Summary: Jess Puccinelli (@JessPuccinelli) is an entrepreneur and the owner of a socially conscious gifting studio based in Los Angeles called Haute Hope (@HauteHopeGives). Jess lives her life focused on intentionality, integrity and hard work. Her company creates gift boxes using products that give back to a good cause or positively impact the world. Justine and Jess’s friendship dates back 10+ years from attending the University of Tennessee together to now, where they both reside in LA. In this episode, they discuss true friendships and how they grow and evolve over time, the journey of entrepreneurship and leaving a corporate job, the ups, downs and uncertainty that come with starting a new business and how her inner circle influenced her decision to step out on faith to start Haute Hope. Jess’s business has been featured on CNN, Forbes, Mashable, Nylon, the Huffington Post and several other media outlets, and it’s success has landed her numerous featured speaking engagements. Jess can also be found behind the marketing scenes at Everytable (@foreverytable). Please be sure to subscribe to and rate Show Me Your Friends on Apple here: http://bit.ly/showmeyourfriendspodcast Checkout Jess’s “DREAMY” Spotify playlist here: http://bit.ly/JPDreamy NOTES 2:40 How this friendship began and grew 11:00 Leaving the corporate world and diving into entrepreneurship 14:25 The role Jess’s inner circle played in encouraging her and backing her idea early 20:00 A symbolic birthday gift 24:00 The importance of having friends who know you and hold you accountable 27:30 Supporting friends’ endeavors and businesses 29:00 What made her start her business Haute Hope and leave her job 35:00 The power of doing over talking 37:45 Overcoming the stress, fear and cluelessness that comes with starting a business 42:39 Handling her first order 45:20 What’s in a Haute Hope box 55:40 Jess’s keys to cultivating quality friendships 57:00 Top quality she looks for in a friend 57:23 Jess’s motto for life 58:00 Her biggest inspirations 1:00:06 Greatest moments in the friendship 1:01:50 Jess’s favorite music & suggestions 1:04:04 Jess’s book recs
