows and weakens the body’s healing of wounds, increases scarring and wrinkles, contributes to brittle, fragile, sparse hair, and prohibits regeneration of certain tissues and organs. What’s shocking is that the human body stops producing elastin around puberty — meaning what we have at about the age of 12 is intended to last a lifetime. Our formulator and co-founder, Dr. Burt Ensley, is a pioneer in the field of microbiology and has dedicated his life to this research.

The quality and potency of our NULASTIN ingredients is unsurpassed. Our products are proudly made in the U.S.A in small batches to ensure freshness and maximum bioavailability. We literally courier finished batches from our cGMP facility in Colorado to our fulfillment warehouse (a town away), where we pick, pack, and ship to customers’ doors with little to no shelf-time. We don’t just answer to shareholders and chase profits. Our goal is to deliver results and I often joke that it’s impossible for our products not to work. Even the most lackadaisical human will benefit from NULASTIN — which is great news for those of us who are overworked, sleep deprived, stressed or aging. Our skincare products also play well with others, making it easy to incorporate into your current routine.

As the founder, I pride myself in being accessible and involved in the day-to-day of the business. I’ve been a one-woman show for years. The people you see in our marketing and our ads are friends, colleagues, and real customers who have used and loved our products. I would say we are disrupting by delivering on the promise. Real Science. Real People. Real Results.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I was so bold and brazen when I first launched this business. As a former professional athlete my mindset was to race to the top of the hill, push over the peak and sprint down the backside; no coasting allowed. So, I thought with this business, I could work hard, put in the effort, and be rewarded. NULASTIN is 100% self-funded. I tried to get investors but I didn’t know how or who to pitch. Being a TV personality, my instinct was to shoot a video and upload it on a crowdfunding site. After being turned down by Kickstarter, I landed on Indiegogo. To save money, I taught myself to video edit, wrote the script, and created the assets.

In the video, I made promises on hair growth, guaranteed changes to length, thickness and volume, and skin repair, but I had no idea that in doing so, I was violating a lot of FDA rules around the claims you can make about your products.

That iteration of NULASTIN lasted 2 days. Our credit card merchant shut me down. The fault was mine. I failed to stay within the boundaries of what language is legally allowed for a cosmetic brand. I didn’t do my homework.

Shortly thereafter, I hired a regulatory lawyer and revamped the entire campaign, edited the crowdfunding video, and relaunched. I raised $17,000 through crowdfunding, which was enough to purchase my first round of product containers. My business partner manufactured and filled them for me — and I was off to the races, again. This time, with more respect, humility, and awareness.

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

Earlier in this interview, I talked about a handful of female mentors. The women that were the foundational business mentors in my life. I also had a lot of male influences when I was launching my business. A buddy of mine is probably tired of me asking, “Tell the story of how you started your business.” Like oral history, I find that hearing from those who have walked the walk is enlightening.

Athletic coaches and educators (both high school and college) provided me with different skills: Knowledge about how to think, analyze, get creative and maximize potential. I still apply those lessons daily. One quote that I repeat often is, “Following directions is an essential element in maintaining a learning environment in our classroom.” That’s a sentence I had to write 1,000 times because I was unruly in grammar school. What I love about that lesson is that it turned me into a rule follower…without losing my insatiable desire to test the boundaries. There’s an invisible box around us. If you cross the line, you’ve gone too far. But — you can play to the edges and not live in the middle of the rule-box. That’s the fun of life and work. That’s the restlessness that drives innovation, that seeks the extraordinary.

Great minds attract me. I’ve surrounded myself with positivity and people who are making an impact in their worlds. My husband, Ian Adamson, is one of those people. Former Nike Athlete, 7x world champion adventure racer, Guinness book world record holder and classically trained musician. His brain works on all cylinders. He and I met in our 40’s and had already finished our respective athletic careers. Television and entrepreneurship are where we picked up.

Ian took what was great about my experiences and made them better. Training tips and techniques, methodologies, nutrition, marketing, goal setting, planning, organizational savvy, and business acumen. The list goes on and on. He reminds me that “correlation does not imply causation,” and to seek “evidence based science.” He’s that guy that follows the facts. I am a conceptual thinker at heart, a big picture visionary person. This balance of seeing facts, data and science, coupled with the feel-good part of analysis is paramount to the success of my current business.

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?

I’d say that what we can do with science is both positively disruptive and destructive. Chemical warfare, bioweapons, bombs, GMOs, vaccines, robots are disruptive scientific discoveries. Not all of them are morally neutral.

Looking at medicine and the cosmetic industry, we see a push and pull when it comes to disruptive science. Do we love those genetic improvements and how stem cells can repair tissue and organs? Are we queasy that human stem cells may come from animals, embryos, or adult human tissue? Do we question if it’s okay to use genetic “reprogramming” techniques? How do we feel about placental fluid as an anti-aging ingredient?

At the risk of causing a debate, in business, we need to understand the difference between good-science and bad-science. If what we are doing with science works constructively towards helping people, without causing harm, this is a positive disruptive path in my mind. In the case of NULASTIN, we are committed to ethics in science and publication. One thing I like to keep in mind is that without disruption, there is no change.

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

“Never quit a race.” Metaphorically speaking, a race is competition, life, business, forward progress, challenge. Once you quit, you learn to quit, and it gets easier and easier.

I think the quote speaks for itself. Let’s put it into a real-time perspective. Say, you’ve entered your first ½ marathon and your part way through the event, getting passed by other people. You’re tired, scared, doubtful. Your ego gets the best of you and instead of staying in the moment, remembering why you are there in the first place, knowing what it is you want to achieve, you simply stop. Given no external factors (severe dehydration, an injury, or other physical reasons), it’s classified as a mental failure. When you quit, that sets a tone. My experience is that even if you decide to compete again, you’ll find another reason to quit. I’ve known people who self-sabotage way too often. They create an opportunity to fail.

Athletic examples are widespread in my interview responses, but I truly believe they apply to business. I have worked with a few men over the years who have demonstrated this sabotage behavior. They make last-minute, poor choice negotiations that sets the company back detrimentally. COG’s are too high, too restrictive, inappropriate partnerships. The moment they shrug their shoulders and quit taking responsibility, thinking it’s not really their fault, it’s the beginning of the end. Being in the trenches and seeing this phenomenon firsthand, watching someone hit home run after home run — and then witnessing the egregious failures, convinced me that these are moments when someone has quit the race previously — and have come to do it again. It’s their self-fulfilling prophecy of hard-knocks, bad-go-of-it mentality. What I’ve seen is that they’ll start another business soon after, get about to the same spot and repeat the process all over again. This is quitting the race.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

I’m focusing on being in the moment right now and scaling my business. What’s inspiring about this phase is that I’m shaking things up in real-time, touching so many lives. I am providing jobs and opportunities to individuals, companies, and networks. People are benefiting from my products. Visual transformations are empowering confidence. The ability to take control of personal care is freedom and authenticity is power.

Frequently, I get an email from a customer that has had a life-changing experience with NULASTIN. This is typically from the LASH & BROW Serums, or the Vibrant Scalp Treatment. If shaking things up is giving people better eyelashes, fuller brows, and healthy hair, then, I’m on the right path. While I’m hyper-focused on accentuating people’s lives aesthetically, I’m also keenly aware that it’s confidence that I am able to help deliver. Especially for those suffering from thyroid issues, post-chemotherapy, and/or other conditions.

At 57 years old, I think about the meaning of life a lot and what my contribution will be. Hopefully, it’s to make other people’s lives easier and bring some joy to the world. Regarding work, I do think about what my next chapter will look like. Professionally, I’d like to invest in start-ups and mentor founders like myself.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

Funding, opportunity, advancement, and respect. I’m not typically one to harp on these things, but they are very real challenges we face.

Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?

I used to belong to a book club that sent positive affirmation and feel-good publications monthly. My library is still filled with these gems. From Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill to Happiness is a Choice by Barry Neil Kaufman, to one of my all-time favorites — All I Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum and his follow-up, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It. The paragraph about “Ponder” flows into a, “What is it we do” question. Fulghum writes, “Making a living and having a life are not the same thing. Making a living and making a life that’s worthwhile are not the same thing. Living the good life and living a good life are not the same thing.” A job title doesn’t even come close to answering the question, “What do you do?” My takeaway was on par with Fulghum’s point. My work should not be what I do to get paid. The focus should be to do that which gives me great pleasure and makes me feel useful to others.

The book, Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype still sits on my shelf, reminding me, “With every woman there lives a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing.”

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I would love nothing more than to inspire people to be beautiful versions of themselves. A worldwide invitation to radiate in kindness, love, understanding, acceptance, and potential. I’d like to create a movement where people practice honest communication, have trust and transparency, are empathic and inclusive. In this utopia, I see laughter, wit, and wisdom.

Imagine if we put our collective energy toward these things? If I can personally contribute to this, through my practice, business, and life, then, I am making a difference.

Over the years, I’ve had people tell me that I’ve impacted their life, or that what I did by example or action was what they needed at a particularly tough time. These acknowledgements always catch me by surprise, and they are solid reminders that I am better when I am putting myself out there.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

If the “why” is big enough, the “how to” will come. I’ve had a lot of “why” in my life, which I’ve mentioned previously. The “how to” has always come to me through my hard work, the wonderful mentors I’ve had and my persistence on not giving up on the things that are important to me.

How can our readers follow you online?

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahgarciatv/

https://www.instagram.com/nulastin/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missleahg

https://www.facebook.com/nulastin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-garcia-592988/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nulastin/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nulastin

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

Female Disruptors: Leah Garcia of NULASTIN On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women Leading The Cannabis Industry: “Diversity is a must”, With Niambe McIntosh

Women Leading The Cannabis Industry: “Diversity Is a Must” With Niambe McIntosh

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Diversity is a must. If you are in cannabis, you have to be diverse, PERIOD. There are no acceptable excuses here. Every cannabis company should have a diversity plan. We need diversity in ownership, leadership, employees, supply chains, vendors, and right down to the products on your shelves. Every company should seek out education that will make their organization a part of the solution rather than perpetuate the problem.

As part of my series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business” I had the pleasure of interviewing Niambe McIntosh.

Over the last several years Niambe McIntosh, the youngest child of the revolutionary musician and activist Peter Tosh, has stepped up to the mantle to carry on her father’s message and legacy. A renaissance woman, she serves many roles including the head of the Peter Tosh Legacy & Brand; Managing Member of Tosh Holdings LLC; Board Chairperson for the Peter Tosh Foundation Ltd.; and President of PT Capital LLC.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you share with us the story about what brought you to this specific career path?

To be honest, one could say that I was born into the movement, not so much the industry. My father’s music and message advocated for this plant long before I was conceived. His hit single, Legalize It, was introduced to the world in 1976. So in my eyes, I was not “brought” to the industry. I was born into the movement that brought about the industry. What we are all witnessing is a cultural, social, and legal evolution of an industry that is a direct result of my father’s work. Therefore, it’s only natural that the Peter Tosh legacy remains at the center of the movement and the industry.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

After forming The Peter Tosh Foundation, then subsequently forming PT Capital, our cannabis based entity, in 2016, we had planned for a collaboration between the two to launch our cannabis brand SEEN by Peter Tosh. Our vision was to bring Rastafari culture and the spirit of Peter Tosh to the market in a way that maintained integrity and uplifted marginalized voices.

Unfortunately our plans were diverted when, in 2017, Jawara “Tosh 1” McIntosh, my brother, my father’s youngest son, a father of 4, a musician, activist, and a follower of Rastafari, was brutally attacked while imprisoned for cannabis possession, suffering a severe traumatic brain injury. At that time, my family stepped up to provide 24-hour care for Jawara while somehow also managing to stand up and fight for justice. No family should be at risk of losing a loved one due to cannabis prohibition and antiquated laws. Sadly, in July of 2020, Jawara had succumbed to his injuries and passed away.

Before this, the “War on Drugs” was somewhat of an elusive term; jargon loosely thrown around in the industry. But now after a direct attack on my family and our beliefs it was clear that the War on Drugs is discriminatory and ensnaring. My family came to personally understand how insidious it really is. Cannabis legalization is critical.

Do you have a funny story about how someone you knew reacted when they first heard you were getting into the cannabis industry?

A lot of people often ask the question, “who consumes cannabis in my family?” An easier question to answer is, “Who doesn’t consume cannabis in my family?” I am the youngest of 10 children on my father’s side, and I have over 30 cousins on my maternal side. We are Rastas and most of us consume herb.

Cannabis is just a way of life. So the most common response from people that know about my father and his activism is, “It’s about damn time!”

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I definitely could not have done this work alone, and there are so many good people around me that just make life that much more of a blessing. My mom and daughter have been the individuals that keep me in orbit. While Brian Latture and Akayda McIntosh, Manager and Executive Assistant/Niece respectively, for the Peter Tosh Legacy & Brand, have kept the ship sailing through the most challenging waters.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

I am elated to announce that we have been working diligently to launch our cannabis brand, SEEN by Peter Tosh. Our fans can expect more about this come 2022. SEEN by Peter Tosh exemplifies the ethos of Peter Tosh — edification, integrity, and wellness. Those tenets drive our mission to amplify the spiritual and medicinal value of cannabis. Through our brand, we will elevate the stories of marginalized voices of the cannabis movement and represent the Rastafari culture in a way no other brand can.

And what’s most significant about this project, is that a portion of the proceeds will go to the Peter Tosh Foundation, directly supporting our initiatives that: bring awareness to the dire need for cannabis legalization, support the Rastafari community, and ensure that black and brown families that have been targeted by the War on Drugs can truly benefit from the cannabis industry.

Ok. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. Despite great progress that has been made we still have a lot more work to do to achieve gender parity in this industry. According to this report in Entrepreneur, less than 25 percent of cannabis businesses are run by women. In your opinion or experience, what 3 things can be done by a)individuals b)companies and/

or c) society to support greater gender parity moving forward?

Achieving gender parity will not happen overnight, but all of us have a role to play in promoting gender equality.

Individuals must consciously listen to and defend women and girls. We must actively create, attend, and welcome them to safe platforms where their voices will be heard in every aspect of life, including business.

Companies need to lead by example and be led by intention; They must commit to achieving gender parity. Creating a corporate culture that values women, recruits and promotes diverse leaders, and educates company executives and employees about gender biases and inclusive practices.

Ultimately it comes down to setting good intentions, measuring their success, and adjusting as needed.

Society, in general, must be vigilant in demanding the representation and leadership of women and girls in all spaces. Some people don’t like change, while others have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, but the truth is that we all win when we have diversity.

You are a “Cannabis Insider”. If you had to advise someone about 5 nonintuitive things one should know to succeed in the cannabis industry, what would you say? Can you please give a story or an example for each.

1. Diversity is a must. If you are in cannabis, you have to be diverse, PERIOD. There are no acceptable excuses here. Every cannabis company should have a diversity plan. We need diversity in ownership, leadership, employees, supply chains, vendors, and right down to the products on your shelves. Every company should seek out education that will make their organization a part of the solution rather than perpetuate the problem.

2. Find your Niche. This space is quickly becoming oversaturated, with every brand and company desirous of being a household name in the cannabis sector. It’s imperative to find your niche and be the best brand in that niche. Know your audience, demographics, and identity. Running in all directions will not get you far. Fine-tune and shoot straight.

3. Learn to be an Activist too. Most of the regulations written across the country have started off without the right voices heard. In this industry, you have to show up to advocate for what’s right, not just for your business but for the greater good of humanity. How do we all support those that have been harmed by the War on Drugs? How do we promote access for all consumers?

4. Think outside of the box when it comes to entering the industry. Due to federal regulations, there are many restrictions regarding how e-commerce can operate in the cannabis space. Whether you have significant funding or not, it’s going to take strong relationships, collaborations, social media experts, and more to broaden your audience and reach your consumers.

5. Have integrity! — Just do the right thing.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the cannabis industry?

What most excites me about the cannabis industry is all of the progress that the future holds. In 2020, during the pandemic, cannabis was deemed an essential need for the public. That is a long way from where this movement and industry began.

Moreover, the conversations around social justice and equity have grown louder and louder in recent years. And although the regulations around these topics have not been completely successful, I am optimistic that things will continue to improve.

I’m equally excited to have my father’s brand, SEEN by Peter Tosh, make its mark in the industry. There is no better time in history than where we are today for his Legacy to play a role in the upliftment of humanity.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

What I’m most concerned about is the fact that we still have people getting arrested and incarcerated while states make millions of dollars in tax revenues from cannabis. So in regards to reform, we need the immediate decriminalization and legalization of cannabis. This should then result in the automatic expungement of all cannabis-related convictions for prisoners of the War On Drugs.

Another concern is the high costs and barriers to entering the cannabis industry. Regulations should prioritize economic opportunities, access to financing, and industry specific education for individuals and families that have been most impacted by prohibition. The industry needs to be accessible for those that have been a part of the unregulated market, these are the individuals that have paved the way for today’s industry.

Lastly, coming from a family of Rastas, regulations need to support access to the plant for all adults, fear and ignorance based regulations. Cannabis is not harmful like alcohol or cigarettes and should not be regulated as such. Consumers should have the freedom of choice around the mode of consumption and the genetic makeup for which they choose to consume. Our entire approach needs to be revamped.

What are your thoughts about federal legalization of cannabis? If you could speak to your Senator, what would be your most persuasive argument regarding why they should or should not pursue federal legalization?

The objective truth is that cannabis has proven beneficial for a plethora of diseases, a pendulum-swinger in the social justice paradigm, and a fiscal imperative for cash strapped municipalities.

The obvious advantage is the economic benefit. An estimated 321,000 people presently work in the cannabis industry. That number continues to grow with each state that legalizes the consumption of the plant. Plus, some of the earliest states to legalize have made over a billion in tax revenues to date.

Second is the health benefit. The science speaks for itself. From studies showing cannabis benefiting those with HIV, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, PTSD, and various ailments yet to be determined, to the thousands of anecdotal testimonies around the country regarding their personal benefits from consuming cannabis..

