Female Founders: Andrea Urioste & Charlotte White of WonderIn Group On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Believe In Yourself — First and foremost, believe In yourself because then it doesn’t matter what tf anyone else says or does. You should always be your biggest cheerleader. I probably spent the first few years of our company’s life looking for validation in the eyes of our peers. Dreaming that I would ‘finally’ be taken seriously, for them to say “well done, great job” all the time. But the truth is, that didn’t mean a thing in the end. I wasted so much energy worrying if I was legitimate that I never stopped to ask myself if I felt I was legitimate! When I started believing in myself the game changed. Clients felt that confidence I had in myself. They wanted to work with me because of it. And they’ll want to work with you too.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Andrea Urioste and Charlotte White of WonderIn Group.
Wonder Integrated Group, creates meaningful marketing campaigns for brands looking to have a positive impact while outsmarting not outspending the competition. Offering one integrated solution, our team handles all aspects of planning, creative design, media execution, social media management, video/content production, and website design & development. This approach, combined with our emphasis on performance tracking and measurement, holds us accountable for every dollar we spend & puts the focus back on the ROI for your business.
Andrea Urioste, founding Partner and President of WonderINgroup, is a dynamic, award-winning, and passionate international marketing professional with over 20 years of agency and brand experience. She has spent the majority of her career working at start-ups, helping in the development of integrated marketing strategies for some of the world’s largest brands. A native of Uruguay, South America, Andrea holds a Masters Degree in Global Studies and an Executive MBA in International Business. When she’s not busy raising her 2 boys and managing the Agency, Andrea spends time co-launching a publishing company and co-creating a new start-up software platform.
Charlotte White is a serial entrepreneur, mother, and passionate yogi. Her career trajectory exploded when Charlotte left the big box agencies, BBDO and Grey, and took the leap into business ownership, co-founding the award-winning mission-led marketing media agency Wonder Integrated Group. Discontent with a male-dominated advertising industry and lack of mission-based values, Charlotte was intent on using business as a force for good in this world. Her boutique agency has spent the better part of the last 10 years creating positive social impact by running client campaigns for Planned Parenthood, The Aspen Institute, the Healthy Teen Network and so much more.
Along the way, Charlotte also joined the e-commerce game, with 3 successful Amazon stores in operation, while building and launching a new tech platform that will revolutionize the consumer sports sector. The most fun entrepreneurial endeavor for Charlotte however was born out of a naughty beer-induced stupor, the creation of a naked coloring book business based on classic literature themes! To balance all that out, Charlotte also took her passion to the next level by becoming a yoga instructor after being awarded the privilege by the Yoga Alliance.
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?
Andrea: Having spent the early part of my career in start-ups, I had the chance to work with a number of different agencies and clients over the years. Inspired by serial entrepreneurs, I eventually broke out of my agency career to create a new kind of agency that I felt was truly missing in the industry; an integrated marketing agency that would deliver meaningful & successful campaigns for our clients.
Charlotte: Well, I was supposed to be a lawyer, but I’m glad that didn’t pan out, LOL. I studied European Law at London City University but truth be told I was bored sh*tless and after graduating I looked for any paying job that wasn’t law-related. The first door I fell through was AMV BBDO London, and there, as the assistant to the Head Creative honcho, my addiction to creativity and advertising began. He was the genius behind the famous horses Guinness Beer Ads and the UK Economist Print Ads and he soon took me under his wing. I got my teeth into creative writing, and film production, and even moved to BBDO New York to focus more on the business side. Then once I hit the Big Apple, I didn’t want to leave. A stint at Grey NY followed, and then I was poached to run an agency for a French holding company. At that point, I realized that anything I can do for someone else, I can do for myself and *BOOM* fate put me in front of Andrea and we created WonderINGroup. I haven’t looked back a single day since. I get to do a little of everything I love every single day.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
Andrea: One of the most exciting and humbling moments in this journey was early on at the start of our agency. I had stayed in touch with a former boss who was the Founder & CEO of a start-up I had worked at years ago. He had an urgent need for an agency with experience in integrated marketing to support his client, the Juventus Futbol Club from Italy, on their first USA Tour. While stationed in Madrid, he needed this agency to help him plan, manage and execute fan activations in both Miami and New York — and do so in less than 4 months. I can say without a doubt that our ability to be nimble, scrappy, and experienced in event planning — and yes — our love for Futbol as well — made us the perfect partner for this endeavor. In the end, it was a huge success, and our agency of fewer than 2 years at the time, was honored to be the recipient of the Davey Award for Best Live Experiences!
