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Female Founders: Ashley Piszek of MISS SWISS On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a…

Female Founders: Ashley Piszek of MISS SWISS On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Don’t be afraid to ask for help- In my opinion, this is the most important advice I can share. So many women, myself included, don’t ask for help often enough. They don’t ask for help either because they don’t want to inconvenience someone or because they don’t want to be considered weak. I believe asking for help when you need it shows strength and intelligence. Entrepreneurs need to wear many hats because they are responsible for the entire business. If you learn to ask for help when you need it, it will help you save time and potentially prevent you from making costly mistakes.

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

Ashley Piszek is a 24-year-old entrepreneur best known for inventing MISS SWISS®, a revolutionary makeup case that solved a significant problem in the makeup industry. After makeup destroyed her purse at a concert, Piszek developed a patented travel size makeup case resembling the utility of a Swiss Army Knife® with custom holders that prevent friction between commonly used makeup products. Piszek was diagnosed with dyslexia in 2013 and pulls inspiration from Kevin O’Leary, Barbara Corcoran, and Daymond John — all renowned entrepreneurs who also overcame the same diagnosis.

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?

Ever since I was five years old, I have had a passion for business. Starting with my first lemonade stand, building doll furniture, flipping a house in college, and now MISS SWISS I have always been inspired to create, market, and sell products I love.

The concept for my Glamour on the Go makeup case literally fell into my lap. I was at a concert and had a “purse catastrophe.” The friction between my eyeliner lid and the other contents of my purse caused the lid of the eyeliner to come off which not only ruined the eyeliner but also destroyed my purse. The purse was a gift from my boyfriend, now husband, who saved up to get me this beautiful purse. When I reluctantly told him what happened, he told me he couldn’t afford to replace the bag and that I needed to make sure this didn’t happen again. When I told my friends and family what happened they said that they had similar problems with other makeup products that have pop on lids like lipstick and that this spillage also occurred in their makeup cases as well. That is when I researched other makeup cases and found they were too bulky and heavy to carry in a purse or did not allow for proper spacing to prevent spillage, they only contained the spills. After I conducted focus groups on issues makeup wearers have, two additional issues surfaced. Makeup gets lost easily and makeup wearers also struggle with applying their makeup on the go. After a year of prototyping, the MISS SWISS Glamour on the Go makeup case was created.

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

The most interesting story has to be my experience with my first retail buyer. I was sitting on my couch one night working on an ad campaign when I received a message request on my Instagram account. When I opened it, I didn’t believe it was real. The message said that she was a buyer for Urban Outfitters and she was interested in trying my makeup cases and brush holder to see if they would be a good fit. I launched my Glamour on the Go Makeup Cases in late December 2020 and my Bush Holders in February 2021 so I never expected a major retailer buyer to have seen my products much less be interested in potentially placing an order for them within the first few months of my business startup. This experience was more than I could have imagined, especially for a company that only had product for two months. This led to a purchase order from Urban Outfitters was amazing for many reasons. It provided MISS SWISS with validation, it gave me confidence that my invention was relatable, and led to other businesses placing orders.

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?

When I launched MISS SWISS I knew I wanted to launch an influencer campaign. There are so many celebrities and influencers that have inspired me to launch my own business and I was ready to share my invention with the world. I started searching for influences and gathered a list of over a hundred and fifty that I wanted to reach out to and started reaching out either by email or DMs. One thing that I typically don’t mention is that I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was 15. This makes catching spelling errors and other small mistakes really difficult for me to catch. When I wrote to the different influencers and celebrities, I made all of the messages individually and included how they have inspired me or why I wanted to send them my products. There is one specific influencer who is pretty well known in the Philadelphia area and whom I have looked up to for years. While I was typing the message my finger accidentally slipped and I ended up prematurely sending her an unedited and half written message. I quickly googled to see if I could unsend my DM and I was so excited that I could unsend it. As I went to unsend the message, I saw that the message was already read by the influencer. I quickly sent her another message and told her how embarrassed I was that she saw the incomplete message. I was extremely lucky that she thought it was funny and she has been an amazing supporter ever since.

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 could not have gotten where I am today without my family. My husband Ryan, mom, dad, and brother, Andrew, have been instrumental in launching MISS SWISS. No matter what needs to get done, like picking up thousands of makeup cases from our manufacturer, staying up late to package orders, or brainstorming new product ideas, they are always there for me.

This year especially, my brother, Andrew, has helped me share MISS SWISS with the world. Without him, I wouldn’t have an amazing website, ad campaigns, and a MISS SWISS Amazon shop. People who know us always say that together we make the perfect business owner. I am the creative mind who comes up with the new ideas and ways to market MISS SWISS and Andrew is the one that takes those ideas and turns them into a reality. No matter how large and difficult my ideas are, he has always figured out how to technically bring them to life and is a major reason MISS SWISS has grown so quickly.

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

I believe the biggest hurdle women founders face is not being able to easily identify clear channels for funding their business. I was able to fund my startup through profits from flipping a house and through private funding from family (and friends). I actually read A Harvard Business Review’s article that said, “as figures from 2020 have been tallied: a substantial drop in venture capital funding for women-led startups” I believe this is a major factor in why there aren’t as many female entrepreneurs. How are they supposed to start a business with enough funding to purchase inventory, advertise their products, and “In 2019, 2.8% of funding went to women-led startups; in 2020, that fell to 2.3%, Crunchbase figures show.

Additionally, “businesses run by women are less likely to be approved for a small business loan than those run by men, according to the Federal Reserve.” was reported in the Nerdwallet article, 6 Best Small Business Loans for Women of August 2021. There are some amazing opportunities for female entrepreneurs like the Sephora Accelerate program and small Amber Grants, but there is currently only a limited amount of programs and grants to specifically level the opportunities for female entrepreneurs.

Sources: https://www.google.com/amp/s/hbr.org/amp/2021/02/women-led-startups-received-just-2-3-of-vc-funding-in-2020

https://www.nerdwallet.com/best/small-business/small-business-loans-for-women

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 believe giving opportunities to women entrepreneurs starting at a young age would really help inspire more women to become entrepreneurs. I lived in the same town my whole life and went to the same school starting in prekindergarten. During my sophomore year of high school I felt like I needed to step out of my comfort zone and decided to study abroad in England for six months. When I arrived in England, I was put into the international baccalaureate program which allowed me to take classes I didn’t have the opportunity to take back home at my high school in Pennsylvania. These classes included philosophy, religious studies, and my favorite class, introduction to business. Walking into the business class on my first day of class I noticed that I was not only the only American in the class but I was also the only girl. During my time in England, I fell deeper in love with business and knew it was what I wanted to do for my career. If I hadn’t had this opportunity, I am not sure I would have launched MISS SWISS. This is why I believe passionately about educating children and young adults about businesses and entrepreneurship. Even one class can inspire many to follow their entrepreneurial dreams they never even knew they had.

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

Women have so much to offer. I am fortunate enough to have met many amazing women entrepreneurs and I am always impressed with their businesses. Characteristics of women I have watched become successful founders include their unwavering focus, commitment to their dream, and amazing problem solving abilities.

Being an entrepreneur can be both difficult and frightening but if you go all in, the potential rewards will outweigh any disadvantages. I enjoy being in control of my destiny as I am able to see the results of all of my efforts in MISS SWISS sales.

I find it personally interesting that products we commonly use are created by women but are not promoted as such. There is not a day that goes by where I don’t use something that has been created by a successful woman entrepreneur/inventor. Caller ID, windshield wipers, coffee filters, home security systems, and the electric refrigerator are a few of the remarkable things that women have created to make our lives better.

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

A myth that I would like to dispel about being a founder is that all you need to have a successful business is a good idea. I had someone tell me once that I was “lucky” that I came up with my Glamour on the Go Makeup Case. This statement really confused me because there have been many steps, strategies, and a great deal of problem solving that have gone into creating my brand. The truth was shared with me early on, even if you have the best invention that everyone needs, it won’t sell unless you market the product successfully. This is a very important myth to dispel as it misleads creators and could set founders up for failure.

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 don’t believe everyone is cut out to be a founder. Starting a business requires a fierce commitment to your business and requires you to be a problem solver. This commitment may require the founder to work round the clock as the business is being built. It may require not taking a salary from the business for a period of time. It requires the founder to be courageous when things are tough and to not give up. A founder needs to make a business plan but also be flexible and adjust the plan when necessary. Founding a business is like a roller coaster. One day everything is going smoothly, and then the next it isn’t. A founder needs to be confident but realistic, a leader but a good listener, hardworking but allows others to help. I think founding a business is the most exciting thing I have done, but it hasn’t been without challenges.

The type of person who may be better suited for a “regular job” as an employee would be someone who is risk averse. A person who has a good work ethic, works hard, but doesn’t want the headaches associated with owning the business and carrying those problems home with them each night.

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

1. Don’t be afraid to ask for help- In my opinion, this is the most important advice I can share. So many women, myself included, don’t ask for help often enough. They don’t ask for help either because they don’t want to inconvenience someone or because they don’t want to be considered weak. I believe asking for help when you need it shows strength and intelligence. Entrepreneurs need to wear many hats because they are responsible for the entire business. If you learn to ask for help when you need it, it will help you save time and potentially prevent you from making costly mistakes.

2. Set long- and short-term goals- I find goals to be very helpful. They keep me motivated and on task. I make sure that my short-term goals are attainable so I can stay motivated by actually reaching those specific goals. My long-term goals remain broad so that I can adjust as I get closer to obtaining them, but they are still possible.

3. Stay Focused- It is so important to stay focused. When you run your own business there are many aspects of your business that require your attention. There can be a multitude of distractions, make daily lists and work through them. I find written lists helpful as I concentrate on accomplishing them and physically cross tasks off upon completion.

4. You need a thick skin- Not everyone will love your product or understand your story. I learned this lesson when the first article written about me was published. I had never experienced anything like this before but thankfully someone close to me quoted Taylor Swift and said, “People throw rocks at things that shine”. Don’t let haters or doubters have power over how you feel about yourself or your business.

5. Consistency is key- You can’t build a business or a brand in a day. As much as we all love instant gratification, becoming successful takes time and consistency. Personally, the best way I have found to be consistent is to batch content on specific days. One day I will spend hours writing the email copy for the next month or two and automate the posting. This makes sure no matter how hectic life or your business becomes, or if you aren’t seeing immediate results, you still keep moving your business forward.

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

I have taken a lot of my personal experiences and brought them into my business. A major part of my life is giving back and I wanted to bring that passion to MISS SWISS. Both of my parents have always been very involved with amazing nonprofit organizations and because of this I was exposed to charitable giving throughout my life. I was able to translate this philanthropic passion into my business with both my influencer campaign and with nonprofit partnerships. Every birthday or Christmas I give my parents the same gift. I make a donation to their favorite charities in their name. This tradition has been very special to me and my family so I decided I should share that with influencers. So many PR packages come with excess packaging which ultimately ends up in landfills. Instead of filling my PR packages with excess packaging or freebies, I asked influencers what their favorite charities were and took the money I would have spent on the freebies and donated that to their favorite charity. MISS SWISS has also partnered with amazing nonprofit organizations like Gyrl Wonder who help women of color find career opportunities and mentorships. I am excited to continue growing relationships with other great organizations so that we may continue to help the next generation of entrepreneurs.

