SheVentures

If anyone knows how to pivot from a traditional job to entrepreneurship, it's Kim Gros, founder of SteelCraft, a company that creates outdoor urban eateries from repurposed shipping containers. Starting in 2107 in Long Beach, California, Gros later expanded to outposts in Bellflower and Garden Grove.

Gros — with a leap of faith and a loan — built eateries where tourists and locals can eat artisanal food, drink craft beer, and enjoy community events in a shared safe space.

Gros decided to dive into the food industry with little knowledge and abundant determination. She curated her business from start to finish with the help of economic development partners and an idea that would stand out: using shipping containers — a common sight in Long Beach (the second largest port in the world) — as a dining space. Gros shares how she executed her business plan from scratch.

Listen to Gros as she describes the ups and downs of implementing a business idea and shares her advice for navigating unexpected challenges and honing in on making your dream a reality, on this episode of SheVentures.

2:12 Kim Gros reflects on growing up with inspiring people

13:09 How to utilize human resources tactics in entrepreneurship

17:10 How did the creation of SteelCraft happen?

21:22 How SteelCraft partners with vendors

24:27 The three core values of SteelCraft

29:00 Where can you learn more about SteelCraft?

30:05 Closing advice from Gros on finding your passion

How does a single mother battling substance abuse end up pivoting to a career in the White House? How does she then become founder and CEO of her own seven-figure business?

The answer is within Rebecca Contreras herself. The CEO of Avant Garde, a human resources consulting firm, and author of a memoir, Lost Girl (in which she describes her childhood, her decisions as a young adult, and how she turned her life around), Contreras gives new meaning to perseverance, dedication, ambition, and humility.

Contreras' life has been anything but easy. Though she has been successful in her career, Contreras began facing challenges at an alarmingly young age.

In Contreras' eyes, growing up in an abusive dysfunctional household under the welfare programs paved a predestined path for failure. Determined to escape a cycle of trauma, Contreras relied on mentorship, endurance, and willpower to overcome the obstacles that weighed her down.

Listen to Contreras describe the trials and tribulations of her childhood and teenage years, and how she was able to go from potential destruction to achievement, on this episode of SheVentures.

1:45 Contreras opens up about her traumatic childhood.

8:30 Advice for young girls and women with painful upbringings

12:30 How Contreras leverages her network for success

18:10 Contreras discusses how she built her consulting firm from scratch.

20:52 How to incorporate self-care and love into your daily routine, and why it matters

23:20 How Contreras flourishes in a male-dominated industry

27:20 To what does Contreras attribute her personal success?

With 20-plus years of experience as a news anchor, Kerry Barrett is the last person you'd imagine to have a paralyzing fear of public speaking. How did this Emmy-award winner overcome her crippling fear?

She faced it, and turned it into one of her core strengths. Barrett once suffered from anxiety that left her crouched in the proverbial fetal position — yes, it was that bad. Now, she shares her public speaking and media training knowledge with clients at her namesake company, Kerry Barrett Consulting.

From one-on-one public speaking coaching to media training and public relations, Barrett and her team offer various options to make even the shyest person come to life on camera.

Listen to Barrett describe her fear of public speaking and how she pivoted from news anchoring to becoming an entrepreneur, on this episode of SheVentures.

2:18 Barrett describes her fear of public speaking.

9:14 What public speaking challenges are most prevalent among women?

15:05 Barrett describes her pivot to entrepreneurship.

19:26 What makes Barrett's consulting company different from others?

22:28 Barrett explains the process of assessing a client's video IQ.

27:11 Where does Kerry Barrett Consulting earn the bulk of its revenue?

29:15 Barrett gives her three don'ts when appearing on camera.

32:32 Barrett reflects on her biggest win and challenge.

How does one balance work and intimacy to achieve success and stay sane? If anyone knows this answer, it's Cheryl Grace.

After decades as a corporate executive, Grace pivoted to entrepreneurship, to help other women achieve their dream work and personal lives.

Now she shares her tips through her business, Powerful Penny, a consulting firm for women who want to be intentional about identifying and achieving the next level of their career.

