"Find great partners early in your entrepreneurial adventure" with Jessica Yarmey

Jessica Yarmey is the CEO of KickHouse, a modern kickboxing franchise that inspires members and communities to take their health and kick it up a level. A former college athlete who played Division I soccer at Loyola University in Maryland and ran two marathons in “retirement," Jessica recognizes the value of fitness and its ability to transform lives. As a result, she aspires to bring more health and fitness opportunities to neighborhoods across the nation. She currently leads her company’s franchise development strategy and brand expansion efforts with a goal of opening 200 locations by 2023.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I was a life-long marketer before I stepped into this role as founder and CEO of KickHouse. From an early age, I knew that a marketing career would perfectly blend my left-brain thinking with my love of art and creativity. My career progressed quickly when I moved into marketing roles in the fitness industry. I was an athlete in college and have always had a passion for fitness, so working in fitness just clicked with me. 

As a leader of a fitness concept, I’m overlapping my passion for marketing with my passion for fitness with my passion for people which really makes work not feel as much like work. I believe real career joy lives at that point of overlapping passions. If you’re trying to find your purpose or if you’re trying to add momentum to your career, identify your passions and find a lane that allows you to stack as many of them together as possible. 

What inspired you to start your business?

In 2020, when the media focus shifted to the popularity of virtual workouts, I knew there would be unique opportunities in the in-person fitness space. I’ve worked in the fitness industry since 2012, with brick-and-mortar brands like Gold’s Gym, YouFit Health Clubs, and Club Pilates. Working with three different brands, I saw the same amazing ability to impact people’s lives by helping them make real, sustainable changes to their health and wellness. Those years of seeing member results plus my own years of being on teams with amazing coaches have made me a lifelong believer in coach-led fitness.

With over 61% of adults reporting undesired weight loss or weight gain through the pandemic, there has never been a greater need for health and fitness solutions that deliver results. During the pandemic, we had all the virtual tools and at-home workout programming at our fingertips and a majority of adults saw undesired changes in their weight. Delivering results to our members keeps me going through the difficult days. 

Where is your business based?  

KickHouse has 35 locations across the country. While most of the support team resides in Dallas, TX, we do have team members in Virginia and Colorado.  We launched during the pandemic so we’ve been virtual from Day 1, with no corporate office.   

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Up until starting KickHouse, I had worked on large global brands with great existing brand awareness so building a brand from scratch was a whole new challenge for me.  Since I needed to build awareness quickly, I chose a literal name that would be easy for consumers to comprehend and remember. While the boutique fitness space is crowded with boxing brands, there aren’t many kickboxing brands so I knew I wanted to incorporate “kicking” into our brand name. Lucky for me, the “K Effect” is in full effect with the word “Kick.” The word is also active and could be used in different analogies. The word “House” ties to family, which adds approachability to the concept. I ran the name past a small focus group and then started to secure trademarks and social pages. It is a big, early challenge to find a name that works for your business and is also available as a domain name and on social media. 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

KickHouse classes are beloved by our members so we benefit from strong word of mouth as an awareness driver.  As a founder, I try to add fuel to that fire by telling our story loudly and as frequently as I can via publications like Fem Founder, podcasts, and social media.  Content is a great brand builder, especially when you have a great story to tell. We still have a long way to go toward being a household name in fitness, but I’m proud of the work we’ve done to date.     

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

The KickHouse launch was right in the middle of the first year of the pandemic, the most challenging time in recent years for fitness brands. Launching during the pandemic had its challenges, not the smallest of which was consumer fear. People didn’t want to be face to face and risk getting sick. Our strategy was to dig into the business and the operation and try to adjust to the new normal. Not only did we need to adjust operations in order to reduce fear and keep people safe, but we needed to educate on the importance of having a healthy immune system and reducing comorbidities. We are still impacted by the pandemic today but consumers are getting smarter about their health which is an important takeaway from the past two years.  

Launching during the pandemic was a contrarian move that presented challenges as well as opportunities. From Day 1, we were not limited by the traditional playbooks and were able to think creatively about growth and our processes. We built a culture around being resilient and nimble through the waves of pandemic punches.  We know that if we can make it through the pandemic, we will emerge with operational processes and teams that are stronger than ever! 

How do you stay focused?

