She Built That | Get Inspired! | Weekly interviews with female founders building their empires on their own terms!

"Launch and learn and move it in the diretion you want to go!" Tori Holmes on She Built That

Last week was part one of my two-part interview with Founder of Nectar Juicery Tori Holmes where she talked about her move to Bangladesh at 18, selling paintings door to door in Australia and rowing across the Atlantic ocean at 21. As someone that is clearly no stranger to risk, it was just a matter of time before Tori took the helm of her career and launched her own business.

In today's interview you'll learn: - Why she believes juice is the gateway drug to healthy living - Why she encourages people to think about their health like a piggy bank - Her personal morning ritual that helps with hormone balance, stress reduction and great orgasms - And why she considers herself a "Challenge Hunter"

To hear from more rad women running and building cool companies, head on over to shebuiltthat.com

"I believe everyone get's the opportunities you ask for, butthey might not always show up in the way you expect " Tori Holmeson She Built That

Tori Holmes is one of those people you meet and secretsinstantly wish you could be part of her inner circle.  At31,she exudes ultra coolness - a combination of wisdom from havingexperienced and accomplished feats many people would thingunfathomable and a calmness and certainty about the things she hasdone and more importantly, where she is going.

Having owned the title of being the youngest female to rowacross the Atlantic Ocean for the past 10 years, Tori hasexperienced first hand the power of the mind. As she states in thisinterview, "Ninety percent mental is anything you do!". This poweris what also enabled her to overcome an early breast cancerdiagnosis as well as start and scale her own juice company,Nectar Juicery.

In today's interview you'll learn:

• Why she moved to Bangladesh after High School instead of goingto University
• Her numerous entrepreneurial endeavours at 19
• How she rowed across the Atlantic Ocean having never rowedbefore in her in life
• Why she is finally telling her story, after years of feelinglike she didn't have a voice

To hear from more rad women founding and building coolcompanies, head on over to shebuiltthat.com

When women are passionate about something, we can make an empire! - Jennifer Halinda on She Built That

Today I sit down with Jennifer Halinda, Executive Director of the Vancouver chapter of international non-profit Dress For Success.  While Jennifer loved volunteering at Dress For Success and had been doing it for numerous years, she never actually thought she could get paid to run the organization. However, through a series of bittersweet events and what Jennifer calls one of the hardest years of her life, that is exactly what happened.

Download the episode to learn:

• How feedback from a life coach helped Jennifer land her dream job
• Why she thinks men and women think differently when it comes to pursuing their passions
• Why she believes it is never too late to change your path
• Her secret to great skin in your 40’s
• Tips on how to negotiate your salary

To hear from more rad women building businesses and crushing it, head on over to www.shebuiltthat.com

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Traci Costa is not your ‘average’ CEO. As the Director of Play and founder of Peekaboo Beans, Traci has built a successful business and lifestyle brand for children that focuses on creating clothing for a playful life. 

After struggling for years with infertility, Traci finally gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Blessed with the opportunity to be a mom, she became acutely aware of how inconducive her daughters clothing was to empowering her with the confidence to dress herself and enjoy a lifestyle of play. Determined to change this, Traci set out to find an apparel product for children that empowered them with healthy growth and development, and when she was unable to find what she was looking for, she decided to create it herself.

Ten years later, Peekaboo Beans has grown into a national success with almost a 1000 stylists across the country, over 2 million in commission and a focus on going international. Listen to my interview with Traci to learn more about her entrepreneurial journey and her mission to empower children and create a ‘Play Revolution’

Download the episode to learn:

• What it took for her to start an apparel company with no prior design, production and/or retail experience
• What steps she took to build her confidence to believe in her ability to run and grow Peekaboo Beans
• Why she decided to move her business model from a retail sales model to a direct sales model
• The two pieces of advice she has for all entrepreneurs

To hear from more rad women building businesses and crushing it, head on over to www.shebuiltthat.com

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"As soon as you have the idea and you know you are going to do it, START!" Jia Wertz on She Built That.

Today on the podcast I sit down with Founder and CEO of Studio 15, Jia Wertz. Having been exposed to the creativity of sewing and design as a child, Jia knew from an early age fashion was her calling. At 18, she was exposed to the business side of the industry, and knew that one day she too wanted to own her own fashion store. In 2013, Jia made that dream a reality with the launch of Studio 15, and while she acknowledges that this journey has its fair share of ups and downs, she does her best to celebrate the small wins and is grateful every day for the creative freedom, the phenomenal team she has cultivated and the ability to build a fashion business that is socially sound.

In today's interview, Jia shares the three things that finally made her realize it was time for her to take the entrepreneurial leap, the two reasons she encourages everyone with a business idea to start their business today (and not wait like she did), her partnership with Kleos Microfinance Group, an organization that helps women from Uganda get microloans to start their own businesses, and her initiative to help free Adnan Syed, the main character in the award-winning podcast Serial.

"To build something great the will last forever, you really have to believe in what you are saying and doing!" Lauren Foundos on She Built That.

I have had the opportunity to meet several amazing people in my life, however very few maintain the drive, focus and discipline of two-time all-American athlete, investment banker and founder and CEO of FORTË, Lauren Foundos. At 31, she has accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime. As the founder of FORTË, a company that is revolutionizing the boutique fitness industry by streaming live and on demand fitness classes, think Netflix for boutique fitness classes, you will not only be able to have the option to work out at any boutique fitness gym via your smartphone, your wearables will track your endurance, letting you know where you rank in comparison to the rest of the people in the class, perfect for competitive individuals like me:) and not surprisingly, Lauren.

