Stairway to CEO

http://www.drinkhint.com/

Awesome CX

Quotes:

“You could have the best product in the world, the best brand in the world, and even the right team and the right capital – but ultimately so much of it, especially in the traditional retail space, depends on the distribution and what happens at the point of sale.” [0:15:14]

“For the right brand and the right product, having a direct relationship with your customer is so critically important.” [0:19:17]

“Being detached from your ultimate customer is a real hindrance to building a brand.” [0:20:01]

“There’s a big opportunity for us, not just within that baby stage with the baby blends, but for Little Spoon as a brand to be the go-to as that kid is growing up and as the family is growing.” [0:31:32]

“[We’ve grown our business] largely through growing with our customers.” [0:31:48]

“That was how we started. We turned this manufacturing roadblock into a very unlikely partnership.” [0:39:29]

“One of the things I’m most proud of at Little Spoon is that we’ve had extremely low attrition, so our retention is literally best in class.” [0:40:58]

“Optics matter, but at the end of the day, you need to do what’s right.” [0:44:35]

“For us, it’s about listening to our customers and finding where those pockets of opportunity are.” [0:46:59]

“We’re building a brand for a new generation of parents.” [0:47:42]

“As an entrepreneur, you’re often having to choose between speed, quality, and cost.” [0:47:54]

“Don’t aim for perfection.” [0:48:46]

A Hint of Undaunted with Kara Goldin, Founder and CEO of Hint

Stairway to CEO

03/29/22 • 61 min

In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

What it was like growing up in Scottsdale, Arizona as the youngest of five children, constantly craving a job, and finally landing a job at a toy store at the age of 14
The takeaways she learned in her experience at TIME, CNN, and AOL, that its important to do the little things that people will remember
Why it's important to be kind and helpful to everyone because you never know where they’re going to end up
How it can sometimes be luck that gets you to where you are, but most of the time its persistence
How after drinking 10-12 diet sodas every day, she came to the realization of how bad they were and gave her the idea to look into alternatives
The challenges entrepreneurs face in building a business from zero
Why she believes every founder should have their own personal attorney
The importance of choosing the right investors, and how to filter for the right ones
The advice Kara has for inspiring entrepreneurs or those that have an idea but don’t want to be a founder

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To Find Out More:

Quotes:

“All of a sudden I'm going to these toy fairs and understanding margins and understanding less is more and critical things. I would go back into the classroom and I was so bored in the classroom versus what I was learning in these situations.”

“As you're building, you're really focusing on those things that are a little bit hard for you.”

“Years later, I still tell new recruits at Hint that the number one thing they need to do is make sure their boss and their team are successful. I run into so many people who make the mistake of worrying about how they look and concentrating on their own feelings, to the extent that they don't appreciate what's going on around them, focusing outward on those who depend on you and the rest of the team makes you a valuable person, gets you more responsibility and ultimately gives you a chance to not just look like, but also be a superstar.”

“If you walk into a situation and maybe you feel like ‘this isn't my place like my people aren't here or whatever.’ You rise above it and you be who you are supposed to be. You be yourself.”

“There's going to be luck, but there's also this persistence that plays in”

“I was shocked when I saw that nothing like Hint was on the shelf at the store.”

“I've had a lot of good stuff happen, I've had some not so good. And you know, that's life, right? That's how you learn, that's how you make mistakes, and how you get better.”

“Understand what you really enjoy.”
“Having a different lawyer who is actually looking out for you really key.”

“The key thing is to enjoy what you're doing and do something that you think has purpose.”

“Too many people are focused on making a buck and flipping a company quickly. If you actually lead with a concept, a company that is actually going to solve a problem, that you think will actually change people in some way for the better, then the money will come. And I think just always be thinking that. If that's what your purpose is in starting a company, that's the right purpose.”

$Stairway to CEO - Mushroom Moments with Shane Heath, Co-Founder and CEO of MUD\WTR$

Mushroom Moments with Shane Heath, Co-Founder and CEO of MUD\WTR

Stairway to CEO

08/30/22 • 67 min

Description:

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

Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors:

Get 30 days FREE with Okendo by clicking HERE!

