33voices | Startups & Venture Capital | Women Entrepreneurs | Management & Leadership | Mindset | Hiring & Culture | Branding & Marketing | Life Design

Jennifer Chong and Jenna discuss how Linjer bootstrapped the business, working without employees for three years, and the tactics behind their million dollar crowdfunding campaigns. Jenn’s best piece of advice: "Cultivate a solid list of 1,000 people who really care about what you are doing before you launch. Crowdfunding campaigns are about momentum. You have to launch with a bang." Jenn shares how they survived an early manufacturing disaster, how they evaluate partners now - when possible always meet with a founder and never skimp on references - and the importance of establishing scalable communication practices once you partner. We also chat about Jenn’s journey as a self-taught designer and how observing the “beauty for beauty’s sake” philosophy in Florence inspired Linjer's Tulip and Mini handbags.

Livio Bisterzo and Jenna discuss the future of food - the entire middle of the store is ripe for disruption - and why personalization is the future of tomorrow’s most successful food brands. Livio walks us through Hippeas commitment to giving back and consistently strengthening their supply chain, why he still receives every email that comes through the site, and the vision fueling the company’s rapid ascent; Build a brand that’s representative of a $100 million company even if you’re just launching, he says. We also break down how to build a culture to scale, why founders have to be the first one in and last one out, and the need to constantly remain vigilant; “We never take anything for granted here. We never rest. We can’t rest.”

Ben Cogan, Jesse Horwitz, and Jenna discuss how Hubble utilized Facebook Ads to build buzz, validate their product, and use the data to raise their first round of venture capital. Ben and Jesse dissect some of the key levers behind Hubble’s early success including: diversifying their marketing channels to safeguard their customer acquisition strategy and creating their first TV ads, designing their brand to resonate with consumers outside of the early adopter tech community, scaling their customer experience team to 80+ early, and only investing in tech where it’s necessary, not for the purpose of having a special tech stack. We also walk through startup leadership tips like the flexible benefits of the Co-CEO relationship and how to navigate it, hiring lean and working on projects with potential hires to test fit, as well as being vigilant about internal and external data and acting on it immediately to anticipate and address scaling challenges.

Moe Abdou is joined by entrepreneur & bestselling author, Michael Gale to discuss the seven principles of digital transformation.

Gina Gotthilf and Jenna discuss how marketing and product roles are merging — PR and social media are no longer enough to grow your product. You have to know how to grow a product from within. She takes us behind the scenes at Duolingo’s brainstorming sessions, shares the three-part evaluation framework they use to choose A/B tests and the ones that led to the greatest increase in users. Gina also explains how Duolingo’s growth team is structured and operates — including their hiring process and cultural values — and the importance of relinquishing the quest to get credit. 

Cheryl Kaplan and Jenna discuss how M.Gemi is pioneering modern luxury: Italian shoes made the old way and sold the new way. Cheryl breaks down M.Gemi’s success by explaining how they replicate the in-store experience online to drive customers to make their first purchase and then harness their insights to create must-have products that bring customers back to make an average of four purchases a year. She also takes us behind the scenes at M.Gemi, including what she hears sitting alongside the customer experience team every day and their practice of bringing in an outside stakeholder, like an engineer to a design meeting, to the first and last meeting for every new launch.

Lori Coulter, Reshma Chamberlin, and Jenna discuss how Summersalt is creating an inclusive and diverse swimwear line to bring loyalty and a new narrative to a previously fragmented industry. Lori and Reshma share advice on how to navigate startup challenges — Everything is just a phase and you’re always going to face challenges. Approach it is tactically as possible and know it won’t last forever. We walk through tactics to distinguish and accomplish only your essential tasks to own your time, including examples from Lori and Reshma that helped them launch Summersalt in five months. We also chat about their childhood entrepreneurial endeavors and family experiences — How Reshma’s grandmother became one of the first Bollywood actresses and opened her own movie studio, and the lessons Lori learned watching her dad’s business scale from $6M market cap to $3.6B in 10 years.

Amol and Jenna discuss how Knotel is creating an office model tailored to the unpredictability of startups — You can scale up or down whenever you need. We also discuss the future of work and how robots, 24/7 paperless communication, and globalization will elevate creativity, collaboration, and productivity. Amol walks us through his journey as a serial entrepreneur; From creating Dominos first digital ordering platform to starting and scaling Virgin Mobile and exploring neuro priming with Halo Neuroscience. He also debunks startup cliches: "For every rule about startups there is an opposite rule. You are the only one who can decide, navigate, and get to the other side of the problems you face." 

Lilla Cosgrove and Jenna discuss tactics to establish how every member of your team works and finding unique systems that boost productivity and morale — Most disagreements are about miscommunication and can be avoided. She walks us through the product development process, from creating a customer journey map to assigning responsibilities, siphoning your data, and distinguishing between must-have and nice-to-have features, especially in high stress moments. Lilla also shares her personal journey overcoming impostor syndrome and provides three tactics to manage your emotions and alter your mindset in the moment — One is to save a list of all of the positive feedback you’ve received and review it when you need a boost of energy.

Shilpa Shah and Jenna discuss brands new responsibility to provide thought leadership for consumers who are seeking wisdom and direction. Shilpa breaks down why gratitude is our secret weapon setting ambitious goals and shares a simple framework to practice before you set your next goal: Acknowledge how far you’ve come. Give gratitude for how hard you’ve worked and to everyone who surrounds you. Approach your next goal with that mindset. We also walk through the lessons Shilpa’s learned from the women profiled in Cuyana’s Essential Women series: Emily Current and Meritt Elliott, Audrey Gelman, Ayesha Curry,  Christiane Lemieux, and Shiza Shahid.

Silicon Valley's networking maven, Patrick Ewers joins Moe Abdou to discuss how the best networkers always stay 'top of mind.'

Tina and Jenna discuss democratizing access to safe and healthy products at Brandless because everyone deserves better. We dive into Tina’s experiences pioneering social media and community at iVillage, AOL, and Baby Center. Tina also shares the daily questions she asks herself and her team to ensure they're executing with purpose and intention to make a difference in the world. 

Matt and Jenna discuss Naadam’s cinematic founding story and how the team is pioneering millennial capitalism starting with the cashmere industry. Matt walks us through how they structured their supply chain around fairness for everyone — From their herders in Mongolia to providing veterinary care for their goats and setting a new standard for consumers. We cover Naadam’s unique business model creating a direct to consumer brand while also sourcing their cashmere to different brands and retailers. Matt also shares lessons on building your own resilience and learning to re-evaluate our expectations.

Anna and Jenna chat about the question: What would workplaces look like if women were involved in designing them? We define and unpack flexibility as "compatibility between the needs of an employee and the objectives of the employer. It’s not a lifestyle perk or a benefit. It is a structural change to how we work.” Anna also shares insights on how to navigate challenging investor meetings, molting as CEO, and the importance of focusing on pathways rather than seeking concrete answers. 

Manu and Jenna discuss the night he went from being a hacker to an entrepreneur as a student at Carnegie Mellon and his experiences running his first startup SneakerLabs, including the massive data outage that nearly compromised the company. They chat about why humility is a crucial trait all founders must possess and the importance of always recognizing that a large part of your success is based on luck. Manu also shares observations of companies retaining a day one mentality by practicing just in time learning and deploying small teams to focus on the key things your business needs right now.