SheVentures

Most people move once or twice in their life, but the move is seldom across continents. Following her now husband, Carice Anderson undertook a journey that led to much more than just a new location. Her book, Intelligence Isn't Enough: A Black Professional's Guide to Thriving in the Workplace, outlines how to overcome such big changes, remain authentic, and much more.

As a Black woman and the first member of her family to enter the corporate world, Anderson isn't a stranger to facing challenges in the workplace. Though many businesses are slow to make progress, you don't need to be. As Anderson points out: Change starts with the individual.

Discover how Anderson turned these obstacles into lessons for women of color, on this episode of SheVentures.

Timestamps:

2:00 Anderson's move from the United States to South Africa 5:30 Culture differences between the U.S. and South Africa 8:18 Challenges Anderson experienced as a first-generation corporate worker 9:47 The framework of Anderson's book 12:56 Anderson explains how to develop your personal brand. 17:07 Authenticity in the workplace 22:12 Anderson grades corporate America's relationship with Black professionals. 26:27 Transforming yourself 28:06 Anderson discusses the difference between working in your business and working on your business. 32:25 Key takeaways for women of color in corporate America

Swank A Posh CEO Ebony Swank pivoted from being a high school dropout and teen mom to building a $40M+ year fashion empire that sells body-positive clothes for women in a little over a decade. Swank bootstrapped her company with $12,000, and the first iteration of her online business failed. She attributes her success to grit, determination, hard work, being data-driven, and trial and error.

The next time you think you can't accomplish something or there are too many cards stacked against you, listen to this episode of SheVentures for inspiration, as we take a deep dive into Swank's life, her wins, and her trade-offs.

Highlights:

• Swank reflects on her childhood and the sacrifices her own mother made to provide for her family.
• Swank describes her sudden pivot to becoming a teen mother.
• Swank's first job was an entry-level position in accounting and she worked her way up.
• Trial and error: Swank's first retail business failed, as did a hair salon. Swank reflects on how this taught her invaluable lessons on pricing and controlling overhead costs.
• Swank reveals how she became phenomenally successful at online marketing — and shares her secret sauce.
• Insight on how to be a good negotiator and get the best outcome.
• Taking the supply chain into her own hands.
• How many buyout offers has Swank received?
• Three key tips for women of color who want to stand out professionally.
• Paying it forward: Why Swank created a secondary business called Business Best Friends, a program to help entrepreneurs learn how to run their businesses.
• Financial literacy and leadership in action: Swank mentors young Black women from entry-level employees to become high-level executives at Swank A Posh.

Do you struggle to monetize your business, need guidance on setting boundaries, and find sales to feel, well, sleazy?

In this episode of SheVentures, Annie Ruggles, founder of the newly rebranded Quirk Works Consulting, speaks about coaching 200+ solopreneurs and small business owners who struggle with sales, much like Ruggles did in early entrepreneurship. You'll listen to her tips on relational sales, the value of investing in personal and professional relationships, and the importance of finding your community.

Highlights:

• How her musical theater background helps her read a room
• Why she understands the plight of creatives when it comes to selling
• The importance of rebranding a business Ruggles' mental pivot: "I am not only a sales coach but a marketer."
• How to build authentic relationships with clients, listen, collaborate, and understand their needs
• Why it's essential to contact clients for testimonials and referrals — and how to do it
• Book recommendations: Joy-Full AF: The Essential Business Strategy We're Afraid to Put First and Practical Ikigai
• Let's hear it until it sticks: Self-care is not selfish — and how Ruggles learned this firsthand.
• Key challenges female entrepreneurs face
• How to find your niche and why it matters
• Insights on the best social media platforms for business — it's not what you think!
• Ruggles take on ChatGPT and why it will never replace humans.
• Why do you need to delegate tasks that do not align with your strengths?
• Ruggles' professional wins and regrets, staying authentic, and overcoming sales avoidance

If you are struggling with your business, Ruggles recommends SellCoachSell.com, where you can find a copy of her noir sales novella.

Extra bonus if you find Ruggles on LinkedIn, drop her a line, and let her know you heard her on SheVentures!

A successful podcast entrepreneur, as well as the founder and CEO of Ginni Media — a podcast strategy and creation company that serves both big-ticket clients and fledgling entrepreneurs with quality audio strategy, monetization, community building, and production tips — Ginni Saraswati, is the audio authority. After all, Saraswati, who has hosted a few morning radio shows, has embraced audio since….what? Radio?!

Saraswati shares her journey from Sri Lanka to Australia to the U.S. and details her experiences in radio and podcasting. She also discusses the challenges she faced with racial intolerance and what it was like to come out as queer to her traditional family. Not for nothing, but Saraswati is keen on all creators staying true to their values — and preaches the power of authenticity in business.

