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Iman Oubou of SWAAY - The New Icons Jun 10, 2019

Show notes

A scientist and winner of the Miss New York pageant launches a ground-breaking digital publication that harnesses the style and glamour of todayâs business-minded woman. Sounds like the premise for a good movie, doesnât it? The star of that story in real life is Iman Oubou, who noticed gender disparities in business as well as a media bias in the way the modern woman is represented. She launched SWAAY to position these founders as the new icons, providing content and community for them to empower each other. She joins Socialfly co-founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studio for a conversation about building her business and career, and describes her journey to success. Plus, a surprise and a brainstorm!

In this episode:

How Iman has worked as a champion of female entrepreneurs and her journey hosting the popular podcast Entrepreneurs En Vogue.
How Iman learned a lot as a pageant person, including public speaking, and communicationâand how she still uses those skills everyday.
The importance of taking care of yourself so you donât burn out too early.
The additional challenges of fundraising as a woman.
Andâher quest to add Morocco as a contestant in the Miss Universe pageant.

Cate Luzio of Luminary - Building a Collaboration Hub for Women Jun 03, 2019

Show notes

A Luminary is a person who inspires or influences others; a guiding light, an inspiration, a role model and a leader.

This word and definition have inspired a collaboration hub for women to develop, network and connect, and used its founder and CEO Cate Luzioâs inspiration for its name. Cate joins Socialfly Co-founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about her journey to success and building Luminary from the ground up, along with a surprise and a brainstorm.

In this episode:

How the name Luminary came to Cateâs attention, and the origins of the business
How traveling to China for a tech company resulted in a high-level banking career
Why Cateâs global experience catapulted her to opportunities without having a relevant formal education
Why one of the biggest turning points in her career was being assigned a buddy to build credibility and use as a sounding board
How Cateâs ability to build business and work with multiple stakeholders and partners has enabled her to move fast in assembling a formidable team and creating a vibrant community within less than a yearâs time
Why most of Cateâs initial team was willing to work for months without pay

Eden Grinshpan - Putting Yourself Out There and Making It Happen May 27, 2019

Show notes

One of the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs is their willingness to put themselves out there and make it happen. Eden Grinshpan is not only the co-founder and executive chef at DEZ, an innovative restaurant concept, but also a celebrity chef and host of Top Chef Canada. She joins Socialfly co-founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studio for a conversation about building her business and career, and describes her journey to success. Plus, a surprise and a brainstorm!

In this episode:

How Edenâs obsession with cooking shows in high school turned her from a picky eater into a culinary school all-star
What Eden learned about herself while traveling throughout India and Tibet
How working at an orphanage in India turned into Eden running their café
How some footage Eden shot while running the cafe in India led to meeting with Jon Rosen and getting her foot in the door to start Eden Eats on the Cooking Channel
How Eden transitioned from the constant hustle of running a TV show to going into the restaurant business
Edenâs experiences opening her first restaurant
How the desire to get back in the kitchen and to be part of the contemporary Middle Eastern movement led to pop up kitchens at restaurants in Brooklyn and South Beach
How walking past by CHLOE led to connecting with Esquared Hospitality and led to the opening of DEZ (her Middle Eastern fast-casual restaurant in lower Manhattan, with Samantha Wasser)
Edenâs partnership with Samantha and how their complementary skills have helped DEZ avoid so many of the pitfalls that many new NYC restaurants struggle with
The importance of being a reliable neighborhood restaurant, as well as being a healthy and comfortable extension of your customersâ kitchen
Edenâs cookbook, and how that has shaped her workflow while finding time to dedicate to DEZ and shooting Top Chef Canada
Why Eden focuses on aesthetics and how food is presented, especially as a fast casual restaurant where presentation is usually not a priority
How Eden started #showmeyobelly after putting pizza on her pregnant belly, and the speed with which the hashtag blew up on social media
Whatâs in store for DEZ and the future of the Fireside Chat Series, where influential female entrepreneurs come in to speak with all proceeds going to a charity of the speakerâs choice
Edenâs plans to involve her family more in her book, and why sheâs hoping to convince her husband to spend more time in front of the camera
Plus, a 60 Second Brainstorm on how to keep on schedule, prioritize whatâs important and worth your time and effort, and the importance of saying no

Sarah LaFleur of M.M. LaFleur - Never Give Up May 20, 2019

Show notes

For most startup founders, they are guided by the advice to never give up. For Sarah LaFleur, the CEO of M.M. LaFleur -- a Luxury-Quality Clothing company via a Seamless & Direct-To-Consumer Stylist Experience that takes the work out of dressing for work -- her own mantra amounts to this: when it scares you just keep going. She joins Socialfly co-founder Courtney Spritzer for a conversation about building her business and career, and her journey to success. Plus, a surprise and a brainstorm.

In this episode:

How Sarah transitioned from a finance career to following another callingâfilling a need for high quality business clothing for women âwith better quality and a better experience
The challenging path of raising money
Launching a company at trunk shows
How her business model evolved after a wake up call
How M.M. LaFleur lives by ten Values every day
How Sarah and her team successfully and positively navigated the departure of a co-founding executive
Andâthe launch of a campaign inspired by a fourth grade teacher that features women of political influence, and asks the question: What are You made Of?

Divya Gugnani and Lindsay Ellingson of Wander Beauty - Following Your Entrepreneurial Compass May 13, 2019

Show notes

Social media can be a powerful tool for developing products. Just ask Wander Beauty co-founders Divya Gugnani and Lindsay Ellingson -- the first travel-inspired, cruelty-free luxury color cosmetics experience! Divya and Lindsay join Socialfly Co-founder Courtney Spritzer for a conversation about building their company and their journey to success, along with a surprise and a brainstorm.

In this episode:

Taking beauty with you
The importance of a compass
How their first cosmetics shade was inspired by a sunset
Why product development can take so long
Thinking big, and understanding what women want
How a co-founderâs modeling experience gave the executive team a tactile intuition
Why building the right team has been so crucial to success and being choosy and slow to hire has paid off
The importance of resilience to survive beyond difficult challenges
How Divya and Lindsay pushed past a tough moment in the company
Creating a culture of meritocracy, and why they adopted an open floor plan
Meeting and partnering with people via social media
And ----the concept of teach, learn, and inspire

Nicole Centeno of Splendid Spoon - Smoothies, Soups, and Superwoman May 06, 2019

Show notes

On average we spend more than a month every year just thinking about what we are going to eat. Imagine if you could have that month back âwhat could you accomplish?

That very thought has driven Nicole Centeno to build an incredible businessâsheâs the founder and CEO of Splendid Spoon, which delivers ready-to-eat, nutrient-dense, plant-based smoothies and soup nationwide. Nicole joins Socialfly Co-founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about building her company and her journey to success, along with a surprise and a brainstorm.

In this episode:

How simply by dedicating brain energy to her business, Nicole accomplished so much in just five years
How she had a babyâand actually went to work the next day!
The power of resilience and not giving up
Learning from the hard moments instead of letting them beat you
Getting to a million dollars a month in sales with just six people
And how Nicole might actually be a real life superwoman!

Sas Simon of NAME GLO - A Name In Lights Apr 29, 2019

Show notes

Some of the greatest companies are conceived from a problem that the founder could not solve. This is one of those stories. Sas Simon, founder of NAME GLO, a business that offers customized neon lighting, solved her own need and discovered a gap in the market -- and now neon is everywhere.

Sas joins Socialfly Co-founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about building her company and her journey to success, along with a surprise and a brainstorm.