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

I would love to inspire a movement to give children and young adults the information and framework to start their own businesses and fuel their entrepreneurial spirit. When I started MISS SWISS I had so many questions of which I wasn’t always able to find the answers. With social media and Google, information is a lot easier to find, but deciphering what is helpful versus extraneous can be confusing. Also, sourcing business tips that are relevant and tools to teach prospective and potential entrepreneurs can be challenging. When I first started MISS SWISS, I remember getting an email asking me to send over my line sheet as soon as possible. My first thought was “What even is a line sheet?” and my second question was, “What do I need to put on my line sheet?” I did what most people would do, Google it. When I was searching, I noticed there were many opinions that sometimes contradicted each other, and some people were charging entrepreneurs for answers to their questions. This made it even more confusing. Being an entrepreneur is difficult enough, I think making important relevant information available to aspiring entrepreneurs for free would allow them to invest in their dreams. I’m in the beginning stages of this movement now. I have been writing down my tips and tricks that have helped me on my journey and will start sharing them with entrepreneurs with questions.

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 have admired Mindy Kaling for years. She has been a huge inspiration for both her successful career and philanthropic nature and has inspired me to always be myself. Embracing that I don’t need to alter who I am to be successful. As I launched MISS SWISS, I feel like she has only grown even more inspirational to me. Entrepreneurs have to run multiple aspects of their businesses for it to be successful. Mindy inspires me as she is successful in all facets of her career. I would love to have the opportunity to pick her brain and ask her how she is able to juggle being an amazing actress, comedian, producer, director, and a writer at the same time.

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

Female Founders: Ashley Piszek of MISS SWISS 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.

Dreamers: “They Told Me It Was Impossible And I Did It Anyway” With Marisa Perry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Listen to the universe. If the planning and execution goes smoothly, then it was meant to be. And if you run into a tremendous amount of obstacles once you have decided to move forward, then perhaps it was not meant to be.

As a part of our series about “dreamers who ignored the naysayers and did what others said was impossible”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Marisa Perry.

Marisa Perry is a self made woman and leader in her field. Her NYC West Village boutique is a highly coveted destination for high end jewelry — particularly Engagement Rings and Wedding bands — and she was one of the first women to design, manufacture and sell direct to consumer in the luxury good field. Marisa is no stranger to making moves in male dominated industries, fearlessly inserting a female perspective with the ambition and courage to not only be heard, but to become sought after for her strategy and opinion. 18 years and a pandemic later, Marisa Perry is seeing rapid growth, and has no plans on slowing down now!

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit better. Can you tell us your ‘backstory’?

Well, I am a California Girl who moved to New York 30 odd years ago and never looked back. I initially moved here to be in Fashion, but promptly moved into Food. Yes, food, that is not a Typo. My first career was working with all of the top chefs in NYC and the neighboring states and finding interesting ingredients for them to use on their menus. I would find out what they needed, and then go throughout Europe to find the best in that particular category. We would import the products into the U.S.through the company I worked for, “The Chefs’ Warehouse”. It was really fun. I had a special expertise in Chocolate, Cheese, Caviar and Olive oil — so is it any surprise I moved into diamonds?!?. In 2001, I met my husband who was a jewelry designer and we started a jewelry company together, Marisa Perry. Our store is located in NYC’s West Village, and we now happen to be the place to go for engagement rings and wedding bands, and are known for the most cutting edge designs and trend starters in our marketplace. We have had our company now for almost 20 years and together, we are spreading love around the world one ring at a time!

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

I am working on the most exciting project of my life, which will help many people indirectly. I am working on the growth of my company. We all get caught up in the day to day tasks of running a business, but so often we don’t carve out time to work ON our business. So I have tried to back away from the day to day tasks and focus only on what we can do to grow — and implementing those strategies is working!

Not only will it help my team grow and become more successful, but it will help our clients as well. We strive to offer the best value in terms of jewelry. Which we define as the best quality settings — both current and classic — the finest of craftsmanship, top-tier GIA Certified Diamonds (natural diamonds, not lab created), with a price that reflects their intrinsic value. There are so many games played in the diamond industry and I take it as a personal responsibility/mission to cut through that, protect my clients, and make sure that they are getting not just what they pay for but more than what they pay for. The more people I can do that for, the better.

Additionally, the larger I can grow my company, the more people I can hire. Creating a healthy and happy work environment is also paramount to our corporate identity, and it’s something I’m very passionate about.

In your opinion, what do you think makes your company or organization stand out from the crowd?

Style, expertise, service.

What makes our company stand out is superior style, unsurpassed product quality, and a stand out team who is “best of” in their particular department.

Firstly, most Jewelry stores look a little like a men’s club with heavy showcases, beige / plaid or leather chairs etc, and a hushed, stuffy environment. Our shop is different. We have a beautiful, sophisticated and feminine style that is charming and not too formal. I don’t want to confuse the word sophistication with formality. We have a super up-to-date, yet timeless look, which transports you into an Atelier experience without the pretension. Like when you go to a stylish new restaurant full of energy and atmosphere, that’s what we have created for jewelry.
Next our jewelry exceeds the gorgeous atmosphere, because of our lead Designer, Douglas Elliott. Better style and workmanship cannot be found worldwide. We are the only ones making rings at the quality level of the few top jewelry design houses, but still remaining competitive price wise. Everything is handmade in NYC at the highest level of skill, which few can boast. No dated setting will ever grace our shelves! We are super high style across the board.
We are also one of the only jewelry boutiques that design their own pieces, manufacture and sell them directly to the general public. We don’t buy from the big jewelry manufacturers and resell like most jewelry stores do. We make a unique product — right here in NYC.
Last but not least, our team is second to none. We have the most accomplished sales team in the industry, whose only goal is to make sure that their clients receive the very best diamond and setting or jewelry piece for them, within their price range. That part is imperative. Most of what we do is custom which makes that easier, as we create to the clients needs. We are customer centric and make sure that we advise clients on what is best for them and only them. We have the top designer in the US, Douglas Elliott, the best in operations for our manufacturing, the very best sales team, the best interior design, and the best location. And if there is another area I can be best in, I make a point to get there! Like I say-” I am not competitive as long as I am number one”!

Ok, thank you for that. I’d like to jump to the main focus of this interview. Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us? What was your idea? What was the reaction of the naysayers? And how did you overcome that?

How did I overcome that? In a sentence, I followed my gut. Have you ever heard anyone say, “I made a mistake because I listened to my gut instincts”? I haven’t.

Before either career, I was told that I could not move to NY on my own with no financial support. Followed by “I would fall on my face and come running back”. Well… that was 36 years ago and I am still here. The moral of the story is, if you know you should do something and really want to do it, whatever “it” is, then do it. No-one knows what YOUR destiny is. And only YOU have that inner inkling. Of course all of these years later, those same people that discouraged my move have acknowledged how much better I fit on the East Coast.

I was also told by a Jewelry Industry “authority” that entering the Bridal Sector was “IMPOSSIBLE” because it was dominated by several large companies already with huge marketing budgets. I was told I would never have a chance of becoming a player. And now here we are, considered one of the main trend setters of our industry.

In the end, how were all the naysayers proven wrong? 🙂

Well, it has been 36 years and I’m still here. I started a business, and am still here, I went into the Bridal industry, and you guessed it, here I am!

I realized that the person who said that I had no future in bridal jewelry was wrong when Tiffany’s opened their store in Soho, and put a bill board directly on the top of the building where my previous store was. I figured, if the marketing department of Tiffany knew who I was and was feeling that competition, then I was really on the map.That was years ago, but now we are the destination in downtown Manhattan for Engagement rings, Wedding Bands and other fine jewelry. We are the coveted brand for women in the know, with an acute sense of style, who would never wear the less sophisticated designs of those large, more mainstream companies that used to dominate the industry, back in the day. In fact, we never hear of anyone asking for those brands ever! No one even brings in a photo of those brands to show us anymore. The naysayer in this case, never acknowledged my success, but I am grateful to them for their doubt, it only propelled me to be stronger.

Now, all too frequently, when we post a brand new design, within two weeks we see it on our competitor’s Instagram feed. In whichever career I was in, I have been the one to set the trends, not follow them.

Yes, absolutely. As I said, I worked for a company called The Chefs Warehouse. When I was considering changing careers, I wrote a business plan and went to my bosses, which were / still are the owners and said, “Here is my plan, do you guys think I am crazy to leave the food business?” And they said, “No, in fact, we’ll finance you.” If it were not for them, I would most likely not have this company. Interestingly enough, I just celebrated a big birthday and mentioned them publicly at my party (they were there), how when they gave me the funding to start my company, they could have never imagined what would become. They not only allowed my husband and I to practice our craft, but in turn, they provided us with such a valuable part of our network. Because of our shop, we have so many close relationships with customers and employees we have met along the way. So my early partners also indirectly provided an entire lifestyle and friendship circle, which spills over into my employees and their families.

It must not have been easy to ignore all the naysayers. Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share the story with us?

Yes, although my parents always tried to encourage me in certain ways, they were over protective in others. Out of concern for my safety, they instinctively held me back. I was ready to take on the world and I had to learn to navigate my personality within my family. They did not understand the depth of my inner ambition and drive, and expected me to have a whole different life. I had to learn from a young age to not let anyone keep me down. It was so counter to everything I was about as a human being and it was so incredibly frustrating!! I was happy to move into adulthood to take off and soar.

Based on your experience, can you share 5 strategies that people can use to harness the sense of tenacity and do what naysayers think is impossible? (Please share a story or an example for each)

Follow your gut: It may sound over played, but I think we all have the ability to sense what is good for our future inside. We just can’t get talked into listening to someone else, and not listening to that inner voice. For example, living in NYC was my destiny, which I knew from age 5. Now other people could not know that, but I knew it. People may think when a 5 year old says, “I am going to live there when I grow up” that they have no idea. But I knew. I knew then an every year after that without doubt. Now, not everyone’s minds are made up with that kind of “knowing”. But if you listen hard enough to your quiet self, you will know what you should do.
Meditate: If you have trouble reaching that inner voice or getting in touch with that feeling of what is right for you, meditate, meditate, meditate. The answer will always come. Meditation did help me figure out what I wanted to do and helped answer any questions that I had. But I also did a lot of manifesting meditation, and attribute a lot of my success today to that.
Move forward and see how it goes and GIVE IT TIME: For some reason, many people believe in instant success. It takes time to build a business and a clientele. The longer you are in it, the more established you get. They say you don’t grow after 5 years? I grew more after 5 years than EVER! Think 20 years! I had a friend that started a company, which got a lot of traction early on. It was a strong concept, had little to no competition, and she was the perfect face for the company. Two years in, she let the company go. It wasn’t yet the financial success she had expected it to be. I begged her to keep the business, it already had brand equity! But she didn’t. I truly believe that if she had kept going she would have been a pretty big player now.
Listen to the universe. If the planning and execution goes smoothly, then it was meant to be. And if you run into a tremendous amount of obstacles once you have decided to move forward, then perhaps it was not meant to be. When I went for funding for my company, I quickly found a business plan online to fill out. Filling it out was a breeze because I knew the material. Then I went to my bosses for advice, showed them the plan and in a moment, they decided to finance me. We moved forward easily and everything went smoothly. That’s when you know it’s right!
Figure out what you really love and do that: If you have to spend 40 or 60 hours doing something, you better love it or you will be miserable. When you are doing something you love, finding that sense of tenacity will be so much easier! It will be a desire, not a chore. I have worked with jewelry, food, design, all subjects that I love. I can’t say that “When you do what you love, you never work a day in your life”. I have worked like a maniac. But I have never dreaded going to work!

