Entreprenista

There’s something to be said about building the company you want. Just ask Melissa Mash, who says she never had any doubts about her company reaching its goals! Melissa is the CEO and Co-Founder of Dagne Dover — Designer Handbags For A Life In Motion, fusing fashion with athlete-caliber function. Melissa joins Socialfly Co-Founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about her journey to success and building her company from the ground up, along with a surprise.

In this episode:

• How Melissa’s husband persuaded her to go to business school because of the network it provides, and how this decision has really paid off
• Melissa’s incredible alignment with her co-founders and why the remarkable company culture they’ve built is so important 
• How Melissa and her team raised $200,000 from friends and family to prove out the business, and how they launched with two products that were merely “coming soon”
• The 1,000 person focus group on the biggest handbag frustrations that shaped the initial products
• Why team meetings and communication have been a cornerstone of success at Dagne Dover
• Moving forward when things are hard, and doing things you’ve never done before to reach your goals
• The importance of flexibility, good vibes and calm confidence

How do you move forward with a business when conflict with a business partner changes everything? Hillary France, CEO and Co-Founder of Brand Assembly knows all about this, and has found a bright path forward. Her company was founded to nurture and...

How do you move forward with a business when conflict with a business partner changes everything? Hillary France, CEO and Co-Founder of Brand Assembly knows all about this, and has found a bright path forward. Her company was founded to nurture and elevate brands so they can reach their highest potential by providing resources, infrastructure, and community through trade shows, co-working spaces, and back office services. Hillary joins Socialfly Co-Founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about her journey to success and building her company from the ground up, along with a surprise and a brainstorm.In this episode:

• How Hillary’s experiences in fashion and helping designers inspired a larger business and resulted in an organic path to growth thanks to diligent execution
• How an investment in an unfamiliar market was one of the biggest mistakes she ever made
• A recent mission of reclaiming her personal life and moving away from 16 hours days
• Why she is considering opening her business to investors for the first time
• And how Brand Assembly refreshed the company culture in the wake of a business partner’s departure

Leaving a cushy job at a major brand that allows you to travel internationally and lead a team in order to start a business selling products like candles and kimono robes—with you and only you to do—everything? That’s the story of Ashli...

Leaving a cushy job at a major brand that allows you to travel internationally and lead a team in order to start a business selling products like candles and kimono robes—with you and only you to do—everything? That’s the story of Ashli Stockton, Founder of Sunday Forever, who never set out to build an empire—she was hoping to just break even.

Now she has a team, a growing following, and a successful business that’s been featured in Forbes and InStyle. There is an energy that is easily noticed upon meeting Ashli that is infectious and brings you to quickly believe how unstoppable she has been from the early days of Sunday Forever.  Ashli joins Socialfly Co-founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about her journey to success and building her company from the ground up, along with a surprise and a brainstorm.

In this episode:

• How Ashli got her start at Victoria’s Secret’s beauty line as an entry level coordinator and worked her way up to a brand development role during her 12 years with the company
• Why getting an executive position at Victoria’s Secret wasn’t the fulfilling role she had hoped it would be, and the moment she realized she had to step away from the company
• The uneasy feeling of having your “dream job” only to dread going into work, and how that sparked the idea for Sunday Forever
• The challenges and anxieties of starting your own business after being an executive at a major brand
• The importance of planning and setting up a safety net when starting your own company and how Ashli mapped out her last year at Victoria’s Secret
• How a trip to Japan set off Ashli’s love for simple elegance, and led her to designing a robe based on a yukata, a summer kimono style
• The year and a half Ashli spent redesigning the yukata she took back from Japan to be more practical and comfortable for western style and lifestyles
• How Ashli learned from her mistakes along the way, and the $10,000 mistake she made because she didn’t believe in herself
• The impulse decision to launch Sunday Forever online, and how the first sale to someone Ashli didn’t know gave her the confidence to push on
• Building a following on social media and expanding a business from your dining room table without a large team to support you
• Ashli’s goals and mission for Sunday Forever, and why she hopes to be a source of light and inspiration in people’s daily life and for those who also experience the “Sunday Scaries”
• How Ashli used her background in beauty to better position some of Sunday Forever’s wellness products, like its more affordable candles
• The process of building a team, from interviewing interns at Starbucks to building a small team of four (plus two dogs, Ted and Wyatt)
• Ashli’s process for bringing new products into the fold, from conception to execution and putting them up for sale
• Why it’s important for Ashli to keep the magic alive with the day to day business of Sunday Forever, and why she’s okay if the company maintains smaller production and sales numbers if it means sustaining a healthy, creative, and fun working environment
• How leading by example, working hard and being passionate about the business, on top of working with a small team, keeps things moving forward positively and constructively, even when times call for some critical feedback
• Why the financial and lifestyle sacrifices Ashli has made by starting Sunday Forever have been completely worth it for the freedom to be the same person at work as she is at home
• Ashli’s plans for Sunday Forever, and why expressing gratitude and building the community around the brand is more important than putting out a lot of new products
• Plus, a 60 second brainstorm about how Ashli can build her email list and start putting out more content to incentivize sharing and grow the brand further!

