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

“Influencers built Freshly Picked,” says Susan Petersen, of her company that is one of the most recognizable names in the baby space. In 2009, after making a few pairs of moccasins for her son Gus, and featuring them on her then-struggling blog, she immediately got attention from potential customers and began building a following. Five years later, an appearance on NBC’s “Shark Tank” would prove pivotal to getting major attention not only from a whole new audience,  which helped push Freshly Picked into stores like Nordstrom.  Throughout this episode Susan shares some key takeaways:

• Attention is momentum, and when you get too much too soon, it can be difficult to know how to best utilize it for your business.
• When everyone is going after the same customer,  finding a way to work together with like minded businesses is what is most meaningful.
• When you host events for influencers that are relevant to your space, make it fun and let it speak to the foundation of your brand. Naturally, attendees will share it and post about it.
• Relationships are key to growing your business and should be prioritized over contracts. 

When first starting your business, it is hard to gain momentum quickly. But the best way to grow and scale any company is to prioritize relationships first. Today, Susan shares what she’s learned from her experiences, and how she’s become a better boss, business owner, and overall human being.

Quotes

• “Good marketing is all about reciprocity. At the end of the day we’re all going after the same customer, so if there’s a way that your business and our business can work together, to me that’s most meaningful.” (16:09-16:25 | Susan)

• “I believe in relationships before contracts.” (16:25-16:28 | Susan)

• “Gaining a following, and being out there for public consumption, is very lonely. When you start becoming successful at anything, you lose meaningful conversations with people you love. There are a lot of conversations I can’t have with my sister. I’m not talking to her about my P&L.” (22:20-22:53 | Susan)

• “Balance is just straight up bullshit, and the world will try to get you to buy into that. Don’t buy into it.” (42:18-42:24 | Susan)

Connect with Susan Petersen:

Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/susan.m.petersen

Website |  http://www.freshlypicked.com

Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Dear FoundHer on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

You can now work with Lindsay 1:1 to build and monetize your community through the same method she used to grow and scale her business. Fill out the form here and set up a FREE 30-minute consultation.

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“You have to let people know what you’re doing,” says Annie Scranton, Founder of Pace PR, which helps their clients understand and achieve their goals by placing them in meaningful spots within traditional media. TV is still the most prestigious platform for promotion, lending a client instant prestige. This makes it the most competitive medium to be placed in, which is where a PR company like Pace, which Annie founded after a career in television news, offers invaluable connections and expertise.

In this episode, Annie explains how even those with a minimal budget can get the word out about themselves and build credibility with the communities and resources they have at their disposal. She explains how to utilize newer platforms like social media and podcasts, and good old-fashioned event-based networking. Learn the first and most important step she took when first founding her business—which is also Lindsay’s number one piece of advice.

Annie provides you with actionable steps about what you should do each week to promote yourself, and how to conduct the most productive online searches. Annie admits she shamelessly promoted herself in the beginning. Don’t be afraid to do the same, and let people get as passionate about your mission as you are.

Quotes

• “A lot of times clients come to us and they say, 'I’m so great at promoting other people, but I’m not great at promoting myself.’ I do understand that but you have to get over it, and put that out there. Because if you don’t, you’ll be missing opportunities.” (25:01-25:16 | Annie)

• “When I first started out, it was word of mouth for me. I was going to events. Every time I was in the greenroom when I was still working on TV, I would mention it to people, I would put it out there. I was pretty shameless about plugging myself. In the service industry, if you do a good job, people will refer to you.” (34:52-35:20 | Annie)

Connect with Annie Scranton:

Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/annimal123

LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/anniescranton/

Website | https://www.pacepublicrelations.com/

Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Dear FoundHer on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

You can now work with Lindsay 1:1 to build and monetize your community through the same method she used to grow and scale her business. Fill out the form here and set up a FREE 30-minute consultation.

Make sure you sign up for Lindsay's newsletter and have all of the takeaways from every podcast episode sent straight to your inbox. PLUS, you'll get a tip every week to help you grow and scale your own business.

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

Use code FoundHer for 50% off your first month with both HiveCast and Fireside

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“Meet other women,” advises Camille Burns, CEO of Women Presidents Organization, “You do not need to do this alone.” WPO's mission is to help second-stage female entrepreneurs around the world take their companies to the next level of success. At any stage of one’s career, though, being an entrepreneur can be quite lonely, and being a female founder has its own unique set of challenges. This is why a network of fellow females is so important. 

