Startup Life Show With Ande Lyons

“I know how to win, and I will win.”Our guest, Luis Mendonca, has the BEST mindset for the founder journey!In 2017 he launched Elite Home Fitness Franchise, an in-home and luxury residential personal training franchise. That’s right, they come to YOU!Luis didn’t set out to be a founder. After overcoming major life challenges, he was inspired by the birth of his daughter to BE more and bring more of his potential to the world.He dove deep into personal and professional growth, and when he saw a problem and opportunity in the fitness landscape, he found his purpose.With a clear vision of serving folks who want or need to improve their fitness without leaving home, Luis created a business map he could scale using the franchise model. He also saw how the business could add value to the community through charitable events.Today Elite Home Fitness is serving over 200 residences in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with plans to grow regionally, and then expand nationally.To learn more about Elite Home Fitness, please

Startup Life is a wild ride, especially if you’re a Female Founder.Our guest, Cheryl Contee, has been using her entrepreneurial and leadership skills since pre-school!In 2008 she founded her first startup, Do Big Things (formerly called Fission Strategy) a mission-driven digital agency using social technology to create social change around the world. She grew the company from 2 people to 10 in its first year with millions in revenue. Cheryl was also the co-founder of Attentive.ly, the first tech startup with a black female founder to be acquired by a NASDAQ company.Today Cheryl is the CEO of The Impact Seat Foundation, whose mission is to create a world in which women, especially women of color, can be successful business leaders. In her wonderful book, Mechanical Bull: How You Can Achieve Startup Success, Cheryl harnessed her lived founder experience and provides a practical guide to help founders ride the startup life like a boss.To learn more about The Impact Seat Foundation, please visit: https://impacts

Being viewed as a “minority” can be exhausting and frustrating, especially when you’re up against a trifecta of bias.Our guest, the Fierce Female Founder Kerry Schrader, was not going to let the triple plied bounty of bias stop her from reaching her dreams as a successful founder.In 2015 Kerry teamed up with her daughter, Ashlee Ammons, and they founded Mixtroz, a tech startup that helps meeting attendees easily mix, meet and mingle with one another; all while helping the event organizer learn more about attendees based on their in-app responses to customized questions.This dynamic Mother/Daughter team went on to close a $1 million round of funding, making them the 37th and 38th Black Female Founders to ever close a $1M+ round of funding. A breast cancer survivor and a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Kerry has more than 25 years’ experience positively impacting the human assets of large companies, including Ford, Alcoa, and Sears Holdings Corporation.To learn more about Mixtroz, please visit: htt

Twitter is the best and easiest platform for Startup Founders to build their social capital - with each other and with investors!Yes Founders – your customers are on Instagram and LinkedIn – that’s where you want your startup's brand to be and where you want to be amplifying the brand and connecting with customers.But Twitter is where you’re going to meet fellow founders, find the peer support you need and amplify your founder brand.Grab my Andelicious Advice for leveraging Twitter to: * build relationships with investors * amplify your Founder brand * increase engagement with other founders * help journalists find you * provide customer serviceConnect with me on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/AndeLyonsThank you for carving out time to up your Founder Game - as YOU do better, your startup will do better.Cheers!Andehttps://andelyons.comPS: Watch the video version here: https://bit.ly/TwitterForFoundersCONNECT WITH ME ONLINE: https://twitter.com/AndeLyonshttps://www.facebo

Did you know knitting sparks creativity and provides mindful rhythmic motions resulting in a more positive state of wellbeing?Our guest, Kristen Lambert, is the creative visionary behind the knitwear brand Third Piece.Third Piece started as a passion project for Kristen after being drawn to the uniqueness of a hand knit scarf with which she immediately responded, “I need that!” What started as a side hustle soon transitioned to something more when the buyers of Henri Bendel and Bergdorf Goodman along with dozens of boutiques came calling to carry Third Piece. For the next few years, Kristen learned the ins-and-outs of textiles, fibers, and manufacturing, pop-ups and eventually opened up a brick-and-mortar retail location.While recruiting the talent to craft each handmade piece, Kristen connected with the most inspiring women that wanted to knit Third Piece designs and work with the brand. Each woman had a unique experience of what knitting meant to her. Inspired by these passionate stories, Kristen expande

