Gabby Slome’s founder journey is one of passion, resilience, and an unyielding belief in herself.

First, she experienced massive success with direct-to-consumer dog food subscription service Ollie and wasn’t afraid to put in the hustle to get the word out.

We cover the gritty grassroots marketing tactics she tried around Manhattan, the impact of direct-to-consumer models, and the surprising results that came with asking for help (including how she ended up talking to the Head of Food Safety at Burger King!)

After stepping down from Ollie, Gabby launched her next venture, Cooper Parenting, a virtual lifeline for parents, featuring expert-led group workshops on everything from sleep, self-regulation, picky eating, and parental loneliness.

As a Mom of 3, Gabby gets raw, real, and honest about the juggle of motherhood, parenting, and running a successful business.

How does she stay present with her kids when an important email comes in? What self-care tactics does she make non-negotiable?

Gabby shares her secrets to “ruthless prioritization” and how becoming a parent made her a more empathic leader and manager.

One of my takeaways? You can almost always figure ANYTHING out if you access the right people. I can't wait for you to hear Gabby's wisdom, resilience, and storytelling!

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Gabby’s background as a first-generation American, the child of two entrepreneurs, and a professional equestrian
• Starting Ollie, which involved grassroots marketing strategies (like distributing samples at dog parks and cold-calling customers for feedback)
• How Gabby honed her prioritization skills and became a more empathetic leader
• The moment Gabby knew to step down from Ollie to focus on Cooper Parenting – plus, her advice for fellow entrepreneurs who are running businesses while raising kids
• Gabby’s #1 tip for founders: the importance of passion and why not every passion project deserves to be a business

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED

Check out Gabby Slome’s company, Cooper Parenting.

Sarina is a consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, and on LinkedIn, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.

Emma Bates had the idea for Diem while seeking answers on the internet about her health – and unable to find the kind of advice she wanted right then.

The company she started with her co-founder Divia Singh, Diem, aims to make conversations about women’s health more discoverable through a female-centric search engine akin to ChatGPT and Reddit.

As it turns out, Emma wasn’t the only woman struggling to find what she needed on the internet. Before the company even went public, Diem amassed a wait list of 20,000 and raised $3 million dollars!

In this episode, Emma shares the secrets behind their success and incredible growth trajectory, from TechStars and a viral marketing campaign to their fundraising and extensive beta testing.

What’s helped her most is stepping into confidence and surrounding herself with supportive peers and mentors, which has been more beneficial than ANY professional experience she’s ever had.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How Diem is like ChatGPT meets Reddit, focused on female-centric experiences that she says are like the kinds of information you’ll get in the girl’s bathroom at 1 a.m.
• Emma’s background studying war studies at King College, starting her blog, her work and how Diem was inspired by the morning after pill
• The confidence-building techniques Emma used (including power posing!) to secure funding and get Diem off the ground
• Diem’s trajectory from newsletter to platform, and why looking at market and user data is more important than consumer feedback
• Leaning into community, including the magic of working with an experienced mentor

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED

Learn about Emma’s company, Diem and follow them on Instagram.

Sarina is a consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, and on LinkedIn, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.

Lee Rotenberg has exited not one, but TWO companies.

Want to know the secret to her genius? Quick decision-making. If you’ve got an idea, get it out there, perfection be damned. Pivot and edit until you have that perfect market fit.

In this episode, Lee shares her experience of starting and selling two businesses with her partner, Alex Schinasi: Ivy (business management software for interior design firms) and Clay (early childhood AI-powered learning).

You’ll hear a behind-the-scenes look at both ventures from beginning to end, along with great advice about co-founder relationships, productivity, and the importance of just taking the leap and being fluid with what comes next.

If you take anything away from today’s conversation, don’t “kill the idea” by limiting yourself to launching ventures about only what you know.

With Ivy, Lee and Alex infiltrated the interior design market even though they didn’t know anything about interior design!

IN THIS EPISODE:

• The importance of speed in the early stage of start-ups, particularly when it comes to pivoting and finding the perfect market fit
• Building to sell vs. building for the sake of building a great company (which Lee says is kind of similar to finding a life partner!)
• A perfect co-founder recipe: respect, trust, equity, and the ability to think creativity and move fluidly
• The process of creating, pivoting, and eventually selling both Ivy and Clay, and the lessons Lee and Alex are taking with them on their next venture
• “If you’re waiting for something to be perfect, you’re killing the idea” – and other thoughts from Lee about the power of action in building a business

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Sarina is a consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, and on LinkedIn, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.