In this episode, Camille details strategies for networking and finding mentors, reinforcing the importance of meeting in person or with an intentional LinkedIn message. Se reiterates that you cannot be hesitant to reach out. Most successful people want to give back, help and pay forward what others have done for them.

Asking for help is part of being vulnerable, which is difficult but necessary to growth as an entrepreneur. Women tend to want to do it all, but it’s important to delegate work to the most qualified people around you, especially as you continue to grow. Another aspect of being vulnerable is not being afraid to admit your failures. This helps other people learn from your mistakes and also realize no one is alone in making them. It also helps to mitigate the pressure we feel when it looks like everyone else is effortlessly succeeding while we’re struggling.

Risk is at the heart of entrepreneurship, and women especially need to not be afraid to put themselves out there and continue to do so even when things go wrong. Things will always go wrong. Take the lessons learned from your mistakes, and continue moving forward.

Quotes

• “I think it’s really important for female founders to understand what their unique talents are, and as they grow the company, quickly find people who fill the roles that they can have other people fill.  (9:46-9:59 | Camille)

• “I think you’d be surprised at how many business owners and successful people want to give back and want to help.” (27:15-27:18 | Camille)

• “Letting go is huge. Don’t carry the failures of yesterday into tomorrow. Take them as learning opportunities and let go. Move forward.” (34:35-34:46 | Camille)

Connect with Camille Burns

Website | https://www.women-presidents.com/

LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/womenpresidentsorganization/

Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Dear FoundHer on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

You can now work with Lindsay 1:1 to build and monetize your community through the same method she used to grow and scale her business. Fill out the form here and set up a FREE 30-minute consultation.

Make sure you sign up for Lindsay's newsletter and have all of the takeaways from every podcast episode sent straight to your inbox. PLUS, you'll get a tip every week to help you grow and scale your own business.

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

Use code FoundHer for 50% off your first month with both HiveCast and Fireside

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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

“It’s crazy to me that we have made this industry so confusing and so secretive,” says Jessica Willis, Founder of Pocketnest, a financial platform that she licenses to financial institutions, as well as employers for employee financial wellness. A self-proclaimed finance wizard, Jessica knew she wanted to help others who may be intimidated or less knowledgeable to be able to organize and optimize their finances. She became so excited about the platform as she was building it that she was happy to jump out of bed at 5:00 AM to work on it and sad when she had to head for her office job hours later.

She encourages anyone else to make a similar leap toward their own mission that serves other people. Take advantage of every startup event and networking opportunity. If you don’t know how to do something, find people who will help you. These people will become your mentors, perhaps for life. Always have something to show people, even while you’re still perfecting it.

Remember that startups exist within an ecosystem. Just as you require and receive help, you will be called upon to help. Find a way to pay it forward. This is how you build your all-important community.

Quotes

• “I want to make personal finance be not so overwhelming, and difficult and unapproachable.” (15:51-15:56 | Jessica)

• “It was probably six to nine months of me getting much more excited about Pocknest than my full- time job. My husband even asked me one time, ‘Do you even like going into the office?’ And I said, “I mean I guess I do. I just like working on Pocketnest better.’ And he said, “Oh my god, you want to get fired!’ And I felt that would be so much easier if someone else could make that decision.” (18:37-19:14 | Jessica)

• “If I knew my daughters were settling for something they didn’t love doing, I would say, ‘What are you doing? Take the risk. Take the jump and go for it.’” (19:33-19:41 | Jessica)

Connect with Jessica Willis:

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/pocketnest

Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Dear FoundHer on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

You can now work with Lindsay 1:1 to build and monetize your community through the same method she used to grow and scale her business. Fill out the form here and set up a FREE 30-minute consultation.

Make sure you sign up for Lindsay's newsletter and have all of the takeaways from every podcast episode sent straight to your inbox. PLUS, you'll get a tip every week to help you grow and scale your own business.

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

Use code FoundHer for 50% off your first month with both HiveCast and Fireside

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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“We’re the political podcast for people who hate political podcasts,” says Sarah Stewart Holland, Co-Founder and Co-Host of the Pantsuit Politics podcast. She and Beth Silvers felt that there was an independent space for people who found themselves somewhere in between the increasingly divergent polls of the political spectrum. And this emphasis on community is what has made their podcast so successful. Growth isn’t always what matters, but instead, make sure to maintain a reach in which you are always serving your community.

