Q&A with Entrepreneur, Mary Tiffin

Mary Tiffin serves as Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director at Mangata, LLC.

She is the creator of RunLites, wearable safety lights for the outdoor enthusiast.

1). Can you tell our readers about your background?

My career is a combination of fashion and tech.  Upon graduation from college I started in the Accessories Market in NYC.  I worked in that business for a number of years.  When I relocated to Pennsylvania, I had to change careers.  It was in my new home state that I learned voice and data networking-- so the fateful career marriage of fashion and tech was born.  On a personal level, I am a widowed (single) mother of 3 sons, Christopher (21), Michael (17) and Stephen (15) and dog mom to Moochie (4) an Olde English Bulldog.

2). What inspired you to start your business?

After I sent my first son to college, I was relieved that I made it to that point.  My husband had died 12 year prior and I was working really hard to raise my sons alone.  It was very challenging at times.  I went to a college for women and worked in fashion. What did I know about boys?  Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails!!!  So, when I delivered Christopher to his school, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.  I felt that I’d made it (more or less) with juggling the activities, emotions, and the schedules of 3 very busy sons.  It was at that point that I began running again. I needed to get back into shape.  Because I still had two very busy boys still at home, the only time that I could run was at night.  I would run when all of their homework, sports & activities were complete, mostly at night and in the dark. Since running in the dark isn’t the safest, I decided to create a product to help make me feel safe and light my way.

3). Where is your business based?

We are based in Central Pennsylvania but we have partners around the world.

4). How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Quite literally with each step of my run.  I used many of my nightly runs as product testing runs.  Our roads and trails became our testing labs, and we literally refined the design on the run.  It was great and a real-world application.  After I created prototype design, I worked with my local Small Business Development Center and they were able to assist me with a suite of startup resources including patent research and engineering assistance.

5). What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

There were several ways.  We chose an organic approach to advertising and built our brand through the typical social networking channels.  We also sought earned advertising opportunities in media that made sense to us.  But breaking into a business that is dominated by some very large names is very difficult, so we did a lot of higher profile running events and marathons to introduce our products and partnered with companies with similar goals and values.

6). What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

We have entered into a market that is dominated by big names that have greater resources than ours.  We work every day to overcome them by being genuine and remaining focused on why we do what we do. 

7). How do you stay focused?

I meditate regularly, so focus is not something that I struggle with.  Also, I find my work very interesting so it’s easy to stay focused.

8). How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Since we created this product from the ground up, we feel that we understand the safety needs of our customers. We never really satisfied with the status quo.  As soon as we produce a product, we are looking to improve it.  Our approach to our business is that our customers are equal partners.  They trust us to help keep them safe and we trust our customers to give us true and real feedback on how we can make their lives better.  They talk and we listen.  We’re great listeners.  Our customers have a tremendous impact on our product design and direction.  Because we are very attuned to their needs and feedback, we are able to act quickly on their suggestions. It helps that we all share in the same passions of health, wellness and physical activity! We know what they expect from us because we have the same needs in our own journeys.

9). What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

We’ve focused on our identity and branding to build a strong and genuine customer base. Aligning with organizations who are minded with similar missions and beliefs have been at the core of our networking, plus a strategic plan of advertising and social media strategy. You’ve got to kind of be everywhere at once if you can—the internet makes the world an even bigger place!

10). What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Your business is like a marriage.  You better be in madly love with it and be in it for the long haul.  You need to feel that way because when you have bumps in the road (and you will have many!) it’s going to be very easy to want to just throw in the towel and do something else.  You need tenacity, courage and a high degree of commitment.  The same values/qualities that you need in a marriage you will need here, because in a way, you will be married to your business!

11). What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

I have a new favorite book every week. I love to read! I just read the “Life is Good” by Bert & John Jacobs.  I enjoyed learning about their company values and their very long and arduous journey to their great success.

12). What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

There are just too many to list!  With my team in different locations, and existing as an online business, we rely on many applications/programs.  I guess my favorite tool is my cell phone because I’m able to access my business and programs from anywhere at any time.

13). Who is your business role model? Why?

In a different sense one of my favorite (business-so to speak) leaders is Mother Teresa.  She was a woman who chose the most difficult work, did it quietly with zero resources, and gained international acclaim all the while not seeking attention.

14). What do you have planned for the next six months?

We’re introducing our product into new markets and increasing our partners.  We are very excited about the future!

15). How can our readers connect with you?

They can follow us on Instagram at @RunLites, follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @RunLites, too!

Q&A with Renee Redman

In 1994, The Stationery Studio began as a home business for its entrepreneurial founder Renee Redman.  Her home was filled with personalized stationery, invitations and gift ideas for local shoppers whom she met with by appointment. Over time, she developed a small website, TheStationeryStudio.com, which has evolved over the past 23 years to be one of the largest premier personalized stationery and gift businesses in the country, currently offering more than 15,000 personalized items. Recently they achieved 1 million orders to social, corporate and celebrity customers.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

In the 1980s, I started in Chicago television production and then moved into the area of public relations, helping clients generate publicity and media coverage.  When my children were young, I created some invitations and stationery and was encouraged to expand. With the added perk of having my kids at home with me, I shifted gears by starting my own home business selling personalized invitations, gifts and stationery.  I was able to create my own unique style with this business that provided me flexibility and independence.  I never imagined that it would grow to the size that it has and continue to achieve greater growth.

What inspired you to start your business?

I was looking for an opportunity to contribute to the family economically, be engaged in satisfying work, and be able to spend time with my children at home when they were very young.  Once I realized that there was a market for personalized items, I wanted to capitalize on that opportunity.  One thing kept leading to another.  From selling in my home to selling at friend’s homes, then to holiday boutiques, I eventually started a small website built on a commercial platform. Once the business outgrew the tools available on our then-platform, we moved forward and developed a custom-built application to handle our growing needs.  We are many iterations into our expanded capabilities and continue to grow. We now showcase more than 15,000 unique products.

Where is your business based?

Our office is in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.  We are 100% web-based with a full staff of customer service support, a team of full-time graphic artists, and a staff of dedicated professionals who manage the products and website growth.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

After many years of meeting with customers face to face, I needed to find a way to expand my customer base and be able to showcase the growing product list. Web-based platforms were still new, but we thought it would offer us a new tool to reach customers. 

