Entreprenista

When one of Tracey’s friends had given her a sample of a new product to try that he had been working on, she noticed positive changes to a CrossFit injury within a few weeks. She called him up and decided to partner with him on the product. Soon after, Vital Proteins was born and it revolutionized the ingestible collagen market.  Today, we sit down with Tracey Warner Halama, CEO of Vital Proteins,...

Most women have struggled with embarrassment when buying feminine health products. Whether it be from the 16 year old male bagging your yeast infection cream at the supermarket or running into your boss when buying a pregnancy test, it’s bound to happen occasionally. Now there is a way to discreetly buy these products.  Today, we sit down with Cynthia Plotch and Jamie Norwood, co-founders of Stix,...

After going down the path that she figured was best for her, Type-A Nicole decided to quit her career to see where her blog would take her. She became one of the leading industry experts in the gluten-free field and helped shape how restaurants facilitated gluten-free options.  Today, we sit down with Nicole Cogan, founder of No Bread, a popular gluten-free blog, and an angel investor. She shares...

It’s been a great (and long) year, Entreprenistas! And we are so excited to have had each and every one of you here for it. We can’t wait to see what next year brings! Today, we sit down to discuss the year’s highs and lows with Entreprenista and Social Fly. We share our learning lessons, the books we recommend, how to feel comfortable at events, and so much more.  “We launched the Entreprenista L...

Have you ever had a chance encounter that led to your life’s purpose? For Alicia Silverstone, that encounter happened when she was eight and witnessed a calf being taken from its mother. From then on, she swore she would never eat meat again. That childhood decision led to Alicia creating a brand rooted in personal ethics.  Today, we sit down with Alicia Silverstone, mom, actress, author, advocate...

When Anouck Gotlib met her husband on a flight from Belgium, she had no idea she would be shifting her plans to start a business. But she believed in her husband’s idea so much, that that is exactly what she did. She left fashion for food and never looked back.  Today, we sit down with Anouck Gotlib, CEO of Belgian Boys, a company that provides European treats in the United States. Anouck shares t...

After a few years in the wrong field, Jenny Shum pivoted into financial services. It was in that industry that she realized her passion of helping small businesses. She rose through the ranks because she loved finding new ways to overcome the challenges she faced. Now she is the General Manager at Chase Ink and spends her time helping others.  Today, we sit down with Jenny Shum, General Manager at...

After rising up through the ranks in the hospitality industry to become a bartender at many different cocktail bars in Northern California, Dominique Gonzalez found herself being the designated bartender at all the gatherings she would attend. An Entreprenista at heart, Dominique decided to use her bartending knowledge to fix the problem that many of her family members were facing: creating intric...

Amy Shoenthal is a journalist who loves covering founders because it combines her love for writing with her admiration of gritty Entreprenistas. Amy has been a marketing executive for many years, making her the go-to person for tips on how to market your business.  Today, we sit down with Amy Shoenthal, journalist, author, marketing executive, and mom. She shares her hot tips for founders wanting...

Amanda Schutzbank saw a hole in the capital-raising world for non-tech businesses needing capital during the early stages of business. So she decided to put her years of expertise to use and do something about it.  In today’s episode, we sit down with Amanda Schutzbank, co-founder of Willow Growth, a company that provides early-seed funding for consumer-based businesses. She shares why there was a...

After the dotcom crash and 9/11, Candace was left wondering what she wanted to do as a career. She knew she loved baking, so she decided to enroll in pastry school instead of going to business school. Soon, Sprinkles was born.  In today’s episode, we sit down with Candace Nelson, co-founder of Sprinkles, the revolutionary cupcake company that took the world by storm and created the cupcake craze....

When Maggie Segrich moved from New York to Houston, she learned that Houstonians would not feel comfortable going to a jewelry shop in a home unlike New Yorkers do. So she needed a space to set up shop. After meeting her business partner, Meredith, Sesh Coworking was created. In today’s episode, we sit down with Maggie Segrich, co-founder of Sesh Coworking, Houston’s first female centered workspac...

