Subscribe to The FoundHer Files for weekly no-fluff business tips for women 40+ building on their own terms. 

Erica Groussman went from zero sales and deep debt to getting TRUBAR into Whole Foods, Target, and thousands of stores across North America, all by staying committed to a vision she wasn’t willing to give up on.

In this episode, Lindsay Pinchuk talks with Erica about how a simple desire for a clean, delicious protein bar led to one of the fastest-growing plant-based snack brands on the shelf. Erica shares what those early days really looked like, driving around with samples in the backseat, asking salons and yoga studios to take a chance on her product, and putting marketing expenses on her personal credit card. She also opens up about the moment everything nearly fell apart after bringing in a partner who mismanaged the business, and what it took to take back control and keep going.

Where do you draw the line between persistence and letting go? How do you rebuild when trust is broken and the money has run out? Erica talks through those moments with honesty, alongside the decisions that helped her move forward, building supplier relationships, testing in-store demos, and staying close to the product every step of the way. Her story is a grounded look at what it really takes to grow something from nothing and keep it alive through the hard parts.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

04:15 How TRUBAR Got Started

08:44 Recovering from Financial Failure

11:08 Breaking Into Whole Foods

14:51 TRUBAR’s Retail Expansion

19:05 From Three People to a National Team

20:40 Scrappy Marketing and Product Trial

24:18 Getting Acquired by a Public Company

27:31 The Long-Term Vision for TRUBAR

33:43 Advice for Aspiring Founders

Connect with Erica Groussman:

http://www.instagram.com/ericatrubar

http://www.instagram.com/trubar.brands

Subscribe to The FoundHer Files: No fluff. No gatekeeping. Just what works… because we’re better together.

Join our online networking community, the Dear FoundHer... Forum:

https://www.dearfoundher.com/dear-foundher-forum

Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dearfoundher

Don't forget to follow Lindsay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaypinchuk

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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Lindsay Pinchuk is re-launching her newsletter, The FoundHer Files on Substack! No fluff. No gatekeeping. Just what works… because we’re better together. Make sure you subscribe for simple business and marketing tips designed for actual growth. SUBSCRIBE HERE. 

Two former Lululemon insiders took a conversation in a Vancouver hot tub and turned it into a multi-million dollar DTC swimwear brand built on real product expertise, trust in their partnership, and a clear vision of what women actually need in a swimsuit.

In this episode, Lindsay Pinchuk talks with Laura Low Ah Kee and Shannon Savage, the co-founders of Left On Friday, about how they pulled from over a decade of product experience at Lululemon to rethink what swimwear could be. Why were there still no suits that worked for movement and looked good too? What would happen if they applied everything they knew about fit, fabric, and function to a category that had barely evolved? That spark of an idea eventually became a focused product line, a growing team, and a brand that’s now seen on Olympic athletes and Gwyneth Paltrow alike.

Laura and Shannon share what it looked like to build their DTC business from the ground up using their own money, the value of starting small and negotiating smart, and how they’ve stayed committed to growth that’s intentional and sustainable. You’ll hear how they used their own networks, leaned on past experience, and figured out what to outsource along the way. They didn’t just chase hype. They built something they wanted to last.

If you’ve ever wondered how to turn deep experience into a brand with staying power, or how to balance vision with execution, this is the kind of conversation that makes you stop and think. What would you build if you fully trusted what you already know?

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Meet the Founders of Left On Friday

03:22 The Hot Tub Conversation That Sparked a Brand

07:48 From Lululemon to DTC: Using Experience to Fill a Market Gap

15:15 Bootstrapping with $150K and Building for Longevity

22:24 Profitability, Growth, and Staying Power in DTC

33:35 Advice for Female Founders Ready to Start

Connect with Laura Low Ah Kee & Shannon Savage:

https://www.instagram.com/lowaks/

https://www.instagram.com/shansavage/

https://www.instagram.com/leftonfriday/

Subscribe to The FoundHer Files: No fluff. No gatekeeping. Just what works… because we’re better together.

Join our online networking community, the Dear FoundHer... Forum:

https://www.dearfoundher.com/dear-foundher-forum

Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dearfoundher

Don't forget to follow Lindsay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaypinchuk

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lindsay Pinchuk is re-launching her newsletter, The FoundHer Files on Substack! No fluff. No gatekeeping. Just what works...because we're better together. Make sure you subscribe for simple business and marketing tips designed for actual growth. SUBSCRIBE HERE.

