Startup Life Show with Ande Lyons

Latest Episodes:

EP 179 Franchising a Brick and Mortar plus App Startup in the Wellness Space Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

When you feel good, you can take on the world!
Our guest, Brittany Driscoll, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Squeeze, a way better massage experience from the founders of Drybar. In fact, she was the person who took DryBar from $30M to more than $100M in revenue.
Squeeze’s revolutionary app-based booking and payment platform makes scheduling, paying, tipping, and rating easy, peasy, so you simply float out with the ability to tip and rate your therapist at your leisure.
You can personalize services giving you control over everything from pressure to in-room settings like lighting and sound to create the ideal indulgent atmosphere for a truly holistic massage.
As a female entrepreneur, cancer survivor, and wellness advocate, Brittany has a deep passion for supporting other women in business and has become a thought-leader in her community.
To learn more about Squeeze, visit: https://www.squeezemassage.com/
To learn more about the Squeeze franchise opportunity, visit: https://www.squeezemassage.com/franchising
Connect with Brittany and Squeeze online via:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-driscoll-59157a5/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/squeeze-massage/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/squeezemassage
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squeeze/
00:00 - Meet Brittany!
11:35 - the best business ideas come out of personal necessity
12:00 - meet Squeeze Massage
14:30 - funding a capital intensive, asset-based and tech based startup
19:20 - when you have the right team, anything is possible! STITCH THAT ON A PILLOW
33:30 - what you need to know about customer acquisition costs - CAC
38:00 - find out how this newly launched brick + mortar + app startup kept the business alive after the pandemic hit
41:50 - what you need to know when recruiting franchisees - a franchise is a business in a box!
53:40 - how entrepreneurship has served Brittany, personally and professionally
55:30 - people do not buy goods and services, they buy relations, stories and magic. A fave Seth Godin quote
Ande ♥
https://andelyons.com
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EP 178 How to Lead Your Startup During a Turbulent Time Feb 25, 2022

Show notes

Turbulent times will happen when you're scaling a startup.
Are you prepared? How do you lead when your startup’s growth slows, plateaus, or even declines?
When turbulence hits, you must know how to communicate effectively with your team, investors, customers… AND manage your own turbulent internal dialogue!
Our guest, Monique Maley, is a CEO, serial entrepreneur, and angel investor. In 2011 she founded Articulate Persuasion, her third entrepreneurial success and a company that cultivates authentic and influential leaders.
As a classically-trained actor with more than a decade spent in the theater and film industries, Monique offers her clients unique insight into influential communication.
She leverages her actor’s toolkit and entrepreneurial experience to mentor leaders with a distinctive approach that emphasizes adaptability, impactful communication, and connection with others.
Monique’s clients include Fortune 500 companies, complex government-funded organizations, and scrappy startups from around the world.
To learn more about Monique and Articulate Persuasion, visit:
http://articulatepersuasion.com/
Connect with Monique on social here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/articulatepersuasion/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/moniquemaley
Purchase a copy of Monique's book here: https://amzn.to/3HkDCud
00:00 - meet Monique!
08:00 - how being an actor best prepared Monique for entrepreneurship
13:00 - what does turbulence look like when it shows up in a startup
16:00 - best leadership advice for first-time founders - time to leave the employee mindset behind and step into your founder/owner role
20:00 - it’s not about being in charge; it’s about taking care of the people in your charge. STITCH THAT ON A PILLOW!
24:00 - the best reason why founders need a mentor and/or a board of advisors - do not rely on your team members.
30:30 - create an environment where folks feel valued and trusted; avoid creating a "family" environment.
37:20 - communication is always a dialogue - it's the responsibility of the communicator to be understood.
41:42 - understand your employees from day 1 - what makes you feel valued; how do you like to receive bad news; etc.
52:50 - how founders can best lead their investors
1:03:45 - mindset hack: replace the word inadequate with a less harsh inner dialogue - how was I unprepared for this or what thought process was holding me back.
Thank you for carving out time to improve your Founder Game - when you do better, your business will do better - cheers!
Ande ♥
https://andelyons.com
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EP 177 Creating International Internship Programs for University Students Feb 22, 2022

