Female Startup Club

Today on the show we’re joined by Tara Bosch, founder of the wildly successful candy brand, SmartSweets.Since launching in July 2016, SmartSweets' mission to innovate delicious, low-sugar candy you can feel good about has remained the same – Kick Sugar, Keep Candy™. Envisioned as "the future of candy," SmartSweets aims to be a global leader in the sugar reduction movement by tackling one of the largest and most concerning ingredients in our everyday food – sugar.In this episode, we cover Tara’s inspiring journey from starting this business in her kitchen right through to selling a major stake in the business for $360m. It’s a wild ride and I know you’re going to learn so much from Tara!I couldn't believe how she only raised $3M to then go on to proceed with a $360M acquisition. Some seriously impressive stuff. Tara believes there to be so much stigma and idealization around raising as if that almost becomes the celebration. Realistically this can distract from the fact that the money is so you can grow your business, and those are the milestones that you should be celebrating. If you can raise no money that’s amazing, it’s much more beneficial for everyone.There are some real nuggets of wisdom here that I know will benefit a lot of you. For example, how it may look like entrepreneurs with a certain level of success have it all figured out but that's very rarely the case. Tara thought that when you got to a certain level of success you just have this unwavering confidence that you know what you're doing and you've got it all figured out. That as you scale, this feeling comes automatically. But this just isn't the case. The feeling changes, but you rarely feel like you've got it all figured out. That's just part of the entrepreneurial ride, what keeps you going in some ways, and also something that's good to accept. There’s not one event that is the silver bullet to success, just accumulation that keeps that momentum going, and the snowball getting bigger and bigger. But you still have to push that snowball. Stick around for the last part where Tara dives into her key piece of advice for entrepreneurs entering the candy space. For her, having a radical value proposition is one of the reasons at the heart of why SmartSweets scaled so quickly, and why they're continuing to be the market leader. To have a massively successful product and simultaneously better the world you have to take something that exists and create so much radical value that for people it’s reinventing the wheel in a very meaningful way, that sparks the emotional response of someone to your product. Make sure you have that radical value proposition.If you love this episode remember to screenshot and share on Instagram stories to help other ears find us.LINKS WE MENTIONSmartsweets InstagramFemale Startup Club's InstagramDoone's InstagramDoone's TikTokTim Ferriss' BlogPeter Thiel's Zero to OneFelix Dennis' How To Get RichLearn more about Dymo at Dymo.comLearn more about Athletic Greens and get your FREE gift at Athleticgreens.com/STARTUPTry Zapier for free today at zapier.com/STARTUPIn partnership with Klaviyo, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses.Female Startup Club's YouTubeFemale Startup Club’s Private Facebook GroupSay hello to Doone: hello@femalestartupclub.comFemale Startup Club + Clearco: Clear.co/partner/female-star Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi everyone! Doone here - your host and hype girl. Thanks for tuning in to my solo episode this week. I’m recording this from my little hotel room in sunny New York city and I’m feeling so grateful to be in this beautiful city. Today, I want to dive into a topic that I know is going to be relevant for every single one of you listening in. And that’s the topic of female health. Women have been underserved by the healthcare industry for a really damn long time. But now finally, with more women in STEM, and more female entrepreneurial disrupters, the future of femtech is looking bright. Firstly, we learn from Dr. Amy Divaraniya, the founder of Oova, an incredibly innovative women’s health company. Amy has more than 10 years of experience as a data scientist and has both led and published original research in the areas of personal genomics and biomarker discovery.Next, I introduce Nadya Okamoto from August. Or you might know her better as the “period girl”. August is the lifestyle period brand that makes sustainable period care that actually works. And Nadya is one of those women that is impossible not to be impressed by and excited about. She’s a Harvard grad, author, speaker, NGO founder, gen z marketing agency founder and now august as well as a TikToker that’s grown to 2.4 million followers.Thirdly, I