With characteristic authenticity, she recalls the business idea that failed and how she learned invaluable lessons from her mistakes as an entrepreneur. Listen to Saraswati delve into gender imbalance in podcasting as she speaks about being a woman in a male-dominated industry — and stick around for her tips for women looking to pursue their business dreams, on this episode of SheVentures Podcast.

Highlights:

• Saraswati talks about radio and podcasting, her passions for more than a decade, producing award-winning content focused on pop culture, music, entertainment, and the LGBTQ+ community.
• What it was like to interview celebrities like Paula Abdul and be the host of two-morning radio shows in Melbourne, Australia
• As a Sri Lankan immigrant to Australia, Saraswati speaks about her cultural acclimation.
• Entrepreneurship involves personal and professional transformations, including overcoming fear, reckoning with imposter syndrome, and learning to delegate tasks.
• Saraswati recalls coming out — and how she found support in the LGBTQ+ community.
• Facing discrimination and stigma, Saraswati found solace in the community and used her platform to amplify voices.
• Saraswati discusses the gender imbalance in podcasting and content creation and attributes it partly to obstacles and judgment women face. Representation is crucial in podcasting, and Saraswati's journey shows how important it is to amplify diverse voices.
• A failed event business, Blink, taught Saraswati that having a greater purpose is essential for success.
• She started Ginni Media as a side hustle and won five clients before quitting her day job.
• Today, her client roster includes Cynthia Rowley, Allure, Siemens, and many entrepreneurs.
• Saraswati faced numerous challenges in her entrepreneurial journey, including losing all her money.
• Ginni Media grows through referral clients, prioritizing quality over quick growth.
• Reviewing how podcasts can be monetized — and how to decide what is right for you
• Saraswati encourages people to reach out to her on Instagram at @ginnimedia or @theginnishow

Marjorie Radlo-Zandi is an accomplished entrepreneur, board member, and angel investor who started her career in sales and marketing and continued as a business development executive for decades. One major professional accomplishment: She grew a life science diagnostic company with angel funds, expanded it to more than 100 countries, and sold it to a multi-billion-dollar publicly held firm. Do you think she may know a thing or two about how to scale a business?

Radlo-Zandi also reflects on timing and work-life balance. Learn which company she did not become employee number 3 at because she was becoming a mother, and knew she wasn't willing to spend 18-hour days at a promising startup and sacrifice her chance to show up for her daughter.

Radlo-Zandi is pragmatic about other work-life balance decisions she and her husband made, and she emphasizes the importance of finding equal opportunities for both spouses when making career moves. In her case, both she and her husband took turns putting their job first.

That said, Radlo-Zandi acknowledges she also has skills that are in high demand, so finding a job wasn't a struggle whether in Silicon Valley or the East Coast. She stresses the significance of soft skills such as emotional intelligence, listening, and understanding cultural nuances in building relationships and trust. Listen to Radlo-Zandi's candid discussion about how more women need to be in leadership roles. She underscores how angel investing and venture capital need to expand to a more diverse and inclusive community pool for investment opportunities. She talks business and is also refreshingly frank about the balancing act between her personal and professional lives on this episode of SheVentures.

Timestamps 1:53 Radlo-Zandi recalls how growing up in a family of entrepreneurs helped shape her. 6:12 A firsthand account of being a woman in Silicon Valley in the 1980s 8:17 The current state of venture capital funding for female tech entrepreneurs 9:47 Discussion on the lack of access to friends and family rounds for diverse entrepreneurs as well as the need for improved government programs 13:05 Tips for dual-career couples who want to raise children and are considering moves for career opportunities 17:50 Steps for entrepreneurs contemplating an exit 18:51 Radlo-Zandi discusses the importance of cultural match and transparency in mergers and acquisitions. 24:16 Building relationships and establishing trust in different cultures and why it matters 28:37 The importance of work-life balance and its positive impact on productivity and health for both employers and employees 29:00 What are Radlo-Zandi's three important lessons for female entrepreneurs? 31:24 Radlo-Zandi discusses the exciting innovations in diagnostics, immunotherapy, and gene therapy in the life sciences industry as well as what the future may hold.