I don’t! I know that’s not an answer that anyone wants to hear but my day-to-day brain is all over the place. I jump around on my to-do list with a disorderly process that would give many people anxiety. But that’s part of my super-power as a CEO. I can jump between tasks as quickly as needed without those moves feeling chaotic.  

When I do need to focus on a project, I schedule it for a morning time block and work on it with my email closed and with coffee close by! 

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Fitness is a very competitive space and it is important to differentiate our brand and business from the competition. There are two things that make KickHouse special and that’s the results delivered and the community that’s built in the studios.  Everyone has the ability to work out at home, so the experience at KickHouse has to over-deliver on expectations always. That’s the standard we hold ourselves to.  

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

In January, we launched an NFT collection that would be given away to any new member who joins our KickHouse family. NFT’s are still fairly new and misunderstood so we felt like it was a great opportunity to push a message that was about getting outside your comfort zone and learning something new, whether that be fitness or technology. As a challenger brand, we can’t expect to go head to head with larger competitors and win. We have to be innovative and differentiated.  As it turns out, we were the first fitness concept to release an NFT collection and the promotion drove a 53% increase in new membership agreements in the first two weeks of the month.  

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Find great partners early in your entrepreneurial adventure.  Ideally, your partners would be trustworthy connections with complementary skill sets to your own. When you’re building from scratch, you need to cover a lot of ground so the more you can divide and conquer, the more you’ll be able to hold onto your sanity. When you hit obstacles, you will brainstorm and problem solve with your partners.  Their perspective will be invaluable in your journey.  

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app by far is Calm. Any entrepreneur knows that when you’re running your own business, your business is running through your mind from sunrise to sunset. The Calm app helps me move my mind off of my work and to prepare for sleep. 

Podcasts are audio blogs so I will share my favorite podcasts instead of the blog! As an entrepreneur, I listen to most episodes of How I Built This with Guy Raz. But as someone who loves to learn and grow both personally and professionally, I listen to most episodes of The Science of Success. Podcasts are a great way to digest thoughtful content while multi-tasking through your day!    

My favorite book is Thinking Body, Dancing Mind by Jerry Lynch and Chungliang Al Huang. It connects Tao principles to performance in sport and in business. I initially read it in high school as an athlete and I have come back to it repeatedly as a professional. There is so much overlap between what you learn as an athlete and what you need to work through as an entrepreneur. I would recommend any athlete turned entrepreneur to dive into this book.   

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Podcasts are my absolute favorite resource. I find it difficult to carve out time to sit and read a complete book, but I can tune into a podcast while I’m on the go and pick up the critical learnings. I love hearing the stories of successful entrepreneurs on How I built This and Remarkable People with Guy Kawasaki. There are great podcasts on any topic that lights your soul on fire. Keep your subscriptions up to date and listen whenever you can, even if it’s while multi-tasking.     

Who is your business role model? Why?

It is an amazing time to be a female entrepreneur! There are so many great leaders who are paving the way for the next generation, but I closely follow Whitney Wolf Herd. She started Bumble in 2014 and grew it into an $8 billion dollar brand. In 2021, she took her company public and rang the bell of the New York Stock Exchange with her son on her hip. Representation is important and I’m grateful that I have a number of strong women and mothers smashing glass ceilings and showing me the playbook.  

How do you balance work and life?

With my company being a year and a half old, I don’t have the luxury of balance. I’m pushing so hard to get it launched that most things outside of work and my family have been sacrificed. Of course, the goal is to eventually achieve more balance but I’m not there yet. But when life is unbalanced, it’s even more important to be present. Be where you are with full attention.  

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

To perform at a high level, you have to be able to destress and recover. One of my favorite ways to decompress is to float in my pool. I close my eyes and try to envision all of my stressors sinking in the water below me. If you don’t have a pool, you can try a sensory deprivation tank which is a floating experience in saltwater. Many spas have started offering float therapy as a way to deliver muscle relaxation, improved sleep, and decreased anxiety. 

What do you have planned for the next six months?

We are launching a second fitness concept early in 2022. It’s called Pryme Yoga and it’s a yoga practice that evolved to include dance and primal movements. It’s daunting to be launching with so many unknowns still on the horizon, but the goal is to be positioned to ride the rebound of the fitness industry in this new year!  

How can our readers connect with you?

• Company Website 

• Linkedin 

• Instagram 

• Twitter

"Will and determination can take you far, if you don’t let fear get in the way" with Sarah Finch

Photo Credit: Jessica Kaplan Photography

Two decades ago, Sarah Finch shifted her experience as an actor into a career in learning and development by earning an MA in Educational Theatre at NYU and convincing a small communications training firm to hire her.  Since then, she has helped thousands of leaders through her training programs, leadership coaching, and keynote speaking in L&D roles with high-profile organizations like The Second City, Vista Equity Partners, and the YMCA.  Five years ago, she decided it was time to lead her work with her own voice and launched her solo business providing leadership and team development her way – with a unique mix of practical expertise, business acumen, and theatre-savvy. Her client list has since tripled and she is having the most fun of her long career.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I was going to be an actor. That was my childhood dream. I went to Northwestern University with the sole purpose to be a theatre major and then act after graduation. I had some mild success in the local Chicago theatre scene but learned after a few years that I absolutely hated auditioning and the lack of control that most actors have over their careers. That was a tough realization and required a lot of souls searching for me in my mid-20s. At the time I was also working as an administrative assistant just to pay the bills. I ended up at Arthur Andersen shortly before it collapsed. In that very old-school, corporate environment I saw first-hand how my theatre training would be helpful for many of the consultants I worked with. Since I had to find a new path other than acting, I looked for a graduate school program that would help me transfer what I knew from theatre to a world of corporate training. That lead me to NYU and the rest is history. I have continued to develop my own expertise and skills through each job I have had in this career….a career path I never knew existed when I started working!

What inspired you to start your business?

Fortune and fate. My job with Vista ended unexpectedly and not on my terms, but with a healthy severance package so I had the luxury of some time to decide what I wanted to do. My husband had been encouraging me for years to go out on my own, and it seemed that the universe was giving me a chance to try. So I took it.

Where is your business based?

I’m based out of Chicago, Illinois, but I do a lot of my work virtually – even before the pandemic. Most of my clients are not local, and many are global. Over the last two years it has been particularly interesting to work with clients all across the US as well as in Europe, Australia, Asia, and South America through my Zoom screen.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

First, I researched what type of business I needed or wanted to be and the logistics of set up, taxes…the boring stuff. Ultimately, I decided to simply be a sole-proprietor, obtained an EIN and business bank account, and created business cards (which was my biggest waste of money since I never used them!). If I grow over time, I may move to an LLC model, but for now, this works for me.

The second thing I did was build a website. I was convinced that I couldn’t say I had a business without that. In retrospect, that probably slowed me down a bit as it took me several months to make the site look how I wanted it, but when it was done it was my launching tool. It also forced me to define what my business did. I definitely was aspirational in some of the services I listed, but it was all work I knew I could do if asked. I also solicited some testimonial quotes from a few of my past clients to help show some credibility right away.

When it was done, I shared it on LinkedIn, and direct messaged about 100 people in my LI network to let them know what I was doing. I increased my presence on LinkedIn and tried to post something at least once a week. I also was setting up informational conversations with people in my network and finding additional networks to tap into. I took advantage of some great networking Facebook groups I was already part of as a member of the National Speakers Association and learned a lot from talking with women who were already doing things similar to what I wanted to do. It took 6 months for me to land my first client through a referral from a former boss of mine.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

The most effective thing for me was the network I built before I started my business. I didn’t know it as it was happening of course, so this is all hindsight, but the relationships I created and the good work I was doing apparently left a positive impression. At least 80% of my business has been direct hires from my network or referrals from them to new clients. I’ve tried to keep connected with those relationships as well, mostly through LinkedIn these days.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

My belief in my ability to make this work was absolutely my biggest challenge. As an actor, I can take anyone’s message and make it my own. After so many years of incorporating the messaging and point of view of my employers, I wasn’t sure that I knew what to say on my own. I doubted that I really had anything someone would want to pay me just me to do without the name of a known organization attached to mine. A type of imposter syndrome, I suppose.

To help counter that thinking, I spent a lot of time writing thoughts and ideas down in a notebook so I could find words that were mine – not Second City’s, or Vista’s or the Y’s – but mine to offer up to my clients. With every client engagement, my confidence grew and that helped as well.

I also decided not to create a business name other than my own. That might change down the road, but it was important to me to establish that I am the one doing this work, that I am the business this time.

How do you stay focused?