Charlotte: Year one into our business I had that “pinch me, how on earth did I get here moment” that I feel is the most interesting because it represented the very moment I knew our little baby start-up business was here for the long haul! In our very early days, we had been lucky enough to work on a social impact campaign with the digital division of Planned Parenthood here in NY, culminating in an amazing media campaign we created for Spot On: A Period Tracking App. Apparently, they loved work (and us!) and unbeknownst to us they had recommended our agency be included in the pitch to win the next National Campaign for PPFA! Shocked…we pushed our doubts aside and worked our butts off on an amazing pitch, and off we trotted to Washington DC to sing for our supper. We found ourselves sitting next to 10 other agencies on the pitch, really big dogs, and I honestly couldn’t believe we made it here. I mean we had only just started our business a year ago. Turns out we didn’t win the pitch, but it didn’t matter, we had made it to the table and that was more than we could have asked. We found out later that 90% of that room wanted us to win, but we came in a close second JUST because we were a little smaller in size and resources. The point is — it just goes to show that you shouldn’t doubt what’s possible for your business or question how quickly you can make it there. Where there is a will there’s a way! Believe in yourself because you have just as much to offer as the person next to you.
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?
Andrea: It’s really difficult to really pinpoint one person. Over my academic and professional career, I feel I have amassed an incredible network of trailblazers and business leaders from around the globe. Everyone who I’ve come in contact with throughout, past and present, has had a positive impact along my journey. There is a famous quote by Tim Sanders that I have always lived by, and it has opened up doors for me and our business beyond my expectations…“Your network is your net worth.”
Charlotte: Honestly, my Dad. He’s an entrepreneur too. He started his business in his 40s when he had a mortgage, a stay-at-home wife, four kids in tow, and a pipe dream. A big freaking risk! Despite the odds, he built a successful construction and electrical retail company that he recently sold. While he’s not in my industry or directly related to my company’s growth, he has been an invaluable friend and mentor to me on this journey. When I have issues, or I’m struggling with a business decision, he offers to listen. He tells me tales of his own experiences on similar topics, he doesn’t judge, he encourages me to think practically and to stay calm. He talks to me about trusting the process and following my happiness and NOT the money. Honestly, without him, I wouldn’t be able to keep my head on straight!
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?
Andrea: I believe that part of the reason is societal expectations of a woman’s role in the home. While I’m certainly seeing a shift today compared to years past, the fear and worry of not being able to balance your career and family and those expectations that are placed on the women at home are still very much influencing their decision. I feel that you also still encounter biases toward women leaders in business and that alone makes it daunting for women to take on the role of a business owner….for fear of not being accepted, not taken seriously & fear of failing (when we all know that failure is the first step toward success).
Charlotte: Look, do I think there is still a little too much male dominance in a lot of industries…yea, I do. I mean I’ve been spoken down to in the boardroom and underestimated for my output probably just because I am a woman…and to many women that can definitely be a turn-off to starting their own biz.
That said, I don’t think that the history of male dominance has to be the main factor as much anymore. There are great strides being made toward pay equality and putting women in more positions of power in the boardroom. That I find pretty inspiring. Unfortunately, right now I actually think the single biggest thing holding women back is, well…ourselves. It’s that women are less likely to take risks than men, and that’s a FACT. And then even if they do take the leap it’s also a fact that women face more backlash and negative consequences if they fail. Until we (as women) realize that taking a risk isn’t as scary as it seems and cut the noise of failure out of our ears, we will always be less and less inclined to start our own businesses than men.
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?
Andrea: Have more women represented in these roles and celebrated for their successes publicly & more often.
Charlotte:
- Personally, we should practice risk-taking in our lives…daily. I don’t care if it’s trying that new food you thought you’d hate or jumping out of a plane for fun, practice it until it becomes normal.
- As a society, we should shut our judgemental mouths and stop highlighting failure. Failure is not a negative thing. We need more “women lifting up other women” discourse out there. We need to champion each other more.
