Stairway to CEO

Joining the show today is Jane Fisher, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Harper Wilde, on a mission to take the B.S. out of bra shopping. In this episode, Jane shares with us her journey from growing up in Florida, working as a hostess at a tourist restaurant, to studying business, to earning her MBA at Wharton where she came up with the idea for Harper Wilde. She talks about the challenges she's faced fundraising from investors, how she had to change her pitch, how to land on a good price point, and why she hires for culture fit first.

• (3:12) More about Harper Wilde, founded by Jane Fisher and Jenna Kerner’s frustrations with the overpriced hypersexualized intimate apparel industry, inspiring them to launch Harper Wilde to change the conversation and create everyday bras that are ethically made, reasonably priced, and comfortable.
• (4:40) What it was like growing up in Florida on a small island, with thoughts of becoming a vet, to getting a Psychology degree, to ending up in business
• (12:06) How she ended up in the business department at McKinsey, without a lot of business background
• (15:19) How she went to business school at Wharton and began to fall in love with the DTC world,  and how she got the idea for Harper Wilde
• (18:00) Some of the first things she did to validate the idea, why she chose to try and disprove it, and realizing she couldn’t
• (21:00) How they decided on the price point, and finding the sweet spot, and validating it with consumers, and if they could build the business with it
• (25:00) Why it’s important for them to listen to customer feedback, and why they strive to build a brand that speaks to the whole market
• (29:50) The go-to-market strategy, how they pitched their products, and the metrics they were looking for to see how they were growing
• (31:50) What it was like fundraising from mostly male investors for a DTC bra company 
• (37:40) How hiring has been, why they focus on culture fit first, and how to filter for culture
• (42:00) How she’s grown into being a leader and why learning and innovating is important, and the biggest challenges she’s had to face in building a business
• (46:00) The challenges in fundraising, learning how to be bold in confidence, and how to handle and work with investors
• (1:01:00) The final advice she has for those looking to dive into entrepreneurship

https://harperwilde.com/

“We're living in a world where it's cool to buy razor blades online, but I'm sitting here not replacing my bra after a decade.”

“I just got curious and started poking around and learning more about the industry to understand why there wasn't a broad company out there yet doing this.”

“We look at the customer and we've built a brand at a price point that speaks to the whole market.”

“Each new addition makes a huge difference to the culture, hopefully in a good way”

“We have three values: hunger, humility, and an ownership mindset.”

“Your gut is so often right if something feels off, it almost always is.”

“It's so much harder to let someone go and find someone new than it is to just wait a little longer and find the right.”

“At the end of the day, it's humans who are doing these jobs, and it's about the relationships with those people who are helping create the brand.”

“Investors should be selling you on why they should invest in you.”

“Be bold in confidence.”

“When someone says something can't be done or shouldn't be done, weigh it against your gut and what you know and are learning. Sometimes there's a lot to learn from that on why they're saying no. Oftentimes there is, but that doesn't necessarily mean it should stop you in your tracks and you should move forward.”

Richard Lee joins the show today to chat about his journey to becoming the Co-Founder and CEO of July. This popular Australian DTC luggage brand is reimagining the travel experience for a new generation. Richard talks with Lee about being born in China, what it was like growing up on a cargo ship for five-six years of his childhood, how he started a furniture business, and why he decided to leave to start July.

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• (2:40) More about July, a next-generation, digital native travel brand. What started off with one perfect carry-on and luggage, now has a full range of travel accessories and goods that aim to elevate people's travel experience.
• (10:00) The difference between being a solo founder and having a business partner
• (11:10) What his childhood was like, from being born in China, to growing up on a cargo ship for the first six years of his life
• (16:00) What he wanted to be growing up, that he never thought he’d be an entrepreneur 
• (19:00) How he started his first business by selling products on eBay, to making the move and working with Groupon
• (21:00) How he realized it was time to start his own business platform, and launched his first company, Brosa Furniture
• (27:00) How the idea for July came around, for the desire to build something in a different category
• (29:00) How he approached wanting to leave his furniture business to create something new
• (36:00) How they successfully did a pre-launch, and gave the first customers a Founder Luggage Tag
• (38:00) His advice to get people to buy into your business and your products, and how he began to market the business in the early days
• (41:00) The hard lessons he’s learned along the way, and how to feel out if everyone working on your business with you have the same vision as you
• (47:50) Where the name July came from, stemming from it being the best travel month
• (49:17) His three pieces of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to take the next steps in launching their own business

