Entreprenista

Latest Episodes:

Sweet Success with Candace Nelson of Sprinkles Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

After the dotcom crash and 9/11, Candace was left wondering what she wanted to do as a career. She knew she loved baking, so she decided to enroll in pastry school instead of going to business school. Soon, Sprinkles was born.

In today’s episode, we sit down with Candace Nelson, co-founder of Sprinkles, the revolutionary cupcake company that took the world by storm and created the cupcake craze. Candace shares her tips for starting an undoable business, she talks about her new book and her new business, working with a business coach, and so much more.

“Here’s this uniquely American treat, which I appreciated because I, you know, growing up overseas, I realized how American they were. Everyone had this nostalgia for cupcakes, and yet they were being treated, just like, you know, lunchbox here. So that’s when I had the aha moment to reinvent the cupcake.” – Candace Nelson

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

Candace shares her background and where her Entreprenista gene comes from (3:05)
Why Candace chose pastry school over business school and how that led to her starting Sprinkles (7:07)
Candace shares about her tips and lessons for Entreprenistas who are starting businesses that seem undoable (13:58)
Candace talks about her book, Sweet Success (22:19)
Candace talks about working with a business coach (28:01)
How Candace decided what to do after Sprinkles (30:06)
Candace explains the logistics behind the iconic cupcake ATM (37:29)
Rapid fire questions (40:23)
Candace’s top need for maintaining balance (42:56)
What being an Entreprenista means to Candace (48:19)

Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

“The first time I ate a Mrs. Fields cookie that kind of opened my eyes to the magic that a female entrepreneur can create.” – Candace Nelson
“Real word of mouth, by the way, still the holy grail of marketing, if you can get that absolutely.” – Candace Nelson
“We had created such a special brand that resonated with people so much that they didn’t let it up. And we ended up scaling the majority of our business through the Great Recession. We were that escape.” – Candace Nelson

Connect with Candace Nelson:

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

Join our Entreprenista League community of women founders! You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded Entreprenistas who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE!

Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

Become An Entreprenista!

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast – the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Creating Space for All with Maggie Segrich of Sesh Coworking Oct 31, 2022

Show notes

When Maggie Segrich moved from New York to Houston, she learned that Houstonians would not feel comfortable going to a jewelry shop in a home unlike New Yorkers do. So she needed a space to set up shop. After meeting her business partner, Meredith, Sesh Coworking was created.

In today’s episode, we sit down with Maggie Segrich, co-founder of Sesh Coworking, Houston’s first female centered workspace that is a safe and inclusive community. She shares with us the lessons she’s learned, how Covid affected the then brand-new Sesh, what you should know before going into business with a partner, and so much more.

“We are strong allies for the LGBTQ+ community as well as the BIPOC community. And we have everything from co-working to there’s a pop up shop that’s like, right across the hall from me, and it’s where my sweatshirt came from. We have art galleries, there’s doctors here, like it’s an amazing community. And it truly represents the diversity that is Houston.” – Maggie Segrich

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

Maggie shares her background and what led her to start her own business (4:31)
Maggie shares what Sesh is and what lessons she has learned (10:39)
Maggie shares how Sesh started (14:38)
Maggie talks about how Covid affected the brand-new Sesh (22:44)
Learning lessons Entreprenistas should know before going into business with a partner (31:54)
Rapid fire questions (36:33)
How Maggie balances business and motherhood (41:45)
What being an Entreprenista means to Maggie (44:28)

Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

“The other thing I learned during that time was I took Facebook off my phone. I did it in New York, because I was being trolled pretty hard from some locals who didn’t like what I was doing with the chamber. And I realized having Facebook on my phone was just, I was giving them a free pass to access my time with every single notification that would pop up.” – Maggie Segrich
“I think my perspective and outlook on life is the world is just a bunch of open doors. And it’s whether or not I walk through them and have that experience. And so for me, I’m always going to poke my head in the open door just to see what’s on the other side. Because like, I might like it.” – Maggie Segrich
“I know that if I ask for help, someone will say yes. And I think that’s a very empowering thing that we constantly need to remind everyone of.” – Maggie Segrich

Connect with Maggie Segrich:

Sesh Address: 2808 Caroline St, Unit 201, Houston, TX 77004
SeshCoWorking.com
Sesh on Instagram
Sesh on Facebook
Sesh on Twitter

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

Become An Entreprenista!

