Entreprenista

After napping for a few hours under a weighted blanket on a Saturday afternoon, Kathrin Hamm fell in love with the feeling of sleeping under weight. But when she started to search for high quality weighted bedding, she just couldn’t find any. So she...

After napping for a few hours under a weighted blanket on a Saturday afternoon, Kathrin Hamm fell in love with the feeling of sleeping under weight. But when she started to search for high quality weighted bedding, she just couldn’t find any. So she invented one and developed a prototype, taking everything that scientists know about weighted bedding. She bunded it up with innovative textiles into one delightful experience that helps people sleep naturally and feel better. Bearaby was born! After a successful Kickstarter campaign, an unanticipated deal with West Elm, and a lot of persistence, humility, and hard work, Bearaby is now a fast-growing company with inventory flying off the shelves. Kathrin joins Socialfly co-founders Stephanie Cartin and Courtney Spritzer for a conversation about building her business and career, and describes her journey to success, including why the Bearaby name involves a hug and a song; why the addition of a complimentary skillset was a pivotal first hire; how Bearaby caught the attention of West Elm; the importance of Instagram and UGC for brand discovery; how list building, collecting emails, and the first 48 hours were crucial ingredients to victory on Kickstarter; why the core working hours at Bearaby are only between 12-3PM; moving into the market for children; and, why Kathrin sees her entrepreneurial journey as a great adventure. Plus, a surprise!

Imagine building a company that makes you happy every day, makes other people happy every day, and is considered the gold standard of what you do? That’s the story of Connie McDonald and Pam Weekes, co-founders of Levain Bakery. If you’ve ever...

Imagine building a company that makes you happy every day, makes other people happy every day, and is considered the gold standard of what you do? That’s the story of Connie McDonald and Pam Weekes, co-founders of Levain Bakery. If you’ve ever munched on one of their extraordinary and generously huge cookies, you’ll quickly know and taste why they’ve made the business a tremendous success. Connie and Pam join Socialfly Co-Founders Courtney Spritzer and Stephanie Cartin for a conversation about building their business and careers, and describe their journey to success, including: how a chance meeting in a swimming pool inspired a bakery more than 20 years ago; the origin of the company name, and why the name itself is a conversation starter and great marketing; the importance of being nice; how a surprise featured video from Business Insider pushed the business into a new level of success: the process and challenges of transitioning a brick and mortar business into the reality of digital commerce; Pam and Connie’s sacrifices that came with building a successful company, and the decision to reclaim their personal lives and find balance; and, the cookie co-founders tell us their favorite cookies, and a cookie tasting claims a new fan! Plus, a surprise!

Success as an Entreprenista involves innovation, taking big risks, and thinking outside the box. In the case of Gwen Whiting, co-founder of The Laundress, a successful line of eco-friendly laundry and home products, it’s all of these. Inspired with...

Success as an Entreprenista involves innovation, taking big risks, and thinking outside the box. In the case of Gwen Whiting, co-founder of The Laundress, a successful line of eco-friendly laundry and home products, it’s all of these. Inspired with an idea while working in the fashion industry at Ralph Lauren and trying to maintain her wardrobe while using the local laundromat, Gwen teamed up with her friend who had a complimentary skillset to create a solution. Gwen joins Socialfy co-founder Stephanie Cartin for a conversation about building her business and career, and describes her journey to success including how Gwen and her partner found money early on, from business loans to throwing for-profit parties, launching an e-commerce website over 15 years ago when Amazon was still a bookseller, the challenges of building an ecommerce brand and generating buzz in the pre-social media era, how The Laundress got  ahead of the market in creating detergents free of petroleum products (long before the trend of green eco-friendly products,) why the co-founders made a risky decision to fund the business by amassing considerable credit card debt rather than taking VC money, the process of selling the brand to Unilever, and why having the right lawyer and a team behind you during such a pivotal time mattered so much. Plus, a surprise!

You probably know we wrote a book “Like, Love, Follow”. And we constantly hear from other Entreprenistas who also want to become published authors. But where do you start, and who do you even pitch a book idea to? How does it get marketed? So many...

You probably know we wrote a book “Like, Love, Follow”. And we constantly hear from other Entreprenistas who also want to become published authors. But where do you start, and who do you even pitch a book idea to? How does it get marketed? So many questions, so we figured: why don’t we sit down with someone who knows the answers? Enter Australian born Intrapranista Judith Curr, President and Publisher of HarperOne, Amistad, and Rayo/HarperCollins Español at HarperCollins Publishers. She not only offers an inside scoop into the work she does, but a lot of wisdom on growing a  successful career. Judith joins Socialfly co-founders Stephanie Cartin and Courtney Spritzer for a conversation about her career, and describes her journey to success, including: the six things publishers look for in a book; the prevalence of Imposter Syndrome; why your career should not be linear and why you shouldn’t rush to get to the top; the power of “The Secret” and how it played a role in Judith’s career, plus how you can manifest amazing things by setting an intention; the one thing that Judith’s mentor told her that has made a huge impact; and, Judith offers a peek behind the curtain, working with big names like 50 Cent and Tiger Woods. Plus, a surprise!

Three sisters, one company, and a whole lot of energy, smarts, and success. That’s Shida, Shirin and Shideh Kaviani --- three entreprenistas who tell the story of the formation of their company, Naked Wardrobe — a hugely successful women’s apparel brand offering Bodysuits, Tops, Dusters, Dresses & Swimwear and more — including how the company name was partially inspired by an episode of Oprah. It is the liveliest episode of Entreprenista yet, and these incredible women are just getting started. The sisters join Socialfly co-founders Courtney Spritzer and Stephanie Cartin for a conversation about growing their business and careers, and describing their journey to success, including: how crucial it is for them to hire healthy models, whose body types are relatable to their clientele; about Naked Wardrobe’s many celebrity clients, including Jennifer Lopez, who loves the brand so much she requested including it in her costume for her upcoming film; why you shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that starting your own business will mean easier, more flexible hours without a boss breathing down your neck (it’s actually 100x harder); Shida, Shirin, and Shideh discuss the great joys and difficulties of working with family, as well as treating the whole team as family, regardless of blood; the sisters share their “m” words of relaxation: meditation and message; and the ways that big risk can mean big reward! Plus, a surprise!