Entreprenista

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Stephanie Cartin – How Positivity and Hope Overcame Infertility, Loss, and a Challenging Pregnancy Apr 20, 2020

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As we all experience challenging times, one of the things we all need is a sense of hope and reminder of the power of positive thinking. Many of you may very well be aware of Stephanie Cartin’s experience with the challenges of infertility, pregnancy, loss, and the birth of her greatest gift and accomplishment, her daughter Mollie Hope. Even though she has shared some important aspects of that story on social media, in interviews, and even on this podcast, she has never told the full story in detail publicly before. Since, along with extraordinary healthcare professionals, hope and positive thinking both were so important to the journey she experienced, it seems fitting to share this story with you now---at a time when we all need to be reminded of what is possible. In this special episode of Entreprenista, Stephanie shares the story with Randi Zinn, the founder of Beyond Mom, and the host of The Going Beyond podcast. Since Stephanie relied on information and encouragement from so many generous people, she is hopeful that hearing this conversation will in some way inspire, comfort, or inform you as well.

Kathrin Hamm of Bearaby – A Weighted Blanket and a Great Adventure Apr 06, 2020

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Kathrin Hamm of Bearaby - A Weighted Blanket and a Great Adventure Apr 06, 2020

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After napping for a few hours under a weighted blanket on a Saturday afternoon, Kathrin Hamm fell in love with the feeling of sleeping under weight. But when she started to search for high quality weighted bedding, she just couldnât find any. So she invented one and developed a prototype, taking everything that scientists know about weighted bedding. She bunded it up with innovative textiles into one delightful experience that helps people sleep naturally and feel better. Bearaby was born! After a successful Kickstarter campaign, an unanticipated deal with West Elm, and a lot of persistence, humility, and hard work, Bearaby is now a fast-growing company with inventory flying off the shelves. Kathrin joins Socialfly co-founders Stephanie Cartin and Courtney Spritzer for a conversation about building her business and career, and describes her journey to success, including why the Bearaby name involves a hug and a song; why the addition of a complimentary skillset was a pivotal first hire; how Bearaby caught the attention of West Elm; the importance of Instagram and UGC for brand discovery; how list building, collecting emails, and the first 48 hours were crucial ingredients to victory on Kickstarter; why the core working hours at Bearaby are only between 12-3PM; moving into the market for children; and, why Kathrin sees her entrepreneurial journey as a great adventure. Plus, a surprise!

Connie McDonald and Pam Weekes of Levain Bakery – Building a Cookie Empire! Mar 30, 2020

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Imagine building a company that makes you happy every day, makes other people happy every day, and is considered the gold standard of what you do? That’s the story of Connie McDonald and Pam Weekes, co-founders of Levain Bakery. If you’ve ever...

Connie McDonald and Pam Weekes of Levain Bakery - Building a Cookie Empire! Mar 30, 2020

Show notes

Imagine building a company that makes you happy every day, makes other people happy every day, and is considered the gold standard of what you do? Thatâs the story of Connie McDonald and Pam Weekes, co-founders of Levain Bakery. If youâve ever munched on one of their extraordinary and generously huge cookies, youâll quickly know and taste why theyâve made the business a tremendous success. Connie and Pam join Socialfly Co-Founders Courtney Spritzer and Stephanie Cartin for a conversation about building their business and careers, and describe their journey to success, including: how a chance meeting in a swimming pool inspired a bakery more than 20 years ago; the origin of the company name, and why the name itself is a conversation starter and great marketing; the importance of being nice; how a surprise featured video from Business Insider pushed the business into a new level of success: the process and challenges of transitioning a brick and mortar business into the reality of digital commerce; Pam and Connieâs sacrifices that came with building a successful company, and the decision to reclaim their personal lives and find balance; and, the cookie co-founders tell us their favorite cookies, and a cookie tasting claims a new fan! Plus, a surprise!