What is your favorite quote or personal philosophy that relates to the concept of resilience?

“Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to error that counts” — Nikki Giovanni.

I was just telling an employee today, “See? It’s not the mistake we made that mattered. It’s how we handled the mistake which proved fruitful.” This is especially true with clients when there is a mistake in an order or a product etc. But how you handle it can make them leave you or make them a customer for life.

When trying something new, mistakes are inevitable, and depending how big those mistakes are depends on how hard they are to forget lol. But usually, it’s how you handle them and also what you learn from them that has the lasting effect.

The movement I would most like to create would be to revamp the employer — employee culture. Employers have enormous potential to encourage employees to discover who they are, what they are good at, and to support that. As opposed to trying to turn them into a brand robot or forcing them to do something that works against their inner talents or against how their brain best functions. Company energy is always better and employees are always more productive when they are happy. And they can only be truly happy when they are encouraged to be themselves and are appreciated for what they are good at and can bring to the table. So I would love to live in a world where everyone was encouraged to be more of who they are and their best selves as opposed to trying to be like someone else. As the saying goes, be yourself, everyone else is already taken. 🙂

Can our readers follow you on social media?

Instagram- @marisaperryatelier

Twitter- @marisaperry

Pintrest- @marisaperry

Thank you for these great stories. We wish you only continued success!

Dreamers: “They Told Me It Was Impossible And I Did It Anyway” With Marisa Perry was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Freida Rothman on the Five Things You Need to Thrive and Succeed as a Woman…

Female Founders: Freida Rothman on the Five Things You Need to Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview with Candice Georgiadis

A successful founder believes in herself, perhaps before anyone or everyone else does. It’s important to be an optimistic person and positive thinker. At some point, every founder has looked at their business and seen a black hole. If that prospect isn’t paralyzing to you, you can be a founder. It’s not for everyone and the responsibility is immense, but if you 100% believe in your mission, you can achieve incredible success.

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

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Freida Rothman is a second-generation jeweler, a mother of four, and an entrepreneur striving to remind every woman of her inner strength. Inspired by the legacy of four grandparents — all Holocaust survivors — Freida’s designs honor strength and resiliency through contemporary pieces that reflect her native Brooklyn. Taking design inspiration from the city around her, Freida’s signature sterling silver and mixed-metal pieces elevate Brooklyn grit into effortless elegance. Her collections are retailed at fine jewelry boutiques and departments stores nationwide, as well as at www.FreidaRothman.com.

I’m a second-generation jeweler. My father has been in the jewelry industry for close to 40 years. I started my career designing for private label, but knew I always wanted to design jewelry that that has meaning. All four of my grandparents were Holocaust survivors who taught me to see the beauty in everything and they’ve been my biggest inspiration. When I started my own brand in 2013, I wanted to keep their legacy alive and inspire women to pursue a positive outlook on life. All of our collections are inspired by my hometown of Brooklyn. I love taking unexpected details and the grit of the city and turning them into beautiful pieces of jewelry.

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

I am from a family of Holocaust survivors. My business coach actually encouraged me to share my family’s history within the brand. For me, it was always hard to combine jewelry with the story of my grandparents — I never wanted to overshare. But I have been so influenced by my two grandmothers, both Auschwitz survivors — by their incredible strength and resilience to rebuild their lives afterwards. Upon thinking through that counsel, I decided to create our STRENGTH bracelet. I designed it to celebrate and remind every woman of her inner strength, as every woman is strong.

As soon as I began sharing more of my authentic self through our family story, our following grew and became more engaged. That reinforced for us that you have to be proud of who you are and really stand for your mission. People know when it’s genuine.

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?

In the early days, I was traveling to one of my first Nordstrom events and went to the wrong location. I walked in ready to start selling and then quickly realized “this store” was not having an event that day. Thanks to that early goof, whenever I travel to meetings and events across the country, I’m extra vigilant about checking details before every trip.

While I was working and designing for private label, my husband kept pushing me to start my own company. I always refused because I never wanted to be in the spotlight and was afraid to put my own name on something. I felt it represented a huge step I wasn’t ready for. One day, my husband walked into my office with thousands of dollars in jewelry displays with my name on it. His exact words were, “Get to work. You’re now the founder and designer of the FREIDA ROTHMAN brand.”

Every day, I see more and more women founding their own businesses. It’s been incredible to help support the systems that are being developed to empower female leaders and business owners. Women came to the table a bit later than men so it has taken time catch up, but I believe we are getting there. For so long, women were still learning how to navigate excelling at motherhood and having a successful career. But we getting it done, learning to find balance — and our growth is explosive. As more females continue to support and mentor each other, those numbers will continue to grow.

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?

Starting a business is a personal journey for every woman, but having the support of other women who share their experiences, struggles and advice is extremely helpful. Creating professional organizations that empower and encourage is crucial to the growth and success of women leaders. Funding female-owned businesses is a long-overdue step. It’s time to focus on the many strengths women bring to the table as business owners and leaders.

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?

In my opinion, women can be excellent team builders who can be empathetic but firm, idealistic but also humble enough to listen to advice. They can get teams working as a cohesive unit. Women are also adept long term thinkers who are willing to take risks, but tend to ensure their decisions are cemented in what is best for the group versus themself.

Being a female founder also keeps women fully involved in the world around us, and teaches us to overcome daily challenges. By running a business, my brain stays sharp as I’m definitely exercising it daily. It also demonstrates to my children that I can run a successful business and be an engaged, present mother. For me, it’s important to be that role model — to show them their gender imposes no limits.

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

Sure! The first myth is that anyone can start and run a business. It may be easy to start, but bringing the ideas to life — and to market — is difficult. Success takes perseverance, patience, flexibility, and time. You must have a tolerance for risk and possess the resilience to weather the many inevitable challenges you will face. If you are afraid to lose, you will never win.

Another myth is that you can’t be a present mother who prioritizes family AND be a successful founder/business leader. You absolutely can with appropriate time management and the strong team that you built around to help you succeed.

Just like there are leaders and followers, not everyone is cut out to be a founder. Leaders possess certain personality traits such as being decisive and good communicators. They understand the importance of empowering others to succeed, valuing the opinions of colleagues and employees, and being able to take risks while still being able to sleep at night.

A successful founder believes in herself, perhaps before anyone or everyone else does. It’s important to be an optimistic person and positive thinker. At some point, every founder has looked at their business and seen a black hole. If that prospect isn’t paralyzing to you, you can be a founder. It’s not for everyone and the responsibility is immense, but if you 100% believe in your mission, you can achieve incredible success.

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?”

1. Be comfortable having a public persona. Life today happens on social media, so you have to be comfortable putting yourself out there.

2. Having a support group or a mentor is very important. Learning from others and receiving advice from people who don’t judge you will help you succeed.

3. Pay it forward. Just as you need a support group, it’s important to mentor others. When you support others, it always comes back around.

4. Always do the right thing and stay humble. A big ego will come back to haunt you.

5. Self-care is crucial for your success. It’s important to take care of yourself because if you don’t, you can’t take care of others around you or your business.

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

We created our Women of Strength bracelet and supporting campaign to celebrate and share stories of incredible women. Through it, we have inspired women around the world to believe in themselves and their own strength. Through the campaign, we have also been able to give back to important causes, supporting a variety of not-for-profit organizations both locally and across the country. At the start of COVID, in partnership with Nachas Health and Family Network in New York, we pivoted our Women of Strength campaign, with every purchase made on our website providing meals for the city’s elderly. I’m proud to say we donated over 20,000 meals in 2020. Because my family instilled this in me, our brand is built on giving back, and I will always use our success to do good.

Our Women of Strength campaign has actually become a national movement. When we launched it to remind every woman of their own personal strength, we didn’t realize the impact it would have. Over the past year, so many women have come forward to share their stories of strength to help inspire others. We’ve been told by many that our STRENGTH bracelet is the ultimate gift, both to give or receive. We started the movement celebrating female Holocaust survivors and we followed up by creating our HONOR bracelet to celebrate women in the military and first responders — women who are never represented in fashion campaigns. Both campaigns resonated with women across the country, and our Women of Strength campaign has become a movement of optimism and positivity that honors women for all they do.

The list is long as there are so many incredible women I’d love to sit down with! Recently, I became inspired by venture capitalist and founder/managing partner of Forerunner, Kirsten Green. Running the first all-female VC firm is quite an accomplishment. I strongly align with her mission in supporting underrepresented voices through capital and community.

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

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

Female Founders: Krystal Kinney of THR33FOLD On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a…

Female Founders: Krystal Kinney of THR33FOLD On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Hire the right people: Every founder foresees scaling the business and removing themselves from the day-to-day business. For that to come to fruition, the people you hire become crucial to the success of the business. I look to hire people I could imagine myself working for and following.

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

Krystal Kinney is Founder, Chief Creative Officer & Lead Strategist at THR33FOLD, an independent, award-winning communications agency that specializes in shaping mass narrative while driving brand trial and adoption. Krystal has spearheaded the agency’s directional growth over the past 12 years from a branding agency into a fully integrated communications agency that manages and builds global brands throughout digital, social, and public relations.

Since its founding, Krystal has held several key management positions in the agency that include leadership across industry verticals including Finance, Tech, Food, Travel, and Consumer Products. With 17+ years of experience in guiding marketing and brand strategy for both B2C and B2B organizations, Krystal combines insight with vision to help businesses diversify and grow.

Yes, and thank you for the opportunity. I come from a long line of strong-willed, entrepreneurial women. My great-grandmother “GG” owned a beauty salon that was attached to her house. My great-grandfather passed long before I came along, and my GG never remarried. I recall that she was always self-sufficient. My grandmother followed in her mother’s footsteps and started selling beauty supplies and cosmetics to the ladies that came to the salon. Being around these women shaped my independence early on. I was always curious, and with so many ladies and conversations happening all around me, I became naturally observant and insightful, mainly about people. I loved watching all these ladies lined up in their chairs under the dryers, flipping through magazines, pointing, gasping, and chatting about every detail of the latest starlet on the cover. Women would come in one after another with torn out pages of advertisements and media spreads. They would point to the hair in the ad and say, “I want to look like that! Can you do it?”