In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

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

To Find Out More:

https://mudwtr.com/

Quotes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Turnarounds, Transformations, and Taking Charge with Mary van Praag, Global CEO at Milani Cosmetics

Stairway to CEO

01/16/24 • 54 min

Description:

Mary van Praag joins us today to talk about how she became Global CEO of Milani Cosmetics, a 20-year-old company built on the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to own and enjoy luxury beauty. From her entrepreneurial pursuits in high school to her first CEO role at Perricone MD, Mary tells us about her remarkable career journey and how she became the Global CEO of Milani cosmetics. Tune in today to learn about Mary’s passion for transforming companies, the lessons she’s learned about being vulnerable as a leader, and much more!

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In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

[02:31] Mary’s upbringing in Ohio; how her parents’ divorce (and being the eldest) informed her early leadership development, her first entrepreneurial pursuits, and her college years.
[10:12] What it was like moving 17 times in her professional life, how this has proven her ability to manage change, and why she loves making things better.
[14:46] How Mary found her internal drive as a leader and her advice to others struggling to find their voice.
[21:18] Her early career in sales and how her experiences as general manager at Coty and OPI Products set her on the path towards CEO.
[27:07] Mary’s first role as CEO at Perricone MD, the destabilizing impact of the COVID pandemic, and how she adapted and ultimately became CEO of Milani Cosmetics.
[30:54] Key lessons on building your team as a CEO.
[34:44] What Mary has learned about turnarounds since she first started out, and her insights on how being CEO resembles running your own business.
[37:53] Why being vulnerable as a leader is one of the most important lessons Mary has had to learn, and her thoughts on what sets the role of CEO apart from other positions.
[46:02] Milani Cosmetics’ approach to remote work and an overview of the exciting things the brand has coming up!
[52:18] Mary’s practical advice for aspiring CEOs.

To Find Out More:

Mary van Praag on LinkedIn

Milani Cosmetics

Coty

Perricone MD

Stephen Kuhl on Instagram

Quotes:

“Moving, I think, indicates my ability to manage change and transformation. But at the same time, create a great network of deep-seated roots and connections that I will forever have in my life.” [0:12:13]

“I'm at my best, as a leader – when you look at the context of a situation – when something requires change and transformation. I love to make things better.” [0:12:40]

“Some people are great at constructive conflict, others are analytical geniuses, others are great teachers. I always say ‘find that thing that makes you unique, [and] whatever your superpower is, really feed into it.’” [0:16:14]

“Leaders don't have all the answers. What I want to hear is the people [who] are closest to the business [and] have a unique point of view. And we need to hear that.” [0:16:56]

“I can be interesting, but I have to be interested first.” [0:19:54]

“You always have to respect the past, but you have to get people aligned to create the new future. And you quickly find out who wants to do that, and who doesn't. And that's a lot of work.” [0:25:02]

“Thinking about how you build teams is an important part of what a CEO does. I have amassed a fabulous team with very high engagement scores and a really strong culture. And we built it brick by brick, but it started with my leadership team.” [0:33:04]

“We're all motivated towards the same future that we want to build. And that's very, very rewarding.” [0:33:51]

“Depending on the circumstances, [a turnaround] this is like running our own business.” [0:35:26]

“The biggest thing I had to learn was to be vulnerable.” [0:37:55]

“If you don't give people an inspiring vision, they have nothing to hope for. Especially when you're in a turnaround.” [0:38:53]

“I don't necessarily think everybody needs to be in the office every day to get productivity or work. I think we have happier employees, because we're hybrid, and t...

Factories, Feedback, and Furniture with Stephen Kuhl, Co-Founder and CEO of Burrow

Stairway to CEO

10/17/23 • 55 min

Description:

Today Lee is joined by an incredibly innovative entrepreneur, the Co-founder, and CEO of Burrow, Stephen Kuhl. Burrow is a company that makes buying furniture simple with swift delivery, easy assembly, and a multitude of options. In this episode, Stephen shares his love for customer research and outlines how he was inspired to go to business school before delving into how he and his business partner came up with the idea to start Burrow. We discuss their incredible journey from rejection to massive success, their experience throughout COVID, what’s in store for them in the future, Stephen’s interesting leadership style, and so much more!

Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors:

AWESOME CX by Transcom provides high touch, personalized customer experience services to consumer brands of any size! Email Lee at [email protected] to learn more about their award-winning services and Awesome Coffee Chats.

In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

• [00:03:26] How Stephen’s passion for skiing made him accident-prone and pushed him into a traditional career path.

• [00:10:11] How the overwhelming desire to fall asleep at his bank job made Stephen realize it wasn’t for him.

• [00:13:17] Stephen’s first business venture, the ‘true start’ of his career, and his journey into investing.

• [00:18:21] How being part of investment inspired Stephen to apply to business school and his experience of it.

• [00:20:49] Meeting his Burrow co-founder, the start of their innovative furniture company, and Burrow’s unprecedented fundraising success.

• [00:27:35] Their gross margin challenges and ‘faking it’ to get factories to work with them.

• [00:37:55] Burrow’s milestones, how COVID-19 affected them both positively and negatively, and their ‘secret sauce’ to success.

• [00:37:55] What’s next for Burrow and why Stephen loves doing customer research the most.

• [00:47:46] The importance of having a coach as an entrepreneur and Stephen’s straightforward leadership style.

To Find Out More:

Burrow

Stephen Kuhl on LinkedIn

Stephen Kuhl on X

Courtney Toll on LinkedIn

Quotes:

“If I didn’t care about the product that the company sold, it didn’t really matter what work I was doing.” [0:15:55]

“I – wanted to make more money so I went into investing.” [0:17:19]

“You know what’s better than investing in consumer companies? Working at [those] companies!” [0:18:57]

“By second year [of college] I think half of my class [thought] I dropped out because I was living in New York [working on Burrow].” [0:26:52]

“You sort of just have to pretend that something is really good even though you’re not there yet.” [0:31:56]

“The fake it till you make it thing is real!” [0:32:19]

“Luck is huge, right? I think most people don’t give enough credit into how much luck plays into [success].” [0:33:11]

“If you bought furniture in 2020/2021, most companies were quoting you like six months to a year to deliver it – and for most [things] we pretty quickly got [delivery] back down to one to two weeks.” [0:43:04]

“We’re just scratching the surface with new products!” [0:44:34]

“Give clear feedback, set clear direction, check in with people frequently, and then – you definitely need to empower people and accept that they won’t do things like you would do [them] but as long as the outcome is similar, you should not care.” [0:50:07]

Jumping Out of the Conventional with Ariel Kaye, the Founder and CEO of Parachute Home

Stairway to CEO

10/04/18 • 34 min

Ariel Kaye has known from a young age that she wanted to learn, improve and move forward in all aspects of life. Today, she talks with us about her journey in starting Parachute Home, a popular direct consumer brand offering bed and bath linens as well as other home essentials for the modern home. We discuss the challenges and rewards of fundraising, how to build a collaborative environment and ways to tell a story in a big, bold and undeniable way.

In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

Ariel’s unconventional path from working in Advertising to starting her own business.
How Ariel merged her interest in building a brand with her passion for high-quality home essentials to start Parachute Home.
What she did to update investors and show progress in order to secure capital.
How she took feedback and applied it feverishly to better herself and her company.
Best lessons learned and tips on hiring the right people based on your own core competency.
Some of the challenges she faced in building her confidence, and ways she encourages camaraderie and bonding within the Parachute culture.
Why it’s not rare to see employees of Parachute cardio boxing each other.
What investors need to feel and see, and what Ariel has done to bring out the “crazy” within her own pitch meetings.
Her recent $30M Series C round, and why fundraising is like a performance.
How Ariel measures success, and her focus on building a long lasting brand.
The moments where Ariel felt most defeated, and how she got back on her feet.
Ariel’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

To Find Out More:

Parachute

Quotes:

“You have to fake it til you make it.”
“You are investing in the person so much more than the actual idea”
“I had to let go of my own insecurity regarding the types of people that would be excited to work here.”
“When you have a great brand that people are inspired by, it becomes a lot easier to recruit people.”
“You are your own biggest advocate. You must put the excitement and passion on the table so it can be felt and experienced by others.”
“Nothing is easy, and that’s what keeps it fun.”
“Everything takes longer than expected.”
“I think when you have an idea you really believe in, it’s totally worth following that passion.”
“You have to get used to things going wrong, and moments that are overwhelming.”

