Category: Featured

The Future of Beauty: Ali de Bold of ChickAdvisor On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake…

The Future of Beauty: Ali de Bold of ChickAdvisor On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Beauty Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

I’d say feed your soul. I think it’s related to being kind, but beauty truly isn’t something we put on or create from using the right makeup. It’s about living a life that’s true to who you are — gay, straight, trans, black, indigenous, people of color…and everyone in between. We are in a century of discovering, identifying and claiming our whole selves and that comes from being who you are from the inside out.

As a part of our series about how technology will be changing the beauty industry over the next five years, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ali de Bold, co-founder ChickAdvisor.

Ali de Bold is the co-founder of ChickAdvisor.com, Canada’s most trusted product reviews website.

Launching in 2006, ChickAdvisor was Canada’s first product review community and was the brainchild of Ali and her husband, Alex de Bold. The couple found the company from their living room without any external funding and have since turned it into a community-based institution. Today, ChickAdvisor is thriving with hundreds of thousands of members across Canada, USA and the UK, working with top-tier CPG brands. The company has also launched Butterly, a community-building software for brands, XYStuff.com and FamilyRated.com which are niche product review sites with active and loyal followings. Ali is a third-generation entrepreneur and a graduate of Ryerson University’s Radio and Television Arts program.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I had way too many partially used bottles of product cluttering my bathroom. I shared a one-bedroom condo with my then fiancé, and the situation was getting out of hand. I didn’t want to throw the products away because I felt bad about wasting them, but I was frustrated by the many times I had purchased something and didn’t love it. I spent some time searching on Google to see if there were any sites where women were reviewing beauty products, and there weren’t any. It was 2005, and while there were things like Consumer Reports, Amazon was still primarily an online bookstore. There was nowhere on the internet to review a face cream or a mascara or read other people’s thoughts. I expressed this frustration to my fiancé, and he suggested we build something together. That led to the launch of ChickAdvisor.com in September 2006.

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

There have been so many. Would you like to know about the investors who didn’t want to invest in me because “women are too emotional” (which became the motivation I needed to carry me through every moment I thought about quitting)? Or the time we almost sold our business for tens of millions? Still, then the buyer backed out two weeks before closing? How about how COVID-19 nearly tanked our business when the ad industry went into a complete standstill for months but then actually opened another revenue stream for us as we innovated to stay afloat? The anecdotes are many, and I think my overarching lesson from all of them is that while people will be helpful throughout your life, you need to be your own hero. It’s not what we’re taught when we’re young, but if you embrace that you’re going to make mistakes, lose things, and sometimes fail, it’ll open you up to getting on the roller coaster. This, for me, has been the most thrilling, terrifying roller coaster of highs and lows I could ever have imagined.

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there any takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?

The tipping point was when the tiny den in our condo got so full of products that PR companies had sent me to review; I had to come up with a better solution. I started reaching back to the brands and asking them if, instead of me reviewing them all (and I couldn’t possibly), I could identify members in my community who were the right fit for the products to test them out and put together a marketing program for them around it. This became very successful and is now our primary source of revenue. It has also become a vast and competitive industry, and I think it’s cool that it was my idea.

The takeaway is that the best ideas come out of challenges. Obstacles should be viewed as opportunities to invent something or improve something. If you can adopt that mindset, it can be fun figuring out how to solve a particular challenge.

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

There are so many people who have helped along the way. Arlene Dickinson was one of the first serious entrepreneurs to believe in me. We met when my company was featured on a CBC Dragon’s Den spinoff show called Fortune Hunters. She was the marketing expert to weigh in on the viability of our business. I loved what she said about us and sent her some flowers to thank her. That led to a meeting and then many more meetings over the years where she gave me her time and her insights around ChickAdvisor. We have since lost touch, however it gave me such a boost that she believed in me and what we were doing. If Arlene Dickinson thinks it’s a good idea, it’s a good idea.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The beauty industry today has access to technology that was inconceivable only a short time ago. Can you tell us about the “cutting edge” (pardon the pun) technologies that you are working with or introducing? How do you think that will help people?

The most innovative brands are learning how to connect with their fans directly, using their feedback to develop consumer-driven products. They’re entrusting that their fans are the best possible people to lean on to help grow their business vs relying on traditional market research and advertising. To facilitate that, we created and launched our new software, Butterly, in Spring 2020, giving brands a tool to easily build their own communities. Surprisingly, despite loyalty being the sweet spot for every brand, most brands don’t have communities, and very few take the time to collaborate with them. Butterly allows varying levels of community engagement on everything from product launches to getting customer feedback on how to best market their products. The technology doesn’t require an IT diploma, and we handhold our clients through the steps. So far, brands in highly competitive spaces who see that customer engagement is truly the future of marketing love it. We have worked with many already, including CoverGirl, Dr. Oetker, Batiste, Dial, Schmidts and countless others.

It’s important to remember that these tools are excellent for brands to improve and refine their offerings to their customers. Perhaps more importantly, today, they are giving the customer a voice to provide sometimes critical feedback. Not everyone is a complainer. Many people genuinely want to be helpful, and loyalty comes from being invested in the brand promise.

Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

Our approach is somewhat Black Mirror, I guess, in that other people’s reviews will determine the rank. But, I think they took what is a good idea for consumer products and made it about people, which is obviously a bad idea. Since we launched 15 years ago, we have been educating brands on what consumers truly want. They want quality, authenticity, and transparency. In advertising, they want the truth, and they want to be able to respect the brands they support and see themselves reflected in the ads.

Reviews are the number one driver of purchases today. Reviews are written by regular people, most of whom do not look like supermodels and provide good feedback. Beauty brands are learning to be comfortable with their fans representing them on social media and, in doing so, being real people who aren’t perfect but are perfectly authentic.

In that sense, our technology empowers the consumer and facilitates a relationship between buyer and seller that harkens back to simpler times when, for example, you could tell the baker how you liked their bread and cared. In the case of our technology, the only downside is the programs we run don’t have unlimited products for everyone who wants to get in on reviews.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry?

As an overarching theme, we are using technology to better match beauty products with the beautiful variety of skin tones out there — this is a no-brainer. From a pure technology standpoint, I’m excited about the tools creating colour blends for lipsticks at home on a whim (or an outfit). And how AI is being used to help people better manage things like trying on eyebrow shapes before they hit the brow salon. The third thing would be that in general, like most things, the customization of everything from colours to scents is being provided through technology versus a one-size-fits- all approach to beauty products, and I think that’s exciting.

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

I think I touched on it earlier, but the industry is still relying too heavily on unattainable images of “beautiful” for both women and men. In North America, it’s still hooked on beautiful youth who have perfect bone structure and skin, and if they don’t, they are tweaked in post-production. While some inroads are being made, we need to address this head-on as an industry because we all know the hurt and loss that can come from people feeling like they aren’t “enough.” That would be my first change.

The second would be diversity. Full stop. We are better because of our multitudes of cultures and backgrounds, including what “beautiful” means within each. The Eurocentric standards have got to change faster.

The third thing is going to be a plug for my business: beauty brands need to get better at building communities of engaged customers and working with those people versus using market research and best guesses as to the foundations for innovation.

You are an expert about beauty. Can you share 5 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Sure. I think beauty is a mindset as much as it is a look. So feeling beautiful could be as simple as using a great smelling hair product or loving the texture of a skin cream. My 5 ideas would be:

Love the YOU that you are today — it’s always okay to have goals and aspirations but remember to be positive about what’s going on with you right now, even if it’s just one thing.
Treat yourself to something with a scent you love. It could be a hairspray or a cream or a bath bomb; it doesn’t matter. The scent doesn’t have to linger. It just works as a reminder every time you use it that you like and enjoy this smell. I love the scent of this one night cream that I use. As I put it on before bed, it’s a daily reminder of one of life’s little joys and helps me wrap up the day with something nice for myself.
Sleep more. We are all way more resilient when we are rested, so whatever negativity comes at you, life feels a bit easier. Also, everyone looks better, well rested!
Be kind because feeling nice feels beautiful. We all get a blast of whatever chemicals in our brain when we do something nice for other people. At the end of the day, feeling good is a massive part of feeling beautiful.
Finally, I’d say feed your soul. I think it’s related to being kind, but beauty truly isn’t something we put on or create from using the right makeup. It’s about living a life that’s true to who you are — gay, straight, trans, black, indigenous, people of colour…and everyone in between. We are in a century of discovering, identifying and claiming our whole selves and that comes from being who you are from the inside out.

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. 🙂

Wow, this feels important. What’s top of mind for me today is unrelated to our conversation so far. Still, with the pandemic and how governments responded to support people, I think that a living wage would reduce stress and anxiety, allow people to pursue passions and feel more comfortable embracing failure. Our societies would advance in so many beneficial ways. We’d be more willing to test things, but people wouldn’t feel like they are struggling to survive, so the overall reduction of anxiety would benefit everyone. I don’t think people would stop working; I think they’d pursue innovation more boldly. We made it work with several potential options, but that would work for the movement to figure out. I’d like to imagine a world where kids might one day feel that they could pursue anything they desired without worrying about it being successful enough to support them.

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

“Let everything happen to you, beauty and terror, keep going. No feeling is final.” — it’s just a reminder that when times are tough, and you’re feeling all the feels, remember, things will shift, and the feeling will pass. I found this thinking helpful at my lowest of lows and during my high points — it forces me to stop and be mindful during the good moments as well.

How can our readers follow you online?

I’m probably the most consistent on LinkedIn — Ali de Bold — but you can also find me on Instagram @alidebold or TikTok @alidebold. Reach out and say hi!

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.

The Future of Beauty: Ali de Bold of ChickAdvisor On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Christina DuVarney of Beautiful Disaster Clothing On The Three Things You Need…

Female Disruptors: Christina DuVarney of Beautiful Disaster Clothing On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

You will never know exactly what you are doing. This could not be more true! You can either spend your time preparing and over thinking or you can invest your time DOING. You must be prepared to fail, if you do not have the backbone to be continually knocked down then entrepreneurship is not the right path for you. BUT if you know that you will stand up more times then you get knocked down, then take that risk! I had no idea what I was doing when I started this brand and business, I just knew I had a purpose backed mission and that is all I needed, everything else is figureoutable.

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

Christina DuVarney is the proud owner of Beautiful Disaster Clothing. Beautiful Disaster is a multi-million dollar brand that distributes confidence and self-empowerment through apparel with a purpose.

They are not just a clothing brand, Beautiful Disaster is an Identity.

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 was raised by a single mother and abandoned by an alcoholic father. My mother didn’t have a lot of money or help, but what she did have was a strong work ethic. She raised me on her own while working 3 jobs at the same time. I watched her fight hard and work her butt off to provide me with the best up-brining possible. I watched how hard she had to work to earn just enough for us to get by. That stuck with me.

I can remember from a very young age that I had a hard time connecting to trendy clothing brands and nothing ever felt like it was right for me. I had an understanding at an early age that what we wore was a reflection of who we are. I would cut my t-shirts, tie knots in them and often tie-dye or splatter paint my own clothing, so that it was something I felt pride in wearing. Looking back this was the very beginning of my career path towards creating a brand of clothing that had deep meaning for whomever was wearing it.

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

Being an outsider myself, and carrying with me a feeling of not fitting in, it was natural for me to lean towards doing things outside of the box and against the grain. In a world of who’s wearing what brand name, I felt it lacked substance and meaning. Every day you have to wear clothes and what you choose matters. I have never been one to choose something to wear simply because it was trendy or society told me that if I wanted to be a part of a certain status or culture that this was what I needed to wear.

I feel that Beautiful Disaster Clothing is a disruptor, not only in the apparel industry, but in the area of self-acceptance. Society wants us to wear a certain luxury brand to represent our value or virtue signalling some sort of status class and I think that is harmful to society and women in general. We disrupt that pattern.

