Startups in Stilettos

Jill Apgar is the founder of Coco Beans, a luxury bedding and sleepwear brand offering luxurious silk crib sheets and pillow cases using the world’s softest, most innovative fabrics that families can trust. The company is best known for their machine-washable, 100% silk crib sheets. Following a forced layoff from her corporate career in 2020, Jill launched her company with a desire to source the best crib sheet fabrics that not only felt luxurious to the skin, but also helped reduced tangled hair for children and adults. Jill holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University and is a member of the Board of Directors for Harper’s Corner Foundation, Inc. She has over 12 years of experience in the corporate retail merchandising industry with some of the most iconic brands, including Abercrombie & Fitch and Victoria Secret.Jill joins us today to share what it was like to launch a luxury bedding and sleepwear company during a worldwide pandemic. She shares the initial steps she took to launch her company and why it’s important to learn from your mistakes and failures as well as your successes. We discuss how her personal painpoint led to launching the company and the value of networking and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Jill shares her experience with crowdfunding and how her products have evolved over the last two years. We also discuss tips for being ‘media-ready’ and ‘camera-ready’ as a new startup founder and how to craft your startup story to have the most impact.“For 30 to 45 days, you’re selling. If you want to be successful at that – you need a strategy and marketing plan.” – Jill ApgarIf you’re looking to take your business to the next level, join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!This week on Startups in Stilettos: How a painpoint in Jill’s personal life led to launching the Coco Beans company What it was like to launch a new business during the pandemic The importance of learning from your mistakes and failures as well as your successes The initial steps Jill took to launch her business The value of networking, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, and keeping yourself accountable Bootstrapping the product development costs and how Jill financed the launch of her business The lessons Jill learned while raising money to launch her business What kept Jill going despite facing challenges and setbacks The process of creating the Coco Beans brand How the Coco Beans products have evolved over the last two years Embracing and understanding your inherent strengths as an entrepreneur The PR journey and how Jill promoted her product The value of joining a business community of like-minded entrepreneurs Tips for being media and camera ready as a new startup founder How to craft your startup story and identify what to include and what to leave out What’s next for Coco Beans Resources Mentioned: Columbus College of Arts & Design Shopify Klaviyo Email Marketing Our Favorite Quotes: “You have to start somewhere.” – Jill Apgar “Have a day-by-day marketing strategy to get you through that crowdfunding campaign.” – Jill Apgar “Understand what you are inherently good at as an entrepreneur, and find people to fill the gaps.” – Jill Apgar Connect with Jill Apgar: Coco Beans – use Promo Code: Entreprenista15 to get 15% off your first order! Coco Beans on LinkedIn Coco Beans on Instagram Coco Beans on Facebook Coco Beans on Twitter Jill Apgar on LinkedIn Connect with your Startups in Stilettos hosts! Stephanie Cartin on Instagram Stephanie Cartin on LinkedIn Jessica Abo on Instagram Jessica Abo on LinkedIn Learn more about Jessica Abo here

When Carlyn stepped into Entrepreneurship to be closer to her four children, she thought it would be easy. After her first business came to an end, she realized her real passion was in helping other women grow their businesses, thus she created Carlyn Bushman Consulting. In today's episode, we sit down with Carlyn Bushman, founder of Carlyn Bushman Consulting, a consulting firm that helps women grow their businesses and define their success. Carlyn shares why she switched business models, what her business looks like today, what helped her business explode, and so much more. "I work with women who are just starting out. And I typically do that through a workshop, POP Academy, it is very popular. And that is a workshop that I hold where it takes you from six steps, and we go through it together. And it really gets you grounded in your business." - Carlyn BushmanThis week on Startups in Stilettos: Carlyn talks about her background and what made her start her business (1:40) What made Carlyn switch to a different business model after 2 years in business (6:51) Carlyn shares what her business looks like today (10:42) What helped Carlyn fast-track her business (12:32) Stephanie and Carlyn talk about managing social media (22:12) Stephanie and Carlyn discuss adspend (26:57) Resources Mentioned: AirTable DashLane Klipfolio  Smart Cue Our Favorite Quotes: "You have to be very intentional with your schedule when dropping into entrepreneurship as well." - Carlyn Bushman "So I would advise anybody who's in a partnership, definitely drop in and make sure you have a tight exit