Dear FoundHer...Real Founder Stories for Women Small Business Owners

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She spent over a decade scaling two of Europe's most successful tech companies, reaching the C-suite along the way. Then she moved back to her hometown and nobody knew her name. That tension is the heart of this episode of Dear FoundHer, and it sets up one of the clearest examples of starting a business after corporate you will hear this year.

Host Lindsay Pinchuk talks with Christine de Wendel, co-founder and U.S. CEO of sunday, the digital checkout platform used in over 3,500 restaurants across the U.S., U.K., and France. Christine spent over a decade scaling two of Europe's biggest e-commerce companies before leaving corporate at 40 to build a company of her own. Her story shows what transitioning from employee to founder really looks like once the safety net disappears.

Christine describes the three humbling months she spent building connections in Atlanta before the idea for sunday took shape, and how a phone call from an old friend turned into a co-founding partnership. She also opens up about startup funding and whether having a male co-founder changed how easily she raised capital.

Lindsay and Christine talk candidly about networking for women, credibility, and why making a career pivot later in life can be an advantage instead of a setback. If you have ever wondered whether starting a business after corporate means starting from zero, Christine’s story offers a clear answer: the experience, relationships, and skills you have already built still count. Press play to hear how she used them to help raise $145 million for sunday.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 From Tech Executive to Unknown in Atlanta

02:56 Christine's Path From Bain to Paris Tech

05:47 Why She Waited Until 40 to Start

08:25 Uprooting the Family and Moving to Atlanta

11:43 The Phone Call That Became sunday

14:47 How the sunday App Works

16:33 A Review Turns Into Real Restaurant Change

19:08 How sunday Makes Money

20:57 The 2021 Raise and What Came After

22:45 Doubling Transaction Volume

24:25 Why Restaurants Are Slow to Adopt

26:15 Building Brand Ambassadors and Referral Networks

29:47 Funding, Her Co-Founder, and Gender in Fundraising

32:55 Motherhood, Pacing, and Doing It All

36:46 Three Tips for Women Starting Out

Connect with Christine de Wendel:

Follow sunday App on Instagram

Connect with Christine on LinkedIn

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Steph Weibring's Etsy shop made $8,000 in a year. Then she made $8,000 in a single November. The move behind the jump is one of the fastest lessons in growing an audience you will hear this year, and she pulled off the shift without a big following of her own.

On this episode of Dear FoundHer, the show for women business owners over 40, host Lindsay Pinchuk sits down with Steph Weibring, founder and CEO of Joy Creative Shop. Steph turned a 20-cent Etsy listing into a multimillion-dollar stationery brand while raising three kids. She explains how partnership marketing sparked the jump and what it took to scale the business past seven figures.

Steph also shares the chaotic weekend behind her signature bag of tags, and why the design makes her products harder to knock off. Copycat versions of her products show up on Etsy and TikTok. Her response will change how you think about competitors.

You will also hear why a handwritten note is the fastest way to stand out when anyone is able to send an AI written thank you, and how Steph turned an old habit into a new subscription business.

For founders over 40 who dread showing up on camera, Steph gets honest about her personal brand and the social media strategy she resisted for years. She now runs her company as a “lowercase ceo”, a title she made up to strip the intimidation out of leadership.

Steph also offers three steps for any woman starting a business this year.

Growing an audience starts with borrowing one. Press play and hear the story behind the November her whole business changed.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Meet Steph Weibring, Founder of Joy Creative Shop

02:55 From College Uncertainty to a 20 Cent Etsy Listing

05:45 From $8,000 a Year to $8,000 in One November

08:14 Self-Belief and the Turning Point Toward Scaling a Business

09:44 What Joy Creative Shop Sells Today

12:45 Making Handwritten Notes Feel Modern Again

15:38 Listening to Customers to Solve Real Problems

19:18 Handling Copycats Without Losing Focus

23:32 Building a Brand Rooted in Gratitude

25:15 Growing an Audience Through Influencer and Partnership Marketing

29:04 Personal Brand and Standing Out as a Real Person

31:33 Teaching Kids Entrepreneurship Through Side Businesses

33:26 Inside the Joy Creative Shop Team

34:41 Launching "A Different Kind of CEO"

36:55 Three Actionable Steps for New Women Business Owners

Connect with Steph Weibring:

Follow Joy Creative Shop on Instagram

Follow Steph on Instagram

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

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Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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For simple actionable tips to grow your business, subscribe to The FoundHer Files 

Liz Lange proves that the best marketing rarely needs a big budget, just the right people.

