Today my guest is Jess Ekstrom. Jess is the founder and CEO of “Headbands of Hope,” which is a company she started as a junior at North Carolina State University. For every headband Jess sells... a headband is given to a child with cancer. Today, “Headbands of Hope” is in over 2,000 stores across the United States and Canada. Plus, Jess has been featured on the TODAY Show and Good Morning America, as well as in Forbes, Seventeen, Vanity Fair, and People Magazine. Listen To The Podcast:   RESOURCES: www.chasingthebrightside.com Jess on Instagram Jess on Facebook Jess on Twitter MORE ABOUT JESS: Jess will be quick to say her biggest accomplishment has been donating hundreds of thousands of headbands reaching every children's hospital in the United States and across 15 countries. Jess has a new book coming out early next month called, “Chasing the Bright Side”  and we talk about that. You’re going to want to grab a copy for yourself… and grab a few for your friends too. Oh… and I have to mention two more things that’ll make you love Jess even more: ONE… She launched her entrepreneurial endeavors at 12… when she auctioned off all of her toys on eBay. And… TWO... Jess currently lives in an Airstream with her husband Jake… and their dog Ollie. Let us know what stood out to you from the interview by leaving a comment below! I can’t wait to hear from YOU! Quick Episode Summary: 0:02 What to expect today 1:31 Welcome, Jess! 4:38 The beginning of Jess's entrepreneurial journey 9:00 The power of giving back 10:45 How Jess got branded with no budget 13:35 The biggest struggle Jess had to overcome 18:48 What most entrepreneurs have in common 20:59 Why Jess wrote her book 22:43 Jess's favorite chapter in her book 25:10 The thing that doesn't come naturally to Jess 29:00 How to connect with Jess 29:42 Wisdom of the week 31:04 Mitch's biggest takeaways Listen to Mitch Mattews Top Podcast here