Margo Jordan, founder and CEO of venture backed ed-tech platform Enrichly, shares her inspiring journey from finance to entrepreneurship, driven by her mission to improve self-esteem in children and adolescents. Margo discusses the transition from a brick-and-mortar self-esteem learning center to a thriving digital platform, offering insights on diversifying your customer base, following your intuition, and learning from failure. As a solo founder, she emphasizes the importance of setting healthy boundaries, prioritizing self-care, and building a support network to navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship. Tune in for lessons and heartfelt reflections on balancing purpose, growth, and well-being in business.

Check out Enrichly

Connect with Margo and join Real Founders weekly support (free!) HERE

Chapters:

-Introduction and Background

-Transition to Entrepreneurship

-Franchising and Pivoting to a Digital Platform

-Impact and Future Plans

-Importance of Self-Esteem Development

-Business Challenges and Lessons Learned

-Maintaining Relationships and Self-Care

-Navigating the Roller Coaster Ride of Entrepreneurship

-Final Thoughts and Contact Information

Chapters

-Linda Acevedo's Background and Inception of Futura Egg Donation

-Creating Connections and Breaking the Stigma

-The Importance of Emotional Support in the Infertility Journey

-Logistics and Remote Work in the Egg Donor Agency

-Growing the Customer Base through Word-of-Mouth Referrals

-Scaling the Business by Teaching, Implementing Values and Delegating

-Greatest Wins: Birth of Babies and Building Connections with Donors

-The Power of Support: Opening Up and Connecting with Other Women

Demetra Mallios, the CEO and founder of Puberry, shares her journey of creating an interactive and gamified EdTech puberty platform. Inspired by the lack of comprehensive health education and the stigma surrounding puberty, Demetra aims to provide a holistic solution for youth, parents, and teachers by offering medically verified health education. She discusses the challenges of getting an early team, overcoming stigma, raising funding and navigating the hard journey of starting something from nothing.

In this SAYge Real Founder epidsode, we dive deep into the inspiring journey of Joy Hoover, a powerhouse entrepreneur who has transformed her personal experiences into a mission to revolutionize the personal safety industry. Joy's journey began with witnessing firsthand the widespread issue of abuse and assault against women through her work with sex trafficking victims as well as a violent tragedy very close to home. Determined to make a difference, she channeled her pain into creating innovative solutions that empower and protect against sexual violence. Joy shares how her life's trials have shaped her path to becoming a leading advocate for change.

Joy's story is one of unwavering commitment to helping underserved and marginalized groups. With a background in hair, makeup, and fashion, she used her skills to connect with people, listen to their stories, and offer support. It was through these stories that she was able to truly understand the intricacies of their needs and then find support from community allies. This journey led her on her path to creating ESOES Cosmetics, a groundbreaking company that integrates safety features including roofie test strips and a panic alert system into everyday beauty products! Joy's relentless pursuit of solutions to combat violence and her innovative approach to personal safety have garnered widespread recognition. Join us as we explore Joy's remarkable founder journey, the impact of her work, and her vision for a safer world for everyone.

Check out ESOES products ⁠at esoescosmetics.com

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Melissa Bowley, CEO and founder of Flourish Care, shares her journey of setting out to revolutionize maternal healthcare. Inspired by her own experience as a mother, Melissa recognized the gaps in the healthcare system and the lack of support for mothers. She discovered the benefits of doula care and the impact it can have on outcomes. Melissa started Momunity, a platform that connected mothers with various support services, but eventually focused solely on doula care. She worked towards getting doula care reimbursed by insurance companies and Medicaid, and now Flourish Care offers doula care services and is expanding to support mental health and social needs.

In this episode of SAYge Real Founder Stories, Shruti Shah shares her journey from being a founder of MoveLoot to becoming a partner at Symphonic Capital. She discusses the challenges and wins she faced as a female entrepreneur, including the experience of Y Combinator, the impact it had on her business early on, and the lessons learned from navigating growth and venture capital fundraising. Shruti emphasizes some important lessons learned that she now imparts on founders that she supports through her Venture Fund Symphonic Capital. Importantly, trusting one's gut and the vital need for self-reflection in leadership. She also highlights that all company building is an experiment and that perfection should never hinder progress.

Introduction and Mission of SAYge Real Founder Stories

02:45

Shruti's Background and Transition to Venture Capital

08:30

Raising Funding and Achieving Growth

20:02

Successes and Lessons Learned

23:31

The End of MoveLoot and Reflections

42:21

Advice for Female Founders

In this deeply moving episode, we explore the life of Stacy Allwein, a real estate leader from Frederick, Maryland, who has faced unimaginable tragedies with extraordinary resilience.

In this episode of SAYge Real Stories, we dive deep into the inspiring journey of Joy Hoover, a powerhouse entrepreneur who has transformed her personal experiences into a mission to revolutionize the personal safety industry. Joy's journey began with witnessing firsthand the widespread issue of abuse and assault against women through her work with sex trafficking victims as well as a violent tragedy very close to home. Determined to make a difference, she channeled her pain into creating innovative solutions that empower and protect against sexual violence. Joy shares how her life's trials have shaped her path to becoming a leading advocate for change.Joy's story is one of unwavering commitment to helping underserved and marginalized groups. With a background in hair, makeup, and fashion, she used her skills to connect with people, listen to their stories, and offer support. It was through these stories that she was able to truly understand the intricacies of their needs and then find support from community allies. This journey led her on her path to creating ESOES Cosmetics, a groundbreaking company that integrates safety features including roofie test strips and a panic alert system into everyday beauty products! Joy's relentless pursuit of solutions to combat violence and her innovative approach to personal safety have garnered widespread recognition. Join us as we explore Joy's remarkable founder journey, the impact of her work, and her vision for a safer world for everyone.CONNECT with Joy and other women who have been there at www.saygelink.com

Contribute to Joy's funding campaign and be a part in her important mission HERE Check out ESOES products HERE

Jessica Braff is a careered marketing and brand strategy consultant who faced the adversity of not having the children she always wanted. She is now channeling her own grief into a new purpose driven path, helping other women find peace and acceptance in a life without the children they always wanted.

Sometimes our biggest hurdle is the voice of self-doubt in our head. In this episode of SAYge Real Stories, Gina Fico, a lifelong resident of New Jersey and owner of Bayrock Digital Marketing, shares her journey of overcoming self-doubt and fear of failure. Gina opens up about her struggles with low self-esteem and the paralysis it caused in her life, leading to a poor state of mental health. Reflecting on a period where she felt like a stereotypical lazy adult, Gina describes her turning point when she decided to break free from that narrative. She recounts how the silver lining of the pandemic was that it allowed for a deep inner reflection which catalyzed her healing journey and ultimately led her to start her own digital marketing business. Gina's story emphasizes the importance of pursuing passions and the impact of seeking fulfillment through meaningful work. This episode highlights the common threads of self-doubt and fear of failure many women face and the significance of support  through sharing our experiences.

Connect for a chat with Gina through this link: