She Did It Her Way

Are you seeing a void in the market place that is opposite of yours? Do you feel you have the knowledge, passion, and drive to fix it yourself?

Mia Saini-Duchnowski, and Laura Cox, Co-founders of Oars + Alps, did extensive market research, and based off what they found,  most women are the gatekeepers to men's skin care products. According to the data Mia and Laura collected, this can start as early as puberty for most men, when their mother's buy them their first skin products; and follows them to adulthood with their spouses or significant others.

Mia and Laura can personally attest to this latter notion, because the urge to start Oars + Alps began when their husbands would use their skin care products. (Yup! We've been in the same boat ;) They then found themselves replenishing their own products faster, and women's skin care products can cost around 5x more than men's, said Mia. But also because men's and women's skin are different and their products serve different purposes.

Are you seeing a void in the market place that is opposite of yours? Do you feel you have the knowledge, passion, and drive to fix it yourself? Mia Saini-Duchnowski, and Laura Cox, Co-founders of Oars + Alps, did extensive market research, and based off what they found,  most women are the gatekeepers to men's skin care products. According to the data Mia and Laura collected, this can start as early as puberty for most men, when their mother's buy them their first skin products; and follows them to adulthood with their spouses or significant others. Mia and Laura can personally attest to this latter notion, because the urge to start Oars + Alps began when their husbands would use their skin care products. (Yup! We've been in the same boat ;) They then found themselves replenishing their own products faster, and women's skin care products can cost around 5x more than men's, said Mia. But also because men's and women's skin are different and their products serve different purposes. So the two created a product for the active man that craves simplicity, authenticity, quality,  and ease in their products. Named after their husband's love for rowing and snowboarding, they wanted their brand to represent that ath-leisure lifestyle, that allows their product and message to travel with their target consumer. The brand includes three products that all have natural ingredients, are TSA friendly, and are available for subscription service. This allows customers to choose the frequency of their deliveries, and not have to think about re-ordering. Come join us as we hear Mia tell us more about the extensive branding and story behind Oars + Alps! In this episode you will... Know how to make your product follow your customer's lifestyle Learn to gain the courage to jump into a career path that you feel you can enhance Understand how to create an e-commerce brand that appeals to consumer senses Figure out how to develop focus groups for your product Understand your consumer's psychographics Know how to do your research and understand your place in your market as a entrepreneur INSIGHTS "These guys are going places and their doing amazing things...take us with you on your journey. We'll focus on the skin part of it but we're coming with you." -Mia Saini-Duchnowski "We didn't just want to create a skin care line. We...[wanted] to create a community, a sense of feeling and being...that it was a movement." -Mia Saini-Duchnowski "The guy that wants to use Oars + Alps is doing it because he craves that authenticity from a brand...the brand is bigger than that person." -Mia Saini-Duchnowski "You're convincing a lot of big people...to take a bet on you. You're going to be their smallest and lowest priority. And you need to convince them that you're their number one priority...on the same minute of the same day for things to go right." -Mia Saini-Duchnowskia "No one is going to help you get from point A to point B; you gotta do it yourself." -Mia Saini-Duchnowski RESOURCES Oars + Alps Website Oars + Alps Facebook Oars + Alps Instagram Oars + Alps Twitter Mia Saini Twitter Mia Saini LinkedIn Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand Getting Unstuck by Dr. Joy Browne

Are you able to see potential in others to be entrepreneurs? Do you want to help them grow into the leaders you know they can be?

The ability to see potential and desire to help is what sparked one of the businesses of today's guest, Dr. Gabrielle Pelicci, who is a Wellness Business Coach for Women in Wellness Career Training, and a leading expert as a Holistic Health Professor. Growing up with her father, who was a physician and constantly treated with antibiotics and other Western medicines, she realized she simply didn't feel good as a whole in her college years. Her diet was poor, as well as her physical health and her mindset as she coped with stress and anxiety.

So she began delving deeply into the holistic health scene and fell in love. She even wanted to create a career out of it and help others discover the wonders of the field; gained a Ph.D. in holistic health practices. She then began teaching Mind-Body Medicine and Holistic Health at universities across the country for about 10 years.

As a professor, she noticed a lot of her graduating students, who showed immense drive and leadership potential, were having trouble becoming entrepreneurs. She decided she wanted to help them too. She also wanted to help the students who may not exactly know what business they wanted to start in holistic health, but had an immense passion for the craft. She created a coaching business, Women in Wellness Club, for these budding healers and allowed them to have a community of likeminded individuals and resources to start their careers, but also continued to help people who wanted a healthier lifestyle change.

Are you able to see potential in others to be entrepreneurs? Do you want to help them grow into the leaders you know they can be? The ability to see potential and desire to help is what sparked one of the businesses of today's guest, Dr. Gabrielle Pelicci, who is a Wellness Business Coach for Women in Wellness Career Training, and a leading expert as a Holistic Health Professor. Growing up with her father, who was a physician and constantly treated with antibiotics and other Western medicines, she realized she simply didn't feel good as a whole in her college years. Her diet was poor, as well as her physical health and her mindset as she coped with stress and anxiety. So she began delving deeply into the holistic health scene and fell in love. She even wanted to create a career out of it and help others discover the wonders of the field; gained a Ph.D. in holistic health practices. She then began teaching Mind-Body Medicine and Holistic Health at universities across the country for about 10 years. As a professor, she noticed a lot of her graduating students, who showed immense drive and leadership potential, were having trouble becoming entrepreneurs. She decided she wanted to help them too. She also wanted to help the students who may not exactly know what business they wanted to start in holistic health, but had an immense passion for the craft. She created a coaching business, Women in Wellness Club, for these budding healers and allowed them to have a community of likeminded individuals and resources to start their careers, but also continued to help people who wanted a healthier lifestyle change. Join us as we hear Dr. Gabby share her tips and her journey in healing at the source! In this episode you will... Know how to create a business based off of need Learn how to inspire lifestyle change with your business Discover how to develop your craft Understand whether you like your business idea or LOVE IT and want to build a long-term career out of it Know how to not follow a trend with your business idea and create it because you see a need for it Find out how to engage your customer base and create relationships INSIGHTS "I wanted to create a place, and a conversation, and a community where they could easily find what they need and connect with likeminded people who can help them accomplish their goals." - Gabrielle Pelicci "Even as an entrepreneur, you're going to face a lot of overwhelm, isolation, different types of lifestyle challenges as you're building.So if you're grounded in these holistic modalities, those things are going to help you be more successful in your business and you're career." - Gabrielle Pelicci "If you're going to make a living doing this you have to develop some kind of strength in your craft if you really want to do this long-term as a business" - Gabrielle Pelicci "I'm very driven by serving others. That's really what excites me and makes me want to create things that makes life a little bit easier for other people." -Gabrielle Pelicci RESOURCES Women in Wellness Club Dr. Gabby LinkedIn Dr. Gabby's Facebook Dr. Gabby's Instagram Dr. Gabby's Twitter Blissful Business by Dr. Gabby Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford Body and Soul by Anita Roddick Shark Tales by Barbara Corcoran Dr. Gabby's 5 Must Read Books by Female Entrepreneurs

What if you had to create your market? If your product would only sell if you spread awareness to a neglected topic?

For Jordana Kier and Alexandra Friedman, founders of LOLA, the hardest part was making their product a segway to a lifestyle change. LOLA is a 100% organic cotton feminine product brand, and started when Jordana and Alex were struck with the question, 'What's in our tampon?'. Upon further research, they found that big tampon brands didn't have to answer that question because the FDA didn't require it.  This notion angered them, because they felt women had the right to know the contents of what they were putting into a fundamental part of their anatomy on frequent basis. Upon intense market research, they found that other women felt the same.

They also found that, like them, the question never crossed their mind about what their tampons and most feminine products were made of.  Alex and Jordana then knew that by raising the question, they had sparked concern about a broader topic, and wanted to be the ones to fulfill that void.  So they started with selling organic cotton tampons and have since spread to panty liners, pads, and non-applicator tampons. Also, LOLA has customizable packaging that allows you to choose how many of each tampon you need (11 regulars, 9 supers, etc.) and they have a subscription service that has them delivered to you!