We're rerunning this episode as Katie Sturino's debut novel, "Sunny Side Up". hits bookshelves adn the best-sellers list nationwide. Host, Lindsay Pinchuk shares that this is one of her favorite episodes of the podcast, and as she's currently on vacation, she chose to share this in celebration of Katie's big news.

In this episode, Katie opens up about the transition from working in public relations to becoming an entrepreneur, taking Megababe from her parents’ garage to major retailers like Walmart. She talks about the importance of authenticity, community, and staying true to her mission of body positivity and empowering people of all shapes and sizes. Katie also shares insights into her strategic marketing efforts and how her viral series, #SupersizeTheLook, has strengthened her influence in the body acceptance movement.

As Katie shares practical advice for founders, she also stresses the value of hiring the right team and testing your ideas before going all in. What does it really take to push through when things don’t happen overnight? Katie’s story reminds us that persistence and finding the right audience are key. 

Connect with Katie Sturino:

https://www.tiktok.com/@katiesturino?lang=en

http://www.instagram.com/katiesturino

http://www.instagram.com/megababe

https://lindsaypinchuk.myflodesk.com/foundherfridays

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER, The FoundHer Files on Substack and check out today's edition on repurposing your content.

Make sure you follow Dear FoundHer... on Instagram

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you want more simple marketing strategies? Lindsay Pinchuk is re-launching her newsletter, FoundHer Files, this week on Substack! No fluff. No gatekeeping. Just what works...because we're better together. SUBSCRIBE HERE.

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Lindsay Pinchuk pulls back the curtain on how she built her first company, Bump Club and Beyond, from a $500 personal investment into a 7-figure, nationally recognized brand — without a marketing budget, a big team, or going viral.

Lindsay shares the scrappy, strategic, and community-first approach that led to 3 million monthly impressions, six-figure brand partnerships, and eventually, a successful acquisition. If you're a woman over 40 starting or scaling a business and wondering if it's too late or too costly — this is your permission slip to build it your way.

Whether you're just starting out or looking to grow smarter, you'll walk away with real, actionable takeaways that don't require ad spend or hype — just intention, connection, and consistency.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why showing up as yourself is your best marketing strategy
• How to build a community first — and let the revenue follow
• Why value beats vitality (and how to deliver it consistently)
• The power of trade partnerships and organic growth
• How integrity builds trust — and trust builds long-term success
• Why you don’t need a big audience or big budget to grow
• The importance of email, feedback, and scrappy momentum
• What most people get wrong when they focus only on revenue

Resources + Links:

• Grab Lindsay’s free download: The FoundHer’s Blueprint for Building a Business Without Burning Out
• Subscribe to our weekly newsletter on Substack: The FoundHer Files
• Want support, strategy, and a powerful network? Join the Dear FoundHer… Forum
• Have a question about growing without a budget or landing partnerships? DM Lindsay @dearfoundher on Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode:

Please rate, review, and share Dear FoundHer... with another woman business owner who needs to hear this. And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a no-fluff, all-strategy conversation.

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If you're a woman business owner over 40, join the Dear FoundHer... Forum to find support, advice, resources and mentorship—JUST FOR YOU. It’s all inside, without the gatekeeping and without the overwhelm.

Ashley Thompson transformed cold oatmeal into a powerhouse brand sold in over 12,000 retail locations, scaling MUSH from a farmers market stall to a national favorite with the help of a pivotal Shark Tank deal. Joining Lindsay Pinchuk in this episode, the MUSH founder shares how she left a fast-track finance career at Goldman Sachs at 24 to build a mission-driven business from the ground up, without a business plan, outside funding, or prior food experience.

Ashley recounts the early hustle of handmaking oats in her kitchen, demoing at local shops, and delivering products herself, all while using direct customer feedback to refine the brand. She explains how MUSH landed on Whole Foods shelves, survived a Shark Tank-fueled surge that nearly shut down the business, and ultimately scaled through smart automation and a disciplined, capital-efficient approach.

This episode shows what shaped Ashley’s choices as MUSH grew, from holding off on new products for years to building a team that could support large-scale growth across Target, Costco, and Kroger. She explains what helped her stay focused, how she made decisions with limited resources, and what she’s still learning about leading a brand at scale. If you’re building something from the ground up, there’s a lot here to sit with… and you won’t want to miss it!