When you wear Beautiful Disaster Clothing, you are making a decision to pull confidence out of your closet, you are slipping self acceptance onto your body and you are giving a message to yourself and to the world that you embrace your imperfections, you are trying, one day at a time, to love yourself and you are transforming your life to the best of your ability. You are a walking visual reminder to yourself and others that we all have a story and you are not ashamed of your past mistakes.

Self acceptance is more beautiful than any fancy brand name or societal “club” and finding a tribe of supportive, like minded women that are also a work in progress feels like home.

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’ll only say this is funny now because of the gift of hindsight. At the time it was no laughing matter, but now that I know what I know, I can honestly look back and giggle. When I first started a clothing brand, I thought of a cute name (no it wasn’t always Beautiful Disaster) for it and immediately started printing T-shirts and Tank tops and various items. I would set up my little tables at various events that were local to me and one day I got a letter in the mail (a cease and desist to be frank) from the company who actually had the trademark for the brand name! I was clueless and it was a big mistake and caused me to have to change the name of the brand (blessing in disguise). It is laughable at how naive I really was and how little I really knew about starting a clothing brand.

The big lesson I learned was to seek legal counsel FIRST, so that I did not repeat the same mistake. It was an expensive, but important lesson in business. I am grateful that I made that mistake, learned the hard way and did things the right way from that point on.

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?

I am a self-development junkie. One of the smartest moves I have ever made was getting mentors very early on. From books and courses to groups and advisors, I have always known that I don’t know it all! I crave the knowledge of people more successful than me, more spiritual than me, and people much smarter than me!

One of the masterminds that I participated in was by Gary Vaynerchuk and it was a 2 day deep dive into my business and how to develop strategies that would help to scale our brand and impact more lives with our meaningful mission. Little did I know, this mastermind was more about me as a person than it was as a brand owner. I learned that everything starts within me and my mindset. It’s amazing how we can think that business is black and white or a list of tasks that you need to execute, but in reality the most important ingredient in any business is its people and it starts at the top.

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?

This goes back to what I was saying earlier about society and the narrative of perfection that is running rampid. The fashion industry, particularly in the area of celebrity influencers, has disrupted our entire culture and in some ways it has some very nasty side effects. Keeping up with the Jones’ (or Kardashians) can disrupt a woman’s sense of self. I am witnessing it with my own eyes. The bigger the lips, the bigger the tooshie, the more liked you are. This is sad and dangerous. Seeking outside acceptance through trends and status symbols seems reckless.

At Beautiful Disaster, we prefer to flip that narrative on its head and promote imperfection, self-acceptance and authenticity. To love and respect yourself for who you are, what you have been through and encourage every woman in the Beautiful Disaster tribe to lean into what has really withstood the test of time and that is Self- Respect, Growth & Personal Power.

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

● You will never know exactly what you are doing.

This could not be more true! You can either spend your time preparing and over thinking or you can invest your time DOING. You must be prepared to fail, if you do not have the backbone to be continually knocked down then entrepreneurship is not the right path for you. BUT if you know that you will stand up more times then you get knocked down, then take that risk! I had no idea what I was doing when I started this brand and business, I just knew I had a purpose backed mission and that is all I needed, everything else is figureoutable.

● Start right where you are.

100% Accurate. Arthur Ash said “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.” I have been guilty in the past of waiting too long to take a chance because of fear or feeling ill prepared. Nothing will ever happen without a start. I waited way too long to go “all-in” on this dream.

● You are going to die.

Sounds harsh right? Good it should! We are all going to die, that is certain. You do NOT have all the time in the world. You should move swiftly towards what brings you joy in life. If you are not moving further from pain and fear and closer to happiness and fulfillment, then in my opinion you are wasting time. Time is our most precious commodity. I lost the closest person to me in a horrific car accident and her entire life ended in the blink of an eye. She was only 33 years old, recently engaged, dreaming of becoming a wife and mother. She had just started her teaching career and assumed she had much more time ahead of her. We are all guilty of this. Be steadfast in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.

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

We are just getting started. We have not even scratched the surface of reaching the millions of women around the globe who are looking for a tribe to love them and support them. A place to call home, a safe place to feel heard, understood, empowered and appreciated.

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

Honestly, I can’t say because I am not a man. As a woman, I have trailblazed this industry as a woman and have never encountered any issues based on my gender. Now, that may be because we are a women empowerment brand and have amassed a tribe of incredible warriors and aligned ourselves with vendors and partners who not only respect our mission, but believe in it.

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

Where do I begin?? Remember, I told you I am a self-development junkie! If I had to make one recommendation it would be a nook that quite literally changed my life it would be the book, Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

Think and Grow Rich reveals the secrets that can bring you fortune. By suppressing negative thoughts and keeping your focus on the long term, you can find true and lasting success. Napoleon Hill details his philosophy through the following 13 principles:

● Desire

● Faith

● Autosuggestion

● Specialized Knowledge

● Imagination

● Organized Planning

● Decision

● Persistence

● Power of the Master Mind

● The Mystery of Sex Transmutation

● The Subconscious Mind

● The Brain

● The Sixth Sense

I’d like to think that we are already on the path to inspiring a movement by taking an ordinary decision of what to wear and making it an extraordinary experience. With every fiber of clothing it is our mission to empower the beautifully broken and perfectly imperfect. Helping women have a little more confidence and self acceptance is the mission of the Beautiful Disaster movement.

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

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger. This is relevant in my life and also a common thread (pun intended) in the lives of our Beautiful Disaster tribe. Life is hard and can throw daggers at us, sometimes on a daily basis. If we can begin to dodge the weapons that life throws at us we can experience growth. With each knick of life’s sharp edges we can heal and emerge stronger.

How can our readers follow you online?

Explore our collections at bdrocks.com and you can find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube under Beautiful Disaster Clothing. Our Twitter handle is @bdrocks and our Tik Tok handle is @officialbdrocks. If you would like to read the stories of hundreds of women in the Beautiful Disaster Tribe, you can explore our blog at www.bdrocks.com/blogs/tellingyourstory.

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

Female Disruptors: Christina DuVarney of Beautiful Disaster Clothing On The Three Things You Need… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Nora Anna of PerfectGifts4Me On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as…

Female Founders: Nora Anna of PerfectGifts4Me On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

You always need more money for a start up than you think. No matter how you crunch the projection numbers, add 50 percent more and even that may not be enough. Don’t let this discourage you. There are many programs for start ups that are extremely helpful. Reach out to your community, your state, and the federal government. There is a lot of money out there.

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

Nora Anna is the CEO of PerfectGifts4Me and Coconino Consulting Group. PerfectGifts4Me is a platform that takes the guesswork out of the gifting process. She is extremely knowledgeable in how to balance two businesses as a CEO, and how to make her business thrive in spite of the pandemic.

In 2020, America’s spending on Valentine’s Day chocolate reached a rather magnificent $2.4 billion, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). As for flowers, 37 percent of consumers bought flowers, spending $2.3 billion on them.

That’s $4.7 billion dollars on chocolates and flowers — really big business. There is nothing original going on here. To me, gift giving is a miracle and should be treated as one.

According to Psychology Today — A well-received gift can improve the quality of the relationship between giver and recipient by increasing feelings of connection, bonding, and commitment. A poorly received gift can do the opposite.

Doing my research, I discovered that 77 percent of consumers plan to return their holiday gifts after receiving them. When I ask friends about their holidays, I get responses like –

“My wife does not know how to buy presents for me.”

“I just threw my presents away. They were so bad. I would not bother re-gifting them.”

“It was a nonevent. We stood around exchanging gifts cards.”

“I hate my presents and it’s such a hassle to return or exchange them.”

I started talking about the idea with my friends and family. We all have adult children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews. The list is endless. Getting presents for all of them is downright daunting. Getting presents they want is nearly impossible.

On Valentine’s Day, February 14th 2020, PerfectGifts4Me.com was born to make the thought count; to take the guesswork out of gift giving; to be a platform to replace the “hint.”

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

Certainly, COVID-19 had a major impact on how all of us live and do business. We postponed roll out by seven months. We did not want to be perceived as taking advantage of a really horrible set of circumstances.

While assessing our new lives, we realized that some sectors of the business world were more deeply affected than others — the small business community and the non-profit community.

During the Pandemic’s height, I was driving through my own community and I noticed every other store front was shuttered. Non-profits were all desperately competing for the same money.

My thoughts were — if 77 percent of holiday gifts are returned, exchanged, or thrown out, we need to channel these resources elsewhere. PerfectGifts4Me.com became socially responsible. The Personal Gift Profile now has three components instead of one — My Gift Gallery — for gifts you really want; Save the World with Me — for non-profits you wish to support; and Support my Small Business Community to bolster beloved neighborhood businesses. Imagine the time and energy to be saved. Imagine those wasted resources being helpful to our communities.

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 running late to a meeting. I decided to take a shortcut. In my way was this fence. To go back and go around would take too much time. In a split and thoughtless second, I looked at my watch and said to self, “I can make that. It’s only 6 feet high” and up and over the fence I went. As I hurriedly climbed back down, I jumped the last couple of feet not knowing my skirt had caught at the top of the fence. When I landed, my skirt had ripped off and was dangling from the top of the fence on the other side.

What I learned? Your Mom is right. Always wear clean underwear in case you are in an accident -but — seriously — time really is valuable. When you are late to a meeting, the impression given to the people you are meeting is that they are not important. Organizing your time properly is one of your greatest tools in the shed.

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?

I have learned from so many wonderful people who have been generous with both their time and knowledge. If I had to pick just one, my Mom is my biggest hero. She taught me many many valuable life (and business) lessons but most importantly to have faith in myself and be unwavering in the face of adversity. The storm will pass. The sun will shine again. Tough it out. Some doors will close or remain closed. Go to the next door and keep knocking.

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?

Fear!

Simply put — most women feel (or have been told) they are not smart enough or good enough or have the resources to compete when the complete opposite is true. There is more opportunity for women business founders on any scale even in this extremely volatile climate we have now.

You need a good idea, commitment to that idea, and thorough follow through. Re-read the part about my Mom and the doors.

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?

Education. Education. Education. I don’t just mean university. Find what gives you passion and learn everything you possible can about it. Work with people in the field even if you are taking out their trash. Learn from them. Respect your successful elders. They are happy to share knowledge they obtained the hard way.

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 old adage — “Variety is the spice of life” holds very true here. Women bring a lot to the table. While we are equal to men, equality does not mean the same. We are very different from men. We see and feel things uniquely. We need to have more faith in ourselves and be free to show the world what we have to offer.

Being a CEO and business owner is a lot of hard work but it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I feel I make a difference. I learn every day. My efforts are appreciated. These are invaluable assets I was not getting out of corporate; however, my corporate experience gave me very valuable lessons for which I am grateful.

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

Too many new business owners think they are going to make a billion dollars in the first six months and it just doesn’t work that way. They are gravely disappointed when this does not happen; they give up; they walk away. This is a shame.

Owning and running a business is a serious commitment with a lot of responsibility and surprising amount of hard work. You need a lot of fortitude and skin that is at least 3 inches thick. The rewards are worth it. I left corporate in 1999 and I have never looked back.

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.)

#1 — You always need more money for a start up than you think. No matter how you crunch the projection numbers, add 50 percent more and even that may not be enough. Don’t let this discourage you. There are many programs for start ups that are extremely helpful. Reach out to your community, your state, and the federal government. There is a lot of money out there.

#2 — The importance of mentors is highly underrated. This goes back to education. Really listen to people. You will be surprised how much you learn.

#3 — Being a baby in the tech world is very daunting. Learn the language. Understand what you need and how to communicate how to get it. When we were searching for a developer, we found ourselves knee deep in designers.

#4 — Digital Marketing and SEO is filled with very expensive pitfalls.

