Debbie Sterling (GoldieBlox) - Empowering Girls with STEM
Jul 29, 2020
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In this engaging discussion, Debbie Sterling, founder and CEO of GoldieBlox, shares her journey in empowering girls through STEM-focused toys. She reveals the challenges of breaking into mainstream retail and the innovative strategies that helped her company thrive. Debbie emphasizes the importance of collaboration over isolation, reflecting on a transformative Super Bowl campaign that heightened awareness for girls in engineering. Highlighting the need for diversity in STEM, she also discusses the impact of partnerships and media on inspiring young girls.
Debbie Sterling's journey with GoldieBlox emphasizes the importance of adapting strategies in response to challenges while promoting STEM engagement for girls.
The podcast highlights the impact of open collaboration and community involvement, leading to significant marketing successes like winning a Super Bowl ad spot.
Deep dives
How Personal Experience Shapes Business Vision
The founder of GoldieBlox shared her journey, illustrating how personal experiences informed her vision for the toy company. Initially, she had a grand plan to disrupt the traditional toy market, specifically targeting the pink aisle dominated by stereotypical girl toys. However, as she learned from her experiences, she recognized that the path to achieving her goals was non-linear and fraught with challenges. This realization led her to adapt her strategy, focusing not just on product distribution, but on inspiring young girls to engage with STEM fields.
The Importance of Feedback and Sharing Ideas
Navigating the balance between secrecy and collaboration is crucial for entrepreneurs. The speaker recalled feeling isolated while developing her prototype, fearing idea theft, until she decided to share her vision openly. This move not only alleviated her loneliness but also attracted passionate supporters who contributed valuable feedback and assistance. By embracing openness and sharing her ideas early, she harnessed the power of her network, which proved instrumental in her startup's growth.
GoldieBlox's journey highlighted the creativity and resourcefulness required in startup marketing. The company entered a contest to win a Super Bowl ad, presenting an ambitious goal that energized the small team. Their innovative approach involved engaging their Kickstarter backers and fans in a voting campaign, ultimately winning the ad spot out of thousands of competitors. This grassroots movement not only generated excitement but also provided a platform to showcase their brand to a broader audience through a memorable commercial.
Transforming Challenges into Opportunities
The founder faced a significant setback when product defects arose, potentially damaging the company's reputation. Rather than retreating, she recognized this as an opportunity to reinforce trust with customers by providing new, improved products. The initiative involved personalized outreach and transparent communication, framing the situation as part of the learning process inherent in engineering and entrepreneurship. This thoughtful and proactive response not only salvaged the company’s reputation but also reinforced its mission of empowering young girls through STEM.
Debbie Sterling is the founder and CEO of GoldieBlox, an award-winning children’s multimedia company known for disrupting the “pink aisle” in toy stores around the world, and challenging gender stereotypes with a girl engineer character. In 2015, Sterling was inducted as a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship under the Obama administration and honored by the National Women’s History Museum with a “Living Legacy” Award for her work to empower girls around the world. Here, she explores the strategies, pivots, and mission-driven commitments that have helped GoldieBlox thrive.
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