female entrepreneur Archives - Page 2 of 3

Holly Ransom – Curious On Purpose

August 17, 2021September 28, 2021
by Claire

We’re excited to share this week’s episode with changemaker, leader and author, Holly Ransom.

Holly has pioneered her way into boardrooms and forums at the top end of town but what’s really interesting about Holly is her deep thoughtfulness, her fortitude to blaze her own path, and her drive to make the world a better place.

This 31 year old Aussie has Chaired the G20 Youth Summit, she’s an internationally sought after speaker and conference MC, and she’s recently completed her Masters of Public Policy in technology at the Harvard Kennedy School of Business – as a Fulbright Scholar no less.

Holly has made the most of conversations with some of the most high profile people in the world, interviewing everyone from President Obama to Muhammad Yunus and Malcolm Gladwell. These encounters, plus her own journey, have resulted in her first book, The Leading Edge.

Holly was awarded the US Embassy’s Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Leadership Excellence in 2019 and she was nominated by Richard Branson as his pick for future game changers to watch.

In this episode you’ll learn SO MUCH including:

How Holly’s life has been shaped by her curiosity about the big questions in life
Why developing depression was one of the most powerful shifts in her life and what she now does differently
How she goes about connecting with, and learning from, some the world’s most successful people
What she learnt from doing something that scared her every day for a year; and
Why she’s so passionate about busting myths around who can be a leader.

This is a memorable conversation, so don’t miss the pioneering and inspiring Holly Ransom.

Useful Links

Holly’s website

Holly’s new book – The Leading Edge

The Leading Edge – 28 Day Challenge

Holly’s podcast – Coffee Pods

Sophia Matveeva – A Non Tech Founder in a…

August 3, 2021
by Claire

This week’s episode shares the story of founder Sophia Matveeva who found herself having to make a big pivot when the global pandemic hit.

Before Covid, Sophia, a Russian by birth and based in the UK, had been making inroads with her fashion app called Enty. Think of it as a kind of ‘Uber for fashion stylists’, used by growing numbers of consumers, and being featured as App of the Day on Mashable.

However the global lockdowns last year quickly put an end to the need for we consumers to seek stylist advice on our outfits.

Fortunately, Sophia had also been developing a side-hustle giving talks and creating a course called ‘Tech for Non-Techies’ where she shared what she’d learnt as a non tech founder and CEO running a tech startup.

So whilst Sophia’s fashion-tech business stopped dead last year, her side hustle started to build real traction.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How hearing her app developers painful feedback was the best lesson she could have had
How it took Sophia till well in to her 30’s to feel confident enough to back herself
Why she chose to do an MBA
And, her advice for those without tech experience who want to work in the tech industry.

If you’re wondering how you can get a role in a tech business or startup then don’t miss this episode with the articulate and enterprising Sophia Madveeva ….

Useful Links

Tech for Non-Techies website

Sophia’s Tech for Non-Techies podcast

Sarah Wilson – Crusader for People & Planet

July 20, 2021July 20, 2021
by Claire

We are so excited about this episode featuring an inspiring and no-topic-off-limits conversation with the globally renowned Sarah Wilson.

Sarah has achieved massively in multiple arenas; she’s a former journalist and TV presenter, she’s an author and activist and successful entrepreneur. She wrote the New York Times bestsellers I Quit Sugar and First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, which best-selling author Mark Manson described as the best book on living with anxiety that he’d ever read.

Along with her latest book, ‘This One Wild and Precious Life’, Sarah has been ranked as one of the top 200 influential authors in the world and her online wellness ‘I Quit Sugar’ program was taken by 1.5 million people around the world.

These days, Sarah’s a campaigner for the causes that matter and, in particular, the climate crisis. Her determination to motivate us all to do what we can, is matched only by her research, her passion and her own crusading life.

In this open and vulnerable episode you’ll learn:

How Sarah’s childhood explains so much about the leader she is today
How she has completely reframed and values her anxiety
What happened when she was at her lowest ever point
How important hiking is to Sarah, and
Why 3.5% is such a magnificent and hopeful number.

Now, on a serious note, during our conversation as Sarah goes deep and vulnerable, we want to alert you that she describes a time she had dark and suicidal thoughts. If you think this might trigger you or someone listening with you please take the appropriate care.

We think you’ll just love this episode with the crusading and inspiring Sarah Wilson…

Useful Links

Sarah’s website

Link to Sarah’s book tour in Australia

All of Sarah’s Books

Sarah’s Favourite Hikes

Sarah on Instagram

Photo credits: Rob Palmer & Marija Ivkovic

Interview

Allison Kent-Smith – Not your Typical Entrepreneur

June 22, 2021June 29, 2021
by Claire

Our episode this week features an American woman who abandoned the security and prestige of working with some of the world’s most sought after ad agencies to start her own businesses.