As a teenager our guest, Seattle native Billy Price, suffered a spinal cord injury and became paralyzed from the chest down, losing the ability to move his fingers. Daily tasks became difficult. Using his creative mind and unyielding spirit, Billy never gave up. He persevered, facing life's challenges with tenacity and determination.A specific problem Billy had was finding a pair of shoes that he could put on independently and actually be happy and proud to wear. So, as many founders do, he solved that problem and created BILLY Footwear.Today BILLY Footwear is featured in hundreds of stores, including Nordstrom and Zappos!Along with his life-long friend and co-founder Darin Donaldson, Billy strives to add value to the lives of others and make a measurable difference in the world, one foot at a time.To learn more about BILLY Footwear please visit: https://billyfootwear.com/Connect with BILLY Footwear via these social channels:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billyfootwearInstagram: https://www.instagram

As a 30-year champion for Black businesses, our guest, Jill Johnson, is a pioneering voice for inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems and is creating a new paradigm for the access to capital conversation.Jill is the co-founder and CEO of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership (IFEL), based in Newark, NJ. IFEL, founded in 2002, is an independent, nonprofit organization that supports economic development through entrepreneurship.IFEL’s mission is to eradicate the systemic barriers that prevent access to the knowledge, networks, and capital required for entrepreneurial success and wealth creation.Jill is the driving force behind a new initiative, the Making of Black Angels, to drive diversity and inclusion within the investor ecosystem.Learn more about IFEL here: https://www.weareifel.org and Connect with Jill and the IFEL team via these social platforms:https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareifelhttps://twitter.com/weareifelhttps://www.facebook.com/weareifelhttps://www.instagram.com/weareifel/You can learn

Building a real estate tech platform without a tech background didn't stop our guest from succeeding as a tech founder!Hassan Riggs is the founder of Y Combinator startup Smart Alto, a National Association of Realtors® Second Century Ventures REACH company, that prequalifies leads and schedules appointments to help Realtors® get an ROI on their lead generation program.As a former ISA, a current Forbes real estate contributor, and a digital marketer who has sold more than $100 million dollars in products for global brands and startups, Hassan has a proven track record for building stronger relationships through digital marketing and branding.To learn more about Smart Alto, please visit: https://www.smartalto.comPlease connect with Hassan and Smart Alto via these social platforms:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealHassanRiggs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hassanmayriggs Twitter: https://twitter.com/hassanmayriggsFollow Sam Altman here: https://blog.samaltman.com/00:00 - Andelicious Announcement

Almost 50 years after the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974, which ended women needing a male co-signer on loans and credit cards, women are still facing discrimination from financial institutions.Our guest, Lacy Garcia, is the Founder and CEO of Willow, a woman-led, financial technology and guidance platform that empowers women and the underrepresented with education, coaching, and support through every life journey.Willow's mission is to pioneer the standard of financial care provided to women and transform the way in which financial institutions serve women.With two decades in the financial sector as a private banker and marketer in financial services, Lacy understands the challenges of meeting the needs of women clients. She founded Willow to provide women with access to the coaching and personalized guidance she wished had been available to her.To learn more about Willow, please visit: https://www.trustwillow.com/Watch these videos to learn more about how Willow can help you:https://www.youtube.c

There are verified stories of LGBTQ+ members who have been ignored and singled out by potential investors because of their gender identity.Our guest, Ben Stokes, is on a mission to help create a world that's built on radical inclusivity, where diversity of knowledge and experience is celebrated.He’s the Founding Partner of Chasing Rainbows, an early-stage investment fund focused on investing in founders who come from underrepresented backgrounds - particularly those from the LGBTQ+ community. Ben previously founded and ran the virtual networking platform SocialTable, with customers on all 7 continents.Using his own experience as an LGBTQ+ founder of color, he has been an active angel investor in companies led by diverse founders and has fostered them through an exit or next investment phase.Please join me on Tuesday, May 31st at 7pm ET to meet Ben and learn how he’s changing the investment landscape for our LGBTQ+ community.AMPLIFY YOUR STARTUPWhile tuning in live, be sure to share your business name, on