I loved looking at the ads, always trying to figure out how they were able to get so many women wanting that look. That disposition for curiosity and understanding of people, a combination of well-balanced analytical and creative abilities, an appreciation for strong communication, and a good dose of ambition led me to a career in advertising and public relations. Today, I am the founder, Chief Creative Officer and Lead Brand Strategist at THR33FOLD.

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

Funny enough, THR33FOLD’s success in business depends on our ability to keep things interesting, all the time; certainly, for the brands we represent.

I think for me it is less about one thing being the most interesting and more about how every day is new, exciting and different. You often wake up thinking you are running after an international campaign launch, and then end up managing a global PR crisis. I would say every minute of every day is jam packed with interesting.

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 once ordered a take-out fish sandwich from a local dive during the night of our big new office move and build-out of furniture. Everyone suggested burgers but I insisted I was being healthy and smart. I ended up in the hospital with food poisoning for the following five days. The lesson learned: sometimes the obvious choice is the smartest choice; and the smallest choices, when not fully thought out, can derail the biggest initiatives.

That is an easy one as the business I founded is shared with my life partner, Daniel. In the paraphrased words of RBG, I have a life partner that thinks my work is as important as his and that has made all the difference. He joined five years after our founding and brought the skillset of an experienced consultant and corporate executive, having worked all over the world for many years with major consumer brands. We complement one another very well, approaching issues or initiatives from very different angles. We are both well versed in what the other brings but we know and respect our strengths. The agency is better for it, and we pack a strong punch, able to compete with the best of them — even better, in fact, because we love what we do and because it is so intertwined with our personal lives.

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

I think for many women, the ability to see this as a possibility, as a choice, isn’t always there. Social constructs that define necessary roles still skew traditional economic creation more towards men. This means that women often find it harder to get funding to start a business, partly because they don’t accumulate necessary credit and are considered “riskier”. I recently read that only 2.8% of VC funding in 2019 went to women-led start-ups. And, that figure dropped to 2.3% in 2020. This may also have to do with the make-up of boards and decision-makers across so many VC firms, where only about 12% of decision-makers are women. What is true, is that when women lead, they encourage other women to follow. I believe that investing in women is good business as it adds diversity of thought and experience for the many brands we represent. If everyone started looking at women as an investment, we would make great strides paving the way for more female-lead organizations.

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 love this question because I truly believe there is so much work to be done here.

First, women need equal compensation. The fact that women on average make 18% less than their male counterparts not only perpetuates the narrative that women do not contribute to economic growth, but it also, by design, makes it harder for women to build financial stability, credit, or assets. The diminished ability for women to build independent wealth makes it very difficult to take risks, such as founding a new business.

Second, families need affordable quality childcare. Women are often the ones that sacrifice their career goals and start-up ambitions when childcare challenges arise. Women disproportionately take on unpaid caregiving responsibilities when their family cannot find or afford childcare. I read a recent survey conducted by the Center for American Progress, that showed mothers were 40 percent more likely than fathers to report that they had personally felt the negative impact of childcare issues on their careers. Many of these ladies end up leaving the workforce. Why work if your earnings only cover your childcare? I think both equal pay and access to affordable childcare go hand and hand, and they feed into a vicious circle that keeps women at a disadvantage when it comes to the pursuit of founding a company.

In general, I think it’s important for women that have achieved success in businesses, or as founders of organizations, to mentor and encourage other women. As a society we need expect more inclusiveness of women in positions of influence and power — it should not be the exception, but rather the norm. This obviously is influenced by government action, where solutions in the areas of equal pay for equal work and family leave can help normalize that expectation.

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?

Although they are fewer in number, female founded businesses tend to deliver higher revenues and profitability — so, it just makes business sense. Several studies have been published on that point, a notable one is from S&P Global, published in late 2019.

There is also the obvious reason that there are not enough female founders to create a critical mass such that banks and other supporting institutions would begin to listen. It is interesting that women make up 56 percent of the workforce but only account for about 6 percent of CEOs at S&P 500 companies. The more women become founders or take on leadership roles, the more opportunity we will have to normalize the idea that women equally contribute to the global economy.

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

The most obvious myth is that women founders have done it alone. Often, women founders are simply people who have taken a chance on an idea, or a dream, and who were able to recruit or inspire enough people to help them.

It is also a myth that you must know everything to run a business. You do not. As a founder, you do have to be a bit like an orchestra conductor — it may be your vision of what the music will sound like, but it takes a lot of talented people to produce a good sound. Simply, you do not have to be an expert in every instrument to successfully lead.

There is a big difference between having a job, building a career or founding a company — all are equally as meaningful, and all may be as equally fulfilling. Being part of a team, where you are all working together to move things toward a common goal can be very rewarding and very fulfilling. I find that founders are sometimes people who envision something they can’t let go. The desire or idea just keeps gnawing at them to the point that they take that leap. I think founders must possess an enormous amount of energy, passion and drive to take that leap of starting a company.

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

1. Self-belief: Founders are visionaries who trust their instincts. People will give advice, but you ultimately decide, and you are responsible.

2. Perseverance: There will be hundreds of setbacks along the way. As obstacles happen, stay on the relentless pursuit of your goals.

3. Positive Mindset: As a leader, you are always championing forward momentum. Having a positive, solutions-focused attitude makes any challenge — big or small — solvable.

4. Seek advice often: Collect advice from those around you. Ask others what they think and how they would approach problems or opportunities. Gaining perspective leads to well-informed decisions.

5. Hire the right people: Every founder foresees scaling the business and removing themselves from the day-to-day business. For that to come to fruition, the people you hire become crucial to the success of the business. I look to hire people I could imagine myself working for and following.

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

This is a great question because the “WHY” of our agency is to Fuel Progress — it is what we aim to do, every day. We engage with brands that, in some way, contribute something meaningful to people or to society. They don’t have to be transformative, but simply move the needle forward. This includes brands related to sustainable foods, safe driving solutions, products that enable innovation, or even brands that are about restoring lives and communities after destructive events.

To have the number of women in business and government leadership positions be equal to or greater than that of men. I would love to create that kind of movement as it would indeed change the world.

I am always fascinated by successful couples, especially those that together influenced people or changed history. RBG and Martin Ginsburg come to mind as do Charles and Ray Eames — so do George and Amal Clooney who are influential and contribute meaningfully in such different ways.

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

Female Founders: Krystal Kinney of THR33FOLD 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.

Kelsey Eyers of Sweat CBD: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis…

Kelsey Eyers of Sweat CBD: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Nothing is going to go as planned but in the best way. In the beginning, I had dreams of being in every major big-box retailer, only to find my passion was working with the customer directly and hearing the impact my products made. We shifted focus many times and ended up right where we should have. Be confident in where you are going but detached from how you will get there.

As part of my series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business” I had the pleasure of interviewing Kelsey Eyers, CEO and Founder of Sweat CBD and BOSSBOXX.

Kelsey Eyers is the CEO & Founder of Sweat CBD and her newest business vertical, BOSSBOXX. She is also a business mentor specializing in e-commerce and affiliate marketing and the host of a popular podcast for entrepreneurs, “Figuring It Out with Kelsey Eyers”. Kelsey grew and scaled Sweat CBD to a multiple 6 figure business in under a year and has since helped other e-commerce businesses scale to multiple 6 and 7 figures. BOSSBOXX is Kelsey’s newest venture in her business portfolio and brings aspiring entrepreneurs and current online business owners an expedited, done for you, online business, helping them to avoid wasting valuable time and money and fastrack their way to creating revenue with their online business. In the summer of 2021, Kelsey will launch a self-guided course called “Degree In CPG”, showing new consumer packaged goods (CPG) business owners the ins and outs of creating a CPG company.

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

I struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember. I was prescribed anxiety medication but I hated the way it made me feel. I remember feeling so out of place because all of my peers knew what they wanted to do with their lives and I felt like I was just trying to get through the day. After moving to California and working every dead-end job you can imagine, I knew I needed a change. I admired the life of an entrepreneur but nothing had ever excited me enough to want to make it into my livelihood. The day I was introduced to CBD I remember thinking I had not only found the natural solution to every prescription medication I was taking, but I had also found something I could truly stand behind enough to sell and ultimately build a business around.

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

As I am sure many can relate, early on in my business every opportunity seemed like the only opportunity. I remember sending 50–100 emails a day just hoping for that unicorn moment that would take my products into every big-box retailer in the country. About six months into my business I was approached by a company who offered me shelf space in 100+ nutrition store franchises, and you can only imagine my level of excitement. I remember meeting with the CEO of the company and being nervous beyond belief. A few minutes into the meeting I already had a notepad full of new products this franchise was asking me to create for them. Not only did they want me to create 17 new products, but they also wanted extremely unrealistic margins on my products. In my mind, there was absolutely no way that I could say no. I called my manufacturer and started the process of creating 17 new products with 17 unique labels. I invested every dollar the business had made up to that point and thousands of dollars of my own money, leaving me with little to nothing. Long story short, the products never sold and were even returned. I had to go to farmer’s markets at least five days a week to sell the products and recoup the loss. What I learned is that not every opportunity is YOUR opportunity, just as not every customer is YOUR customer. There is something very special and empowering about saying “no” and walking away from dollar signs if it could compromise your growth and happiness.

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 remember driving home from the manufacturing facility with my first run of CBD tinctures. I was doing the math on how much money I could make if I sold them all. I thought I had just figured it all out and would be living the luxury life in no time. Little did I know that it takes more to build a business than to simply have a product. After (very slowly) selling the first round, I had $100 in my bank account and was confused and disappointed, but I had learned the cost of building a business. The larger lesson I learned was that you have to spend money to make money and as long as your money is invested back into the business it is doing more than sitting in your bank account.

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

Since I have learned how to build a brand from scratch, I have taken that knowledge and been able to start two very exciting projects. First, I have started a business development agency with a specialty in cannabis products called BOSSBOXX. We help aspiring entrepreneurs by bringing branding and web design, PR and marketing, social media management, business strategy, and affiliate marketing all together under one roof to give our clients a turnkey solution. Second, for the entrepreneur that would like to educate themselves on how to start and scale a consumer packaged goods business, my business partner and I have created a course called Degree In CPG, giving entrepreneurs a road map into the world of product-based business.

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

I am extremely grateful for my (now) husband. Before I even knew what I was capable of, he saw it in me and gave me the inspiration and confidence needed to take the leap into entrepreneurship and go all-in on myself. I remember coming home from work multiple times in the most terrible mood because I was completely unaligned with what I was doing and did not feel like I had any purpose. I had very little money to give myself a cushion but he still convinced me to quit my job. I remember him saying, “If you force yourself to figure it out, you will”, and he was right. It took me about a year to figure it out but eventually, I did. Even to this day, he is my biggest fan and the first person to motivate me on hard days. When I forget, he reminds me of who I am and snaps me back into my groove. Thankful is an understatement.

This industry is young dynamic and creative. Do you use any clever and innovative marketing strategies that you think large legacy companies should consider adopting?