- The government should make it way easier to certify women-owned businesses and provide more support and help to navigate the available resources for us. They are out there, it’s just a minefield of red tape. For context, our business took 2 years to become women-owned certified and 3 more years to make the GSA (General Services Administration) as a recognized small women-owned business vendor that can do business with the government. That’s just insane!
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?
Andrea: Women just make for better leaders — we have the innate ability to value life and work balance more so than men…Women also tend to be better listeners, and while often seen by men as a weakness in the business, our emotional intelligence makes us more inclusive, empathetic, and better team players overall. All important attributes for being great leaders and building successful companies.
Charlotte: Women are badasses. Period. We already wear so many hats as wives, mothers, friends, cooks, worker bees…you name it we do it. Given you need to wear a million and one hats to own and operate a business, this just means we have a head start!
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
Andrea: That you need a lot of starting capital to get going! Remember — your network is your stronger ally and supporter — and that doesn’t take money to tap into it to get started.
Charlotte: Ditto Andrea… plus don’t think just because someone else already does what you do that you can’t do it better or differently. There is enough room for everyone in this world to offer something that is unique.
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?
Andrea: I think if you have the following qualities, then you’re likely to be a successful founder — If you’re able to handle crisis situations well, have strong communication skills, know when/how to delegate, have patience and encourage sharing of ideas and free-thinking! In my opinion, having worked in start-ups surrounded by all different types of entrepreneurs & then launching my own business, these qualities have been the most important for maintaining healthy relationships with my team and our clients.
Charlotte: Tenacity. Pure and simple. The most successful entrepreneurs I have met and have read about are uber determined. They persist until they win. Some people have that ability to get back up even when they are knocked down and that’s key.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
Charlotte:
1. Quick To Fire
Move away from what’s not working or anything that is not sitting right with you. Don’t let it linger. That sh*t festers until it poisons the whole well. That goes for employees that aren’t cutting the mustard with clients who you might not jive well with. The pain and agony are only prolonged after you “umm and ahh” your way through giving them a second, a third, a fourth chance. Convincing yourself you can help them or that you can’t live without the money. All the while they are probably feeling sh*tty knowing something’s up and getting more and more resentful or calling you out in anger. It has happened to us a couple of times over the years, and both times we hung on too long and when the end of the relationship inevitably came, it left a yucky taste in our mouths. We are now all about maintaining the healthiest relationships (even when we aren’t a good fit for one another!) Now happiness is the end goal. So we have to think about it like ripping off a band-aid. It might sting a bit at first, but you’ve got to get it off quick so it can heal.
2. Go Balls Out
Legit. There is no half-assing anything when you own your own biz because there is nowhere to hide. When you decide to do something, make sure you execute that thing with all the love, passion, and gusto that your little body can muster. There is just no point otherwise. You’ll only look back and regret that you didn’t give it your all. Plus, in my experience as an entrepreneur, clients can smell that level of passion and dedication. I can’t even count how many times I’ve been told, “I’m awarding you the contract because I can really feel that you care and you’re going to give it your all” . We’ve won many contracts just by showing how ‘balls out’ we really are. Remember you ultimately answer to yourself, only YOU can let YOU down. That’s probably the worst feeling for me when I know I haven’t given something
3. Stay Level Headed
When you are invested in your employees you have to remember they are humans first, business people second. Emotions can get involved and feelings hurt. Especially when you want to flip out, cry and scream if something goes wrong! But as much as you want to…you can’t kick and scream. Aside from the fact that’s abuse in the workplace (which still happens in a lot of companies believe it or not!) we know deep down that’s just not a cool way to treat people. For example, we had an employee that was always out sick, like every single week. We knew she was human, and her health was important to us, but her absences were disrupting the workflow and making other people work harder to cover her workload. We were internally conflicted and pretty p*ssed but in the end, we knew that we could practice compassion while holding them accountable for their reality in a calm, firm but fair way. We gave them options, we re-negotiated a new contract that allowed them more flexibility (which benefitted them too), and then took the money we saved and hired someone else to fill the gaps. While we wanted to just be annoyed and fire her, we actually stayed level-headed and changed the parameters to suit all. I know this one seems like a no-brainer but it is SUPER hard to remember when you have money on the line (sometimes millions!?) that’s entrusted in another person’s hands. Not to mention your reputation and life’s work.