After stepping down from her career and taking a six month traveling trip with her children, Lindsay Cook realized what her next career step would be: creating an app based on her health and wellness passions.  In today’s episode, we sit down with Lindsay Cook, co-founder of FitOn, the number one free fitness app. Lindsay shares with us how her corporate background helped her start FitOn, the proc...

Due to growing up on a farm, hard work and determination was instilled in Janna from a young age. Even though she had a successful career in sales and marketing, the beauty industry kept calling her name. So she took those childhood traits and her love for skincare, and created one of the most recognizable clinical skincare companies in the world, IMAGE Skincare.  In today’s episode, we sit down w...

A childhood obsession with pigs led Berkley to becoming an attorney. During law school, she started a blog for legal education, which led to a contract template side business. Then the side business she started became her passion and she stepped away from being an attorney.  In today’s episode, we talk with Berkley Sweetapple, an Entreprenista with a legal contract template business. Berkley share...

Sabeena was like every other millennial and took the straight and narrow corporate career path. Then when the world shut down and she was quarantined to her home, Sabeena mixed her love of healthy eating and a cookie dough obsession with her career knowledge of the snack industry to create a good-for-you cookie dough company.  In today’s episode, we sit down with Sabeena Ladha, CEO and founder of...

When Stefanie Sample woke up one day, mid-pandemic, and read an article that mentioned the huge gap in PPP loans for women and minorities, she knew she wanted to be part of the solution. So she spent the next few months learning all she could about small business lending. Then she launched Fundid.  In today’s episode, we talk with Stefanie Sample, founder of Fundid, a business capital company for...

In today's day and age, it's hard to have honest conversations with people who have a different belief than you. But it's so important. Having conversations with people different than you helps you understand their perspective AND it helps build community. In today's episode, we hear from Sophie Beren, CEO of The Conversationalist, a nonpartisan education community that has the goal of helping peo...

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Radio | GooglePlay Many people struggle to grow their families, so they turn to fertility treatments. However, the process can be confusing and not personal. SMP Pharmacy decided to change that by streamlining the process and making it easier on patients and nurses, alike.  In today's episode, we talk with Pam Schumann, CEO of SMP Pharmacy, abo...

When Anna Ratala decided to start a podcast, she went looking for a platform that would help her find brands to monetize her podcast. When she found there was no such site, she decided to create her own, thus Zvook was born.  In this week's episode, Anna Ratala, CEO and co-founder of Zvook, a platform that matches brands to podcasts, shares how her journey to starting her own business led her acro...

Jennifer Brisman was always a go-getter, a starter, the one who made things happen. Add that to her, as she says, "problem with authority" and you get the creator of futuristic event planning. Even though she knew she wanted to be her own boss, Jennifer's career path started out in a completely different field–pre-med. But on one fateful day, as Jennifer planned a pre-med event, she met a person w...

Moving across the globe with the intention of becoming and staying an entertainment executive was exactly the life Yanghee Paik wanted and got. Until one day, she spoke with her future business partner about the lack of quality feminine care products in the US. That one conversation changed the course of Yanghee's life forever.  In this week's episode, Yanghee Paik, co-founder and CEO of Rael, an...

Have you ever wanted to detach time from money? You may have wanted something more than an hourly job. But maybe you thought 'I'm too young' or 'I'm too old' or 'I'm too [fill-in-the-blank.]' For Kimmy Scotti, she didn't let her age stop her from accomplishing what she wanted. She pounded the pavement and figured out how she could get to where she wanted to go.  This week's guest, Kimmy Scotti, is...

Michelle Reeves is the co-founder and CEO of Mavion, a Web 3 platform that creates fashion NFTs. Michelle has a heart for helping women break into the cryptocurrency world. As she says, her DMs are always open to inquiring minds.  In this week's episode, Michelle shares how 2016 got her started in NFTs. She also shares what she hopes her company, Mavion, can help with, how NFTs can help a business...

Any person with a food allergy knows what it feels like to miss out on sweets. But when starting a business to fill that void, how do you get investors to believe in your mission? And how do you gain the trust of your intended audience? This week’s guest is Denise Woodard, founder of Partake, an allergen-free sweets company that Denise started because of her daughter’s many food allergies. In this...