Lean The F*ck Out | Fempreneurs | Women Entrepreneurs | Female Business Owners

This week we talk with founder and CEO of the GLYD travel app, Monika Bhasin. She shares her deeply personal journey of loss, finding love and acceptance from within, and connecting the world through travel. Monika talks about how she came up with the concept of the GLYD travel app and the process to build and launch the app. She also talks about being raised by her grandmother in India, moving to the United States to live with her parents and the expectations that come with being a part of a traditional Indian family. This episode is a powerful one. Episode Highlights: How Monika went about the app building process, as a non-developer: Took classes to understand development Taught self a little bit of coding Used the internet and really immersed herself in the subject matters Important to be open to learning Biggest lessons she’s learned: You have to be passionate about what you are doing. You need this passion to help you persevere through the challenges. On the flip side, don’t be afraid to realize when

This week on Lean the F*ck Out we talk with Jenna Arcidiacono owner and chef of Amore, an authentic Italian restaurant in Grand Rapids, Mich. Jenna is an accomplished chef and Amore has won Best New Restaurant 2011, Grand Rapids Magazine; Restaurant of the Year 2012, Grand Rapids American Culinary Federation; Best European 2012, Grand Rapids Magazine and Chef of the Year 2013, The Grand Rapids Press. With all her accolades Jenna was noticed by Guy’s Grocery Games and recruited for an episode that aired this October. Jenna gives advice on how to build a business and keep employees long term; talks to us about how she was able to conquer the restaurant business as a female; and how she supports other women-owned businesses.   Building Restaurants Episode Highlights: Days off are very important when you have a busy schedule. Jenna has found that work can’t be her entire life, she needs a balance and break to be the best she can be for her business and family. Running a business is more like being a psychologist

This week we talk with globally traveling photographer, new author, and all the time psychic, intuitive, empath Mira Zaki about her entrepreneurial journey. Mira talks about how she helps heal and empower through her camera. She also shares her travel experiences, including a recent tour with Pearl Jam. Mira talks about the influence intuition has been on her business and how she has honed those skills. Episode Highlights:   On healing through her camera:   There is strength in vulnerability. It’s transformative. Instagram is curated and planned, not natural and transparent; don’t compare yourself to the unnatural photos. She highly recommends the podcast Unfuck Your Brain https://unfckyourbrain.com/podcasts/ You can’t verify whether thoughts are true. We all have different truths. Ask instead: are my thoughts helpful?   On Intuition:   Our bodies have their own cycles. Listen to your cycles. Rest when you need to. Slow down. Listen and notice. Journal and see patterns. Admitting and realizing there

This week we talk with Adriana Vázquez Ortiz, CEO and Co-founder of Lilu about launching a healthcare startup and creating a product that improves breastfeeding. Adriana talks about how and why she started the company, the research and development process, understanding your customers’ needs, pitching and getting funded. She also talks about the importance of building better technology to improve lives and in Lilu’s case, helping mothers thrive during the transition into parenthood. Episode Highlights: Moms are eternally multi-tasking, and women are so incredibly good at coming up with life hacks - but Adriana realized there was a need to build better technology in some of the key areas which are challenging for lots of parents: breastfeeding and sleep. Lilu is helping to improve breastfeeding. No matter how unpolished the product was in the beginning it was important to have real users in the testing from the beginning. Getting feedback from the target customer is critical to learning, even if the product i

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexual assault and domestic violence, including stories of actual events Giugi’s clients have experienced. In this episode, we talk with attorney Giugi Carminati about her experiences starting her own law firm which represents women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ community. Her law firm focuses on litigating cases involving domestic violence and sexual assault in family law proceedings, protection orders, and civil litigation. Giugi discusses victim blaming, offers tips on how to support yourself or women in your life who may be or may have experience domestic violence or sexual assault. Giugi also talked about building her business and becoming a fierce advocate for women. Defending Victims of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Episode Highlights: Since the beginning of the #metoo movement, Giugi is seeing more women have the ability to say: “I was a victim of abuse and it was not my fault.” Giugi recommends counseling for her clients Suppor

This week we talk with Alison Mountford, founder of Ends + Stems about her meal planning business that helps reduce household food waste. We talk about her entrepreneurial journey and what led her to open Ends + Stems and how the business is evolving. Alison shares tips on how she’s grown her customer base and how she retains them. She also talks about managing a large amount of content on an ongoing basis -- tools she uses and tips on what has worked best for the business. Episode Highlights: Stats on food waste: 40% of food we produce ends up in the landfill $165 billion of edible food is wasted in the US Ends + Stems helps home cooks reduce food waste through a meal planning subscription service. Alison shares how the business started as a blog and how it is currently evolving into a subscription model Alison tells us how she has built and continues to grow her email list She shares tools and tips for managing ongoing content which is a large part of her business Alison also shares lessons learned fro

In this episode, we talk with Susan Norris. Susan is a leader and coach who describes herself as “The Unbalanced Force” to combat organizational inertia (a nod to Newton’s first theory). Susan shares some amazing tips on how to escape this inertia and move toward innovation in your company. She also talks about how to use your skills as a fempreneur within the corporate environment. If you are running a side hustle or getting ready to lean out if you are still working your day job, her tips will help you figure out when the right time might be and how to survive in your company environment in the meantime. Susan brings a new perspective that you are not going to want miss. Strategic Destruction to Solve Business Problems Episode Highlights: Be willing to change how you are reaching your goal. The how, the implementation, the process might be what needs to shift; it doesn’t have to be your goal. Commitment to your goal is very powerful and hard to change. Stay committed, change how you implement in order to s

In this episode we talk with Brianna Carney about her move from Amazon to starting her own company, Crewbloom. Through Crewbloom, Brianna has built a robust outsource business with a workforce in the Philippines. Throughout the episode, she talks about how she built her business and offers tips to business owners on how to scale up through outsourcing. Outsourcing to Scale Up Episode Highlights: Outsource when the task is related to content development, virtual assistant work, scheduling social posts, or is easily replicable. Training is one of the most important factors for successful outsourcing. Ensure that anyone working virtually on your team feels that they having an understanding of your organization (culture, core values, goals for the future). Tools you can use to make outsourcing easier: Timedoctor; Brain Central; Share access to CRM systems, and any tools for regular communication, including SLACK is critical. Ways to collaborate more effectively with remote workers could include remote happy hour

This week we talk with International Business Development Coach and Speaker Mel McSherry about prioritizing your profits and slashing stress. We also dive into time management, weekly goal boards, to do lists, and establishing boundaries. Get your notepad ready!   Mel predominantly works with women business owners who are exhausted and overwhelmed by what they think they need to do, in order to be successful. As an entrepreneur since 2010, Mel has launched two successful businesses, doubled her monthly income, and created a true life by design. She has worked with hundreds of people helping them get crystal clear on what they want and prioritizing the time that they have.   Episode Highlights:   Ways to slash stress: Getting crystal clear on what YOU want (not partner, not kids, just YOU) Learn how to tame your time. Give yourself that time to breath when things shift Reassess, reapply and move on Learning boundaries and “Saying no to the good so that you can say yes to the best.” IF you keep doing the s

We talk with Jen Proctor, Founder & CEO of Cultivated Entertainment about Navigating the Pressures of Entrepreneurship. Jen certainly knows high pressure. She runs a full-service talent consulting firm in Los Angeles and has worked with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Jen talks about leading with compassion, a mantra that fuels her. She also talks about losing her mother to suicide and how that has shaped who she is today. Jen shares tips on how she takes care of herself amidst the pressure of running her own business, managing clients and life in general. Episode Highlights: On self care: Balance and self care have to be worked on every day. She works out every morning for an hour without her phone. Tune into your body and mind. It’s important to first and foremost have compassion for yourself. Allow yourself to feel whatever you’re feeling it whenever you are feeling it. On sales and taking on the right work: Does this align with my values. Project by project. Set boundar