On Dear FoundHer, host Lindsay Pinchuk talks with Liz Lange, founder of Liz Lange Maternity, about what it takes to build a business when the money and the confidence are not there yet. Partnership marketing sits at the center of it all, but not in the polished, strategic sense people mean today. For Liz, it looked like trust. It looked like showing up for people and letting the relationship do the work.

Liz talks openly about starting as a bootstrap founder with almost nothing to lose and everything to prove. She is candid about the fear behind every major decision, and how often the loudest advice turned out to be wrong. Her instincts, not her budget, were what carried the business forward.

The real thread running through this episode is trust. Trust in yourself, trust in slow relationships over quick wins, and trust that partnership marketing can outperform any ad spend when it comes from something real. For Liz, this wasn't a tactic. Networking with women came naturally to her.

This is one of those real founder stories that reminds you that good PR for small businesses often starts with a single relationship, not a plan. It’s proof that female founders do not need permission to trust what they already know.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Welcome to Dear FoundHer and the Growing Founder Community

02:47 Meet Liz Lange, Maternity Fashion Pioneer

03:47 Starting Liz Lange Maternity With a Fax Machine and No Budget

09:13 Dressing Celebrities and Building Word of Mouth Marketing

15:36 Learning the Fashion Business From the Ground Up

19:07 Opening the First Liz Lange Maternity Store in New York

23:27 Landing the Nike Partnership Marketing Deal

27:05 How the Target Deal Changed the Business Forever

33:29 Ignoring the Naysayers and Trusting Her Instincts

39:03 Bootstrapping the Business Without Raising Outside Money

41:37 Balancing Motherhood With a Fast Growing Business

44:06 Life After Liz Lange Maternity and Home Shopping Network

45:15 Buying the Figue Brand and Building a New Chapter

46:17 Finding Community and Connection on Social Media

49:13 Three Actionable Steps for Women Starting a Business

Connect with Liz Lange:

Follow Liz on Instagram

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

Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram 

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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For simple actionable tips to grow your business, subscribe to The FoundHer Files 

Lindsay Pinchuk shares the most important asset you are not leveraging in your business. She shares how leveraging your existing network can be a game-changer for business growth, emphasizing relationships over followers and paid ads. She discusses practical strategies for reconnecting with your network, categorizing contacts, and using relationships to build and scale a business.

Important Takeaways:

• The importance of existing relationships in business growth
• Categorizing your network: openers, collaborators, amplifiers, anchors, students
• Strategies for reconnecting and activating your network
• Case studies of successful women entrepreneurs leveraging relationships
• The misconception of starting from scratch and the value of past relationships

Lindsay talks about "that email" you can read all about that and grab her templates on her substack here.

Join us for this month's Forum Workshop on July 9th: The 2-Part Email System Behind Consistent Scalable Revenue REGISTER HERE

Join us inside the Dear FoundHer... Forum, our online networking group supporting you as you build and grow your business so you don't have to do it alone.

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For simple actionable tips to grow your business, subscribe to The FoundHer Files 

Lindsay Pinchuk shares the importance of proactive network outreach for business growth, emphasizing a specific email strategy to reconnect with contacts and generate new opportunities. Learn how to craft personal reintroduction emails that activate your network and boost your pipeline.

This episode includes:

• The importance of proactive outreach to your existing network
• How to craft a personal reintroduction email
• The five-part structure of an effective outreach email
• The role of relationship-building in business growth
• Strategies for activating your network to generate opportunities
• 
  

Takeaways

• Sending personalized reintroduction emails can quickly generate new business opportunities.
• Your network is active and waiting to be engaged, not passive.
• A well-structured, personal email can re-engage contacts and open doors.
• Building and maintaining relationships over time is crucial for business success.
• The key to effective outreach is clarity, specificity, and genuine connection.