A web-based platform offered us versatility that printed catalogs didn’t.  Websites were just becoming popular at the time and we first used a pre-packaged website tool, built, at the time, as a summer project by our 15-year old nephew. We spent many months taking photographs and scanning them and then one-by-one uploaded the images onto the website.  Nothing was quick back then.  There were no digital cameras and technology was very slow.  To this day, we have not stopped building our technology but everything moves much more quickly. 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?  

Initially, I followed the Tupperware model, meaning bringing my items to friend’s homes where they invited a group of friends to view and purchase.  Also, I was sure to give everyone a magnet with my contact information on it which lead to repeated sales in the future.  Once we went online with our first small website, we advertised on Yahoo which was affordable, easy and effective. 

Today, we have a complex advertising strategy which includes Google, Yahoo, Bing and more. We have a mailing list of around 200,000 to whom we send out regular email promotions.  We have a Facebook presence with over 25,000 followers. We utilize Instagram, twitter, snapchat, YouTube and Google+. We also work with many high-profile bloggers to review our products which have been especially effective. Additionally, we’ve enjoyed a nice amount of major media coverage over the years including The Today Show, on Martha Stewart Weddings, HGTV magazine, "O" The Oprah Magazine, Bustle.com, The Wall Street Journal, In Style, Real Simple, and other highly-acclaimed media outlets.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Technology constantly changes. Keeping up with that is a challenge.  While we are one of the largest personalized stationery and gift websites in the country, our competition has resources we don’t have. 

In addition, the area of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is ever-changing and we have to ensure we are managing this effectively through organic and paid advertising.  Advertising online has become more difficult year after year. With many thousands of keywords for a large website like ours, we work hard to maintain top positions. As well, the cost of online search engine advertising continues to increase, affecting our acquisition cost.   

Another challenge for our business is that communication styles have changed from printed notes and invitations to less formal, electronic communication. Recently, however, we have seen a reemergence by millennials who are showing they appreciate personalized products.

How do you stay focused?

Making time before work hours helps me tremendously.  I make sure to take time to go to the gym which helps me stay strong and clear my mind.  Sometimes that’s the hardest part of the day – as getting up in the 5’oclock hour isn’t always fun, especially on a bitterly cold day.  I’ve also made an enormous effort to overhaul my diet and work hard to incorporate a healthy lifestyle.  I’ve also recently started doing yoga for relaxation. All this helps balance the stress of running a website 24/7.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Being in business for 23 years, we’ve grown a truly dedicated customer base who eagerly recommend us. Our website is a one-stop location for personalized products. We are a wonderful resource for many types of personalized gifts, invitations, holiday cards and party supplies. Furthermore, we’ve developed a staff whom, many of them, around 10+ years.  Their wealth of experience with personalized products is very deep and they are the heart of our business. They treat each order with care.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?  

With so many social media outlets today there have to be multiple strategies.  We have an in-house public relations manager who has secured many placements in major magazines, newspapers and television shows around the country.  Plus, we work with many high-profile bloggers to have them review our products. In addition, we combine online remarketing strategies with online advertising. Finally, this year we started our Tastemakers program where lifestyle experts review some of our products and post their images and reviews on their channels. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs? 

Keep going no matter how hard things get.  Focus on your successes, even if they are small, not your failures.  If you fail at something, figure out a new way to do manage that task and try again.  Just keep going.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  The normal person would not tolerate the unique challenges involved in being an entrepreneur.  An entrepreneur creates their own path and there will be good days and bad days, but just keep moving forward.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why? 

My favorite app is Zappos. Ok, I love shoes.  They do it well.  I love the way they utilize animation. My favorite blog is Cookie + Kate.  I just found out about it this year – they feature healthy eating ideas and recipes.  Their lifestyle suggestions are very motivating. My new favorite book is Born a Crime by Trevor Noah.  We were in South Africa this year and his writing style brings the country to life.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why? 

Google trends is pretty amazing and we check it often.  It’s an online search tool where we can see how often a keyword is searched.  Often, we refer to it when determining the spelling or phrasing for a product or category (i.e. Hanukkah or Chanukah; Condolence cards or Sympathy cards; Holiday Photo Cards or Christmas Photo Cards, etc.) and we also refer to it to see when search terms start peaking. We want to be sure we are advertising holiday and events at the right time of year. We wouldn’t want to spend money advertising Valentine’s day in December if we knew customers begin searching for their gifts in January, would we?

Who is your business role model? Why? 

Oprah Winfrey is inspiring to me.  She is a true success story. From very humble beginnings she started her journey as a news reader and reporter She moved to Chicago in the late 1980’s to host a WLS-TV talk show, which would eventually become the highest rated television program of its kind.  She had a knack for building her own brand.  She took a leap and separated from the ABC network and built her OWN TV studio in Chicago and nationally syndicated her program.  She employed many talented people, built a network, created a magazine, starred in films in her spare time, and became a tremendous influencer and philanthropist.     

What do you have planned for the next six months?

We are in the middle of developing a refresh of our website in order to become more mobile friendly.  This will also modernize our ordering tools and overall look.  It’s a long-term project and we are in the middle of the development but it should be public in Spring 2018.  

How can our readers connect with you?

Readers can reach me at Renee@TheStationeryStudio.com

Social media channels:

Facebook

Pinterest

twitter

Google+

YouTube

Instagram

Q&A with Magazine Publisher & Entrepreneur, Jaclyn Zukerman

Jaclyn Zukerman is a complete self-starter and entrepreneur. In 2015, she started her side hustle running a radio podcast from her guest bedroom closet. Three years later, due to her social media presence, she is proud to say she has become FULL-TIME self-employed and turned her podcast into an entertainment business filled with all different types of marketing/media services! www.jzsocialenterprises.com.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Yes! I have a background in event planning for over 10 years and also worked in casting and media placement work for TV/Movies/Broadway for over three years. Once the Casting company closed, I relocated to Boston from New York to be with my now fiancé. When I first relocated, I worked on Top Chef Season 12 as the Assistant Stylist to Padma Lakshmi. It was for sure a whirlwind of an experience. The day I moved, I got the job and the next day I had my first day of work. It was an amazing experience and met some of my icons including Andy Cohen!  Once the show was over, everyone went back to New York and Los Angeles and I was out of work and needed to figure out WHAT was NEXT for me.