In this episode, Grace explains how she emphasizes her "fabulosity" mindset to clients, helping them set their priorities. Through one-on-one or group coaching sessions, Grace believes, any woman can achieve clarity to move forward.

Listen to Grace discuss how to discover and cultivate a "fabulosity" mindset, on this episode of SheVentures.

1:55 Grace recalls her grandmother's influence on her childhood.

3:30 Grace highlights her impactful career milestones.

7:50 What led to changing to a multicultural marketing paradigm?

11:36 How can consumers tell if a brand is genuinely mission driven and not using social advocacy as a marketing ploy?

14:05 What propelled Grace to pivot into entrepreneurship?

16:50 What does Grace's company Powerful Penny offer clients?

19:00 Grace explains the "fabulosity" mindset.

24:20 What gender-based career hurdles does Grace see consistently as a workplace consultant?

Can you imagine being paid $1,000 per minute for a speaking engagement?

Tonya Rapley, internationally recognized speaker, millennial money expert, financial educator, bestselling author, CEO and founder of My Fab Finance, and owner of Club Loofah, doesn't need to imagine it because it happened to her.

Learn about what attracted Rapley to entrepreneurship, why it matters to her to create generation wealth with passive income streams, and how she is able to so effectively engage with her audience.

Rapley also discusses relatable mom guilt — and how it plays a role in her decision-making. In one case, she didn't want to miss her son's first dentist appointment and felt the real heart-wrenching tug moms experience every day as they try to balance a successful career with life.

If you're building a brand, Rapley's story will inspire you. Listen to this episode of SheVentures.

5:00 Rapley describes a typical day. 8:24 How the idea for My Fab Finance came to fruition 13:10 How being a woman of color influenced Rapley's mission 16: 49 Tips for female entrepreneurs to build their brands 19:37 What was Rapley's biggest source of revenue last year? 21:50 How motherhood affects Rapley's personal and professional goals 25:54 What Rapley learned while navigating her divorce 29:05 What are the best and most regrettable decisions Rapley has made? 30:46 What women give Rapley inspiration? 34:57 Where listeners can find out more about Rapley and her businesses

Has love ever inspired you to risk it all and start a new business?

Isabelle Andrieu left her home in France to follow her heart and her future husband to Italy. How could they create a company that melded their passions — hers in linguistics and her husband's in artificial intelligence (AI) and computer science — with an investment of $100?

This was the catalyst for Translated, an AI-based translation company that — in the 20 years since its inception — now boasts 250,000 clients (including Google, IBM, Airbnb, and United Colors of Benetton) in 193 languages and 40 areas of expertise.. Andrieu's passion for mentoring women means action. Women have grown their careers at Translated: some starting as interns and climbing the ranks to director positions at the Rome-based company. More than 80 percent of Translated's project management team is female, according to Andrieu.

Listen to how Andrieu fosters leadership, paid maternity leave, and is able (and willing) to raise new mothers' salaries and to help make their transition back to work humane.

Any woman who is responsible for policies affecting women in the workplace will benefit from Translated as a case study. Though increasing a new mother's wage to meet the demands of childcare may cost the company in the short term, the loyalty is reciprocated and paid forward when employees are able to manage a healthy work/life balance.

Learn how Andrieu and her team decided to diversify their earnings and invest in the younger generation of entrepreneurs with Pi School, a dual- entity program with a venture arm, hosting seed rounds for startups, and an educational arm, with a scholarship program that helps to develop AI engineers. The goal: to use AI to foster solutions in various industries.

Tune in to hear Andrieu's journey from bootstrapped startup to global translation powerhouse on this episode of SheVentures.

2:18 How did Andrieu and her husband recognize the opportunity for Translated two decades ago? 9:14 How does Translated work and who is their ideal customer? 11:35 Andrieu explains how human translators and AI coexist 14:50 The key challenges the translation industry faces 18:06 How Andrieu's childhood shaped the vision for her career 21:53 What other companies could learn from Translated's investment in female employees 30:18 Where did the concept of Pi School come from 39:30 Why Andrieu believes women tend to shun careers in AI 40:46 Andrieu speaks about diversity in AI. 42:27 What Andrieu thinks of companies that have IPOs with billion-dollar valuations without turning a profit 49:11 Her entrepreneurial successes and lessons learned 55:39 Andrieu discusses the Italian government's support of entrepreneurs 58:25 Where listeners can find out more about Translated.com and Pi School

This mom's frustration with finding quality outdoor gear ⛷🧢 for her children drove her to start an Amazon business a decade ago.