#5 — I have heard Bill Gates said, “If I only had one dollar left, I would spend it on marketing.” Whether Bill Gates said it is the stuff of urban legend. The trick is to spend it on the right marketing for your business and your budget.

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

PerfectGifts4Me.com is about turning gift giving back into joyful exchanges with each other and redirecting wasted resources. It’s not just about the money but the time and energy as well. All those resources can be redirected back into our communities, families, friends, and partners.

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.

In a society where everything is very disposable, we need to value people more. Value of life needs to become a great priority and soon. To me the janitor is just as important as the CEO. When I see people treating wait staff badly, I absolutely say something. I jubilantly greet and appreciate my Sanitation Engineers (aka the Garbage Man).

Also, in our society the elderly, the infirmed, and the special needs communities are vastly under serviced and that needs to change. It’s not just money. People need to change their attitudes and how they react.

There is a tremendous shortage of properly trained people to work or volunteer in these communities. Once again, I call on education. All high school and college students should be required to spend “x” number of hours working or volunteering in the Special Needs communities as part of their curriculum especially if they are going into the health care or teaching sectors.

I feel the same way about our environment. There is a desperate need to understand we all share the same planet. We all live in the same space suit so to speak. We need to take better care of it.

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 would love to sit down with Elon Musk. He is our generation’s Alexander Graham Bell. Elon Musk is a brilliant visionary. I think it would be fascinating to have a private conversation with him. I hope he is free for lunch.

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

Female Founders: Nora Anna of PerfectGifts4Me On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Jennifer Chan of Banato On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

The day I launched my business, it flopped. We launched Banato in the middle of a summer fair where a torrential downpour rolled through. We were completely screwed. We had 3 customers total and physically needed to hold down the tent to stop it from blowing away. It was one of the saddest product launches in history, but something told us to keep going, so we did. Nothing felt scary anymore.

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer Chan, Founder and CEO of Banato, a Chicago-based banana sorbet company that is turning the food industry upside down by challenging popular connotations of dessert. Banato is a banana sorbet with no dairy and no added sugar which is fighting to make fruit a popular alternative to conventional desserts. Founder Jennifer Chan is on a mission to teach kids about the importance of fruit and natural sugars while making them cool. Banato has been listed in Chicago Magazine as a 2021 “Can’t Miss Cool Down Necessity,” and was selected for the 2019 NPR How I Built This Fellowship program.

My grandfather had a restaurant, my uncles had restaurants, and ironically my parents didn’t know how to cook. Both of my parents worked full time, so me and my sisters were often left at home with packs of instant ramen and pop tarts. When I was old enough to hold a pan, I stumbled upon our neglected cookbook collection and became instantly hooked. I worked my way through all the cookbooks in my house, then rode my bicycle to the library to grab more. I clearly inherited our family culinary gene.

Years later, the strangest series of events happened. One day, after being drafted into a beauty pageant, I went on a panic diet and began inventing an ice cream made entirely of fruit with no added sugars. After weeks of chucking bananas in a blender and making this ice cream, I noticed that my roommates were eating it. All of it. That is how Banato began.

Today, Banato is a combination of a genuine passion for food and an ambition to teach kids about the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables. I needed to teach myself how to create delicious, yet nutritious, foods when I was growing up. I hope that kids can try Banato and become inspired to explore fruits and even try making their own at home.

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

Banato tricks children into eating more fruits and vegetables by making them think it is ice cream. There is no dairy and no sugar in Banato, but it is extremely delicious. It is that simple. At our Banato stand, the most loyal fans are small children who visit every week. These children have asked if we could come to their schools and beg their parents for more. One mother asked her kids if they wanted a candy bar or Banato. “We want Banato!” The kids began chanting. Their mother was stunned.

Imagine a world where children reach for bananas and carrots instead of cookies and lollipops. This is how Banato is changing perceptions of what “dessert” means. Through fun stickers, banana hats, and our banana-sorbet, Banato is helping fruits to become trendy while making healthy foods more accessible. My company can convince future generations that fruit, nature’s candy, is far superior to candy bars.

What is the secret? Years of perfecting our recipe. As a perfectionist, I am not content making an ice cream that “tastes healthy.” I wanted to make a truly delicious banana sorbet which could be chosen over ice cream. Our ingredients, down to the vanilla extract, are made from scratch. Whenever possible, I source fruit directly from farms to ensure the sweetest and most ripe seasonal fruit are used. Indulgence can also be healthy.

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?

The day I launched my business, it flopped. We launched Banato in the middle of a summer fair where a torrential downpour rolled through. We were completely screwed. We had 3 customers total and physically needed to hold down the tent to stop it from blowing away. It was one of the saddest product launches in history, but something told us to keep going, so we did. Nothing felt scary anymore.

A failed product launch is an entrepreneur’s worst nightmare, but afterwards I felt almost liberated. My worst fears had been realized. After that, what else could stop us? I learned the hard way that running a business can be a grueling and difficult path where it takes a long time for dreams to come to fruition. The first step is to take that step though.

Thunderstorms will happen. Even pandemics can happen. You just need to keep moving forward.

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?

I met so many mentors along this entrepreneurship journey that they can’t even fit on this page. Since we are discussing change, I would like to mention a few who have encouraged me to think differently and be my best self.

First, there is the founder of Whimsical Candy, Chris Kadow-Dougherty. In Chicago, my friends and I used to go to a magical shop every time we had a tough day and bring bags full of artisan candy back to our offices. Right before I started my company, I had a crazy idea to meet the owner. I walked in, told her that I wanted to start a business, and handed her a zip lock bag with a Banato bar. In retrospect, I must have looked like a crazy person. Fortunately, that candy shop owner happened to be one of the kindest and most generous entrepreneurs I have ever met. Chis encouraged me to start my business and connected me to essential resources. She is still a member of our advisory board and constantly gives me candid advice about the industry.

I have also had the privilege to meet Audrey Roofeh (Founder of Mariana Strategies), Ronak Mehta (Founder of Nerdbugs), and Chris Bailey (Entrepreneur and Micro-enterprise Advisor at Portland Mercado) who have helped to guide Banato through the toughest times. When the pandemic started and our original market of in person events turned upside down, these were the first people I called, and they helped us back on our feet. Each of them decided to not give up and that encouraged me to continue pushing forward as well. This group of talented entrepreneurs always inspires me to create a company of kindness.

Entrepreneurship can be a lonely and vulnerable path. It has been a blessing to find so many talented individuals who can lift me up and provide direction.

I work out of an industrial kitchen space which hosts several small food entrepreneurs. Throughout the pandemic, I saw countless businesses start and fail. The recurring theme is intention: people who start food businesses for money will be typically gone within a year. Often, the ideas these entrepreneurs have are very good in theory. But repeatedly, after encountering the long nights in the kitchen, struggling to source ingredients, or those incredibly frustrating moments where a blender doesn’t work, these people give up. It is easy to be disruptive in the same sense that it is easy to have an idea. Implementation is the challenge. The most impactful, lasting, businesses I have seen all begin with a “why.”

Personally, I am driven to continue due to the impact we can have on our wider community. Within our job postings, we always list as a job criterion: “commitment to the communities you serve.” In Banato, I believe it is important to grow our team in a way which is also driven by this love of people. This company will not be a flash in the pan. Instead, we intend to build a company which will outlive us and continue helping others.

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

“You are a ship,” I was once told. “A ship can stay in the harbor and be safe. However, if you want to go places, you must venture out to sea.” — Any type of change takes a certain degree of risk, but you will never know what could happen. When the pandemic started, we were forced to shift our entire business model online. Originally, I was skeptical about how many people would order Banato Bars for delivery, but our orders went up exponentially. On Instagram, our following increased by 7x from pre-pandemic levels. Rather than choosing to maintain the status quo, we pivoted, and both our team and company are stronger as a result
“You will always find the teachers you need in life when you need them.” — Especially while running a business, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the number of situations that arise. It is important to remember that you are never alone. During the pandemic, with a cooler full of Banato in hand, I knocked on the doors of random restaurants to meet other chefs. That is how I met two incredibly talented Chicago chefs: Zubair Mohajir and Verlord Laguatan. They taught me how to scale my business and brought us to pop up events that boosted our credibility within the food industry. Whether mentors are found through knocking on doors or the neighborhood candy shop, there is always someone who you can count on when you need it most. Finding the right teachers just starts with taking that first step.
“Smart people are a dime a dozen, but genuinely good people are hard to find” — In our business, each team member is given a certain number of complementary bars at each market for friends or themselves. One day, a small child dropped her Banato bar in front of our team. Our team member instantly gave her a new one and counted that fallen bar as one of his complementary bars. Upon finding out about this later, it warmed my heart. For our team members to care about both the customer and our business in such a way was deeply touching. I hope that we can continue to find people of character as our team grows.

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

A mentor once told me to “lift while you climb.” Through my company, I aspire to start a dialogue on nutrition while bringing future leaders to the front line. I feel a great responsibility to fulfill our mission but to do so in a way that also focuses on the wellbeing of our people. This summer, we were able to launch our internship program and employ students. I am excited for the opportunities our company can have to impact the next generation of leaders and help to propel their professional success.

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

“YOU started this?” People ask me with wide-eyed disbelief. As an Asian American female, it can be frustrating to be constantly mistaken as a brand ambassador while male counterparts at our business are automatically assumed to be the owner. At the same time, I believe that change starts here. Asian women are constantly depicted by the media as silent, doll-like characters who are reluctant to change the status quo. I aspire to change this narrative. Asian women are strong.

So, whenever I encounter people who are stunned to see that I am running my company, it makes me chuckle. I may be one of the first Asian female founders they have seen, but I will not be the last.

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

Jeni Britton Bauer’s interview on the How I Built This Podcast has been a source of inspiration to our team. The founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, one of the fastest growing ice cream companies in America, started her company in farmers markets of Columbus, Ohio. In fact, she spent approximately 10 years testing her products in markets prior to expanding. Her story is very humbling to me. As entrepreneurs, it is easy to become excited about an idea and scale as fast as possible, but there is a difference between “growing quickly” and “growing correctly.” Jeni’s prioritizes their workers, sources ingredients responsibly, and has an amazing product. This is what my company aspires to be. Her interview helped me to think about the longer vision for Banato.

As a business which is also starting with our boots on the ground in Chicago, we hope to follow in their footsteps. Like Jeni Britton Bauer, I plan to take time in our business to hear feedback from customers and build the best possible product.

I would love to start a movement where images of fruits are considered cool and fashionable. Imagine the possibilities of a child digging through their closet and choosing a shirt with a banana on it. That association from a young age could have huge implications down the road. The ultimate goal is to encourage children to eat more fruit instead of cookies, but I believe that starts with our society casting fruits in a positive light.

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

“Thousands of candles can be lit by a single candle and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases from being shared.” — Buddha

There is perception of the business world as being a cutthroat, zero-sum game where only the strong survive. I hope that we can change that mentality and grow through kindness and collaboration. That’s how we grew! When I first started my company, I jotted down a vision statement on a piece of scratch paper. It said: to create products which embody integrity, health, and bring joy to customers. This document and it still holds true to Banato today.

No matter how big we become, I aim to continue sharing happiness with anyone who encounters our company.

How can our readers follow you online?

Instagram: @go.banato

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/banato

Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/go.Banato/

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

Female Disruptors: Jennifer Chan of Banato 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.

Female Disruptors: Nicole Marra of Fixer Advisory Group On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up…

Female Disruptors: Nicole Marra of Fixer Advisory Group On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Don’t undervalue your worth — show clients how and why you create transformative results. If the client doesn’t understand that, it’s ok — everyone isn’t going to get it and it may not be the right time or relationship for you.

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

Nicole Marra is the CEO and Founder of Fixer Advisory Group, a full service consultancy that provides strategic partnership and tactical support to brands, including operations, legal services, communications and diversity, equity and inclusion, empowering them to thrive and achieve their full potential. Nicole is also the Co-Founder of Figure Eight, a sustainable luxury concept store in SoHo, New York.

