Paint & Pipette: The Art & Science of Innovation Ep 04: Spreading the Beauty of Bilingualism with Ana Leyva
Ana Leyva found her calling as an entrepreneur when, after having children, she became aware that there was a gap in the market for a bilingual language learning platform. From this realization, Lelu was born. As a female, Latina founder of a company, Ana is part of a very underrepresented demographic, and the courage she exudes, along with the support she offers to others who are on a similar journey, is inspiring. In today’s episode, you’ll hear about lessons that Ana has learned through the founding of Lelu, the approach that she and her team of three use to generate ideas for the business, and how she cultivates entrepreneurial qualities in her children; her son is only six years old and he is already eager to get his own ideas off the ground! Although Lelu is still in its beginning stages, it is already clear that the platform holds immense value for those who make use of it.
Key Points From This Episode:
- What inspired us to bring today’s guest, Ana Leyva, onto the show.
- How having children altered Ana’s career trajectory.
- The asset that Ana’s children are to her work.
- Ways that Ana’s upbringing shaped her career decisions.
- Challenges that Ana experienced because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- A lesson that gave Ana the courage to pursue her passion.
- Things that Ana does and doesn’t doubt about the path she has chosen with Lelu.
- How Ana cultivates entrepreneurial qualities in her children.
- Benefits that Ana experiences from explaining business-related things to her children.
- Support that Ana receives from her tribe and how she gives support in return.
- Important lessons that Ana has learned from her customer base along her journey with Lelu.
- A story that highlights the value that people are finding in Lelu’s offerings.
- Situations when being a female founder feels hard for Ana.
- The importance of sharing anecdotal stories and hard numbers when it comes to pitching Lelu to potential customers.
- Ana’s approach to coming up with, and choosing, ideas for Lelu.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: