Lee Rotenberg has exited not one, but TWO companies.

Want to know the secret to her genius? Quick decision-making. If you’ve got an idea, get it out there, perfection be damned. Pivot and edit until you have that perfect market fit.

In this episode, Lee shares her experience of starting and selling two businesses with her partner, Alex Schinasi: Ivy (business management software for interior design firms) and Clay (early childhood AI-powered learning).

You’ll hear a behind-the-scenes look at both ventures from beginning to end, along with great advice about co-founder relationships, productivity, and the importance of just taking the leap and being fluid with what comes next.

If you take anything away from today’s conversation, don’t “kill the idea” by limiting yourself to launching ventures about only what you know.

With Ivy, Lee and Alex infiltrated the interior design market even though they didn’t know anything about interior design!

IN THIS EPISODE:

• The importance of speed in the early stage of start-ups, particularly when it comes to pivoting and finding the perfect market fit
• Building to sell vs. building for the sake of building a great company (which Lee says is kind of similar to finding a life partner!)
• A perfect co-founder recipe: respect, trust, equity, and the ability to think creativity and move fluidly
• The process of creating, pivoting, and eventually selling both Ivy and Clay, and the lessons Lee and Alex are taking with them on their next venture
• “If you’re waiting for something to be perfect, you’re killing the idea” – and other thoughts from Lee about the power of action in building a business

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Sarina is a consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, and on LinkedIn, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.

Have you ever been intrigued about angel investing, but unsure where to begin?

The path to getting started can feel incredibly daunting. How much money do you need? How can you “break in”?

Jaclyn Johnson is an inspirational trailblazer in the world of entrepreneurship and angel investing, and she’s here to demystify it all, while giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the process.

With a portfolio that includes 25 companies (!), Jaclyn is also the founder of Cherub, a platform that uses dating app mechanics to connect angel investors with entrepreneurs.

The investing world can be fragmented, but Jaclyn breaks it all down with beginner tips from the average check size, to safe notes, what special purpose vehicles are, and how to get started.

You’ll also hear about angel investing from her perspective: what captures her attention as an investor, and the power of having a unique marketplace advantage, plus a truly compelling story – one that speaks to the heart of why your amazing product needs to exist in the world.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Jaclyn’s inspiring founder journey, and why she launched Cherub to bridge the gap between angel investors and entrepreneurs
• What angel investing is: who does it, what it looks like, and the benefits of angel investing as opposed to venture capital
• What to look for if you’re an angel investor, including founder credibility, unique marketplace advantages, and the potential for long-term returns
• Jaclyn’s experience with angel investing: why she does it (and it’s not just to make money!) and how her approach has evolved
• Tips for entrepreneurs funding through angel investing (be wary of taking little checks from lots of people!) and how to find investors who provide strategic value beyond just financial support

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Check out Cherub and sign up for their newsletter. Also, be sure to take Jaclyn’s fundraising masterclass if you’re a founder raising capital.

Sarina is a consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, and on LinkedIn, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.

Seven years ago, Cherie Hoeger saw a real need for better reusable period care products – and after starting Saalt in 2018, it became clear how big that need really was.

In their second year, Saalt products were stocked in all Target stores nationwide. By their third, Saalt had reached eight figures in revenue! Their company has since donated more than 100,000 products to help women and girls worldwide and has funded 600,000 days of school for girls.

What’s noteworthy about Cherie’s story is that her background wasn’t in business. It was in writing. But she did have five daughters, and the news from relatives in Venezuela – that political instability was causing a pad and tampon shortage – kept her up at night. Wasn’t there a reusable product that could prevent girls in developing countries from missing school?

In this episode, Cherie takes us behind the scenes of starting this very successful company with her husband. For them, conducting the research and pinpointing their mission has been crucial, offering them fuel while navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and helping them effectively create something that consumers wanted.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Cherie’s background as an English major, writer, and editor, and the conversation with her husband’s aunt in Venezuela that kept her up at night and provoked her to start Saalt
• The beginnings of the company, starting with the creation of a 3D CAD model of their first period cup, and how they differentiated themselves in a saturated market
• Their first years of business, which included a product recall and a buyer from Target who changed everything, helping them reach 8 figures in year three
• Becoming a B Corp-certified business: how to get certified, the impact it can have socially and environmentally, and the importance of mission for Gen Z/Millennial consumers
• Using market research to literally create a company that consumers wanted and the importance of surrounding yourself with other entrepreneurs

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Learn more about Saalt and the story of how the company came to be.