Annalisa DeMarta says her initial interest in Amazon was an experiment spurred by an unsuccessful shopping trip with her son. DeMarta learned how to find manufacturers, run quality checks, set up infrastructure to measure and maintain her supply chain — and learned the ins and outs of the Amazon marketplace. Her small children's outdoor apparel business morphed into a $5M direct-to-consumer, Amazon-only brand called Lone Cone quicker than she had anticipated. DeMarta sold Lone Cone for an undisclosed sum, adding her to the small but growing group of women founders who exit their ventures.

Clearly an Amazon whiz, DeMarta has used her experience from building and selling Lone Cone to pivot into co-founding an Amazon marketplace consulting agency. Ridgeline Insights consults with clients to help them launch and maintain their products on Amazon through an omnichannel marketing approach.

Bonus Alert:

Business veteran DeMarta shares the one thing that no one mentions when selling a business that she wishes she had known. Tune in to hear her three tips to grow a brand on Amazon in 2022. Why she speaks up and asks questions, especially to investors How to prioritize when creating your Amazon strategy

All and more, on this episode of SheVentures.

2:50 How to start a business while navigating a growing family 17:52 DeMarta's timeline from ideation to selling her products on Amazon 20:00 Ever wonder what the difference is between dropship and private label? How to decide what's best for your brand. 24:50 DeMarta discusses the Amazon algorithm and search engine optimization. 30:12 When did DeMarta realize her business was scaling rapidly? 30:42 What happens when you sell your company? 37:30 The insecurities DeMarta sometimes felt when arbitrating purchase deals 39:21 How do you value an Amazon business? DeMarta shares her experience. 42:02 Three tips to grow a brand on Amazon 46:33 DeMarta talks about her pivot from entrepreneurship to agency owner. 50:40 What does omnichannel marketing mean? 55:33 Rookie mistakes aspiring women entrepreneurs should avoid

Imagine locking eyes with a venture capitalist and saying, "I'm building a big, badass company. You would be so lucky to invest in me." 🥊

Though this example may seem hyperbolic, it comes from this week's guest, Madeline Reeves, who is on a mission to help underrepresented founders fund their businesses. Reeves outlines three core reasons why entrepreneurs who are women and people of color often struggle to raise money — and she provides solutions. We think you'll want to listen in! ✅

Reeves's professional pivot was the result of peaking professionally at an early age in the financial industry and finding her true passion: helping friends solve business dilemmas and scale their companies.

Initially Reeves helped out friends for fun or for a barter, but she soon realized she had created a sustainable business. She founded Fearless Foundry, a creative consulting firm that helps startups with branding, marketing, and business development. Reeves also started an online community, We Talk Money, for financial professionals with the tagline, "Make Noise. Be Seen. Earn More." What's not to love?

Reeves talks about her Give Back Program, which works with early stage founders who don't have access to capital and often don't know where to start.

Listen to Reeves's mission, the challenges of bootstrapping a small business (while wearing many hats), and how she plans to disrupt the venture capital space on this episode of SheVentures.

4:48 What is Fearless Foundry's origin and mission? 13: 24 Reeves describes the challenges entrepreneurs face with social media marketing. 18:56 How Reeves works with early stage founders through her Give Back Program and what services she offers 24:34 What Reeves believes contributes to the disparity of venture capital for women of color founders 25:24 Three core elements that discourage underrepresented founders from raising venture capital 33:38 The challenges of bootstrapping a business and being a woman founder 42:43 How Reeves offers paid maternity leave in her small business —if she can 52:12 Reeves looks back on what she aced and what she would do differently today. 56:12 Reeves's long-term goals with Fearless Foundry and where listeners can find out more

How many Black women billionaires can you name besides Oprah and Rihanna? 👩🏾 💵 🤔

This week's guest is dedicated to making businesses owned by women of color more visible, fundable, and scalable. Regina Gwynn, angel and limited partnership investor and co-founder of Black Women Talk Tech, believes that businesses can be innovated, launched, led, and built by women of color. Gwynn is looking for the next tech unicorn — that is — a company that grows to a $1 billion valuation.