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Preparing our future founders and leaders with meaningful internships is a gift that keeps on giving.
Our guest, Fredrik van Huynh, is an award-winning Swedish-Cambodian Entrepreneur, and the Co-Founder of Absolute Internship, a leading global internship program matching university students with internships in-person and remote at top companies around the globe.
Since 2009, Absolute Internship has helped over 5,000 students with more than 800 corporate partners in world-class cities including Barcelona, Beijing, Hong Kong, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm and Tokyo.
While developing marketable skills for future employment, the program empowers interns to step outside their comfort zone, explore new cultures and gain a global perspective that employers all around the world increasingly seek and value.
To learn more about Absolute Internship visit: https://absoluteinternship.com.
Connect with Fredrik and Absolute Internship via these social platforms:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredrikvanhuynh/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fvanhuynh and https://twitter.com/AbsoluteInterns
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freddievanhuynh/ and https://www.instagram.com/absoluteinternship/
Grab a copy of Barbara Corcoran's book Shark Tales: How I Turned $1,000 into a Billion Dollar Business here: https://amzn.to/3BCoGpG
00:00 - Meet Fredrik van Huynh!
08:00 - Fredrik's awe*mazing origin story
20:55 - why bootstrapping is key for a startup's success
22:20 - the real story behind proving value prop
25:25 - you have to believe in what you're doing
37:35 - how Fredrik know when his startup became profitable and sustainable
39:20 - let the work do the talking - Stitch That On A Pillow
43:00 - balancing scaling with maintaining a lean startup
51:00 - it doesn’t matter what your background is, you can do anything you want in the world
1:01:57 - how Fredrik responded when a private equity firm offered to by his business
Thank you for carving out time to improve your Founder Game - when you do better, your business will do better - cheers!
Ande ♥
Ande Lyons
http://andelyons.com
#internationalinternships #founderjourneyadvice
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EP 176 What Startups Need to Know About Conversion Rate Optimization Feb 18, 2022

Show notes

Conversion rate optimization is a valuable tool in a startup’s took kit. Especially for eCommerce sites.
It helps you dive deep into your key audience and identify what language or messaging best speaks to their needs, resulting in greater customer conversion and retention.
Our guest, AJ Davis, is a conversion rate optimization (CRO) specialist. She’s the founder of Experiment Zone, which helps online businesses grow their revenue by improving the user experience of their website using scientific methods.
Before starting Experiment Zone in 2017, AJ led optimization strategy for Fortune 500 companies during her tenure at Clearhead. She was also the lead UX researcher on the Google Optimize product.
To learn more about how the Experiment Zone can help your startup grow, please visit: https://experimentzone.com/
Follow and connect with AJ and the Experiment Zone on social:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajdavisatx/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExperimentZone_
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/StartupInsightsPodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajdavis_atx/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJMkmKk6Rw6s5pLRnMgnV6w
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/startupinsights/
00:00 - meet CRO specialist AJ Davis!
07:30 - AJ's pre-entrepreneurship story
14:00 - how AJ launched Experiment Zone AND turned her employer into the first customer
22:10 - what is conversion rate optimization
25:30 - how Experiment Zone helps you convert visitors into customers and retain those new customers
29:10 - If we just test red button or blue button, we don’t learn a lot about our customers.
34:15 - how to use your Shopify analytics to improve your conversion rate optimization
40:40 - why hiring a CRO specialist will help your startup grow faster
43:25 - advice for diluting bro culture dynamics
48:50 - why framing everything as an experiment will help you fail faster
Thank you for carving out time to improve your Founder Game - when you do better, your business will do better - cheers!
Ande ♥
http://andelyons.com
#croforstartups #conversionrateoptimizationforstartups
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EP 175 How to Amplify Your Startup Story and Founder Credibility Feb 15, 2022