https://july.com/us/

“Whenever you come up with a product you need to be willing to pay for it and be willing to use it first before it hits the market.”

“Use everyone around you for beta testing.”

“Most startups fail not because they don't have money, but because they have too much money.”

“My heart was telling me that I needed to build something else in a completely different category.”

“It's important that whoever you’re working with, just be very transparent.”

“You can never rely on one supplier on a completely new project.”

“Make sure that you are working with the right investors and make sure that they share the same vision as you.”

“Try to find a Co-Founder that can complement each other with your skillset because building a business is a very tough journey. You want someone who can share the load with you.”

“There is no perfect timing in launching a business, the perfect time is now.”

Joining the show today is Greg Vetter, the Co-Founder and CEO of Tessemae’s. Available in retail stores nationwide, including Whole Foods, Tessemae’s offers a variety of all-natural salad dressings, sauces, marinades, dips, and condiments that are gluten-free, vegan, and sugar-free. Greg and Lee talked about his childhood growing up in Annapolis, what it was like playing professional lacrosse for three years, to realizing a friend stole his mother's lemon garlic salad dressing out of their own house, and how it sparked the idea to launch Tessemae’s.

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• (1:40) More about Tessemae’s, the country's number one organic salad dressing and condiment company. 
• (5:20) What his childhood growing up as the oldest of three boys in Annapolis was like, with lots of activities, and how he always had an entrepreneurial spirit wanting to invent things
• (9:20) What it was like going to college at Washington College, playing professional lacrosse, and figuring out what he wanted to do after college
• (11:30) How when working in sales jobs post-college, he was writing business plans while looking at the infrastructure to see how they were successful, and how he could do that on his own 
• (14:16) The story of how a friend stole his mom's salad dressing, and it sparked the idea for Tessemae’s
• (16:50) The first things he did to get the business off the ground, from going to all the local grocery stores and seeing if it was on the shelves 
• (20:25) The story of how the brand is named after his mom’s nickname, Tesse Mae
• (24:50) The good and bad that came with fundraising, the advice he has for others in the fundraising journey, and how to build a relationship with investors
• (31:17) How he keeps going even when times are tough on the ups and downs of the rollercoaster
• (37:00) How he’s grown professionally and personally as a leader since becoming an entrepreneur
• (43:00) Some of the challenges he’s had to face, and how new ones come up every day 
• (49:25) The limiting beliefs he’s had to overcome, especially doubt, but how he realized everyone has it

https://www.tessemaes.com/

“So I would go home at lunch and stand on my head in the dark and try to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.” 

“The first thing I wanted to do is figure out whether or not it existed, cause I didn't want to just create something that may have already been sitting on the shelf.”

“I called everybody and I said, listen, I don't know shit about shit and my life is on the line and I have an opportunity May 1st, and you are going to help me do this.”

“Each step you kind of level up into a different level of complexity and sophistication and so all of them were critical points in our journey.”

“If you want money, ask for advice, and if you want advice, ask for money.”

“You have to become resilient because the number of no’s that you get, it's unbelievable.”

“If you approach each day with this foundational understanding of you know who you are, and what is important in the world. Then you can overcome these obstacles that come your way every single day.” 

“I want to be the next great consumer packaging good brand that stands for something true.”

“I think everything that you do in the morning will then kind of dictate what you're prepared to handle for the rest of the day.”

“If you're not curating success, you're probably curating failure.”