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 From Farmers Markets to 12,000 Retail Locations

04:20 Quitting Goldman Sachs to Build MUSH from Scratch

14:45 Getting into Whole Foods and Landing a 10-Store Trial

19:25 Shark Tank Deal with Mark Cuban and Sudden Growth

24:35 Surviving the Post-Shark Tank Chaos

29:25 Why MUSH Focused on Retail Over DTC

34:05 Launching Protein Bars and Expanding the Product Line

39:00 Marketing Strategy Behind a National Health Brand

Connect with Ashley Thompson:

https://www.instagram.com/mush

We’re re-launching our newsletter this summer! Sign up here to have it sent straight to your inbox.

Join our online networking community: Dear FoundHer Forum: https://www.dearfoundher.com/dear-foundher-forum

Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dearfoundher

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you want more simple marketing strategies? Lindsay Pinchuk is re-launching her newsletter, FoundHer Files, this week on Substack! No fluff. No gatekeeping. Just what works...because we're better together. SUBSCRIBE HERE.

The year 2025 is officially HALF OVER. BUT, there is still a lot of runway left in front of us. In this episode, Lindsay Pinchuk shares 20 practical strategies for entrepreneurs to effectively achieve their business goals by the end of 2025. The conversation emphasizes the importance of reflection, planning, and taking actionable steps to ensure a successful finish to the year. Key strategies include checking in on goals, automating tasks, enhancing marketing efforts, and prioritizing personal well-being.

Everyone listening can do every single one of these strategies---none of them are complicated. Take a listen and then try to implement one or two per week for the rest of the summer.

Join the Dear FoundHer Forum to build and grow your business alongside other women entrepreneurs 40+, just like you: https://www.dearfoundher.com/dear-foundher-forum

Don't forget to follow Lindsay and Dear FoundHer... on Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’re a woman business owner over 40, join the Dear FoundHer... Forum to find support, advice, resources and mentorship—JUST FOR YOU. It’s all inside, without the gatekeeping and without the overwhelm.

Jennifer Meyer went from walking into jewelry shops with a sketch in hand to building a fine jewelry brand worn by Jennifer Aniston and sold at Barneys New York. She joins Lindsay to talk through the moments that shaped her twenty-year journey, from saving $7,500 over six months to cold-pitching jewelers and learning everything through trial, error, and curiosity. Jen shares how a last-minute decision to show her pieces to Aniston’s stylist helped launch her brand, and how a quiet meeting at Barneys turned into her first major order. She talks honestly about what it means to build something on your own terms, why she’s never taken outside investment, and how she’s stayed grounded as trends and platforms have changed around her.

You’ll hear Jen reflect on the emotional weight jewelry can carry, the challenges of raising prices in a shifting economy, and what still drives her to keep creating. How do you build a business that can evolve as you do? How do you stay focused when it feels like everyone else is racing ahead? And how do you know when it’s time to celebrate a win? Jen’s story is a reminder that starting small doesn’t mean thinking small. And that consistency and a little bit of nerve can take you further than you think!

Jen is celebrating 20 years of Jennifer Meyer Jewelry this year and is giving YOU an exclusive discount for the next week. You can use the code Foundher15 to save on her website: https://jennifermeyer.com/

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Jennifer Meyer’s Journey from PR to Jewelry Design

10:33 The Breakthrough: Jennifer Aniston and the Barneys Order

14:29 Building a Brand Through Transparency and Hustle

21:20 How Social Media Changed the Game

27:49 Inspiration from Women and Celebrating 20 Years

35:19 Real Advice for Aspiring Female Founders

Connect with Jennifer Meyer:

http://www.instagram.com/jenmeyerjewelry

https://jennifermeyer.com/

We're relauching our newsletter this summer! Sign up here to have it sent straight to your inbox.

Join our online networking community: Dear FoundHer Forum: https://www.dearfoundher.com/dear-foundher-forum

Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dearfoundher

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you want more simple, no-fluff marketing strategies? Lindsay Pinchuk created a new FREE download: CLICK HERE to grab

The FoundHer’s Blueprint for Building a Business Without Burnout.

In this episode, Lindsay Pinchuk discusses the common challenges faced when launching offers, particularly the importance of building anticipation and community before a launch. She emphasizes the need for effective storytelling, engaging with one's inner circle, and utilizing various marketing strategies to ensure success. The episode provides actionable advice for entrepreneurs looking to improve their launch strategies and build trust with their audience.

Takeaways

• Launching an offer without community leads to failure.
• Building anticipation is crucial for a successful launch.
• You must advocate for your own offer.
• Storytelling connects you with your audience.
• Engage your inner circle for support.
• Email marketing is vital for business success.
• Regular communication builds trust with your audience.
• Your community should be nurtured before launching.
• People buy from those they trust.
• Success comes from consistent engagement and value.