Chapters

00:00 The Importance of Communication in Business

02:31 Reactivating Your Network

05:09 Building Relationships for Success

08:17 Crafting the Perfect Reintroduction Email

10:52 Taking Action: Your Email Assignment

Join us for this month's Forum Workshop on July 9th: The 2-Part Email System Behind Consistent Scalable Revenue REGISTER HERE

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For simple actionable tips to grow your business, subscribe to The FoundHer Files 

Most women entrepreneurs build a business to solve a problem they found in the market. Sadie Lincoln built one to solve a problem she had been hiding for a decade.

Sadie is the co-founder of Barre3, a mindful fitness company with more than 200 studios and an online platform reaching clients in over 100 countries. On Dear FoundHer with host Lindsay Pinchuk, she finally says out loud what took years to admit. A secret eating disorder, a body she was trying to conquer, and a pregnancy that cracked something open she had not been able to reach before.

What she discovered in her living room in 2008 became the foundation of everything Barre3 stands for. And every major business decision since then, including walking away from a deal that would have made her a household name in fitness, has traced back to that same truth.

Female founders who are scaling a business while trying to stay honest about what it costs will recognize themselves here. Sadie built a community for business the old-fashioned way, face painters at a fountain, free classes above a health food store, relationships that no algorithm can manufacture. She course-corrected when outside pressure pulled her away from her values and called it growing without burnout before that phrase even existed. And the personal brand decision she made, choosing to stay small enough to stay true, is one most founders never have the nerve to make.

Know yourself first. Do the research. Surround yourself only with people who are excellent at what they do and who respect why you are excellent too.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Meet Sadie Lincoln, Co-Founder and CEO of barre3

04:00 How Barre3 Was Built Around Mindful Fitness and Why That Was a Radical Idea in 2008

06:19 The Invisible Truth Behind the Business and What Sadie Finally Said Out Loud

09:27 Why the Hardest Moments in Business Are Often the Seed of What Comes Next

13:56 From Living Room Workouts to a Fitness Company Built to Franchise

17:01 The Grassroots Marketing Strategy That Still Outperforms Social Media

21:47 Why Community Is the Actual Product at Barre3 and How That Drives Sustainable Growth

25:25 What Kept Barre3 Standing While Other Boutique Fitness Brands Fell Apart

28:00 The Deal Sadie Walked Away From and the Financial Hit She Took to Stay True

31:53 The Kitchen Moment That Changed Everything

37:27 What’s Next for barre3

40:21 Three Pieces of Advice for Women Starting a Business

Connect with Sadie Lincoln:

Follow Sadie on Instagram 

Connect with Sadie on LinkedIn 

Subscribe to The FoundHer Files 

Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram 

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Odessa Jenkins built a professional women's tackle football league before anyone believed the market existed.

On this episode of Dear FoundHer, host Lindsay Pinchuk talks with Odessa Jenkins, known as OJ, founder and CEO of the Women's National Football Conference. Her story carries a lesson female founders everywhere need to hear. You don't wait for permission to build something new. You describe your vision so clearly the right people see it before a single game is played. That's how OJ won over ten teams and two major sports brands while the league was still an idea on paper.

This is the kind of conversation women in business rarely get to hear. OJ worked a full-time job while selling the league. She convinced her wife to leave a corporate career and build alongside her. Bootstrapping kept the lights on for five years and profit didn't arrive until year three. None of those details show up on a TV broadcast, yet every one of them shaped what the WNFC has become. Sixteen teams, 900 athletes, and a championship game airing live on ESPN2.

Female founders will recognize themselves in OJ's honesty about startup funding, partnership marketing with brands like Adidas, and the unglamorous work behind a bold mission. Her message cuts through the noise. Ready isn't real. Ask for what you need. Stop choosing the hardest path when an easier one exists.

If you're drawn to real founder stories with heart and grit, this episode will stay with you long after you press pause.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Female Founders Who Build Before the Blueprint Exists

03:05 How Odessa Jenkins Started the WNFC

08:26 Getting Adidas and Riddell to Back a League That Didn't Exist Yet

11:13 Bootstrapping, Profit, and the Real Timeline

14:43 How the Public Responded in Year One

22:41 Fan Growth, Streaming Numbers, and National TV

24:53 Flag Football, the Athlete Pipeline, and What's Coming

27:55 Why the Timing Is Right for Women's Sports Right Now

31:17 Championship Weekend at Ford Center

34:28 Three Things Every Woman Starting a Business Needs to Hear

Connect with Odessa Jenkins:

Follow OJ on Instagram

Follow Women's National Football Conference on Instagram

Submit your most pressing business questions for our Q+A Substack on Thursday: https://form.jotform.com/260218655668062 

Subscribe to The FoundHer Files 

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Writing a book is one of the most overlooked thought leadership moves a female founder can make, and most people go into it completely unprepared.