Her name is Allison Kent Smith and one thing that really stands out about her is that she has consciously refused to pretend to be someone she’s not when trying to find VC investors for her startup.

That startup, giide.com, is a new platform for creating rich audio learning experiences featuring a host of multimedia options such as links, articles and graphics.

In our conversation you’ll hear how

Allison has experienced a few seminal moments when she just knew she had to leap out of her comfort zone work-wise
What a Silicon Valley VC told her when she met with him for funding that nearly made her give up
Why she asks herself how can she do less when she wakes up
And how she’s found her tribe of investors and supporters by staying true to herself

So sit back and enjoy this episode with the not so typical entrepreneur, Allison Kent Smith.

Useful Links

Giide Website

iOS app in the app store

Allison on LinkedIn

Interview

Adina Jacobs – Win-Win Relationships

May 11, 2021June 1, 2021
by Claire

This week’s episode features one of the most unassuming and humble entrepreneurs we’ve met.

Adina Jacobs is the Co-Founder of an international technology accessories company called STM Goods that basically created a whole new category of product when it launched it 23 years ago. (Think really functional and yet not boring laptop backpacks and bags, ipad and tablet covers, chargers, and a whole host of other accessories.)

Adina’s success as a young entrepreneur is testament to the power of building win-win relationships; whether it’s with manufacturers or retail clients. It was thanks to great relationships with Apple resellers that led to her products landing coveted space in Apple’s own destination retail stores when they launched.

And not only does Adina work with Apple but STM are also key suppliers of Microsoft accessories as well, plus many other brands.

Adina is also Co-Founder of Mentor Walks in Australia, a not-for-profit expanding all around the country with its ‘walk and talk’ model. We had her Co-Founder, Bobbi Mahlab, on the show some months back.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How a creative use for a padded postal envelope 23 years ago was the genesis of a new product category, and an internationally successful business
How Adina thinks, and goes about, building win win relationships
How STM has succeeded getting things successfully manufactured in China and elsewhere in the past two decades; and
How to set yourself up for success with your Co-Founder.

So sit back, relax and enjoy this episode with the humble and high achieving Adina Jacobs.

Useful Links

Adina on LinkedIn

STM website

MentorWalks website

Future Proof Me Mini Episode

Future Proof Me – Founders’ Reality

May 4, 2021June 1, 2021
by Claire

This week we look at the realities of being a startup founder. Becoming an entrepreneur and a founder is increasingly popular, even with school students where a recent survey showed that 40% of them now want to be entrepreneurs when they complete their studies.

But it’s not all fame, fortune and delightful autonomy if you intend to build a business that will scale and survive. And we figured, who better to hear what being a founder is really like than one of Australia’s most successful female entrepreneurs, Cyan Ta’eed, the Co-Founder of the hugely successful digital marketplace, Envato (valued at over a billion dollars).

Cyan is also the founder of the ethical chocolate company Hey Tiger and go milkshake, an app for Instagram influencers.

In this episode she shares with us just how hard she and her co-founders worked to get Envato off the ground. It didn’t mean that they couldn’t choose where they’d work those long hours as you will hear in this fascinating insight into this Founders reality.

Enjoy this mini episode.

Useful Links

Cyan Ta’eed’s full interview

Cyan’s personal Instagram

Hey Tiger Instagram

Hey Tiger website – order your chocolate here (delivery to Australia, NZ & US for now)

Mouna Aouri – Supporting Female Entrepreneurs to Realise their…

April 13, 2021June 1, 2021
by Claire

Can you believe it? Almost three years ago we started this podcast and now we’re excited to be releasing this, our 100th episode!

A particular thank you to you if you’ve taken the time to review, subscribe or recommend our show as it really makes all our work that much more worthwhile. And we always love to hear from you, whether it’s guest or show ideas, or any feedback. Just email us here.

This week’s 100th episode features a woman who has a pretty incredible story. Her name is Mouna Aouri and she’s a Tunisian who started out as a bridge engineer, including working for 7 years in Japan. (And Japan is NOT an easy place for women to work!)

After running a successful business in her home country of Tunisia, Mouna now works in Singapore with Beacon Fund which is investing in female entrepreneurs in South East Asia. Not only that, she launched and runs her own online community supporting women entrepreneurs called ‘Woomentum’.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why Mouna left Tunisia to build bridges in Japan
How her successful business and life was turned upside down by the Arab Spring uprising
How, after losing her identity as a new Mum in a new country, she picked herself up and turned her experience into a business supporting other women; and
The common mistakes female entrepreneurs make and how to overcome them.

