Behind Her Empire

Daina Trout is the CEO and co-founder of Health-Ade Kombucha, one of the most successful and delicious kombucha drinks on the market. Although she was going up the ranks in Corporate America, Daina felt less fulfilled as time went on and had the desire to build a company on her own terms. She eventually quit her job and took the risk to develop & build the best tasting, highest quality kombucha there is. Fast forward to today, Health Ade has grown from a small production item that was started in Daina’s closet with only $600 to now the fastest growing brand in the category generating over $150 million in revenue across 30,000 stores. When she’s not giving her heart & soul to Health-Ade and mentoring young entrepreneurs, she’s fully dedicated to her two young boys who she credits have helped make her an even better CEO. In this episode, we’ll talk to Daina about:* How Daina’s upbringing as a “difficult kid” & challenging the status quo paid off in her adulthood [2:52]* Daina talks about how she continued to feel unfulfilled despite having a great life & successful corporate job [6:10] * How Daina’s desire to create a company on her own terms was the main driver in starting Health-Ade [9:07]* How saving the world from baldness led Daina to her business idea [11:40]* Daina describes how quitting her job was the scariest but one of the most important decisions she ever made [15:47]* The challenges & realities entrepreneurs face when first starting their business [20:00]* Daina shares how women can be more confident in business and life [24:27]* Why it’s so important to lean into uncertainty and discomfort [29:05]* The superpower women have as business leaders [30:38]* How Daina manages motherhood and being a CEO of a high growth business [34:50]* How having kids made Daina an ever better CEO [38:50]* Why women need to talk more about money [45:35]* Daina shares tips and examples on how you can negotiate your salary [49:00]Follow Daina:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dainatrout/* Website: https://health-ade.com/Follow Yasmin:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Suzy Batiz is the creative visionary, founder, creator and CEO of Poo~Pourri and supernatural. She’s created an enterprise that’s worth over $500 million and made Forbes' America’s Richest Self-Made Women list without borrowing a dime or raising a single dollar of outside funding. But success didn’t come easy for her. Suzy experienced some of life’s lowest lows — poverty, sexual and domestic abuse, depression, two bankruptcies and a suicide attempt — which led to what she calls the luxury of losing everything. After harnessing the power of intuition, her journey led her to building businesses that only made her feel alive. Her newest project, ALIVE OS, teaches others how to recognize alive ideas by tuning into their intuition and diving into their creative energy to achieve a naturally abundant flow state in life and business.In this episode, we’ll talk to Suzy about:* How Suzy’s upbringing and life’s lowest moments shaped who she is today [2:14]* Suzy opens up about her limiting beliefs around money & how she overcame her poverty consciousness [4:42]* Suzy describes her second bankruptcy & how she deemed herself the “world’s worst entrepreneur” [6:53]* How Suzy’s spiritual journey & overcoming depression eventually led her to getting back in business with Poo~Pourri [10:17]* Four distinct characteristics that help you realize an “alive” business idea that truly resonates with you [15:20]* Suzy shares how she funded the growth of Poo~Pourri & why she decided to not raise money from investors [17:40]* Suzy talks about key hires that helped propel her business in the early days [23:50]* Key advice for women entrepreneurs & myths we tell ourselves about business [29:05]* The importance of thinking big & how Suzy is living a life that’s beyond her wildest dreams [36:31] * Suzy discusses the most overlooked skill of successful people [37:50]* Suzy shares her latest project helping entrepreneurs tune into their intuition & live a naturally abundant life [39:28]* How to overcome fear & identify its impact in your life [43:03]Follow Suzy: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzybatiz/* ALIVE OS Course: https://aliveos.suzybatiz.com/ * Article referenced in interview: https://medium.com/the-ascent/the-most-overlooked-skill-of-successful-people-d5caab283e6e Follow Yasmin:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Toni Ko is the Founder of NYX Cosmetics and Bespoke Beauty Brands. At the young age of 24, Toni was inspired to launch NYX based on her own desire to buy quality cosmetics at a price she could afford. Fifteen years later, Toni sold her company to L’Oreal for a reported $500 million and instantly became one of America’s richest self-made women. We’ll talk to Toni about the personal sacrifices she made in her life and what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur even when the odds are stacked against you. Toni shows us how being a college drop out, first generation immigrant and young woman in her early 20s was an advantage when it came to her dreams of starting her own business. In this episode, we’ll talk to Toni about: *How Toni’s childhood moving to the US from Korea & working from a young age taught her about resilience [4:20]*Toni talks about why she decided to leave her family business to start NYX cosmetics [10:12]*Wise words on why failure is a better option than never trying at all [12:55]*Toni describes her first year starting the company and successfully bringing in $4 million in retail sales [15:10]*Toni explains timeless business advice that allowed her to start & scale her company [16:45]*What it means to be an entrepreneur & the power we have as women [20:15]*How to still be successful entrepreneur even when the odds are stacked against you [23:35]*Toni walks through her journey bringing on investors & selling the company to L’Oreal for $500 million [28:00]*Toni describes life after becoming one of America’s richest self-made women & how she lost her sense of purpose [33:35]*Toni shares how she personally overcame depression [37:20]*Toni opens up about how she thinks about motherhood & her own personal