Turning data into decisions for growth and traction is where many startups stumble.Our guest, Ahmed Elsamadisi, is the Founder and CEO of Narrator.ai, an innovative platform allowing companies better and quicker access to their critically important data. Before Narrator, Ahmed was the first member of the data team at WeWork, a team he helped grow to over 40 people. He has also worked as an AI engineer for missile defense systems as well as for self-driving cars. Narrator allows companies to answer questions about their data in just minutes instead of weeks, using a single 11-column table. Since its founding in 2017, Narrator has helped dozens of companies and graduated from startup accelerator Y Combinator.To learn more about Narrator, please visit: https://www.narrator.ai/Follow and connect with Ahmed and Narrator on social media here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elsamadisi/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/narratorai/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ae4ai and https://twitter.com/narratorai https:/

Founders are terrific at investing in their startup’s technology, team, marketing, and product development, but often forget to carve out time and dollars to invest in themselves.Our guest, transformational speaker, author and leadership coach Lolita E. Walker, teaches founders, busy women and high-performing teams how to embrace the power of a pause and invest in their wellbeing.During a successful corporate career of nearly twenty years, Lolita thrived as a senior leader who delivered excellence for Proctor & Gamble brands such as Gillette, Braun & Cover Girl. In 2017 she leaped from the corporate space to entrepreneurship and founded her personal and professional coaching and consultancy, Walker & Walker Enterprises.Lolita is also a poet, author of both, “The Intersection of You & Change," and "Can We Talk? Letters & Poems to Reclaim a Bolder You,” and she’s the podcast host of Coaching, Cocktails & Conversations.To learn more about Lolita's remarkable work in the wo

Are you uncomfortable picking up the phone and cold calling the key contacts you need to grow your startup or invest in your startup?Our guest, expert telemarketer, Queen of Conversation, and natural chatterbox, Wendy Harris loves helping people make their conversations count. Wendy has worked in the sales and communication industry for over 30 years, and now uses this knowledge to train others in telemarketing.Today she focuses on training others to make their conversations count and increase sales with her business WAG Associates, which she founded in 2005.Wendy is the author of the Training Handbook “Making Conversations Count – How to Sell Over the Phone,” and she is the host of a wildly popular podcast called “Making Conversations Count.”To learn more about Wendy's wonderful work in the world, please visit: https://wagassociates.com/Tune into Wendy's podcast Making Conversations Count here: https://makingconversationscount.studio/Wendy-HarrisConnect and follow Wendy via:LinkedIn: https://www.li

How do you successfully position your new product in a saturated marketplace that has many options for consumers, lots of demand, and fierce competition?Our guest, Claire Siegel, Co-Founder and CEO of Flourish, has proven you can find a profitable and sustainable lane in a competitive environment.She found a sweet spot no one was addressing in the diet and weight loss industry - weight inclusivity – and she created an app for that!Flourish lifts the burden of navigating the over whelming health and wellness space by welcoming like-minded womxn to an inclusive community that supports and empowers them in every stage of their health journey. Claire is a registered nutritionist who, after dieting for over a decade, has made it her life’s mission to help womxn ditch diets in favor of a sustainable approach to both physical and mental well-being.To learn more about the Flourish App, please visit: https://www.weflourish.com/Connect and follow Claire and Flourish online via these social platforms:Instagram: https://

Are you considering expanding and scaling your business into the US market?Our guest, Frances Simowitz, is the founder and CEO of WEVE Acceleration, a virtual accelerator program helping international startups expand and scale in the U.S. market through expert mentorship, targeted curricula and warm introductions to New York's most influential entrepreneurs, investors, and business contacts.With over 10 years of experience in the startup ecosystem, Frances has helped establish and grow operations in multiple cities such as Boston, Chicago, DC and New York for startups like Sittercity, Startup Institute and now WEVE. She’s worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and has established one of the largest entrepreneurial communities in New York City through HackerNest.To learn more about WEVE, please visit: https://weveacceleration.comFollow and connect with WEVE via these social platforms:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weve-acceleration/Twitter: https://twitter.com/WEVEAcceleratorThank you for carvi