Lastly and equally important is the social implications. Cannabis legalization is slowly shifting the needle towards justice. The statistics have revealed major shifts in our criminal justice system. In LA county, the district attorney dismissed nearly 124,000 marijuana convictions since 2020, while in New York cannabis arrests dropped from 28,239 in 2017 to 2,720 in 2020.

This is no longer a conversation about if cannabis legalization will happen, it’s just a matter of determining when and how.

Today, cigarettes are legal, but they are heavily regulated, highly taxed, and they are somewhat socially marginalized. Would you like cannabis to have a similar status to cigarettes or different? Can you explain?

My father once said “Herb (cannabis) is creation. Cigarette is imitation.” I come from a family that recognizes cannabis as a sacrament. It has been in existence since creation; With its first recorded usage dating back to 8000 B.C. The idea of cigarettes in the same light as cannabis is just difficult to conceptualize.

I would like cannabis more widely accepted, available, and affordable as it is much safer than alcohol and cigarettes.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Live Clean and let your works be Seen.” It’s a quote from my dad’s song Stand Firm. It become my Mantra and words I live by each day. “Living Clean” is to have a clean heart, body, and spirit; Being kind with your family, community, and most importantly with yourself. It’s only with this foundation that we can fulfill our passion and let our works be SEEN.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I stand on the shoulders of my father and his legacy, and you’re right that allows me to have influence. The funny thing about your question is that it brings me back to the very first question you asked. I was born into a movement, the cannabis legalization movement! Everyday I work to inspire the next generation of cannabis warriors. My efforts through the Peter Tosh Foundation is MY movement, it’s my father’s movement, it’s our movement.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

Women Leading The Cannabis Industry: “Diversity is a must”, With Niambe McIntosh was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Julia Dawe On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

You have to believe in your business! You will be told “NO” by so many people and you will face so many obstacles that unless you’re really passionate about the business you’re starting and really believe in its potential, you will give up. One thing that helps is surrounding yourself with a group of people who believe in you and your business so that on days when you’re struggling to see whether or not it’s worth it to keep pushing, they can remind you that it is!

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Julia Dawe.

Julia Dawe is the daughter of an entrepreneur, she grew up in a home in Canada where coming up with business ideas and product names with her siblings was as common as playing Monopoly in other households. One day, while leaving the gym, Julia reached into her bag to grab the jewelry she’d tossed in before her workout, fully expecting to have to unravel it when she pulled it out. But on this occasion, her necklace had landed in the bristles of her hairbrush and, for once, her necklace didn’t tangle on itself. Julia had an epiphany- two years and five prototypes after that trip to the gym, Julia had a product in hand.

In 2015, after graduating from The University of Toronto with a teaching degree, I started working full time as an elementary school teacher. I loved my work and never imagined embarking on a different career path. Every day after work I’d go to the gym to participate in a group fitness class. One day I was running late and tossed my necklace into my gym bag, knowing I’d have to untangle it after class. Much to my surprise, when I went to find my necklace I saw that it had landed in the bristles of my paddle hairbrush and the bristles had kept it from tangling on itself! I thought “WOW! That is a really cool idea for a jewelry case” and left it at that. In 2018 I gave birth to my first child, and while on maternity leave decided to use my extra time to see if I could turn my idea into a reality. The rest is history! After a year of prototyping, setting up my business, etc. Blingo officially launched in the Fall of 2019 and I haven’t looked back since!

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

Last year I applied and auditioned to be on Dragons Den, the Canadian equivalent of the super popular American TV show, Shark Tank. Thousands of businesses apply to be on the show from all across Canada so I didn’t think I had a great shot of making it onto the show. Much to my surprise, I got a call saying that Blingo had been chosen to pitch our business in front of the panel of dragons (ie. investors). I couldn’t believe it! Pitching Blingo in front of the dragons was an incredibly nerve-wracking but also a super rewarding experience. Three out of the six dragons ended up offering us a deal which was very validating and we were given incredible advice from all six of the investors.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Once my first prototypes arrived I was so excited to share my idea with the world that I signed up to be a vendor at the first relevant trade show I could find that was taking place in Toronto. It happened to be a luggage and handbag show. An hour into the trade show I realized how unprepared I was! Businesses and stores who were at the show to order inventory for their stores were asking me about purchase orders, turnaround times, point of sale displays, etc. and I had no clue how to answer them! It was definitely a humbling experience. I learned that 1. There was a lot I still had to learn and 2. Sometimes it’s best to take things slowly and execute them well.

Starting a business is tough, especially while raising kids and trying to maintain some sort of work-life balance. I can wholeheartedly say that I wouldn’t have been able to launch or continue to run Blingo without the help of my family members- my parents, my husband, and my siblings have all stepped up to help more times than I can count and I’m eternally grateful to them for being so generous with their time/expertise/resources.

I think it comes down to time and responsibility. While the world is definitely starting to shift, the majority of women are still the primary child raisers, home keepers, cooks, etc. in their families. Until we see more men start to take ownership of responsibilities/duties at home, I think it will continue to be challenging for women to found companies!

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

I think it has a lot to do with the messaging that our young girls are being fed. I grew up in a family where I was told that I could be and do anything that I set my mind to and yet I still grew up believing that owning a business was primarily something that men did. I think that if we show young girls more stories of successful female entrepreneurs they’ll start to believe that founding a company is an option for them.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

Female founders are strong, brave, hard working, talented, creative, etc. and when women become founders they show other women that they can be strong, brave, hardworking, talented, creative, and successful too!

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

I think the biggest myth is that founders have it easy. Popular opinion seems to suggest that founders are able to sit back and relax, while their companies grow effortlessly and this couldn’t be further from the truth! Behind every successful business is an extremely hardworking founder- someone who is willing to work around the clock and pour their blood, sweat, and tears into their business. I believe that success is 99.9% hard work and 0.01% luck (being in the right place at the right time, which one could argue is also a result of hard work).

In order to be a successful founder, you have to be someone who is okay with making mistakes, being told “no”, working hard, and taking risks. If you want to work a 9 AM-5 PM, like to avoid risks at all cost,s or are sensitive to criticism then entrepreneurship is not for you. I don’t think that some people are born to be founders and others are born to work “regular jobs”, I think it comes down to timing (some people are not wanting the life of a founder while raising young kids, but might be super successful founders once their kids are in school and they have more time to focus on their business, etc.) and passion (once you have an idea you’re passionate about and believe in, you can find within yourself the traits you need to be successful), both of which are fluid.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Entrepreneurship is not a straight road up! Obstacles appear all of the time. Some examples of obstacles I’ve faced include receiving samples of products that were ugly, delays in shipments, language barriers between myself and manufacturers resulting in being told “no that’s not possible” for multiple months, Covid, etc. It can feel like a grind! But don’t be discouraged! If you have an idea that you love and you think others will too… keep pushing!
Put yourself out there! One thing I think I did really well in my first year of business was seeking out and signing up for every opportunity for exposure! I have to admit, putting myself and my product out there for purchase and hence, review was SCARY! But, one step at a time! Seeing customers genuinely love Blingo was very rewarding and seemed to fuel my desire to tell more people about it. The more you put yourself out there, the more opportunities you’ll find! In my first year of business I contacted a few hundred influencers, attended multiple trade shows, applied to be on many TV segments, etc. and I experienced a lot of success because of it.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! You might think “why would THAT person want to help me?!” Everyone started somewhere! In my experience, people who have no reason to help me have been so willing to share their expertise! Two examples- Michele Romanow from Dragon’s Den, and Rachel from Hillberg and Berk. Both are super successful Canadian, female, entrepreneurs with who I’ve had the opportunity to connect with since starting Blingo. Both of them are busy women and I thought they definitely wouldn’t have time to invest in me but both have been so generous in providing incredible mentorship.
You have to believe in your business! You will be told “NO” by so many people and you will face so many obstacles that unless you’re really passionate about the business you’re starting and really believe in its potential, you will give up. One thing that helps is surrounding yourself with a group of people who believe in you and your business so that on days when you’re struggling to see whether or not it’s worth it to keep pushing, they can remind you that it is!
Starting a business will require significantly more time, energy, and resources than you think! I remember thinking (naively) that once I worked my butt off to get Blingo up and running, the rest would take care of itself and Blingo would grow organically into a multi-million dollar brand! HA. What I’ve learned is that nothing happens without a lot of hard work, determination, and persistence. Getting a business off the ground is the easy part, the real hard work comes when you want to grow!

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

You mean aside from thousands of women being able to travel without dealing with the stress and frustration of tangled jewelry thanks to Blingo? 😉

Whenever we have the opportunity to give back and support organizations that help people in need, we take them! Blingo is still in its infancy, but as we continue to grow, giving generously will be at the forefront of what we do.

I totally believe in the concept of mentorship and helping one another. I’ve benefited so much from people choosing to say ‘yes’ to investing in me (even when it was of no advantage to themselves) and I take every opportunity to pay that forward! I’d love to exist in a world where more people were engaged in mentorship relationships.

