By Kaylee Franklin
We have officially reached the last month of the year. But of course, before we dive deep into December, it’s time to recap how amazing November was! We’re keeping it short and sweet today as we had a jam-packed month, so let’s get to it!
To start off the month of November, we launched an episode with Alexandra Clark, Founder and CEO of Bon Bon Bon
BonBonBon is a chocolate company reinventing bon bons, their packaging, and the experience of eating and enjoying chocolate.
Alex talked about how a raspberry truffle during a visit in Europe changed her life and inspired her to use chocolate as an art medium, why she created her own manufacturing, starting with a 650 square-foot space in the back room of a diner, and why she advises entrepreneurs to prepare for best case scenarios.
Best piece of advice:
“When you're absolutely exhausted and you're thinking about quitting, cause everybody does when it gets hard, don't think about quitting while you're still walking. Keep moving forward. You don't have to be sprinting all the time, but at least if you're contemplating stopping all together, don't sit down and contemplate it. Keep moving in the direction you already decided.”
To hear more of Alex’s great advice tune in to Episode 130!
In the second week of November, we got to hear from Yanni Hufnagel, Founder and CEO of Lemon Perfect.
Lemon Perfect is a lemon-flavored water with zero sugar and no artificial flavors or sweeteners powered by organic lemons, containing electrolytes from potassium, and packed with Vitamin C, making healthy hydration more refreshing than ever.
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Yanni shares his story from being a college basketball coach, to launching his first startup Lemon Perfect. We talk about how the name Lemon Perfect came to him, why he almost hired a CEO, and how he keeps the energy in his organization higher than ever and his team either sprinting or resting, but nothing in between.
Best piece of advice:
“Have the perseverance to keep going.”
If you haven’t listened to Yanni’s episode yet, you can tune in HERE, and check out our product review on Lemon Perfect!
On the third Tuesday of November, we had the incredible, Amy Shecter, CEO of Ever/Body.
Ever/Body is a brand pioneering a first-of-its-kind approach to cosmetic dermatology, offering a curated collection of clinically tested face and body treatments delivered by trusted medical professionals and designed to deliver natural-looking, not obvious-looking results in under 60 minutes.
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In this episode, Amy shares her impressive career journey, and how she’s earned the CEO title three times. She talks about how she raised $94M in just 11 months, and what she does during an all-hands meeting each month to ensure her team is being acknowledged for their hard work.
Best piece of advice:
“You control what happens to you as much as you're part of an organization. You have to be an active participant in what happens next.”
To listen to more of Amy’s story, tune in to Episode 132.
Continuing the month strong, we had Vimla Black-Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO of Ourself.
Ourself is the first ever sub-topical skincare system defining a new beauty category. By bridging the gap between traditional skincare products and clinical procedures, Ourself formulations leverage biotechnology to provide an at-home alternative to needles and lasers, delivering clinical-level results without the clinic.
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Vimla talks about her childhood growing up in Washington, DC, to realizing her passion for business at a young age. She shares her impressive career journey, from working at Proctor and Gamble to Bobby Brown Cosmetics to becoming the global CMO of Equinox and then starting Ourself.
Best piece of advice:
“My advice to everyone is you should follow your dreams. You should follow that hunch. You've just gotta figure out how and what's the best way to follow it that fits with your risk profile.”
Be sure to tune in to Vimla’s episode, number 133!
And ending the month with our fifth episode we had Vanessa Dawson, Founder and CEO of Arber.
Arber is a plant wellness company providing gardeners with the safest and most effective products for their indoor and outdoor green spaces.
Vanessa talks about her childhood growing up as the oldest of three in Vancouver, Canada, her first job working at a bed and breakfast cafe, how she came up with the idea for Arber, and how she secured Walmart as her first big box retail partner shortly after launching the company on Earth Day in April 2021.
Best piece of advice:
“Surrounding yourself with other entrepreneurs is honestly the best thing that you can do. Getting yourself involved in those communities is such a fabulous way to continue to test your ideas and bounce ideas off people.”
If you missed it, tune in to Vanessa’s episode, number 134!
This month we got to hear from five different Founders and CEOs about their back story, their mission, and their drive to love what they do. Each one shared different stories but all were consistent in never giving up, but to continue pushing forward.
Stay tuned throughout December to hear from amazing CEOs such as:
Don’t forget to subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, follow us on Spotify, or tune in wherever you listen to podcasts.
Have any guest suggestions, comments, or questions about Stairway to CEO? Drop us a line here!
We’re back this month to recap the episodes of February! We’ll be covering what we learned from each episode, sharing each guest’s best advice, and giving you a sneak peek into this month of March on the podcast!
Welcome to 2023! We hope everyone has been having a happy new year and we’re excited about what this year has to offer. We’ve officially gone through a whole year of recaps and we’re pumped to do it all again. So, let’s recap the first month of 2023, it was a good one!
Well, we are finally here and have reached the last week of the year, and that brings our final monthly recap: December! It’s been a long 12 months that have also flown by, and it feels incredible to say we’ve released 52 episodes this year with 52 amazing guests who’ve shared their inspiring stories to becoming the CEO of their brand. Thank you to all 52 guests, and here’s our recap of the final four. Happy New Year!