“Trust your gut, you know in your gut whether or not it's right or it's wrong. Every time I have ignored my gut, it has been the worst situation of my life. Every time I have trusted my gut, it has saved me. So trust your gut.”

Amy Errett joins the show today to chat about her journey to becoming the Founder and CEO of Madison Reed, the hair color company revolutionizing the way women color their hair. Amy shared about her experience as a child being the peacekeeper of the family, her experience working as an investor at True Ventures and Mavron Ventures, how she came up with the idea for Madison Reed, and why she runs things by her astrologer first, before making any significant decisions.

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• (00:50) More about Madison Reed, the hair color company revolutionizing the way women color their hair using proprietary color matching technology, and a team of on-call colorists, Madison Reed helps women choose the perfect shade of hair color delivered straight to your door, or you can visit one of their 60 hair color bar locations throughout the U.S.
• (2:35) What it was like growing up in Philadelphia as the youngest of three with parents of divorce and always finding herself as the peacekeeper of the family
• (12:20) How she feels about failure, that it’s your best friend and something to learn from
• (16:00) Why she believes some of her flaws are and why she’s excited about them 
• (21:00) Why having an astrologer in her life helps her
• (26:00) Her career journey from being a financial analyst, to working at Ture Ventures and Mavron Ventures as a Venture Capitalist, to coming up with the idea for Madison Reed
• (35:00) How she became obsessed with the idea for Madison Reed and took her dreams and started making them a reality 
• (41:00) How they handled having to close their stores due to COVID, but their online sales skyrocketed
• (45:00) Some of the big challenges she didn’t see coming, even with her background and experience in VC
• (58:51) The final fundraising and entrepreneurial advice she has for aspiring founders and those struggling with raising funds

https://www.madison-reed.com/

“I grew up thinking that I want to have groups of people that get together to do extraordinary things.”

“We’re all flawed and recovering from something, and when you recognize that, then you can start to find the path in your life that works for you.”

“Life is an inside job and the entire game at the end of the day will be how much joy, gratitude, and love that we spread and receive.”

“Possibilities of crazy ideas can actually disrupt an entire industry.”

“Everything you need to know is why you're hooked into the rage you have.”

“The infrastructure of scaling culture that is different and unique and disruptive is really hard when you grow.”

“I’m in this to win it for the company, not myself.”

“As a business leader, you have an obligation to better your employees’ lives.”

“The big trip up for most people is being naive about marketing. Whether it's the cost, the scale, what it takes, who do you have? The other part is, you need to show up with a team and you need to show up. So it's always product, size, and people. Once you can get that right, then you're gonna find there's plenty of money.”

Today, Lee sits down with Steven Borrelli, the Founder and CEO of CUTS Clothing. On a mission to find the perfect t-shirt, Steven started CUTS in 2016 and has since grown the business to a hundred-million-dollar company and created a new category, which he calls work leisure. Steven talks about his childhood growing up in Washington state, to working at an advertising agency and moving back home to start CUTS. We talk about how he got his first 1000 customers, how he leans on OKRs, and why he believes in blind faith.

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• (2:34) More about what CUTS Clothing is, a work leisure clothing brand, geared towards the athlete in the boardroom
• (4:30) What it was like growing up in Washington state, with a love for sports, and how he ended up at San Diego State for college
• (16:00) His first work experience after college, working at an advertising agency, and how what he’s learned there helps him in his branding decisions with CUTS
• (18:00) How the idea for CUTS came to him after he got kicked out of a meeting for wearing athleisure wear and not looking professional
• (20:40) When he got let go from his branding agency job and took that as motivation to move back home and start building CUTS
• (27:00) How he worked at staying committed to his idea, even in the hardest of times 
• (30:00) What the process of creating CUTS was like, from having his “incubator” at his parent's home to vlogging, and raising on Kickstarter 
• (33:00) Some of his pivotal moments that have happened, such as Patrick Mahomes wearing one of the CUTS shirts
• (41:00) What he’s learned about being a leader, and why he values OKR’s 
• (53:00) His thought’s on the current conditions of the market and what brands should be preparing for 
• (57:00) The advice he has for fellow entrepreneurs and what’s next for CUTS

https://www.cutsclothing.com/

“I realized there was a gap in the market of needing a shirt that looked professional but felt comfortable.”