In terms of my actual client work, the focus is never an issue. Whether I’m coaching a CEO, running a group training, delivering a keynote, or creating the content, I’m 100% in tune with that work. That’s the easy part! It is like being on stage for me; I’d do a lot of it for free because I love it. But I have two kids and we have bills to pay. My husband is successful in his job, but not to the point where I don’t have to work at all. I keep focused on the business side by regularly reviewing my accounting ledger and seeing if I’m on track. That process grounds me and motivates me so my business can continue to thrive. That part isn’t super inspirational, but it is reality.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

My path has been unconventional compared to others in this industry. I’m not the only actor to move into this realm, but the organizations I’ve worked with during my career is absolutely unique. Who else has worked with an esteemed improv theatre, one of the most successful private equity firms today and one of the biggest non-profits in the country? Let alone that in each of those roles, my clients were external so I was working directly with just about every type of industry.

Second City gave me the opportunity to work with so many big business names like Deloitte, Kraft, Major League Baseball, Farmer’s Insurance, and so on; my client list from those 7 years is enviable. Vista had over 50 portfolio companies while I was with them and the YMCA was made up of over 800 local Y’s, each with their own culture. That breadth of experience with so many different types of organizations and leaders at all levels is hard to earn.

Combine all of that experience with my theatre skills that allow me to connect and engage my audiences and I stand out. There isn’t a single client that I’ve worked with who hasn’t commented on my bio and how interesting it is….my Second City experience alone usually gets me into a conversation. I was able to create my own path to my business today, and my story has helped me stand out and be successful.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Keep doing good work? Honestly, this is my weakest area as an entrepreneur. I’ve been spoiled to have so much referral business, that I’ve been able to grow with very little marketing effort. I need to change that, and it is in my plan for this year to really expand how I market so I can reach new clients.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Don’t let fear hold you back. If you have the desire to try to build a business, that is more than many people have to start with. Will and determination can take you far, if you don’t let fear get in the way.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

The app is definitely my Peloton app, which I use with my budget-friendly non-Peloton bike. I don’t read a lot of blogs, though I’m starting one of my own this year. Two books come to mind – Talk to Me: Listening Between the Lines by Anna Deveare Smith was one I read over and over early in my career. Her style of communication, and ability to interview people in ways to really distill their inner thoughts just amazed me. Another is the book Switch by Chip and Dan Heath. I was first introduced to it at the YMCA when we used it to help with a massive culture shift, and I still reference it in my work today. The concepts are so easy for people to understand, yet often the things most forgotten when trying to drive change in a team or organization.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Calendly. I couldn’t possibly manage my calendar and scheduling with all my coaching appointment, client meetings, travel, training, etc. without it!

Who is your business role model? Why?

Brené Brown. She didn’t set out to be a famous author and speaker. That happened because she is passionate about the research and work she does, and people wanted more from her. Also, she has stayed true to herself throughout her growing success. I saw her speak once at a conference and she was even more genuine in person than I expected.

How do you balance work and life?

In a household with two working parents and two busy kids, it is a constant challenge. However, it is SO much easier to do now that I have my own business than it was when I worked for others. My kids and husband actually get more of me now than before. I can pick them up at school, have more control over when I travel, and generally be less stressed about work because I put my own pressure on myself vs managing someone else’s pressure. If I need most of a workday to take my daughter, who is a competitive figure skater, to a competition I can schedule my calendar accordingly 90% of the time. That flexibility is the key to my balance and starting my own business gave that to me.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Playing the piano. I have played since I was 5, and it is my version of meditation. When I play, I’m fully focused on the music and everything else goes away. I don’t do it nearly enough, but I always benefit when I do.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

To up my marketing game! I just revamped my website, and am recommitting to creating more presence on social media beyond LinkedIn including a new Twitter and Instagram account. I’m also developing some new on-demand tools and online programs. I’m thrilled with the growth of my business, but there is only one me and a finite amount of time I can offer, so I need to expand my services in a way that can help people even when I am not available to work with them directly.

How can our readers connect with you?