Persistence and Patience with Paul Voge, Co-Founder and CEO of Aura Bora

Stairway to CEO

08/02/22 • 58 min

Description:

Joining the show today is Paul Voge, Co-Founder and CEO of Aura Bora, making sparkling water a better-tasting experience. In this episode, Paul shares his story from growing up as the youngest of five, to selling vintage t-shirts in college, to quitting his job to focus full time on building Aura Bora in 2019. He talks about how he dropped off some cans to a buyer of Whole Foods at their corporate office desk, the differences between selling to different grocers, how he's had to change his pitch, and how they came up with the name Aura Bora.

Exclusive Deal from Our Sponsor:

Get 30 days FREE with Okendo by clicking HERE!

In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

(1:07) How Aura Bora makes sparkling water from herbs, fruits, and flowers using unique ingredients, like basil, cactus, and lavender for a better tasting experience all while donating 1% of annual revenue to environmental causes.
(2:35) What it was like growing up in a small town outside of New York, being the youngest of five children
(5:25) Some of his early jobs from selling vintage T-shirts, to starting a Christmas tree farm, and working for a venture studio. All of this led him to fall in love with sparkling water
(14:00) Why they decided to not go down the selling flavor route but to instead stick to making premium water in cans
(17:00) How he decided to take the leap into entrepreneurship in 2019 and sold the first can of Aura Bora in the fall
(21:40) How he dropped off some cans to a buyer of Whole Foods at their corporate office desk, which led to being on the shelves just a few months later
(33:00) How they came up with the name Aura Bora out of 311 names on their list
(37:00) The perks and some challenges of working with his wife and running the business together, and how they manage situations with their team
(40:00) How one of the biggest learning experiences he’s had is that there are no shortcuts
(45:00) The experience of going on Shark Tank, and what it's like having Robert as an investor
(50:00) The final advice he has for inspiring entrepreneurs, and what’s next for Aura Bora, with new flavors launching every other month.

To Find Out More:

https://aurabora.com/

Quotes:

“I loved the idea of trading and making something out of nothing.”

“The most popular item in this pantry is LaCroix sparkling water, and it's probably the least interesting as in we're all drinking it, but no one's enjoying it.”

“It felt weird that there wasn't a craft version of flavored sparkling water.”

“We thought about what if we could make a much better product and as a result, be able to brand it and sell it as a differentiated, more premium offering.”

“Uniquely in CPG, I think you probably have to take the leap earlier than you would like to.”

“Being persistent but also patient is key”

“The beginning of it really was if we could make something memorable.”

“We have had to be deliberate and transparent with every single person we've hired.”

“There is truly no shortcut to this. You just get bigger one account at a time.”

“Do yourself a favor and pick a hundred stores that are very similar and get really good at selling the product in those stores. And then from there you can rinse and repeat in other channels once you grow.”

“I have felt like Shark Tank has opened us up to actually most of the country, middle of the country, all four time zones, high income, low income, old, young, et cetera.”

“Sometimes it just feels like this is either so close to impossible that we should just call it impossible, or I must be doing it wrong.”

“Learn as much as possible before you need to commit to something.”

“It's really tempting to your point, quit your job, start selling the product, etc, but you’re really well served by learning way more than you might need.”

Wrinkles and Wins with Courtney Toll, Co-Founder and CEO of Nori

Stairway to CEO

12/26/23 • 46 min

Description:

Joining us today to share her entrepreneurial story is Courtney Toll, co-founder and CEO of Nori, an innovative company in the ironing and steaming market. Tuning in, you’ll hear about her remarkable journey, from coming up with the idea for Nori (which is iron spelled backward!) in her cramped New York apartment to raising money in the depths of COVID to bringing a successful product to market. Courtney also shares details about how learning to do cold outreach at her job bolstered her entrepreneurial journey, the challenges of innovating with hardware, how they put together their distribution and branding strategy, and much more. You won’t want to miss this fascinating deep dive into the many intricacies of hardware innovation and what goes into making your vision happen!

Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors:

In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

• [05:11] Courtney’s idyllic childhood in Connecticut, her lifelong perfectionism, the legacy of entrepreneurship in her family, her early jobs, and how her career goals evolved.

• [11:48] Key skills she learned from cold outreach; how this supported her entrepreneurship.

• [15:59] How she got the idea for Nori while living in a cramped New York apartment.

• [18:37] Courtney’s research; what she learned from interviewing over 500 consumers.

• [21:17] How she and her co-founder overcame the challenges of innovating with hardware.

• [26:19] Insight into their unexpectedly long product development process and how they implemented their distribution and branding strategy.

• [30:15] Raising money in the depths of COVID, the far-reaching usefulness of a demo video, and how having difficulty fundraising worked to their advantage.

• [38:27] Reflections on organic marketing and how to partner with the right influencers.

• [43:44] Their company’s approach to marketing and the primary lesson Courtney has learned about building a successful marketing stack.

• [46:22] What’s next for Nori, including launching some exciting new products, and parting words of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs!

To Find Out More:

Nori

Hudson Davis-Ross on Linkedin

Awesome CX

Quotes:

“I'm so grateful that I have gone on this path. And when I reflect on the things that are decisions that my family members made, I think it makes a lot of sense why I also went down this road.” [0:11:07]

“There's always more to be done, there's always growth to be seen, and therefore, I push myself quite hard to succeed.” [0:11:33]

“My co-founder and I ended up interviewing over 500 plus consumers to talk about what they liked about their existing ironing and steaming solutions, [and] what they didn't like.” [0:19:17]

“It wasn't easy by any means. But we also weren't pitching this random idea and asking for a very subjective 300,000 [dollars]. At that point in time, we had outlines [of] exactly where all of this money was going to.” [0:23:20]

“By the time that it was fully deployed, we had a working prototype and a lot of consumer feedback to validate the fact that we had stumbled onto something that we should take to market.” [0:24:25]

“We decided on one product development firm, a satellite office in China.” [0:26:30]

“With something like hardware, you do need to take your time really trying to get something right and [make] sure that it's giving you the desired output that you're looking for.” [0:27:24]

“The ironing steaming market is one that lives almost exclusively in big box retailers.” [0:29:06]

“We wanted to be a direct consumer business, we wanted this to be a one-to-one conversation with the customer. And we wanted to make this a really cool branded sexy purchase which feels totally in conflict with a product like an iron.” [0:29:16]

“Everything from our branding to the design of the product to the actual performance of the product was designed to sort of change the way you think about this type of chore....

Brooklyn, Brews, and Botanical Breakthroughs with Hudson Davis-Ross, Co-Founder and CEO of Plant People

Stairway to CEO

05/07/24 • 45 min

Description:

Today, Hudson Davis-Ross joins the show to share about Co-Founding a mission-driven company that truly helps people with their health needs. From being diagnosed with ADHD in middle school to undergoing spinal surgery, Hudson has faced his fair share of health challenges. Tune in to learn all about his captivating entrepreneurial journey, from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, to founding his first company, RISE, to ultimately becoming the co-founder of Plant People – whose plant-based products offer natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals. Along the way, we explore how he navigated major setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and gain insights into his refreshing perspective on building purpose-driven businesses!

Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors:

In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

• [01:54] What it was like growing up in New York, at the epicenter of so many industries, within a household dominated by women.

• [06:43] Hudson’s ADHD diagnosis in middle school, the many different interests he pursued, and the benefits and drawbacks of having ADHD when you’re an entrepreneur.

• [10:23] His experience working at Gilt Groupe from its early stages as a small startup to having over two thousand employees.

• [14:13] Why he decided to leave Gilt Groupe and take on a role at Aloha as part of the founding team, and his top takeaways from the experience.

