Entreprenista

By Entreprenista MediaBusiness Entrepreneurship Marketing Careers

Entreprenista episodes

February 06, 2023How To Trust Your Gut in Business and Health with Claire and Ellen Rudolph of WellTheory
Growing up, sisters Ellen and Claire, started a childcare summer camp for neighborhood children. Eventually, they decided to take what they learned from that experience, along with their work backgrounds, and combine it with the knowledge they had learned while waiting for a diagnosis for Ellen’s autoimmune disease and Claire’s mold exposure to create a place for others who are struggling to get quality help without the gaslighting.

Today, we sit down with Ellen and Claire Rudolph, sisters and co-founders of WellTheory, a health and wellness membership that caters to people who have autoimmune disease. They share about their first business, how their wellness journeys led to starting WellTheory, how going viral has helped their marketing, and so much more.

“I have a really distinct memory of getting my lab results while I was on the subway––I was living in New York at the time––and just breaking down in tears, because I didn't know what that meant for me and my future. And I vowed at that moment that once I got better, this was the area that I needed to dedicate my life to. And from there, I started to educate myself on what I was putting in and all my body started to embrace using food as medicine and really transformed my entire lifestyle.” - Ellen Rudolph

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:
Claire and Ellen talk about their childhood business (1:58)
Ellen and Claire share about their backgrounds (5:00)
Ellen gives us details about her health journey and how it caused her to start WellTheory (9:47)
Ellen discusses the differences between what WellTheory is now versus what she thought it would be in the beginning (21:01)
Claire shares what a member of WellTheory can expect in their membership (25:16)
Ellen talks about marketing and how sharing her story went viral (29:08)
Claire and Ellen share the learning lessons of starting a membership business model (32:48)
Ellen gives advice about fundraising (35:49)
Rapid fire questions (39:57)
Managing a public persona as a private person (44:11)
How Claire and Ellen balance their relationship as sisters and co-founders (46:22)
What being an Entreprenista means to Claire and Ellen (49:25)
Resources Mentioned:
WellTheory Discount Code for Entreprenista Listeners
Bill.com
UserInterviews.com
UserTesting.com
WorkFlowy
Notion
Our Favorite Quotes:
“I went to doctor after doctor and got no answers. My symptoms were continually dismissed. And I was made to believe that it was all in my head. And I had many physicians that referred me out to therapists who could help me with my ‘psychological issues.’” - Ellen Rudolph
“I was lucky, you know, it only took me a year to a year and a half to get a diagnosis. For most folks, it takes four and a half years on average to get a diagnosis. And that's just not okay. It's a really long time to be living in uncertainty, and to just not be feeling like yourself.” - Claire Rudoplh
“One thing I remember watching Ellen in her health journey was she always had this intuition that I might have gotten 20 people to tell me that there's nothing wrong, but I know that something's wrong. And I think you need that same intuition and to listen to that, as an entrepreneur, when you're building something.” - Claire Rudolph
Connect with Ellen and Claire Rudolph :
WellTheory.com
Ellen on TikTok
56 min
January 30, 2023The Business of Clean Beauty with Natalie Mackey of Winky Lux
Natalie Mackey was an Entreprenista from a young age. After spending a few years in the finance industry, she decided to pivot to her “industry crush”: the beauty industry, because as she put it, “you get to sell happiness as a product.”

Today, we sit down with Natalie Mackey, CEO and founder of Winky Lux, a beauty brand with an emphasis on clean ingredients and colorful whimsy. She shares about her high school business, her fundraising journey, all about the risks she’s taken, and so much more.