 What inspired you to start your business?

Once Top Chef ended, I really was doing a lot of self-discovery. All of my family and friends at the time were all back in New York. I really knew no one in the Boston area. When I say no one except my fiancé and his family that was really the truth. It was hard to get out of my comfort zone to make friends and find a job all at ONE TIME.

After interviewing at a bunch of different places, I knew I wanted to one day be my own boss. I grew up an entrepreneurial family with my father and brother owning their own businesses. I always loved the excitement of the entertainment world and knew one day I would end up there. I just was never sure how until I did my research and experimenting with research I learned online!

 Where is your business based?

My business is based in Everett, MA! (We are about 8 minutes North of Downtown Boston.)

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

After watching a TON of YouTube videos, I learned how to set up my own podcast system. A month later, due to having a background in Public Relations, graduating from IONA in 2011, I knew how to engage the right target market to promote people.  There, I started to promote start-ups, small businesses and events. Celebrities also started to come on my show. We talked all about how they got to where they are and what their current ventures were.

My guests were happy with the feedback they were receiving that my podcast guests turned into social media/public relations clients! So one of my outlets of business turned into another one!

Since I didn’t have any contacts in the media in Boston, I had been utilizing my social media as my main form of outreach. There, I connected with a few startup/small business magazines and started to promote some of my clientele there as well. After a few months of that, I found that the quality was NOT good and were NEVER on time and that was really starting to reflect me as my client's publicist.

Right then, I had an “aha” moment. I realized there was a way for me to do more for my clients. I wanted to create a tangible product that was going to be great quality and delivered on time. believe it or not, I went back to the drawing board,  watched more YouTube Videos and launched my second media outlet, my magazine- NEXTonSCENE ® and officially trademarked that and my podcast in December of 2017!

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

SOCIAL MEDIA! Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Within six months of launching my magazine, I had such big traction, I was receiving threats to change the name of my magazine or they were going to take action. As soon as I got my first threat, I connected with an amazing trademark lawyer and a little over a year later our trademark officially went through. If I have one form of advice, STAY STRONG. Bullying is really a thing, it was a rough patch for me.

How do you stay focused?

Creating structure. Allowing “me time” in the morning which includes my daily gratitude journal and working out. Then I am ready to take on the day full force. I also live on my phone calendar!

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

The concept of my brand is to showcase “What’s NEXT” for you. I want to be the first source to release your newest business venture, your next destination, your NEXT outfit you should try on and WHY!

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Being consistent on social media and being e-mail savvy.  

What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Be open to options. Change is good it is only what can make you better!

What’s your favorite app, blog, and book? Why? 

Favorite app: CANVA! I love love Canva, it allows you to create your own image with text, stock free, and people LOVE the custom touch to posts on social media. Favorite blog: anything that includes words of wisdom quotes! I also really love articles when people open up and are vulnerable about sharing their truth in their careers/successes. It puts your life into perspective that you are NOT alone and life isn’t perfect.

What’s your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Same as above, love my Canva!

Who is your business role model? Why?

I have a few business role models, but two that come to the top of my head is Mark Cuban and Bethenny Frankel. Both started from the bottom and are complete self-starters! I admire it and really know that if you work hard and put your mind to something you can get whatever you want in this life!

What do you have planned for the next six months?

IFUNDWOMEN is in Boston currently and it is a crowdfunding campaign to help women-owned business in the Boston area! I plan on launching mine to help grow my podcast to the next level and simulcast to a video segment as well and invest in a new MacBook Air! I also am scheduling appointments to get my printed magazines in local newsstands /stores and having a fashion show promoting amazing up and coming designers in the Boston area April 5th!

How can our readers connect with you?

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jzsocialenterprises

www.facebook.com/getscenetoday

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jzsocialent

www.twitter.com/nextonscene

IG: www.instagram.com/jackiezuk

www.instagram.com/nextonscene

Top 15 Women to Watch in 2018 this International Women's Day

To celebrate International Women's Day, we've scoured the web to find the most promising female entrepreneurs.  Here is the first list of women who are disrupting their industries and making changes to female entrepreneurship in a big way.  This list focuses on the up and coming female entrepreneurs rather than the usual suspects.

Meet the women who are paving the way to make a change as well as the future for the younger generations. 

Clarissa Shetler, Co-founder, C2 California Clean, Doctor of Pharmacy

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

Understanding that we may have to work twice as hard as a male but it's all worth it.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

Connect with other business women. Don't be shy and reach out. Females want to help other females succeed. We always love helping others and sharing our advice.

Danni Lin, Founder and CEO, GREAT WINE, Inc.

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

We still see many women living with gender stereotyping and gender inequality. The biggest social assumption is that family should always be a woman’s top and only priority in life, not her career or passion.

As a female entrepreneur, I always think that confidence is the roots of beauty. Every woman is unique and uniquely beautiful because they all have a different life experience.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

There will be ups and downs in the progress of setting up a business. At the up times, you may want to ride on the tides and go faster. At down times, remain confident and work hard to achieve your goals. Successful entrepreneurs are people who do not give up.

Danielle Tate, Founder & CEO MissNowMrs.com

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

Overcoming fear of failure is a huge challenge. Instead of the glass ceiling of Corporate America, we have the "sticky floor" of entrepreneurship. Amazing women can think of every reason why they are under-qualified to start a company, why it will fail, or why someone else would do a better job as the founder.

It's incredibly frustrating to have these conversations. Statistics have shown that women entrepreneurs return a significantly higher ROI than men, and I believe we have a moral obligation to solve the problems we encounter or no one else will.

Once we have our startups, finding funding as a woman is difficult. I'm excited to see more and more women-focused venture funds and hope to see more women have huge exits that give them the ability to become angel investors in women-led startups. It will take time, but positive change is coming.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

Begin with the end in mind. Pinpointing exactly what you want out of your startup before you start will help you make strategic decisions that make your dream a reality. Knowing if you want to build a lifestyle company, versus a 3-year flip, or ten-year unicorn will make finding a co-founder or investors with a similar vision easier. It also helps you avoid waking up 5 years into a business and realizing you don't have the company or life that makes you happy.

Michelle Lewis, Visibility Expert and Founder of Visibility Vixen 

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

I believe this is the most opportunistic time in history for female entrepreneurs online.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

Do your research, don’t just jump. Know your purpose, find your unique voice in your industry, outline your product path. I see the most frustration from people because they want an entrepreneur lifestyle, but they spend months struggling with no income because these steps aren’t in place.

Kristen Baird, CEO and CVO, Kristen Baird

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

The fine jewelry industry is male-dominated, generationally owned, and characterized by mass-manufacturing. I'm a female entrepreneur, a first generation business owner, and a proponent of handcrafted fine jewelry. Shaking up the "norm" and gaining respect from my peers (mostly male) has been the most challenging part of my business and I would say that is one of the greatest challenges most female founders face today.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

Relationships are imperative. Align yourself with positive, driven individuals across all industries, in all age groups, and from all backgrounds. They will be your tribe and you will need them through thick and thin. Likewise, it's not just a "take" situation. Be a giver and share with your tribe and the generations coming behind you.

Amy Hutchins, Chief Product Officer, Unearth Technologies

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

Fundraising is one of the hardest parts of any startup, something that’s especially true for female entrepreneurs. When looking at statistics, about 28% of proprietary software jobs are held by women, whereas only 7% of VC partners are women. Fundraising is largely driven by networks and its difficult to break into a male-dominated network.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

Work on something you're passionate about and work with people you're passionate about. Every step of a startup journey can be exceedingly difficult, and the more successful you are, the harder it becomes. Working on a business idea that motivates you, and working with people that push you to be the best personally and professionally, are the two key ingredients to providing the momentum you need to get through the tough times.

Christine Hutchison, Co-Founder and CMO, Proxfinity

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

Access to capital.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

You have to have gut and perseverance. Don't take failures to heart. Learn from them and make it better the next time. I am constantly asking for constructive feedback because I know we can always do things better.

Josephine Caminos Oria, Founder and President, La Dorita Cooks, LLC

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

I believe the greatest challenges women founders face today are not related to their gender but inherent to entrepreneurship itself. And that's access to funding. While it's been proven that women face greater obstacles than men when seeking traditional funding through financial institutions, I believe that this will change in 2018 as a result of the women's movement for equality.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

The #MeToo movement has cleared the path for female founders in 2018. So I offer, "Get out of your own way, and get to it."

Joanna Dai, Founder, Dai

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

Compared to finance, my experience in fashion so far has been a far less male-dominated and a more level playing field. I've read the statistics on female founders receiving funding versus male founders, which has been quite discouraging. We have not gone for funding so I can't attest to that first-hand but it's great to see a wealth of support and networks for female entrepreneurs out there.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

Take your time doing market research and product/brand development so you can really hone in on how and why you're unique.

Brianna Carney, Founder, Crew Bloom

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

Work-life balance and an expectation for female founders to lead like male counterparts.
There’s a pressure for female founders to be stoic and suppress their emotions and passion. It’s unfair because our ability to feel and to vividly express ourselves is one of our biggest assets.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

Find smart people because you are only one person, and treat them well.

Carin Luna-Ostaseski, Founder, SIA Scotch Whisky

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

Fundraising. Unfortunately, we're still very much at a time and in an environment where women face a challenge raising capital. I hope to turn the tables someday with a fund that helps fellow female spirits entrepreneurs.

In the meantime, every year for the past 4 years, SIA Scotch Whisky has contributed a percentage of our gross sales to a different organization that helps support women start and run their own businesses.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

Ask for what you want. You will get rejected, absolutely ... and then one day, you won't.  I didn't know anyone in the spirits industry when I set out to create my brand. So I reached out to 80 people for help - every single distillery I'd ever visited, every name and resource I found in magazines, books, online. I got 80 "no's" (no we can't help you, no we are not interested, no you are crazy....) and came close to throwing in the towel a few times, but I persisted. And then finally on the 81st time, I found the person who was the one who changed everything for me. And this door to this "old boy's club" was opened to me by a woman!

Vikki Hankins-Jones, CEO and Founder, VMH Media/Publishing - VMH Magazine

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

I find the most challenging area for female founders is the male-dominated market in my field. Although a great deal of progress has taken place, women are not taken as seriously as their male continuer parts. Further women, in particular women of color, have to work ten times as hard to gain recognition for their brands.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

My best piece of advice for young entrepreneurs is to believe in their mission, product, services. When the going gets tough it is your 'belief' that will bring the tenacity needed to reach your goals.

Serena Holmes, President & CEO, Tigris Events

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

I don’t think female founders necessarily face bigger or different challenges than their male counterparts but I’m sure this could be dependent on the industry.

As a business owner starting out, I think some of the biggest challenges may include creating a point of difference in a competitive marketplace, learning to manage cash flow well and understanding how to work on your business while also working in it. That is a challenging balancing act until you are able to grow a team to support you.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

Get help as soon as you can. Find a mentor or hire a coach. This will help you accelerate your learning and in turn, your growth. I didn’t get help until eight years in and it made the world of difference. I wish I had done it sooner.

Cynthia Jamin, Owner and Designer, TwirlyGirl

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

I do believe women buy into the stereotypes that are pervasive in our society. It takes a lot of self-determination and confidence to go against these social norms. A lot of them being centered around either women settling for less because they feel they wouldn't be able to compete in the business world (a "man's" world), or they feel obligated to be just a mother or just a wife.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

Be willing to put in the work and be open to learning everything you can about every aspect of your business. Don't just hire people right from the beginning to do the jobs that you might not be interested in, or feel you don't have that skill set. There is nothing you can't learn. It's through actively being a part of "the every day" that you get to see what works and what doesn't.

You will have first-hand knowledge of how you want things done because you have done them. Growing a business is so much more than just getting sales, it's about creating a whole world, an environment that people interact with. It's a big responsibility that requires your full attention. Be prepared for long hours and no weekends off, but in the end, it's so worth it.

Steph Webster, Co-Founder, Miss Collective

She says the biggest challenge female founders face in business is:

A lot of the women that I've met through the industry and through our Miss Collective network tells me just how prevalent the confidence gap is. I meet incredible women who I'm inspired by, who really doubt their own contribution or level of accomplishment. I'd love to see us continue to work together as an industry to help break down the confidence gap and the barriers that it can create.