“When you're creating an idea, oftentimes you can see it and you can visualize it. But when you tell people about it, they don’t have the same visualization.”

“Every year and every month I became more and more committed to it.”

“I felt like that's when the moment I went from, we had a bunch of guys in a room working on an idea to a company.”

“If you're not intentional, you can easily waste a whole team”

“When you can overcome belief, treat it as such a gift because it's gonna give you the courage and the confidence to keep dreaming where not everyone has.”

“Have an open mind to most ideas”

“Over the last three years, founders are just racing to raise money I think that it doesn't need to be that way for most ideas”

“It’s super important to just be really focused on where you’re going.”

“I know a lot of people always try to focus on doing what you love, and I hate that saying. it's finding something that you can love the process of doing it, rather than that actual outcome. I think is what’s super important.”

Joining the show today is Matt Feldman, the Founder and CEO of Moku Foods, a mushroom-based jerky.  Matt shares about how he partnered with a Michelin Chef to turn king oyster mushrooms into a delicious alternative beef jerky. In this episode, Matt talks about his childhood growing up in Hawaii, why he joined a vegan meetup in San Francisco, how he earned over 1 million views on YouTube, and how he's raised over $4 million for Moku foods.

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• (2:05) More about what Moku Foods is, a mushroom-based jerky, made out of king oyster mushrooms into a delicious tender jerky that looks and tastes like beef
• (3:50) What it was like growing up in Hawaii, with a lot of outdoor activities, and having a passion for sustainability from a very young age
• (6:30) How he always had the entrepreneurial spirit in him and brought his entrepreneurial bug throughout life, starting as early as high school
• (8:10) Why he became vegan in 2018 and started a vegan meet-up to learn more about it and connect with others
• (9:03) How bringing a vegan snack to the meet-ups sparked the idea for mushroom jerky 
• (12:00) The steps he took to get Moku up and running, from product development to finding Michelin star chefs
• (16:00) How his journey to Moku was really fast, and a go-with-the-flow move that he knew he had to pursue
• (16:30) What he was learning about mushrooms from going to mushroom farms, and how sustainable they are
• (18:00) The process of making Moku, and figuring out how to make it at scale, and the tragic story of how they had to call off launch a week before due to the manufacturer making bad product
• (27:00) What it was like raising funds and the advice he has for other entrepreneurs
• (41:30) The early signs he took to empower him to keep going, getting over 1 million views on Entrepreneur.com’s Youtube, and landing on Forbes 30 under 30
• (44:40) The advice he has for finding the right partner, the key factor is just spending time with them 

https://mokufoods.com/

“We have a lot of customers who do not eat any mushrooms and they despise mushrooms, but they've tried Moku and it's the only mushroom they’ll eat because it really does not taste anything like mushrooms.”

“Knowing that I couldn't bring beef jerky, I thought I might as well try and make some mushroom jerky.”

“I've always loved mushrooms, and I knew that if you cook them in the right way, they can taste very meaty.”

“This was one of those weird things where I don't even remember making the decision to quit my job and do Moku. It was so natural and go with the flow that it was almost like I woke up and chose mushroom jerky. Like I have to do this.”

“I didn’t want to use any of those fake meats or chemicals or anything highly saturated, I wanted something whole, and mushrooms were the perfect fit.”

“​​Running a new company from Hawaii is a little isolating and lonely because there are not many other entrepreneurs doing similar things.”

“In fundraising, it's almost like you're swinging for a home run every time, but you know that you're probably not gonna hit it.”

“VCs all take the early stage meetings because they want to plant the seed, get to know the founders, stay in touch with you, and then invest a year later.”

“When you hit roadblocks, it's very lonely. No one really understands what you're going through. I would highly recommend people to be very careful about who they bring on, but bring someone on that's complimentary that you really know is gonna be with you when it gets tough, because you need that person to put in the same amount of energy as you, or else it won't work.”