Join the Dear FoundHer Forum to build and grow your business alongside other women entrepreneurs 40+, just like you: https://www.dearfoundher.com/dear-foundher-forum

Don't forget to follow Lindsay and Dear FoundHer... on Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’re a woman business owner over 40, join the Dear FoundHer... Forum to find support, advice, resources and mentorship—JUST FOR YOU. It’s all inside, without the gatekeeping and without the overwhelm. 

Julie Wainwright knows what it’s like to be underestimated, and to prove people wrong. She built The RealReal into a billion-dollar luxury consignment business, then watched from the sidelines as a board she no longer trusted forced her out. But that’s only part of the story.

In this episode, Julie sits down with Lindsay to talk about what it really means to lead. From the ashes of Pets.com to the early days of The RealReal, Julie explains how she saw an opening in the e-commerce space and moved fast, testing, iterating, and winning customers city by city. She didn’t wait for investor buy-in. She mailed postcards. She knocked on doors. She made it work.

What convinced early customers to trust her with their Chanel and Prada? What does it take to scale a business from $10 million to $500 million when most investors don’t even understand your category? And what do you do when the company you built is no longer yours?

Julie shares how strategic partnerships, like an early collaboration with Neiman Marcus, helped put The RealReal on the map. She reflects on the power of in-person experiences, like pop-up stores, and why human connection can drive business in a way digital never fully replaces.

Now leading her second venture, Ahara, Julie is focused on precision nutrition and on helping other entrepreneurs find their footing. Her new book, Time to Get Real, is both a memoir and a playbook for anyone building something that feels personal.

If you’ve ever doubted yourself, or felt like others have doubted you more, Julie’s story will remind you what’s possible when you trust your vision and keep going.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction to Julie Wainwright and The RealReal

05:04 From Pets.com to The RealReal: Julie’s Founder Story

11:29 Building Trust in Luxury Consignment

17:43 Raising Capital and Finding the Right Investors

22:37 Scaling E-Commerce Through Strategic Partnerships

28:14 How Resale Impacts Luxury Markets

29:17 Leadership Changes and Boardroom Challenges

32:58 Lessons from Entrepreneurship and Gender Dynamics

36:48 Starting Over: New Ventures and Growth

39:24 Why Nutrition Became Julie’s Next Mission

43:34 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Connect with Julie Wainwright:

http://www.instagram.com/realrealjulie

Grab a copy of Julie's new book:

bit.ly/JulieGetsReal 

Get on the Marketing Made Simple Waitlist: https://lindsaypinchuk.myflodesk.com/waitlist

Dear FoundHer Forum: https://www.dearfoundher.com/dear-foundher-forum

Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dearfoundher

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you're a women business owner over 40, join the Dear FoundHer... Forum to find support, advice, resources and mentorship—JUST FOR YOU. It’s all inside, without the gatekeeping and without the overwhelm.

No amount of business success is worth sacrificing your integrity, and Rebecca Minkoff has the receipts to prove it.

Lindsay Pinchuk sits down with the iconic fashion designer to talk about what it takes to build a brand with staying power. From sewing her own bat mitzvah dress to creating a handbag that became a cultural moment, Rebecca traces the early hustle and the breakthrough wins that helped her build a fashion empire. She shares the story behind the unexpected challenges that came with scaling, and why she eventually sold her company, along with the rights to her own name.

They talk about the rise and fall of influencer marketing, how COVID nearly crushed her business, and why The Real Housewives of New York City ended up testing her values more than she ever expected.

This episode is a reminder that building a business isn’t about one big break, but about what you do next.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Why Rebecca Minkoff Inspires The Dear FoundHer... Community

03:11 Rebecca Minkoff’s Story: From Apparel to Iconic Bags

16:09 Rejection, Networking, and Asking for Help

22:26 Inside the Rebecca Minkoff Brand Today

26:38 Selling Her Company: What Rebecca Learned

36:39 How Rebecca Balances Business, Family, and Creative Work

39:00 Rebecca’s Real Housewives Experience and Its Aftermath

Follow Rebecca:

http://www.instagram.com/rebeccaminkoff

http://www.instagram.com/beckyminkoff

Grab a copy of Rebecca's book.

Check out Rebecca's Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/superwomen-with-rebecca-minkoff/id1426026971

Dear FoundHer Forum: https://www.dearfoundher.com/dear-foundher-forum

Don't forget to follow Lindsay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaypinchuk

Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dearfoundher

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.