Show notes

Newly minted founders need to quickly build credibility and social capital while building their business.
Our guest, Brandy Whalen, is the co-founder of Kitcaster, a podcast booking agency that books podcast interviews for funded start-up founders, entrepreneurs with exits, and C-suit execs.
Brandy’s passion is helping people quilt together patches of their personal, professional, and visionary journey to create a compelling story… and then amplify that story through guest appearances on aligned podcasts.
To learn more about Kitcaster, visit: https://kitcaster.com/
Here's the link to Kitcaster's FREE PGL listing: -- https://kitcaster.com/pgl/
Follow and connect with Brandy and Kitcaster via these social channels:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kitcasterpod
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kitcaster/ and https://www.instagram.com/brandywhalen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kitcasterpod and https://twitter.com/brandywhalen
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6WQJWdKWHaDimq3W2Jy6Cw
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kitcaster/mycompany/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandy-whalen/
Live comments links:
Aristotle: askaristotle.co
Cartera: https://www.paycartera.com/
Arielle for Africa: https://www.arielleforafrica.com/
Connect with Rebecca Moore on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccareynoldsmoore/ and visit http://www.inanutshellceo.com
Loom - video messaging: https://www.loom.com/
00:00 - meet Brandy Whalen
05:00 - motherhood and parenthood must be represented on LinkedIn
Thank you for carving out time to improve your Founder Game - when you do better, your business will do better - cheers!
11:00 - founders - don't do this or you will burn out fast
19:00 - why podcasts bring unique stories to life
23:00 - meet Kitcaster and learn how they proved value prop and implemented customer acquisition
35:00 - how Kitcaster creates podcast campaign strategies for clients
40:00 - FREE Podcast List - woo hoo!
42:40 - the podcast pitch breakfast sandwich
47:30 - Kitcaster's vision
52:30 - Brandy's founder journey and mindset hack advice
57:52 - this episode's winner!
Ande ♥
http://andelyons.com
CONNECT WITH ME ONLINE:
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https://twitter.com/AndeLyons
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/andelyons/
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EP 174 Let’s Talk About Race and Other Hard Things Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

Sometimes we think the safest path when confronting hard things is avoidance – “I don’t want to talk about it!”
What if I offend the other person? What if they challenge my beliefs? What if I ruin a relationship?
Our guest, renowned speaker, author, and equity consultant Dr. Nancy Dome, co-founded Epoch Education in 2014 to provide leaders in education and business with accessible professional development in diversity, inclusion and belonging, and equity.
In her book Let’s Talk About Race (And Other Hard Things), Dr. Dome provides a framework to recognize feelings, interrupt flawed patterns, and repair relationships.
As an educator for nearly three decades, Dr. Dome taught in the juvenile court and community schools teaching our most vulnerable students and has served as a Distinguished Teacher in Residence and faculty member at California State University San Marcos.
Please join me on Friday, February 11th at 12pm ET to meet Dr. Dome, hear her startup stories, and learn how conflict is normal, survivable, and you don’t need special skills or experience to navigate it—you just need practice.
AMPLIFY YOUR STARTUP
While tuning in live, be sure to share your business name, one liner and website in the comment threads during the live show – Dr. Dome and I will showcase and celebrate your work in the world LIVE - cheers!
Learn more about Nancy and her remarkable work in the world: https://www.drnancydome.com/
Connect with Nancy via:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancydome
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NancyDomeEdD
Purchase Let's Talk About Race (And Other Hard Things) here: https://amzn.to/3uFw3v1
00:00 - meet Dr. Nancy Dome!
06:00 - when Nancy's employer required everyone to reapply for their jobs, Nancy said NO.
12:00 - how Nancy launched Epoch Education with her twin sister
14:00 - that's why I left education and formed a for profit business - I was tired of being poor and I was tired of struggling financially
23:00 - what called Nancy to write Let's Talk About Race and Other Hard Things
30:00 - female founders: instead of "face slapping" someone, do this instead - RIR - Recognize * Interrupt * Repair
37:00 - why compassionate dialogue is so important
37:35 - the reason we talk about people is because we don't talk to people - BOOM
44:00 - every position matters, and every role counts - STITCH THAT ON A PILLOW!
46:55 - how to hold people accountable using Nancy's protocol
54:00 - Nancy's favorite mindset hack for founders
Thank you for carving out time to improve your Founder Game - when you do better, your business will do better - cheers!
Ande ♥
Ande Lyons
http://andelyons.com
CONNECT WITH ME ONLINE:
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EP 173 Empowering Black ParentPreneurs Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

Raising businesses and babies at the same time can take a toll on ParentPreneurs! Especially Black ParentPreneurs.
James Oliver, Jr. is CEO of the ParentPreneur Foundation, which empowers Black ParentPreneurs to succeed at entrepreneurship so they may leave a legacy for their beautiful Black children.
As a parent of twins who were born prematurely and weighed only two pounds each, two days before he started a tech accelerator, James has a deep understanding of the challenges facing Black ParentPreneurs.
James is also the founder of WeMontage.com, which turns your photos into repositionable wallpaper, and the author of The More You Hustle, The Luckier You Get: You CAN Be a Successful ParentPreneur. Grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/3Hr6rpw
Join the Black ParentPreneur Foundation here: https://www.parentpreneurfoundation.org/
Donate to the Black ParentPreneur Foundation here: https://opencollective.com/parentpreneur-foundation/contribute
Connect with and follow James and the Black ParentPreneur Foundation here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/parentpreneur-foundation/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-oliver-jr/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/parentpreneurF
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parentpreneurfoundation/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@parentpreneurfoundation
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParentPreneurFoundation
Buy James' book here: https://amzn.to/3Hr6rpw
Connect with Pia Mancini here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/piamancin and her awe*mazing platform Open Collective here: https://opencollective.com/
Mighty Networks: https://www.mightynetworks.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginabianchini/
00:00 - Meet James!
08:30 - James' first startup journey and lessons
14:40 - within every crisis exists opportunity - STITCH THAT ON A PILLOW!
17:50 - what happens when James receives a random email from Brad Feld
20:00 - when Brad Feld offers to co-create with you - outstanding advice and insights!
23:20 - lack of social capital for Black Entrepreneurs
25:00 - get a fiscal sponsor to jump start your nonprofit
27:00 - meet Open Collective and Pia Mancini
30:19 - Black ParentPreneur Foundation - slide show sharing all the remarkable work this foundation has done to date
33:18 - why you want to host your community on Mighty Networks
37:00 - the BEST Seth Godin story - ever!!
42:40 - identify the 4 key activities you need to focus on every single day
48:20 - meet Kabila - find a co-founder
51:50 - a delicious mindset hack for founders when they're feeling inadequate
Thank you for carving out time to improve your Founder Game - when you do better, your business will do better - cheers!
Ande ♥
https://andelyons.com
#blackparentpreneurs #founderjourneystories #blackentrepreneurs
CONNE

EP 172 Building a MedTech App For People With Low Vision Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

Rebecca Rosenberg is the Founder & CEO of ReBokeh, a startup dedicated to enhancing the lives of those with visual impairments with simple, comprehensive assistive technology solutions.
Rebecca was born with oculocutaneous albinism, a condition that affects the body's ability to produce melanin and causes moderate to severe visual impairment as well as reduced pigmentation in the hair, skin, and eyes.
In July of 2019, Rebecca founded ReBokeh to develop assistive technologies more appropriate for the moderate low vision community.
In 2020, Rebecca received her BS in biomedical engineering from Bucknell University and transitioned to the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design to receive her masters of the same title.
After completion of the 12-month program, Rebecca was awarded an Abell Foundation Fellowship to remain with the Center and lead through implementation a global health tool for surveillance and intervention of mosquito borne diseases. She currently leads a team of 10 engineers, computer vision experts, and global health researchers to commercialize and implement the technology.
Learn more about ReBokeh here: https://www.rebokeh.com/
Connect with Rebecca and the ReBokeh team here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rebokeh/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccarosenberg020/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/realrebeccarose
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebokehvision/
00:00 - meet Rebecca!
07:35 - getting a drivers license when you have low vision
10:30 - cumbersome and very expensive assistive technology for people with low vision was unacceptable for Rebecca
16:00 - how ReBokeh got its name
17:50 - what is low vision or moderate vision impairment
18:45 - building ReBokeh's MVP
25:30 - how Rebecca onboarded her CTO
27:00 - launching a startup while leading a fellowship
31:00 - ReBokeh's customer acquisition strategy
34:00 - challenges educating investors to understand the difference between low vision and people who are blind
43:00 - Rebecca's favorite founder tool: networking!
47:00 - how Rebecca's disability prepared her for the founderhood journey
Thank you for carving out time to improve your Founder Game - when you do better, your business will do better - cheers!
Ande ♥
https://andelyons.com
#lowvisiontech #medtechstartup
CONNECT WITH ME ONLINE:
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ANDELICIOUS RESOURCES:
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EP 171 Launching a New Venture Fund to Support Diverse Purpose-Led Startups Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