In this episode:

The genesis of the name âSasâ
Connecting with her eventual business partner
Her second career: TV shows and Broadway
Working 18 hour days, and no glamour
Why staying positive and being naive may actually be a powerful combination to keep you ambitious and attentive
Why Sas believes she is successful
An important value of NAME GLO: stay innovative
How Sasâ career as an actor played a role in preparing her entrepreneurial journey
Leading a trend to make neon more accessible
Juggling many things including a career as an actor while growing a company
Figuring out the balance between passion, business and familyâall as a new mother
Sleep anxiety, and the coffee routine with her daughter
Forward, no sideways

Helaine Knapp of City Row - From Need to Success to Franchise Apr 22, 2019

Show notes

Making lemonade from lemons. Itâs a phrase that comes to mind when we think of Helaine Knappâfounder and CEO of City Row, which offers water-based rowing workouts and a rowing-based fitness app. After literally breaking her back, Helaine discovered that rowing was an exercise she could manage, and quickly realized it was whitespace with a business opportunity at hand.

Helaine joins Socialfly Co-founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about building her company and her journey to success, along with a surprise and a brainstorm.

In this episode:

How Helaine started a lucrative business without actually being in the industry
The value of diligently tapping into your network,
Why a gut feeling to take a call during Game of Thrones changed her path
Opening the door to the world of franchising
And how an open mind can lead to tremendous possibilities
Taking on one thing at a time helps make big goals feel more real
Why clients keep Helaineâs team inspired

Kate Ward of Bustle Digital Group â Delivering Content to Millennial Women Apr 15, 2019

Show notes

You canât do Bustle without Hustle, and in the case of Kate Ward, Editor in Chief for Bustle Digital Group â publisher of Bustle, Elite Daily, Romper, and The Zoe Report â Bustle has definitely been a part of her DNA.

From writing many of the companyâs first articles, to managing the full scope of content today, Kate has witnessed the transformation of this content brand from a small team to more than 300 employees â and as a substantial player in landscape of digital publications.

Kate joins Socialfly Co-founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about building her company and her journey to success, along with a surprise and a brainstorm.

In this episode:

How a random LinkedIn reach-out led to beer and nachos and ultimately to her journey with Bustle
About her push to solve for efficiency and to be more prepared for what might come next
The value of enriching minds by meeting people with different backgrounds
Growing into more confidence and becoming a more emotional leader
Why it is important to understand the emotional path and motivations of the people you work with
How social media played a crucial role inn the success and growth of Bustle
And â how reflection on the shared reality of eventual death â and our place in the world â can actually make you feel better.

Elizabeth Sutton â Art, Business, and Positivity Apr 08, 2019

Show notes

Entrepreneurial journeys are often begun to find a better way to do something, or solve a problem, in spite of the odds against them. Artistic journeys are usually a way to express oneself. For Elizabeth Sutton, a visual artist who has taken the nouveau arts scene by storm creating a highly curated fine art and design firm with a goal is to foster positivity and good vibes through Suttonâs colorful artworks and products â sheâs accomplished both.

Pushing through challenging times that would have crumbled most to motivate herself to build, grow, and thriveâwhile staying true to her own vision, and painting her memories. Elizabeth joins Socialfly Co-founders Courtney Spritzer and Stephanie Cartin in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about building her company and her journey to success, along with a surprise and a brainstorm.

In this episode:

How a passion for art and having a puppy led Elizabeth to purchase $1,000 of art supplies without any background in art
Why her career begins and ends with Instagram, with 70% of sale come through there
Building a tremendous business while raising 2 little kids, and working 100 hours/week
Why Elizabeth made a rule that she is phone free for 2-2.5 hrs when she gets home
Instagram as an analytical tool, and how loop giveaways are Elizabethâs most successful tool for new followers
What the Jenners and Kardashian have to do with leaving her ex-husband, and launching a career
Why helping others and giving back is important
And how a horrible car accident changed everything right at a very demanding moment that should have been a key high point
How Elizabeth just secured the biggest deals ever with tilebarâthree luxurious marble collections
The importance for Elizabeth of getting back into the home
A goal to sell 10,000 clutches
Why getting the right engagement rate in Instagram could be a big deal when advertising
How Elizabeth strategizes to increase engagement and makes use of long captions

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