On this episode of Dear FoundHer, Lindsay Pinchuk talks with Ruthie Ackerman, author of The Mother Code and founder of Ignite Writers Collective, about what it actually takes to write and publish a book. Ruthie spent years as a journalist and deputy editor at Forbes Women before losing her job, starting a business, and landing a Random House book deal. Now she helps women in business find their voice on the page, and she's honest about how hard the process is.

The publishing world has a glamour problem. Most people picture the finished book, not the 90-page proposal, the years of revision, or the media outreach that a publisher will not do for you. Ruthie lays out what female founders need to know before they commit, including how to choose the right publishing path, what a real publicity strategy looks like, and why treating your book like a business launch is the only approach that works.

For anyone building a personal brand and wondering whether a book belongs in that plan, Ruthie also speaks directly to the PR for small business reality. Getting press, landing speaking opportunities, and reaching the right audiences all require the same intentionality you bring to every other part of your business. A book done right is a long-term thought leadership asset, not a project you finish and walk away from.

If your story has been sitting in the back of your mind waiting for the right moment, this episode is worth your time.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Thought Leadership Starts With Your Story

03:51 Ruthie Ackerman's Path From Forbes to Random House

05:59 Getting Laid Off and Launching Ignite Writers Collective

08:21 How Ignite Writers Collective Grew During the Pandemic

10:35 Starting a Book Three Months After Having a Baby

12:08 Five Questions to Ask Before You Write a Book

13:57 Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing vs. Hybrid

15:50 What a 90-Page Book Proposal Actually Looks Like

18:35 Why Authors Have to Be Their Own Marketers

20:07 Three Tips for Making Time to Write

22:08 What Not to Do When Writing a Book

24:10 How to Find a Literary Agent

26:41 All the Hats You Have to Wear as an Author

28:55 How Ignite Studios Supports Authors End-to-End

32:11 Ruthie's Three Actionable Steps for Aspiring Authors

Connect with Ruthie Ackerman:

Follow Ruthie on Instagram 

Subscribe to The FoundHer Files 

Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram 

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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

SUBSCRIBE to The FoundHer Files, our twice weekly Substack filled with actionable tips you can use starting today to build and grow your business. No fluff. No gatekeeping. Just what works.

Host, Lindsay Pinchuk provides a tactical walkthrough on crafting a compelling three-paragraph founder story that effectively communicates your business, builds trust, and attracts the right audience. This episode offers a step-by-step framework, common mistakes to avoid, and practical tips for using your story across various platforms.

Grab this week's Deep Dive on The FoundHer Files to read more about The Anatomy of a Story that Converts.

Join us for this month's Forum Expert Workshop: Claude for FoundHers with Dara Astmann REGISTER HERE

Subscribe to The FoundHer Files Substack: http://foundherfiles.substack.com

Join our online networking community for women business owners over forty, The Dear FoundHer... Forum.

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

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

SUBSCRIBE to The FoundHer Files, our twice weekly Substack filled with actionable tips you can use starting today to build and grow your business. No fluff. No gatekeeping. Just what works.

Lindsay Pinchuk shares the importance of storytelling for small business success, outlining five essential stories every female founder should master. She emphasizes how authentic storytelling attracts the right audience, builds trust, and drives business growth.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 The Power of Speaking Up

01:43 Your Story is Your Strategy

03:56 Crafting Your Origin Story

07:49 The Importance of Pivot Stories

10:21 Learning from Costs: The Hard Lessons

12:38 Naming the Invisible Truths

14:49 Finding the Right People Through Authenticity

Join us for this month's Forum Expert Workshop: Claude for FoundHers with Dara Astmann REGISTER HERE

Subscribe to The FoundHer Files Substack: http://foundherfiles.substack.com

Join our online networking community for women business owners over forty, The Dear FoundHer... Forum.

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

Listen to our episode with Founder of TaskRabbit, Leah Solivan from last month.

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