agreement." - Carlyn Bushman "So if I think about your business, I'm figuring out what comes next, then what's next, then what's next and how to put it all together. It's the visual that I've come up with lately, because I cannot not think about your business. And it really matters to me." - Carlyn Bushman Connect with Carlyn Bushman: CarlynBushmanConsulting.com Carlyn on LinkedIn Carlyn on Instagram Carlyn on Facebook Carlyn on TikTok Connect with your Startups in Stilettos hosts: Stephanie Cartin on Instagram Stephanie Cartin on LinkedIn Jessica Abo on Instagram Jessica Abo on LinkedIn Learn more about Jessica Abo here Get Featured on Startups in StilettosWant a chance to be featured on Startups in Stilettos? We’re currently accepting applications from our Entreprenista League members to be featured on the show! Think of the Entreprenista League as your team members in what can be a lonely startup founder’s journey. You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded female startup founders who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website, social channels – and, of course, the Startups in Stilettos podcast – and so much MORE!Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!Grow Your Startup with Startups in StilettosThanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Startups in Stilettos, powered by the Entreprenista PodcastNetwork. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more startup founders, like you, and have a chance to win a one-on-one mentor and strategy session with Stephanie Cartin.Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And for even more exclusive content and information – and to get access to the 8 Secrets to Success in Your Business video course and worksheet – visit our website.

As a life-long teacher, Caitlin knew from a young age that her calling was helping children. So she started tutoring, then that turned into educational consulting. Once the pandemic hit, business exploded as more schools needed her consulting for remote learning. Today, she’s about to take her business nationwide. In today’s episode, we sit down with Caitlin Meister, founding director of The Greer Meister Group, a New York City based private tutoring and educational consulting practice. She shares tips for helping children learn, how she navigated the rapid growth from the pandemic, what she is most proud of, and so much more. “Then something really amazing happened because it became bigger than just being about my son, because I started to talk to other parents. And I was helping them figure out how their kids learned best when I realized that this was something I could give to other moms.” - Caitlin MeisterThis week on Startups in Stilettos: Caitlin shares where the idea for The Greer Meister Group came from (1:52) Caitlin gives tips to help children learn (4:10) Caitlin explains the hardest part of rapidly growing (9:02) Caitlin’s top business tool tip (15:06) What Caitlin is most proud of (16:48) Caitlin discusses her ideal clients (17:44) Stephanie and Caitlin discuss scaling and marketing businesses (20:43) Resources Mentioned:WhatsAppOur Favorite Quotes: “Never dismissing them and saying, ‘Oh, you're too young to know the answer to that,’ right? A five year old is not going to be ready for the same answer that a 15 year old might be ready for but there's always a developmentally appropriate way to answer a child's question.” - Caitlin Meister “The biggest thing that makes it all feel worthwhile is every time another mom tells me that we're changing her family's lives, it doesn't get more fulfilling than that.” - Caitlin Meister “I mean, that kind of external recognition feels really good. I mean, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna say that it doesn't. And also, there was a part of me that couldn't really stop and enjoy it and focus on it. Because we were running full steam.” - Caitlin Meister Connect with Caitlin Meister: JoyfullyLearning.com Joyfully Learning on Instagram Caitlin on Instagram Connect with your Startups in Stilettos hosts: Stephanie Cartin on Instagram Stephanie Cartin on LinkedIn Jessica Abo on Instagram Jessica Abo on LinkedIn Learn more about Jessica Abo here Get Featured on Startups in StilettosWant a chance to be featured on Startups in Stilettos? We’re currently accepting applications from our Entreprenista League members to be featured on the show! Think of the Entreprenista League as your team members in what can be a lonely startup founder’s journey. You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded female startup founders who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website, social channels – and, of course, the Startups in Stilettos podcast – and so much MORE!Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!Grow Your Startup with Startups in StilettosThanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Startups in Stilettos, powered by the Entreprenista PodcastNetwork. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.Apple Podcasts|TuneIn|GooglePlay|Stitcher|Spotify|iHeart RadioBe sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more startup founders, like you, and have a chance to win a one-on-one mentor and strategy session with Stephanie Cartin.