“This is just the coolest industry. I love it so much. And I really wanted to be in it somehow. I just had kind of like an industry crush on it.” - Natalie Mackey

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:
Natalie discusses her early experience with entrepreneurialism (1:44)
Natalie shares Winky Lux’s origin story (5:12)
Natalie talks about her proudest moments (12:34)
Natalie discusses Winky Lux’s fundraising journey (15:30)
Natalie gives tips for fundraising (24:55)
Natalie shares what risks have worked and what risks haven’t (28:40)
Rapid fire questions (33:28)
What being an Entreprenista means to Natalie (41:36)
Resources Mentioned:
TikTok
Instagram
Slack
Our Favorite Quotes:
“I remember being at a party, I don't know, in some time in the very early 2000s, pre-Uber and somebody said, ‘wouldn’t it be great if there was a car service that would pick you up and take you to anywhere you want? You could just call them on your phone. But it wouldn't be like an actual car service.’ And I just remember saying, ‘Oh, that's a terrible business. I used to do that.’” - Natalie Mackey
“One of the things they say in the writing world is ‘don't be afraid to kill your darlings.’ So you might have this idea that you're very married to but all of a sudden, it really stops working or it's no longer useful. It doesn't serve the business anymore. And I find that it's one of the hardest muscles to grow and then flex is to be able to let go of something and say this no longer serves.” - Natalie Mackey
“Funds that have focused on female entrepreneurs have historically had better returns.” - Natalie Mackey
Connect with Natalie Mackey:
WinkyLux.com
Winky Lux on Instagram
Winky Lux on TikTok
Natalie on Instagram
Natalie on LinkedIn
Natalie 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, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE!
Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.
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!

Become An Entreprenista!
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast - the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Radio | GooglePlay
47 min
January 23, 2023Secrets to a Successful Fundraise with Andrea Ippolito of SimpliFed
After struggling to feed her daughter by breastfeeding, Andrea was lost and didn’t know what to do. This is unfortunately a story that is common amongst new moms. But for Andrea, she decided to change the narrative by making it her mission to educate new moms and help them meet their feeding goals.

Today, we sit down with Andrea Ippolito, CEO and founder of SimpliFed, a company that provides virtual support for breastfeeding and baby feeding. She shares why SimpliFed’s mission is personal for her, tips for other healthcare businesses, the power of a ‘fast no’, and so much more.

“My daughter continued to lose weight, she was down to four pounds. I'm a pretty Type A person, and I have never felt so broken and just uncomfortable and just didn't know what to do and lost. And I also felt bad at the time that I couldn't breastfeed. Now, I know that I shouldn't have been so hard on myself. And we talked about this with families all the time. But I also learned that, you know, formula is a great, healthy option. But I felt just very lost. And I didn't really understand what to do next. And that's what caused me to really start SimpliFed.” - Andrea Ippolito

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:
Andrea shares how her background shaped her (2:56)
Andrea discusses her personal reason behind starting SimpliFed (6:01)
Andrea shares SimpliFed’s mission (8:11)
Andrea details the early challenges and mistakes she made (9:51)
Andrea gives tips to other healthcare businesses about cutting through the red tape (16:05)
Andrea discusses what she has learned about fundraising and why a ‘fast no’ is a good thing (20:55)
Andrea goes over how she’s spent the capital SimpliFed has received (26:43)
Andrea tells us about the marketing strategies she’s used to reach her target audience (31:53)
Andrea shares what the starting process is like for her clients (34:53)
Rapid fire questions (37:33)
Andrea shares her thoughts on ‘work-life balance’ (39:41)
What being an Entreprenista means to Andrea (46:07)
Resources Mentioned:
DocSend Entreprenista Discount Link
Text ‘Connect’ to 888-458-1364
TikTok
Slack
Our Favorite Quotes:
“So I honestly didn't have an entrepreneurial spirit. But I tell folks that I'm the granddaughter of a gambler. So I do think that was in my blood a little bit.” - Andrea Ippolito
“It takes so much time, and I don't come from generational wealth, so I wasn't able to, you know, just quit my job and, and work on this. And so I think that's another important part of this story.” - Andrea Ippolito
“The first thing is getting people to invest. But the second best thing is a ‘fast no.’” - Andrea Ippolito
Connect with Andrea Ippolito:
Andrea on LinkedIn
Andrea on Twitter
SimpliFed on TikTok
SimpliFed.com
SimpliFed on Instagram

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, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE!

Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.

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!
51 min
January 16, 2023How to Dream Big in Business with Tracey Warner Halama of Vital Proteins
When one of Tracey’s friends had given her a sample of a new product to try that he had been working on, she noticed positive changes to a CrossFit injury within a few weeks. She called him up and decided to partner with him on the product. Soon after, Vital Proteins was born and it revolutionized the ingestible collagen market.

Today, we sit down with Tracey Warner Halama, CEO of Vital Proteins, a CPG company that was the first to market ingestible collagen. She shares how Vital Proteins has helped her, the early risks that paid off, the mistakes that were made, and so much more.

“In 2016, she [Jennifer Aniston] did her first interview where she mentioned, ‘there's a collagen peptide that I use, and it gives my skin a healthy glow.’ And I remember we read that we were like, ‘how cool would it be if she actually used our product?’” - Tracey Warner Halama

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:
Tracey shares her background and how Vital Proteins has changed her life (2:13)
Tracey talks about the risks they took in the early years that paid off during the pandemic (8:29)
Tracey discusses why Vital Proteins took on capital (16:47)
Tracey shares the mistakes that were made in the early years (20:11)
Tracey discusses navigating partnerships with celebrities (26:32)
Tracey shares who they worked with in the early days (35:26)
Tracey gives advice for successfully growing your team (39:02)
Rapid fire questions (43:25)
What being an Entreprenista means to Tracey (47:34)
Resources Mentioned:
Becoming a Changemaker Book
Instagram
Slack
Reddit
Our Favorite Quotes:
“To really put out there that, you know, this could be a $500 million business was a big hairy goal. And I think, you know, the common denominator for all of us is that we really believed it could be a $500 million business or bigger.” - Tracey Warner Halama
“At Whole Foods, we were the first brand to go from zero to $20 million in sales in 24 months.” - Tracey Warner Halama
“I really want to pay it forward for this next generation of leaders.” - Tracey Warner Halama
Connect with Tracey Warner Halama:
Tracey on LinkedIn
Tracey on Twitter
VitalProteins.com
Vital Proteins on Instagram
Vital Proteins on Twitter
Vital Proteins on TikTok

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, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE!
Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.
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!

Become An Entreprenista!
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast - the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Radio | GooglePlay
Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.
54 min
January 09, 2023Having The Right Business Partner with Cynthia Plotch and Jamie Norwood of Stix
Most women have struggled with embarrassment when buying feminine health products. Whether it be from the 16 year old male bagging your yeast infection cream at the supermarket or running into your boss when buying a pregnancy test, it’s bound to happen occasionally. Now there is a way to discreetly buy these products.

Today, we sit down with Cynthia Plotch and Jamie Norwood, co-founders of Stix, a company rooted in providing women a convenient, discreet, and judgment-free way to get the health products they need. They share how they prepared to quit their full-time jobs, how to decide on a manufacturer, how they learned the fundraising process, and so much more.

“We kind of would daydream about starting something together. I had no idea what that was going to be though until one day I was buying a pregnancy test. And I ran into my boyfriend's mom, and called Jamie who at the time was my dear friend and dear coworker in tears. And honestly, then Stix was born.” - Cynthia Plotch