Gwynn's dreams about building an entrepreneurial empire were inspired by the popular '80s cartoon Jem and the Holograms, about a record-company owner who's secretly also the lead singer of a rock group. Gwynn successfully sold Avon products door-to-door as a teen, and that was where her interest in the beauty, fashion, and apparel industry grew.

Gwynn obtained her MBA from Northwestern University and used her job experience and business acumen on her first pivot Tressenoire, a beauty-tech startup for women of color who needed on-demand hair care and styling. The biggest lesson Gwynn has learned: understanding how timing and product-market fit influenced the success of her business.

Gwynn voices the difficulties Black women face when pitching to predominantly white male VC investors. These experiences serve as the catalyst for Black Women Talk Tech, a tech community designed specifically for Black women tech entrepreneurs. The goal: to create a space where Black women could be seen, heard, and engage with a community that can invest in their businesses.

Listen to Gywnn talk about the need to normalize the idea that an investable founder can come from anywhere, on this episode of SheVentures.

3:21 Gwynn talks about her childhood and the entrepreneurs in her family 5:53 What attracted her to the fashion, beauty, and apparel industry 9:51 Advice she would give young women pursuing a career in the fashion industry today 12:33 Gywnn talks about her pivot from fashion to her beauty-tech startup, Tressenoire 20:26 Listen to the difficulties Gwynn had, as a Black woman, pitching for venture capital 25:16 How Gywnn's experience as a tech entrepreneur informed her next pivot: Black Women Talk Tech 27:56 Gywnn shares her opinion on the "pipeline issue" when it comes to venture/angel funding for women of color 33:24 What incentives does Black Women Talk Tech offer women to help grow their businesses 42:46 What are Gywnn's biggest wins and unexpected challenges to date? 44:59 Gywnn explains why she included the word "billions" in Black Women Talk Tech's mission statement 47:06 The goals and initiatives of Black Women Talk Tech 49:41 Where listeners can find out more about Black Women Talk Tech and its programs

When you think of a truck driver does that memorable scene from Thelma and Louise come to mind?

Ellen Voie wants to change that stereotype and amplify gender diversity in the trucking industry; so she started Women in Trucking, a nonprofit, whose mission is to mentor women with the information, education, opportunity, community, and support they need to succeed in a male-dominated business. Established in 2007, the organization now boasts more than 4,000 members.

Voie's pivot happened after earning degrees in broadcast journalism and communications. She landed a job in a steel fabricating plant where she moved up the ranks to transportation management and thus her second pivot into the trucking industry.

Voie speaks about her organization's diversity and inclusion initiatives, the best practices for women drivers, and why "they should ask a lot of questions and make sure they know what they're getting into before signing on the dotted line." She also lends her opinions on how the pandemic affected the trucking industry and why the turnover rate for "on the road" — or long-haul — drivers is so high. Listen to her five steps to consider before pursuing a career in the trucking industry, on this episode of SheVentures.

2:03 What attracted Voie to the trucking industry? 6:04 What was the catalyst for Voie to start her organization, Women in Trucking? 13:22 Voie talks about barriers to women in trucking 15:35 Five steps Voie would recommend to young women interested in trucking careers 18:32 Voie shares typical wages for entry- and intermediate-level drivers. 23:38 Why is there a demand for on-the-road drivers, and how is their job different from daily drivers? 26:05 Reasons Voie feels churn (the turnover rate) is so high in the trucking industry 29:40 How the pandemic affected the trucking industry 32: 52 What are the statistics on assault and microaggression affecting women in trucking? 35:17 Voie speaks about her organization's diversity and inclusion initiatives 40:02 Advice Voie would give her younger self and where listeners can find out more about WIT