Oh my gosh, if you could arrange a private brunch with Lori Greiner for me, that would be great! Ha

Lori is a powerhouse businesswoman who I admire greatly for her personal success, but also for the way that she gives back to other business owners who are just starting out. Growing up watching Shark Tank and witnessing Lori’s powerful, female presence on TV allowed me to believe that I could be a strong female in business too! Also, I think Lori would LOVE Blingo, so that would be a bonus too! 🙂

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Female Founders: Julia Dawe On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Thomas DeLauer: 5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Can Dramatically Improve Your Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Make Your Bed in the Morning — Starting your day with a good, disciplined habit sets the pace for the day. This has become so important for me since having kids. It’s chaotic in my house, and this is the piece of control that I have on my day and it sets the bar.

As a part of our series about “5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Thomas DeLauer.

Thomas DeLauer is a Nutritionist and Expert in Diet, Cognitive Nutrition and Performance. He is motivated by a guiding ethos of integrated optimization: if you perform better, so does the world. Thomas reaches more than 15 million viewers monthly (on average) through his Youtube channel, where he translates experience and learning from his own health transformation utilizing intermittent fasting and other forms of nutrition into actionable steps for his dedicated community of 2.85 million subscribers.

Can you share with us the story about how you first got involved in fitness and wellness?

I had just gotten out of a high stress, corporate career and it was beyond critical that I started focusing much more on wellness and lifestyle. Although I had a history as a student as an athlete, I had let it all go during my early healthcare career. For me, it was really coming down to life an death. I was close to 300lbs and not going down a good route.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

Still to this day, it is people coming up to me in the store or on the street and thanking me for how I have impacted their lives. It is always interesting to me, because each person has a different story and reason for why they made a change.

Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?

At first, my wife was my videographer. Shooting with an iphone. It was always comical how I could see a certain look in her eye when I said something that she questioned or perhaps stumbled over my words. The amount of trust and how much the judgment of our spouses or loved ones weigh is so immense. It just became comical. We were trying to make a perfect masterpiece the first time through, and now, that is just comical to think about!

Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the fitness and wellness field? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?

My unique contribution is the ability to distill complex subject matter and biochemistry in a way that people can understand and put into practice. I’m not a clinician, I am some guy that has been through it before, but I also have a knack for explaining how the body works.

I am exceptionally grateful towards my wife. I know it’s cliche, but without her trust and her encouragement (even when she looked at me funny during filming) there is no way I could be doing what I do now. She trusted that I would build a business out of this one way or another and she never questioned me. It allowed me to dive head first into what I believed in.

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. We all know that it’s important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, exercise more, and get better sleep etc. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the 3 main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?

Sustainability — Being able to do it for the long term. Sometimes, subconsciously we don’t even start something because it seems like it’s unrealistic to keep it going.

Education — I always say that education leads to adherence. Without educating someone on how their body works, how can they trust to make the changes. They need to know the WHY, even though they may not say it.

Social Pressure — Social Norms are super important. If your new routine is not “cool” or accepted widely, it is going to be that much harder to stick to it. So do NOT make it a big deal. Don’t even mention that you’re changing your lifestyle if you don’t want. Actions speak louder than words.

Can you please share your “5 Non-Intuitive Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”? (Please share a story or an example for each, and feel free to share ideas for mental, emotional and physical health.)

Make Your Bed in the Morning — Starting your day with a good, disciplined habit sets the pace for the day. This has become so important for me since having kids. It’s chaotic in my house, and this is the piece of control that I have on my day and it sets the bar.
Close it down after 7pm — Simply put, eating later in the evening is when we run into trouble. This was my biggest issue. By simply having a contract with myself that unless it was an unusual circumstance like dinner with friends, etc, I would stop earring by 7pm. This made such a difference in my sleep, and I ended up consuming about 300 calories less per day.
Bigger Breakfasts, Smaller Lunches, Smallest Dinners — For me, this was a game changer. I used to always go for a light breakfast, and then I found that later in the day I was exhausted and making bad decisions PLUS very hungry. This has been a gamechanger for me, not to mention there are some interesting studies to back it up.
10 Minute Walks vs Long Workouts — I will tell you, what made the biggest change to my body during my weight loss wasn’t just going to the gym. I realized that on an active day, I would walk 20,000 steps, vs 5,000 that I might get in a structured workout. It’s the perception of a hard workout that really tricks us. You will burn more and become a healthier person just going for multiple short walks per day. Try to get out a few times for just 10 minutes. Amazing stuff.
Get out in the sun consciously — Vitamin D is becoming so much more important than what we thought years ago. Really set specific time to get outside and absorb sun. Mood, Weight Loss, Immune Support, you name it, because Vitamin D is a very active hormone in our body and we are designed to see the sun!

As an expert, this might be obvious to you, but I think it would be instructive to articulate this for the public. Aside from weight loss, what are 3 benefits of daily exercise? Can you explain?

Sends signals to the brain to keep the metabolism elevated and healthy. Exercise is less about the literal effect of exercise and more about the benefit that comes from muscle as an ORGAN that signals the body to burn more and ultimately be healthier.
Mood — This is a big one. Cerebral blood flow (blood to the brain), serotonin that helps us feel better throughout the day, SLEEP — cannot over emphasize how this affects our mood!
Longevity — Being able to support the cells and the mitochondria (what makes energy in a cell) can allow us to use fuels like carbs and fats better throughout the long haul. This can protect a cell and keep it running at it’s max potential for longer. Especially cardio!

For someone who is looking to add exercise to their daily routine, which 3 exercises would you recommend that are absolutely critical?

Squats/Deadlifts — Maximizing as much muscle usage as possible. Bigger muscles require more metabolic demand. The larger the muscle, the more metabolic effort it takes to compensate for the workout. These moves use very large muscle parts plus help activate and stabilize the core.
Walking — Do Not stop walking. Even if you’re resistance training, walking should be a staple in your daily life in order to keep muscles stimulated but also to keep consistent movement throughout the day.
Thrusters — This is where you do a squat movement while holding dumbbells at your shoulders and then press up into a shoulder press at the top of the movement. You only need to do 8–10 before your heart rate is nice and high, giving you a great cardiovascular workout alongside activating large muscles like the legs and shoulders.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story?

“The Magic of Thinking Big” Such a simple read. It helped me understand belief systems and that anything is possible if you just simply develop the right thought patterns and outlook. I was depressed after exiting my previous career, thought that I would have to settle for the same kind of corporate grind. Reading this book forced me to put things into proper perspective and stop doubting myself.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I want to start a movement to reinvigorate family values in our world again. I think much of health and fitness is so focused on vanity these days, sometimes we forget about the real reasons that we are working on our health and wellness, and that is to be able to live a vibrant, full life. Sometimes in the age of digital media we lose sight of the things that are truly important. I want to inspire parents to instill healthy habits in their children as well.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

“Money Doesn’t Wait Atop the Hill, Glory Doesn’t Wait Atop the Hill, all that waits atop the hill, is the top of the hill” — This was actually a quote from a Nike ad decades ago, but it’s so important, it’s tattooed on my shoulder. Don’t do it for any reason other than to just do it. The amount of times I have been paralyzed by my own thoughts, waiting for the perfect scenario or setting is countless. I have learned that a minimum viable product is much better than no product at all. Just get it done and get moving. No more motivation, 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why?

It is a big mission of mine to make a big impact in Formula 1 and Motorsports in general. My father was a racecar driver (he passed away a few years ago) and it’s been a big driver for me to focus on cognitive nutrition in motorsports. I think that if we can spread the word of health and wellness to a younger generation that is into performance (motorsports, formula 1, etc), we can make a very big change in the world. I’d love to sit down and have breakfast with Zak Brown (CEO of Mclaren).

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

Definitely YouTube — http://www.youtube.com/thethomasdelauer

IG — @ThomasDeLauer

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Thomas DeLauer: 5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Can Dramatically Improve Your Wellbeing was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Riddhi Gangolli Of SmileDirectClub on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help…

Women In Wellness: Riddhi Gangolli Of SmileDirectClub on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Technology free time: We are surrounded by technology and distractions most of our lives. I always allocate time within the day when my mind is allowed to creatively wander.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Riddhi Gangolli BDS, MS, PhD, Sr. Director of Professional Education and Marketing for SmileDirectClub.

Riddhi Gangolli BDS, MS, PhD, is the Sr. Director of Professional Education and Marketing at SmileDirectClub and focusses on helping dentists grow their practice using the company’s unique telehealth platform. She has a broad and deep understanding of the dental field. Her experiences are rooted in oral care, biomedical research, innovation, commercialization, and healthcare marketing. With a multidisciplinary background she is a boundary-spanner driving medtech focused innovations for physicians and dentists. Gangolli earned her Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from Padmashree Dr D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth in Maharashtra, India, holds a Master of Science in Biomaterials and Biomimetics from New York University and earned her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from Temple University.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

My career goal is to bring best in class medical devices to the hands of health care providers (HCPs). I took a multidisciplinary approach to my goal using my technical and marketing expertise to develop and bring medical devices to HCPs. I am a dentist and have an MS in Biomaterials and a PhD in Engineering. I have enjoyed using my background to bring technologies and products to life as part of the R&D and marketing teams at Glidewell labs, Straumanngroup and now SmileDirectClub. SmileDirectClub has been able to provide access to care over 1.5 million people. The access has been able to push dental care into the lives of many who never considered it before due to the high cost or inconvenience. Dentists and orthodontists have always been a critical part of SmileDirectClub clear aligner therapy treatment, but we created the Partner Network in early 2020 to open our teledentistry platform to more dentists and orthodontists, giving them the opportunity to expand their current services and provide patients with the ability to get started at a SmileDirectClub-affiliated dentist’s office if they choose.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

There have been several instances that have been impressed on my mind, most of them have to do with understanding a new perspective through a journey of learning. While I was working as an Innovation scientist as Glidewell labs, my team lead was able to bring me into a broader discussion that involved product marketing. I was immediately drawn to the subject and enjoyed contributing through the many stages gates that go into a successful product launch. I am still grateful for that experience because it showed me the path to the next steps of my careers which would involve product development and management, clinical affairs and HCP marketing. My learnings from the process were to always be open to new experiences and imbibe a culture of learning and humility throughout life.

Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I was starting off in my career as a young professional, I had not fully internalized that owing a practice is akin to owning a small business. As the dentist, you are the executive, financial, operational, clinical and marketing lead for your practice. I was able to learn quickly through keeping an open mind and being okay with knowing what I did not know. There is no better way to learn than being neck deep in the problem. I learned to fail mindfully rather than just failing fast while breaking things.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

The doctors who use the SmileDirectClub teledentistry platform have safely and successfully treated more than 1.5 million patients. Their before & after photos speak for themselves, but we also look hard at the data. Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a great indicator of our Club Member satisfaction. We have one of the highest NPS scores in the healthcare industry. SmileDirectClub is customer-centric, and we pass that same level of care on to the doctors who are part of our Partner Network. We also found in a recent health survey that 1 in 7 people said they visit their dentist more regularly after their treatment and 4 in 10 people said they brush and floss their teeth more frequently following their treatment.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

Have a good routine: Exercise, get 6–8 hours of restful sleep and have good physical and mental wellness check-ins from time to time.

Oral Care: You get just one set of adult teeth, so take care of them. Using a water flosser, fluoridated toothpaste and an electronic/power toothbrush is a great way to ensure your pearly whites last a lifetime.

Read as a way to disconnect: I am an avid reader, I love reading different genres spanning fiction, nonfiction and biographies.

Technology free time: We are surrounded by technology and distractions most of our lives. I always allocate time within the day when my mind is allowed to creatively wander.

Work- Life balance: Spending time and deeply bonding to friends and family is very rewarding. I designate time to do this each and every day so I can lead a fulfilling life at home and at work.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Mental wellness is a very necessary issue to consider in our society, especially this last year due to COVID-19. Acknowledging the need and developing ways to address common issues would be a giant leap forward for our community.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

The top 3 things that are the most meaningful to me include:

Access to care and use of telehealth would become the next frontier in medicine/dentistry

Remote patient monitoring and connected care would be the best way to keep patients close to their doctors without disrupting their lives

Providing new solutions requires a matrixed environment and a combination of skillsets housed within diverse groups

Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

As I mentioned, mental health is the dearest to me. Mental health is often stigmatized and not considered as essential in many countries. We at SmileDirectClub consider it a top priority and I am thankful for the attention we give to this topic. Just like any other medical concerns, prevention is always better than cure. No matter what demographic you belong to, having a wellness check that includes mental well-being can often be the prevention most people can incorporate in their daily lives.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

Connect with me in LinkedIn!

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Women In Wellness: Riddhi Gangolli Of SmileDirectClub on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Vanessa Bird On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

You can succeed at this. Taking that first step is so difficult. It’s exhausting thinking of all the ‘worst case scenarios’ and ‘what ifs’, so much so they really do delay you making the leap and founding your own company. Believe you can succeed and focus on that. It took a lot of people giving me a much-needed pep talk to remind me that I can bring something to the table AND be successful.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing The Aesthetic Consultant®️ Vanessa Bird.

Vanessa understands the challenges faced by successful aesthetic practitioners , businesses and clinics and coaches them to succeed in a competitive market. Vanessa builds world-class Luxury Patient Experiences, dramatically increases revenue for her clients and enhances their positioning and reputation in the aesthetic medical arena. Visit www.theaestheticconsultant.co.uk to find out more.

I side-stepped from working in FMCG sales into capital equipment sales, specialising in selling non-surgical devices to doctors, surgeons and clinics wanting to perform anti-ageing aesthetic procedures. Working in this fast-moving sector was exciting and I absorbed everything I learned from others in industry, identifying the most effective ways to generate business, how best to create a luxury patient journey, ways to promote treatments and also how to teach clinic staff selling skills After 11 years success in aesthetic medicine sales I set up my own consultancy business 2 years ago specifically to help medical professionals build successful clinics, sharing my knowledge and experience with my clients to ensure they reach their full potential.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

There are so many interesting things that happened to me since I founded my company, however the stand-out one was the pandemic! I was 5 months into running my new business before it hit, closing down all my clients’ clinics and leaving me (and many others) with a stressful time ahead. Through one of my connections I was invited to be part of a weekly business webinar service, providing information free of charge to any of the people in our industry who had their clinics closed down. By working hard to come up with new content every week for months and sharing my information freely this opened up many doors. These included speaker opportunities at conferences when we reopened society, new business, referrals, magazine articles and collaborations. This interesting plot twist of a pandemic (!) has shaped my business in a way I could never have envisioned and for that I am grateful.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Pricing! I was used to selling something physical in the shape of capital equipment and when I started my consultancy business I offered my skills and services ‘for sale’ instead. I had no real idea how long a project may take, or how to price my time so I found myself working long hours for weeks for pennies! This was my own fault for not thinking through the timings and pricing but when I look back and think of the months of coaching I did for one particular client when now I would charge 7 times the amount I just have to laugh or I would cry. I learned the value of my time and expertise pretty quickly after that.

It would be unfair to name just one person as I have so much gratitude for so many people. Whether they guided me, offered support, gave pep talks when I was down or even made a throwaway comment that triggered a lightbulb moment, I am grateful to every single one of them. I’m lucky to work in an industry full of generous, supportive people.

History, upbringing, education and society all play a role in holding back women from founding companies. Are we really encouraged in the way men are? Sadly not. Maybe there is no one factor that stands out but when you have history books filled with men who started companies, families who saw the father as the main breadwinner when the mother stayed at home to raise the family, a slightly biased education system that unconsciously encourages women to select more ‘female friendly’ subjects and a society that almost expects women to be the caring supportive role, is there any surprise when all these things combined result in less women even considering starting a company as an option? Has it even crossed their minds to do it?

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

Remove any limiting beliefs we may have that consciously or unconsciously pass down to women around us. Do we ask our male colleagues when they plan on starting a family or whether they have kids? Not in the same way we ask women we meet. Are we genuinely surprised if we meet a woman who runs a company compared to how we react when we meet a male company boss? Stop and check yourself and see how many beliefs and expectations you hold when it comes to the typical roles for men and women and let’s try and open up possibility to everyone.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

The cliche that we multi-task? That’s true. So when you’re first starting out as a woman you will be able to multi-task and wear many hats as you grow your company rather than relying on hiring in help. We are naturally more empathic and this gives us an edge in business as it allows us to understand how a customer or competitor may be feeling and the reasons behind their actions and adjust our approach accordingly.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

One big myth is that’s a lonely life. It really isn’t! If you surround yourself with good people who support you and look out for you then you’ll never feel alone.

I may be biased as sales is my background, but I do believe sales people have the drive and self-discipline to be a successful founder. We spend years planning our time to be most efficient, networking with people, growing business relationships, working well under stress and ‘selling’ ourselves as well as the brand we represent. It’s almost like Founder Training! However if you have no real desire or motivation to get out of bed in the morning, need to be told what to do or wait for sales to come to you then you’d be better off working for someone else.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

You can succeed at this. Taking that first step is so difficult. It’s exhausting thinking of all the ‘worst case scenarios’ and ‘what ifs’, so much so they really do delay you making the leap and founding your own company. Believe you can succeed and focus on that. It took a lot of people giving me a much-needed pep talk to remind me that I can bring something to the table AND be successful.
You are better than you think. When you are good at what you do, your reputation grows as does your confidence. When I worked in sales I was at the top of my game, the best rep in the company and super-confident I could deliver. Yet when I started my own company doubt crept in. All of a sudden I worried that nobody would hire me or that they would be disappointed in the quality of services I offered, even though they were equal to if not better than the services I provided alongside every device sale I did as a sales rep. You eventually build back your confidence yet every now and then it pops back up, usually when you introduce a new service. Believe in yourself.
Taking a holiday may well be more stressful than going without. When I worked in sales I used to schedule in holidays around times when I was ahead of target. I thought that once I ran my own business I would be able to go away at the drop of a hat. Wow, how wrong was I? If anything I am less able to go away simply because the workload does not accommodate it, and when I am not working I am not earning. Based on those facts alone, holidays can really stress me out. I’ve since learned to make time for a holiday and force myself to switch off completely as nobody wants a burned out business consultant!
Don’t under-value what you offer. Price accordingly. It’s easy to price low to begin with as you want to attract customers but you’ll soon learn the value of respecting your own skills, experience and talent and price yourself where you belong. You have identified a gap in the market and you’ve launched your business to meet that gap, so why offer your skills and services for peanuts? Price low and people expect a poor service. Price high and they will respect your services and time more.
Don’t take on every single project, client or opportunity. It may feel counterproductive to say no to a job but trust your instincts. Some clients or projects really are bad news and no amount of money is worth the hassle, stress and time. I won’t name names but there are certainly a few clients I worked with that I probably should have said no to.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

I hope that by unlocking the potential in my clients that I do in some way make the world a better place simply because I helped them improve their businesses. I also make an effort to support small businesses now I am a founder compared to before when I was an employee. I understand what they are going through and if I can get what I need from them over a big corporate then I will do that time and time again.