What if you had to create your market? If your product would only sell if you spread awareness to a neglected topic? For Jordana Kier and Alexandra Friedman, founders of LOLA, the hardest part was making their product a segway to a lifestyle change. LOLA is a 100% organic cotton feminine product brand, and started when Jordana and Alex were struck with the question, 'What's in our tampon?'. Upon further research, they found that big tampon brands didn't have to answer that question because the FDA didn't require it.  This notion angered them, because they felt women had the right to know the contents of what they were putting into a fundamental part of their anatomy on frequent basis. Upon intense market research, they found that other women felt the same. They also found that, like them, the question never crossed their mind about what their tampons and most feminine products were made of.  Alex and Jordana then knew that by raising the question, they had sparked concern about a broader topic, and wanted to be the ones to fulfill that void.  So they started with selling organic cotton tampons and have since spread to panty liners, pads, and non-applicator tampons. Also, LOLA has customizable packaging that allows you to choose how many of each tampon you need (11 regulars, 9 supers, etc.) and they have a subscription service that has them delivered to you! Speaking of which, She Did It Her Way listeners receive 60% OFF their 1st order by using HERWAY at checkout! I've already claimed mine and I am obsessed with their product! Head on over to LOLA! Tune into hear more about how Jordana and Alex revolutionize the feminine health industry! In this episode you will... Know how to build a business out of your curiosity Learn to create a product and market based off of a neglected topic Figure out how to turn a product into a lifestyle Understand how to represent your brand as an individual Know how to grow your business by using an efficient business strategy Learn how to find people who will give you honest feedback and how to grow off of it INSIGHTS "We don't want pink boxes with flowers on them, and ads with women dressed in all white during their period. We want a modern sophisticated brand that speak to us...and a box that looks beautiful in our bathroom." -Alex Friedman "Not only were women validating the idea it was clear that this was an emotional topic...both humor and feeling appalled that you had no idea what was in this product before...we realized that is what we wanted to build this business on." - Jordana Kier "Really getting out there and speaking on behalf of the brand and articulating our vision, and what we're building is really important both internally for team building, [and] also to make sure that we attract the partners and the opportunities that we need to be successful." - Alex Friedman "A problem is never really solved...there's always an opportunity to dig deeper...you're never really done solving for something." -Jordana Kier RESOURCES LOLA Website LOLA Facebook LOLA Instagram LOLA Twitter One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr The Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

How well do you know your clientele? Do you know their needs or wants? How can your product or service improve their lives?

Rebecca Sholiton, founder of Eat Pakd in Chicago, found out from one of her friends that her business idea could help their kids not have M&Ms for breakfast. Eat Pakd operates with the goal of helping the modern family provide healthy meals for their kids. The lunches are completely prepped, and are either customizable or customers can chose from an assortment of packages. Through meticulous and extensive market research, Eat Pakd has taken off tremendously since it's opening in August of 2016 and has continued to grow by the week and has already expanded to most neighboring states.

Take a minute to listen to how Rebecca continues to sustain that growth through trial and error in this week's episode!

How well do you know your clientele? Do you know their needs or wants? How can your product or service improve their lives? Rebecca Sholiton, founder of Eat Pakd in Chicago, found out from one of her friends that her business idea could help their kids not have M&Ms for breakfast. Eat Pakd operates with the goal of helping the modern family provide healthy meals for their kids. The lunches are completely prepped, and are either customizable or customers can chose from an assortment of packages. Through meticulous and extensive market research, Eat Pakd has taken off tremendously since it's opening in August of 2016 and has continued to grow by the week and has already expanded to most neighboring states. Take a minute to listen to how Rebecca continues to sustain that growth through trial and error in this week's episode! In this episode you will... Know when to take the path less traveled to become the professional that you want to be Understand the importance of market research before you launch your business in order to hit the ground running and continuing that research in order to continue to grow Find what products and technology work best for your business and what you should try to produce yourself in order to achieve maximum functionality Learn the best way to gain investors and funding Figure out how to develop your product-market fit and what is the most marketable channel Know how to continually progress your according to a schedule INSIGHTS "There was normal self doubt...but I learned at a really young age to follow my gut....I looked at my friends going to business school and it looked like a lot of fun, but I didn't see the purpose of why I was going...who's the person on the other side that I want to be." -Rebecca Sholiton "We really need to prove we have product market fit. This entire round is dedicated to improving our product; what is the product we want to scale. And figuring out from a customer acquisition stand point, what are the scalable channels" -Rebecca Sholiton "You have to have good people around so you that you trust them, so that everyone is empowered and everyone is creating their own future with your company, which I think is something super special to watch happen." -Rebecca Sholiton "Things are going to go wrong...all you can do in those moments is own up to it, accept the responsibility... [and] try to have some personality while you're doing it." -Rebecca Sholiton "It takes one person to give you your first 'yes'. And it can feel like a beating to get there, but once you get your first 'yes' the other no's don't even feel that bad because you know you have somebody behind you." -Rebecca Sholiton RESOURCES Rebecca Sholiton LinkedIn Rebecca Sholiton Twitter Eat Pakd Facebook Eat Pakd Instagram Eat Pakd Twitter Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Program Techstars The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

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