After a decade of grinding in the corporate world, Chavarne Wright finally hit burnout. So, she decided to combine her passion for animals with a dream of starting an ecommerce business. In less than 6 months, she launched Le Paws, a proud Australian eco-boutique pet brand. The brand’s best-seller is an ethical, functional, and stylish feeding mat inspired by Chavarne’s Chief Meow Officer–Daisy. Le Paws was featured in British Vogue this spring, and this summer plans to expand its product line a...
Jun 10, 2022•31 min
Three years ago, Tish Fletcher’s health plummeted. She took meds to deal with chronic pain but didn’t feel like she had control of her body. After trying CBD products, Tish was finally pain-free and living a healthy lifestyle. Immediately, Tish started making her own CBD products and selling them to friends and family. So, she launched Fletcher + Reese, a wellness brand specializing in CBD-infused bath and body products. Listen to Mollie and Tish discuss: Making bath products inspired by her gra...
Jun 03, 2022•46 min
Samantha Brett surveyed 2,000 millennials asking what they don’t like about traditional sunscreen. There were 3 universal answers–white, sticky, and bad for the skin. So Samantha reversed engineered to create the first SPF 50+ mist for over makeup. Alongside her partner, Samantha launched Naked Sundays in January of 2022 and and 6 figures in 4 weeks. And within 3 months, Nake Sundays became Australia’s #1 SPF skincare brand. Listen to Mollie and Samantha discuss: How her background working at Vo...
May 27, 2022•54 min
Destiny Drive offers a 26-day manifestation journal that provides life assessment tools, encouragement, and accountability to reach your dreams. Founder Leah Toth describes it as “the soft 26,” the opposite of 75 Hard. Leah’s drive for her business came after the second COVID lockdown in Melbourne. She didn’t want to fall into the same negative patterns and started collecting her manifestations in a journal. One of the manifestations was starting a side hustle, which ironically became the custom...
May 20, 2022•38 min
After 10 years of experience in digital and social marketing, Maddison Danforth decided that she wanted to help small businesses that didn’t have budgets for large agencies. So, on a Friday afternoon, she left her full-time job. The following day she started her agency called Boho Social. In the past 3 years, Boho Social has helped small businesses use organic social media to see results like growing from $2.5K to $20K in 6 months. In addition, Maddison was named one of the "Top 10 Female CEOs t...
May 13, 2022•46 min
Allie Evans fell into a successful career in real estate, but when COVID-19 hit, she wondered if she could do more. Through her passion for beach lifestyle and sustainability, she started Tama Swim, a consciously-curated women’s swimwear label. The swimwear is made from recycled yarn from ghost fishing nets in an entirely closed-loop system. After a successful launch, Allie is building Tama Swim, a brand synonymous with an ethically-conscious mission to preserve the beaches and oceans where swim...
May 06, 2022•31 min
Alicia Long was working at Google when she started feeling that a piece of her life was missing–entrepreneurship. While on maternity leave, she took the foundr Start and Scale course and learned that she needed to create a solution, not a product. Alicia is lactose-intolerant and found that buying nut milk can be expensive, full of preservatives, and create packaging waste. With help from her husband, a mechanical engineer, they created a nut milk maker that is convenient, compact, versatile, an...
Apr 29, 2022•33 min
6 years ago, April Scott started a clothing business and shut it down because she could barely make a sale. But after taking the foundr Start and Scale course this past year, she launched The Villa and sold $12K of products in 2 months. The Villa is a luxury sleepwear brand for women that will make them feel feminine, fun, fierce, and comfortable. April's mission is to make sleepwear for those special moments (weddings, maternity photoshoots, and girls' trips) while creating a community of women...
Apr 22, 2022•39 min
Samantha Scott and Wayne Stanton always wanted to start an online business but didn’t know how. After taking the Foundr Start and Scale course, they discovered their business idea and started selling LED-light therapy masks under the brand “Social Skins.” Their launch was so successful that they realized their brand had pigeon-holed their business. So last year, they relaunched their brand as Selfcare Social, which provides an array of self-care products at an affordable price. The rebrand didn’...
Apr 15, 2022•40 min
After her first child was born, Megan Castillo taught herself to sew and sell handmade baby items online. Quickly, her parenting product hacks became a full-fledged business called Little BaeBae Co., an innovative baby products company and home of the RetractaClip. Last year, BaeBae Co. grew 300% and is now on track to make $1.8M in sales. Listen to Mollie and Megan discuss: How her daughter inspired the idea for a retractable pacifier clip Making the first RetractaClip prototype using an old au...
