Before Grace Weisiger could join her family’s four-generation business, The Weisiger Group (formerly Carolina Tractor and Equipment), her parents told her she needed to gain some experience in a different industry. In 2014, while still a student at the University of Georgia, she received a call from a friend of a friend, who had a cryptic pitch: “I can’t tell you what we’re doing, but we’re starting a company, and it's going to be huge. And we’d like you to be a part of it.”

Skeptical but intrigued, Weisiger listened. That call led her to Bumble, a dating app, which was then just a fledgling idea with a bold mission: empower women to make the first move. What followed was a crash course in startup grit, cultural change and marketing innovation that would shape her career. Today, Weisiger is the founder of Willow Hill, a private investment vehicle.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Weisiger sits down with Ledger editor Tony Mecia to discuss her career, including her family’s business, The Weisiger Group, her early role at Bumble and what she learned, the principles of search funds, her journey in investment and how she approaches finding and leading scalable businesses.

Today’s episode is sponsored by Hillandale Advisors, a Charlotte-based investment and advisory firm that provides strategic counsel to local business owners and invests in private businesses, public equities, and commercial real estate. The Private Business Roundtable hosts events to connect and educate the private business community in Charlotte, Raleigh and Winston-Salem. Are you looking for support in capital raising, hiring key talent or selling your business? Contact [email protected] or learn more at www.HillandaleAdvisors.com.

You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger, and subscribe to our locally focused newsletters, at TheCharlotteLedger.com.

This episode was produced by Lindsey Banks.

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