“Go with your gut and go with your instinct.”

Today, Lee sat down with Erin Moennich, CEO of Draper James, a classic American lifestyle brand founded by Reese Witherspoon inspired by her roots in the south. Erin shares about her journey to becoming CEO, what it was like growing up in the midwest, the different jobs she held before landing at Draper James, and why they believe failure should be named something else! 

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• (2:05) Draper James, a women's lifestyle brand founded by Reese Witherspoon, named after her grandparents. Founded on the idea of making women feel great 
• (4:50) What it was like growing up in the midwest with her family, and her passion for being in business when she was older
• (7:09) What it was like attending Michigan State and moving to NYC after college, and working at Peter Solomon company to product development at Target, and how she ended up landing a job at Sachs, and then Bloomingdales, learning that working your way up is key
• (15:20) How she got connected to LMVH, and why she took the role to experience a different way of selling and doing business
• (20:00) What she learned from working at Giggle, in her first CEO role
• (24:05) What she believes are the key things that have helped her in her journey to CEO 
• (29:27) The difference between a failure and something that didn’t meet expectations, and why she chooses not to look at things as failures but as learning experiences 
• (31:48) How she was given the opportunity to be the CEO of Draper James and how one of her overall goals was to drive growth and diversify sales
• (39:00) What she thinks makes a great CEO, being a team player and being willing to get your hands dirty
• (40:00) How she’s grown personally as a leader and has learned to be calm and a person of reason for the team
• (42:15) The advice she has for aspiring entrepreneurs and what’s next for Draper James

https://draperjames.com/

“You often pursue the things you're good at and can be successful at”

“The interesting thing about retail is that you really do have to start at the bottom”

“I don't wanna be afraid and I don't want my team to be afraid to try different things.”

“Each experience has prepared me in a different way. At various times in my career, I decided to try something totally different.”

“I'm always selling Draper James, whether it be to the end consumer, or my ideas to th by e investors, I'm always selling.”

“Being in retail there are always these huge ups and downs and you try a lot of different things.”

“Don’t be afraid to try different things in a measured way.”

“In a measured way, I wanna keep trying new things because I think that's the only way you get to the next step and the next stage.”

“It's important to maintain your network. Retail is a really small world and you run into a lot of people that you may have worked with at some stage. So you have to be kind to everyone.”

“I would never want to ask people on my team to do something that I wouldn't do. So you absolutely have to be willing to get your hands dirty.”

“Take each role a little slower, and that's something I say to the young people on my team is, enjoy it. I was always wanting to get to the next step, the next buying role at Bloomingdale's the next step at LVMH. And knowing that we all get where we're supposed to be in the end and we can all find these really exciting roles that make us wanna get outta bed every day. We all get there, and so, take it slow.” 

“Don't be afraid to try different things. As a CEO you do have to look after so many different aspects of the business. Getting those varied experiences earlier in your career is only gonna serve you very well if this is where you wanna end up. And so seeking out those opportunities and those experiences is super important.”

Shane Heath, the Co-Founder and CEO of MUD\WTR joins the show to chat about his journey to founding the coffee alternative company on a mission to heal the mind through their daytime and evening beverages. In this episode, Shane shares with us his journey from experiencing a psychedelic trip as a 14-year-old, to starting his first company ishBowl, to moving to Silicon Valley, to taking a leave of absence to Bombay, where he was able to reconnect with his creativity and began questioning his caffeine addiction to coffee. He talks about the difference between lantern versus spotlight consciousness, how the business grew in revenue since 2018, and why he allows microdosing at work. 

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• (1:07) More about MUD\WTR, a coffee alternative company on a mission to heal the mind through their daytime and evening beverages designed to provide natural energy and relaxation
• (2:30) The experience of his first founder conference, how it made a good example of how taking swings is sometimes a good learning experience
• (6:38) What it was like growing up in Santa Cruz, California, with an entrepreneurial spirit and eventually ending up at San Deigo State
• (12:30) His experience starting his first company right out of college and what it taught him about the startup world, and how the feelings of it all help him in his role today
• (22:52) His experience with a psychedelic trip as a 14-year-old and how the deep philosophical questions scared him
• (26:30) How listening to a Joe Rogan podcast in a time of a lot of stress made him realize he should take a leave of absence
• (30:00) How he came up with the idea for MUD\WTR because he was really interested in rituals, and how he begins and ends the day
• (45:00) How the idea for MUD\WTR came to be, from making his own drinks to fall asleep and having the idea for others to experience the same thing
• (49:00) How he brought on his Co-Founder, and how they continued to grow from 2018 to now
• (54:00) His experience in fundraising and the advice he has for others looking to bring in more revenue
• (1:01) Why he allows microdosing at work, in a safe and effective way
• (1:04) What we can expect to see next from MUD\WTR including expansions to Amazon and a flagship store in Santa Monica, as well as new product launches

https://mudwtr.com/

“Seeing drawings turn into physical environments that I was living in was very transformative for me at a very young age.”

“To get a company off the ground, you have to go all in for it to even have a chance.”

“Entrepreneurship is a huge investment of time and energy.”

“I was just removed from all the cultural prescriptions, and it empowered me to think differently about how I was going to pursue life when I came home.”

“I started looking at my mug as maybe I can make something that is more than just a vessel for caffeine.”

“It was interesting because I thought this was my problem that I couldn't handle caffeine. So I solved this problem for myself and I felt great. And the real aha moment didn't come until other people started to ask me what I was drinking.”

“Our company is built on the hypothesis that for a lot of people too much caffeine, just like too much of any drug can make something that is potentially helpful, all of a sudden harmful.”

“When I started MUD\WTR I started to notice that people were very interested in evolving the relationship to how they found energy.”

“I'm not mad at coffee. I'm just disappointed. So I made something better.”

“I do a lot of work to provide our investors a lot of information. I've been sending out monthly updates since I've been putting them together before I even had investors. I don't view them as information for investors, I view them as a journal entry for our company.” 

In this episode, Sophie Kahn shares her journey to becoming the Co-Founder and CEO of Aurate, a premier direct-to-consumer jewelry brand. Sophie shares with us her journey from growing up in Amsterdam, to working at Boston Consulting, to Marc Jacobs, and how having lunch with a friend led to the idea for Aurate. We talk about why she believes you can learn anything with the right framework, the differences between lab-grown and natural jewelry, and how she validated the concept for Aurate with a pop-up store.

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• (1:03) More about Aurate, founded in 2015 the company seeks to democratize the fine jewelry industry through its online-driven model, accessible price points, and social impact strategy.
• (2:25) What it was like growing up in Amsterdam but always dreaming of moving to New York City 
• (14:04) Her experience working at Boston Consulting, to working at the luxury fashion house, Marc Jacobs
• (20:19) How having brunch with a friend led to the idea for Aurate, based on a ring she had been wearing turning her finger green
• (23:00) The metrics of success that let Sophie and her partner know it was time to take things to the next level with Aurate, and how she validated the concept for Aurate with a pop-up store
• (26:40) What makes Aurate unique, is being very customer driven and focusing on what the women want from jewelry 
• (33:00) The challenges in the beginning phase struggling to fundraise for a  women's jewelry brand to male investors and convincing them that an online platform is beneficial
• (37:50) What she’s learned from hiring a team and how to keep them motivated 
• (41:00) How to deal with conflict with employees and how to handle situations 
• (48:00) Final advice she has for aspiring entrepreneurs and what shocked her the most about becoming an entrepreneur

https://auratenewyork.com/

“I had to build confidence by proving myself in a way and getting some external validation that I could do it.”

“I really liked the creative part, but I also liked the analytical part.”

“At the end of the day it was still corporate and it was going too slow for my liking.”

“There were all these different types of women that for different reasons gravitated towards Aurate.” 

