Startup Renegades

Courtney Brockmeyer is the founder & CEO of Sydney Paige Inc. and its 501(c)(3) non-profit arm, the Sydney Paige Foundation. She founded the company in 2013 as a buy one, give one benefit corporation that sells backpacks and school supplies where for every product sold, a matching product is donated to a child in need. In addition to traditional consumer sales, the company focuses on building partnerships with businesses in order to donate in higher volumes while engaging employees in community giving. 

Courtney dives into great actionable advice on:

• How motherhood can change your entrepreneurial perspective and the focus of your business
• Gaining large sponsorships and the benefits they can offer small business entrepreneurs
• The difference between entering the retail space versus eCommerce and which is the right path for you

Join Shauna and Courtney as they discuss finding the right path to take for your business and how Google can be an entrepreneur’s best friend.

Connect with your host on Instagram @shauna.armitage and visit www.startuprenegades.com/become-a-renegade to join the free Renegades Community.

Trade Street Jam Co. is a minority and woman-certified small-batch jam company founded by Ashley Rouse. Ashley, who's been a chef for almost 15 years, created the name for the company in 2008 while living in an apartment on Trade Street in North Carolina. Now, some 10 years later, Ashley and her Brooklyn-based company create fruit-forward and clean tasting vegan jams that are low in sugar and high in flavor. 

In this episode, Ashley gets real about: 

• Knowing when to take the leap from side hustle to full time gig with your startup
• The importance of face-to-face interactions with your customers and how to build connections with them 
• Mentoring young entrepreneurs to help them learn and grow to start their own business someday as well as inspiring them through representation in the entrepreneurial field 

Listen in to this raw and honest conversation with Ashley as she talks about the difficulties startup founders will face along their entrepreneurial journey. Listen to Ashley's episode here.

Connect with your host on Instagram @shauna.armitage and visit www.startuprenegades.com/become-a-renegade to join the free Renegades Community.

Heide Iravani is the co-founder of Piccolina, a mission-driven kids lifestyle brand dedicated to empowering today’s young children to become tomorrow’s change-makers and problem solvers! From their non-traditionally themed apparel for girls to their Trailblazer series highlighting prolific women in history, every product from Piccolina is designed to inspire. And not just the brand, but the story behind the brand is going to inspire you as well.

In this episode, Heide gives listeners great tips and trick for:

• Setting a test budget for new paid media strategies 
• Capitalizing off of organic growth the company has gained to take the marketing strategy to the next level
• Creating profitable running ads without breaking the bank

Tune in to tap into the brilliant business mind of Heide Iravani and hear just how inspiring her entrepreneurial journey really is. Check out Heide's episode here.

Connect with your host on Instagram @shauna.armitage and visit www.startuprenegades.com/become-a-renegade to join the free Renegades Community.

Lauren Borowick and Ali Borowick Zmishlany are the co-founders of Fatty Sundays and what a journey they have been on together. Their mom, Karen, was the queen of making drool-worthy treats and putting together the ultimate gift packages for any occasion, big or small. 

So in 2010, Ali and Lauren had this "aha" moment when they decided that they were going to go into business sharing this favorite sweet and salty treat of theirs with the world. They gave their mom's famous recipe a refresh, created a line of gourmet pretzels in never-been-done-before flavors. And they are a mission to reinvent and modernize the chocolate covered pretzel. (Spoiler alert: They’re totally doing it.)

Now based in a cute (and much bigger!) kitchen in Brooklyn, NY, their family business continues to grow, with a rockstar team that helps them each step of the way!

Listen in to hear how Ali and Lauren scaled from their mother’s kitchen into the successful startup they are today by:

• Perfecting the art of market research by providing samples to anyone who would try their pretzels to gain feedback
• Growing their two-woman team with people who compliment their own skill sets
• Knowing when to pivot and letting go of the emotions holding you back from it

This sassy and savvy pair of sisters dig deep and give great advice on how to find your place in the market and how to handle all the distinct challenges that come with starting a business. Check out Amanda and Sarah's episode here.

Connect with your host on Instagram @shauna.armitage and visit www.startuprenegades.com/become-a-renegade to join the free Renegades Community.

Priyanka is a strategist, technologist, entrepreneur, speaker, blogger, and mom to 2 boys. She is passionate about raising tech-ready citizens and creating opportunities with technology. 

Priyanka founded PopSmartKids with a bold mission of reimagining screentime to inspire the budding creators, writers, and thinkers of tomorrow. Her company has launched PopSmartWrite, a story-writing app that empowers parents and educators to mentor the next generation of authors. 

In this episode, you’ll hear Priyanka discuss:

• The importance of seeking advice as a first-time startup founder from others who have been through the process before
• Seeking market validation by really connecting with people in your target market 
• Finding keywords from Google trends and utilizing them in your messaging and social media
• Opportunities that can be found through the act of pitching your idea publicly 

Join Shauna and Priyanka as they talk about the learning curve every entrepreneur experiences and how to have the best of both worlds when it comes to technology and creativity. Check out Amanda and Sarah's episode here.

Connect with your host on Instagram @shauna.armitage and visit www.startuprenegades.com/become-a-renegade to join the free Renegades Community.