dive into the story of Bethany Edwards and her creation Lia, the world’s first flushable pregnancy test. Lia is an earth-friendly healthcare company on a mission to revolutionize reproductive health through the development of innovative products. The company's first product, which came to market just last year, is the FDA cleared Lia pregnancy test.Next I’m introducing you to Alexandra Fine, a real favourite from the show, and one of the women behind Dame. Dame is leading a sexual wellness revolution as a women-powered resource for game-changing products for pleasure and supportive content. Our fifth story is that of Krystal Duhaney the Founder of Milky Mama. After having her second child and returning to work, Krystal struggled with her milk supply and realized that there were very few resources for breastfeeding mothers in the same predicament. So, in November of 2015, Milky Mama was born. Today, Milky Mama is dedicated to educating, supporting and empowering parents to have the best breastfeeding journey possible.I next introduce you to another woman modernizing sustainable period care, Cherie Hoeger with Saalt. In 2018, Saalt launched its flagship product—the Saalt period cup—with the vision of making cleaner, more sustainable period care accessible to everyone.Last but not least, I want to shine a light on Sally Mueller and her company Womaness. Womaness is a collection of modern, innovative menopause products developed for women, by women that offer solutions from head to toe, and everything in between. These are all stories that have really stuck with me in the last year, an incredible little bank of inspiration, and if I can pass that feeling onto even just one of you today that’s a mission very much accomplished. Let’s get straight to it! This is me, for Female Startup Club.LINKS WE MENTION:Amy’s InstagramOova’s InstagramNadya’s InstagramAugust’s InstagramBethany’s InstagramLia’s Instagram Alexandra’s InstagramDame’s InstagramKrystal’s InstagramMilky Mama’s InstagramCherie’s InstagramSaalt’s InstagramFemale Startup Club's InstagramDoone's InstagramDoone's TikTokLearn more about Dymo at Dymo.comLearn more about Athletic Greens and get your FREE gift at Athleticgreens.com/STARTUPTry Zapier for free today at zapier.com/STARTUPIn partnership with Klaviyo, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses.Female Startup Club's YouTubeFemale Startup Club’s Private Facebook GroupSay hello to Doone: hello@femalestartupclub.comFemale Startup Club + Clearco: Clear.co/partner/female-star Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the show we’re learning from the co-founder of Summersalt, Reshma Chatteram Chamberlin. Summersalt launched in 2017 after a serendipitous moment with her co-founder Lori, and what started as a swimwear company made from recycled materials has since moved into every area of a woman's wardrobe.We’re talking through Reshma’s journey and the power a mission driven brand can have in a saturated market. How to successfully collaborate with brands as a way to drive significant customer acquisition and her core tips from raising $26m in venture dollars.If you learn something from this episode please do share it on Instagram stories and tag us @femalestartupclub to help other ears find us. I am so grateful to each and every one of you when you do that.LINKS WE MENTION:Reshma's InstagramSummersalt's InstagramFemale Startup Club's InstagramDoone's InstagramDoone's TikTokLearn more about Dymo at Dymo.comLearn more about Athletic Greens and get your FREE gift at Athleticgreens.com/STARTUPTry Zapier for free today at zapier.com/STARTUPIn partnership with Klaviyo, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses.Female Startup Club's YouTubeFemale Startup Club’s Private Facebook GroupSay hello to Doone: hello@femalestartupclub.comFemale Startup Club + Clearco: Clear.co/partner/female-star Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the show we’re learning from the co-founder of Summersalt, Reshma Chatteram Chamberlin. Summersalt launched in 2017 after a serendipitous moment with her co-founder Lori, and what started as a swimwear company made from recycled materials has since moved into every area of a woman's wardrobe.We’re talking through Reshma’s journey and the power a mission driven brand can have in a saturated market. How to successfully collaborate with brands as a way to drive significant customer acquisition and her core tips from raising $26m in venture dollars.If you learn something from this episode please do share it on Instagram stories and tag us @femalestartupclub to help other ears find us. I am so grateful to each and every one of you when you do that.LINKS WE MENTION:Reshma's InstagramSummersalt's InstagramFemale