Tell us about your company or firm.
Named After The Year Palm Beach County Was Founded, 1909 Is A Non-Profit 501(C)(3), Members Only Organization And Community Dedicated To The Holistic Growth Of Founders & Freelancers Who Give A Damn About Building A Better Tomorrow For Themselves, Their Families, Our Community And The World.
What is one “must do” (or must not do!) piece of advice you have for founders growing a startup?
Surround yourself with other founders and mentors who understand what you’re going through and can help you on the journey. Whether you need some advice on how to do something or just a reminder that what you’re experiencing is normal, it’s important to surround yourself with people who can relate to you. Building a company can be very lonely and overwhelming-which is often this is the biggest risk to success. You don’t need to know how to do everything yourself, it’s unlikely that you will. So lean into others to help you along the way.
What excites you most about Florida’s future as a place to invest and/or grow a startup?
I’m personally very excited about Palm Beach County and the changes we’ve seen in the past 7 years running this organization. We now have the resources and support founders need to really build sustainable businesses here. We used to see that most founders felt the need to leave this market to get the support and capital they needed, but that’s changed. Founders now have what they need here and are more motivated than ever to build and grow locally. That is good for all of us because entrepreneurship is an important driver of economic development, culture and innovation in a community.
What are you currently reading or listening to?
I always re-listen to “Atomic Habits” and “Think Like a Monk” because they are great reminders to me of what’s important and focus on those things. I have been adding in some fun listening recently with the Smartless Podcast.
Who or what is your greatest source of inspiration?
The people around me are always the greatest source of inspiration. I’m lucky to be surrounded by amazing people who remind me how special every day is and how bright our future is. Even when the world feels depressing and scary, when I look to my family and friends I remember I’m not alone and when I see the others in my 1909 community I remember that very smart people are working on the world’s biggest problems.
Could you share some words of wisdom for success in business or life?
I’m a firm believer that our life and business and is one and the same. We have one life and each part should connect and work together in harmony. That doesn’t mean there is balance, to be honest I don’t think balance is attainable most times, but harmony is. Work should not completely take away from other areas of our lives, it should add to our life in a meaningful way. Setting up your life to support your business goals and setting up your business goals to support the lifestyle you want is critical to avoiding burnout and the sense of guilt on both ends.
Can you tell us about a mentor or someone who has had a positive influence on you?
I’m so lucky to have had many women in my life who have mentored and supported me over the years. A few are Patty, Nancy, Yenvy and my Mother and Grandmother. All of them made me feel like I was enough, even when I didn’t have all the skills or knowledge that I desperately felt I needed. They’ve taught me to trust in myself and my ability to do hard things. They’ve brought out the best in me by sharing their own experiences and providing me the space to learn and grow.