While FORTË is still in beta and is less than a year old, Lauren has already attracted the attention of international fitness brands, interested in partnering with her to bring FORTË's fitness solution to the masses. Let's just say it's evident from talking to Lauren that when she sets her mind to something, she makes it happen.

In today's interview Lauren shares how working out daily has been instrumental in helping her focus and keeping her grounded, how taking her banking clients to workouts with her instead of out drinking started the catalyst for the FORTË concept, how building this company has been a lot more work than she anticipated and why she believes FORTË will change the way we engage in physical activity by making people excited to workout – ultimately making them stronger, happier and healthier.

To hear from more rad women building and founding cool companies, head on over to www.shebuiltthat.com

"You cannot put your destiny in someone else’s hands. People will work on something when it fulfils them." Mita Carriman on She Built That.

Today on the show, I sit down with attorney, entrepreneur and CEO and co-founder of the solo adventure travel app, Adventurely, Mita Carriman. Like many start-ups, Mita founded Adventurely out of necessity however, this evolution is a little more unique than most. Mita actually came up with the concept of Adventurely as a result of a break-up which I will let her explain in more detail on the show. Seriously, I wish my break-ups were as worthwhile as this. Usually, all I leave breakups with is a broken heart, uncertainty about my direction in life and a healthy extra 15 lbs. Just Joking!

In today’s interview, Mita shares how she overcame the devastation of losing her first co-founder and how being truly honest about what she needed in that role by writing it down helped her to attract her second and current co-founder,  how the solo travel industry is growing at an exponential rate and its fastest adopters are woman, how this entrepreneurial endeavour has taught her a lot about patience and why she advises all entrepreneurs to do their research before launching their business.

To hear from more amazing women building and founding cool companies, head on over to SheBuiltThat.com

"She who controls the money has a lot of power!" Beth Polish on She Built That.

Today on the show I sit down with Serial Entrepreneur, Visionary, Leader, Producer and Harvard Business school alum Beth Polish.

Born and raised in New York, Beth is a serial entrepreneur who started her first tech company with her brother at the age of 20. From there, Beth went onto hold COO and CFO positions at media companies such as Rabbit Ears Productions, iVillage, Inc., and investment banking firm Goldman Sachs Ventures before launching her own company The Critical Junctures Group in 2001, which eventually led to a role as SVP at Hearst Corporate Innovation in 2008.

Throughout her career, Beth acknowledges she feels very lucky to have had some valuable mentors along the way, and as a result is passionate about helping women understand money and business models, because, as she states in our interview, if you have big dreams, you have to be conversant in money.

In today’s episode, Beth shares why a solid understanding of money is critical to being in control of your business, the three financial statements that all entrepreneurs need to understand to build a successful business, why she encourages all women to dream really BIG, and why sometimes, the best the thing to do when you need help is to reach out and help others.

For more interviews with rad women building incredible businesses, head on over to shebuiltthat.com

"If your dreams aren’t big enough to scare you, they aren’t big enough" Emily Chambers on She Built That.

With music readily accessible for free these days, artists and musicians are having to get more and more creative about how they make MONEY doing what they love (myself included).

Today’s guest is artist and musician Emily Chambers. If you know anything about being an artist and building a brand, the hustle is very similar to that of building a business.

I have known Emily for a couple years and had the opportunity to sit down with her last summer while she shared with me her vision for where she wanted to be in 2016.  Three months into 2016, and I am excited to share that Emily’s plans of quitting her day job at an insurance company, buying a van and committing to music full-time have actually happened and I couldn’t be prouder of her.  So I invited her on the show, to learn more about her musical journey, a journey that started at the tender age of 3, and her plans for making money doing what she loves and sharing her gift with the world.

In today’s interview, Emily shares how busking in the south of France at 18 was the pivotal moment that taught her she could actually make money singing, how by committing to music full-time this year has gained more opportunities this year than in previous 5 years combined, why she urges other aspiring artists to set goals, plan (and save) to pursue their passion full-time and how she is using her gift to give back to a cause that is very dear to her heart.

Listen now to my interview with the super talented, Emily Chambers and make sure you head over to shebuiltthat.com to hear from more women building incredible businesses on their own terms.

"My dad always taught my to treat the janitor and the CEO exactly the same" Jennifer Li on She Built That.

Today I am very excited to be sitting down with an incredible young woman, the CEO and Co-founder of Musefind, Jennifer Li.

Jennifer is a serial entrepreneur and a woman I would not want to mess with, both in the boardroom or in a push-up competition for that matter (she used to do 100 sit-ups and push-ups each day plus a run).  The only child of two immigrant parents, Jennifer watched as her parents immigrated from China with nothing, and were able to build two very successful careers for themselves with nothing but determination and hard work.  After enrolling in the army at 17, she started several businesses over the course of her 28 years and is very familiar with the benefits of discipline, self-confidence and the importance of having trustworthy reliable partners when it comes to launching a business (and going into combat).

In today’s interview, Jennifer shares how her tenure in the army helped considerably with her self-confidence, why she encourages entrepreneurs to sell their product before they build it, why she really looks up to female pirates and how entrepreneurs should approach fundraising with the same principles as dating. This woman is incredibly fascinating, wise beyond her years and a delight to chat with and I sincerely hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Listen now to hear my convo with Jennifer and if you want to hear more conversations with rad women building incredible businesses, head on over to shebuiltthat.com