Startup Club's InstagramDoone's InstagramDoone's TikTokLearn more about Dymo at Dymo.comLearn more about Athletic Greens and get your FREE gift at Athleticgreens.com/STARTUPTry Zapier for free today at zapier.com/STARTUPIn partnership with Klaviyo, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses.Female Startup Club's YouTubeFemale Startup Club’s Private Facebook GroupSay hello to Doone: hello@femalestartupclub.comFemale Startup Club + Clearco: Clear.co/partner/female-star Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the show we’re trying something a little different and digging into an artist-entrepreneurs business model. I’m learning from Emma Gibbons, a Devon-based mixed-media pop artist who’s become known for her colorful, contemporary artworks using resin, glitter, crystals, and precious materials. Emma’s experience in the art industry has seen her working on some of the most high-profile exhibitions in the world including seven years working for Damien Hirst. Before becoming a full-time artist she actually worked on the installation and exhibition for Damien Hirst’s infamous ‘For The Love of God’ diamond-encrusted skull at its UK unveiling at White Cube Gallery in London.In this episode, we cover the blueprint of how she grew her business through galleries, what she learned working with Damien and how Margot Robbie became one of her A-list celebrity clients after a situation involving her personal trainer and a swift swoop-in.Emma is the first-ever artist I've spoken to on the show, and it was so interesting to get to know more about the intersection of art and business. Especially, to see how much the two overlap. As Emma says, you almost have to go to your creative work with your business hat on. At this stage, there's not even so much creativity, it's business. It's like having two full-time jobs at once. And just as we often mention in business, how important it is to have a unique point of difference for your product. It's got to be unique. That's a no-brainer. It can't be run-of-the-mill, as there will be no chance you'll stand out against the countless other works out there battling for people's attention. The more unique you are, the more you can communicate your story, and the easier it is for people to hook onto that.Whilst it's easy to see the business aspect of working in the entrepreneurial art space, it's also cool to learn how creativity seeps back into the business side of things. For all entrepreneurs. For example, how there's no specific blueprint or magic solution to success. There are lots and lots of different ways to go about building and scaling your business, and what works for one person may not necessarily work for someone else. It's important to take in lots and lots of different views on how to do things because there is no set way. You can then cherry-pick what works for you. The key here is to maintain focused on the things that you can do. The things that are possible. In Emma's case, what you can do with some paints and some ambition. The magic that you can create with some real hunger and some talent.If you learn something from this episode please do screenshot and share on Instagram stories tagging us @femalestartupclub.LINKS WE MENTION:Emma's InstagramFemale Startup Club's InstagramDoone's InstagramDoone's TikTokLearn more about Dymo at Dymo.comLearn more about Athletic Greens and get your FREE gift at Athleticgreens.com/STARTUPTry Zapier for free today at zapier.com/STARTUPIn partnership with Klaviyo, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses.Female Startup Club's YouTubeFemale Startup Club’s Private Facebook GroupSay hello to Doone: hello@femalestartupclub.comFemale Startup Club + Clearco: Clear.co/partner/female-star Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the show we’re trying something a little different and digging into an artist-entrepreneurs business model. I’m learning from Emma Gibbons, a Devon-based mixed-media pop artist who’s become known for her colorful, contemporary artworks using resin, glitter, crystals, and precious materials. Emma’s experience in the art industry has seen her working on some of the most high-profile exhibitions in the world including seven years working for Damien Hirst. Before becoming a full-time artist she actually worked on the installation and exhibition for Damien Hirst’s infamous ‘For The Love of God’ diamond-encrusted skull at its UK unveiling at White Cube Gallery in London.In this episode, we cover the blueprint of how she grew her business through galleries, what she learned working with Damien and how Margot Robbie became one of her A-list celebrity clients after a situation involving her personal trainer and a swift swoop-in.Emma is the first-ever artist I've spoken to on the show, and it was so interesting to get to know more about the intersection of art and business. Especially, to see how much the two overlap. As Emma says, you almost have to go to your creative work with your business hat on. At this stage, there's not even so much creativity, it's business. It's like having two full-time jobs at once. And just as we often mention in business, how important it is to have a unique point of difference for your product. It's got to be unique. That's a no-brainer. It can't be run-of-the-mill, as there will be no chance you'll stand out against the countless other works out there battling for people's attention. The more unique you are, the more you can communicate your story, and the easier it is for people to hook onto that.Whilst it's easy to see the business aspect of working in the entrepreneurial art space, it's also cool to learn how creativity seeps back into the business side of things. For all entrepreneurs. For example, how there's no specific blueprint or magic solution to success. There are lots and lots of different ways to go about building and scaling your business, and what works for one person may not necessarily work for someone else. It's important to take in lots and lots of different views on how to do things because there is no set way. You can then cherry-pick what works for you. The key here is to maintain focused on the things that you can do. The things that are possible. In Emma's case, what you can do with some paints and some ambition. The magic that you can create with some real hunger and some talent.If you learn something from this episode please do screenshot and share on Instagram stories tagging us @femalestartupclub.LINKS WE MENTION:Emma's InstagramFemale Startup Club's InstagramDoone's InstagramDoone's TikTokLearn more about Dymo at Dymo.comLearn more about Athletic Greens and get your FREE gift at Athleticgreens.com/STARTUPTry Zapier for free today at zapier.com/STARTUPIn partnership with Klaviyo, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses.Female Startup Club's YouTubeFemale Startup Club’s Private Facebook GroupSay hello to Doone: hello@femalestartupclub.comFemale Startup Club + Clearco: Clear.co/partner/female-star Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi everyone! Doone here - your host and hype girl. Thanks for tuning in to my solo episode this week. I’m going to chat about something that’s been at the top of my mind all week, and that’s the workshop with Lisa Guerrera from Experiment Beauty hosted through the Hype Club last Wednesday. It was just so good and I wanted to get a chance to share all the best bits with you guys. Roughly once a month we bring in an expert in the DTC space to teach us about their area of expertise, give us some tactical lessons, and provide strategies to level up in business. After Lisa was a guest on the show last month, I just knew she’d have so much to offer the Hype girls. There’s been a lot of chat about how to move forward with TikTok and organic marketing, and who better to learn from than the queen of Gen Z marketing herself? And my god, she went above and beyond. Covering virtual friends, creative collabs, fearless fundraising, and TikTok tactics, this is one for the savvy founders at any stage of their journey. The first thing I took away from the workshop, is how common and even important it has become to make friends on the web. And the way to set yourself up for that is to dive into the content creation side of things. Being a content creator on your brand account, and being front and center to the biz, sets the tone to catch all the eyeballs. Truth be told, if you’re not prepared to make content and dive into social it’s going to be really hard for you to grow organically. Content creation is all good and well, but where on earth do we get started? Especially when it comes to TikTok, it can be hard to know how to kick things off. And that’s one of the main reasons I so badly wanted Lisa to come and chat with the Hype girls. What Lisa said it comes down to, is a lot to do with what works for you. There’s no right or wrong way to curate your content, as long as it fits your brand essence. This reminds me of a chat I had with Youthforia’s Fiona Chan, who was adamant that you should always create content in a way that makes life easier for yourself. Choose something that’s easy for you to talk about, easy to fit into your day. Because you’re going to want to be churning out a lot of it. Don’t just whack any old thing up there, but the net can be cast (very) wide. Lastly we chatted a bunch about fundraising. This was particularly interesting because Lisa was not originally such an advocate for it herself. During