Founders need a deep purpose – a north star – to help them navigate the murky waters of founderhood.
Our Guest, Kevin Withane, is passionate about purpose-driven startups that make the world a better place.
He’s the founder of Diversity X, a pre-seed to seed-stage venture capital fund (in the works) to support UK and European-based underestimated founders of purpose-led startups and tech startups focused on solving issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
While he’s building Diversity X, Kevin is a purpose-led senior lawyer and ethics and compliance executive at an FTSE 250 company.
An independent non-executive director of various private companies, Kevin also sits on the advisory board of several startups, and he hosts the Cocktail Leadership podcast.
Kevin has lived and worked in the UK, China, Hong Kong, Russia and the United States as well as traveling extensively across Europe and Asia where he has gained deep insights into the shift towards human leadership and the demand for business to align their purpose with making the world a better place – for everyone.
Tap this link to learn more about Diversity X: https://www.diversityx.vc/
Connect with Kevin everywhere he glows here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinwithane/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevinWithane
CONNECT WITH ME ONLINE:
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/andelyons/
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https://angel.co/andelyons
TikTok: @andelyons
00:00 - meet Kevin Withane!
08:00 - Kevin's first entrepreneurial adventure
11:00 - why investing in diverse purpose-led startups is so important
12:40 - Conscious Capitalism: we need more human central businesses
16:30 - Kevin dives deep into ikigai - learn more about ikigai here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikigai
22:00 - what you need to know to launch a new venture capital fund
23:30 - we love Backstage Capital, Arlan Hamilton and her FAB book It's About Damn Time!
28:00 - meet Diversity X - a new fund for diverse purpose-led startups
32:00 - filling the fund with diverse investors who deeply believe in purpose-led startups
42:00 - how you can join Kevin's community and why he's focused on the UK and Europe
49:00 - The Daily Stoic - one of Kevin's favorite mindset tools for the founder journey - buy it here: https://amzn.to/3ANSJKG
51:20 - confidence ebbs and flows, so focus on your own courage - Stitch That On a Pillow!
54:40 - find out the winner of the FREE book, It's About Damn Time by Arlan Hamilton!
Thank you for carving out time to improve your Founder Game - when you do better, your business will do better - cheers!
Ande ♥
https://andelyons.com
#launchingaventurefund #purposeledstartups #diversefounders
ANDELICIOUS RESOURCES:
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AGORAPULSE
My favorite digital marketing dashboard is AGORAPULSE – it’s the best platform

EP 170 Investment Platform Making Venture Capital Faster, Better and Equitable Jan 28, 2022

Show notes

Studies clearly illustrate that investing in women-led companies is great business for investors, yet the biggest chokehold in venture capital continues to be gender injustice.
Our guest, Xiao Jean (XJ) Chen, is an award-winning business and technology hybrid, angel investor, and the Founder & CEO of VenturePole, a Swiss-based, AI-powered venture investment platform.
VCs continue to display little innovation in how they make investment decisions, which is infected by human bias, resulting in a gender gap of over $130 billion.
VenturePole is armed with smart tools, including Investment Risk Rating, Valuation Calculator, Company Strength and Weakness Analysis, as well as automated due diligence.
To learn more about VenturePole, please visit: https://venturepole.com/
When you join VenturePole, your first 30 days are free. To receive an entire year FREE use this discount code AFTER the 30-day trial: Ande
Connect and follow XJ and VenturePole via:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venturepole/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/xiaojeanchen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/xiaojeanchen and https://twitter.com/VenturePole
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xj.chen/ and https://www.instagram.com/venturepole_/
How platform works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNmxiUJFG2w
Learn more about Scroobious here:
Grab Peter Theil's book Zero to One here: https://amzn.to/3u5boAt
00:00 - meet VenturePole founder Xiao Jean Chen
09:00 - how XJ used a Google scholarship and hackathons to dive deep into tech
13:00 - how difficult it is for female founders to raise funds, especially for nonwhite female founders
17:00 - why aren't VCs looking at more female-led deals?
19:00 - for every 4 male-led startups, there are 3 female-led startups doing the exact same thing
28:00 - The real reason female entrepreneurs get less funding
Dana Kanze - watch the whole TED Talk here:
https://www.ted.com/talks/dana_kanze_the_real_reason_female_entrepreneurs_get_less_funding?language=en
29:00 - how VenturePole's platform works
35:00 - what is gender injustice in venture capital?
54:00 - is it okay to be a solo startup founder or do you need co-founders
58:00 - who really writes the check at a venture capital fund?
Thank you for carving out time to improve your Founder Game - when you do better, your business will do better - cheers!
Ande Lyons
http://andelyons.com
CONNECT WITH ME ONLINE:
https://andelyons.com
https://twitter.com/AndeLyons
https://www.facebook.com/StartupLifew...
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andelyons/
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