Due to the restrictions in digital advertising, I was forced to get creative with marketing. In the spring of 2020 when COVID hit I dedicated my life to building and scaling an affiliate marketing program. I did not have the funds to invest in a large affiliate marketing platform so I was forced to figure it out myself. I learned the ins and outs of affiliate marketing and was able to grow a 70+ person affiliate team and an extremely tight-knit affiliate community where affiliates not only connect about our brand but are able to network with other like-minded individuals. As a result of our affiliates becoming part of a movement, we were able to triple e-commerce revenue in the first 30 days after the program launched. I have since taken the skill of building affiliate marketing programs to help many more e-commerce brands scale their businesses.

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

Three things that excite me:

The community it is creating
The jobs and opportunities it is creating
The people that it is helping and healing

Three things that concern me:

The wrong people are trying to get involved for a quick dollar
The large brands are monopolizing the small brands
The value of high-quality products is dropping, making it hard to cover costs

Can you share your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business”? Please share a story or example for each.

1. People buy from people. When I started Sweat CBD I was sure that no one would respect a 26-year-old female trying to make it in this industry. I even went to the lengths of signing my emails from someone else to make sure I received respect. Little did I know that my story was the brand. When I started to use video content to share why I started this business, everything changed.

2. Nothing is going to go as planned but in the best way. In the beginning, I had dreams of being in every major big-box retailer, only to find my passion was working with the customer directly and hearing the impact my products made. We shifted focus many times and ended up right where we should have. Be confident in where you are going but detached from how you will get there.

3. There are going to be a lot of people who try to take advantage of you. I trusted a lot of the wrong people and as a result, I wasted valuable time, money, and energy. Being a small-town Midwest girl combined with a first-time business owner attracted the kind of people who wanted to use me as a step ladder. Learning to stand up for myself was a hard lesson, but it was one of the best Iessons I have ever learned.

4. Affiliate marketing is your best friend. I created an affiliate marketing program with our loyal customers who helped to increase brand awareness through word-of-mouth and social media, build a sense of community within the brand, and as a result increase revenue.

5. Keeping up with changes in rules and regulations can be a job in itself. We are in the prohibition of cannabis which means the rules are going to continually change and we are going to have to continually adapt. Working with people that you trust is the only way to weather this storm.

What advice would you give to other CEOs or founders to help their employees to thrive?

I think it is extremely important to have your employees feel like you are on their side. I worked with managers and bosses who never had my back, respect for me, or my skillset and integrity. As a result, I produced poor quality work and was completely uninvested in the business or brand. When I started building my team I made it a priority to connect with each member and make them feel respected and ensure they knew I was invested in their personal and professional success. As a result, I have a dream team that produces high-quality work and enjoys doing it.

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

I have a dream of helping young individuals go on a journey of personal growth through creating a business. Personally, creating a business was the catalyst to my self-development. It gave me confidence, purpose, and passion. I wish to inspire others to take the leap and invest in themselves. I want to create a platform in which they can do so, and allow them to go on and inspire many more to do the same.

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?

@kelsey.eyers @the.bossboxx @degreeincpg

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

Kelsey Eyers of Sweat CBD: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Not everyone can be a business founder. I have watched many peers try and fail to start law firms, consulting firms, and other businesses. Some people are natural leaders and also the type of people who will not accept failure as an option — I am one of those types of people. I never considered failure a possibility when I started consulting. Those who enjoy being part of a team and even managing others but not being fully in charge of and responsible for the success of an entire business can make great employees, as can those who need daily or weekly reassurance and direction; but, neither of these types of people should establish and lead their own company.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of speaking with Stacey Burke.

Stacey Burke is a 20-year attorney who provides marketing and business development consulting services to law firms. She has worked with over 300 law firms in a wide range of practice areas across the United States. Her work has been featured in the Texas Bar Journal, Trial magazine, Forbes, and Legal Business World, among other publications.

I began working in the legal industry during college in the mid 1990s and continued throughout law school. I had positions ranging from file clerk to extern to student attorney and everything in between. I tried my hand at various areas of the law to see what I enjoyed and felt I was adept at, as well as what was not for me. I began my formal career, once licensed, working in an established Houston, Texas maritime firm, and stayed there for many years. I was hired away by a larger personal injury and products liability litigation firm with eight offices in six cities. I was made a partner, and I continued my legal career at that firm until I unexpectedly transitioned into consulting by choice. While my second employer provided unparalleled opportunities for advancement and financial success, the work life balance became untenable for me as a single working mother raising two young daughters largely on my own. My employer was upset but supportive, telling me, “I will be your first and best client” for my new business, and he — as always — held true to his word. I left the firm with no intention of using a previously established entity as a full-time business, but quickly became aware of a huge deficit in the legal industry in the gulf of knowledge between marketing vendors and the lawyers who have to use them to obtain new clients. My role (and compensation) at both of my former law firms was largely focused on my efforts to generate business from other lawyers and from marketing endeavors; this skill was in high demand once I became a free agent and thus, a consulting business was born during what was supposed to be my down time.

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

Several of the most interesting things that have happened to me since I began running my consulting business full-time are covered by detailed non-disclosure agreements, so I cannot share them, although I wish I could. Of what I can share, some of the most interesting stories have been watching the firms I work with evolve both personally and professionally — watching lawyers leave client firms for better opportunities where they feel more valued, watching partners’ marriages self-destruct as they engage in inappropriate behavior, and entity names shift and change as named partners come and go.

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 funniest mistakes I have made have luckily been internal and with regard to my own hiring process. My company thankfully has grown very quickly and thus often our need for additional employees is urgent; however, after several hiring missteps, we have since adjusted our interview process to include a skills test and interviews with multiple team members instead of just me. One worker came with a highly pedigreed resume and legal industry connections; she interviewed exceptionally and had fantastic references. Once she became a part of our team, however, we realized she was much better on paper than as an actual employee. As a public relations professional, she proceeded to refuse to do certain work because she didn’t agree with a client’s side of a legal matter, loudly disrupted the internal work environment daily by trying to gossip with and talk to my hardworking employees, and presumed she could take hours off of work in her first week to get her aging dog acupuncture. She quit via email without so much as a conversation with me or my operations manager and has since shifted jobs numerous times. Hiring and wasting time with someone like this taught me that interviews and resumes only matter fractionally. Instead, a hard-working applicant with less experience and fewer references who wants to dig in and learn is generally a better hire than a diva who thinks she is above internal guidelines because of her previous accomplishments.

I am most grateful to my father for my business acumen, drive, and success. When I divorced at a very young age with two small children, my father told me that I was smart and capable and could do it all myself. My dad helped me believe in myself professionally even while I felt like a failure personally. He also encouraged me to go out on my own and choose a healthier lifestyle that made me more available to my children, even while risking significant financial compensation. As an experienced business owner of a much larger enterprise, my dad took the time to sit down with me once a month to review my books and learn about my services offerings and clients during my first year or two of business. His advice and support have been invaluable to me throughout my life, but in particular in my professional career.

Most commonly tasked with being the primary caregivers to children and other dependent relatives, women are afraid to leave the comfort of working for others and the benefits that come therewith — job security, health insurance, retirement plans, business development stipends, and other perks. As caregivers, we have to strike a balance where we earn enough to pay for childcare and still turn a profit on which to live.

Women also often do not have the same resources of a single male with no dependents with which to start a business. Women who have operated outside of the traditional workforce may not qualify for bank loans due to a lack of credit or bad credit and not know how to obtain funding elsewhere, if it’s even possible. I was fortunate to have earnings saved that enabled me to invest in myself and my own company without ever requiring loans or outside funding.

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 have seen some traction in the movement to encourage and fund women founders, but not enough. Society as a whole continues to fail to recognize the unique benefits women offer in leadership and ownership roles, and this devaluation of female leadership is costly. Looking to other countries with female leaders, you can see on a broad level much of what can be accomplished with a woman at the helm. Unfortunately, the United States sadly lags behind in addressing the pain points that inhibit women from becoming entrepreneurs, as well as in empowering women into executive and leadership roles within existing corporate structures. I would like to see the government fully fund childcare costs, as the majority of my first paychecks upon returning to work went directly to childcare, leaving me with little to live on. If we can eradicate the childcare gap, all parents and caregivers will be able to bolster the American economy in a more equitable manner.

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?

One significant reason more women should become founders is so they can in turn empower more women to take on leadership roles and become founders, thus ultimately removing the gender disparity in business ownership and leadership. In addition, women founders inspire younger women by showing them that regardless of gender identity, one can not only succeed professionally, but lead and own a business. Furthermore, women founders qualify for designated government funding and can obtain special women-owned business designations that are helpful for financial reasons; and, by increasing the number of applicants and designees for these funds and certifications, we show the government and society in general that women are a meaningful component of the capitalist structure who need to be financed and considered as equal to male-owned or dominated businesses.

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

I wrongly believed that I needed a large sum of capital in order to start a business. This could not have been further from the truth. While it does vary by industry and service/product offerings, most small businesses do not require significant financial seed money in order to commence operations. I invested $30,000 of my own money into my business and have never invested any freestanding funds since that time. So many functions that are thought to be extremely expensive like logo design, website design, invoicing software, accounting, payroll, and the like are truly not that significant of an overhead component if set up correctly.

Another myth is that women won’t be taken as seriously as men, especially in male-dominated professions. Despite progress, the legal industry remains male-dominated and hetero cis male-centric. I have not once felt that my skills or my offerings were taken less seriously because I identify and present as female. I do not focus on my gender identity as part of my selling points, but rather focus on my 20 years of experience in my field, significant and pervasive thought leadership pieces, and previous successes on behalf of my clients. Even the most successful billionaire trial lawyers defer to me and other members of my team as experts when we work together.

No, not everyone can be a business founder. I have watched many peers try and fail to start law firms, consulting firms, and other businesses. Some people are natural leaders and also the type of people who will not accept failure as an option — I am one of those types of people. I never considered failure a possibility when I started consulting. Those who enjoy being part of a team and even managing others but not being fully in charge of and responsible for the success of an entire business can make great employees, as can those who need daily or weekly reassurance and direction; but, neither of these types of people should establish and lead their own company.

Having the skills needed to perform tasks is just not the same as having the drive, acumen, contacts, and commitment needed to establish a new brand and drive marketplace success.