out workshop, she shared the two big things she took away from the experience. Number one: how to pitch. It’s so important to craft your message in a way it translates your story in the way you intend. And secondly, and I dare say more importantly, she networked her arse off. The 50-75 investors she spoke to the first time around might not have put in any capital, but they liked her. And we should never underestimate how powerful that is. In combination, Lisa broadening her fellow founder network. Hanging out at co-working spots and hitting up fellow founders in the space. With this behind you, putting yourself in the right room, and talking to the right people, you have yourself a pretty sweet recipe for success. And a whole new world of opportunities might just open. Let’s get straight to it! This is me, for Female Startup Club.Lisa’s InstagramExperiment Beauty’s InstagramFemale Startup Club's InstagramLearn more about Dymo at Dymo.comLearn more about Athletic Greens and get your FREE gift at Athleticgreens.com/STARTUPTry Zapier for free today at zapier.com/STARTUPIn partnership with Klaviyo, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses.Female Startup Club's YouTubeFemale Startup Club’s Private Facebook GroupSay hello to Doone: hello@femalestartupclub.comFemale Startup Club + Clearco: Clear.co/partner/female-star Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’re learning from Rosie Jane Johnston, the founder of By Rosie Jane.By Rosie Jane was founded in 2010 by celebrity makeup artist Rosie Jane Johnston, an Aussie who has made her home in LA. Each fragrance, formulated by Rosie herself, is free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates and phosphates and housed in recycled and recyclable packaging. Her perfumes and body care products are refreshingly simple and ideal for daily wear using the highest quality fragrance oils. We cover her journey to building this brand into a 7 figure company stocked in the likes of Sephora and Thirteen Lune, and the campaign that’s driving her customer acquisition right now.The thing that really struck me in this episode is Rosie's relentless pursuit in business and getting what she wants, to get By Rosie Jane to where it is today. She really shows us how a no now doesn’t mean a no forever, and it’s all about being open for when that time comes for the no to turn into a yes. That’s where your courage and conviction are. If you are not doing something you truly believe in, you truly love, you’re not going to stay the course. Whatever that is for you, has to be your driving force. There’s something within your entrepreneurial spirit. That’s just in you. It takes 10 years to reach overnight success. And in that time you need to have that persistence and true conviction in what you’re doing. When we look at legacy brands, there are a few key things key they are getting really right. They have these incredible “whys”. They have a lot of struggles in the beginning. They’ve had to change and move with the time and have great failures and still come back, which is so important to have in the entrepreneurial world.If you love something in this episode please do consider sharing it on Instagram stories and tagging us or leaving us a review to help other ears find us. I’m so grateful for each and every one of you who does this.LINKS WE MENTION:Rosie's InstagramBy Rosie Jane's InstagramFemale Startup Club's InstagramDoone's InstagramDoone's TikTokLearn more about Dymo at Dymo.comLearn more about Athletic Greens and get your FREE gift at Athleticgreens.com/STARTUPTry Zapier for free today at zapier.com/STARTUPIn partnership with Klaviyo, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses.Female Startup Club's YouTubeFemale Startup Club’s Private Facebook GroupSay hello to Doone: hello@femalestartupclub.comFemale Startup Club + Clearco: Clear.co/partner/female-star Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’re learning from Rosie Jane Johnston, the founder of By Rosie Jane.By Rosie Jane was founded in 2010 by celebrity makeup artist Rosie Jane Johnston, an Aussie who has made her home in LA. Each fragrance, formulated by Rosie herself, is free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates and phosphates and housed in recycled and recyclable packaging. Her perfumes and body care products are refreshingly simple and ideal for daily wear using the highest quality fragrance oils. We cover her journey to building this brand into a 7 figure company stocked in the likes of Sephora and Thirteen Lune, and the campaign that’s driving her customer acquisition right now.The thing that really struck me in this episode is Rosie's relentless pursuit in business and getting what she wants, to get By Rosie Jane to where it is today. She really shows us how a no now doesn’t mean a no forever, and it’s all about being open for when that time comes for the no to turn into a yes. That’s where your courage and conviction are. If you are not doing something you truly believe in, you truly love, you’re not going to stay the course. Whatever that is for you, has to be your driving force. There’s something within your entrepreneurial spirit. That’s just in you. It takes 10 years to reach overnight success. And in that time you need to have that persistence and true conviction in what you’re doing. When we look at legacy brands, there are a few key things key they are getting really right. They have these incredible “whys”. They have a lot of struggles in the beginning. They’ve had to change and move with the time and have great failures and still come back, which is so important to have in the entrepreneurial world.If you love something in this episode please do consider sharing it on Instagram stories and tagging us or leaving us a review to help other ears find us. I’m so grateful for each and every one of you who does this.LINKS WE MENTION:Rosie's InstagramBy Rosie Jane's InstagramFemale Startup Club's InstagramDoone's InstagramDoone's TikTokLearn more about Dymo at Dymo.comLearn more about Athletic Greens and get your FREE gift at Athleticgreens.com/STARTUPTry Zapier for free today at zapier.com/STARTUPIn partnership with Klaviyo, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses.Female Startup Club's YouTubeFemale Startup Club’s Private Facebook GroupSay hello to Doone: hello@femalestartupclub.comFemale Startup Club + Clearco: Clear.co/partner/female-star Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the show we’re learning from Lizanne Falsetto, the founder of thinkThin® and betterland foods™.Lizanne began her entrepreneurial journey at her kitchen table, inspired both by a family recipe and a strong desire to solve a personal problem. On that table, the original thinkThin® bar was created: a revolutionary product that would become one of the most sought-after health foods on the market.Her original instinct for a clear market opportunity in health food evolved into a 20-year tenure as founder and CEO of one of the fastest-growing health food brands in history and was eventually acquired for $217 m in 2015.In 2020, as the pandemic disrupted life the world over, she was intrigued by the influx of food scientists creating cleaner, alternative proteins without the direct use of animals. These discoveries rekindled her entrepreneurial verve and led her to establish betterland foods™, a new venture committed to creating crave-able, delicious foods that are better for people – and better for the planet.There are so many learnings and lessons woven into this episode and I’m just so excited to be able to share this inspiring conversation with you. We chat about the early days of building the brand when Lizanne was still modeling and would bring her home-creations to shoots to get feedback. How this natural desire led her to walk straight into the path of entrepreneurship, and how she learned what she was doing along the way. Setting up "Harvard for a day" chats with consultants, and just getting her product into as many hands as possible.How important it is to keep your messaging consistent. Especially when you have limited ways to get your voice out there, to stay consistent with your messaging. And my favorite tip of all, how important it is to have your own personal financial situation in check when you get into building a business and possibly raising capital. It's so important to understand this, in order to understand the ramifications down the line. We round off by chatting about her incredible exit selling thinkThin® for $217 million. And how important it is to be ready spiritually, mentally, and emotionally before selling your business. Now, let's get straight into it.If you love it as much as I did and you learn something, please do share it on Instagram tagging us or by leaving a review to help other ears find us.LINKS WE MENTION:Lizanne FalsettoBetterland Foods' WebsiteBetterland MilkWoobarsYoung Presidents Organisation (YPO)Female Startup Club's InstagramDoone's InstagramDoone's TikTokIn sponsorship with Zyro, easiest to use website builder and eCommerce platformLearn more about Athletic Greens and get your FREE gift at Athleticgreens.com/STARTUPIn partnership with Klaviyo, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses.Female Startup Club's YouTubeFemale Startup Club’s Private Facebook GroupSay hello to Doone: hello@femalestartupclub.comFemale Startup Club + Clearco: Clear.co/partner/female-star Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.