After two decades as a successful attorney, Leslee decided to branch out with a partner. Once that partner left, she was left as a business owner with no business experience. So she did what every person in her shoes would: she took a course to learn how to lead. And lead she has.  In today's episode, we sit down with Leslee Cohen, founder of AllRise, a law firm that helps small businesses with their early fundraising. Leslee shares important legal information, how she helps founders, her unique way of billing clients, and so much more. "’I am Leslee Cohen, I represent companies that are raising money.’ It's just floodgates opened after that. Everyone could go back and remember exactly what I do––one thing––and do I do other things? Yeah, mergers and acquisitions, day to day contracts, all that, but that is my entry point. It's my differentiator..” - Leslee CohenThis week on Startups in Stilettos: Leslee discusses how she learned to run a business (1:42) Leslee shares important legal information for new business owners (7:11) Leslee talks about what she helps founders with through AllRise (11:44) Leslee explains how she bills clients (16:42) What Leslee is most proud of (21:13) Leslee gives advice for networking (23:39) Leslee shares what is next for AllRise (26:44) Resources Mentioned: QuickBooks Clio Apochromatik Google Sheets Google Drive Google Calendar Our Favorite Quotes: "So the number one thing is to form an entity of some kind to protect you. If you're a sole proprietorship, you have the potential of personal liability, and you don't want someone to sue you and come after your home. So you really need to have some type of entity.” - Leslee Cohen “It is that hand holding that I love and that I was passionate about.” - Leslee Cohen “I think there were, at least the first two years, I did two networking, either a meeting or a one-on-one coffee, or that kind of thing per day, seven days a week for two years.” - Leslee Cohen Connect with Leslee Cohen: AllRiseLawyers.com Leslee on LinkedIn LCohen@AllRiseLawyers.com Connect with your Startups in Stilettos hosts: Stephanie Cartin on Instagram Stephanie Cartin on LinkedIn Jessica Abo on Instagram Jessica Abo on LinkedIn Learn more about Jessica Abo here Get Featured on Startups in StilettosWant a chance to be featured on Startups in Stilettos? We’re currently accepting applications from our Entreprenista League members to be featured on the show! Think of the Entreprenista League as your team members in what can be a lonely startup founder’s journey. You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded female startup founders who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website, social channels – and, of course, the Startups in Stilettos podcast – and so much MORE!Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!Grow Your Startup with Startups in StilettosThanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Startups in Stilettos, powered by the Entreprenista PodcastNetwork. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.Apple Podcasts|TuneIn|GooglePlay|Stitcher|Spotify|iHeart RadioBe sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more startup founders, like you, and have a chance to win a one-on-one mentor and strategy session with Stephanie Cartin.Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And for even more exclusive content and information – and to get access to the 8 Secrets to Success in Your Business video course and worksheet – visit our website.