Five Things You Need to Thrive and Succeed as a Women Founder:

Funding: I was able to fund my own startup with money I made in my legal career. Most others will not have this advantage. Story: As a single mom, I did throw up in the parking lot outside of Frost Bank downtown the day I took my own $30,000 and put it into an account I created for the business. While founding your own business can be exciting, there are moments — especially when it comes to money — that can cause a physical reaction like this.
Contacts: If you are someone who is afraid to ask for meetings, take people to lunch or coffee, or reach out over email to a good chunk of everyone you’ve ever known before, entrepreneurship may not be for you. Mining your own personal database of connections is essential to being a successful woman founder. You never know who needs your help or who knows someone who needs your help. Never be afraid to tell people what you do. If you don’t self-promote, no one else will do it for you — certainly not your competitors! Story: My first clients were all current or former members of my immediately preceding employer, showing that just because you leave a job doesn’t mean that you have to sever the relationship.
Sales skills: There is a certain X factor that good salespeople have and it is generally something that can’t be learned. You can have the best product or service in the market, but if you can’t convey that value to your target demographic, you have nothing. Story: I do not use canned pitch decks when I meet with prospects. I think it’s a waste of time to tell them every single thing I can do. I’d rather really offer them what amounts to a free consultation (that often goes on for hours) where I listen to their pain points and give them advice, including how I’d address their needs. In one pitch though, I was basically yelled out of a conference room for not having and using a boring old pitch deck. I doubted myself after that, but this has proven to be a huge anomaly (that was the only time this has ever happened to me in eight years). All information gained is valuable, however, and so I do have a standard pitch deck available now for prospect calls and meetings just in case.
Systems and processes: If you try to cram everything you need to know how to do to run your business into your own head, you’ll fail. Even things that are intuitive need to be immortalized in writing or in a CRM or some form of tangible medium to bolster knowledge management, largely because if you do a good job, you’ll grow, and more people will need to know all of the steps involved with everything you do. Story: I tried for years to create all of my own forms and systems without anyone’s input. Only once I involved my employees at every level in defining, mapping out, and systematizing the tasks associated with their own jobs did things coalesce. Never forget to utilize everyone when creating the systems and processes they will work under, partly because they know exactly what they do every day but also because it increases employee buy-in when they are part of the decision-making process.
Accountability metrics: Just as any good consulting business or marketing agency needs to account for the value it provides to its customers, as business owners we need to hold ourselves, our employees, and our efforts accountable in order to continue to optimize our own work product. Don’t just review your client monthly reporting in a vacuum. Look at the tough parts and decide on new strategic moves you can make to do better. Story: We have gone through many iterations of internal and external reporting before realizing that we could use external reporting for internal review before we send it out to the clients. We were doing double the work for no real reason and once we realized it, things got a lot more efficient!

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

I use my skills as both a lawyer and a marketer to drive those in need of legal services to lawyers and law firms who will care, help them, and who have the experience needed to do a solid job. I actively choose not to work with lawyers I don’t think will benefit the leads I would drive to them as clients because ethically, as a licensed attorney, I don’t agree with this practice. This sets me apart from other vendors who are only trying to acquire clients in volume to meet their overhead costs and turn a profit. I believe I am ethically obligated to send potential clients to good lawyers, and that is how I use my marketing skills to make the world a better place — increasing access to legal services by removing the barriers between good law firms and those in need of their services.

Seeing as I spend hours daily on social media in order to accomplish my clients’ work, I would like to see vastly different monitoring programs, highly improved reviews conducted, and transparent data from social networks like Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram concerning bullying, hate speech, antisemitic content, and the like. Every single one of these social networks (and many more) enable desktop jockeys to lie and reach potentially millions of others around the world with damaging and misleading information. As the modern purveyors of the majority of the world’s real-time news, I do not think they are held to a sufficient standard of care with regard to their own internal obligations to assess and deal with online prejudicial speech, misinformation, and incitement of violence.

I would be honored to meet the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a lifetime role model for me and for lawyers across the country and around the world.

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

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

Female Founders: Sònia Hurtado of Kuleana On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a…

Female Founders: Sònia Hurtado of Kuleana On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Take good care of your team and good care of yourself. For success to sustain, it’s imperative to ensure your people are with you and feel cared for. If they don’t, the consequences will become apparent in team efficiency. Ensuring that your team is engaged and motivated can improve overall productivity, but you also have to take care of the foundation beneath that: your team’s general well being. Same goes for yourself! Ensure you and your team have time to invest in a healthy mind and body.

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

Sònia Hurtado is the Cofounder and Chief Science Officer at Kuleana, a plant-based, sushi-grade seafood company that is reimagining the food system, starting with seafood made entirely from plants. Prior to Kuleana, she spent 17+ years in food science, specializing in alternative protein development. Sònia also happens to be a mother of two, and her time between Barcelona, home of Kuleana’s original R&D lab, and San Francisco, Kuleana’s HQ.

My pleasure! I’m truly grateful to be part of these series of interviews. My story has always been rooted in my deep love for our planet’s animals. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve cared deeply for animals. I recall times during my childhood when I felt closer to animals than I did other kids. While I had this awareness at an early age, finding ways to tap into this innate connection, and later, transforming this love into a mission driven career has been a journey.

My career journey began when I started university studies in human nutrition and food science. After completing my MSc in food biotechnology, I conducted research in functional proteins derived from pork blood. Needless to say, this research felt deeply at odds with my love for animals and not long after delving in this research, I experienced a personal crisis about who I was and how I could reconcile my personal beliefs with my food science research. In the middle of this career questioning, I had my first daughter.

Motherhood was a catalyst for me. Immediately after having my daughter, I pivoted my professional focus. In 2012, I joined a 3D food printing startup as their first hire. I became the lead food technologist, developing our hero product: vegan cakes! One of the cofounders was a long-standing vegan entrepreneur, Rosa Avellaneda, and she was also a key inspiration in helping me realize that I could dedicate my career to changing the rules of our food system rather than playing within their confines. While food science had often revolved around animal byproducts at the time, I could instead use my knowledge to help decrease the volume of animal products that comes onto our plates. At that precise moment, my life mission became much clearer.

Since that fateful career transition in 2012, I have dedicated my work to developing plant-based alternatives to traditional meat, spanning chicken, bacon, ham and now, seafood. I moved from developing alternatives to land-dwelling animals over to ocean-residing sea life in 2019. That year, I met my cofounder at Kuleana, Jacek Prus. During that meeting, I came to learn about the critical declines in Bluefin Tuna populations (down 97% in 50 years) and planetary strain related to overfishing. Our visions for the future of food were an immediate match and Kuleana grew legs!

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

As an early stage company leading development in a white space, we find ourselves in interesting situations frequently…there are so many that it’s difficult to pick just one, but the first story that comes to mind is one from Kuleana’s early days. We were working on prototypes of our plant-based, sushi-grade tuna from my Barcelona apartment kitchen. My entire apartment was only 600 sq ft, so you can imagine how tiny the kitchen was.

Sergio, our first employee, a biotechnologist and product developer, would come over to our makeshift lab (read: apartment kitchen) every day, as we experimented with formulations to get a plant-based product with the right taste and texture. My youngest son, Pere, would visit us in our kitchen-lab, belting songs, playing musical instruments… in essence, doing whatever he could to distract us. For a while, my kitchen was part R&D lab, part children’s orchestra. I always smile remembering these early moments.

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’m a big fan of High Moisture Extrusion technology. In most of my projects prior to Kuleana I was using this technology so, when diving into plant-based seafood, my thoughts immediately went to using this technique to create Kuleana tuna. What resulted was a springy, cooked, plant-based fish that resembled more of a chicken sausage than a fish fillet.

During this early product development, I was reminded of the importance of balancing expertise with experimentation. Mix allegiance to the processes you’ve cut your teeth in, with venturing to try new methods and technologies. You’re often rewarded when you do. Further, be aware of the biases you carry and challenge yourself to explore ways of doing things that may not be your initial go-to.

Absolutely, it takes a village. My brother Joan has been a key person, as have my best friend Bàrbara and my parents. They all make me feel grounded and loved, even during the most challenging moments of my life. They are always there for me, no matter the circumstance. I also want to specifically mention my grandma: “iaia Maria”. She passed away in 2015, but all her teachings and unconditional love have made me the strong, resilient, persistent woman that I am today. During tough times when I feel weak, I find strength coming from somewhere deep inside, and I’m certain that she’s part of that inner fuel.

Governments and judicial systems should deeply review how they support equality and pay special attention to ensuring we have equal accessibility to opportunities to become entrepreneurs. I believe that there are still a number of unbalanced systems that exist at a structural level. To share my recent personal experience with this… I’m a Spanish national, and I’ve recently split from a long relationship from which I have two children. Being a single mom and an entrepreneur is not easy. It becomes even more difficult when the company I’ve cofounded is headquartered in another country, operating in a different time zone. These difficulties are further exacerbated by a judicial system that denies me the ability to move my children to the country where my company is headquartered, the U.S.

As a result, whenever I need to be at Kuleana’s HQ in California for an extended period of time, I also need to be away from my children. For many moms, this forces them into a situation where they need to choose between being an entrepreneur and being near their children. In my case, these two worlds are separated by the Pacific Ocean. No doubt that we women can do it all, but there continue to be judicial systems and international governments that make it wildly difficult to find ways for entrepreneurship and motherhood to coexist. I hope to see these systemic hurdles fall to the wayside sooner rather than later, as we risk losing out on the opportunity to see the rise of global female leaders with each day these roadblocks live on.

Further, there’s the social, subconscious barrier that lives in this gender gap. Present day, you still find differences in the way children are treated based on gender: often, boys are actively encouraged to be confident and brave, and girls, to be well-behaved and agreeable. It’s difficult to challenge a behavioral pattern that’s been a part of our early childhoods, but we have to put some effort into interrogating these subconscious tendencies. We women have so much to do! So much to say! We lead, we inspire, and we can not be kept behind the scenes any longer. The world needs us and we deserve to realize the fullest versions of who we have the potential to be, without dilution.

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?

Creating a worldwide entity taking real care (no posturing and showmanship) of situations involving gender inequality and doing a deep review of the judicial systems around the world, even those commonly perceived to have advanced diplomatic systems

Ensuring educators, spanning primary school to university education, have unconscious bias training to get us closer to a learning environment where all genders and gender identities are treated in an equal way

Conduct educational programs from an early age to inspire girls to pursue entrepreneurship

Grants for single moms that want to become entrepreneurs or pursue professional growth

Education for older generations to both honor their history, while ensuring our future isn’t indoctrinated with past prejudices

Identifying, calling out, and punishing inequitable and gender discriminating behaviors. I believe more severity is required here

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?

Simply because we have the same right to do it! And, we are excellent at caring for the foundation of a company, team-building, and establishing healthy work relationships.

Personally, I find that women are generally not as ego-centered as compared to men. We tend to care for the whole pack, the collective…rarely do we hyper-focus on ourselves. More often, we tend towards the opposite, and end up caring too much for others while forgetting about our own needs. This is a great quality for founders, yet it’s also one of the underlying reasons why there are fewer female founders: we put others ahead of ourselves; “the others” can be our children, our romantic partners, or even our family and friends that need our assistance.

Women are strong, passionate, and determined. We are empathetic and we care about our people and our teams. We’ve built and kept generations of healthy families, like an unstoppable superglue that holds elements together. We do the same when we found companies.

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

An advisor once told me to be a good founder you have to be a bit “psycho” and obsessed with your company. I completely disagree with that belief. IMHO, the foundational element to being a good founder is to invest in your mental health and to maintain perspective about what is important in life, knowing that you are just an individual: a human with human limitations. It’s totally acceptable to allow yourself to fail, to be wrong, and to take a pause from time to time.