If you've ever suffered from anxiety and depression so debilitating that you knew you had to slow down to focus on your mental, physical, and spiritual health — and uncover your career and life purpose — this SheVentures episode is for you. 🙏🏽

Jen Shultz' career journey started in the music and entertainment industries before she pivoted to education. She returned to school herself, earned her master's degree in education, and landed a job at an NYC charter school. But despite her love of teaching, she found herself becoming increasingly depressed and anxious, not to mention more than $100,000 in debt due to school loans. 😱

Shultz prioritized her health, quit her stable teaching job, and founded her first entrepreneurial venture: a tutoring business called Teacher on the Go, where she helped students as a private tutor. After the first one turned into several, she recognized that she was capable of creating a business that scaled. ✅

Like many entrepreneurs, Shultz also learned to keep perfectionism at bay so she could take action. After another bout of anxiety and depression, an epiphany led her to combine her passion for teaching and supporting others by becoming a career coach for women and launching The Non-Nine-to-Five, a business created to help women find their untapped or unrecognized potential. 🚀

Shultz faced those self-doubt gremlins as a new business owner. With the help of mentors and focusing on her personal growth, she was able to manage her anxiety and move her business forward while keeping her physical and mental health intact. ♥️

In our discussion, Shultz reveals her wins and her failures, taking risks, building relationships, and owning her potential. She also discusses the power of trusting one's intuition and making decisions from the heart. Get ready for some real talk on this episode of SheVentures.

Hey, if you need to speak to someone immediately about your mental health, or you are considering suicide, please click on the hyperlink to the ➡️ Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or dial 988.

Jen Shultz' offer for SheVentures listeners:

If you sense you are meant to create successful self-employment impacting the lives of others with your own unique skills and talents BUT you get caught up in self-doubt, second guessing yourself, or overwhelm - Jen invites you to apply for a private clarity call with her (her gift to you!). On your call, Jen will listen deeply about what isn't working, she will aim to have you feel seen and heard, and you will see if the work Jen does is a match for you. Click here to apply! Offer expires 5/31/23 at 11:59 PM EDT.

Timestamps

1:53 Shultz discusses her career path in the music industry after college. 4:33 A suggestion from Shultz's mother sparks an interest in teaching. 13:46 Working as a private tutor for a woman-owned business fascinates Shultz and builds her confidence as she starts to build clients one at a time.

16:03 Shultz's father encourages her to start her own tutoring business and figure out how to market it.

22:35 What statement propelled Shultz to start her current business, The Non-Nine-to-Five?

31:06 Shultz provides insight on finding the right mentor from a coach and client perspective — and gives information on how The Non-Nine-to-Five process works.

40:05 Though she may appear confident, Shultz experiences mental health hardships, too.

42:44 Three tips for those who are at the start of a career or life change

44:59 Shultz reflects on her personal and professional wins.

47:20 Typical clientele of The Non-Nine-to-Five and more information on the business

Franny Tacy, the owner of Franny's Farmacy, a cannabis franchise, shares her journey from pharmaceutical sales to cannabis farming. She discusses her struggles with student loans, disillusionment with the pharmaceutical industry, and love for farming. Tacy's story is one of perseverance and reinvention, and she encourages other women to follow their passions and take advantage of opportunities like the USDA loan for beginning farmers. Tacy acknowledges the challenges she's faced in the male-dominated cannabis industry, and how she still became one of the few female hemp farmers in North Carolina.

Listen to how Tacy's business began as a destination for community events, weddings, and goat yoga. She explains how she pivoted to hemp and cannabis farming, an unregulated industry (at the time). Tacy emphasizes the importance of building a strong brand and culture for her franchise. Learn how she measures her success with product safety, e-commerce, and her cannabis franchise model while remaining committed to diversity and mentorship on this smoking-hot episode of SheVentures!

Timestamps 2:03 Why Tacy started in big pharma and her pivot to farming. 8:11 Tacy discusses purchasing a farm and the difficulties she faced. 11:43 What is regenerative agriculture? 15:40 Tacy's transition from a corporate career to the cannabis industry. 16:16 Getting involved with efforts to legalize cannabis cultivation. 22:50 Tacy's entrepreneurial journey in the cannabis industry. 24:39 Tacy stays independent in a cutthroat industry. 28:15 Keeping the business small and authentic while building a brand. 33:41 Are there women in executive roles in the cannabis industry? 39:50 Is cannabis a moneymaker? 42:25 Tacy encounters legal obstacles in different states.

Have you ever wished your passion project or side hustle could become your full-time gig ⁉️

Jamila Trimuel did, and though it took years of planning, she eventually transformed her personal and professional life. Today Trimuel is the founder and CEO of Chicago-based Ladies of Virtue, a nonprofit that's worked with thousands of girls of color on confidence-building, leadership, job-readiness skills, and combating the marginalization young women of color often face.

Listen to Trimuel speak candidly about why mentorship matters, and what it took to pivot from a stable job in healthcare administration to embrace a complete career reinvention. She speaks authentically about her motivations, fears, and wins — and guides listeners through the journey of starting a nonprofit and slowly scaling to where it is today.