As women, we do and balance A LOT. And many times, we can be left feeling unbalanced. For Karima El-Hakkaoui, she decided to revolutionize the skincare game after spending two decades growing frustrated with the way the industry handled skincare. Her desire is for women to feel healthy and well-balanced. In today’s episode, we sit down with Karima El-Hakkaoui, founder and CEO of Six Gldn, a Korean skincare brand that is rooted in the ancient principles of beauty and wellness. She talks about the thoughtful branding and packaging for Six Gldn, the unique business tools she uses, what Six Gldn will be doing next year, and so much more. “So what we are is this oasis of balance for anything that deals with stress, nutrition and skin. Right now, we just have our first launch, which is the skincare and what it does is it brings all skin back into balance. You can be oily dry, it can be anything but it brings it back to balance and the reason why is balanced skin is healthy, radiant skin.” - Karima El-HakkaouiThis week on Startups in Stilettos: Karima shares why she decided to start Six Gldn (1:40) Karima talks about the branding and packaging for Six Gldn (6:32) Karima explains her unique tools that she uses in her business (12:30) How Karima got Six Gldn into retail (14:52) Karima shares the challenges she’s faced (17:30) Stephanie and Karima talk about how to make introductions to venture capitalists (19:26) Karima talks about what Six Gldn will be doing in the next year (23:19) Our Favorite Quotes: “One of the biggest issues with us is not knowing what we don't know, you know, we don't know what we don't know.” - Karima El-Hakkaoui “The reason we're called Six Gldn is because when the sun is six degrees above the horizon, it's golden hour and how does your skin look at golden hour? It's stunning. It's radiant, glowing and healthy.” - Karima El-Hakkaoui “On my wrist, I have the word jump in my own handwriting tattooed. That's kind of my theory for everything is I'm going to jump in and then figure it out on the way like the way through.” - Karima El-Hakkaoui  Connect with Karima El-Hakkaoui: SixGldn.com Six Gldn on Instagram Six Gldn on TikTok Six Gldn on Facebook Connect with your Startups in Stilettos hosts: Stephanie Cartin on Instagram Stephanie Cartin on LinkedIn Jessica Abo on Instagram Jessica Abo on LinkedIn Learn more about Jessica Abo here Get Featured on Startups in StilettosWant a chance to be featured on Startups in Stilettos? We’re currently accepting applications from our Entreprenista League members to be featured on the show! Think of the Entreprenista League as your team members in what can be a lonely startup founder’s journey. You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded female startup founders who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website, social channels – and, of course, the Startups in Stilettos podcast – and so much MORE!Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!Grow Your Startup with Startups in StilettosThanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Startups in Stilettos, powered by the Entreprenista PodcastNetwork. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.Apple Podcasts|TuneIn|GooglePlay|Stitcher|Spotify|iHeart RadioBe sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more startup founders, like you, and have a chance to win a one-on-one mentor and strategy session with Stephanie Cartin.Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And for even more exclusive content and information – and to get access to the 8 Secrets to Success in Your Business video course and worksheet – visit our website.

Like many people, Haley Dagan lost her corporate position in the hospitality industry during the pandemic. After taking some time to reflect on what she wanted to do, she decided to dive head first into her side business because she loved marketing and making connections. In today’s episode, we sit down with Haley Dagan, founder of The Written World, an agency of purpose-driven copywriting and content creation for small businesses. She shares why she values connection over followers, who her ideal clients are, what she's most proud of, and so much more. “The part of marketing that I always loved was the connections through words. And that's why I started The Written World. And it was something for me that was just like another creative outlet.” - Haley DaganThis week on Startups in Stilettos: Haley talks about the decision to go full-time with The Written World after losing her corporate job (3:14) Haley explains what The Written World is (6:46) Haley shares how she found her first clients by being strategic (9:27) Haley describes her ideal client and what services The Written World offers (17:30) Haley talks about what she’s most proud of in her business (24:29) Stephanie and Haley talk about when to step back once your business grows (27:39) Resources Mentioned: Clickup Asana Airtable Loom Slack Google Drive One Drive Our Favorite Quotes: “Yeah, I mean, at first, I really took the time to just think like, ‘what is it that I want to do? Is this the path I want to continue on? Is there something better for me out there?’” - Haley Dagan “My philosophy to getting clients has remained the same: connections come first, and as you build those connections the business comes, too.” - Haley Dagan “Especially coming from someone who just always imagined their career in corporate America, even being able to say that I have my own agency, I think is something that I'm super proud of.” - Haley Dagan  Connect with Haley Dagan: TheWrittenWorldAgency.com The Written World on Instagram The Written World on Twitter The Written World on Facebook The Written World on LinkedIn Connect with your Startups in Stilettos hosts: Stephanie Cartin on Instagram Stephanie Cartin on LinkedIn Jessica Abo on Instagram Jessica Abo on LinkedIn Learn more about Jessica Abo here Get Featured on Startups in StilettosWant a chance to be featured on Startups in Stilettos? We’re currently accepting applications from our Entreprenista League members to be featured on the show! Think of the Entreprenista League as your team members in what can be a lonely startup founder’s journey. You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded female startup founders who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website, social channels – and, of course, the Startups in Stilettos podcast – and so much MORE!Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!Grow Your Startup with Startups in StilettosThanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Startups in Stilettos, powered by the Entreprenista PodcastNetwork. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.Apple Podcasts|TuneIn|GooglePlay|Stitcher|Spotify|iHeart RadioBe sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more startup founders, like you, and have a chance to win a one-on-one mentor and strategy session with Stephanie Cartin.Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And for even more exclusive content and information – and to get access to the 8 Secrets to Success in Your Business video course and worksheet – visit our website.