The quickest way to connect with me is via email at sfinch@sarahfinch.com or at my website www.sarahfinch.com

You can also find me on:
LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahfinchleadercoach/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sarahfinchleadercoach
Twitter:      https://twitter.com/SFLeaderCoach
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sarahfinchleadercoach/

"Don’t think too much, just do it" with Haiyan Dong

Photo Credit: Cheryl Lam

She grew up from a lower class in China. Her life was forever changed when she came to the United States with 85 dollars. She successfully built a company as an immigrant through constant self-learning, now she is starting another one. Life is a big adventure, she is always exploring more.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I was born and grew up in Hubei, China. People always ask me, is it close to Beijing or Shanghai? It's in the middle of China, not close to any big cities. I was the first person that went to college in my whole family.  I came to the United States for school in 2012, because I received a full scholarship from the University of Oklahoma to be a graduate student at OU. I didn’t understand spoken English when I first arrived in Oklahoma, but I managed to become a teaching assistant and successfully graduated with a master degree in Chemistry.  I came to the United States with a half-full suitcase, and 100 dollar cash. After graduating from OU I saved up a couple thousand dollars from my scholarship.  Then I moved to California with my husband to start my own business.

What inspired you to start your business?

Growing up my parents had a small business. So I knew I would have my own business one day. Back in 2015, I couldn’t find a good job with my degree in California. My husband was working with a fragrance company back then and he said to me that I should start selling terpene flavors to vape companies online. So I learned to build a website by watching youtube videos and started the business right away. After the website was built, I started promoting it on forums, and someone said the wording on the website looks like a high schooler's writing. I felt really excited because someone thought my writing was as good as a high schooler. We started from our apartment, when people called us, I answered the phone call as  the customer service girl. If they were having a website issue, I would become the tech department, always switching hats. Over the years, we have grown into bigger commercial buildings, but I still enjoy wearing different hats. We’ve been wholesaling terpenes for 6 years. Last year we decided to launch a B2C brand called BOOM focusing on hemp derived products, drinks, tinctures, vapes, gummies etc. 

Where is your business based?

We are based in Orange County, California, our clients are all over the world. We have several different joint ventures and partnerships with other companies as well.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I built a website and set up a business email and phone number. Filed paperwork to the state of California. These were the first steps. Everything is on google if you want to know how to start a business. 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Many people are aware of hemp products. What we do differently is that we try to bring people social and fun experiences with our boom products.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

I had two biggest challenges in life. One was when I was 18 trying to pass the entrance exam for college in China. The competition was insanely high with over 10 million applicants in the same year. Our school started at 6:30 am, and finished at 10pm everyday. When I went home I had to study for another 2 hours. So I had less than 6 hours of sleep everyday in my senior year. We had Sunday mornings off. No holidays or weekends. In winter time, we didn’t have a heater, the room temperature would be about 30 degrees F, and my legs would be cold all day and all night. I knew I had to pass the exam otherwise I would stay in poverty and end up working at a clothing factory and making $300 every month for the rest of my life. So I passed the exam. What was driving me was simply desperation. It was the biggest stress I ever had in my life. I couldn’t eat anything and stopped my menstrual cycle. I weighed about 90 lbs (I’m 5’5’’), my mom would call me a walking skeleton. I still have night-mares of not getting into a good college up till today. 

Another challenge I had when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018. I had surgery before I was diagnosed and recovered very quickly.  My doctors told me to take anti-cancer medicine for 5 years. I didn’t take the medicine because I didn’t want to compromise my quality of life. But I was living in fear of getting cancer again for a very long time. For about two years I would question myself about the meaning of work and life. It was painful because that was the first time I felt death was close to me and I wasn't as capable as I wanted to be. In the end, having breast cancer actually helped me to adapt to a healthier lifestyle and pushed me towards more inner exploration. I still have a 30% chance of getting breast cancer again. But I think I will deal with it when that happens. 

Looking back, I think the fastest growth comes from pain. And pain gives depth to our lives. 

How do you stay focused?

I’ve always been very focused when it comes to work. I made my career goal for my 40s and 50s when I was 25. I think the reason I am focused is because I enjoy complicated experiences, like building a company and self growing. I enjoy getting out of my comfort zone to feel alive.  I think a human can achieve anything with willpower and knowledge. When it comes to life, I am very spontaneous. If I want to go somewhere I can just start driving immediately. Can’t fly easily these days because of Covid, lol. 

I don’t have kids yet, so that helps me to stay focused. Lol.  I learnt time management from a management book by Peter Drucker a few years ago. It is very simple, you write down what you did in a day and how much time you spent on these activities. Then you optimize your time spent on different activities. Time management is a great tool to keep yourself organized and focused. 

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Better product, better pricing and excellent customer service. We have a 100% customer retention rate. We only hire intelligent people. We have high standards with our products and business operations.  We also have a very diverse company culture, making us inclusive and balanced. 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Word of mouth. We have good products, people love our products so they give us good reviews and refer other people. We believe good products should market themselves. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Don’t think too much, just do it. If there are things to be done, do it, if you don’t know how to do it, learn. If you believe you can then you can. At some point you will break yourself into pieces and question yourself in pain, but you will always put these pieces together and then become a stronger person. 

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite book so far is Sapiens by Yuval Harari. It combines knowledge from history, science, philosophy, religions  and is described in a very unconventional way. It is politically and emotionally neutral, so it can sound a little cynical to some readers, but I really enjoyed it. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Google. I google everything. I started my business by googling how to make a website,  then I googled how to hire, how to build a team, how to build a brand etc. 

Who is your business role model? Why?

Elon Musk, When I have problems at work, I always say: if Elon Musk can send rockets to Mars, why can’t we fix this small issue. 

How do you balance work and life?

Don’t separate them. I used to try to separate them, if I get an email on Saturday, I force myself to reply on Monday, but I realized it doesn’t work for me because I would think about it on Sunday and keep reminding myself to reply on Monday. So now I just respond immediately to simple emails whenever I see them. Work hard and play hard, so they can be balanced. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Sleep and eat. I sleep 9 hours everyday. I’m a big foodie, food makes me happy. I also drink boom, our CBD and delta-8 drinks, they are great for relaxing our body and mind. My coworkers enjoy delta-8 vapes to decompress, but I only like edibles and I don’t vape. 

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Grow Boom into a multi-million revenue brand. 

How can our readers connect with you?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/haiyan-d-0bab5318a

"Ask for advice" with Siran Cao

Photo Credit: Siran Cao

Siran Cao is the CEO & Co-Founder of Mirza, a femtech meets fintech company on a mission to close the gender pay gap. Siran graduated with a degree in Gender Studies from Harvard and had expected to go into academia, but somehow stumbled into tech. She built the driver support organization for Uber in New York and oversaw the support business for the US Northeast, before moving to London for a degree in Social Business & Entrepreneurship at the London School of Economics. With Mirza, Siran's gone full circle and looks forward to bringing together her passions: women’s empowerment, structural change, and building a company of the future.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I’m an immigrant and raised by a single mom. My mom was one of the women whose career took a back seat when I arrived, with the confluence of factors from childcare to gender norms at play. My dad left my mom and me when we moved to the States, so I grew up watching my mom rebuild in a new country. I believe that care and family are central to the future of work. Caregiving has always been central to paid work—our economy is built off the backs of women’s unpaid caregiving work, and today’s workplace and care ecosystem still hasn’t changed to acknowledge the realities of women’s participation in the paid workforce.

My experience growing up with an incredible, driven, caring mom while facing the difficult financial realities for so many women, led me to study Gender Studies at Harvard. I had wanted to go into policy or academia and thought it would be a path to making structural change, but I wound up in tech. The bulk of my career before Mirza was at Uber, where I built and scaled the driver support team for Uber in New York. Uber shaped my belief in the power of technology to transform our society.

What inspired you to start your business?

My co-founder, Mel, and I started Mirza as a reaction to digging into the gender wage gap—it was one of those scribbling on napkins moments, but as we explored our fury on why caregiving and career crash, leaving women as the safety net. But as we’ve dug in more, Mirza is a synthesis of so many shared experiences, the moment we can all think of when we realized having it all is simply a myth. We're driven to change how our social and work structures force trade-offs between the personal aspirations, careers, goals, the things that shape the work self and our roles as caregivers, the selves we cherish with families.

Where is your business based?

Mirza is based in London, but as two Americans who just happened to meet here, we’re looking at the US market as our key focus.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

One of our key hypotheses was that we tend to think of our personal and professional lives on separate tracks, but those tracks crash when care responsibilities emerge—it most readily comes when we start families. We started mapping out the points at the intersection of personal and professional and dug in more on that care thread. With that, we had conversations, sought advice from people we respected; having both just finished our master’s, it was predominantly with our former business and entrepreneurship professors. We read—a lot. We read academic studies on the gender wage gap, the motherhood penalty, books on the subject like Opting Out, Invisible Women, and research into what's been tried in the past. With each piece of research and learning, we honed in on what we thought about as a solution. We thought about what to build, and how to test our understanding of the problem, and those potential aspects of the solution.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Networks are the single most effective strategy, in my mind. Through the London School of Economics network, we met collaborators, our amazing PR team, and pitched Mirza from the Centre Stage at Web Summit. And through the Famtech network, we met partners, advisors, and supporters who helped elevate our work. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? 