Of course, being a founder means being flexible with your personal life, so sometimes you’ll be working through weekends and evenings, with your company as your priority most of the time. However, if it’s at the cost of your mental health, then you’d better take a break. For your health, your team’s, and your company’s sake, your mental and emotional state need to be on solid footing.

Another old memory I have is the many times I’ve been told that I was too kind to be a strong leader. Again, I disagree with this conventional belief completely. Being kind has proved to be the best way to nurture employee loyalty and teamwork. As a leader, my goal is to create an environment that promotes “true and reciprocal love”, where every team member cares for the larger team, and allows us to trust each other to move quickly as individuals, knowing that our core motives are always to benefit the collective.

I think everyone has the potential to be a good founder. It’s just a choice and a matter of determination. You can train yourself to it. I think what’s most important is to be honest about what truly motivates you, whether it is founding a startup or working within a larger team. For sustainable joy, finding work that feels purposeful and fulfilling is invaluable.

Having a clear purpose you believe in. In my case, my purpose is to reduce the volume of animal products and byproducts from the food industry system. More specifically, with Kuleana, it’s saving ocean fish populations from extinction.

That purpose must be so important for you that it is your mission, not just your job.

Rise above others’ judgements. For instance, when you’re a mother, it’s not uncommon to hear comments about whether you can deliver professionally because “you’re too busy raising children’’. Ironically, these comments can also come as the reverse, about whether “you are taking good care of your children’’, because you’re so invested in your career. No matter what you do, there will always be someone judging, pointing, and commenting. Don’t pay attention. These comments are usually not worth your time and energy.

Don’t give up. Painfully trying times are inevitable. Your journey as a founder is guaranteed to have its ups and downs. Some moments you’ll be tempted to throw in the towel. Hold steady, find your strength, and keep going, even if it’s with a broken arm or a broken heart. Keep going.

Take good care of your team and good care of yourself. For success to sustain, it’s imperative to ensure your people are with you and feel cared for. If they don’t, the consequences will become apparent in team efficiency. Ensuring that your team is engaged and motivated can improve overall productivity, but you also have to take care of the foundation beneath that: your team’s general well being. Same goes for yourself! Ensure you and your team have time to invest in a healthy mind and body.

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

I’m still on this journey, and expect to be for the rest of my days! I have yet to feel that I’ve successfully made the world a better place, but I continue to work on this every day, fueled by my life’s mission to reduce the volume of animals involved in our food systems, in the hopes of nurturing a healthier planet, with healthier oceans.

Day to day, I also try my best to inspire within my community, and create positive ripple effects, even if just with a simple gesture like a smile and a wave. Lastly, I deeply believe that the way we move through the world today can significantly influence future generations. My hope is that, independent of the direct planetary impact that my company might have, future generations will be inspired by our efforts and continue blazing the path forward, shifting things up a gear to drive exponential impact. Ultimately, whenever I think about what to focus my efforts on in the present day, I also consider what I can do to drive change that outlives my time on Earth.

Anything that would provide humans with sustainable and satisfying food options that are good for the planet, great for the palate, and made without animals. This is our guiding principle to product development at Kuleana. We resolve to reimagine the food system, starting with plant-based seafood that’s good for our health and the planet’s.

Dr. Sylvia Earle! She’s a veteran marine biologist, oceanologist, and has dedicated her work to keeping our oceans healthy. I’m a total fangirl of hers.

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

Female Founders: Sònia Hurtado of Kuleana 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.

Mireille Roc of Global Kitchen Travels: The Future of Air Travel in The Post Covid World

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Robotics have already entered the hospitality industry in hotels. Before long, it’s possible that they may be entering the aircraft also. It may be robots bringing you your snacks. Not only for efficiency, but this is also a safer way with less human contact.

As part of our series about “The Future Of Air Travel”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mireille Roc.

Mireille Roc is a food and travel digital creator. Traveling solo since the age of 15, she has travelled the world from India to Costa Rica. When she is not developing recipes and teaching cooking classes, she is traveling the world and documenting her adventures via her writing and photography.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

After spending some years not enjoying working in a corporate job, I decided life was too short not to enjoy what you do. I then followed my passions, which led me to cooking, travel and photography.

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

A simple trip on the hotel stairs caused my to end up in the emergency room in Bangkok. I learned first hand about international medical air and to always expect the unexpected, when you travel.

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?

Flying charter for a cheaper flight. The cost might be cheaper, however, they don’t have the infrastructure of the larger airlines.

So when the plane had a broken seat, I had to wait 10 hours in the Montego Bay airport for a seat to be fixed, before my flight could leave.

Unless you can afford a private charter flight, avoid charter flights at all costs!

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?

Working freelance in the digital space is very demanding, with you having to wear many hats. Find the things you like to do and outsource the other tasks as soon as you can.

When I was trying to do everything, I was becoming overwhelmed and spending way too much time trying to learn skills I hated. When I finally started hiring people, then I was actually more efficient and more productive doing the part of the job I love and leaving the experts to do the parts that are not my forte.

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?

Really, one of the people who had the greatest effect on me was someone I have never met. Anthony Bourdain. Without his example of showing how you can forge a successful career by marrying two niches — food and travel — which also happen to be my passions — I would never have dreamed this possible.

So many people along the way have told me you have to choose one. However his model showed me I didn’t have to!

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

My goal in bring global cuisine and travel is to teach people about other cultures around the world, breaking down bias and embracing tolerance of all races and religions. It’s about showing that we are more alike then we are different and should always embrace community.

Thank you for that. Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the Aviation and Air Travel industries?

Not really an innovation — but just the knowledge to travel stress free.

Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing these innovations?

Helping people to navigate the new way of traveling, post COVID. This is going to be with us for a while, so you might as well be prepared to the adaptations you will have to make.

How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?

People who are willing to adapt will find little disruption in their ability to travel the world as before. However, if you are resistant to change, you are going to be stuck in your home city.

Are there exciting new technologies that are coming out in the next few years that will improve the Air Travel experience? We’d love to learn about what you have heard.

Some cities have already started to go paperless. Sweden is expected to go 100% paperless by 2023.

Can you share five examples of how the Air Travel experience might change over the next few years to address the new realities brought by the Pandemic? If you can, please give an example for each.

Many people have remained cautious of air travel, preferring to travel by car and other ground transportation. With this, a reduction of flight frequency is going to be a long term condition of Air Travel.

Robotics have already entered the hospitality industry in hotels. Before long, it’s possible that they may be entering the aircraft also. It may be robots bringing you your snacks. Not only for efficiency, but this is also a safer way with less human contact.

A vaccine passport has already been introduced in Israel and EU countries. Soon this is going to be required to travel to many countries around the world.

With so many companies having switched their businesses to online with employees working from home, business travel is going to be much affected. This may lead to the eradication of business class on many airlines, or at the very least, making it more affordable for leisure travelers.

Some airlines will recover, however, other airlines may be forced to merge or go out of business completely, especially smaller regional airlines.

This is going to cause less competition, which may cause the cost of flights to increase. So expect prices to be elevated.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can read my blog at www.globalkitchentravels.com and follow me on instagram @chefmireille or @mireillerocphotography.

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

Mireille Roc of Global Kitchen Travels: The Future of Air 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: Afton Brazzoni of Scribe National On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and…

Female Founders: Afton Brazzoni of Scribe National On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Photo credit: Blue Eyed Shutter Photography

Envision a bold future for your company. Once you remove the distractions of comparison and scarcity mindset (and any other distractions that may pertain to you) from your role as a founder, you will be able to step into possibilities that seemed out of reach before. You’ve come this far — you have the potential to achieve your next goal, and the next one and the next one. Believe in yourself, your team and the work you are doing in the world.

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

Afton Brazzoni is the founder of Scribe National, a B2B content strategy and writing studio. She helps companies serve their audiences and grow their revenues through storytelling. With 12 years of experience in marketing and communications, Afton’s mission is to deliver her clients across North America and Europe excellent content that drives their companies forward.

I’ve been a storyteller since childhood, when I wrote my first “book” about horses in a hardcover notebook, in pencil. I knew from a young age that I wanted to pursue a career in writing and began my bachelor of journalism degree when I was 17. The summer before graduation, I started working as a freelance reporter at a small town weekly newspaper 3,000 miles away from home — a beautiful mountain town in the Canadian Rockies where I met my husband and where we ended up living for 7 years. A year after finishing my journalism degree, I decided to go back to school for public relations. The media industry was going through a tough time, still feeling the effects of the 2008 recession, and jobs were scarce. My public relations diploma opened the door to the marketing and communications industry, and I worked for several organizations over the years, ranging in size from 5 to 5,000 staff. In 2019, I was working full time and freelancing on the side when I decided I wanted to spend more time doing what I loved — writing — and that I was ready, with 10 years of experience under my belt, to start my own content writing company. The rest, we’ll get to next…

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

One of the most significant moments was after I’d been in business for six months, but was still working at my day job. I’d reduced my hours from full time to 20 hours a week so I could focus more on Scribe National. I wanted to quit entirely, but felt guilty that I’d be leaving my team in the lurch, which I think is a common feeling among women. Low and behold, March 2020 rolls around, I’m working from home one day, and I receive an email saying the organization I was working for was laying off over 250 staff, myself included. I was shocked. It was the beginning of the pandemic, and no one really knew what was happening. That same week, my husband and I had a real estate deal fall through. Although the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was an especially trying time — and my family didn’t experience the worst of it by any means — it was truly a blessing in disguise that I was laid off. I immediately began to focus my full attention on Scribe National and managed to reach six figures in revenue that very first year.

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?

This was actually before I started Scribe National and wasn’t funny at the time, but is good for a chuckle now. One day many years ago when I was promoting my freelance writing services, I was emailing prospects and used the wrong company name to address a prospect in one of my emails. He wasn’t impressed and I obviously didn’t earn his business. The lesson here: always take the time to proofread!

When Scribe National had been in business for almost a year, I had so much client work that I could barely keep up. I was working from the early mornings through to the evenings, and every weekend. I was also watching the very short Canadian Rockies summer slip by, and although I was grateful to have the business, I wanted to do more than work all the time. So, I called up my good friend Jenny Spurr who I’d worked with at my previous job before I started Scribe National and asked her if she wanted to join my team as a writer on a contract basis. Jenny is excellent at what she does and she has been an integral part of Scribe National’s success. I am so grateful for her!

From my own experience, the thought of leaving a full-time job to pursue something where you are responsible for bringing in revenue can be daunting, especially if you don’t have a financial or sales background and you don’t have as good of a grasp on the numbers side of the business as you do on your own craft — in my case, writing. There are many other potential factors, but speaking for myself rather than for other women, that was the biggest obstacle for me. I had what I thought was a stable full-time job, until that stability went away and I realized that as an entrepreneur, I actually had more control over my circumstances.

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 would like to see grant funding available for a broader range of companies. There is some funding available to female tech founders, which is great to see and I’d love to see even more, but I would really love to see funding available to more traditional businesses as well — for example, in the professional services sector. These kinds of businesses are also making an impact in the world. In addition, in Canada, certain provinces offer grants to women entrepreneurs readily while others do not. I’d like to see the playing field leveled so that where you live doesn’t dictate the support you’re eligible to receive.