Nicole Marra has earned a reputation as an exceptional strategic partner and a creative, collaborative problem solver. Nicole is an award winning entrepreneur, attorney, board member, and senior executive, and throughout her 20-year career has driven operations, protected assets, reduced liabilities, and supported retail business leaders to achieve exponential growth. For the last decade, Nicole led Gucci America’s legal, real estate, compliance, security, and crisis management functions. During her tenure at Gucci, she also ran business and legal affairs for other Kering portfolio brands, including Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Boucheron, Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney, and Sergio Rossi in North and South America. Nicole founded Fixer Advisory Group in January 2021.

Nicole is a graduate of New York University School of Law and Brandeis University. She resides in New York City with her husband and two children.

From the outset of my career, I have always toggled back and forth between the corporate world and entrepreneurship. My early years as an entertainment lawyer in the 1990s led to me to film production and starting a business working with independent filmmakers. During my decade+ at Gucci as the General Counsel, I had the opportunity to work on some of the most interesting and high-profile projects in the world, and I continuously pushed for opportunities and responsibilities in business functions, like real estate compliance, security, and crisis management. That said, the culmination of my career to date has been the launch of Fixer Advisory Group, where I help business leaders dig deeper to bring bold, transformative initiatives into being. And even though running Fixer is an “every moment” endeavor for me, I continue to work with others to bring “side” projects to life, including co-founding Figure Eight, a sustainable luxury concept store in SoHo, New York, and working with my amazing colleagues in 4 Art Partners, an accelerator dedicated to empowering creative talent, including artists, designers, and emerging brands. I have always followed my instincts and pursued work and people that I think are special, and I have grown in my ability to lean into uncertainty and uncomfortable situations on my path to growth and self-awareness. I am a passionate and creative problem solver (i.e.,“Fixer”) and find my creative outlets in analyzing difficult situations and supporting and advising business leaders.

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

I refuse to be put in a box as “just a lawyer” or “just a consultant.” I approach every project as a confidant, advisor and friend would, bringing my whole network to bear for all my clients. Because I deliver my expertise with passion, determination, and loyalty, I am all-in with my clients as I empower leaders to change and elevate their companies every day — I don’t hold back. I don’t bill hourly, because my offering is, essentially, full engagement through results, and I ask clients to make a minimum commitment for all projects because results take time. I only work with clients who “get it” and who I want to work with. I employ, source, and collaborate with experts of all kinds, all in service of the view that my clients are an extension of my business and vice versa. I have created a new way for companies to engage with experts so leaders can stay focused on their core business. Imagine if every CEO could have a strategic thought partner and confidant who could also deliver tactical results? That is what my team and I do — across many critical functions, from Legal, Human Resources, and ESG, to Communications, Real Estate and Operations. We meet companies where they are so that they can grow organically — whether by adding internal resources or not — without sacrificing quality and while improving strategic vision. By combining the technical skills and expertise typically found in traditional consulting and law firms with in-house business acumen, and a broad range of experts who are the best of the best at what they do, Fixer offers a one-stop strategic and tactical solution, tailored to fit each client’s needs.

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?

Don’t name your company after your imaginary friend from childhood. That should seem pretty obvious, but when I originally set up my company, I decided to do just that. Somehow it felt right (at the time), to bring an old friend along on this journey. In a moment of sheer excitement, I went online and formed an LLC called Jeffeny. While Jeffeny was a loyal friend to 3-year-old me, it is worth mentioning that Jeffeny had a habit of traveling to California and getting smashed…don’t ask me why. After many years of therapy, I still haven’t completely gotten to the root of it. Once I came to my senses and decided to name the company Fixer, the IRS and Covid had other plans me. It took nearly 18 months trying to get the IRS to recognize a name change, and I am just now on the verge of officially retiring Jeffeny from her corporate adventure!

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?

I am so grateful for all of the help I have had along the way — especially during the past few years as I researched, contemplated, and mostly listened to some of the most kind, brilliant and passionate leaders, doers, and experts from all corners of my life. I continue to grow and nurture so many of these relationships from a wide range industries and backgrounds and I often find that I get the opportunity to mentor my mentors right back! I have been supported in countless ways by my dear friend and colleague, Jodi Peikoff, a brilliant talent lawyer who has always followed her own, extraordinary path and has encouraged me to know and trust myself and my power. From connecting me with an incredible coach nearly 15 years ago to “incubating” me and my team with office space and teaching me how to make miso soup from scratch, I don’t know if I would be where I am without her advice and support. I have also found incredible support from amazing retail expert and investor, Brigitte Kleine — her early feedback and subsequent introductions have been game changing for me. Brigitte emphasized to me early on how CEOs have so little time and bandwidth — and that inspired me to coin the term “brandwidth” — referring to my mission of creating additional time, energy, and space for my clients to pursue their goals.

Disruption is positive when it brings about change, innovation and growth that sets the stage for new systems that stand the test of time. Disruption for its own sake is just chaotic and unsettling, and businesses cannot flourish in chaos. When old systems aren’t working, it is critical to find ways of reimagining them. For example, when Axiom Legal launched in the early 2000s and led the way for companies to rethink how they engaged with lawyers and law firms, that was a huge game changer. It was smart, cost effective and solved the very real problem of big firm lawyers not being able to effectively meet corporate client needs as they fluctuated due to staffing issues, project and workflow needs, or other market changes. And for as long as that kind of engagement with legal solutions remains the most positive model, Axiom should continue to put its energies into creating that engagement. If, however, marketplace changes demand a pivot for some companies, firms or talent, disruption again becomes necessary — not to create chaos, but to open pathways to success.

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

Consider whether your choices will bring you joy and allow you to express your authentic self. I ask myself these questions before making any significant decision about next steps for my business and career.
Be open to possibility and transform your worries into tools for advanced planning. For many years, I had this concept posted on a bulletin board above my desk and it was a constant touchpoint that helped me stay on course and manage my anxiety.
Don’t undervalue your worth — show clients how and why you create transformative results. If the client doesn’t understand that, it’s ok — everyone isn’t going to get it and it may not be the right time or relationship for you.

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

First and foremost, I will continue to shake things up by growing Fixer’s capacity and expanding our capabilities. Scaling Fixer’s offering will create the kind of change I hope to see in the market. As for future projects, I am intrigued by the use of different forms of media to engage, educate, encourage and create community and opportunities for entrepreneurs, leaders and other disrupters. So whether that takes the form of writing, producing or broadcasting, content creation is definitely in the future for me and Fixer.

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

Women often wait for permission to take risks or feel as if they must be total experts at something before trying out a new skill or venture. I think many women feel like they have to be perfect in order to be considered worthy or “good enough” to take a risk or seek change. Men often demonstrate a greater level of confidence than similarly expert women. The reasons behind that are enough for a book or 3, or at least a great standup act! But in the end, men don’t ask permission to be direct, assertive, or “big.” I think a lot about how hard it is for women to be “big” in the world and be celebrated for that, as opposed to being harshly judged, vilified, or disliked. Even in this interview, some of your questions bring up this internal struggle for me, despite decades of experience and tremendous work to push through these issues. I have come to a place where I can acknowledge that struggle and move past it, but it did not come easily.

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

Without a doubt it is Brene Brown and her work. Daring Greatly was a game changer for many, but before that, one of my mentors shared with me two of Brene’s original TED talks on Shame and Vulnerability. I was incredibly inspired and started perceiving so many daily interactions and challenges through the perspective that Brene articles so beautifully. Those talks fundamentally changed my approach to life and relationships of all kinds. I did not want to be sitting on the sidelines feeling afraid and criticizing others. I wanted to be in the ring — in the fight with the doers and changemakers.

I would want to inspire a movement to help people feel safe and brave enough to approach life with an open heart as opposed to coming from a place of fear. When we are afraid, we cannot see the possibilities that are ahead of us and we are often defensive, shut down and rigid. When we approach people and situations from a place of peace, we can see the potential in ourselves and others, and bring about exponential change. When we are creative, flexible and courageous, we can do great things — together.

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

You might be surprised that one of my favorite life lesson quotes is over 100 years old and comes from a blue-blooded New York man. Theodore Roosevelt nailed it for me in his 1910 “Man in the Arena” speech: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly;…who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.” Teddy had the insight to recognize that there is no honor in being a hater. Failing and moving forward, that belongs to the courageous, not the fearful. Rejecting the unearned rights of others to knock down those who try and do, has opened a world of possibilities for me — to fail, succeed, connect, grow and inspire.

How can our readers follow you online?

They can visit the Fixer website at Fixeradvisory.com

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

Female Disruptors: Nicole Marra of Fixer Advisory Group On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Annie Torikian of Tecsys On The 5 Leadership Lessons She…

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Annie Torikian of Tecsys On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Communicate clearly and effectively: Regular communication will not only increase engagement and productivity of team members, but also foster trust between them as they start to recognize each other’s strengths and weaknesses. If you want to be appreciated as a leader and a valuable team member, communicate frequently, effectively and express your opinion with humility.

As a part of my series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Annie Torikian.

Annie Torikian serves as director of Delivery Management, Enhanced Business Solutions for supply chain technology firm, Tecsys. She began her career as a software developer, and over the past 30 years, has expanded her technical expertise and leadership skills. Her love for mathematics and problem solving, combined with a passion for music, led her to major in computer science and complete a piano diploma simultaneously. As an avid volunteer, enthusiastic public speaker and a believer in giving back to the community, Annie has held various positions on boards and committees, participated in panel discussions and lectures. Among these, Annie participated in a panel discussion about “Women in Technology” hosted by The John Molson Supply Chain and Business Technology Association (JSBA), where she counseled young women in their pursuit of a STEM career, commented on the progress women are making in the technology workplace, and provided insights on the future of the industry from her perspective as a bona fide leader in the field.

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

When I was young, I dreamt of being an astronaut. Growing up in Lebanon in the 1980s meant that this was a rather fanciful dream, but the idea of pushing the boundaries of science and technology was with me from a very early age. See, during most of my high school and university years, albeit a beautiful country, Lebanon was tainted by a civil war that lasted decades and deeply impacted our lives. When I was in my last high school year, Beirut, the capital, was divided into east and west, and crossing the divide was a heroic journey at times. And amid that national chaos, universities offered limited options to students who wanted to pursue their education, and astronomy was not on the list.

I was born into a family with a rich Armenian culture and a strong tradition of excellence in education. Despite ongoing struggles, bombardments, and everyday challenges, going to school and staying in school were never questioned. I remember clearly sitting in the back seat of my mom’s car, going home to the east side, and having a conversation with one of her friends who was riding along with us. We were discussing universities, possible majors, and the options that would be interesting to math lovers like me. He was talking about computers, technology and the role they’ll be playing in the future… That was it! My mind raced with the possibilities of what this new field could portend. That’s when I decided I’d go into computer science, a relatively new major in those years.

It wasn’t particularly a lengthy decision process, but rather one that just ‘clicked’ and made the most sense to me.

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

I’ve been at Tecsys for 23 years, and it has been fascinating to witness from the frontlines the evolving nature of our business, the now thriving role of women in STEM, and the manner with which we all come together in moments of crisis; but what resonates for me the strongest is the indelible compassion with which this company treats every employee.

For me, this came to light just three days after accepting my job offer at Tecsys, when I found out I was pregnant with my second child. I was a little embarrassed, but I had to call HR to inform them. A little hesitant and uncertain of their reaction, I wondered how this would impact my career. It was a great relief to hear congratulatory words; nothing would change in our agreement, and I was of course still welcome at Tecsys. I later realized that this was a reflection of the deeply prevailing inclusive culture at Tecsys, a great family-oriented company that recognizes talent, and values individuals for their hard work and skills.

It is a feeling that will stay with me forever because in a moment of great vulnerability, my new employer gave me confidence that I could thrive both personally and professionally without compromise.

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?

One of the funny mistakes I’ve made in my career as a developer was coding an infinite loop. An infinite loop in programming is when your code executes endlessly, and never stops unless an external intervention occurs. It usually is the result of bad design.

But that’s what dragged me into one of my first white nights, in my career as a developer. That day, I was trying hard to finish my assignment as quickly as possible. I had completed coding; there were no compilation errors, so I start testing… It was just taking too long, so I impatiently stopped the program and started looking into my code, trying to optimize it to improve its performance.

After many iterations of review, change, compile, test…. It just hit me, my issue wasn’t performance at all; I had coded a perfect “infinite loop” that was behaving exactly like it should, going round and round, executing the same set of code lines without ever stopping.

There are a few lessons I learned that night:

– Never be impatient. It doesn’t help you reach the finish line.

– When too tired, take a break. It helps you solve the problem at hand much faster.

– Always have an exit strategy. And this applies not only to programming but also to life in general.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

Besides the usual things that make a business stand out, like faster service and greater value, what makes my company stand out for me personally are the values it stands behind with every decision. Integrity is the backbone of this organization, and that backbone supports unbridled professionalism, respect for the individual, cost consciousness and social responsibility.

I find the grassroots culture of giving back through charitable efforts particularly heartwarming. While I could list off myriad fundraising initiatives that have taken place over the years, one that comes to mind is from way back in 1998, when I had just joined the company. We had curated and compiled a recipe book. It included specialty dishes from 18 different countries, reflecting the multicultural composition of Tecsys. We sold the recipe book and sent its proceeds to a charitable organization. I still have that recipe book, and even have a few favorite go-to recipes from it!

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

I am working in the supply chain management industry, and what’s more exciting than that — especially considering the challenges posed by the COVID-19 and the resulting restrictions. Certainly COVID-19 has really put a spotlight on the supply chain; the impact of disruptions halfway around the world, the complexity of balancing supply and demand for both commodity supplies like face masks and capital expense supplies like ventilators, not to mention the rollercoaster all of this has had on third party logistics companies navigating some of the most volatile volumes they’ve ever seen. Every single new requirement that we are asked to address is aiming at increasing efficiency of operations and building a sustainable operational excellence.

For me, given this economic backdrop, these are far more than just supply chain projects; they may very well serve as the lifeline for many of these organizations. They have undergone massive industry changes, oftentimes with underwhelming technology, and when my team comes into play, we are bringing in brand new capabilities and functionalities that help define the next chapter of their operations.

One example that comes to mind is a major European brand that was enjoying healthy market share, but whose business model relied on foot traffic and in-person commerce; sure enough, the pandemic stimulated their online business as consumers were shopping differently, but the company was struggling to keep up from a systems standpoint. Our team was able to engineer a workflow and technology backbone that helped this organization to keep their customers happy even though there had been a fundamental change in the way those customers were interacting.

Another example was of a recent project involves the rampant stock supply shortages spurred the pandemic, and the dynamic strategies undertaken to mitigate disruption. As ‘original’ stock items were scarce, many companies had to replace several items by their substitute models. More recently, as the supply chain got back on track, original items once again became available, resulting in big volumes of the substitutes left to sit on shelves and age. Since substitutes are as efficient as originals, we helped one of our customers, a large healthcare organization, ensure that orders are fulfilled by their substitute item first to avoid unnecessary waste.

Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?

The number of women pursuing careers in scientific fields is increasing each year, but the representation of women varies widely across STEM occupations. While the majority of health-related jobs are held by women, they remain underrepresented in other job clusters, such as the computer sciences and engineering. We’ve come a long way, but there is still work to be done to encourage girls go into STEM studies, graduate in their fields, and pursue a career in it. In my opinion, what could change this status quo is to attract more young girls into STEM in the first place. And to do that:

Give more visibility to successful women in STEM field, for the younger generation to see, get inspired and have role models.
Publicly recognize women, at any level, for their contributions in STEM — not only for big achievements but also for small wins in the field.

In addition, we all know that a greater diversity in workforce strengthens performance and creativity, so companies should aim to gender balance their employee base, and make sure to address gender equity issues along the way.

We should also aim at increasing the number of women in executive positions for the unique perspective they bring to the table.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women in STEM or Tech that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts? What would you suggest to address this?

Amongst the myriad of battles currently underway for women in tech, I’d like to focus on the one I consider the most difficult: Parenthood and work/life balance. Unfortunately, I believe that for women, career and family are still often perceived as an either/or pursuit, and this can be exceptionally challenging, even under the best of circumstances. From a career progression standpoint, any form of leave is essentially time spent in the ‘penalty box’; it is a period of time not spent advancing one’s career aspirations. With only a small window of child-bearing years, that professional ‘penalty’ usually comes along just when your career is taking flight.

There is a tradeoff. I don’t know that the perfect formula to overcome this challenge exists, because it is likely different for everyone. For me, I did face a professional slowdown while growing my family, and I do not regret for a second letting my young children be my primary responsibility; I could catch up professionally, but family doesn’t idle. To anyone with competing priorities, it is always an option to consider ‘plateau-ing’ in one area of their lives to focus on another area more fully, and then refocus when the time is right. Who knows? What is disguised as a professional ‘penalty’ may actually be a personal ‘powerplay’ — and be the advantage you need to win the game!

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a woman in STEM or Tech. Can you explain what you mean?

There are many myths about women in STEM, but I’d like to focus on three of the most rampant

Women are biologically less capable than men. This is a stereotype and nothing else. There is no evidence that a woman’s biology makes them incapable or unable to perform in high demanding STEM fields; on the contrary, over the years, females have proven to be as competent as males in various areas of STEM specialization.
Women and girls aren’t interested in STEM careers. This is incorrect. Some studies reveal that 74% of middle school girls show an interest in STEM subjects, but that the interest drops as they progress into high school and beyond. Some of the main reasons cited are lack of encouragement, male-dominated culture, and gender bias.
Gender pay gap doesn’t exist. It does; women in STEM earn less than their male colleagues.

An OECD publication ranks Canada as having the 8th highest gender pay gap out of 43 countries, and a 2018 Pew Research Center analysis shows that there are sizeable pay gaps between women and men in STEM jobs.

What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)

Communicate clearly and effectively: Regular communication will not only increase engagement and productivity of team members, but also foster trust between them as they start to recognize each other’s strengths and weaknesses. If you want to be appreciated as a leader and a valuable team member, communicate frequently, effectively and express your opinion with humility.
Showcase both soft and hard skills: Hard skills are necessary to fulfill your responsibilities, that’s a known fact. However, equally important are soft skills. Those are what differentiate high-performing employees from others with similar hard skills. How you communicate, how you work with others, how you solve problems, how you manage your time, how flexible you are and how easy you adapt to new circumstances will determine your success.
Bring forward new ideas: Don’t be afraid to bring a fresh perspective, even if it’s not the prevailing opinion in the room. Innovation of thought is a real benefit to your team, your company and your customers. Be sure to emphasize on the value it creates and stay focused long enough to increase your chances of success.
Neutralize biases and prejudice: Equip yourself with great skills, demonstrate your value, push your limits and behave more assertively. Because at the end of the day, extensive knowledge, expertise, utmost professionalism, and true talent will be recognized and embraced regardless of biases and prejudice.
Persevere in pursuit of greatness: Women are often too harsh on themselves. They underestimate their value and often lack self-confidence. My advice is to believe in yourself and trust yourself; be authentic, be resilient in the face of failure, persevere, be receptive to feedback, be ambitious, don’t wait for opportunities to come to you, chase them until you reach them. And if, at times, you experience some discomfort, know that the feeling is just part of the process as you navigate your way to success.

What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team to thrive?

I believe that a thriving team is a reflection of its leader’s efficiency and success. In my experience, here are a few things that help:

Remain authentic and approachable. These two qualities combined make you a trustworthy leader, a reliable and dependable person around whom people feel comfortable and at ease. Your team members will come to you with all kind of ideas without fear of being judged. What a great way to nurture their creativity.
Build a healthy and inclusive culture. It is necessary to build strong and trusting relationship between team members and for this one, I believe leading by example works best. Always remain respectful, listen to everyone’s opinion, and foster healthy relationships. It will only boost your team members’ self-confidence and productivity.
Accept your team members’ differences. This is somewhat related to the previous point; it is in fact a prerequisite to building an inclusive culture. Your team members come from different backgrounds and bring distinct perspectives to the table based on their own experiences. By recognizing those differences, we create an enriching and stimulating environment, allowing team members to learn from each other and bring forward innovative ideas. After all, isn’t diversity the mother of creativity?
Give opportunities to your team members and expose them to as many different experiences as possible. As a leader, ensuring your team members’ career growth is your responsibility, especially if you are concerned about employee retention. Therefore, to avoid career stagnation, to keep your team engaged and motivated, and to spark ambition, you have to provide various experiences to your employees. Even if at times those experiences fall outside of their comfort zone, it is the only way to encourage and foster growth.

What advice would you give to other women leaders about the best way to manage a large team?

Managing large teams is a challenge in itself. The focus should always be the team’s ultimate objectives and managing to those objectives. Depending on the size of your team, building personal rapport becomes much harder, and holding frequent meetings becomes inefficient; in these cases, you must master the art of delegating while remaining at the helm.

My advice to all leaders seeking to strike that balance is to focus on being a strong, reliable resource who is well organized, transparent, and prioritizes listening. Among your employees, promote an open-door policy and nurture trusting relationships to that even when you’re not there, they can depend on one another to move objectives forward. Inform every one of the team progress to create awareness and increase their engagement and productivity — and celebrate that progress as a team rather than through individual wins. And whenever possible create a social dynamic, organize get-togethers, and team activities to bring members close to one another.

You are the glue that holds the team together. Empower your team members, facilitate group discussions, and encourage everyone to participate, elaborate and collaborate whenever possible.

It would be disingenuous of me to single out one person over the panoply of positive influences that have helped me get where I am today; I have been inspired and motivated by various people who I have come in contact with, from bosses to colleagues, classmates to professors, and family members. By learning from each of them, by adopting the good I’ve seen in them and by abiding to my own values and beliefs, I have forged my own leadership style. Indeed, it is through the kaleidoscope of these encounters and experiences, while looking for challenges, being ambitious and of course a lot of hard work, that have guided me through my career and life.

For example, I have always been a perfectionist, but throughout my career, as I met and worked with successful professionals, I came to realize that perfectionism is hardly achievable; it’s very relative, and often painfully deceiving. With time, my quest for perfectionism has been replaced by the pursuit of excellence, which requires a lot of commitment, persistence, hard work and determination. This mindset pushed me to go back to university in 2015, enhance my professional skills, competencies, and knowledge, thus enabling me to believe in myself and embrace my next career move.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Volunteering has always been a huge part of my life. I was raised in a family where offering help to worthwhile causes, to people in need, and to the wider community, was not only important but almost a duty. Whenever possible, I put my time and experience in service to help where needed through charitable activities and giving back to the community at large. Throughout the years, I have found volunteering has proven to be a character enriching experience and ultimately a way to make us all better humans.

You are a person of enormous 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 am a staunch advocate for free and accessible education for everyone.

I don’t think anyone can dispute the importance of education in our lives. It is the foundation of self-efficacy, self-encouragement, and boosted self-esteem. It gives a person knowledge to lead a purposeful life, make smart choices and be a better citizen. But the benefits of education reach far beyond the individual; they are reflected onto society through a person’s deeds, development, flourishment, and success. By shaping future leaders through education, we are investing in a brighter future for our society.

Ultimately, education will narrow the gender gap by giving equal opportunities to all, thus playing a major role in empowering women.

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

There are so many, but let me share one that I think has done wonders in my life:

“Holding a grudge doesn’t make you strong; it makes you bitter. Forgiving doesn’t make you weak; it sets you free.” Dave Willis

Indeed, holding a grudge will always hold you back and waste your energy. The constant feeling of resentment that results from it will paralyze you and prevent you from moving forward, from growing, from being successful and being happy, to say the least. Whenever tempted, think: Is it really worth it? Is it that important? Is it helping you achieve anything at all?

As for forgiveness, learn to forgive and forget. It is a gift to yourself as much as it is to others. Being able to move on lets you focus on your own life rather than get mired in the sludge of resentment.

We are very blessed that very prominent leaders 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 🙂

Of course, I’d love to have a chat with Angela Merkel, who’s recently retired from her political career. For the last 15 years, she’s been the most powerful woman in the world. I admire her not only for her political career and accomplishments, but for her leadership, her personality, and her values. I love her resilience, pragmatism, calmness, rationalism, simplicity, and humbleness. I’d love to learn her secret for remaining so grounded while leading one of the most powerful countries of the world and facing so many barriers.

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

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Annie Torikian of Tecsys On The 5 Leadership Lessons She… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Juan Carlos of Nuvola: The Future of Travel in The Post Covid World

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Comfort and convenience are key to having a relaxing getaway. If the hotel I am staying at doesn’t make it easy for me to receive updated details on my stay, status of the room (i.e., daily cleanings and check-in/-out procedures), it makes it harder to decompress. Specifically, from the technology perspective, the ideal is for a hotel to share all information related to my stay via email or text. This way I can consume the details at my convenience and refer when needed.

As part of my series about “developments in the travel industry over the next five years”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Juan Carlos Abello.

Juan Carlos Abello saw the need for a hospitality-focused solution such as Nuvola after working in the hotel industry for more than a decade. His first-hand experience sparked the notion that there has to be a better and easier way for staff to communicate with each other and with their guests. Abello began his career in the hotel industry shortly after moving back to the U.S. at the age of 17. He has worked in nearly every aspect of hotel operations, but always found himself focused on one thing — elevating the guest service experience. It’s his passion for the guest experience that led him to managerial and director of operations roles with leading hotel brands such as Morgans Hotel Group and DoubleTree. It’s also what made him take an interesting career move into technology that later resulted in the development of Nuvola.

Following his tenure in the hotel industry, Abello was director of operations at a bourgeoning technology company in Italy called ZeitGroup. Discovering the ways in which technology can be used to successfully manage business operations, he was encouraged to take his passion for the hotel industry and his insight into technology to create a new career for himself. Abello foresaw the ways in which a cloud-based software would be able to connect hoteliers and their guests. His unique blend of experience bred the concept for Nuvola and feeds Abello’s passion for its mission to bridge the gap between the hospitality industry and those it serves.

Abello graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida International University with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business. He also earned a Masters of Business Administration in General Management from Emory University.

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Working in the various departments within hotels for more than a decade was both the start of my career and beginning of my passion for the hospitality industry. From guest engagement to housekeeping and more, I was able to gain first-hand knowledge on what it takes to successfully run a hotel. This insight is also what led to the vision of creating digital tools to help hoteliers and staff do what they do even better and enhance the overall guest experience.

Through a series of events, including a lunch with a colleague where we discussed the difficulty in passing along information between staff changes followed shortly after by a hotel guest introducing me to cloud-based technology and my joining the company for some time, I was inspired to find a way for technology to speak to daily task management and guest engagement for hotels.

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

It is commonly said that things and people in life tend to come full circle. That has certainly been true in my professional career. Some of Nuvola’s initial stakeholders included contacts I had developed professional relationships with during my first job in hospitality. The same colleagues and front desk agents became supporters in the early development stages of Nuvola’s launch — all of them remain invested to this day!

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Set your priorities and stay in your lane. As an entrepreneur, it is so easy to get distracted by what other companies and competitors, most of the time that are at different stages with different resources, are doing. It is important to focus on what you can in the moment. Focus on what is in front of you and producing the best work or product possible before jumping to the next step.

Building a strong team, especially in the sales department, is also imperative for companies. Find employees you can trust and then allow them the space to thrive.

None of us can 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?

The importance of finding a great mentor cannot be understated. Nuvola as a company and myself as the founder would not be where we are without the encouragement and advisement of Ricardo Weisz. To this day we still meet every week.

Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the hospitality industry?

Digital solutions that provide a contactless way for staff to create a great guest experience throughout their stay have been our specialty since the launch of Nuvola. Two-way chat services and applications were already in use by many of our hotel partners as a method of enhancing communication with their guests and empowering their staff with digital solutions that help track and manage daily tasks.

The onset of the pandemic led us to expand upon this even further to offer a product we call StayClean that provides hoteliers with tools designed to support COVID-19 health and safety initiatives. Comprised of solutions titled Checklists and Checkpoints, StayClean empowers hotels for reopening, using digital assistance that works together in managing and implementing cleaning protocols.

We are in the process of launching an additional tool, Insights, that will work as a widget across mobile and desktop to help predict guest behavior based on preferences already shared. This enables a more personalized experience for each guest as staff can make recommendations on restaurants, etc. that best speak to specific interests. The same tool will also assist managers in assigning daily tasks by allowing them to easily access which employee has availability or is closest to a particular room or area where a cleaning or other service can be met.

Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?

Nuvola provides a stable and all-encompassing approach. Working as one comprehensive support line, the platform alleviates the need to deploy multiple solutions. This in turn eases the stress on employees to learn the functionality of different technologies, especially given the current environment where team members are fulfilling a variety of roles to meet the demands of staffing shortages.

As you know, COVID19 changed the world as we know it. Can you share 3–5 quick examples of how hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers will prefer to travel?

The past year and a half have brought the hospitality industry a drive for contactless engagement. This will continue to expand as more hoteliers find success in working alongside tech partners that can expand capabilities to reach guests where they are at, on their phone or mobile device.

A component of contactless engagement includes a shift in the way guests are welcomed to a hotel or resort. Expect this to completely change. Gone are the days where it is necessary to provide paper handouts of bills, amenities, weekly activities, etc. This information can easily be provided via digital communication and many guests will continue to prefer this method. Even the check-in/-out process will move to a more digital format. Instead of waiting in line at a front desk upon arrival, the process of gathering all information necessary will be done online.

Guest in-room technology will also be expanded to better provide comforts of home. Currently, the idea of comfort across hotels and resorts refers to the space and view. This is and will continue to shift as more properties introduce modern advances found in most homes, i.e., voice technology for light controls and guest services.

You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?

Comfort and convenience are key to having a relaxing getaway. If the hotel I am staying at doesn’t make it easy for me to receive updated details on my stay, status of the room (i.e., daily cleanings and check-in/-out procedures), it makes it harder to decompress. Specifically, from the technology perspective, the ideal is for a hotel to share all information related to my stay via email or text. This way I can consume the details at my convenience and refer when needed.

Can you share with our readers how you have used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Prior to Nuvola, paper reigned supreme in how various departments across hotels tracked and managed daily tasks. The introduction of digital tracking methods brought a more environmentally sound way to manage daily tasks and progress efficiently and effectively.

Additionally, providing employees within the Housekeeping department with updated systems empowered team members with a new way to communicate task updates and needs. Nuvola has helped individual staff within the department gain a voice by allowing each employee to directly communicate daily progress into an easy-to-use tracking system.

You are a person of great 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?

The current method of onboarding new employees is to learn through shadow training a manager or team leader. While this approach provides hands-on experience, it can be time-consuming for team leaders and make it harder for new staff to retain while continuing to grow within the department. One change that would help the industry and all individuals involved would be to revolutionize training methods for employees into an interactive digital format. Modern technology holds the power to work in tandem with the traditional shadowing method of training to provide the specific tools and information necessary to successfully fulfill each role across departments based on the size, location, and amenities of different properties. A digital guide where interactions can be played out and information can easily be accessed would empower individual employees to continue to learn as they take on a new position, or look to move up within a department, by providing training tools at their fingertips. Providing well-rounded training and opportunities to continue to grow and advance is the pathway forward to building a strong work environment, one where employees see the value in longevity.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

You can find Nuvola online across the following:

Website:https://www.mynuvola.com/

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/nuvola-software-llc/?trk=tyah&trkInfo=tas%3AMyNuvola.com%2Cidx%3A1-1-1

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

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

Juan Carlos of Nuvola: The Future of Travel in The Post Covid World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Lois Hines of Tropic Isle Living On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed…

Female Founders: Lois Hines of Tropic Isle Living On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Find your ride or die person or group: It is important to surround yourself with people who will hold you accountable and provide a sounding board. This is not about validation, but about having someone who will keep your attitude in check or encourage you to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep going when you get knocked down.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lois Hines of Tropic Isle Living.

In 1992, Lois Hines co-founded Tropic Isle Living, a line of natural hair and skin products made with castor oil and other organic ingredients. Since then, the brand has grown into a multimillion-dollar business that has helped shape the natural hair movement.

As a young child, I was always interested in hair and fashion. When I graduated from college, I thought I would be a fashion designer. I was with an amazing man at the time, my first husband Michael, who was into holistic health. I married those two interests in a creative way. I know that women often express their confidence through their hair, and haircare is a means to an end — it helps women feel beautiful. Once your hair is right, everything else falls into place.

And, by the way, I’m about to launch that fashion company. Stay tuned!

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

In 2019, I was invited by Target to speak on its Black History Month panel. Target also included me alongside Michelle Obama and comedian and television host Trevor Noah in an in-store advertising campaign featured prominently throughout all Targets in the country. It was such an honor, but also surreal to see my mug up on the wall when I would pop in the store to pick up groceries!

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?

Years ago when we were still doing this out of our house, our kids, who were young at the time, wanted to help. So we decided to put them to work labeling bottles. The labels turned out so crooked, and we wasted so much, but we lied to them and told them they did a wonderful job. It was one of those times we needed a good laugh because we were struggling and did not know if the company would make it. It is a great example of pausing in the moment to take stock of everything around you. Sometimes, you need to be able to laugh through the mistakes.

The first person is my grandmother Ansa, who taught me about Jamaican bush medicine, something I am extremely proud of. The second person is my late husband, Michael. He helped me see the world in a different way and made me believe I could do anything I put my mind to. He also taught me to look at my mistakes as lessons learned. The third person is my father. I remember a very specific time he looked at me and said, “You are going to make it.” That confidence and encouragement carried me through so many trials as an entrepreneur. And the fourth is my mentor who told me to always use my voice to speak up and educate and encourage others. I am the person I am today because of these amazing individuals who helped me learn and grow as a business leader and a mother.

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 believe society as a whole views women owners differently than men owners. As a Black woman in business, it is much harder to get funding or business support compared to white men. But that does not mean we should give up. I am not complaining, these are just facts that should make any woman or black founder want to fight harder. I certainly did. It took 30 years before someone invested in my company.

We have made progress, but there is still a lot of work to be done. You can believe in your work and be able to sell yourself and ideas, but at the end of the day, it is about access to capital and support — you can only grow so much without help.

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 am fortunate to be part of a group of women entrepreneurs who are all in the beauty industry. Even though we compete in business, we support each other. Sometimes, I wonder if there are other similar support groups for women entrepreneurs in other industries. In terms of ownership, the beauty industry is male-dominated even though so many of the companies cater to women. That is one reason I believe we need more groups for women entrepreneurs. Groups where you can not only find financial support to help grow your business, but also mental and physical health support.

Generally, for women entrepreneurs, regardless of color, there needs to be dedicated well-funded programs that actually deliver, from early angel investors up through the SBA and other branches of the government. We can row upstream, but we do need a paddle. Women have been doing the work of business for a long time, now business needs to work FOR women.

Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

Because women understand women. We have purchasing power because we buy for the entire household. We know what customers want. Some people do not do their market research, but we know how to market to each other and what works.