Are you preparing your kids to be financially capable adults?Our guest, Gayle Reaume, is the Founder of Moolah U, a learning system kids love and a super easy way for parents to get their kids money smart.Gayle founded Moolah U after noticing that children are often not equipped to manage their money powerfully–now or when they venture out into adulthood. Through listening to the concerns of parents and understanding the viewpoints of young people, she created a series of real-life and real-money programs that bring the world of money alive for kids. Moolah U has served thousands of families in raising financially savvy kids through after-school clubs, summer entrepreneur camps, and online parenting courses.Moolah U’s clever learning system is now embedded in a family financial App that structures hands-on experiences with money, building financial responsibility skills from a young age.Gayle shares the best founder journey advice and outstanding tips to help your kids... and yourself... be financially capabl

Do you have a favorite recipe you’d like to turn into a food business, but don’t know where to start?Our guest, Alison Elliott, is the founder and CEO of The Farmer Foodie, and she’s sharing her fresh ingredients for launching a food business.Originally a food blog featuring over 150 healthy, sustainable, plant-forward recipes, Alison created the brand’s initial product called Everything Cheeze, a delicious Cashew Parmesan Alternative.Everything Cheeze is inherently sustainable with its plant-based organic ingredients and long shelf-life. It is a multi-use product that can be hydrated in 30 seconds and blended into a queso, ricotta, or mac & cheeze sauce. To learn more about The Farmer Foodie, please visit these links:The Farmer Foodie (TFF) Website: https://www.thefarmerfoodie.com/Everything Cheeze Website: https://www.eateverythingcheeze.com/ TFF LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/76129355/admin/ Alison's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-elliott-463039114/Instagram: https://www.

Having an optimized brain is a competitive edge for founders.Our guest, Portia Asli, is a licensed engineer and the Founder of Optimyzed Brain, which helps entrepreneurs and executives optimize their brains for peak mental performance. Optimyzed Brain has a track record of transforming business leaders that were overwhelmed, overworked, burnt out, and sleep-deprived into elite-level performers that thrive during uncertainty and chaos. Portia has engineered a proprietary Science-Based Brain Optimization System that has enabled business leaders to experience a significant improvement in 8 key areas: sleep & energy, focus & concentration, calm & relaxation, and mental clarity & creativity in less than five weeks.Want to optimize your brain for peak mental performance? Tap this link to reserve your seat in Portia's free one-hour action-packed masterclass that teaches you how to gain more time by improving mental clarity, increasing concentration, and elevating creativity: https://www.optimyze

How can a 29-year old founder run her startup from a bomb shelter in Kyiv?Our guest, Alyona Mysko, joined us LIVE from Ukraine to share her startup stories and show us how we can support Ukrainian entrepreneurs.She’s the Founder and CEO of Fuelfinance, a cloud-based financial department. They do your spreadsheets, graphs, and automations. You get P&L, Cash Flow, Financial Projections, Plan/Fact, Unit Economics, and peace of mind. All in Google Spreadsheets. Alyona shares stories from the front lines, including how• she's running her startup from a bomb shelter• Ukrainian businesses are adapting to the new reality • Fuelfinance is helping Ukraine right now• the company created a crisis financial plan for clients and themselves prior to the war starting• the team chatted 24/7 during the first week of the war to ensure that every team member was safe• relocated their team from Kyiv during the first week• they sourced a bulletproof vest and armored car for one of their colleagues who joined the Ukrainian

Is fundraising for your startup causing daytime stress and nighttime terrors?Our guest, serial entrepreneur and seasoned investor Ben Jen, is here to help ease your fundraising journey with his insights and advice.Ben is the Founder and Managing Director of Ben Jen Holdings, a venture capital and private equity firm dealing with companies in various tech and business fields. Ben Jen Holdings has completed investments in over 200 companies, from Pre-Seed to Series C rounds, with a proven track record of successful exits. The company provides consultancy to startups and participates in many startup competitions, and it has worked closely with many High School startups, providing guidance and advice to them on a regular basis.Ben is an active volunteer and mentors several aspiring entrepreneurs through the Diamond Challenge, MicroMentor, Empire State Development, and Venture for America.He is actively seeking new deals and investments to pursue throughout the New England and Greater New York City area.Please tap