How many good ideas are born over brunch? We’re not sure. But if you’re Mollie Kehoe and Lynn Browne, the idea to start a business that helps link advertisers with companies came to light over avocado toast and coffee. Friends since college, Lynn and Mollie were shocked that a business like that had yet to exist, so they created it. In today’s episode, we sit down with Lynn Browne and Mollie Kehoe, co-founders of BrandVerge, a platform that makes it easy for brands and companies to connect with advertising programs. Lynn and Mollie share how they knew how much capital to raise, how to maintain a healthy relationship when in business with your best friend, who their ideal clients are, and so much more. “We have a platform in house that makes it easy for brands and media companies like Entreprenista to connect with each other and work on impactful advertising programs together.” - Mollie Kehoe This week on Startups in Stilettos: Mollie and Lynn share how BrandVerge came to be (1:47) Mollie talks about how much capital they needed to raise (6:40) What the secret to maintaining friendship while being business partners is (14:18) What Mollie and Lynn are most proud of (17:26) Mollie shares who their dream clients are (21:39) Mollie, Lynn, and Stephanie talk about how to know when your business is ready for the next step (25:03) What is next for BrandVerge in 2023 (30:13) Resources Mentioned: Asana Slack Microsoft Fellow HubSpot Salesforce Boostr Our Favorite Quotes: “The first step was literally looking at each other and saying, ‘This is a genius idea, someone should do it, why not us?’ I think that when starting a business, the first step is always the hardest, which is just deciding to go after it.” - Lynn Browne “When we're not at work, we don't really talk about work. And I think people always ask like ‘How? That must be so hard,’ but we were friends first. So it's very easy for us to keep things separate.” - Mollie Kehoe “Yes, it's very important the work that we do, but we're also complete human beings. So having grace around certain things, or having just an understanding of what's going on in people's lives just helps make the co-founder relationship just go a lot smoother, because it's not everything all work all the time.” - Lynn Browne Connect with BrandVerge: GoBrandVerge.com BrandVerge on Instagram  BrandVerge on Twitter BrandVerge on LinkedIn Connect with your Startups in Stilettos hosts: Stephanie Cartin on Instagram Stephanie Cartin on LinkedIn Jessica Abo on Instagram Jessica Abo on LinkedIn Learn more about Jessica Abo here Get Featured on Startups in StilettosWant a chance to be featured on Startups in Stilettos? We’re currently accepting applications from our Entreprenista League members to be featured on the show! Think of the Entreprenista League as your team members in what can be a lonely startup founder’s journey. You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded female startup founders who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website, social channels – and, of course, the Startups in Stilettos podcast – and so much MORE!Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!Grow Your Startup with Startups in StilettosThanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Startups in Stilettos, powered by the Entreprenista PodcastNetwork. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more startup founders, like you, and have a chance to win a one-on-one mentor and strategy session with Stephanie Cartin.