Take a look at the research on effective leadership styles, and you will see that when companies (or nations) are led by women, they perform better for everyone. Really.

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

When you are a woman founder, a lot of people assume you are a bitch, and I believe that is a double standard. Just like any other founder, you are trying to steer the ship and have to set aside emotion and use logic.

When you remove emotion, you are seen as a shrew. But when you do not, people say “you are too emotional.” It is damned if you do, damned if you don’t. We have feelings too, and as an entrepreneur you have to make tough decisions. We are responsible for our employees’ livelihoods so we must take it seriously. Not only are they dependent on us, but so are their families, so we cannot afford to fail.

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?

You have got to have it in you. Anyone can learn to be a good leader, but not everyone possesses the mind, creativity and fortitude to be an entrepreneur. It is certainly not for the faint of heart. It is not for you if you cannot take no for an answer. You must have gumption and grit and be able to carve out your own path without needing validation from anyone. When people say, “you are not going to make it,” that is when you have to put on your big girl britches, and say, “watch me succeed.” You also need patience. Being an entrepreneur does not mean being an overnight success. Oftentimes, it takes years. Most “overnight successes” are based on decades of hard work and lessons of failure. Look at Colonel Sanders, he started KFC when he was 62 years old.

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.)

Believe in yourself despite what others say: When I was young, I did not know I had dyslexia, so my grades were not good. I was always compared to my twin sister and called a “dunce,” which in Jamaican patois means, “hard to learn.” But deep down, I knew I was just as smart as she was. I finally figured out in college I was dyslexic, and once I figured it out I began making the dean’s list.
Don’t be afraid to think differently: When I was 18, I permed my hair. Then, I cut it off and went natural because people said I was not “natural enough.” People may judge you for not being “natural” or in the case of business, doing the safe or expected thing. Use your mind and talents and think beyond where you are about where you could go, then you can do great things. I am dyslexic, which might be an excuse for some. I say take what you have and do the work to exceed expectations. What you think are your limitations may be the very divine power to get you to fulfill your purpose.
Find your ride or die person or group: It is important to surround yourself with people who will hold you accountable and provide a sounding board. This is not about validation, but about having someone who will keep your attitude in check or encourage you to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep going when you get knocked down.
Never hire family: More times than not, it damages the relationship. There are several instances where I hired a family member, and it went south. They will come in with good intentions, but money changes a lot of things.
Have faith: It is important to have a good spiritual base and believe in something bigger than yourself, whatever that might be. Sometimes, answers come to you in strange ways, but the universe does listen.

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

I am a firm believer in, “to whom much is given, much is expected,” and there are two areas I am particularly passionate about.

The first is empowering women. Tropic Isle Living is fortunate to be able to donate our products to women’s shelters and places of worship across Atlanta. I believe one of the greatest needs a woman has is to feel beautiful, and by donating products, we are able to help instill confidence in women, especially when they are seeking employment.

The second area I am committed to is education. We established a fund at Tropic Isle Living and have helped our employees access educational opportunities by paying for tuition and other expenses. When schools closed because of COVID-19, we converted a conference room into a safe space and hired a teacher so our employees knew their children were learning in a safe place. We have also adopted three schools in Jamaica where we help provide much-needed school supplies, such as books and computers, as well as funds for facility maintenance and building upkeep.

We may be the smallest manufacturing company in Cobb County with real employee health insurance, retirements and other benefits. That is expensive, but our purpose is large.

If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be?

I would love to create a place where women can go to find their own family or support base. It is not because your blood family is not good enough, but sometimes your kinfolks are not kindred spirits, and they can dim the light of your spirit. The movement would be a safe place for all women leaders to find their like minded sisters in war and peace, and a space where all women would be able to find the resources they need in that moment.

Michelle Obama, because behind every great man there is an equally great woman. Can you imagine the gusto and courage it takes a First Lady to weather all the twists and turns that come with being married to the President? She did that impeccably as a mother, daughter, wife and role model to the nation.

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

Female Founders: Lois Hines of Tropic Isle Living On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Catherine Lang-Cline of Portfolio Creative On The Five Things You Need To Thrive &…

Female Founders: Catherine Lang-Cline of Portfolio Creative On The Five Things You Need To Thrive & Succeed As A Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Hold firm to your values. When we want to grow our businesses we might get involved with clients that do not see things as we do. Ones that believe in not paying their bills, paying fairly, belittling you to break you on price. If your clients or the people that you hire don’t believe in doing business the way that you do it is typically best to part ways. This is your business and you should have to be miserable doing it. That is why you started your business, right? To do things your way. This can get very muddy, especially when starting and you want to grow your business. But companies will try and break you, competitors will try and undercut you, but you need to embrace your value. And that is the value in your pricing and your own personal value.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Catherine Lang-Cline.

Catherine Lang-Cline is the President and Co-Founder of Portfolio Creative.

Catherine is an award-winning CEO and Portfolio Creative is an award-winning company founded in 2005 that specializes in assisting clients in finding the right people for all areas of marketing, digital marketing, and advertising. Catherine started this company after 15 years in marketing and seeing a need in the creative community.

At a young age, I had a teacher tell me that I was an artist. From that point on, I leaned in heavily to explore this skill. That led to wanting to go to college to try and make a career of this, much to the disappointment of my parents, because art can’t be a career, right? “You will starve.” I have always been self-sufficient so I had to figure out how to make it happen. Funding that journey myself, it wasn’t until my sophomore year did I realize that I could do something called graphic design. I graduated and for the next 15 years, I was a graphic designer that worked as an employee and a freelancer for companies ranging from 5 people to Fortune 500. It wasn’t until I met my business partner, Kristen Harris, that the idea came up to try and connect people like her with people like me. Because I freelanced on and off throughout my career, I just viewed this as just another spin on freelancing. It would also give me a new challenge that I never realized that I needed. Looking back, I had the tools, I just needed to leap.

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

My business is located in Columbus, Ohio, the State’s capital. There was this one time when the Governor was looking for a small business to host a press conference because he had news about something he was enacting that was going to benefit businesses in Ohio. We offered our business as an option and got selected. On the day of the press conference, a couple of members of the Governor’s team show up to check out the place. A place for the podium, check… a back door for the Governor to enter and exit, check. A few hours later, press from around the State fills up our lobby. A short time after that, black SUVs swoop up to the front door. Governor comes in the back door, we get about 15 minutes in private with him to talk about our business. “Would you like to introduce your company on camera?” Of course, the response was “yes” even though I was unprepared. I did okay, but luckily, the Governor paid very good attention to what we told him about our business and he talked more about what we do. Loving, of course, the fact that we got jobs for the people in his State.

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 that this is a mistake, but it does still make me laugh. There came a time in our business when we received a letter from Workman’s Comp that we were going to be audited. We completely freaked out. “Did we do something wrong?” “Was something misfiled?” We were doing our best to figure everything about business out as we went, it could have been possible that something went wrong. Very stressed, I ran into someone that evening that I would consider a mentor and not only brought this up but said how concerned I was and that I might need several drinks. Her response was, “You know, just about every company has to go through that, right?”

None of us can 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?

It is so great that you asked this question because very recently I have given this the time it deserves. I would have never thought about starting the career I did without the kind words of a teacher. I never would have gone to college if I wasn’t allowed to attend an affluent high school, courtesy of my grandmother, where going to college was just the assumed next step. I am grateful for my husband who I told that I was starting a business and he simply said, “You will be great at that.” And mostly I am grateful for my business partner who does all of the tasks for me that are not my strength and I return the favor to her with my strengths. But without that balance, I doubt we would have succeeded as we have.

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?

It comes from a couple of places, outside and inside. Outside are the places that tend to support men’s ideas for business over women’s, that would be banks, crowd-funding, private investors. They ask the women how they plan to use the money, but ask men how they will grow the money. Women are overlooked for collaborating, partnering, and supporting when it comes to their dreams of business in general. People think that it’s a hobby, a side-project, or strictly a home business. On the inside, women need to be a bit bolder. They might start with making a job for themselves but never see themselves as a company. When needing money, support, etc., women are slower to ask. Women are more programmed to just take what they have and make it work. They might hold back on growing their business for fear that they will make more money than their partner or parents. They might not be bold enough to ask for the money and support they need because they don’t believe they are entitled to it, deserve it, or simply know the challenges they will face if they do ask. I know people that fit all of these examples, they are all true stories.

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?

To have more women founders, we need everyone to change their mindset and be more comfortable with women as leaders, founders, and breadwinners. People that hold the money can be trained better to look at the idea and not the gender of the person. It is challenging because we still discuss taking names off of resumes to get people to just look at the career history. I hate even talking about better child care will help women because the fact that this is only a woman’s problem is a bit unnerving. Even in the pandemic, it was almost always the women that had to restructure their lives completely to make virtual schooling work. But yes, child care that is affordable and accessible would be fantastic. Government aid for childcare could help women founders. But what if we looked at it like a man wanted to start a business? Who cares for his children? Until society sees this equally, we won’t see a rise in women founders. I started my business before I had a child and luckily, have a great business partner, and it was running pretty strong when I had my child so I could be home for a couple of months and then afford childcare.

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?

Speaking from my own experience, becoming a founder and business owner, has been the best thing I have ever done. By embracing the idea that not only I was creating a job for myself, but allowing it to organically grow into a multi-million dollar business, I was able to not only help thousands of people find work and grow their teams but also create an impact on my community. Because of it, I was able to grow my leadership skills, be involved in speaking for women in business to political leaders, and mentor other women to grow their businesses and develop their independence and impact. I have been able to become financially independent and invest money for my future and the future of my family. If any of this appeals to a woman, they might want to think about putting together a business plan.

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

One of the biggest myths is that we are all risk-takers. I don’t think that I have done anything in my life without overthinking it. I do the “math” on everything and cross-check it and if it keeps adding up then this is the decision. It doesn’t mean that this process takes a long time. Maybe that is why it looks like a risk from the outside? It is more of a series of quick, calculated choices with as little risk as possible as a founder has the most to lose.

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?

I love this question. The answer is “no,” not everyone can be a founder. I see this more clearly because I think when I started I thought, “anyone can do this,” but I was not giving myself enough credit. The traits that I believe every founder must have are 1) Great problem-solving skills. Every day you will be problem-solving from how to make the printer work to how to resolve a problem with a client. You have to completely love doing this. 2) You have to be Visionary and see the result. With this skill you will weave your way through anything and everything to get to that outcome, sometimes it is seeing what the client needs before they even know what they need. And, 3) be relentless and resilient. If you saw the movie Wonder Woman, we see our hero holding up her shield as she crosses “no man’s land.” I envision that scene often as I push through, letting things deflect, and keep marching forward. It does take a certain personality. I want to be really clear that people that don’t have these traits are so needed to help hold up a founder. There is a lot of success to be found standing right next to the founder and we appreciate every one of you.

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.)