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:
Jamie and Cynthia talk about if they knew they wanted to start their own company when they were younger (4:58)
Jamie explains how they prepared to quit their full-time jobs to go all-in on Stix (7:50)
Jamie talks about how to decide on a manufacturer (12:09)
Cynthia discusses their fundraising experience (14:28)
Jamie shares what it’s like building a team (21:05)
James talks about the marketing strategy (25:45)
Jamie discusses how they divide responsibilities (31:58)
Rapid fire questions (34:06)
Cynthia and Jamie explain how they talk care of themselves (35:49)
Jamie and Cynthia share what being an Entreprenista means to them (41:45)
Resources Mentioned:
Shopify
Klaviyo
Attentive
Peel
Heap
Slack
TikTok
Superhuman
Our Favorite Quotes:
“I feel like it's not that we want to start a company, but that we want to start Stix. That's like an important distinction.” - Cynthia Plotch
“We launched a waitlist for our pregnancy tests, which is kind of funny to think about a waitlist for a pregnancy test, but we did get I think like 500 signups on our waitlist, and that was enough of an indicator that we weren't totally insane.” - Jamie Norwood
“An intro from one of your current investors doesn't mean very much. An intro from a founder in their portfolio means a whole ton. So that's definitely an important thing.” - Cynthia Plotch
“I get to work on things that I care really deeply about, and find a lot of, like, purpose and fulfillment through my work.” - Jamie Norwood
Connect with Cynthia Plotch and Jamie Norwood:
Cynthia on LinkedIn
Cynthia on Twitter
Jamie on LinkedIn
Jamie on Twitter
GetStix.co
Stix on Instagram
Stix on Twitter
Stix on TikTok

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, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE!

Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.

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!
47 min
January 02, 2023Ask One Extra Question with Nicole Cogan of No Bread
After going down the path that she figured was best for her, Type-A Nicole decided to quit her career to see where her blog would take her. She became one of the leading industry experts in the gluten-free field and helped shape how restaurants facilitated gluten-free options.

Today, we sit down with Nicole Cogan, founder of No Bread, a popular gluten-free blog, and an angel investor. She shares with us why she quit her job with no back-up plan, her biggest challenges, her advice for investing, and so much more.

“So I like, had my food list of what I could eat at each restaurant, did I get sick, how I felt, all this stuff. And that was the basis of No Bread, which became my career and my passion was this Excel sheet that made its way around the office and turned into what it is today.” - Nicole Cogan

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:
Nicole shares her career journey (3:37)
Nicole talks about the days that followed once she quit her job (10:17)
Nicole explains how she monetized No Bread (13:47)
Nicole shares her biggest challenges (19:20)
Nicole gives advice for people who want to become influencers now (24:06)
How Nicole got into investing (27:33)
Nicole explains the basics of investing (37:10)
Rapid fire questions (41:40)
The advice Nicole learned from her dad [this is good] (43:59)
What being an Entreprenista means to Nicole (45:53)
Resources Mentioned:
Google Calendar
Seed Invest
Gmail
Instagram
InShot
Our Favorite Quotes:
“Take the most Type A person you know, amplify it and you have me.” - Nicole Cogan
“If I commit to something I commit with 100% and if I can't, I'm the first person to tell you ‘I'm not going to do this with you, love you, can't do it. I don't have the time.’ So the calendar is my child.” - Nicole Cogan
“My biggest advice, especially to women, is make your money work for you.” - Nicole Cogan
Connect with Nicole Cogan:
NoBread.com
[email protected]
No Bread on Instagram

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, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE!
Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.
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!

Become An Entreprenista!
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast - the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Radio | GooglePlay
Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and for more exclusive content, tips, and insight, join the Entreprenistas Facebook group and visit the SocialFly website.
48 min
December 26, 2022An End-Of-Year Rundown with Stephanie and Courtney
It’s been a great (and long) year, Entreprenistas! And we are so excited to have had each and every one of you here for it. We can’t wait to see what next year brings!

Today, we sit down to discuss the year’s highs and lows with Entreprenista and Social Fly. We share our learning lessons, the books we recommend, how to feel comfortable at events, and so much more.

“We launched the Entreprenista League in the middle of 2021. So this has been the first full year of the membership. And we have over 1000 members now, which has been so exciting just to see how quickly this community has grown.” - Stephanie

