Jaclyn Johnson is the ultimate multi-hyphenate redefining the concept of work for a new generation of women. She is a serial entrepreneur with two exits from highly successful businesses, including cult-favorite brand, Create and Cultivate. In addition to being a best-selling author, Jaclyn is the host of a business podcast where she has interviewed pioneers of the industry such as Martha Stewart, Meghan Markle, and Chelsea Handler. She now uses her expertise in business to pay it forward to self-starters, entrepreneurs, and women in business with her angel investment fund, New Money Ventures.

Today, Jaclyn shares her journey into accidental entrepreneurship and how she went on to successfully build and sell two businesses before the age of 35. She reveals some of the challenges of managing a company that takes off quickly and explains how she structured her business partnerships. Jaclyn details the things to keep in mind as you build your business to sell and the process of finding a new CEO for a company. She discloses why she chose to start a venture capital company and outlines her decision-making process for selecting companies for her investments. Jaclyn also describes what makes a successful investment pitch and some of the biggest mistakes people make when pitching to investors.

“When you’re building something to sell, there are a couple of things you need to think about: one is you want to retain as much equity as possible, and two is you want to run it as lean as possible.” - Jaclyn Johnson

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:

Jaclyn’s accidental entrepreneur story and how she acquired her first clients How Jaclyn structured the deal for her exit from her first companyHow Create and Cultivate came into beingThe secret sauce in Create and Cultivate that made it take off in the first yearHow the business evolved over timeThe most challenging part of growing the company so quicklyHow Jaclyn structured her business partnershipsThings to keep in mind when building a business to sellThe challenges of selling a business you built yourselfThe process of finding a new CEO for the businessWhat inspired Jaclyn to start her new ventureThe decision process for investing in a new businessWhat makes a great pitch for successfully gaining investorsThe exiting companies that Jaclyn has invested in recently Biggest mistakes people make when pitching to investorsHow Jaclyn approaches challenges in her business

Resources Mentioned:

Podcast: The DropoutApp: IntroSlack

Our Favorite Quotes:

“The most challenging part of growing the business was figuring out how much bandwidth the team would have and how much business we would get.” - Jaclyn Johnson“You don’t want to be chasing somebody to invest in their business.” - Jaclyn Johnson“Going into it with an attitude of being really excited to be in the room is really important as well.” - Jaclyn Johnson

Connect with Jaclyn Johnson:

Jaclyn Johnson WebsiteNew Money VenturesCreate and CultivatePodcast: Work PartyBook: Work Party: How to Create and Cultivate the Career of Your DreamsJaclyn Johnson on LinkedInJaclyn Johnson on InstagramJaclyn Johnson on FacebookJaclyn Johnson on Twitter

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,