I would create a Networking Group, not just for business opportunities but for support too. It’s nice to be nice and sometimes it’s all about what you can do for someone rather than going to network simply because you want something. If there were more networking groups that encouraged a more supportive viewpoint I think that would really help a huge number of people

I follow Jade Dunkerton, founder of clothing brand Holland Cooper on instagram and she really is incredibly motivating and inspirational. She is hugely supportive of women in business, shares business knowledge with her followers and really knows how to build a brand and run a successful business. She doesn’t pretend it’s all easy and she works hard for her success. I would just soak up any advice, tips and words of wisdom she may have over lunch. If you’re not following her already then I recommend doing so. @jadehollandcopper

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this

Female Founders: Vanessa Bird On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women Leading The Cannabis Industry: “Know the history of cannabis prohibition” With Sysamone…

Women Leading The Cannabis Industry: “Know the History of The Cannabis Prohibition” With Sysamone Phaphon of KhuenPhu

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Know the history of cannabis prohibition so you understand why it’s important to create a brand or company in this space that also supports those affected by the war on drugs. There are too many brands or companies forming in this space because they want to be part of the green rush. They fail to learn or realize there are still states incarcerating people for possession of cannabis while other states are profiting.

As a part of my series about strong women leaders in the cannabis industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sysamone Phaphon, CEO of KhuenPhu (pronounced Kun-Pooh).

Sysamone Phaphon is a leader and advocate for diversity and inclusion in the Cannabis industry. She is the current CEO and founder of the AAPI inspired CBD Nanoemulsion brand, Khuenphu. Sysamone also provides growth strategy & marketing consultancy for the cannabis industry through a digital marketing agency called A.V.O. Prior to pursuing the consultancy path & building her own company, she was previously the Head of Growth for cannabis manufacturer, Vertosa, where she managed PR, Marketing and brand partnerships for Vertosa & their various cannabis brand clients.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the cannabis industry?

Prior to joining the Cannabis industry, I was managing growth and partnerships for a health tech startup. However cannabis has always been part of my life as a medicinal remedy. My mother used to put it in our pho broth to boost the flavors or to support our healing needs. My parents saw cannabis as an herbal remedy versus a gateway drug, so we grew up with the plant as a medicinal option. When the industry became regulated and recreationally legal I was given the opportunity to join Cannabis active ingredient manufacturer — Vertosa to manage growth for the company. I joined without hesitation knowing that I could learn so much from the team and really build out my dream brand through the experience and knowledge I would gain from the leaders at Vertosa.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

The most interesting thing is watching my parents wear my company swag and brag about me and my company to their friends. Typically Asian parents want you to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer. At one point in my life, they really wanted me to be a doctor. Cannabis is still a big stigma in the Asian community because of the fear and consequences that resulted from the cannabis prohibition era & the war on drugs. Fortunately for me, my parents are so proud of this path I have chosen because they understand how beneficial the plant is to our health. I learned that transparency and education are important to break stigma and stereotypes. Educating my parents, their friends and our Asian community has decreased their fear of this industry and really what pushed them to approve of my entry into the industry.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I make many mistakes weekly. haha. It is part of the entrepreneurship path. One of the funny mistakes I made was underestimating the effects of full spectrum hemp derived CBD. Our team was testing a 50mg full spectrum infused gummy as a potential new product for our sleep category for those with really bad insomnia. I made the mistake of consuming it midday and ended up passing out and had a nice 15 hour sleep session. I woke up to many missed calls and messages asking if I was still alive. The lesson I learned is that it’s definitely best to test new product formulations especially for sleep after dinner time.

Do you have a funny story about how someone you knew reacted when they first heard you were getting into the cannabis industry?

Honestly the funniest words from a reaction I have received is… “You’re a legal drug dealer”. I’m sure pharmacists receive that comment all the time. Everyone has jumped for joy and have been ridiculously supportive ever since I joined the industry. I get a lot of requests from my family and friends for free products to sample and test. That’s their favorite part about me being in the industry, they get access to free samples.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I am grateful for my partners, advisors, team members and family. Everyone has helped me get to where I am today. Most of the professional people in my life have supported me freely with their skills and services and it’s a blessing to build a company at this early stage with low operating costs due to all the free support I have received.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Yes, I am super excited about international expansion. Currently a lot of Asian countries are jumping on the CBD train and I am very happy about being able to supply retail businesses in Asian countries with our products for their consumers. More to come soon on which Asian countries will be activated in the near future with Khuenphu products.

Ok. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. Despite great progress that has been made we still have a lot more work to do to achieve gender parity in this industry. According to this report in Entrepreneur, less than 25 percent of cannabis businesses are run by women. In your opinion or experience, what 3 things can be done by a)individuals b)companies and/or c) society to support greater gender parity moving forward?

Champion early stage women founders. These women need the most guidance and support from people that have paved successful paths in the industry.
Create equitable programs that actually serve their purpose in supporting the marginalized versus creating one just to say your county has one. There are too many equitable programs that are not serving the real needs of their county. I’ve seen many licenses handed out to equity applicants however there is no follow through or real hands on support with the process to help an equity approved business applicant get to a stable starting point.
Create access for exposure that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. The cannabis events and conferences that are active in the industry discriminate against brands that are not backed by venture capital. These events charge ridiculous exhibitor or vendor fees. Not only are they pricing themselves out of the industry but they’re not inclusive for bootstrapped founders.

You are a “Cannabis Insider”. If you had to advise someone about 5 non intuitive things one should know to succeed in the cannabis industry, what would you say? Can you please give a story or an example for each.

Sorry I only have two suggestions versus five for this answer. 😁

Know the history of cannabis prohibition so you understand why it’s important to create a brand or company in this space that also supports those affected by the war on drugs. There are too many brands or companies forming in this space because they want to be part of the green rush. They fail to learn or realize there are still states incarcerating people for possession of cannabis while other states are profiting.
Research the latest technology in the cannabis industry such as Nanoemulsion. Science research is continually evolving the industry products. We cannot evolve this industry and remove the negative stigmas if we are not continually advancing our products safely to showcase more of the science advancements and its benefits for general consumers.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the cannabis industry?

Growth potential stateside when federal legalization happens.
Growth potential internationally as countries change their laws to legalize cannabis for medicinal & recreational use.
New Product innovations that continue to happen for the industry. I love seeing new products launch into the market.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

The # of people that are still incarcerated on cannabis charges concerns me while the rest of us are profiting. They should all be expunged and provided proper transition programs into society.
Another change that needs to happen is a change to the regulations that hurt the businesses in the regulated industry and keep the illicit market thriving. There’s a lot of self serving creation of industry regulations by politicians but not a lot of listening to actual cannabis advocates and business owners.
Equity programs not created or in existence for many recreationally legal states and their specific counties. If we’re going to activate states for recreational use, those states should also be creating programs that support those they crucified during the war on drugs.

Let’s look at the research and data to help us make intelligent informed decisions versus taking a biased stance and self interest promoting position. There’s enough evidence and research to back up the benefits of federal legalization. I suggest we rely on the data to persuade senators towards legalization versus how much a Senator can profit for their own benefit if they vote in favor of federal legalization.

No, cannabis is its own category and is not harmful to our health like cigarettes are. Cannabis is beneficial for our health, not detrimental. I prefer that it has its own status in the market with regulations that make sense for businesses in the industry.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Lead by example. I live by this quote daily because I cannot expect others to follow my lead and be motivated enough to work as hard as I do if I am not willing to roll up my sleeves and put in the dirty work myself.

Opposite of the DARE drug program, let’s say Yes to plant medicine! I would love to inspire an educational movement that destigmatizes cannabis worldwide for all age groups. Providing transparency and proper education programs on consumption, understanding labels, and understanding how products are made would be the best way to destigmatize the plant. An education movement that not only educates but helps people understand how to properly select & consumer safe and stable products. An education movement that also allows access for all to the benefits of the plant. Education is the strongest weapon we have to change the negative narrative that was created for the cannabis plant.

Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you only continued success!

Women Leading The Cannabis Industry: “Know the history of cannabis prohibition” With Sysamone… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Natasha Pearl Hansen On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman…

Female Founders: Natasha Pearl Hansen On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Know what type of company you are building and do it correctly out of the gate. I jumped to starting my company as an LLC, and had to convert to Delaware C-Corp within a year in order to internally structure properly. It’s much more cost-effective to do this right from the start. Use attorneys! It’s worth it.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Natasha Pearl Hansen.