• [18:25] What made Hudson shift to co-founding his first company, RISE Brewing Company, key lessons he learned, and how he met his partners.

• [25:32] Fundraising for RISE, and how it led to him starting his branding and business strategy firm, CROSBY.

• [27:29] The drastic spinal surgery that Hudson had to get, how it led to the founding of Plant People, and what it was like entering into the CBD and cannabis space.

• [30:22] How they stepped up their business, educated consumers, and the innovations they were doing with regards to ingredients and formulations.

• [32:42] Their decision to scale up, why they decided not to take on more funding, the dramatic impact that COVID-19 had on their revenue, and how they recovered.

• [35:27] Hudson’s insights on partnering with retailers and distributors, advice for aspiring and up-and-coming entrepreneurs, and what’s next for Plant People.

To Find Out More:

Allegra Moet Brantley on LinkedIn

Quotes:

“I always hope to, at some point in my life, write a book on having ADHD and being an entrepreneur, because I think there's a lot of pluses and minuses – mostly pluses.” [0:07:19]

“If you have [a] really big vision, and momentum with other investors, people will invest. It really is a hype game. And so I learned a lot around fundraising [at Aloha].” [0:17:12]

“[To be] the Apple of anything – takes decades. You can't just do that [in a] matter of a year or two. But that's what we pitched [to] a lot of the investors. And so I think there was a bit of a disconnect there.” [0:18:43]

“The main reason I started this business, [Plant People] is I had spinal surgery, [I had to] learn how to walk again.” [0:27:31]

“My now co-founder also had a spinal surgery and was exploring plant-based modalities himself. And so we started together.” [0:28:01]

“I had more passion for making an impact in people's lives.” [0:28:12]

“We had so much pushback in the beginning because people didn't understand CBD. They thought it was weed. They thought it was THC, they were like, ‘Will I get high from this?’ That was the biggest education point.” [0:30:59]

“Tap into what customers want [and] are already [buying], [but do] it better.” [0:36:09]

“In general, you just got to hustle. You have to go with momentum, you have to have a lot of boutiques [and] a lot of indepe...

Widening the Wealth Circle for Women with Allegra Moet Brantley, Founder and CEO of Factora

Stairway to CEO

04/02/24 • 65 min

Description:

Joining the show today is Allegra Moet Brantley, the Founder and CEO of Factora. This women-led personal finances company is on a mission to lead one million women to $1 million in wealth. Today she shares her journey from building her first company to becoming a salary negotiation coach to leading partnerships and marketing at Financial Gym, where she ultimately came up with the idea to build Factora. Tuning in, you’ll gain insight into the importance of financial transparency, the challenges that can come with fundraising, building a sustainable business while growing a family, and much more. Allegra also has some valuable, go-getting advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, so if you have a business idea that has been nagging at you, you won’t want to miss this episode!

Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors:

• AWESOME CX by Transcom provides high-touch, personalized customer experience services to consumer brands of any size! Email Lee at [email protected] to learn more about their award-winning services and Awesome Coffee Chats

In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

• [02:53] Why transparency is the key to rid conversations about personal wealth of taboo.

• [05:43] Insight into Allegra’s upbringing across the country, her education, and her first jobs.

• [16:35] The importance of always negotiating for more and reading contracts thoroughly!

• [19:45] Lessons from Allegra’s time in the marketing department at Estee Lauder.

• [21:35] What her first steps into entrepreneurship in 2011 taught her about financial freedom.

• [30:13] Allegra’s valuable experiences at Financial Gym and the origin story of Factora.

• [38:29] How Factora has evolved and how The Wealth Circle community has grown.

• [40:45] Some of the challenges of fundraising, bootstrapping the business from the ground up, combating burnout while raising a family, and how Allegra overcame them.

• [49:37] Price ranges for Factora’s courses, what they entail, and how you can benefit for life!

• [53:50] What the future holds for Factora, how they take women from overwhelm to sustainable wealth-building, why this industry is ripe for disruption, and more.

To Find Out More:

Factora

The Wealth Circle

6 Figure Savings

Coffee & Coin Podcast

Allegra Moet Brantley on Instagram