In this episode, we talk with Mercedes Torres, Co-Founder of Cash Flow Savvy and Epic Real Estate about how she built her Epic empire through real estate. Mercedes shares how she got started in real estate, her experiences flipping houses (she was on a house flipping TV show before they were hot) and how she has built a solid business through cash flow properties. This is a great episode if you have ever considered real estate as an investment or flipping houses! Mercedes shares how you can make your money work for you. Building an Epic Empire Episode Highlights: 7 - 10% return on real estate investment; allow your money to work for you Stay focused on your goal Start a lot sooner Don’t reinvent the wheel - Hire a mentor and follow proven models Have a partner or staff that “gets it” Identify strengths and weaknesses in your partner so you compliment each other well Spend a lot of time training and helping team become solid team member - they will benefit from experience Mercedes Torres Mercedes Torres is a

Our first episode of Season 3 features female entrepreneur Marie Denee, creator of The Curvy Fashionista, a respected voice in the plus size fashion arena. Marie shares her entrepreneurial journey and growing The Curvy Fashionista into the powerhouse it is today. We dive into influencer marketing, building a brand, driving website traffic, social media marketing, editorial calendars, business systems and so much more! Episode Highlights: Marie shares her entrepreneurial journey and how she started The Curvy Fashionista Learning as you go as an entrepreneur (Google becomes your best friend) How social media tools can work for us, rather than against us Know your audience and find out what they really need Scaling up tips: Have a really fleshed out editorial calendar (especially important when you have a team) Need a good marketing plan and goal list. Need Standard Operating Procedures - document every process that happens in the brand. You may have to fire yourself from certain roles. Best, most useful thin

This week we talk with Dr. Kate Browne in depth about how to find or share your brand story. Kate is a storytelling strategist and writing consultant who helps entrepreneurs find and share their brand stories in an honest, unforgettable way. She also founded Taking Up Space, an online self-care advocacy project, to empower consumers to think critically about the rhetoric of health, wellness, and fitness marketing. Episode Highlights Defining brand story and why it matters Alot of companies do “phone book marketing”, in essence confusing the internet with a phonebook. It’s not just about your service, it’s about the whole experience that customers are going to have with your business How a company can get started on creating their brand story. The Hero’s Journey as it pertains to your brand story and why you need conflict and  a resolution to that conflict in your brand story. Watch the TED Talk on Kate’s website at: https://katebrowne.net/ Dr. Kate Browne Dr. Kate Browne is a storytelling strategist and wr

In this episode of Lean the F*ck Out, Gretchen and Tera talk with Elaine Huang, the founder of Neon Owl, a media company and lifestyle brand that focuses on creating positive, inspirational content, while connecting artists and fans to give back to charities around the world. Elaine shares her entrepreneurial journey and how she has built and grown Neon Owl, as well as her coaching and consulting business and Gypsy Social. Elaine is a power house at connecting with people and has some amazing advice on how to kick ass and build your brand, and for those that are just starting out she shares some bonus info on how to choose your direction or passion project. Passion to Profit Episode Highlights Elaine left a six-figure income position to launch Neon Owl.  When deciding on a business focus, ask yourself: What would you do if money wasn’t an issue? “By leading with people and purpose we will all prosper.” At one point Elaine was spending all her energy on building her businesses, often working up to 100 hour a

In this episode, we talk with Chelsey Goodan about her day jobs as a tutor and screenwriter and her side hustles supporting activism and as a board member of “A Call to Men”. Chelsey shares advice on how she balances her work with her activism and details about all the great work she is doing her organization, The Activist Cartel, and different ways we can teach men how to be better feminists. Running an Activist Side Hustle Episode Highlights Find what you really care about and there’s an organic progression of what will come to you. Don’t underestimate the work it will take. Personal discipline goes a long way for getting shit done. You have to hold yourself accountable, but having an accountability partner goes a long way. “Be a person that follows through and is good on their word.” Chelsey Goodan Chelsey Goodan is the founder of The Activist Cartel, a network of women and men dedicated to promoting women’s rights and equality. Every month, she focuses the nationwide group on a political, educational, o

