Meet Leslie Pierson, the Seattle-based serial entrepreneur behind the hit family card game Taco vs Burrito and the innovative magnetic hanger GoodHangups (featured on Shark Tank). Leslie shares her fascinating journey—from teaching English abroad and working at Intel to creating award-winning startups.
Leslie’s entrepreneurial adventures began with GoodHangups, an invention inspired by her son's artwork. It not only won NBC’s Today Show “Next Big Thing” contest but also secured Leslie a deal with Lori Greiner on Shark Tank. 🎉 Her next venture, Taco vs Burrito, started from a brilliant idea by her 7-year-old son, Alex, transforming into a best-selling game on Amazon.
In this episode, Leslie reveals how she bootstrapped her ventures through scrappy innovation and successful Kickstarter campaigns. She provides an intimate glimpse into the unique experience of parenting a young co-founder, navigating roles both as mom and business partner. 🤯 Leslie emphasizes creative problem-solving and offers insights into the distinction between building products and scaling businesses, driven by her personal “inner scorecard.”
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: Meet Leslie Pierson
01:15 – Teaching Abroad & Early Tech Career
07:30 – First Startup Attempts & Lessons Learned
14:00 – Inventing GoodHangups to Solve a Problem
20:45 – Shark Tank Journey & Deal with Lori Greiner
28:20 – Taco vs Burrito: A Game Invented by a 7-Year-Old
35:50 – Bootstrapping a Family Business & Kickstarter Success
43:15 – Parenting a Young Co-Founder
50:00 – Launching "Bold Made" via Kickstarter ($177k Success!)
58:00 – Building vs. Scaling & Closing Thoughts
Links & Resources:
Leslie Pierson’s LinkedIn: [Link to Leslie’s LinkedIn]
Taco vs Burrito Official Website: [Link to Taco vs Burrito]
Listen to The Inner Scorecard on Spotify: [Link to Spotify]
Host’s X (Twitter): [Link to Host’s X]
Host’s Instagram: [Link to Host’s Instagram]
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