After a successful corporate career, Deb Boulanger took time off to find her next steps. Three years later she realized her passion was in helping women do what she did: reinvent themselves midlife. In today’s episode, we sit down with Deb Boulanger, founder of The Great Do-Over, a company that helps women on their quest of entrepreneurship. Deb shares with us how she realized her passion in helping women launch businesses, the challenges she sees founders face, how to set your prices, and so much more. “The message was, ‘you need to teach other women how to reinvent themselves, just like you've reinvented yourself.’” - Deb BoulangerThis week on Startups in Stilettos: Deb shares her background in Corporate America and when she knew it was time to go out on her own (2:38) Deb explains what The Great Do-Over and The Launch Lab are (9:12) Deb talks about the challenges she sees business owners face when they transition from corporate to entrepreneurship (13:24) Why Deb steers clear of automated social media tools (16:35) Deb shares how to price your services [this is a must listen] (19:34) Stephanie and Deb talk about how to make social media work for you (24:42) Deb tells us what we can expect to see from her in the coming year (28:53) Resources Mentioned: LeadPages TheGreatDoOver.com/Pricing Instagram Our Favorite Quotes: “So I'm an accidental entrepreneur. It was never in my experience. It was never in my DNA.” - Deb Boulanger “I still love launching things. I love the marketing. I love understanding what are the hidden needs in the market that no one is serving or no one is serving well, and how do we create a service offering around that.” - Deb Boulanger “So your network rallies around you, they're cheering you on, they're sending you people, and you can hit success really quickly, that first year, but then that warm network dries up. And if you don't have the systems and processes in place to really drive growth, then you start struggling and then it gets scary.” - Deb Boulanger “Double your prices and see what happens because most women entrepreneurs are underpricing their services, because they undervalue their impact. And I can't tell you how many stories I have about my clients in the Six Figure Accelerator who have increased their prices by 50%, or sometimes 100%. And it's had no negative impact on their sales.” - Deb Boulanger Connect with Deb Boulanger: Deb on LinkedIn Deb on Instagram Deb on Facebook TheGreatDoOver.com Connect with your Startups in Stilettos hosts: Stephanie Cartin on Instagram Stephanie Cartin on LinkedIn Jessica Abo on Instagram Jessica Abo on LinkedIn Learn more about Jessica Abo here Get Featured on Startups in StilettosWant a chance to be featured on Startups in Stilettos? We’re currently accepting applications from our Entreprenista League members to be featured on the show! Think of the Entreprenista League as your team members in what can be a lonely startup founder’s journey. You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded female startup founders who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website, social channels – and, of course, the Startups in Stilettos podcast – and so much MORE!Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!Grow Your Startup with Startups in StilettosThanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Startups in Stilettos, powered by the Entreprenista PodcastNetwork. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more startup founders, like you, and have a chance to win a one-on-one mentor and strategy session with Stephanie Cartin.

Any mother knows that having a child completely transforms your body. You may (and honestly probably will) lose muscle mass and your body composition may shift. When Alicia McKenzie found herself in that position ten years ago, she knew she had to do something to help other women going through the same thing. In today’s episode, we sit down with Alicia McKenzie, coach, author, speaker, and founder of Lift Like A Mother, a platform that provides people with information regarding all things wellness. Alicia shares how she became an Entreprenista, her new book, how to take care of yourself, and so much more. "​​I've always loved coaching people, I've always loved helping people thrive and optimize their life and be the best version of themselves. So it really just naturally evolved into a coaching business that provides people with realistic tools, tips, and makes things accessible and actually doable.” - Alicia McKenzieThis week on Startups in Stilettos: Alicia talks about how her business came to fruition (2:20) Alicia shares how she moved forward after selling her gym (5:19) All about Alicia’s book Balance is Bullshit (6:29) Alicia talks about her coaching clients (12:48) Alicia shares a tip for taking care of yourself (17:17) Alicia asks Stephanie about the pain points in Entreprenista League (19:04) What Alicia is looking forward to this coming year (23:04) Resources Mentioned: Google Calendar  Shower Notes Our Favorite Quotes: “​​It was a total accident. I was an athlete. So I never went into this thinking ‘I'm going to start a business. I'm going to do all these things.’ They just kind of evolved and matured as the years just kept rolling by.” - Alicia McKenzie “It's kind of like sending your baby off to college. You grew it and then you sold it and now you have very little say in what happens.” - Alicia McKenzie “It's really my coaching process in a book form.” - Alicia McKenzie “A ‘yes’ to someone else tends to be a ‘no’ to yourself.” - Stephanie Cartin  Connect with Alicia McKenzie: Balance is Bullshit  LiftLikeAMother.com Lift Like A Mother on Instagram Lift Like A Mother on Twitter Connect with your Startups in Stilettos hosts: Stephanie Cartin on Instagram Stephanie Cartin on LinkedIn Jessica Abo on Instagram Jessica Abo on LinkedIn Learn more about Jessica Abo here Get Featured on Startups in StilettosWant a chance to be featured on Startups in Stilettos? We’re currently accepting applications from our Entreprenista League members to be featured on the show! Think of the Entreprenista League as your team members in what can be a lonely startup founder’s journey. You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded female startup founders who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website, social channels – and, of course, the Startups in Stilettos podcast – and so much MORE!Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!Grow Your Startup with Startups in StilettosThanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Startups in Stilettos, powered by the Entreprenista PodcastNetwork. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.Apple Podcasts|TuneIn|GooglePlay|Stitcher|Spotify|iHeart RadioBe sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more startup founders, like you, and have a chance to win a one-on-one mentor and strategy session with Stephanie Cartin.Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And for even more exclusive content and information – and to get access to the 8 Secrets to Success in Your Business video course and worksheet – visit our website.

One day in 2017, Carla had been looking forward to pampering herself before her vacation with her husband. However, after six hours, she had only been able to get three services. She realized there had to be a more time efficient way for women to get their beauty services done. In today’s episode, we sit down with Carla Olivia, founder of Dash Bar, a revolutionary beauty bar that allows women to get multiple services done simultaneously so they are able to get back to their lives quicker. Carla talks about the process of starting Dash Bar, she gives marketing tips for Entreprenistas who have brick and mortar stores, she talks about the packages Dash Bar offers, and so much more. “We offer the highest level of quality services that impact women the most, that are efficient in the way that they're performed, but also maximize their investment.” - Carla OliviaThis week on Startups in Stilettos: Carla shares about the origin and process of starting Dash Bar (3:11) Carla talks about what the full experience of Dash Bar includes (7:10) Carla gives marketing tips (11:32) What has surprised Carla the most since starting Dash Bar (16:59) Carla and Stephanie talk about how marketing has helped Entreprenista League grow (20:49) Carla talks about the events and packages Dash Bar has (23:35) Carla explains when she will expand Dash Bar (29:50) Resources Mentioned: Canva Fanocracy  Our Favorite Quotes: “So I started to do research in the market to figure out what type of beauty services were out there, what kind of furniture was out there that could allow for multiple services to be performed simultaneously, and what types of services could be combined.” - Carla Olivia “What has surprised me the most is my resiliency. Either that or I'm a glutton for punishment. I haven't figured that quite out yet.” - Carla Olivia “I think behind all the challenges, you have to allow yourself like those small wins, and really kind of pat yourself on the back and give yourself the opportunity to say to yourself, you know, I did a good job.” - Carla Olivia Connect with Carla Olivia: www.TheDashBar.com Dash Bar on Instagram Carla on Instagram  Connect with your Startups in Stilettos hosts: Stephanie Cartin on Instagram Stephanie Cartin on LinkedIn Jessica Abo on Instagram Jessica Abo on LinkedIn Learn more about Jessica Abo here Get Featured on Startups in StilettosWant a chance to be featured on Startups in Stilettos? We’re currently accepting applications from our Entreprenista League members to be featured on the show! Think of the Entreprenista League as your team members in what can be a lonely startup founder’s journey. You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded female startup founders who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website, social channels – and, of course, the Startups in Stilettos podcast – and so much MORE!Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!Grow Your Startup with Startups in StilettosThanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Startups in Stilettos, powered by the Entreprenista PodcastNetwork. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.Apple Podcasts|TuneIn|GooglePlay|Stitcher|Spotify|iHeart RadioBe sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more startup founders, like you, and have a chance to win a one-on-one mentor and strategy session with Stephanie Cartin.Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And for even more exclusive content and information – and to get access to the 8 Secrets to Success in Your Business video course and worksheet – visit our website.