Alex West Steinman is co-founder and CEO of The Coven, a community and workspace for women and non-binary people. A 2019 Bush Fellow and one of Inc. Magazine's 100 Female Founders, she paves the way for more inclusive workplaces. In addition to her passion for the economic empowerment and advancement of women, she raises tiny humans alongside her husband and enjoys sharing insights with budding entrepreneurs and leaders. 

Alex shared her amazing story of how she and her co-founders were inspired by pain points they were experiencing in their own lives and launched The Coven. They quickly realized that the goal they had to make the lives of women and non binary people better was shared by not just them, but the greater community as well. She walks us through the journey from idea straight through to opening the spaces to the incredible impact it has had on their community.

In this episode, Alex gives great advice on how to:

• Conduct effective market research and make your target audience feel like part of the building process
• Utilize your network to further your crowdfunding efforts
• Balance the responsibilities of having multiple co-founders to help your startup reach its fullest potential

Tune in as Alex and Shauna discuss the unique origin story of The Coven and the social impact it has made on it’s community. Check out Marissa's episode here.

Connect with your host on Instagram @shauna.armitage and visit www.startuprenegades.com/become-a-renegade to join the free Renegades Community.

Amanda Wojtas founded the Eternal Fleur in December 2017 in the heart of New York City.  With a love for flowers and a passion for making others happy, Amanda realized she could create something out of both since they go hand-in-hand; flowers make people happy. Recognizing that the fresh floral industry was highly saturated, Amanda shifted her focus towards long-lasting arrangements.

Sarah joined forces with Amanda in January 2021 as Eternal Fleur’s Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer eager to open new verticals, elevate, and operationalize the company as a whole. With a passion for environmental preservation and helping others, Sarah was captivated by Eternal Fleur’s socially conscious vision. 

In this episode, Amanda and Sarah give you a “how-to” guide on:

• Finding a co-founder and what to look for in potential business partners
• Utilizing social media influencers properly and converting website traffic into sales
• Keeping current customers happy (retention) while still gaining new customers (acquisition)

 Listen in to find out how this powerhouse duo came to be and how they are keeping Eternal Fleur blooming! Check out Amanda and Sarah's episode here.

Connect with your host on Instagram @shauna.armitage and visit www.startuprenegades.com/become-a-renegade to join the free Renegades Community.

As a serial entrepreneur, making a difference drives Marissa Goldstein. Rafi Nova is named for her four children Raya, Efi, Noa, and Eyva, and co-founded with her husband, Adam. Its mission is to encourage families to adventure near and far by outfitting them with fair-trade products and accessories. The company launched in early 2020 with backpacks designed to make family travel as easy as possible.

Global travel bans forced the company to pivot within weeks from travel accessories to face masks to slow the spread of COVID-19, which helped scale Rafi Nova into a 7-figure business.

Marissa gives great advice on how to:

• Create a product prototype to scale from
• Navigate the risks with funding yourself and how to utilize a crowdfunding campaign
• Leave emotions out of the decision to pivot your original business idea to help your startup scale 

Join Marissa and Shauna as they talk about the struggles a startup can face during a global pandemic and how pivoting is essential to finding success. Check out Marissa's episode here.

Connect with your host on Instagram @shauna.armitage and visit www.startuprenegades.com/become-a-renegade to join the free Renegades Community.

Tanvi V. Abbhi and Dr. Nora Zetsche are the co-founders of Veta Health, a digital health solution that optimizes health outcomes through evidence-based medicine and protocol-based care pathways.

Veta Health was founded out of a shared aim to deliver greater transparency in healthcare. The platform equips patients on their healthcare journeys beyond the four walls of traditional healthcare facilities, giving them the information they need while simultaneously enabling clinicians to deliver more timely and effective care. Both women were selected to Business Insider’s 2018 30 Under 40 in health tech list.

In this episode Tanvi and Nora discuss:

• The difficulties of navigating the healthcare industry and breaking barriers in healthcare tech 
• Focusing on your product-market fit and how to find solutions for your customers’ problems without adding to the challenges they face
• Utilizing your network to propel your business forward

Listen in to hear how this dynamic duo is changing the healthcare tech industry for the better and the growth strategies they’ve used to do so. Check out Tanvi and Nora's episode here.

Connect with your host on Instagram @shauna.armitage and visit www.startuprenegades.com/become-a-renegade to join the free Renegades Community.

Ashmit Patel is the founder of Ahista Tea—a luxury tea brand that specializes in single-batch teas, culturally-inspired blends, and contemporary ceramics. Ahista Tea compiles a collection of bespoke blends and experimental teas each year from India and regions that are historically influenced by Indian culture. 

In this episode, Ashmit discusses:

• How your business model can have a higher purpose and create social change in your industry
• Taking investments and how a slower approach to growth can help you stay focused on what the brand truly needs to scale
• The benefits of Instagram and the difference between using the platform to grow both organically and inorganically to push your brand forward

Tune in to gain some actionable advice on growing your brand online while finding inspiration in Ashmit’s story and learn how he is revolutionizing the tea industry.  Check out Ashmit's episode here.

Connect with your host on Instagram @shauna.armitage and visit www.startuprenegades.com/become-a-renegade to join the free Renegades Community.