In this episode, we talk with Teresa Thome about how she went from Executive Director of a Children’s Museum to TV Producer to Film Producer to on-stage storyteller and everything in between. Teresa talks about how she has been able to break into a man’s world and what it has taken to get her business where it is today. Teresa also tells us about her production, Warm Cheese, how it got its name and how she uses storytelling in her show and in her film making. Teresa amazed us with some of her great tips for fempreneurs, including how she has been able to conquer issues of confidence to conquer LA and her new business world. Teresa also shares her strong belief that the world is run by those who show up. Teresa Thome Teresa L. Thome is co-founder/Managing Partner of Emmy award winning Fubble Entertainment. The company holds multiple projects in development: fubbleentertainment.com for more info. Thome provides creative services for businesses and producing services for a variety of clients, including, but not

In this episode, we talk with Sara Bay, co-founder of Blissful Prospecting about how she got started networking and selling services to help solopreneurs and small businesses prospect to increase their sales. Sara shared some really practical advice with us, including bonus tips on how to optimize LinkedIn to grow your network and make real connections. Sara is a true lead generation bad ass and know that fempreneurs will get alot from the interview. So grab your notepad! Lead Generation and Prospecting (Plus Bonus Tips for Mastering LinkedIn) Episode Highlights Processing is similar to a dating process, you need to set up your profile for your ideal match. Don’t prospect to make a sale, prospect to start a conversation. Personalize your ask and don’t be afraid to add a bit of humor. You always need a human touch in the ask and conversion process. Typical prospecting flows should include 8 to 9 emails or messages to prospects. Often you will not even get a response from the prospect until email 6 or 7. Most

We talk with Windy Borman, award-winning director and producer about women in the cannabis industry and her groundbreaking documentary, "Mary Janes: The Women of Weed". She talks with us about how women are changing the face of today’s fastest growing industry - cannabis. Windy talks about how she got into documentary filmmaking and her award-winning films "The Eyes of Thailand", narrated by Ashley Judd and "The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia", which premiered at Sundance and on HBO. The Women of Weed Episode Highlights How women are changing the face of today’s fastest growing industry -- cannabis. Marijuana has the highest amount of gender parity in any industry in the United States. In fact, Newsweek predicts that marijuana could be the first billion-dollar industry not dominated by men. The Puffragette movement - a movement that could make marijuana legal nationwide, reform the criminal justice system, empower disenfranchised communities, and give life saving medicine to children and veterans, all whil

In this episode, we talk with Iba Masood, co-founder and CEO of Tara about how she got started as a tech founder and how her and her co-founder are revolutionizing the tech industry. Tara has an algorithm that strips away the bias for connecting freelancers to jobs at companies that need coders. Listen to episode 56 now to hear the full story of what Iba is doing with Tara today and her plans for the future of Silicon Valley. Scaling and Funding in Silicon Valley Episode Highlights Iba and her co-founder started Tara with $200. Tara.ai links freelancers to jobs with a non-biased algorithm. Iba hustled for years before she got the funding she needed to build her team. Embrace yourself as a “female founder”. You have to work harder a female in Silicon Valley, there's no doubt. “A startup is a series of fires you have to put out.” Each week in a startup has its ups and downs. You have to celebrate every up. A founder should focus on talking to customers; raising money; and support your employees (current and fu

In this episode, we talk with Leanne Pittsford founder and CEO of Lesbians Who Tech about how she has scaled her business from start up to over 25,000 queer women and allies strong. Lesbians Who Tech, which is increasing visibility and improving representation among LGBTQ women in the tech sector on a global scale. Leanne talks about how she has been able to make this all happen from a kernel of an idea to the White House and beyond. She shares all the steps she took along the way and offers valuable advice all fempreneurs should here. Launching Lesbians Who Tech Episode Highlights Gay men and gay women are at the opposite ends of the equity spectrum at work Lesbians Who Tech was built through hustling, but starting at first using lean startup principles. When you are scaling talk to the individuals who use your product and solve their problems. Recruitment of mid-level professionals is an untapped space that Lesbians Who Tech has taken over in tech industry Each day remember what are your “non-negotiables”