journey [38:34]*Toni discusses why her second business wasn’t a success & three key learnings [42:50]*Toni talks about her latest company, Bespoke Beauty Brands [49:35]Follow Toni:*Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonikokoko *Website: https://bespokebeautybrands.com/Follow Yasmin:*Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/*Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nyakio Grieco is the founder of Nyakio Beauty, an award-winning skin-care brand that has been leading the clean beauty movement since 2002. While moving up the ranks in the entertainment industry, Nyakio realized that many cultures were under-represented in the prestige beauty space and saw a white space in the market.She launched her company based on beauty secrets she learned as a child while visiting her grandmother, who was a coffee farmer, in Kenya and watching her use coffee beans to exfoliate & take care of her skin. She has sold her products in retail outlets nationwide, including Ulta, and is now exclusively available at Target. In 2015, Nyakio sold the company to Sundial Brands, which is now part of Unilever.Although she has an incredible success story, Nyakio’s journey was far from easy. She’s managed the ups & down of entrepreneurship with so much grace, and is a firm believer that failure is not an option. She’s passionate about sharing her journey building a business from the ground up & inspiring others to also follow their passions and live a life with no regrets.In this episode, we’ll talk to Nyakio about:  * How Nyakio’s upbringing & Kenyan family inspired her clean beauty journey at a young age [3:50]* Nyakio shares why she decided to move to LA & begin her career in the entertainment industry [8:04]* How Nykaio saw an opportunity to create a product in the prestige beauty space [12:30] * Nyakio describes how she decided to go all-in with her business & the importance of living a life with no regrets [13:46]* Nyakio walks through the early days of the company, the power of storytelling & how she raised money as a first time entrepreneur [17:45]* Nyakio talks about what it takes to support a high growth business [23:56]* The importance, as an entrepreneur, of always going back and editing your business plan [26:35]* How Nyakio thinks about partnerships and what led to Sundial’s acquisition of her company [29:35]* Why mentorship is important when building a business & why you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help [33:10]* Nyakio shares words of advice for managing a high growth company and motherhood & why it’s important to have self compassion [38:09]* Nyakio talks about why women authentically supporting women is key to our collective success [41:35]* Nyakio explains why it’s important to know your numbers & how to pick the right business partners [43:55]* Nyakio discusses the realities of raising money as a woman of color & why it only takes one “yes” to get your business off the ground [44:30]Follow Nyakio:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nyakio/ & https://www.instagram.com/nyakiobeauty/* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nyakiobeauty/* Website: https://www.nyakio.com/Follow Yasmin:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lavinia Errico is the visionary founder behind Equinox Fitness Clubs and now the Inside Out Movement. In her 20s and 30s, Lavinia built a leading Fitness Company that forever changed the way Americans think about health and wellness. At the peak of her success, Lavinia sold Equinox for millions and was instantaneously wealthy beyond her needs and dreams. Although she was living the “American Dream”, Lavinia realized that somewhere along the way she had lost the things that were most important to her - her essential self and identity. This experience pushed Lavinia to embark on a completely different path and journey to rebuild her identity from the inside out. Lavinia now inspires individuals and organizations with her unique, disruptive take on how to create a more powerful, authentic and inspiring life.In this episode, we’ll talk to Lavinia about:  * How Lavinia’s upbringing & mother taught her to create the life you want [6:45]* The importance of saying “yes” and being open to different career opportunities [21:40]* Lavinia shares why there is no such thing as failure. It’s not about winning or losing: it’s about winning and learning. [31:10]* How Lavinia and her brothers started a gym based on their own needs [34:15]* Why Lavinia chose to listen to her gut when she left her high paying job to start a gym [37:43]* Lavinia describes the importance of a team & the the “magic” her & her brothers had when founding Equinox [41:03]* Lavinia talks about her health scare & importance of being spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally healthy [52:00]* Lavinia discusses the importance of founders having self awareness & knowing what they’re good at [55:28]* Lavinia walks through the journey of selling her company [1:00:00]* Lavinia shares how she was at the lowest point in her life despite making millions [1:03:35]* How to find your purpose or as Lavinia says “your own lane” and not hitting burn out [1:09:22]* How to get clear with your goals & authentic self without listening to society’s expectations [1:13:50]Follow Lavinia:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laviniajoy/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insideoutbylavinia/ Website: https://laviniaerrico.com/Follow Yasmin:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Behind Her Empire is focused on highlighting self-made women leaders & entrepreneurs and how they tackle their career, money and life.Each episode covers their unique hero's journey and what it really takes to build an empire with key lessons learned along the way. The goal of the series is to empower you to see what’s possible & inspire you to create financial freedom in your own life.We have amazing women joining us including Lavinia Errico (Founder of Equinox), Toni Ko (Founder of NYX Cosmetics), Moj Mahdara (Founder of Beautycon), Daina Trout (Founder of Health-Ade Kombucha) and many more! We can't wait to share our interviews with you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.