Natasha Pearl Hansen is a comedian, creator, podcast host, and entrepreneur who began her multi-faceted entertainment career at Second City Chicago in 2007, moving to Los Angeles a few years later. She quickly began touring as a stand-up comedian, acting, writing, producing and directing for stage and film, eventually leading her to start a production company and creating multiple comedy series with wins in film festivals and with major networks. When her wedding was canceled in 2019, she decided to use the venue anyways and self-produce her first comedy special “I Was Supposed To Get Married Today” which came out on Amazon Prime this year, also leading her to become the CEO + Founder of MyBreakUpRegistry.com a crowdfunding and registry platform for people going through breakups.

Thank you for having me! I actually left pre-med in college to pursue comedy, so I knew when getting into an entertainment career that I was going to have to be really business minded to create the life I wanted. When I first started touring as a comedian, I didn’t love certain aspects of the road life — cheap hotels, going to small cities in the middle of nowhere, and lacking enough breadth of or solid material to not bomb on stage. I worked hard to build material and a personal brand so I could tour where and how I wanted to, and I learned every aspect of the business side of entertainment that I could. About five years ago I had started to build up enough of a name, written enough jokes, and had enough knowledge of creating partnerships that I was able to start curating my own tours. That’s when I really started falling in love with my career, by taking control of it. I started to pursue brand deals and work with startups and apps, and I found a really cool niche between entertainment, branding and tech. That’s where I started planting a seed in myself that I’d be a startup founder one day.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

I think everyone in a leader role deals with impostor syndrome, and even though I trusted myself as a leader in entertainment, I didn’t know if others would trust me as a founder. So, I decided that I’d have to be authentic throughout the process and the right people would find me. I submitted to pitch my company over zoom to a VC fund that invests in women founders, and I essentially ran the pitch like I would for a TV show — made it fun, interesting, and engaging. I was totally myself. After the pitch they said they only reach out to maybe 1% of pitches for followup, so don’t try and get in contact. I got a call a week later that they were interested in investing. It turns out people do really want to invest in YOU, not just your ideas! We are still in talks on next steps and working to find another investor or two to match them, but that was an extremely encouraging experience.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Ooh I made a few… initially when I was planning out my design palette for the site, I hired a branding and design person off of Instagram. This person I had followed for years and they were incredible with their own brand, but the designs I got back for my site were so far off of my vision I didn’t know what to do. I called the woman and we had a candid conversation about it and I was just honest about how I felt, and that I didn’t think our aesthetic lined up. She handled it so well and refunded my large deposit, and we simply agreed that maybe this wasn’t the right project for us to collaborate on, but we’d find a better way to work together in the future. You’ll make mistakes, but if you’re at least honest about them with the people involved, you can always find a way to shift and correct. I ended up finding the perfect designer shortly after!

I’m inspired by a lot of founders, especially women in entertainment and entrepreneurship I’ve met and befriended through the years. The two people who stick out here are my friends Carly and Matt. Carly and I grew up together and she became a powerhouse with Amazon by being the force that she is. She’s helping a new startup scale now, and we bounce stories and trials off of each other all the time. She was one of the first to encourage me with this business when it was just in its infancy as an idea. My other friend Matt offered my so many resources as I journeyed into becoming a founder, even giving my his assistant for a few hours to handle tasks I couldn’t get to. I trust my friends and their brains, and I love just chatting over the phone about founder whoas whenever we get the chance — we always help each other come up with our own solutions to our problems, which is fun.

The designation of a company as being female founded is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you have those that are willing to back and support female-driven ventures, and on the other hand you have those that see that designation and perceive it within the stigma of it being backed solely because there’s a woman founder. Women want to be considered CEO’s and founders, not “female CEO’s and founders.” I’ve dealt with this my entire comedy career as well, and as much as we appreciate being notable as a woman, we want to just be considered notable, period. Fear of how we are being perceived and distinguished tends to be a big factor in wanting to take that leap into founding a company or not.

Also, the designation of a company as being female founded can make it seem like the company ONLY serves women, when many women-founded companies aim to serve a broader scope of the population. I built my company to help anyone and everyone, regardless of how they identify, and I want to be provided opportunities by anyone that understands my vision and trusts me with it.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

I’m a huge fan of sites like iFundWomen, where I donate back to a lot of women-founded companies on a regular basis, but this all comes down to letting women know to take their own action whether or not they think they have support. There is so much money out there, and an internet full of resources, but it takes hunting and work to put those resources in your own hands and funnel them into your own company. The more we can open up conversations about what women need to fuel their life and their business endeavors, the more we talk about salaries and funding options, the more we can discover. We can’t be afraid to share our resources with each other. It only harms the greater whole.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

Women leaders I admire tend to lead in a fierce yet vulnerable way. I look up to so many women founders and leaders, and I feel like women are very willing to listen to their audience and build in a way that caters to them. Women tend to pave the way for other women, so the more of us who become founders and CEO’s, the more opportunity we can continue to create for those on their way up.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

That you need a co-founder! Ooh this is a tough myth… and you don’t need anyone to believe in your vision as much as you, because if you believe in it the most, then you alone can give it the most. Nobody should fear starting a company on their own. I have worked on combatting this myth since MyBreakUpRegistry.com was simply an idea, and I will continue to work to show other founders that they can launch alone and take their time to bootstrap, build right, and find the right team over time.

Definitely not everyone is cut out to be a founder, but I think people naturally weed themselves out of roles like these if it’s not the right fit. Fifteen years in entertainment prepared me and gave me all the tools I needed to handle building a corporation: rejection, inquisition and comparison are rampant in Hollywood as well as the startup world, and I’ve taught myself that every “no” is inching me closer to a “yes,” and to celebrate all the little wins along the way. Even getting a response you don’t want is still a response, and responses are a good thing. Founders have to be capable of listening, yet knowing the vision and building toward it. Founders have to be able to pivot and redirect when needed. Founders have to be willing to lose everything to create their dream, but also know deep down they won’t have to, because they’ll find a way. If you’re able to live outside of your comfort zone, take risks, and have large pockets of financial uncertainty, great! Go be a visionary. But not everyone is leading the charge and there’s tremendous value in being a person that carries the work forward toward the end goal. Founders can’t create and scale without people who can facilitate the vision, and facilitators keep the machine oiled and running. It’s all a functioning unit, and whatever your place is in that unit, it is valued and necessary.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Know what type of company you are building and do it correctly out of the gate. I jumped to starting my company as an LLC, and had to convert to Delaware C-Corp within a year in order to internally structure properly. It’s much more cost-effective to do this right from the start. Use attorneys! It’s worth it.
If you’re hiring any sort of designer or developer, you can craft a tier-style payment plan based on milestones of product delivery. Designers and developers are willing to work with you, and they also want to make sure you’re happy and that their time is worth the end result. Check-ins along with a broken down payment structure really helped me build at a steady yet realistic pace while also getting constant updates.
Don’t read too many stories from other founders while you’re in build phase. As much as other people’s journeys can be inspiring, no journey is the same, and it’s good to keep your focus on doing things your way rather than trying to emulate someone else’s success.
Be honest with your friends, family, audience — anyone who will listen — about what you need and where you’re at. I built my company in public and am continuing to, and if people think everything’s going smoothly for you, there’s so many offerings for help you’ll miss. As I opened up about roadblocks and setbacks throughout my build, I was floored by the types of responses I received, be it connections or discounts or free photo shoots. People can’t help you if you don’t tell them what you need!
It’s OK to build at a steady pace. Nothing needs to be the biggest and the best right away. Bootstrap, get scrappy, and find ways to make it work. It’s better to build right and with integrity than to get in over your head. If my company would have blown up the second I launched, I wouldn’t have been prepared. Now I am. Don’t be afraid to pace, nobody will (or should) judge you for it.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

I mean, I’m trying! I think all founders want to build something remarkable, and create opportunities for others, but it takes time and is a constant work in progress. My biggest through-line in my entertainment career (comedy, hosting my podcast, writing) and in my company is being open about perceived failures and understanding how those things actually built to your success. I love owning a rough moment in my life and moving forward from it, and my art and entrepreneurship reflects that. I hope to keep inspiring people to shine through their setbacks, let them be a learning experience, and move the F forward.

That’s exactly what I’m trying to do with MyBreakUpRegistry.com — inspire a generation of people who are willing to be open and vulnerable about what they need after a breakup. We all go through them yet we aren’t supposed to talk about them. We are just supposed to be OK, and we aren’t. These moments in our lives are the most painful on so many levels. I’m reminding people they can lean into their community, take care of themselves properly, and get the help they need to heal and come out stronger on the other side, eventually.

I am really focusing on partnering with brands in the mental health, wellness, experiences, dating and travel spaces with my company in 2022. I have a giant note in my company’s CRM of people I admire who would be excellent brand partners for MyBreakUpRegistry.com. Barbara Corcoran is my number one. Her success was fueled by a breakup, and I have watched her on Shark Tank since the series began. Danielle Pergament, the Editor in Chief at GOOP would be incredible to meet — GOOP readers are aligned with my company’s target market and I would love to pick her brain. Justin McLeod the founder of Hinge — I would love my site to partner with a brand like theirs, a dating app “designed to be deleted” and help people find love again after a breakup. Jonathan Beskin is the founder of Single Swag, which is a subscription brand I’d love to partner with and feature on my site. Some other outliers are mission-driven bad a** women like Jessica Alba, Selena Gomez and Zoe Barry. And can I exit this list without mentioning Oprah?