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:
A rundown of exciting things that happened this year (3:59)
Stephanie shares what SPV and angel investing entails (8:01)
Courtney shares the learning lessons of buying and selling a company (9:50)
Courtney shares about the book she’s been reading (21:26)
Courtney gives tips to feel comfortable during networking events (27:35)
Stephanie shares her learning lessons of the year (31:27)
Stephanie talks about important upcoming dates to remember (34:01)
Resources Mentioned:
QuickBooks
Traction
Essentialism
Our Favorite Quotes:
“We all know, in order to make money, you need to spend money. But we've seen time and time again, if you spend too much on the wrong things, you can go out of business really, really quickly.” - Courtney
“If you see someone who's also alone, go up to them and say, ‘what brings you to this event’ and start the conversation that way because a lot of other people do go to events alone, and they're also looking for people to talk to but someone has got to start the conversation. And this is coming from a shy introvert. If I could do it, you could, too.” - Courtney
“Everything that has to be executed in a business takes a lot longer than you think. So build in that buffer time and those additional resources.” - Stephanie

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, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE!
Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.
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!

Become An Entreprenista!
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast - the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Radio | GooglePlay
Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and for more exclusive content, tips, and insight, join the Entreprenistas Facebook group and visit the SocialFly website.
38 min
December 19, 2022The Kind Life with Alicia Silverstone
Have you ever had a chance encounter that led to your life’s purpose? For Alicia Silverstone, that encounter happened when she was eight and witnessed a calf being taken from its mother. From then on, she swore she would never eat meat again. That childhood decision led to Alicia creating a brand rooted in personal ethics.

Today, we sit down with Alicia Silverstone, mom, actress, author, advocate, and Entreprenista. Alicia has written multiple books and has a line of vitamins with Garden of Life. She shares with us how she found her life’s passion, how she learned to be okay with using her voice, why she decided to start a vitamin line, and so much more.

“I was just simply aligned with ‘this is not okay with me anymore. And I'm not going to stand by it. I'm just gonna stand in my truth.’ And that connected me deeply to my self worth.” - Alicia Silverstone

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:
Alicia discusses what led her to start a business (3:03)
How Alicia discovered her passion (4:03)
Alicia talks about finding her voice and how it has impacted her life (13:19)
Alicia shares about prioritizing different tasks at different times in her life (17:51)
Why Alicia decided to start a vitamin line (26:06)
Alicia shares some of her learning lessons (32:33)
Rapid fire questions (36:54)
What being an Entreprenista means to Alicia (42:22)
Resources Mentioned:
myKind Organics
The Kind Diet
The Kind Mama
Our Favorite Quotes:
“I have to know that it was the journey I was meant to go on. And it allowed me to do all of these things that I'm so passionate about.” - Alicia Silverstone
“Mainstream had heard ‘vegetarian,’ but they hadn't heard ‘vegan.’ So I know that I was being made fun of a lot. And I didn't care, it was, it was kind of I knew that, you know, when you know that you're doing something right, what do you care?” - Alicia Silverstone
“This is my personal struggle: just wanting to do so many different things. And there's only one of me and not wanting to do them not well.” - Alicia Silverstone
Connect with Alicia Silverstone:
TheKindLife.com
Alicia Silverstone on Instagram
Alicia Silverstone on Facebook
Alicia Silverstone 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, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE!

Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.

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!

Become An Entreprenista!
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast - the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Radio | GooglePlay
Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and for more exclusive content, tips, and insight, join the Entreprenistas Facebook group and visit the SocialFly website.
47 min
December 12, 2022Belgian Treats For Americans To Eat with Anouck Gotlib of Belgian Boys
When Anouck Gotlib met her husband on a flight from Belgium, she had no idea she would be shifting her plans to start a business. But she believed in her husband’s idea so much, that that is exactly what she did. She left fashion for food and never looked back.

Today, we sit down with Anouck Gotlib, CEO of Belgian Boys, a company that provides European treats in the United States. Anouck shares the challenges she’s faced, why a mindfulness coach is important, unique ideas for raising capital, and so much more.

