You don’t need credentials or notability to build a successful business. Here’s how to prove it:
Frame your fresh perspective as a competitive advantage.
You’re thinking differently about business & aren’t jaded by past experience or knowing too much. Naivety welcomes innovation & opportunity.
Share learnings you’ve gained from past jobs that will support you in the biz.
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Talk about how you’re associated with your target market and why you’re the perfect person to be building this.
Selling to customers you understand is a strong advantage.
Share your story about what led you to founding the business & why it’s meaningful to you.
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Let your product speak to your credentials.
Collect and share customer testimonials. This is the greatest endorsement for what you’re doing.
Talk about the work & research you’ve done to validate your idea and the hype you’re seeing in the communities you're part of.
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Be yourself and allow your personality to sell what you’re building.
Don’t conform to stereotypes in how you present yourself or the vocabulary you think you should be using.
Your authenticity is an asset.
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Show a deep understanding of the category and other players in the space.
Acknowledge the competition you’re inspired by and examples of founders or brands you think are doing it right.
Shout out your role models in business to prove you’re paying attention.
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Show relentlessness & die-hard dedication to the business.
Talk with so much enthusiasm for what you’re building that people feel like they have to be a part of it.
Be able to speak to your long-term vision for the biz and yourself.
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Be up front about what you don't know.
Have a plan for how you’ll learn and the strategic hires you need to make.
People enjoy helping out—don't be afraid to ask for support or connections.
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Fast track to becoming a thought leader or expert in your field.
Uncover interesting facts and history. Teach people something they didn’t know about the industry.
Leave others feeling more informed and intrigued after speaking with you.
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Be realistic about the challenges you see for your business.
Acknowledge what keeps you up at night, but show confidence in your ability to face obstacles head on.
You may be learning as you go, but when it comes to plans for de-risking the biz you need to show forethought.
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Accept that some people just won’t get it or take you seriously.
But there are so many more who will.
Remember—the rejection you might see today is no indicator of your potential.
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Follow @jaimeschmidt on Twitter for regular gems of wisdom and buy her must-read book Supermaker for ANYONE creating, starting, and scaling a consumer brand. We cannot recommend it enough!!!
About Jaime Schmidt
Jaime Schmidt is Founder of Schmidt's Naturals, the natural personal care brand that she scaled from her kitchen to acquisition by Unilever in 2017. And in the process, Jaime led a movement of modern brands bringing naturals to the mainstream. Today, the brand is sold in over 30 countries and 30,000 retailers, and Jaime continues to support their global expansion.
Since Schmidt’s breakthrough, Jaime has focused her efforts on enabling other entrepreneurs to pursue their own visions for a better future, and empowering the next generation of consumer brands. Through her investment firm, Color, Jaime invests directly in emerging founders, with a focus on the consumer products industry, retail and ecommerce, brand positioning, and M&A.
In June 2019, Jaime launched an ambitious new media company: Supermaker. Promising an alternative to homogenous business media, Supermaker celebrates inclusive and disruptive independent brands and hosts conversations that empower progressive values in the workplace. In November 2019, Supermaker the book was announced, publishing April 2020 on Chronicle Prism.
Jaime will be starring in Season One of Going Public in 2021. The show is the first ever to enable viewers to invest in the companies on-screen as it follows a cast of diverse entrepreneurs facing down the challenges of trying to raise capital and potentially listing on Nasdaq. On Going Public, Jaime will help the show's entrepreneurs take their own brands to a global audience.