Mouna is very open and vulnerable about the difficult time she encountered trying to reinvent herself and her career in a new country and as a new Mum, and her story of how she bounced back is really inspiring.

So why not grab yourself a yummy slice of ‘100th episode cake’ 😂 and enjoy this episode!

Useful Links

Woomentum – community Mouna founded to support female entrepreneurs

Beacon Fund – funding female entrepreneurs in Asia Pacific

Link to the Woomentum Research Mouna mentioned – The Path to Success: How Women-owned Business Transform in the Era of Digitalization

Interview

Lesley Eccles – When Founding Another Global Startup was…

March 2, 2021March 2, 2021
by Claire

Have you ever felt totally blindsided or cheated?

That’s exactly what happened to our guest this week who spent more than ten years building a startup into a huge success, only to find the company sold by the other investors without receiving a cent. Just two years later the business was valued at over 11 billion dollars!

There’s no doubt that serial Scottish entrepreneur Lesley Eccles has ridden the startup rollercoaster on a grand scale. What we find so incredible and inspiring is how she’s bounced back from the devastating loss of her and her co-founders’ first business hit, FanDuel, to focus on starting a business all over again.

Lesley says she felt she had no alternative but to start from scratch again – but this time she’s brought her knowledge of running and scaling a technology business to build the number one relationship and self care app, Relish.

As Lesley shares her fascinating journey you’ll learn how:

Lesley, her husband and their 3 other co-founders weren’t sure if their start up would be successful until they were 7 years in
How their team, headquartered in Scotland, managed to become successful in the US market of fantasy sports building a team of 500 employees with 6million users
What lessons Lesley learnt as a result of the gut-wrenching sale of FanDuel
And why Relish is all about making the world a happier place.

Lesley’s story and lessons really are remarkable so don’t miss this episode with the resilient and gutsy Lesley Eccles.

Useful Links

Relish in the Apple App Store

Relish website

Lesley Eccles on LinkedIn

Interview

Ronni Kahn – The More You Give, the More…

January 19, 2021
by Claire

Hello, Happy New Year and welcome to our first episode for 2021!

We couldn’t think of a better guest to start the year with than social entrepreneur Ronni Kahn, the Founder and CEO of OzHarvest.

Ronni is a South African who’s lived in Australia for many years. The story of how she founded and then grew OzHarvest is really quite something.

If you’re not familiar with OzHarvest, it’s Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, ensuring that quality, untouched food from supermarkets and big events gets delivered to provide meals for those in need and saving good food going to landfill.

Incredibly OzHarvest has delivered 160 million meals in Australia to date. Plus, it’s expanded overseas as well.

Ronni recently released her memoir, called A Repurposed Life and we explore her fascinating life and career journey in this episode including:

How Ronni’s early life, from growing up in South Africa, to living on a kibbutz in Israel helped shape her ultimate purpose to end food waste
How her earlier entrepreneurial endeavours with florist shops, pyramid-selling skin care, and a flourishing events business, helped her build her self confidence and enabled her to think bigger
How OzHarvest has had to pivot and adapt through COVID, and
Why Ronni advises you not to wait to give more than you get

If you’re looking to find your purpose, get some inspiration or hear how someone else has made career transitions then don’t miss this episode with the focused and impressive Ronni Kahn.

Useful Links

Ronni’s Book – A Repurposed Life

OzHarvest website

Interview

Mia Perdomo – Latin America’s Warrior for Women

November 17, 2020November 17, 2020
by Claire

Brought to you by Microsoft’s The New Next

This week’s episode features Colombian founder, Mia Perdomo. She and her co-founder have built a business fighting for equality for women at work across Latin America.

Mia trained as a psychologist but always thought of herself as a feminist. In 2014, Mia attended a four month long leadership program at a US university, and had what she describes as a ‘life changing experience’. It was here that she realised she could be an entrepreneur and deliver social change.

She teamed up with fellow course participant, Peruvian, Andrea de la Piedra, and together they launched Aequales, a business focused on closing the gender gap in Latin America. They started by offering diversity consulting services to businesses in Peru and Colombia.

But when business wasn’t as good as they hoped, Mia and her co-founder were forced to get creative.

And they did!

In this episode you’ll learn:

How the idea they came up with totally changed the prospects for their business, without losing its mission
Why Mia is so passionate about being a ‘for-profit’ business with a social cause
How she and her co-founder have navigated building a profitable multi-country Latin American business and …
The astounding way some companies treat female job candidates

Without further ado enjoy this episode with the passionate and determined Mia Perdomo.

Useful Links