“He was bringing those waffles, cookies, and treats that he grew up with in Belgium, for himself to enjoy. And his American friends in the dorms were like, ‘Oh, my God, Greg, this is good. Where can we buy it?’ And, like, you couldn't buy it in the US at that time. They couldn't find it. And at that point, he was like, ‘maybe, maybe this is something I should look into and pursue.’” - Anouck Gotlib

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:
Anouck discusses how the idea for Belgian Boys came to be (3:22)
Anouck talks about starting the branding and product development (6:47)
The challenges of starting a business in the food space (10:45)
How the pandemic affected Belgian Boys (18:58)
Why a mindfulness coach is important for business and personal life (21:57)
Anouck shares how Belgian Boys was financed in the beginning and how the first round of raising capital went (26:55)
Anouck talks about balancing Belgian Boys, fundraising, and being a mom (30:41)
How Anouck handles the challenges she faces now (33:22)
Anouck shares tips for raising capital and finding creative ways to gain capital (37:08)
Rapid fire questions (41:26)
Anouck shares what’s she is most grateful for (44:48)
What being an Entreprenista means to Anouck (46:24)
Resources Mentioned:
Slack
LinkedIn
Our Favorite Quotes:
“Did I know that I wanted to open my own business? Absolutely not. I was really someone's ‘plus one’ on this journey. And that was absolutely not my dream ambition or something I thought I would do. I just got into it, I guess.” - Anouck Gotlib
“Most of our consumers have never been to Belgium, never will go to Belgium or to Amsterdam, or the streets of Paris. Our consumer buys our product, because it tastes so freakin’ delicious.” - Anouck Gotlib
“Greg and I had one rule, and we were like, it's got to be people we can go out to dinner with two nights in a row and still want to go out for a third night.” - Anouck Gotlib
Connect with Anouck Gotlib:
BelgianBoys.com
Anouck on LinkedIn
Belgian Boys at Target
Belgian Boys at Walmart

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, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE!

Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.

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!

Become An Entreprenista!
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast - the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
49 min
December 05, 2022Why Chase Ink is the Go-To Business Credit Card for Entreprenistas with Jenny Shum
After a few years in the wrong field, Jenny Shum pivoted into financial services. It was in that industry that she realized her passion of helping small businesses. She rose through the ranks because she loved finding new ways to overcome the challenges she faced. Now she is the General Manager at Chase Ink and spends her time helping others.
Today, we sit down with Jenny Shum, General Manager at Chase Ink, a business credit card that caters to small business owners. Jenny explains how to build credit, why the customer matters most in marketing, how being Asian-American has shaped her, and so much more.
“It is such a win-win strategy to be in financial services and helping small business owners and you guys, the Entreprenistas that are out there, including yourselves, are doing incredible things. And I think the innovation and the passion that you bring to it. It's extremely inspiring to folks that are in large companies like Chase.” - Jenny Shum
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:
Jenny shares why she went from chemical engineering to financial services (2:46)
Jenny shares advice for solving common business challenges (8:34)
Jenny explains how to build credit (14:15)
Jenny talks about why focusing more on the customer than the product is important to marketing (24:01)
Jenny shares how being an Asian-American has shaped her as a leader (28:27)
Rapid fire questions (31:32)
Jenny shares the mantra she lives by (35:01)
Resources Mentioned:
Instagram
Google Calendar
Entreprenista.com/Chase
Our Favorite Quotes:
“So you can imagine and what was really exciting to me was that there was no definitive answer to the problems that we were trying to solve and what the problem-solving process led me to was really a love for our customers.” - Jenny Shum
“I've had some great leaders who saw the passion in me, when there were really big and complicated problems, where it really energized me, I think, in some cases, probably not for everyone, is what I will say, rather than shying away from the complexity, and like as a problem got harder and bigger, I was even more engaged and wanted to push further.” - Jenny Shum
“I think as a community bank, Chase has been playing a large role in being part of the discussion and bringing together small businesses and solving problems, where financial services can be the connection point of small businesses in the community.” - Jenny Shum

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, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE!

Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.

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!

Become An Entreprenista!
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast - the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Radio | GooglePlay
41 min

About Entreprenista

From the publisher's feed

The Entreprenista Podcast is a weekly show featuring the stories of successful female founders and what it's really like to run a business. Hosted by Stephanie Cartin & Courtney Spritzer,…