Becoming Less of a Perfectionist with Lindsay Cook of FitOn Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

After stepping down from her career and taking a six month traveling trip with her children, Lindsay Cook realized what her next career step would be: creating an app based on her health and wellness passions.

In today’s episode, we sit down with Lindsay Cook, co-founder of FitOn, the number one free fitness app. Lindsay shares with us how her corporate background helped her start FitOn, the process and mindset needed for raising capital, how to market an app, and so much more.

“I realized how important actually my workouts were to my own self care. And I had no time to go to the gym. And I spend a lot of time looking at apps in the App Store and just being really underwhelmed by what I was seeing in this space.” – Lindsay Cook

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

Lindsay shares when she realized she wanted to be an Entreprenista (3:20)
How Covid impacted the early days of her business (5:47)
Lindsay shares what the business model for FitOn is (7:07)
How the idea of FitOn came to Lindsay and what her biggest challenges were (10:53)
The processing of raising capital (14:56)
How to market an app (19:26)
Lindsay talks about the mistakes she has made and the lessons she’s learned (27:53)
Rapid fire questions (34:49)
Lindsay shares some great advice for starting a business (43:16)
What being an Entreprenista means to Lindsay (45:19)

Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

“Turn on your alter ego, even if it’s not natural to you in, kind of, those first early years.” – Lindsay Cook
“Who do I know from college from high school that maybe is connected to someone at one of those companies? And how do I get that meeting and get the best introduction I possibly can to help kind of sell in that concept?” – Lindsay Cook on raising capital
“I think hiring people: I think we would say, there’s no better way to say it than, we had like a no jerks policy. Like, you know, people, people that you wanted to work with, you wanted to be around, it felt like a small family, we always call it the FitOn family that we work in. And so we’re small, but we’re mighty.” – Lindsay Cook

Connect with Lindsay Cook:

FitOnApp.com

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

Become An Entreprenista!

Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and for more exclusive content, tips, and insight, join the Entreprenistas Facebook group and visit the SocialFly website.

Global Skincare Domination with Janna Ronert Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

Due to growing up on a farm, hard work and determination was instilled in Janna from a young age. Even though she had a successful career in sales and marketing, the beauty industry kept calling her name. So she took those childhood traits and her love for skincare, and created one of the most recognizable clinical skincare companies in the world, IMAGE Skincare.

In today’s episode, we sit down with Janna Ronert, founder of IMAGE Skincare, a paraben-free clinically backed skincare company that has dominated the global market. Janna shares the importance of clinical studies, her secret to an amazing sales team, her biggest lessons, and so much more. If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, this is the episode to listen to!

“I always had this passion for beauty. So secretly at night, I went back and I became an esthetician and I got into the esthetician world and I decided to go into the skincare world.” – Janna Ronert

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

Janna shares how her childhood helped lead her into her business (3:09)
The first steps Janna took to launch her skincare business in 2003 (5:42)
Janna talks about how long it took for her company to gain traction (9:40)
Janna shares how her second business aligns with her first and what she has done differently this time (11:18)
Janna talks about what she has learned about building her team (17:05)
Janna gives tips for setting up a sales team (25:14)
Janna shares why she partnered with a private equity firm after 10 years of owning the company by herself (29:11)
Rapid fire questions (33:42)
Janna talks about her biggest learning lessons (35:03)
How Janna manages her life with her business (39:08)
The mantra Janna lives by (40:48)

Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

“As an entrepreneur, you’ve got to have a great product, that’s number one. Marketing comes second, in my opinion.” – Janna Ronert
“I think that the best advertisement is a happy client.” – Janna Ronert
“The lazy are never lucky. And if you want to be lucky, you can’t be lazy. You have to put in the hard work.” – Janna Ronert

Connect with Janna Ronert:

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

Become An Entreprenista!