Apr 08, 2022•38 min
Vanessa Babuin started her company Celle Skin to give women confidence by reducing the appearance of cellulite. But instead of the traditional topical solutions, Vanessa used her experience in apparel development to create a wearable beauty solution. Celle Skin's trademarked technology in their FibreCel™ Shorts increases circulation that helps repair the skin. Within 4 months, Celle Skin hit over $100K in sales and plans to expand its offerings and reach through Vanessa's passion for helping oth...
Apr 01, 2022•41 min
Emma Bolton started her business Bolton Creations because she couldn't afford personalized gifts for her bridal party. Three years later, a solution for her wedding has become a full-fledged business helping brides create their dreams through an all-in-one shop. Within the first week of her business relaunch, Bolton Creations made more than 30% of their total revenue from the previous 2 years. Now, Emma has her sights set on creating a company that is the go-to place for answering brides' questi...
Mar 25, 2022•55 min
After 10 years in business as a beauty salon owner, Alicia Bode wanted to build a separate ecommerce brand to support the business. Thankfully, she'd been waiting 2 years on the perfect product on which she was an expert. So Alicia started Label7th, which sells an automatic cordless curling wand that saves time and money while producing salon-quality curls. She sold out her entire stock within 48 hours of launch and has built a loyal following using education from her personal life as a salon ow...
Mar 18, 2022•42 min
While pregnant with 2 children, Kelsey Spronk was consistently frustrated with the poor design and materials of activewear for moms. So, she decided to fix the problem herself and launched Be Active Maternity, a maternity and nursing activewear line. Within 24 hours of Be Active Maternity's pre-launch, Kelsey generated $1,100 in sales and is now developing new products for moms looking to stay active during pregnancy and nursing. Listen to Mollie and Kelsey discuss: Doing face-to-face research w...
Mar 11, 2022•33 min
Jacqueline Yeats used her psychology and youth counseling background to develop a mindfulness brand for kids. Within 2 years, her company Mindful & Co Kids is in 300+ stores in 15 countries, has 2 Shopify stores, and received an endorsement by Oprah. By encouraging parents to teach mindfulness at an early age, Jacqueline believes Mindful & Co Kids can prevent mental health issues for future generations. Listen to Mollie and Jacqueline discuss: How a master's degree and teaching yoga insp...
Mar 04, 2022•35 min
Mona Fang started selling clothes online for side income and quickly realized the detrimental environmental impacts of the fashion industry. So at age 17, she decided to create a solution to the consumption problem in "fast-fashion." While a freshman at university, she started Karma Trade, a circular fashion trading platform using digital currency. Karma Trade uses a digital currency called "KARMA" to buy and sell secondhand clothing. Customers earn KARMA by donating clothes to the circular econ...
Feb 25, 2022•29 min
In the same month she launched her business, Grace Armstrong faced the trauma of losing her baby 6 months into pregnancy. Because she had followed the Start and Scale course, this tragedy turned into a triumph for her new business, Begin to Arrive. Begin to Arrive is an aromatherapy brand that sells waterless essential oil diffusers. The diffusers offer serene lighting that’s cordless and utilize 3 natural oil blends called arrive, revive, and thrive. Listen to Mollie and Grace discuss: How movi...
Feb 18, 2022•49 min
After studying business at university, Reever realized that the corporate world wasn’t his path. He found the Start and Scale course and used strategies from instructor Gretta van Riel to align his passion for health and wellness with business. Reever launched PuraU, a gut health supplement brand, at age 26. Within 3 weeks, he made $25K in sales and $500K in his first year. Listen to Mollie and Reever discuss: Discovering his passion after a failed stint in dropshipping The strenuous process of ...
Feb 11, 2022•40 min
What started as a gift idea for a baby shower turned into a full-fledged business. Abi Horton and her partner Danny started Beaus+Babes to create baby clothes made of 100% organic cotton with uplifting and inspiring designs. Because of their firsthand volunteer experience at domestic violence and homeless shelters, Abi and Danny created a return-to-donate model that allows customers to return and donate outgrown clothing. Listen to Mollie chat with Abi and Danny about: Using their creative backg...
Feb 04, 2022•41 min
Sayf Hussain was bored. With remote school and lockdown in place, he started researching how to make money online. After learning digital ad strategies through online courses he started reaching out to ecommerce businesses to do probono work. After refining his skills, those free trial clients turned into paying clients. Now, his digital agency Consistency has 6 employees and earns $50K a month. Listen to Mollie and Sayf discuss: Why he chose to invest into digital advertising over dropshipping ...