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?

Starting my business was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Everyone’s experience will be different, but for me, this journey has made me so much more confident in my own abilities — and I think that is a gift. It has also given me greater economic power than I ever had working for someone else. I get to do what I love every day and make a difference in clients’ organizations. On a broader societal scale, I’d point to the saying that “empowered women empower women.” When more women become founders, greater numbers of women will gain economic power and will refer, hire, promote, invest in and collaborate with other women.

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

It is absolutely hard work, but not every founder works around the clock. Our society is finally starting to push back against “hustle” culture. Again, this isn’t to say you don’t have to buckle down and put in the work — I worked long hours during my first year in business — but the key is to set up your company in a way that is as systematized and efficient as possible. It really makes a difference.

You need to believe in yourself and the mission you’re trying to achieve, which is bigger than you. You need to be comfortable being uncomfortable. You need to have a desire to constantly learn and grow. I’m sure there are others I’ve missed, but I want to point out that even if you’re someone like me who never thought they’d have their own business, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be a founder if you feel called to start a company. Having my own business changed me greatly as a person — I had to quickly get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Don’t put yourself in a box if you don’t think you have certain traits at this moment in time. We all evolve. Be open to possibilities.

1) You need an excellent team and a strong network, and you need to invest in your relationships with both. My business was built on referrals thanks to the relationships I made over 10 years of being employed with different organizations and building a positive reputation. You are not an island — you need a strong network and reciprocal relationships with the people in your network. As for your team, you can only go so far on your own. When I was approaching my first year anniversary in business, I had the opportunity to take on a large contract that I never would have been able to execute on my own. I am so thankful I had started to build a team two months prior to that opportunity coming along.

2) Prioritize constant learning, self-discovery and self-improvement to develop yourself as a female founder — which includes learning from your mistakes. Digital transformation means that virtually every industry is undergoing change nowadays, and you need to seek out new knowledge so you can keep up and offer the best products and services possible to your customers. Learning from your mistakes is also part of your evolution as a founder. You will inevitably make mistakes. This could be anything from agreeing to take on a rush project because you wanted to please a client, even though you didn’t really have the bandwidth, to bigger mistakes like hiring the wrong person. Accept that you will make errors, and learn from them.

3) Be clear on who you do and do not serve, fill a gap in your industry and dedicate yourself to serving your clients while setting boundaries around your time and pricing. Your business cannot be for everyone. The importance of niching down is undeniable. It can seem daunting to turn down customers, but it really is true that the wrong clients — or worse, bad clients (the kind that don’t respect you) — suck time and energy out of your business. Become as good as possible at clarifying your marketing messages, properly qualifying leads and saying no to projects that aren’t a fit for your company. You will experience revenue growth as a result, and greater peace of mind, which is priceless.

4) Work to overcome common challenges like “comparisonitis” and scarcity mindset. There is a fine line between doing research on your competitors and falling into the trap of comparing yourself to them. You do need to be aware of your competitors, but once you’ve completed your research, get back to doing what you do best. Keep your focus on the unique value your company offers, and on serving your customers. This will get you farther than worrying about what another entrepreneur or company is doing. In addition, on the topic of scarcity mindset, if you grew up in a lower income household, it can be very difficult to break the pattern of thinking that there is “never enough” and worrying about sales in your business. I would highly recommend investing in coaching to help you break through the barrier of scarcity mindset — when it has been in place since childhood, you may need some help to overcome this.

5) Envision a bold future for your company. Once you remove the distractions of comparison and scarcity mindset (and any other distractions that may pertain to you) from your role as a founder, you will be able to step into possibilities that seemed out of reach before. You’ve come this far — you have the potential to achieve your next goal, and the next one and the next one. Believe in yourself, your team and the work you are doing in the world.

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

I have had the opportunity to hire, refer and collaborate with many other women who are excellent at what they do, and I will continue to try to lift other women up in whatever ways I can going forward. I also believe the work we do at Scribe National, helping companies create meaningful connections with their audiences through storytelling, positively impacts their business growth and the discipline of marketing overall.

I would inspire a movement to empower people to step out of the echo chambers that are harming our society and listen to one another’s perspectives with empathy. Differences of opinion are not something to be afraid of or stomped out.

In the first year of running my company, I listened to Kelly Roach’s business podcast, The Unstoppable Entrepreneur Show, every day. As an entrepreneur, if you don’t have many (or any) other entrepreneurs around you, you can often feel like you’re muddling through things and it can be hard to know what your next step should be. Kelly’s podcast and teachings were immensely helpful to me during this time.

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

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

Female Founders: Dara Levy of DERMAFLASH On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a…

Female Founders: Dara Levy of DERMAFLASH On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Passion. Everyone has a great idea at some point, but to take an idea and turn it into an actual thing requires passion and drive. It’s the number one attribute you see in a founder. I’m not a sit-around-and-wait-for-anything kind of gal. If I want it and it’s not out there, I make it happen. Everyone has the power to manifest their own destiny.

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

Dara Levy invented the category of at-home dermaplaning with DERMAFLASH. Obsessed with the instant, transformative results of medical dermaplaning, Dara opened an entire med spa in Chicago built around her signature DERMAFLASH™ dermaplaning facial. Performed with a surgical scalpel, the treatment removes dead skin cells, built-up residue, and peach fuzz — revealing a layer of skin that’s smoother, brighter and younger-looking. Five years and 6,000 dermaplaning facials later, Dara had an epiphany. Realizing the need to make the treatment more accessible and affordable, she invented the first ever, at-home dermaplaning device. DERMAFLASH and, more recently, DERMAPORE have revolutionized skincare by empowering people to uncover their best skin without leaving home.

I grew frustrated having to go from the back of a beauty salon to get facials to a plastic surgeon’s office to get dermaplaning and a dermatologist to get Botox. Instead, I opened my own Med Spa in Chicago, putting the best of the best together under one roof. Our signature facial was a dermaplaning treatment called…DERMAFLASH.

I’d watch women come into my spa tired, shoulders slumped and in a bad mood. They’d come out of the treatment room transformed — literally standing up straighter, glowing and feeling more confident in their own skin. There’s a real power that comes with looking and feeling good.

One day the lightbulb went off and I realized an at-home dermaplaning solution did not exist. Five years and 6,000 treatments later, I invented DERMAFLASH, the now iconic sonic dermaplaning and peach fuzz removal device — along with an entirely new category in beauty.

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

The industry has changed a lot since we started this journey 6 years ago. I remember walking into a meeting at Sephora with a 3D image of my soon-to-be device and receiving a standing ovation from the very seasoned (and normally very stoic) women around the table. They believed DERMAFLASH was an idea whose time had come, and that validation helped give me wings! We’ve had an amazing trajectory since then.

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?

This is not a funny example, but it is a meaningful one. When we first launched DERMAFLASH in 2016, the device looked very different. There were certain features that we thought were intuitive, but customers found them confusing. I made the tough call to completely reimagine the device rather than making tiny tweaks. We took all the learnings and applied them to our new design, which ended up being the award-winning version you see now. I learned that you’re not going to get everything right the first time — and if it can go wrong, it will. Every mistake is an opportunity to change for the better and grow.

In 2017, Guthy Renker, one of the largest and most respected direct marketing companies in the world, reached out to us and partnered to create an infomercial. It was truly a magical time. The collaboration helped catapult dermaplaning to a whole new level of popularity and helped make DERMAFLASH synonymous with dermaplaning in the hearts and minds of a wider audience. I am beyond grateful to them.

Before DERMAFLASH, I spent 15 years as an institutional broker at the male-dominated Chicago Mercantile Exchange. I started out as a runner and went on to lead a team of 15 men. As one of only a handful of female members, I had to let a lot roll off my back. At the time, if you were a woman who walked around with a serious expression, you were a b*tch. If you were a man with the same expression, you were simply running a business. Nowadays, things haven’t changed enough but they are getting better.

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?

Mentorship and advocacy are essential. I love seeing women uplift and empower each other. I insist on this culture in my company as we are female-led, and have instilled these values in my own daughters from a young age.

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 more powerful role models we have out there, the more empowered younger women will become. Seeing strong, successful women entrepreneurs like Spanx Founder Sarah Blakely, for example, helps little girls realize, “I too can achieve this.” As women, we need to decide what dreams we want to pursue rather than allowing our aspirations to be defined for us. We have to dance to our own beat.

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

It’s a myth that being a founder is easy…that it’s glamorous and all champagne and roses. Starting a business is a bumpy ride. If it can go wrong, it will go wrong. Being a founder is a roller coaster ride where one day you’re firing on all cylinders and on top of the world and the next day everything crashes and you think, “My god, what am I doing?”

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 seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?

Not everyone is cut out to start a business. Some people are happy doing their job and getting a good night’s sleep! As a founder, your entrepreneurial spirit keeps you up at night. You eat, sleep and breath your passion 24/7 — and if it’s not something you’re passionate about, you shouldn’t be doing it anyway. You also have to believe in yourself and be emotionally resilient, because the ups and downs of running a business can wreak havoc on your psyche. Every challenge is a learning opportunity, but you have to be smart enough to learn from it.

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

1. Passion. Everyone has a great idea at some point, but to take an idea and turn it into an actual thing requires passion and drive. It’s the number one attribute you see in a founder. I’m not a sit-around-and-wait-for-anything kind of gal. If I want it and it’s not out there, I make it happen. Everyone has the power to manifest their own destiny.

2. Tenacity. This is both my greatest strength and my greatest weakness. Once I set my sights on something, I won’t stop until I’ve achieved that goal. I’ve never taken “no” for an answer. My father taught me there’s no such word as can’t. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, “If you say you can, you will; if you say you can’t, you won’t.”

3. Faith. The universe has a plan, and you are right where you’re meant to be at any given point in time. If you trust and believe this, you don’t sweat the small stuff.

4. Balance. As women, we tend to beat ourselves up and expect to do it all flawlessly and perfectly — be the best wife, mother, friend and have a rockin’ business. We need to cut ourselves a break and be kinder to ourselves.

5. Self-care. This is a pillar of DERMAFLASH and it’s essential to success. Your family, your business, and most importantly YOU can’t thrive if you don’t dedicate time to yourself.

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

My husband and I live by the credo “to whom much is given, much is expected.” I try to change the world by getting involved in charities that I believe in. Instead of only contributing financially, I’ve also devoted my time and entrepreneurial expertise to help advise and grow nonprofits that hold special meaning to me.

I practice daily gratitude and try to lead from a place of grace and love. With the global pandemic, we’ve all been under a huge collective stress. In some ways, we’ve become more polarized, but we can also look at this experience as something that connects us. Empathy and kindness always win the race.

Oprah. Why? Because she’s the queen of everything. I’m inspired by how she’s fought tooth and nail for everything she has. And, more than anybody, she’s done the most with what she’s been blessed with.

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

Female Founders: Dara Levy of DERMAFLASH 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.