As a founder, you have to be a good leader, so you have to find ways to believe in yourself and project that confidence to teams and those around you to keep driving your business forward.

Best piece of advice she has for female entrepreneurs:

Follow something you're passionate about! Sounds so cliche and I know common, but for me, the things I've pursued in business have resonated strongly with me personally. I founded a mobile application called Barkparks, because I wanted a tool to find fenced dog parks for my foster dogs.

Miss Collective started because I found a lack of support for women in my industry and wanted to find a way to give back to the community and help other women. It shouldn't be a stretch to get excited about the business you want to create!

Stay tuned for our next installment coming on March 15th!

Q&A with Entrepreneur, Amy Hutchins

Amy Hutchins is a product Leader with 10+ years experience shipping cloud-based solutions ranging from product conception stage to massive scale.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Prior to founding Unearth, I led Product Management for buuteeq, a digital marketing platform for the hospitality industry acquired by The Priceline Group in 2014. I’ve also held various roles at Microsoft, the most recent being a Senior Program Manager for Microsoft Account, their consumer identity service. I graduated from Duke University where I split my time (and degrees) between two passions, computer science and Roman history.

What inspired you to start your business?

I've always had a passion for finding creative ways to use technology to improve workplace productivity, especially where it concerns eliminating mundane, repetitive tasks that drain time and motivation.

When I started talking with two of my most respected colleagues about an idea to apply technology to solve the productivity crisis in construction, I knew I had to jump on the opportunity.

Construction is one of the few remaining industries that has yet to experience a tech-powered productivity revolution. We knew our combined backgrounds in tech and construction could create a product with the potential to push construction into the future. The momentum was palpable and I've never looked back.

Where is your business based?

Our office overlooks Lake Union in the trendy Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Quitting my job and finding the right co-founders were the first two steps I took.  But the very next step was talking to prospective customers and learning about the industry.  

The more customers we talked to, the more we understood their lives and their unique workplace frustrations. It gave us fuel to power the ideation phase of our product. It also served to validate our product-market fit, so we knew there would be interest in what we were doing once we went to market.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Our sixth hire was a content marketer with a background in SEO and digital marketing. He’s used a combination of PR, email marketing, and organic marketing to raise awareness of our company.

Marketing your startup, especially when you’re just getting started, is a time-consuming, challenging endeavor. That’s why we found the most effective way to accomplish the task was to hire someone with the background to manage those efforts on their own.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Personally, my biggest challenge has been learning to suck at things and getting over it.  As a founder, I was not only focused on product and engineering, my background, but I found myself leading early marketing efforts, being a one-man Customer Success team and many other roles I had zero experience in.  I quickly had to get over the feeling of being new at certain aspects of a business and dive headfirst into the enjoyment of learning new skills, fast.

How do you stay focused?

An unhealthy reliance on Google Calendar and Evernote Todo lists!  

But, in all seriousness, I identify 2-3 goals to focus on for the month and write them at the top of my todo list. Every time I add something to the list I prioritize it based on how it fits into my goals, then I cross them off one by one.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

We’ve used the concept of place to differentiate ourselves from the competition. Humans naturally think and organize their lives by place. It’s how we evolved to interact with the natural world.

The construction industry is filled with software vendors that base their UX on digitally mimicking the pen and paper processes that have dominated construction for decades. While this is helpful in many scenarios, it fails to take advantage of the full range of tools that modern software can make available to the industry.

We believe we can do better than that by using construction’s preference for a place to help organize and communicate about their incredibly complex projects, effectively creating a shift in how people think about the construction process.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

We’ve seen the most direct business growth from our outbound email marketing. It’s the easiest way to get in front of customers and generate interest while you work on creating brand recognition.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

I often hear people say to keep a thick skin and be comfortable with ambiguity. From an attitude perspective, this is great advice, but there’s far more to starting a business than attitude.

Practically, the best advice I could give is to spend as much time as possible validating your idea at the outset. Do whatever it takes to get in front of your customers and talk to them. You should first make certain you’re positioned to execute on a winning idea, then push forward confidently with the data to back you up.

If you start out this way, you’ll be prepared for success when you face the inevitable challenges of starting a company.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

App

Evernote, it helps me keep track of all my thoughts in one place and is always accessible when I have a spur of the moment the idea.

Blog

Tomasz Tunguz gives great advice at all startup stages in bite-sized pieces. I archive all his newsletters in Gmail and often search through them when I come across a problem

Book

Exodus by Leon Uris. I chose a historical fiction novel because you need to make time for yourself as a founder. Your company can easily take over every aspect of your life if you let it.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I think the Google Suite of products has to be my favorite business tool, specifically Google Calendar, Gmail, and Drive. They’re ubiquitous, free, and simple. It helps you easily stay connected not only with your office, but with your entire network.

Who is your business role model? Why?

Elon Musk. His ability to realize his vision for creating a positive impact is remarkable. Every startup founder can learn from his example of setting a goal and then accomplishing it, no matter how far-fetched it may seem.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

We’ve got a lot on our plate for next six months, as we’ll be starting a crucial second year for the business in which need to show market traction. Our to-do list includes:

• Aggressive customer acquisition experiments: We need to figure out the optimal way to get people on our platform as quickly as possible so we can increase our user base.

• Ramping up with DCODE: We were accepted to a startup accelerator known as DCODE that focuses on helping young companies secure government contracts. Needless to say, this represents a huge source of potential revenue for us, and we will be focused heavily on entering this sector.

• Recruiting and hiring to double our product team: More customers requires more heads on our product, not to mention we have an aggressive development schedule for some of the more unique features that we will be launching this year.

• A two week trip to Chile as a 4-year belated honeymoon: As I mentioned, even with everything going on, you still have to make time for yourself. My husband and I have been putting this trip off long enough, and it’s time we make it a reality.

How can our readers connect with you?