Trimuel's long-term plan is to expand the organization nationwide. Through Ladies of Virtue, Trimuel is instilling confidence and empowering young women of color to succeed in whatever they choose to do. On this episode of SheVentures, learn more about Ladies of Virtue volunteer and mentoring opportunities.

If you would like to donate, please go to ➡️ lovchicago.org. ⬅️

Timestamps

3:16 Trimuel recalls how she realized the importance of positive role models. 15:53 How did she deal with life's challenges? 17:07 Real talk about coping with miscarriage 20:56 How Trimuel started Ladies of Virtue 31:59 Get ready for master tips for networking and relationship building. 35:59 Utilizing corporate sponsorships for mentoring opportunities 43:27 Trimuel addresses harmful misconceptions about marginalized women of color. 48:57 Why it's essential to meet women where they are 49:44 How Trimuel helps build confidence in young women 51:14 Steps to mentor proactively from a woman who has done it for more than a decade 52:58 Small acts of mentoring 56:00 Volunteer and mentoring opportunities with a virtual alternative

Imagine experiencing a range of tropical fruit year-round right in your own home. From pink pineapples grown on farms in Costa Rica to fresh yellow dragon fruit native to Mexico and Central America, Desiree Morales provides exotic, tropical fruit in a box delivered to your doorstep. Morales recognized this niche during the pandemic — and went all in.

Morales, CEO and founder of Tropical Fruit Box, a company dedicated to providing fresh, exotic tropical fruit to consumers, is an offshoot of the existing family business, WP Produce, which was started by her father, Willy Pardo. He started out selling exotic and tropical fruit from the back of his truck in Miami to provide the neighborhood staples common to their diet, but tough to find in local markets. Morales' business experience helped her identify a gap in the market, which she filled with on-demand tropical and exotic fruit boxes.

Inspired by her father's commitment to building relationships, Morales and her family collaborate with farmers globally to supply quality produce to customers.

Listen to Morales discuss her experience as she grew up working alongside her father, how she applied her knowledge to expand the family business, and her pivot to building a venture of her own on this episode of SheVentures.

2:25 Morales speaks about her father's success

4:10 Following in her father's footsteps, Morales saw a need in today's market and worked to meet it

6:23 Morales describes her experiences growing up in the family business

8:58 What kick-started Morales' idea behind Tropical Fruit Box?

11:22 There were many roadblocks Morales fought to overcome

13:30 How did the COVID pandemic affect Morales' business?

20:53 Morales discusses her highs in business and personal life

23:15 Morales describes lessons she learned while building her business to what it is today

26:05 Tips for entrepreneurial women looking to build their own business

Imagine sourcing hand-sewn original lingerie from the labor of women who work in Ukraine and Russia, and navigating supply chain issues during the ongoing war. This is but one of many hurdles Angelina Mahany, founder, and CEO of Angie's Showroom, has overcome in her personal and professional lives.

This ex-Russian ballerina studied and worked on three continents before deciding to settle in the U.S. after a two-year long-distance romance with her now husband. Mahany transitioned to life in the U.S., where the culture, people, and food were foreign. She persevered and started an Instagram e-commerce reselling business selling handbags as a proof of concept. Once she realized she could earn money and balance motherhood, she focused on creating Angie's Showroom, an online store with hand-sewn lingerie.

She is offering SheVentures listeners 15 percent off of any lingerie purchases at Angie's Showroom. Use the code SheVentures15 at checkout, good until May 31, 2023, 11:59 PM EDT. Cannot be used with other discounts.

10:00 What it takes to become a professional ballerina, and why Mahany pivoted to economics after a decade of ballet 12:00 How Mahany's supply chain dried up in the ongoing Russia/Ukraine war 15:00 Comparing the cost and quality of higher education in Russia versus the U.S. 20:00 How Mahany met her husband online, and how they navigated a long-distance relationship for two years between Cyprus and Texas 26:00 Mahany speaks about getting deported after a visa mishap. She and her fiance spent thousands of dollars to get her into the U.S. 32:00 Reality sets in working remotely, newly married, pregnant, and in debt. 35:00 Mahaney's first foray into entrepreneurship in e-commerce, reselling and selling handbags on Telegram and Instagram @shopaholic.in.usa — and making a profit 37:00 How a bachelorette party led to the concept of Angie's Showroom 41:00 The difference between American and Ukrainian/Russian seamstresses 43:00 Expanding to consignment in Austin and creating her own lingerie designs 47:00 Plans for 2023: pricing versus sustainability, and finding the balance 49:00 Tips, pros, and cons on Shopify, Etsy, and Amazon Handmade