“Get your team excited to fight with you because it's not easy to be a startup.”

“Adapt your management style to your employees, not everyone is the same.”

“Feedback has to go both ways.”

“You can't just go off on a whim, you have to be more strategic when you’re a leader.”

“Make sure that you're ready to essentially give up everything else for a while because once you're in it, it just is all-consuming.”

“Build some type of team or network that you can rely on that can help you because it is intense. You need to have people to talk to who can't necessarily be your team. Have your kind of group of people that you can bounce ideas off, talk about the bad things, the good things, the secret things, whatever. You need somebody because otherwise, it's really lonely.”

Denise Woodard joins the show today to chat about her journey to becoming the Founder and CEO of Partake Foods, a food company that specializes in selling delicious cookies that are gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, and free of the top 14 allergens. In this episode, Denise shares her journey from growing up in North Carolina, to working at Coca-Cola, to experiencing an allergy scare with her daughter, which motivated her to create an allergy-friendly food brand.

We talk about the three stages of the CEO role, how important a supportive founder network is, and the mental shifts she's had to make as an entrepreneur. 

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• (1:06) Partake Foods, launched in 2016 and backed by celebrities, including Rihanna and Jay-Z, Partake is a food company that specializes in selling delicious cookies that are gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, and free of the top 14 allergens.
• (2:45) What it was like growing up in North Carolina as an only child with an African American dad and a Korean mom, and learning about entrepreneurship from her father
• (4:52) Some of her first jobs through high school and college, from serving, working in retail, and why she chose to go to school to be an orthodontist 
• (7:30) Why she decided to change her major in college and wound up getting a job at Phillip Morris and eventually moved over to FedEx and Coca-Cola, learning about the importance of process
• (9:51) How having an allergy scare with her daughter during her first birthday gave her the idea for Partake
• (11:40) How she got started with Partake by entering a pitch competition and winning
• (18:40) The beginning stages of fundraising, and making their way into retailers like Whole Foods and Wegmans
• (22:00) Some of the challenges faced in fundraising, and the advice she has for learning how to comprehend the investor lingo
• (30:20) What she does on the really hard days, and 
• (33:14) The three stages of the CEO role that change as the business grows, and what she’s learned from it 
• (42:20) Some of the mental shifts she’s had to make in being an entrepreneur
• (46:00) Some of the really unique partnerships they have with Sesame Street, American Airlines, and more to come
• (49:08) The final advice she has for aspiring entrepreneurs, 

https://partakefoods.com/

“The idea for Partake was born out of my frustration and disappointment as I shopped for products that she could safely eat, that tasted good, that had ingredients that I felt good about.

“I wanted to create a brand that was cool enough that people without food allergies would want to eat.”

“I started thinking about if I'm gonna leave a career I love I need to make sure I have manufacturing, product development,  a place to make this, and that I know how to make this at mass scale so that I feel comfortable leaving my career.”

“Initially we were a self-funded self,-distributed cookie company, which meant I was selling products out of my car to natural food stores in the New York market, and I was bootstrapping it with my own personal savings.”

“It was really important for me to have an understanding of the penny by penny finances of the business.”

“Build a founder community. It's hard for anyone unless they've been on this journey, to understand what it's like and the good things and the bad things that come along with it.”

“Growth is great, but with it comes challenges”

“People want to feel valued and respected and they want leaders who tell them the truth and who are vulnerable.”

“You're so in the weeds and in the business that you know it better than anyone else does. I think you start to feel when you need to make those shifts.”

“Sometimes the best leaders are servant leaders.”

“Remember that your journey is your own and it's okay to start small.”

“I would also suggest that people don't wish away the journey, which I'm very guilty of. When I was selling cookies out of my car, I couldn’t wait to get into Whole Foods, and then I couldn’t wait till we get into Target, and I didn't savor those moments. When they're gone, they're gone. You get to experience that national launch once, you get to experience the first launch once. So savor those moments because that's the whole journey is the destination.”