LinkedIn

Twitter

Q&A with Dana Marlowe

As the founder of Accessibility Partners, Dana Marlowe is a leading force in her disability and accessibility advocacy IT consulting firm. Dana Marlowe directs a team of skilled accessibility engineers with and without disabilities. Her firm focuses on the removal of extraneous barriers in technology, with an ultimate corporate goal to make opportunities available for every individual using technology. Accessibility Partners boasts a roster of established clients spanning from Federal Agencies, Fortune 500 businesses, retail organizations, educational institutions, and non-profits to help them test, consult, and train on accessible IT products.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Wouldn’t you know it, but my first involvement in the digital space was when I was having a problem with a computer. Amidst my frustration, I was still excited to be in a space so focused on improving technology and making devices better for users. So, on Tuesday, a fifteen years ago I walked into a random computer store to seek help on a computer problem that needed to be fixed.

By chance, I happened to witness customers and staff using sign language in the store (cue the proverbial “aha” light bulb above my head). I immediately inquired and discovered that they also sold accessible IT products to the government to help employees with disabilities.

I soon recognized an opportunity to merge my two passions — disability advocacy and technology. Therefore, immediately I knew what I had to do. A week later, I went to pick up my computer from that store. I arrived in a business suit with my resume firmly planted in my hand. As I was later told, I sold myself to the owners. I was ecstatic to receive an offer.

Flash forward to 15 years later, and now I’m the principal partner of a company that helps make technology accessible for people with disabilities. We empower those with disabilities to gain access and communicate in the digital space when previous barriers may have hindered usage.

What inspired you to start your business?

When I was seven, I fondly remember an encounter with a friend at summer camp who was Deaf. I so badly wanted to strike up a conversation with my new friend but was unable to do so. Even as a young camper, I felt the urge that I should be able to communicate with everyone. I took classes through a local community college in sign language to springboard that communication.

I jumped from there to attending a technical university with a huge Deaf population. Majoring in communications made me realize the importance of technology in all facets of human interaction.

Where is your business based?

We are based in Washington, DC but everyone in the office works remotely. We have offices spanning the country, from Nebraska to Pennsylvania, Florida and Connecticut, Ohio and Indiana, and others. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

As a small company starting off in the rough economy of 2009, I recognized that our biggest investment had to come from within the human capital. I knew our employees beyond the partners had to get behind the concept that the compensation might be small in the beginning. The long-term investment came from disability advocacy. It was a risk worth taking. Accessibility Partners bought in with the intent to make the world and its technology a more accessible place.

As our success great, we shared our on-boarding plan of telework, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), hiring staff with disabilities, and advocacy with the companies we were working within an attempt to encourage them to do the same in their workforces.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

At Accessibility Partners, we like to practice what we preach. That comes in the way of accessible social media. We factor in how a user with disabilities would see our posts. Our communications staff will caption or provide a transcript for any audio or video we share. We also provide captions and alternative text for any image shared. Marketing is only as good as it is by the people who can read it. Accessibility Partners uses mainstream platforms, but puts accessible coding into our website and anytime we publish anything.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

We opened our doors, relatively, in the rough economy of 2009, when most small businesses were encouraged not to begin. I knew that we had to make some smart money choices if we wanted the company to take off.

Step one was operating on an agreed-upon telework model. This was non-negotiable. Our employees are spread across the country. Naturally, communication was the highest priority. Then, I proposed the idea of BYOD—Bring Your Own Device. That put the geographic and financial limitations to a halt as our staff picked the most accessible technology choices for them. We saved a lot of time and money not standardizing, and we empowered our workers with disabilities from the get-go.

How do you stay focused?

I like to stay grounded by mentally staying present in the here and now. But it’s not just on the now, I strive to be forward thinking in my focus. One question that always shapes my next thought is: “What will folks be talking about next year as it relates to disabilities and technology?”

On another level, I hone in on our team’s successes and look for future ones. The internal monologue is always going, but sometimes I need a burst of energy. Personally, I try to stay focused when working by rocking out to my Indie music.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Without a doubt, our customer service. We always have our finger on the pulse of each project, and try to understand our company’s corporate culture. Each client engagement is personalized, and I try to help them find the unique way accessibility fits into their company’s practice. Even after we’re done, I love to reach back out.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Word of mouth is very strong for marketing my accessibility consulting firm.  We attend a variety of conferences and present on numerous topics about accessibility, disability employment, and similar themes. We use a tailored web advertising campaign, including Google Adwords. On a person-to-person basis, we hand out business cards and marketing materials. In order to make sure our promotional materials are in the best format for everyone, we made sure we took some extra steps. First, we emboss all of our paper in Braille with our website and telephone number. On the back of our card, we provide our contact information in larger font for those with low vision. In addition, we’ve made sure that our cards have good color contrast and clear font.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?           

I value my strong social support network now but realize just how necessary they help you through the stress of tough times in a business. It’s easy to talk to friends about your personal life, but business is an interesting grey area. I wish I had taken advantage of them when I started Accessibility Partners. Diverse advice is so valuable with a start-up, and a varied set of insight could have saved me weeks of stress if I just had another perspective.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

I found that the book “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath really helped me with my idea formation and making process. It helped me break down ideas to their core, or simplicity as they call it. It is a realistic book that offers sound advice-anyone can benefit from it. I jump around from blog-to-blog, so I could pick a favorite, but my favorite app is Slack. It keeps me accountable and informed, and works really well for remote purposes. At Accessibility Partners, we also use Skype for tandem testing with screen share, and their instant messaging interface is always more accessible than others.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Surprisingly, the one tool I use every day isn’t a piece of software but a standard pad of paper. I doodle on this every time an idea springs into my head. There is something comforting about putting an idea onto something tangible-like it is already real and possible.

Who is your business role model? Why?

I couldn’t be more inspired by Frederique Irwin. She is the creator of Her Corner, a nationwide women’s business accelerator incubator of dedicated space and advice for female business owners. She has two values that I try to emulate: she is supportive, but she also holds others accountable. She’ll listen to your business struggles and empathize, but give actionable advice. And you better follow-up on it. I like how she can see an issue and use it as a springboard for growth. She’s not stagnant either: Frederique has updated her business practice and life plan with the times.

Tina Tchen was the Assistant to President Barack Obama; Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama; and Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls. She is my role model as well because of her tireless work to promote progressive values and put women at the forefront of a nationwide conversation where their voices hadn’t been heard as loudly before. She has promoted technology education for women and worked for workplace fairness with respect to wage parity.