Know the rules of the game. You don’t show up for a basketball game with a hockey stick and you don’t show up in a man’s world expecting to play by the same rules that you do when working with women. Neither game is wrong, the game is just different. I learned this by attending a lot of events and being one, or sometimes, the only woman in the room. Offer to handshake first, make it firm. This is how men greet each other. Seems obvious, but I have seen many women not shake hands. Dress for the event. I have seen many women dress like it is a party and not something more professional. Dress to be taken seriously, dress for power with style in mind. Don’t be afraid to interrupt or talk over people to get your point across. Is that rude? Maybe. But this is also a part of the game as men do this all of the time. Again, not wrong, just the rules. When it comes to getting money from a bank or other firm, get your presentation together and be prepared to talk about how you plan on growing your business with their money. Don’t allow them to talk down to you, but also know that they can be taking a risk with you if you don’t have a solid business plan. Men sit at the table, not in the seats along the wall. Get to a meeting early and sit in a spot where you can be seen and heard. Arrive early if you need to. Bottom line is, people will believe in a founder that has a presence, has confidence, and can join in the game as an equal.
Find your voice. Be brave and speak up, take the microphone, really know what you are talking about. Founders need to be informed on what they do and how it will work for everyone. Again, confidence is a game-changer. Look to include others in conversations and be a great listener.
Make some business friends. Men, but especially women, will stick with their “pack” for help and advice. Find people in the business community to emulate, have a mentor, create an advisory board, or just a successful business person to ask advice. You are not going to know everything about starting a business and neither will your best friend, or your mom, or your partner. Search beyond your circle. Join a Chamber, a business group for women, or something like that to talk to people that are going through the same things that you are. Unless your best friend also owns a business, they are not going to understand your sleepless nights, biggest worries, or how you are going to make payroll. Other business owners have already had these issues or can connect you with someone that can help.
Plot your payroll. At the very beginning of starting Portfolio Creative, we plotted out every role that we wanted to fill. We were two owners but we knew that someday we would want a bookkeeper, a salesperson, a recruiter, an administrative assistant, etc. We wrote out every job description and in the beginning, we did all of those jobs. As the company gained more success, we were able to hire for those roles. We would not have been able to see to that success if we didn’t plot it out first. We also would not be aware of every single job that needed to be done to run a business if we didn’t plot that out.
Hold firm to your values. When we want to grow our businesses we might get involved with clients that do not see things as we do. Ones that believe in not paying their bills, paying fairly, belittling you to break you on price. If your clients or the people that you hire don’t believe in doing business the way that you do it is typically best to part ways. This is your business and you should have to be miserable doing it. That is why you started your business, right? To do things your way. This can get very muddy, especially when starting and you want to grow your business. But companies will try and break you, competitors will try and undercut you, but you need to embrace your value. And that is the value in your pricing and your own personal value.

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

My service on boards is a direct connection to the answer to this question because of my years in business, I joined the board for the local chapter of NAWBO, the National Association of Women Business Owners. I eventually became the President of the Board and during my entire tenure of serving, I worked to create better opportunities and connections for other women in business. Many in the group are brand new founders and as I stated, I believe that collaborating with other founders is a key to success. I also serve on the board for the Columbus Chamber of Commerce which serves an even larger audience of small businesses as well as very large ones. The third board that I have served on is the board for the Greater Columbus Arts Council because the arts will always have my heart and many in that community are small businesses and solopreneurs that I believe I can help as well.

I go back to that whole conversation about women being seen as equal in business. If I could create a movement with that as a result we could reduce poverty, create equality, and build a super-charged economy. More people could invest and invent and purchase goods. More people would be able to be educated and make a difference. We are currently holding back half the population, having everyone contributing can only have immense impact. Men would be able to share the load, and doesn’t that sound great for everyone?

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, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I would love to spend a little time with Sara Blakely and thank her for making me look even more fabulous but to also … 1) what a brilliant idea and 2) be in awe of her for making this one fabulous business. Plus, she does her part to empower woman beyond looking fierce. And if her coffee cup collection is any indication of her personality, I think that we would get along great!

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

Female Founders: Catherine Lang-Cline of Portfolio Creative On The Five Things You Need To Thrive &… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Dina LaPolt of LaPolt Law On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a…

Female Founders: Dina LaPolt of LaPolt Law On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Understand all facets of the business you are in. For example, I am in the music industry so I have spent a lot of time and many years learning and understanding all the players and how the actual business works in addition to how money is generated and ultimately paid out to the various parties.

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

Music attorney and activist, Dina LaPolt, is the founder of LaPolt Law, P.C., the only music law firm of its stature that is founded and run by a sole female attorney. LaPolt Law, P.C. employs nine full-time music attorneys who work together overseeing one of the industry’s most diverse client rosters representing superstar entertainers, as well as an array of top industry executives and influencers in the area of music, fashion, and beauty. Inducted into the acclaimed Billboard Women in Music Hall of Fame for her role in helping to orchestrate the Music Modernization Act, LaPolt is an executive with deep roots and passion in both the music industry and society as a whole. An industry legend, Dina was honored by the Recording Academy in 2019 with the prestigious Service Award at the Entertainment Law Initiative luncheon; she was the youngest attorney and only the second woman to ever receive the award in the history of the organization.

In January 2020, Dina was asked by Aerosmith to introduce them at MusiCares for their honor, the 2020 Person of the Year. During the 2020 Covid pandemic, Dina and the songwriter advocacy group she co-founded, Songwriters of N. America (SONA) help shepherd the inclusion of independent contractors, sole proprietors, and self -employed individuals into the Small Business Administration Act provisions of the newly passed CARES Act, the Three Trillion Dollar Federal Stimulus legislation passed by the Senate in March 2020 and helped shepherd the creation of the website, Music COVID Relief, to streamline the process for freelancers and other self-employed musicians to apply for federal aid. LaPolt also helped establish an assistance fund through SONA that began handing out $1,000 emergency grants to songwriters facing economic hardship as a result of the pandemic. LaPolt was also invited to be on the Executive Leadership Council of the Black Music Action Coalition as Dina is a well-known advocate of antiracist initiatives as she speaks about in her 2016 TED Talk. In June 2020 Dina helped gather creators to sign a public letter to NY’s Governor Cuomo and the New York State Assembly, to repeal section 50-A of New York’s Civil Rights Law, which shields a police officer’s disciplinary records from being made public. The law has since been repealed.

In January 2021, Dina authored an opinion piece published in Variety which calls out the State of Maryland’s highest court on their blatantly racist and discriminatory ruling that rap lyrics may be admitted in court as evidence of a defendant’s guilt.

Dina was named to 2020 Billboard Power 100 lists, Billboard’s 2020 and 2021 Top Music Lawyers and Power of Women 2020. In addition, she was named Variety’s Power of Law for 2020 and 2021, The Hollywood Reporter’s Power Lawyers 2020 and The Hollywood Reporter’s Top Music Attorneys of 2021.

Dina is currently a board member of the Songwriters of North America (SONA), Music, Film and Entertainment Group’s City of Hope, We Are R.I.S.E. Inc., and is also on the Executive Leadership Committee for the Black Music Action Coalition.

I am a music and entertainment attorney but I did not decide to go to law school overnight. My passion for music and entertainment began over forty years ago, having started as a musician, studying music in high school and college, and even putting myself through school teaching guitar lessons to children. Before ultimately going to law school, I worked in the music industry as a musician, concert promoter, part time personal assistant to a rock star, and a personal manager, all of which has allowed me to bring a unique insight to the practice of law.

I would have to say Afeni Shakur, Tupac Shakur’s mom, was very instrumental in my success. When I started my own law firm in 2001, the estate of Tupac Shakur was one of my first clients. Prior to opening my own firm, I had been an intern for a small entertainment law practice which was doing some legal work for Tupac’s estate. Tupac had just died in 1996 and a lot of people were suing his estate for unpaid royalties. About four months into my internship in 1998, I met Afeni Shakur at a court hearing in downtown Los Angeles. I was a big fan of hers personally because my mother taught us all about her teachings in the Black Panther Party growing up. My mother was really big into the civil rights movement and Afeni was a legend in my household. When I met Afeni she was really impressed that I knew so much about her history as a civil rights activist and she and I bonded right away. A couple of years into our relationship she started telling me I should open my own law firm. Finally in 2001 I did it!

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

I have many great stories but one in particular stands out to me. Sometime in the mid-2000’s Afeni Shakur had relocated from Atlanta to Lumberton, North Carolina and had started an organic farm. She was very unique in that way in that she loved to uplift communities and give back. One day she calls me to tell me that she had just returned from the local library in Lumberton and that they were “pitiful” because the only books they had there were a copy of “Webster’s encyclopedia” and “Valley of the Dolls” (laughs). She then proceeded to tell me that she left them a check so that they can buy some real books for the library and that “her lawyer” was going to “send them a list” (I later found out from her business manager that the check she had left them was for $20,000….laughs) but that’s not the best part of the story!

Afeni told me that “her friend Maya” was going to call me with a list of books that I needed to put in the letter to the library. A few days a later I got a call from an unknown number and a woman with a very deep voice on the other end identified herself as “Afeni’s friend Maya” and asked if I “had a pen” so I can write down a list of books for the library. For about an hour I diligently wrote down all the books she recited to me over the phone. Books by James Baldwin, Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. Dubois, Langston Hughes, a book on Ruby Bridges… the call went on and on. Afterwards I sent the letter and copied Afeni and Afeni’s sister, Glo. Glo calls me to talk about the letter, asking me how the call went with Maya. I said something like “she was great.” Glo then said laughing, “you have no idea who you were talking to, do you!?” It was Maya Angelou!! (laughing). Actually I do think “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” was even one of the books she told me to put on the list (laughing)!

Oh my goodness! Thank you for that! What a great story! 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?

Besides the obvious, that men still give the big jobs to other men, especially white men, I do think that women can help themselves more by having a confident take charge attitude. In my opinion, many women in positions of power are still worried about what the men think about them! It’s nuts! I mean, who cares??

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.)

One, understand all facets of the business you are in. For example, I am in the music industry so I have spent a lot of time and many years learning and understanding all the players and how the actual business works in addition to how money is generated and ultimately paid out to the various parties.

Two, be consistent. Even though I have a lot of experience in other areas of the music industry and I know a lot of people, my main job and role of my law firm is to draft and negotiate all the agreements, advise the client, and work with client’s other representatives such as agents, accountants, and managers to make sure we successfully navigate the client through all the pitfalls of the music business which can be very challenging at times.

Three, keep your friends close and your competitors closer. Find good people who see your vision and that can add value to what you are doing. Make a mental note of those people who are not so supportive and kill them with kindness. Take them to lunch, nominate them for certain industry lists. It’s hard not to like someone who helps you unconditionally.

Four, have two types of business- your business and none of your business. Know how to choose wisely and finally

Five, find a non-profit or some philanthropic initiatives you are passionate about and give back. There’s an old saying, in order to keep it, you must give it away. Besides helping people it actually helps me more to do stuff like that.

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

Like I mentioned, I spend a lot of time on pro-bono, my non-profit, and social justice initiatives.

In 2015, I helped found a songwriter advocacy group called Songwriters of North America (SONA) with two songwriters, Michelle Lewis and Kay Hanley. One of the first things SONA did was file a lawsuit against the Department of Justice in connection with outdated government regulations that were affecting income paid to songwriters. In 2018, I helped lead the advocacy efforts of SONA and other music creators to orchestrate and pass Federal legislation called the Music Modernization Act which was the first meaningful copyright reform in decades protecting artists, producers, and songwriters. Because of SONA and my relationships in Washington D.C., early on during the covid pandemic, I was also able to help shepherd the inclusion of independent contractors, sole proprietors, and self -employed individuals into the Small Business Administration Act provisions of the Federal Covid Relief Legislation which allowed songwriters and other creatives to file for Federal unemployment insurance. This was such a moving experience for me to be involved in something on such a big level like that. All of this is volunteer work which is very gratifying to me.

Also two other organizations I am deeply involved with is being on the board of We Are R.I.S.E. which was founded by Ebone Smith in South Los Angeles to empower young girls of color, ages 7 to 12, through conducting workshops that promote positive self -esteem, coping and life skills and I am on the Executive Leadership Committee of the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC). BMAC was formed during the pandemic and as response to the outrage of the senseless murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and unfortunately many other Black people. BMAC seeks to address the long-standing racial inequities for Black creatives and executives in the music business. In fact, one of my initiatives that I am very passionate about is fighting against laws and prejudices of certain prosecutors and judges in conservative jurisdictions who continue to use rap lyrics as evidence of someone’s guilt in court. These laws are very racist because we are only seeing them used again rap artists of whom are mostly Black people. We do not see this in other genres like country music. I even wrote a paper on it called, Rap Music and the American Justice System which I am sending to members of Congress to try and get support for proposed Federal legislation.

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

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