My biggest personal challenge is focusing on what we need to do today to bring Mirza's vision to life. It’s so easy for me to look at the vision for the future, feel complete confidence in our ability to bring it to fruition, that I can run full force at something too early. I’d say it’s less that I have overcome that and more so that I have the best possible co-founder who’s grounded in what we need to do in the near term to achieve that long-term vision.

How do you stay focused?

Well, given my prior answer, honestly, Mel keeps us focused! Personally, it helps me to break down the key targets into the things I need to accomplish each week, and I schedule them. If it’s on my calendar, I’ll do it. And having a finite block of time means that I’m sprinting against the clock to fit it all in.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

We’re focused on building innovations in the care sector, taking a very structural approach. One of the biggest differentiators is that we're building a solution based on understanding structural forces at play and not relying on the existing understanding of how things work or how things are done. We think about how care is paid for and what care work is paid for, and who should pay for care from a first-principles perspective.  

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Just for visibility, working with mission-aligned influencers has been amazing. Overall, partnerships have been the best way for us to grow.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

It’s very meta! Ask for advice. Reach out to the folks you admire, the people with experience you wish to learn from, and share with them why you care and why you’re passionate. Then ask for their perspective.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why? 

My favorite app is Audible. I listen to so many audiobooks. I find it easiest to think when I’m walking, and I process information well as I move, especially in green spaces.

My favorite blog is Jezebel. It played such a key role in bringing about a mainstream feminist resurgence. I have some issues with how mainstream feminist language has been co-opted into products and a focus on the self, obscuring the movement’s aim for structural change, but that’s a whole other topic.

And please read Anne-Marie Slaughter’s latest book, Unfinished Business! It so perfectly encapsulates why we need to change how we value care and caregiving work.  

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Excel. It’s just so powerful. Businesses have to be powered by data.

Who is your business role model? Why?

I have two: Sheila Marcelo, who founded Care.com, and Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos. Sheila built a business on care to address a problem she felt and understood, and she was light years ahead of the market in addressing employers’ responsibilities for care. I’ve always been inspired by Tony’s approach to leadership and culture, how he created a workplace that made everyone feel seen and at home, that he’d take customer calls on Christmas Day to spend that time with his team and show where company priorities lie.  

How do you balance work and life? 

Question of the moment! I don’t believe in work-life balance because balance means things are at an equilibrium. And as a founder, I think we have a work-life integration and dance–at times, we index more on work, and then we have an easing-off period when things are a little lighter. I make sure we know when we have full-on sprints, and then after the sprint, the team gets to walk and recover.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

For me, decompressing from the day means some form of exercise every day, probably playing around with kettlebells. You can get into a flow state, and it’s so much fun. I also love going for a walk in the park every morning, so I can let my brain run. 

What do you have planned for the next six months?

We’ve got some exciting partnerships lined up! And some great panels and campaigns too. In February, we’re hosting a conversation to help spur some Valentine’s Day gift ideas. It's about sharing the mental load. What could be a better gift, right? We’re doing a campaign for working dads soon too, stay tuned! And finally, we’re working with some incredible companies to launch our care solution, so that’s a pretty big chunk of the year.

How can our readers connect with you?

Our website is heymirza.com, and we’re on all the socials @MirzaSaysHey! LinkedIn is the easiest to find me, and you can also find me @heysiran on Twitter.

https://www.heymirza.com/

https://www.instagram.com/mirzasayshey/?hl=en

https://twitter.com/mirzasayshey

https://www.facebook.com/mirzasayshey/photos/?ref=page_internal

https://www.tiktok.com/@mirzasayshey

https://twitter.com/heysiran

https://www.linkedin.com/in/siran-cao/?originalSubdomain=uk

"Be curious-you never know where you’ll find inspiration or a solution to a problem you don’t know you have yet" with Becca Schepps

Photos courtesy of Becca Schepps.