Gwen Whiting of The Laundress – Innovation, Big Risks, and Thinking Outside the Box Mar 23, 2020

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Gwen Whiting of The Laundress - Innovation, Big Risks, and Thinking Outside the Box Mar 23, 2020

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Success as an Entreprenista involves innovation, taking big risks, and thinking outside the box. In the case of Gwen Whiting, co-founder of The Laundress, a successful line of eco-friendly laundry and home products, itâs all of these. Inspired with an idea while working in the fashion industry at Ralph Lauren and trying to maintain her wardrobe while using the local laundromat, Gwen teamed up with her friend who had a complimentary skillset to create a solution. Gwen joins Socialfy co-founder Stephanie Cartin for a conversation about building her business and career, and describes her journey to success including how Gwen and her partner found money early on, from business loans to throwing for-profit parties, launching an e-commerce website over 15 years ago when Amazon was still a bookseller, the challenges of building an ecommerce brand and generating buzz in the pre-social media era, how The Laundress got ahead of the market in creating detergents free of petroleum products (long before the trend of green eco-friendly products,) why the co-founders made a risky decision to fund the business by amassing considerable credit card debt rather than taking VC money, the process of selling the brand to Unilever, and why having the right lawyer and a team behind you during such a pivotal time mattered so much. Plus, a surprise!

Judith Curr of HarperCollins - Open Book Mar 16, 2020

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You probably know we wrote a book âLike, Love, Followâ. And we constantly hear from other Entreprenistas who also want to become published authors. But where do you start, and who do you even pitch a book idea to? How does it get marketed? So many questions, so we figured: why donât we sit down with someone who knows the answers? Enter Australian born Intrapranista Judith Curr, President and Publisher of HarperOne, Amistad, and Rayo/HarperCollins Español at HarperCollins Publishers. She not only offers an inside scoop into the work she does, but a lot of wisdom on growing a successful career. Judith joins Socialfly co-founders Stephanie Cartin and Courtney Spritzer for a conversation about her career, and describes her journey to success, including: the six things publishers look for in a book; the prevalence of Imposter Syndrome; why your career should not be linear and why you shouldnât rush to get to the top; the power of âThe Secretâ and how it played a role in Judithâs career, plus how you can manifest amazing things by setting an intention; the one thing that Judithâs mentor told her that has made a huge impact; and, Judith offers a peek behind the curtain, working with big names like 50 Cent and Tiger Woods. Plus, a surprise!

Judith Curr of HarperCollins – Open Book Mar 16, 2020

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You probably know we wrote a book “Like, Love, Follow”. And we constantly hear from other Entreprenistas who also want to become published authors. But where do you start, and who do you even pitch a book idea to? How does it get marketed? So many...

Shida, Shirin and Shideh Kaviani of Naked Wardrobe - Success Sisters Mar 09, 2020

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Three sisters, one company, and a whole lot of energy, smarts, and success. Thatâs Shida, Shirin and Shideh Kaviani --- three entreprenistas who tell the story of the formation of their company, Naked Wardrobe â a hugely successful womenâs apparel brand offering Bodysuits, Tops, Dusters, Dresses & Swimwear and more â including how the company name was partially inspired by an episode of Oprah. It is the liveliest episode of Entreprenista yet, and these incredible women are just getting started. The sisters join Socialfly co-founders Courtney Spritzer and Stephanie Cartin for a conversation about growing their business and careers, and describing their journey to success, including: how crucial it is for them to hire healthy models, whose body types are relatable to their clientele; about Naked Wardrobeâs many celebrity clients, including Jennifer Lopez, who loves the brand so much she requested including it in her costume for her upcoming film; why you shouldnât make the mistake of thinking that starting your own business will mean easier, more flexible hours without a boss breathing down your neck (itâs actually 100x harder); Shida, Shirin, and Shideh discuss the great joys and difficulties of working with family, as well as treating the whole team as family, regardless of blood; the sisters share their âmâ words of relaxation: meditation and message; and the ways that big risk can mean big reward! Plus, a surprise!

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