Sarina is a career coach and consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, via email, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.

Fearlessness in putting yourself out there is Adriana Carrig’s secret to success.

Adriana is the inspiring Founder and CEO of the Little Words Project, a community built on the back of bestselling affirmation bracelets worn by A-listers like Taylor Swift, Lance Bass, and Alicia Keys.

After years of bullying, Adriana was inspired to launch her jewelry company as a way to build sisterhood in her college sorority. After college, the Little Words Project was intentionally built without capital by listening to her gut, the market, and her brand’s impact-driven values.

Sometimes it can be uncomfortable putting yourself out there, but discomfort is where growth happens. You never know who is going to get you into what space. You never know who is going to be interested in your product.

This conversation with Adriana is incredibly powerful as she weaves in stories of resilience and empowerment and insights around motherhood and entrepreneurship. The result of her hard work isn’t just a business, but an entire community built on kindness and self-love.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• The origins of the Little Words Project in Adriana’s college sorority, which was then a side hustle that she worked on in her parents’ basement
• Getting the business “on sale” by hiring friends to help her with her website and create video content – and why she wouldn’t change those first steps even 10 years later
• “Baby stepping” her way into working at her business full-time and only growing when it was necessary, hiring her first employees carefully and strategically
• Allowing all the imperfect moments to be seen on their social media accounts and the impact this had on the Little Words Project community
• How to find the right people who can give you confidence in your business and help champion your brand, plus the importance of putting yourself out there

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Join the Little Words Project community and shop their bestselling jewelry.

Sarina is a career coach and consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, via email, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.

Slow and steady is the BEST way to build a business, laying the foundation brick-by-brick.

Sabena Suri is the co-founder and board member of BOXFOX, an ecommerce gifting destination, curating elevated, thematic boxes for all occasions. The company is tremendously successful, and yet, Sabena and her co-founders never raised capital. Instead, they learned to wear lots of hats and built their business slowly with no outside forces dictating the direction.

After 8 years, Sabena made a bold and unconventional decision to pivot and step down from BOXFOX, realizing her “zone of genius” is actually in establishing the foundations for a new business from scratch.

Today, Sabena takes us on her fascinating career journey: her early experiences, what it was like to grow BOXFOX with friends, and the work she’s done since. She shells out great advice for fellow entrepreneurs, from the importance of being open, to knowing when it’s time for something new.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Sabena’s early work experience writing for CNET and working as an associate at Ogilvy and Mather, where she became fast friends with one of her future co-founders
• The benefit of focusing on problems instead of products and the birth of BOXFOX, a curated platform for gifting
• Sabena’s advice for deciding whether to start a company with a co-founder, plus things to consider, from your vision and commitment, to the skills you each have
• Why BOXFOX decided to not raise capital (an unconventional decision!) – and advice for entrepreneurs going that route
• Leaving a thriving company in order to pivot, pursue personal growth, and find more opportunities that enable you to use your “zone of genius”

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Check out BOXFOX’s elevated gifting options on their website.

Sarina is a career coach and consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, via email, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.

What is it actually like to be a co-founder of multiple companies? Today’s guest Stephanie Cartin is spilling her secrets as a multi-passionate entrepreneur and how she went from selling Girl Scout cookies to launching her first company, Socialfly, a full-service social media marketing agency.

Stephanie has so much wisdom to offer in this episode from how she positioned herself as a thought leader to attain clients to why she hired senior talent as soon as possible (this will help your business grow faster!). She also delves into how to use angel investing to your advantage.

Besides Socialfly, Stephanie is also the co-founder of Markid, a marketplace for parents selling pre-loved items, Pearl Influential Capital, an investing community helping female founders raise capital, and Entreprenista, an online membership and podcast for women entrepreneurs.

If you are starting or growing a business, this conversation is jam-packed with fascinating stories and tips!