After growing up swimming, jumping out of half-built houses onto dirt piles, ducking from soccer balls and playing backyard spud, Becca Schepps graduated to becoming a Cat 1/2 crit racer and co-owner of the team LA Sweat, a women's cycling team equally dedicated to femininity and badassery.  So, when she was diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic she was a bit shocked and started searching for a re-hydrating solution after races that wouldn’t wobble her insulin levels. Cut to finding kombucha, falling in love with it, and using herself as a guinea pig in an experiment that involved 16 bottles and NO post-drink insulin injection.  Just a few short years later, the full-time creative director and ad copywriter are selling her creation, Mortal Kombucha, in stores throughout Boulder, Colorado, and even all the way up in Oregon and Washington.

Can you tell our readers about your background? 

My background is what happens when you’re super curious and a tad bit obsessive. I honed the professional side of myself working as a creative director/copywriter in advertising. Simultaneously, I was always very into competitive sports with a splash of group fitness. I raced road and cyclocross as a Cat 1, and I rowed crew at UW-Madison. Plus, I love any kind of HIIT class where you aren’t supposed to compete, but come on, of course you do. Orangetheory? Shred45? Crossfit? Peloton? Sign me up.  

What inspired you to start your business?
I worked as an advertising Creative Director on a lot of CPG brands. And everyone wants to claim “good-for-you”. I was working for an agency to get the packaging dialed in for a new brand trying to make this claim and we could not get wording past their legal team. I was holding a kombucha in my hand at the time and thought, “this thing is good for me, how does it say it?” And that's when I saw that this drink said in its ingredients that it was made with 100% purified love. I think it had been the countless iterations, plus working late hours, but I immediately launched into how I was going to start a kombucha company with NO LOVE. Then I made Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombucha jokes. And from there - I made a website, mocked up some fake products and started making silly punny posts on social media

Where is your business based?
We are based out of Boulder, Colorado.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?
I “started” my business before it was a business. It started with a pun and me making a website to house what I believed was a hilarious joke. From there I made funny names for products -- all laddering up to my AGGRESSIVE kombucha company. Once people started buying the kombucha, that's when I realized - uh oh, I guess I should figure out how to make kombucha.  I immediately went to a beer supply store in town and asked them how to make kombucha, and from there just said yes a lot. I fell forward and asked a lot of questions, and always tried to find solutions rather than marinate in problems.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?
Stores. Doors. And social media partnerships. The most important thing has been making sure we can surround and penetrate an area, and then finding ways to amplify areas that we have a deep saturation in and drive people to the stores. There’s definitely a cart and horse situation for us and oftentimes we’ve done one before the other.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
Our biggest challenge is always growth and scaling. We’re always trying to figure out what systems, processes, people and products we need to create, do and hire to get to that next level. The most challenging thing for me as the CEO is existing where we are now as a company - putting in the work in the present and waiting… while also being laser focused on the future and knowing we need to be a rocketship, constantly transforming and adapting to get there. I don’t know if you can solve this. I’m constantly talking to my mentors trying to gather as many experiences and anecdotes as possible. I ask my mentors everything, even dumb stuff.

How do you stay focused?
Squirrel.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
We create beverages that fight death. We have a different tone and look when it comes to the longevity/health and wellness space. It's a bit harder, a bit more fun, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. We want to make healthy as fun as the unhealthy brands do.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
Sales. My sales guy is gonna love this.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Be curious - you never know where you’ll find inspiration or a solution to a problem you don’t know you have yet.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
I’m definitely a tiktok fan. I love laughing. My favorite book is called The Art of Looking Sideways.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?
LinkedIn. Is that lame? But it’s the easiest way to discover new interesting people who you can help or may help you on your journey. 

Who is your business role model? Why?
Kris Jenner. I think the people who love her will understand and the people who hate her won’t read this. So I’ll leave it at that. 

How do you balance work and life?
All at once. I’m a new mom, and a CEO and can’t keep my hands out of other projects I want to have an opinion on. It’s a lot, but I love working and creating things out of nothing.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?
BravoTV, naps and exercise. Maybe all at once.

What do you have planned for the next six months?
Grow. Grow. Grow. Grow. Grow. 

How can our readers connect with you?
On social media I’m @bescka, or they can hop over to mortalkombucha.com to meet me and the booch.