A scientist and winner of the Miss New York pageant launches a ground-breaking digital publication that harnesses the style and glamour of today’s business-minded woman. Sounds like the premise for a good movie, doesn’t it? The star of that story...

A scientist and winner of the Miss New York pageant launches a ground-breaking digital publication that harnesses the style and glamour of today’s business-minded woman. Sounds like the premise for a good movie, doesn’t it? The star of that story in real life is Iman Oubou, who noticed gender disparities in business as well as a media bias in the way the modern woman is represented. She launched SWAAY to position these founders as the new icons, providing content and community for them to empower each other. She joins Socialfly co-founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studio for a conversation about building her business and career, and describes her journey to success. Plus, a surprise and a brainstorm!

In this episode:

• How Iman has worked as a champion of female entrepreneurs and her journey hosting the popular podcast Entrepreneurs En Vogue.
• How Iman learned a lot as a pageant person, including public speaking, and communication—and how she still uses those skills everyday.
• The importance of taking care of yourself so you don’t burn out too early.
• The additional challenges of fundraising as a woman.
• And—her quest to add Morocco as a contestant in the Miss Universe pageant.

A Luminary is a person who inspires or influences others; a guiding light, an inspiration, a role model and a leader. This word and definition have inspired a collaboration hub for women to develop, network and connect, and used its founder and CEO...

A Luminary is a person who inspires or influences others; a guiding light, an inspiration, a role model and a leader.

This word and definition have inspired a collaboration hub for women to develop, network and connect, and used its founder and CEO Cate Luzio’s inspiration for its name. Cate joins Socialfly Co-founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about her journey to success and building Luminary from the ground up, along with a surprise and a brainstorm.

In this episode:

• How the name Luminary came to Cate’s attention, and the origins of the business
• How traveling to China for a tech company resulted in a high-level banking career
• Why Cate’s global experience catapulted her to opportunities without having a relevant formal education
• Why one of the biggest turning points in her career was being assigned a buddy to build credibility and use as a sounding board
• How Cate’s ability to build business and work with multiple stakeholders and partners has enabled her to move fast in assembling a formidable team and creating a vibrant community within less than a year’s time
• Why most of Cate’s initial team was willing to work for months without pay

One of the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs is their willingness to put themselves out there and make it happen. Eden Grinshpan is not only the co-founder and executive chef at DEZ, an innovative restaurant concept, but also a celebrity chef and host of Top Chef Canada. She joins Socialfly co-founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studio for a conversation about building her business and career, and describes her journey to success. Plus, a surprise and a brainstorm!

In this episode:

• How Eden’s obsession with cooking shows in high school turned her from a picky eater into a culinary school all-star
• What Eden learned about herself while traveling throughout India and Tibet
• How working at an orphanage in India turned into Eden running their café
• How some footage Eden shot while running the cafe in India led to meeting with Jon Rosen and getting her foot in the door to start Eden Eats on the Cooking Channel
• How Eden transitioned from the constant hustle of running a TV show to going into the restaurant business
• Eden’s experiences opening her first restaurant
• How the desire to get back in the kitchen and to be part of the contemporary Middle Eastern movement led to pop up kitchens at restaurants in Brooklyn and South Beach
• How walking past by CHLOE led to connecting with Esquared Hospitality and led to the opening of DEZ (her Middle Eastern fast-casual restaurant in lower Manhattan, with Samantha Wasser)
• Eden’s partnership with Samantha and how their complementary skills have helped DEZ avoid so many of the pitfalls that many new NYC restaurants struggle with
• The importance of being a reliable neighborhood restaurant, as well as being a healthy and comfortable extension of your customers’ kitchen
• Eden’s cookbook, and how that has shaped her workflow while finding time to dedicate to DEZ and shooting Top Chef Canada
• Why Eden focuses on aesthetics and how food is presented, especially as a fast casual restaurant where presentation is usually not a priority
• How Eden started #showmeyobelly after putting pizza on her pregnant belly, and the speed with which the hashtag blew up on social media
• What’s in store for DEZ and the future of the Fireside Chat Series, where influential female entrepreneurs come in to speak with all proceeds going to a charity of the speaker’s choice
• Eden’s plans to involve her family more in her book, and why she’s hoping to convince her husband to spend more time in front of the camera
• Plus, a 60 Second Brainstorm on how to keep on schedule, prioritize what’s important and worth your time and effort, and the importance of saying no