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Stephanie’s foray into entrepreneurship (selling Girl Scout cookies and Beanie Babies), her time at Cornell University, and the Disney Vacation Club that inspired her career
• Being at the forefront of using social media for marketing, which inspired the first business she co-founded with her business partner, Courtney Spritzer
• The benefits of bringing senior talent on early in the business as consultants instead of full-time junior talent
• Focusing on what YOU are really great at in your business and partnering or hiring people who can execute what THEY are great at
• Entreprenista, which started as a business podcast that turned into a membership community and media platform that provides content and tools for founders and leaders
• Balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood (and Stephanie’s favorite tool to manage it all, the Big A## Calendar)

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Are you starting a business and still in the trenches? Check out Entreprenista, an online community for founders who are looking to make meaningful connections that will lead to business growth and success, and listen to the Entreprenista Podcast.

Stephanie is also the co-founder of Socialfly, Markid, and Pearl Influential Capital.

Want to learn more about raising capital? Be sure to check out Episode 39 of Career Memos featuring Annie Evans.

Sarina is a career coach and consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, via email, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.

What does it look like to disrupt an industry? Jennifer Ross is giving us a behind the scenes peek into her journey of launching Swoon, an innovative line of zero-sugar iced teas and lemonades.

Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a child, much of her motivation for starting the company stemmed from a desire for better sugar-free drink options, for the “young Jens” out there.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Swoon came to be, from coming up with the formula, building a proof of concept, and going door to door to sell it. Now, Swoon is available nationwide!

Jennifer also shares what it’s like running a successful F&B company alongside her friend, Co-Founder, and Co-CEO Cristina Ros Blankfein, and she offers great advice for aspiring founders who have a similar dream of breaking into the food and beverage space.

Before Jennifer became an entrepreneur, she had very little experience in the food and beverage industry – and yet, she credits her previous jobs in banking and operations for teaching her the skills she uses today. It doesn’t matter where you start. No matter the job, no matter the industry, there’s always something you can take with you to your next career or business venture.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Jennifer’s career highlights, from Goldman Sachs, FanVision, Harvard Business School, and the cocktail mixing company she started with her partner, Cristina Ros Blankfein
• How Jennifer and Cristina navigated the crowded food and beverage space in New York by starting small, testing the market, and getting customer feedback early on
• The idea and origins of Swoon, a company that produces sugar-free lemonade and iced tea from monk fruit-based syrup
• What to look for in a Co-Founder and Co-CEO, and the value of working with people who think differently than you
• Working at a large company where roles are fixed vs. a small company where you have your hands in everything

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED:

You can find Swoon at Whole Foods, at your local grocery stores, at select Targets, Amazon, and on their website.

Sarina is a career coach and consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, via email, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.

Most startups fail, but, as today’s guest Jessica Chang reminds us, it’s what you do with the failure that matters. What can you learn from the experience? What will you do better next time?

Jessica is the CEO and Co-Founder of Upwards, the largest childcare network in the United States, which connects families with trusted providers through an online marketplace and partners with government entities to improve access to sponsored care.

Upwards experienced major challenges during the pandemic, losing 90% of their revenue overnight! While they made major cuts and pivots to survive, they came out stronger than ever with a new business model and product.

In this episode, Jessica shares her inspiring story about co-founding Upwards, how she compartmentalizes her time as a Mom, her motivation to work 12 hours a day, plus her advice for fellow co-founders (especially co-founders who are parents!)

At the end of the day, she says it’s not the hardest-working person who wins – it’s the person who is the smartest with their time.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Jessica’s background in finance and the pivotal turning point that made her change paths out of finance and into entrepreneurship
• Her efforts to learn about the childcare industry’s biggest problems, which involved interviewing 200+ providers and becoming a preschool owner/operator while pregnant
• Why the loneliness of entrepreneurship inspired Jessica to bring on co-founders, how they work together, and what each of their strengths are
• The pandemic’s effect on Upwards, dropping 90% of revenues overnight, and how they got through it by making cuts and creating a new product
• How Jessica balances parenthood and being a Mom, the value of compartmentalizing time, and the importance of having a WHY during very difficult days

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Learn more about Jessica Chang’s company, Upwards (formerly WeeCare), which is the largest childcare network in the United States.

Sarina is a career coach and consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, via email, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.