4. Get a Hobby
Undoubtedly the single absolute thing that’s keeping me sane on this roller coaster that is entrepreneurship is my side passion — yoga and mediation. When you own your own biz you are on the job 24/7. No vacations, no downtime, no “off” switch. When a client calls with a problem or an employee calls in sick, you are the one stepping up. And if you are a mother (like me) forget about it, add young kids into the mix and you live in the perpetual whirlwind of needs and wants. That’s why I make time for ME. Just one hour a day. Just ME. I literally get up one hour earlier before my family is even awake and no one will miss me to focus on my passion. It gives me space to breathe. To not think about everything that everyone is going to need from me that coming day. I’m totally present and investing in myself. It’s for my mind, body, and soul. It refreshes me and allows me to face the day ready to rock and roll for the people I love and the business I love. It’s a must so you don’t burn out.
5. Believe In Yourself
First and foremost, believe In yourself because then it doesn’t matter what tf anyone else says or does. You should always be your biggest cheerleader. I probably spent the first few years of our company’s life looking for validation in the eyes of our peers. Dreaming that I would ‘finally’ be taken seriously, for them to say “well done, great job” all the time. But the truth is, that didn’t mean a thing in the end. I wasted so much energy worrying if I was legitimate that I never stopped to ask myself if I felt I was legitimate! When I started believing in myself the game changed. Clients felt that confidence I had in myself. They wanted to work with me because of it. And they’ll want to work with you too.
Andrea:
I would agree with many of Char’s points as well. If I could add a few more, I’d say…
1. It’s okay not to get it right the first time and fail again before you get it right — it’s through these failures that you will gain far more experience & resilience you need to succeed in business. Even after an MBA and numerous classes in marketing, you don’t get “schooled” until you really own your own business. An example of this early on in our agency was realizing we weren’t accurately forecasting and under-estimating time and effort spent on client projects, which at times left us barely breaking even on a few accounts. Over time, surrounding ourselves with other entrepreneurs and frankly gaining real experience with scoping out projects — we finally were finding winning solutions and realizing steady profits on our client projects.
2. Building relationships is key, not just building profitable businesses — Getting to know your clients and partners on a personal level (whether it’s a birthday or the graduation of their child) goes a long way and makes your relationship that much more meaningful beyond doing good work. Our industry is extremely competitive, and you’re not only competing with other small agencies like yourself but the big established ad agencies that have been around for years. Early on, though, we decided that Charlotte and I would be involved from an executive level in every piece of business that came through the door in order to build meaningful relationships with our clients beyond the scope of the work. These personal relationships with our clients have helped us win over big ad agencies and eventually create a referral funnel of work from one client to the next.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
Andrea: Our agency is always looking for opportunities to support brands and organizations that are using business as a force for good. We aim to identify and work on initiatives that create more positive impact and social good in the world, like our work with RiseBoro Community Partnership, the Healthy Teen Network & the Weaving Community campaign in partnership with the Listen First Coalition, and the Aspen Institute to name a few.
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.
Andrea: I think a movement around giving back would have a positive impact both personally and professionally — whether it is giving back in kind, in monetary donations, in time…It’s important to be grateful for your successes in life — whatever they may be, and take the opportunity to pay it forward. I would not have had as much success in life and in my career if it hadn’t been for the mentors, educators, and supporters I’ve come across in my journey . Our Agency always looks for opportunities to give back when possible, from presentations in schools on career day to partnerships with the likes of Microsoft, for example, where we are given the chance to share our experiences/lessons learned with our future leaders.
Charlotte:
A movement to inspire a social revolution in the digital space. It’s a hard one to grasp because while I love all the benefits, resources and connection the digital age has provided us, I also HATE the flip of that where negativity, hate and cyberbullying is omnipresent. This is near and dear to my heart as my kids are right at the age where social media is ‘life and death’ or rather a minefield of ‘social sucide’ and I just hate it. How do we only promote the use of these platforms for greater good? Can we control it? IDK honestly?!? But what I do know is that teen suiside rates have nearly tripled since social media’s inception, my son himself has suffered cyber bullying and I’m at a loss. Someone somewhere has to course correct this… I hope!
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Female Founders: Andrea Urioste & Charlotte White of WonderIn Group On The Five Things You Need To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.