Jan 28, 2022•28 min
Sarah Muir knows from experience that successful entrepreneurs need stamina. After months of crowdfunding, she had to fire her manufacturer right before the product launch. Sarah bounced back and found a better manufacturer that allowed her to launch Palm & Pine Skincare with 2 original formulations and control all intellectual property. Palm & Pine sells vegan, cruelty-free, and plastic-free natural sunscreen. Listen to Mollie and Sarah chat about: Why listening to The Foundr Podcast mo...
Jan 21, 2022•39 min
Three years ago, Akshay Raj and his wife brought together their business and fashion industry experience to create 1Ō8 SPORTIF. 1Ō8 SPORTIF is a slow-fashion brand that bridges the gap between activewear and athleisure and creates sustainable garments built to last. Listen to Mollie and Akshay discuss: Why Akshay and his wife have a make less, make better philosophy How to be sustainable at the manufacturing, packaging, and shipping levels of business The danger of “greenwashing” in the fashion ...
Jan 14, 2022•43 min
Every December, Amanda Boardman was getting loads of engagement on social media from her customized “Elf on the Shelf” scenes she created for her 2 kids. People started asking her to make scenes for their own families, and that’s when Amanda decided to launch Do It Your Elf, which sells DIY kits that contain miniature scenes to help make elf season extra special. Amanda was able to launch and reach her goal of selling out 100 units just before the holiday season. In this episode, listen to Molli...
Jan 07, 2022•44 min
Color has always inspired Salma Kashani. An abstract artist herself, Salma understands how to transform color to create beautiful imagery. After the disruption of the pandemic, Salma used her newfound free time to learn more about taking her passion for color and transforming it into a business. After seeing a still photograph by a local Vancouver artist, she decided to meld art and fashion using the power of color. In 2020, she launched Bânu Magnifique, a brand that collaborates with artists to...
Dec 17, 2021•38 min
Mia Dickson returns to the podcast to share about her second successful business launch within 2 years. When we last spoke to Mia in early 2021, she talked about how the closure of her yoga studio forced her to start her own business. Through the training she received from Foundr’s Start and Scale course, she created a product that allowed for contactless sharing of business info called Social Dot. The success of Social Dot led to another business concept called Safe Banz, which sells waterproof...
Dec 10, 2021•35 min
Daniel always had a passion to create something of his own. But it wasn’t until he was at a party 4 years ago that he noticed that everyone was wearing the same generic t-shirts. That moment motivated him to launch Vidano, a clothing brand that prints designs from young Mexican artists on t-shirts, hoodies, caps, and jackets. Through his work with Vidano, Daniel was able to co-found an ad agency this past year with a former mentor. Levely, supports ecommerce brands with technical marketing to he...
Dec 03, 2021•58 min
Peta Beaumont brought an innovative product idea to the CEO of the company she worked at. He told her the idea would take 3 years to develop—that’s when Peta decided to do it herself. Within 3 months, Peta launched NY Gym Towel Co., which sells anti-odor, anti-bacterial gym towels. The towels have unique designs that visually encourage customers to not cross-contaminate while wiping off gym equipment. Listen to Mollie and Peta chat about: Choosing the iconography of New York City to inspire the ...
Nov 26, 2021•49 min
Mark Boxer had a problem. He needed a camera mount that could withstand the beating of motorsport videography while protecting his valuable equipment—so he built one. The 3 Footed Monster is an Australian-made magnetic mounting system perfect for content creators using iPhones for TikTok videos or production professionals securing monitors on location. Mark waited 10 years to bring 3 Footed Monster to market, but after just one year in business, he’s built a worldwide customer base. Listen to Mo...
Nov 19, 2021•39 min
Sarah Morrissey took her dog treat business from idea to launch in under one month. Her whirlwind journey started by looking to transition from a service business to a product-based business. In memory of her late dog Beau, she started Beau’s Biscuits, which sells dog treat baking mixes and donates a dollar to charity for every product sold. Listen to Mollie chat with Sarah about: How Beau’s Biscuits has grown from $50 to $600 in daily sales How customer feedback helped her improve ingredient co...
Nov 12, 2021•44 min
Leisha Ryan worked 4 jobs up to 70 hours per week to finance a gap year after university—then COVID hit. She was forced to cancel her travel and career plans but found the time to research starting a business. After 6 months of preparation, Leisha launched her brand Elevar, which sells 100% premium cruelty-free handbags and straps. In this interview, Mollie chats with Leisha about: Generating $3K within 3 weeks of launch How Elevar has grown 600% growth since its launch How minimal design inspir...
Nov 05, 2021•42 min