My biggest personal inspirations are from various times throughout history, but they include Harriet Tubman, Madeline Albright, and J.K. Rowling. All powerful women who looked injustice and unfairness in the face, and made their mission their own.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Our regulations have been recently updated in our industry. A lot of the disability laws of the past are being taken to the web, as e-commerce is replacing a lot of the brick and mortar stores. We are hoping to help our clients become familiar with these newly revised laws, and use them to their competitive advantage to be more inclusive with their product and service offerings. Accessibility Partners plans to accomplish this through auditing services led by our team with disabilities, as well as helping reshape our clients’ accessibility postures through better marketing language that shows inclusion in practice. 

How can our readers connect with you?

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Access_Partners
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-marlowe-115aa01/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AccessibilityPartners/

Q&A with RDN and Entrepreneur Monica Auslander Moreno

Monica Auslander Moreno, MS, RDN is the founder of Essence Nutrition, a concierge group nutrition practice in Miami. She sees private clients [both kids and adults], corporate clients, and consults for various local restaurants and businesses with her signature programs she and her team perform both in office and virtually. She is the dietitian for the Miami Marlins, Soho Beach House, and Ocean Reef Resort and Club. http://www.essencenutritionmiami.com

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I’m a registered dietitian who started a private practice when I was 25 that in two years has been, thankfully, rather successful, and is now becoming a group practice and expanding to more digital/corporate pursuits. I’m born and bred in Miami – went to the  University of Florida for undergrad and FIU for my Master’s in Dietetics and Nutrition.  

What inspired you to start your business?

I felt very confined in a clinical job – I was working in a hospital as an inpatient dietitian. At that point, many of my patients were near the end or suffering from diseases that nutrition could have prevented, so I wanted to inspire folks to prioritize their health BEFORE it landed them on a ventilator with a feeding tube. Being a clinical dietitian is BOSS – you have to be razor sharp, extremely well-trained, medically, and be meticulous in your formula calculations. But I wanted to be more creative, social, and entrepreneurial.

Where is your business based?

Miami (Midtown) – but a lot of our clients do ‘virtual visits’ from all over the state. We also do speaking engagements nationwide. We now have a Spanish-speaking dietitian who can nestle in that niche!

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Very first step was forming an LLC! (Things you don’t learn how to do in a Master’s of Science..). Then – setting up a bank account, recruiting talent to build our logo, branding, and website, finding a physical space, etc.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Social media and word of mouth from friends/family and then clients who bring other clients. Both avenues bring in very different types of clientele, but we appreciate our diversity in our client pool!

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Not overworking myself. I’m extremely task-oriented and feel the need to do things immediately. The first year, I was working nights, weekends, holidays – no days off! It was a major struggle to find a work-life balance. The financial costs of starting a business were also perilous – you feel like you’re hemorrhaging money. That chipped away day by day on my nerves as well. I had to remind myself that this was a process, a journey and that my only job was to do my best and take care of myself… oh, and make time to see my then boyfriend/ family/friends / feed my dog!

How do you stay focused?

I always remind myself of the end goal – create a dietitian empire! And honestly, it’s harder for me to NOT focus; I can wire in and work for hours straight and realize I haven’t blinked. It’s bizarre.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

We are a team of dietitians, which is pretty unique, we’re young, contemporary, fast, modern (we’re in a shared workspace with dozens of other innovators!) diligent, and don’t provide any ‘gimmicks’ – we rely on evidence-based science and a humanistic/psychosocial approach to food when we counsel. There’s no “Essence Diet”!

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Essentially, keeping it honest and delivering what people NEED – a SUSTAINABLE, relatable plan and human being (dietitian) to transfer the knowledge and thought paradigms they need to do it. So many of our clients are on their 80th diet / cleanse / pill regimen and we are here to put a stop to the food crazy madness! So we market that – that we create honest, workable plans, and not thousand dollar “detoxes” that ultimately fail.  

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Get a mentor! Sadly, I never really had a private practice mentor so I kind of had to navigate the big bad business world on my own. It would have been so reassuring to have the support of an elder in my niche field. Oh – and try not to work 16 hours every single day because you will become PHYSICALLY ILL (oops!)

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

App – my Healthie app where my clients can log and take pictures of their meals in real time and I can instantly provide feedback. It keeps them accountable and provides me with real data we can then use to discuss in session!

Blog – My adorable dad has kept a blog about his life since 2006. It’s called ‘Dave’s Funny Crap.’ He muses about random topics and his theories on life.

Book – The Harry Potter series. Do you need an explanation?!

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Virtual visits. We realize that fairly few people these days want to brave Miami traffic/parking to physically come into an office – especially when they have just a 30-minute follow-up. So we rely on a ‘virtual visit’ with HIPAA secure software for over 60% of our client base; you can do a video or phone consult with us from anywhere in the world, essentially! It’s much more convenient, practical, and then we can let our dogs make a cameo.

Who is your business role model? Why?

My dad. He started a law practice with his partner when he was a young attorney. They were hungry for business, fiercely diligent, passionate, and above all – worked with integrity in a field that is certainly not known for ‘playing nice.’ He still managed to make time to be the best dad who has ever lived to my sister and me, provided us with a beautiful life, and inspired an entrepreneurial spirit in me.

What do you have planned for the next six months?  

We’ll be launching a branded app for 24/7 contact with clients ‘on demand’ who have questions/need support but don’t want to bother with formal consults. I’ll be working more with Del Monte Fresh as their official dietitian, continue with the Marlins for the 2018 season, and will hopefully cultivate a growing clientele base for my associate dietitians.

How can our readers connect with you?

Instagram - @eatlikemonica. Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/essencenutritionmiami/

Twitter - @feedyouressence

Email: monica@essencenutritionmiami.com

Q&A with Entrepreneur Jenny Dorsey

Jenny Dorsey is a professional chef and artist using food to promote introspection and organic social change. She specializes in content and experiences fusing food with emerging technology (especially AR/VR) and runs an experiential dining series named Wednesdays in New York City. You can see more about her and her work at http://jennydorsey.co. 