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Female Founders: Natasha Pearl Hansen On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Melissa Bentivoglio On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman…

Female Founders: Melissa Bentivoglio On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room. In my business, I am constantly learning and iterating and re-evaluating the strategy, operations and the business. As the CEO, there is a lot of pressure to be the strategic innovator, visionary and exhibit leadership. As Socrates poetically said “ True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves and the world around us”.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Melissa Bentivoglio.

Melissa Bentivoglio was immersed in the world of elite classical ballet training and competitive dancing from a young age until University. While healing from a sports related injury, Pilates was prescribed for rehabilitation. In 2018, Melissa designed her own custom reformer which eventually went into her boutique fitness studio, Frame Fitness, located in the heart of Toronto, which opened February 2020.

Throughout the majority of my young life into my emerging adulthood, I was dedicated to elite classical ballet training and competitive dancing. While healing from a sports related injury, Pilates was suggested to myself for rehabilitation. I saw it as a natural evolution to my life as a dancer. This drove my deep dive into Pilates instruction and fitness training. I became a teacher in Toronto’s top studios for over a decade and developed a robust private client roster of professional athletes and top executives. In early 2018 my focus shifted from fitness training to product design. I embarked on the journey of industrial design and prototyping whilst renovating and designing a fully bespoke brick and mortar boutique studio in the heart of Rosedale, Toronto. Frame Fitness opened February 2020 with my custom “ Frame By Melissa” studio reformers.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

The most interesting story that has happened to me is actually starting the company. It was very serendipitous. I had been working for two years toward designing my own proprietary Pilates reformer, while concurrently building out my brick and mortar space. After 24 long months, my studio was finally open. I had started to sell out classes, and the energy within the studio was infectious. Six short weeks later, the pandemic happened and my studio was forced to close its doors. Although devastated as a result of the forced closure, those first few weeks of the pandemic created an opportunity for me to spend quality time with my three kids and allowed my creative juices to flow. I’m not a big TV watcher, so when my three kids were asleep at night, my seldomly idle mind was permitted to wander back to an idea I had had while designing my first reformer. At the time I had completed my first reformer design, I was 9 months pregnant and did not have the mental bandwidth to fully explore the proof of concept which was ignited as a result of becoming so inundated with work and preparation to open my own studio, that I was unable to train my private clients, a few of which had reformers in their homes but still required me to instruct them.

This was the start of a journey in which I partnered with my husband, while we were both at home in quarantine together, uprooted my three children and moved to another country

(Toronto to LA) to start a business during a global pandemic.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I am not sure how funny the “mistake” was, but it was a valuable lesson I learned at the inception of forming Frame Fitness. Amidst the earlier days of seed fundraising, a potential investor waited until I finished my lengthy pitch to tell me that even though the concept had relevant market value, a female mother of three without prior CEO experience would not be able to lead a company of this magnitude (given the hypergrowth in the competitive landscape and the market comparables that we would be going up against). I became very combative and tried to substantiate my value. This unfavorable perception of me could have negatively impacted my confidence and my ability to raise capital but instead I focused on my affirmations and my unwavering belief that I could do anything. Two months later and one hundred hours of pitching, I completed a successful seed raise. I have now learned that if you are trying too hard to persuade a potential investor of your value,or anyone for that matter- it’s the wrong fit. You can’t persuade people who won’t listen.

My mom has been instrumental in assisting me in fulfilling my passions and dreams from a very young age. Her unwavering support from the time I was a determined eight-year-old entering dance competitions to moving to another country with my husband and I to help raise our three children while I was working 15 hour days to launch this company -would NOT be possible without her. Lee, my partner in life and this new venture has also helped me achieve a great deal of early ‘subjective’ success. His positive attitude is a nice compliment to my competitive type A personality. Furthermore, he is innately gifted at developing and maintaining a far reaching and vast professional network which has proven invaluable in this business.

Less than 2.3% of VC money in the U.S. last year went to female-led startups. A substantive decrease from 2.8% the year prior. Persisting gender inequality is a very complex social matter. Similar to any oppressed group, there are deeply challenging systemic barriers holding women back from achieving gender parity in positions of power. Societal norms and institutional laws all play a role, contributing to this disparity. Women were and remain disproportionately affected by the socioeconomic fallout of the pandemic. Moreover, working women are more likely to take on all familial and household responsibilities. According to Forbes Women, working mothers are eight times more likely to look after a sick child. This uneven distribution of unpaid work contributes to the “ double burden” that women routinely experience.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

First and foremost, laying the groundwork for the youth, who are our future. If gender equality is tacitly instilled at a young age, representing the norm, it will facilitate and foster a gender balanced strategy. In addition, we must change the narrative and start to foster the confidence in young women to believe that they can be leaders and entrepreneurs. Creating a home environment which fosters egalitarian modeling will help to reinforce the gender balanced strategy. It is also so important to make funding more accessible to women given that 97.7 % of institutional money is given to men. As a women-led company, I recently requested from a headhunter that I wanted “MORE women applicants,” so far I have received one.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

I’m biased as a strong female personality, but I believe that women’s strength and resilience are just some of the many reasons as to why women are natural innovators. Women in general have the propensity to be very intuitive beings and are very focused on understanding their teams and consumers. Women bring unique perspectives and viewpoints to revolutionize products and industries. Most concisely, more female founders will allow us to get closer to achieving gender parity and thus sustainable economic growth. More women should become founders because women-led startups employ more women, and when considered as a group, are more likely to succeed, with higher dollar-for-dollar returns on investment.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

The founder’s trap. I find it exceedingly frustrating when warned about the myth that founders become incapable of delegating and that they must do everything themselves. While elements of that resonate, particularly when a startup is in its infancy, the execution of the business plan is essential to success and that requires a team.

I wouldn’t encourage anyone to seek a “regular job” as an employee vs. entrepreneurship. If I had listened to the peripheral perspective, I would not have raised a $5M seed round with fitness veterans. Statistically speaking, start-ups have a disproportionately high failure rate. A successful founder has a plethora of traits that correlate to success, but the absolute most critical traits are resilience, a strong sense of self (because you will be told YOU can’t do it more times than not), adaptability, and the ability to anticipate and thus mitigate as much risk as possible. Lastly, an unwavering belief that you are doing something meaningful and impactful. When someone is extremely passionate, there is no stopping that person.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Trust your gut instinct. That intrinsic feeling is evoking emotion for a reason, trust your intuition.

You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room. In my business, I am constantly learning and iterating and re-evaluating the strategy, operations and the business. As the CEO, there is a lot of pressure to be the strategic innovator, visionary and exhibit leadership. As Socrates poetically said “ True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves and the world around us”.

Allow yourself to say no! As a CEO and business starter, it is important to have a clear, passionate vision. If something comes your way that deviates from that vision, it is okay to say no! Only you know what your vision is, and you should never let anyone change that.

Make sure to instill balance into your life. With the digital and work from home world we live in, it can be very easy to slump into work mode 24/7. Eventually you will run out of energy and focus, which can only hurt you in the long run. Be sure to continue to work on yourself and a work-life balance, mental, physical and emotional health should always be a top priority.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help! When you start your own business, it feels like your baby, and can be difficult to allow others to get involved. However, asking trustworthy people for advice and help may lead you down a stronger road than you thought.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

I am still on my journey to success, but I vehemently believe that living in a conscious world, where women-led companies are the norm, health is a priority and conscious consumption exists, will make the world a better place. As I continue to evolve my platform, I would like to focus on achieving gender parity, and continue to educate and draw awareness to our subconscious role in perpetuating societal inequalities.

I would like to inspire a movement where women say no to the endless pursuit of physical perfection. Say NO to FaceTune and the filters that literally make you unrecognizable to yourself. Not being able to post a photo without using a filter or airbrushing it, is extremely harmful to a woman’s self esteem, even if this harm is of insidious nature. It is a terrifying thought that many women can’t leave the house without makeup or post a photo that hasn’t been digitally altered and airbrushed. On the surface, this toxic and damaging thought process was instilled at a very young age and every woman has experienced the feeling. Why do men not feel the need to hide their face or alter their social posted images?

This answer could vary depending on the day, but I would say Jessica Alba. I find the story behind her brand, The Honest Company, to be very inspiring and something that we have all experienced as consumers — not being satisfied with the quality or safety of a product, but also not being able to find any great alternatives. Clean products have become very popular, but in 2011, Alba was one of the first to disrupt the market with a mission-driven company. The Honest Company provides safe and clean alternatives to standard products that often contain harmful chemicals. As a woman who became a mother in 2011, honest products became staples in my household. In addition to her entrepreneurial success, she is an advocate for gender parity in the workplace with many initiatives such as closing the gender wage gap and actively seeking more female hires in C-suite positions.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Female Founders: Melissa Bentivoglio On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.