When you serve your community and provide them with value, they will support you in return, including financially. Don’t be afraid to monetize content, even if you’ve offered it for free until now. Learn to recognize what your community actually wants and what is within your capacity to give to save yourself time and stress. There should be a certain amount of ease to working on your project.

To manage stress, even good stress, don’t work too hard to adjust to audiences preferences, especially in an arena as fickle as politics. Keep showing up with purpose and your people will find their way back. Beth recommends therapy because owning a business will bring about issues that you don’t even know you have, and you have to develop specific mental muscles for it. The community you keep around you is equally as important as the community you serve, and will help keep you going when you are overwhelmed.

Quotes

• “Do the things that you do well in your space, and trust that people want to support it.” (35:39-35:44 | Beth)

• “Maintaining that sense of ease has been really critical to us. Know your numbers, yes, but make sure you see the full story around those numbers, instead of always thinking you need to adjust. Sometimes you just have to keep showing up, and eventually your people will show back up with you.” (46:05-46:22 | Beth)

• “There is something magical about a partnership. You’re not in it all by yourself. You can bounce things off each other, and feed off of each other’s energy and have conversations. A good partnership is unbeatable.” (50:04-50:20 | Sarah)

Connect with Sarah Stewart Holland & Beth Silvers:

Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/PantsuitPolitics

Podcast | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pantsuit-politics/id1055348656

Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Dear FoundHer on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

You can now work with Lindsay 1:1 to build and monetize your community through the same method she used to grow and scale her business. Fill out the form here and set up a FREE 30-minute consultation.

Make sure you sign up for Lindsay's newsletter and have all of the takeaways from every podcast episode sent straight to your inbox. PLUS, you'll get a tip every week to help you grow and scale your own business.

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

Use code FoundHer for 50% off your first month with both HiveCast and Fireside

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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

“From a young age, I saw food as little treasures,” says Katrina Markoff, Founder of Vosges Chocolate, “to me it was really special.” This is the experience she has created for her customers for nearly 30 years with her gourmet chocolate confections. Not only was she a pioneer of adding unconventional ingredients like silver or olive oil to chocolate and making chocolate a slow-eating, full sensory experience, but her retail spaces were also destinations unto themselves.

Giving customers unique, specialized experiences with chocolate is what kept them coming back, and eventually word of mouth led to press coverage. By focusing on her craft and sharing her story with her community, her community returned the favor by spreading word of the business which then led to press coverage. Though very dedicated to being hands-on with every aspect of the business, Katrina eventually had to figure out how to scale to keep up with the demand of the product.

A lot of Katrina’s journey was just jumping in and figuring it out as she went along. Many of what seemed like setbacks were truly blessings in disguise. Mistakes are normal and happen in every stage of the process, so don’t let them throw you for too long. After all, nothing happens overnight.

Quotes

• “We’re always creating. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are creating our lives. (14:38-14:44 | Katrina)

• “The more you focus on your craft, on your community, on your purpose for being, people will want to tell that story.” (22:08-22:18 | Katrina)

• “You have to tell your story. When you tell your story, people come to you. And that is what happened with Vosges…and what put her on the map.” (25:42-26:44 | Lindsay)

Connect with Katrina Markoff:

Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/vosgeshautchocolat

Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Dear FoundHer on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

You can now work with Lindsay 1:1 to build and monetize your community through the same method she used to grow and scale her business. Fill out the form here and set up a FREE 30-minute consultation.

Make sure you sign up for Lindsay's newsletter and have all of the takeaways from every podcast episode sent straight to your inbox. PLUS, you'll get a tip every week to help you grow and scale your own business.

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

Use code FoundHer for 50% off your first month with both HiveCast and Fireside

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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

“Our platform is almost a reflection of what’s going on in culture,” says Lara Vandenberg, CEO and Founder of Publicist, an online marketplace to source premium-vetted marketing and communication experts. Not only does it serve industries such as cryptocurrency, fintech, healthcare and more than 60 others, it has coincided with the major cultural shift in attitude in the workplace since March of 2020. Just as more and more people are embracing flexibility and working on their own terms, companies are eschewing long term commitments in favor of contract workers. Publicist facilitates the connection between both so that everyone wins.