Protect Yourself Legally with Berkley Sweetapple Oct 10, 2022

Show notes

A childhood obsession with pigs led Berkley to becoming an attorney. During law school, she started a blog for legal education, which led to a contract template side business. Then the side business she started became her passion and she stepped away from being an attorney.

In today’s episode, we talk with Berkley Sweetapple, an Entreprenista with a legal contract template business. Berkley shares with us the mistakes she’s made and the lessons she’s learned, the legal protections Entreprenistas MUST know, how to create content that converts, and so much more. If you have any legal questions about starting a business, this is THE episode to listen to!

“So that is one of the reasons why I wanted to create contracts that I use in my, in my law firm, you know, with one on one clients, and that I would charge maybe 1500 to draft from scratch, but have them be more in the $300 range so that entrepreneurs can DIY things that are DIY viable.” – Berkley Sweetapple

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

Berkley talks about law school and her early years as an attorney (3:47)
Berkley shares about starting her business in law school (6:58)
Mistakes Berkley made in the early days of her business and the lessons she’s learned (9:34)
Berkley shares the legal protections Entreprenistas need to know about (16:45)
Why Berkley wanted to start a business creating contracts (20:45)
The number one tip to create content that converts (23:10)
How to stay current with the ever changing landscape of social media (26:31)
Rapid fire questions (31:22)
How Berkley balances work life with being a mom (33:09)
The mantra Berkley lives by (33:50)
Berkley’s final tip for Entreprenistas [it’s an important one] (36:13)

Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

“You also are, like, relying on an oral agreement at that point if you don’t have something in writing, which is problematic because then it’s he said she said.” – Berkley Sweetapple
“When women are starting out with businesses, we don’t hire attorneys right away, because it’s one of those things where it’s like, okay, I know this is going to be a big investment, I’m going to push this off till later. And legal is one of those things that you really want to get ahead of, because problems become much more expensive, when you don’t deal with them right away.” – Berkley Sweetapple

Connect with Berkley Sweetapple:

Berkley on Instagram
BerkleySweetapple.com – use code Entreprenista to get 25% off your order!
BerkleySweetappleLaw.com
Berkley@BerkleySweetappleLaw.com

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

Become An Entreprenista!

Wear the Colorful Suit with Sabeena Ladha of Deux Oct 03, 2022

Show notes

Sabeena was like every other millennial and took the straight and narrow corporate career path. Then when the world shut down and she was quarantined to her home, Sabeena mixed her love of healthy eating and a cookie dough obsession with her career knowledge of the snack industry to create a good-for-you cookie dough company.

In today’s episode, we sit down with Sabeena Ladha, CEO and founder of Deux, a healthy cookie dough company for women. Sabeena shares how she started Deux in her own kitchen during the pandemic, how she found herself on Shark Tank, how to raise capital, and so much more.

“It started as, okay, women’s nutrition and healthy indulgences, and then kind of transformed into how do we create what women want to eat and do it in a way that they want to consume it?” – Sabeena Ladha

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

Sabeena talks about her early career and how it led to her starting Deux (3:34)
Where the idea for Deux came from (8:15)
Sabeena shares how she stays organized (15:55)
Sabeena chats with us about her experience on Shark Tank (21:22)
Tips and advice for fundraising (33:33)
How to get into the retail realm (39:08)
Rapid fire questions (42:06)
What being an Entreprenista means to Sabeena (46:31)

Resources Mentioned:

Notion

Our Favorite Quotes:

“I think the difference between an entrepreneur and a non entrepreneur is just doing it, like just trying it, which is kind of crazy to think about, right?” – Sabeena Ladha
“Feeling like I don’t belong has made me work harder to belong.” – Sabeena Ladha
“If you get a ‘no’ in the business world it’s not a no, right? Like you can keep pushing and keep finding a way there and I think noes are really discouraging and you get a shit ton of them doing this, like everybody says no, it’s much easier to say no than yes. So in this world being able to kind of navigate around that and not get discouraged is, I think, it’s super important.” – Sabeena Ladha

Connect with Sabeena Ladha:

EatDeux.com – use code Entreprenista20 to save 20% on your order!
Deux on Instagram
Sabeena on Instagram

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

Become An Entreprenista!

Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and for more exclusive content, tips, and insight, join the Entreprenistas Facebook group and visit the SocialFly website.

Fundraising 101 with Stefanie Sample of Fundid Sep 26, 2022

Show notes

When Stefanie Sample woke up one day, mid-pandemic, and read an article that mentioned the huge gap in PPP loans for women and minorities, she knew she wanted to be part of the solution. So she spent the next few months learning all she could about small business lending. Then she launched Fundid.

In today’s episode, we talk with Stefanie Sample, founder of Fundid, a business capital company for women and minority business owners. She chats with us about the previous businesses she’s had, how to profitably sell your business, all about raising capital, and so much more. If you have any fundraising questions, this is the episode to tune into!

“Venture funding to women actually decreased quite significantly, and it was only at 2% to begin with. So it’s like, Oh, my God, how is even possible that this could decrease. And I was just really pissed, and I turned to my husband, and I’m like, I’m not going to be on the sidelines on this, like, I have to do something, I have to be part of the solution.” – Stefanie Sample

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

Stefanie talks about her background and how she found herself as an Entreprenista (3:06)
Stefanie shares about her many previous businesses (5:55)
Stefanie gives us the lessons she’s learned from selling businesses (9:02)
Stefanie shares about her new business, Fundid (12:34)
Stefanie shares the ins-and-outs of fundraising (19:00)
Rapid fire questions (37:59)
Stefanie talks about how she manages her days as a business owner, while also being a mom (39:10)
Stefanie shares the mantra she lives her life by (43:17)
What being an Entreprenista means to Stefanie (44:55)

Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

“But what I’ve learned about myself now is that I’m a builder, I’m a zero to one.” – Stefanie Sample
“I lucked out in that I’m really not capable of being anything but authentic and transparent.” – Stefanie Sample
“I had a really amazing experience raising, I never felt like my gender was an issue in any way with males or females, like, at the end of the day, a VCs job is to return their funds and make money. If you can do that, they don’t care who you are.” – Stefanie Sample

Connect with Stefanie Sample:

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

Become An Entreprenista!

Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.

Breaking Out of the Echo Chamber with Sophie Beren of The Conversationalist Sep 19, 2022

Show notes

In today's day and age, it's hard to have honest conversations with people who have a different belief than you. But it's so important. Having conversations with people different than you helps you understand their perspective AND it helps build community.

In today's episode, we hear from Sophie Beren, CEO of The Conversationalist, a nonpartisan education community that has the goal of helping people break out of their echo chambers. Sophie shares with us how The Conversationalist started, her hiring process, how to have hard conversations, and so much more. We say it all the time, but this is truly the episode you don't want to miss!

"It kind of hit me all at once that the thing I resented so much growing up in Kansas being the odd one out, the different one, was actually the thing I was taking for granted my entire life. And I realized in that moment that the meaning of life is actually to be surrounded by people who are different from you, who will push you to grow, to consider new perspectives, and to be part of a larger whole." - Sophie Beren

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

Sophie shares the original roadmap for her life and what she's learned along the way (4:56)Sophie talks about her first entrepreneurial endeavor and how it shaped The Conversationalist (9:53) What The Conversationalist started it as and how it's evolved (14:41)How Sophie knew to make data driven decisions for her community-based company (18:31)Building an internal team when you don't know where to start (21:42)Sophie shares her hiring process and the question she asks to find the right team members [it's a good one] (24:39)Rapid fire questions round (34:44)Sophie shares the moment she's most proud of (41:51)Sophie gives tips for having difficult conversations (45:00)Sophie talks about her go-to mantra [this is THE ONE] (47:35)What being an Entreprenista means to Sophie (51:25)

Resources Mentioned:

Bumble BizzNotionAsanaClickupCanvaGoogle Calendar

Our Favorite Quotes:

"That realization led me to take pen to paper and start writing a column about why our generation needs to break open our echo chambers." - Sophie Beren"I think the biggest learning lesson was making sure that whatever I create can be this living, breathing organism that should always shape shift to best impact the people you're trying to serve." - Sophie Beren"Businesses are not overnight successes. But you can expedite your success if you're willing to lean into the challenges when they first arise." - Sophie Beren

Connect with Sophie Beren:

Sophie Beren on InstagramSophie Beren on LinkedInSophie Beren on TwitterSophie Beren on TikTokThe Conversationalist on Instagram

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

A Modern Fertility Pharmacy with Pam Schumann of SMP Pharmacy Sep 12, 2022

Show notes

Many people struggle to grow their families, so they turn to fertility treatments. However, the process can be confusing and not personal. SMP Pharmacy decided to change that by streamlining the process and making it easier on patients and nurses, alike.

In today's episode, we talk with Pam Schumann, CEO of SMP Pharmacy, about why she saw the need for a new fertility management program, how to set your business up for acquisition, how to build a tech company, and so much more.

"What I brought to them was, I call it a modern look at what a fertility pharmacy could be." - Pam Schumann

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

Pam shares her background (1:15)Pam talks about her first company (5:41)Tips for setting your business up for acquisition (8:30)Pam talks all about SMP Pharmacy (11:51)Pam takes us through the process of building tech and shares how long it took for SMP Pharmacy to go live (21:33)What patients who use SMP Pharmacy can expect (31:32)How SMP Pharmacy is improving the patient experience (38:19)Rapid fire questions (42:28)What being an Entreprenista means to Pam (46:50)

Resources Mentioned:

$150 off code for listeners - PODCAST

Our Favorite Quotes:

"I have been so fortunate to make a living in something that I feel so strongly about." - Pam Schumann"We decided to move to a seven day a week operation in all three of our locations because patients have questions. They're going through fertility treatments, seven days a week and we needed to be there for them." - Pam Schumann"From a business perspective, because we went for the hard one, and not the easy one, it's gonna be very hard for our competition to replicate that anytime soon. So from a competitive advantage, it's just from a pure business perspective, that's been the better move." - Pam Schumann

Connect with Pam Schumann:

SMPPharmacy.comSMP Pharmacy in Instagram

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

Become An Entreprenista!

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast - the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.

Making Connections and Providing Opportunities with Anna Ratala of Zvook Sep 05, 2022

Show notes

When Anna Ratala decided to start a podcast, she went looking for a platform that would help her find brands to monetize her podcast. When she found there was no such site, she decided to create her own, thus Zvook was born.

In this week's episode, Anna Ratala, CEO and co-founder of Zvook, a platform that matches brands to podcasts, shares how her journey to starting her own business led her across the world, how to go about fundraising, why she thinks more women should enter tech, and so much more. If you've been waiting for motivation to strike, THIS is the episode you don't want to miss.

"We try to make it easy to make sure that the brands find you and that you're able to, you know, monetize your podcasts, regardless of the size." - Anna Ratala

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

Anna talks about her upbringing and how it shaped her journey into entrepreneurship (3:17)Where the idea of Zvook came from (11:00)Anna's tips for choosing the right co-founder (15:35)Anna shares all about her fundraising process [and gives some great tips] (22:03)Rapid fire questions (36:18)What it's like to be a woman in tech (38:21)Anna's favorite mantra [this is a stellar one] (43:41)

Resources Mentioned:

SpotifyApple PodcastsCastboxOvercast Hubspot

Our Favorite Quotes:

"I can actually create something, if I don't see an opportunity, I can create it, and I can get it done. And I think that was sort of the first time I was really thinking about, well, it could actually be pretty nice to do something on my own." - Anna Ratala"I am not begging for money, I am giving someone an opportunity to jump on board of a business that is going to explode." - Anna Ratala"We need both. We need women who code, but we also need women who lead." - Anna Ratala

Connect with Anna Ratala:

Anna Ratala on InstagramAnna Ratala on LinkedInAnna Ratala on TwitterZvook.coZvook on InstagramZvook on LinkedIn

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

Become An Entreprenista!

Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.