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I was born in Shanghai, China and raised in Seattle, Washington. After I graduated from the University of WA with a Bachelor’s in Finance, I wanted to make the move to NYC to pursue a career in management consulting and work within luxury and fashion goods. I thought it was what I wanted… until it wasn’t. After a while, I realized that while I looked “successful,” I couldn’t keep ignoring my burgeoning materialism and my deep unhappiness with my job. I knew I had to get out, but I wasn’t sure how. So I procrastinated.

I applied to Columbia Business School and was accepted early admission in 2011. Once I had this “safety” in place, I decided to take a leap of faith and pursue what I always loved: food. I went to culinary school and graduated just 3 days before starting at Columbia. Once I graduated culinary school I knew I couldn’t stay in business school or I would be lulled into complacency yet again – I decided to forge ahead into the unknown and “find myself” in the food industry. I won’t say that journey is over – or will ever be over – but I’m so much happier now than I’ve ever been.

What inspired you to start your business?

I have two separate businesses. My main line of work is culinary consulting – I work with restaurants and food brands to create content and experiences that are different and compelling. I decided to go into independent consulting as a way to combine both my culinary abilities with my business background. It is relatively rare in the culinary industry to find someone who creates menus and also crunches numbers! After culinary school, I spent time both cooking at Michelin-starred restaurants and working in the corporate food world. I learned a lot from all these experiences and wanted to be able to help others with the business perspective I’d gained without charging the asinine prices as other consulting houses.

My other business is Wednesdays, a dinner popup series I’ve been running with my husband (our mixologist) for almost 4 years now. We originally met at Columbia Business School and bonded over a mutual desire to get to know our peers on a deeper level.

Our thought was, if really want people to talk honestly, we have to create a safe space for them to do so. At the time I wanted an outlet for my creativity and he wanted to play with cocktails, so what better way to go about our mission than make an “intellectual dinner party”? The most important element of our concept was (and still is) finding a way to incorporate meaningful conversation into organic interactions. The food, drink, and ambiance serve as ways to elegant prop up that mission.

Where is your business based?

New York City

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

As silly as it sounds, I started both my businesses with a simple website. There’s something scary about declaring to the world “Hi! This is what I do!” It’s a commitment to take yourself seriously. After that, I focused on gaining clients for my consulting business one at a time – networking, applying to jobs, taking a million coffee meetings, rinse and repeat. The same applies to Wednesdays – my husband and I hustled our butts off trying to strum up interest. We talked and invited everyone to our dinners, posted on our social channels a lot (sorry friends!), constantly wrote to the press, etc.

At the start, everything was a struggle – as I think it is for many entrepreneurs. Being told “no” over and over is devastating and feels like a fight you just keep losing. But over time, things changed. I learned, I grew a ton as a person and a professional, and my husband and I kept fighting for recognition that this concept was worthwhile and important.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Consulting-wise, referrals are a big deal because the food community is tight-knit, so if someone says “Yes, I really enjoyed working with her” that helps to alleviate a lot of concerns of other prospective clients. Investing money in SEO has been extremely important as well – people don’t look past maybe the 3rd page or so on Google, so you need to get yourself in the top few listings. For Wednesdays, as much as I loathe to say it press is important. It opens the gates for people you’re not connected to in any way to come through the doors. We’ve been written up by a lot of places now and have a diverse set of guests every dinner we could not have strummed up otherwise.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Recently, I would say it was being eliminated on Food Network’s “Chopped” and then, almost right afterward, turning down the opportunity to be on Top Chef Season 15. Losing on “Chopped” helped me learn that my abilities are not defined by one event, and searching for approval from others is an endless, losing battle. Turning down Top Chef was an extremely difficult decision - but it boiled down to if I felt strong enough to carve my own career path and define success differently, or follow what I knew as something widely recognized and acclaimed. This has been something that has come up time and time again in my life and it never gets easier to take my own path instead of the conventionally applauded one. I’ve had experience being on reality television show 4 times now and knew that as soon as the cameras switched on, I was filled with dread, not enthusiasm. Ultimately, I decided I didn’t want another TV competition to take away from my focus on my business or Wednesdays.

How do you stay focused?

I have a lot of issues staying focused because I want to do everything, I want to be the best at everything. Sometimes, it gets to the point of anxiety that I’m “not doing enough” all the time. To combat this I will either go to pottery or do something that allows me to move without thinking if that makes sense. It helps give me some mental clarity and refocus on what I actually need to be doing.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I spend a lot of time thinking about my brand and what I want it to be. I see so many “influencers” now who write these annoying, generic things like “Oh, rise up to challenges and keep pushing!” It’s easy to be preachy when you don’t ever expose yourself or let your guard down. I think people want someone who is actually going to be vulnerable and honest – that’s what I strive to be in every interaction, client or friend or colleague. If a client wants something I’m not an expert at, I say that upfront; if I’m not sure or I don’t know, I say so. If I’m nervous about something, I say that too. Being true to yourself is about not hiding and I think the right people honor and respect that.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

For consulting, SEO. For Wednesdays, press releases, press outreach, SEO.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

There will never be a "good time" to take the leap or make that big decision. There will always be something - a promotion, finishing up loan payments, when the apartment lease is up, etc. - that will make you hesitate and think twice. No sunny Saturday will appear with the words "Do It!" magically in your future. It's up to you to take charge of your life and your career - no one else's.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

App – I like to use Swarm to help me remember where I’ve eaten.

Blog – don’t read a lot of blogs

Book – Quiet by Susan Cain. She’s incredible. I’m an introvert and I’m SO, so grateful that she’s out there championing the needs of introverts and how they can help society.

 What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

There are some really awesome Facebook groups for food industry women, women in AR/VR and women in tech. They’ve been infinitely helpful in getting me leads, offering me advice, connecting me with the right people, etc.

 Who is your business role model? Why?

I’m looking for one.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

In January I’m hosting a large-format popup for Wednesdays, so I’m head-down on that right now. I’ll also be taking over the show “Why Food?” on Heritage Radio Network, so I’m preparing to be a podcast host for the first time! Finally, I’m working on launching a VR dining exhibit named “All Together At Once” – a lot of moving parts on that one, so hoping I can have that open in Fall 2018.

How can our readers connect with you?

People can find me on Instagram and Facebook at handles @chefjennydorsey and @WednesdaysNYC.