A large part of Publicist’s mission is to make sure freelancers get duly paid. As a founder, you may need to pay your employees, particularly those who complement your shortcomings, before you pay yourself. No one is good at everything, and a major part of running a business is recognizing what you’re not good at and delegating those tasks to the right people.

By contrast, not everyone is going to recognize your strengths or what you have to offer, at least not right away. When you are met with resistance, see it as an opportunity to teach. Tell everyone you know that you’re starting a business so that they can hold you accountable. Stay informed of what your competition is doing, but don’t invest too much emotion into it. Nothing is ever going to be perfect, get out there and do it and let the world start to give you feedback.

Quotes

• “The bigger the company, the bigger the pain point, the more they need to hire. Corporate America is not adjusting as fast as the pace of talent wants them to.” (17:16-17:29 | Lara)

• “That’s been a really important lesson: You need to hire for the superpowers you don’t have.” (28:46-28:51 | Lara)

• “No one is good at everything. So when you identify what you’re good at, and what takes you way too long and what you can delegate, that’s probably the most crucial lesson.”  (29:02-29:14 | Lara)

Connect with Lara Vandenberg:

Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/laravandenberg

http://www.instagram.com/publicistco

Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Dear FoundHer on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

You can now work with Lindsay 1:1 to build and monetize your community through the same method she used to grow and scale her business. Fill out the form here and set up a FREE 30-minute consultation.

Make sure you sign up for Lindsay's newsletter and have all of the takeaways from every podcast episode sent straight to your inbox. PLUS, you'll get a tip every week to help you grow and scale your own business.

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

Use code FoundHer for 50% off your first month with both HiveCast and Fireside

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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

“We really try to tap into the types of humans who would want to buy our products,” says Cristie Besu, Founder of Eat Me Guilt Free, a line of better-for-you baked goods and bread products that swap out traditional ingredients for healthy ones while still being delicious. A former ER nurse and sports nutritionist, Cristie wanted her concept of better-for-you to apply to all types of health needs.

After firmly establishing what your ‘why’ is and who your customer is, you want to meet people where they are and talk in the language of each platform, Cristie says. So, speak LinkedIn when on LinkedIn and TikTok when on TikTok. Collaborations and partnerships with brands that speak your language are more organic and effective than paying an influencer. Once you start seeing month to month growth, you’ll realize you can make it happen.

You must execute every single day, even if it’s intentionally deciding that you will take the day off. Having a solid vision of where you want your business to go is so important–and it doesn’t hurt to make a vision board.

Quotes

• “Yes, direct-to-consumer is the future, and everything’s digital, but there’s a lot of this country and a lot of the world for whom connection is important. People want to see things and see that it’s in store.” (15:14-15:26 | Cristie)

• “You have to speak LinkedIn when you’re on LinkedIn. You have to speak TikTok when you’re on TikTok.” (24:39-24:46 | Cristie)

• “Collaborations and partnerships are so much better for a brand than an influencer campaign that you’re paying for. When you partner and collaborate with someone, it’s because you organically speak each other’s languages. It comes off more naturally, it resonates with people, they connect with it much better.” (35:08-35:30 | Lindsay)

Connect with Cristie Besu:

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/cristiebesu/

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/eatmeguiltfree/

Website | http://www.eatmeguiltfree.com

Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Dear FoundHer on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

You can now work with Lindsay 1:1 to build and monetize your community through the same method she used to grow and scale her business. Fill out the form here and set up a FREE 30-minute consultation.

Make sure you sign up for Lindsay's newsletter and have all of the takeaways from every podcast episode sent straight to your inbox. PLUS, you'll get a tip every week to help you grow and scale your own business.

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

Use code FoundHer for 50% off your first month with both HiveCast and Fireside

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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

“You need to know how to utilize your community for growth because when you engage with them, they will help you,” Lindsay says in this second of two solo episodes where she shows you how to grow and leverage your community to help you scale your business. Each of the steps she shares is valuable because they create the kind of momentum that will spare you a number of mistakes and save you years of time in the process.

Using examples from her own experiences as a founder who built a community reaching 3MM users per month and generating 7-figures in revenue, Lindsay first shares three strategies that you must implement to continuously build your community over time. 

She then shares five action steps that you can take right now to start building your community.  PLUS, you can grab her free engagement checklist below to get started. 

You'll also hear Lindsay share her exact strategy for implementing these tactics while building her second community:  the one right here listening to Dear FoundHer....

As Lindsay says,  "Don't ever underestimate the power of your community as well as the power you have among the community you build. When you show up for them, they will continuously and forever show up for you."

Quotes

• “Really and truly, having partnerships is a ripple effect. At the end of the day, free partnerships could lead to sponsorships.” (11:33-11:43 | Lindsay)

• “It is so important that you not only show up as yourself, but that you also engage and converse because social media is a two-way street. When you start engaging with your community, they will start engaging with you and that will only lead to continual growth.” (18:57-19:15 | Lindsay)

• “Once you start working your community, you will see almost an immediate change in the engagement numbers, interactions, and growth on your platforms. (43:33-43:44 | Lindsay) 

• “I didn’t stop cultivating my first company’s community, ever. Never. No matter who we worked with or how big we got, my community was and is always, my first priority.” (45:56-46:09 | Lindsay)

You can now work with Lindsay 1:1 to build and monetize your community through the same method she used to grow and scale her business. Fill out the form here and set up a FREE 30-minute consultation.

Grab Lindsay's ENGAGEMENT CHECKLIST. 

Follow: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaypinchuk

For more info on how to work with Lindsay:

Coaching: https://www.lindsaypinchuk.com/smallbusinesscoaching

Enterprise Consulting: https://www.lindsaypinchuk.com/work-with-lindsay

Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Dear FoundHer on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Make sure you sign up for Lindsay's newsletter and have all of the takeaways from every podcast episode sent straight to your inbox. PLUS, you'll get a tip every week to help you grow and scale your own business.

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

Use code FoundHer for 50% off your first month with both HiveCast and Fireside

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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

“There’s so much between being fully at home with your children, and fully climbing the corporate ladder,” says Kim Rittberg, Video Strategy Consultant and Host of Mom’s Exit Interview podcast, “There are a lot of ways to create a flexible life, and I’m just so excited to explore that and to bring it to listeners.” Kim realized she needed to change her approach to work-life balance when she was screening potential hires on her phone from her hospital bed, while delivering her second baby. So, she took the elements of her 15 years in TV news and digital content that she was best at, found the most fulfilling, and best served people, and started her own company that allowed her to own her time.

With her podcast, she helps other business women achieve a similar quality of life. It starts with building a business around something you genuinely love, surrounding yourself with supportive people and letting them know what you’re up to so they can spread the word. Put yourself out there, even if you don’t believe in yourself at first (though ultimately you should).

Regardless of your industry, video content is crucial to promoting your business, and Kim draws on her extensive background to offer some actionable tips: 

1. Be laser-focused on which platforms work best for you and go all in.

2. Identify the platforms you want to be on and squeeze all that you can out of your content.

3. You have to show up on video. If you are trying to grow your business, people need to know you. You have to practice if you are shy and don’t want to show up.

Quotes

• “Whether you have the confidence or don’t have the confidence, if you don’t put yourself out there to get clients, you’ll feel like your business isn’t thriving. You have to put yourself out there.” (15:18-15:29 | Kim)

• “If I am working 60 hours a week, and struggling to make the same salary I made before, why am I doing this?” (17:48-17:54 | Kim)

• “Identify which platforms you really want to go all in on. For some people it’s LinkedIn and Instagram. For others it’s TikTok and Facebook. A lot of people on social media say once you create content you should squeeze the juice out of that lemon as much as you can. I agree with that. Once you have that ‘hero’ piece of content, cut that up in as many ways as possible.” (29:59-30:28 | Kim)

Connect with Kim Rittberg:

Website | http://www.kimrittberg.com

Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/kimrittberg

Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Dear FoundHer on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

You can now work with Lindsay 1:1 to build and monetize your community through the same method she used to grow and scale her business. Fill out the form here and set up a FREE 30-minute consultation.

Make sure you sign up for Lindsay's newsletter and have all of the takeaways from every podcast episode sent straight to your inbox. PLUS, you'll get a tip every week to help you grow and scale your own business.

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

Use code FoundHer for 50% off your first month with both HiveCast and Fireside

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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