Dear FoundHer...Real Founder Stories for Women Small Business Owners

Lindsay Pinchuk | Female Founder & Small Business Marketing Expert
  • 4.9 (1.1K)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Dear FoundHer… is a How I Built This–style podcast sharing real stories from female entrepreneurs, female founders, and women in business, especially women 40+, who are building companies on their own terms. Hosted by award-winning entrepreneur Lindsay Pinchuk, each episode features honest, thoughtful conversations with women CEOs and founders navigating leadership, decision making, career pivots, and business growth. These are the stories behind the success, the lessons, the marketing strategies that actually work, and the leadership moments that shape women building and leading businesses. From Bobbi Brown to Rebecca Minkoff, Peloton’s Jenn Sherman & Dr. Becky Kennedy to Gail Simmons, Dear FoundHer… brings you conversations with some of the most influential female founders and leaders of our time. Dear FoundHer… explores what it looks like to grow a business with clarity and confidence, from starting a company for the first time or after leaving corporate, to scaling responsibly, managing teams, building visibility, getting press, and creating sustainable growth. Topics include leadership development, confidence at work, business strategy, marketing strategies and tactics, company messaging, community building, and showing up confidently. There’s no fluff. No gatekeeping. Just real insight, shared perspective, and practical wisdom, because building businesses is better when women learn from each other. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 1D AGO

    Starting A Business and Legal Support | Leslee Cohen, Founder of AllRise Legal Counsel From The Forum

    Most Female Founders who are starting a business for the first time only think about legal support when something goes wrong. Leslee Cohen, founder of AllRise Legal Counsel, shares how the right legal guidance can make starting a business safer and less stressful. Drawing on decades of experience advising female founders through fundraising, growth, and exit, Leslee explains why so many first time business owners delay legal decisions and the risk that can create in their businesses. Many legal legal decisions shape a startup from the very beginning, including business structure, equity, co-founders, and long-term protection. Leslee shares how a small shift in how founders talk about their business can open doors and why legal strategy works best when it supports momentum instead of slowing it down. Leslee also reflects on what changed when she became a startup founder herself and rebuilt her firm around flexibility, trust, and accountability without sacrificing quality. If you’re starting a business for the first time and you want legal guidance that feels practical, human, and aligned with real life, this episode offers clarity and a smarter way to think about legal support. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Female Founders Building Businesses For The First Time in the Dear FoundHer Forum 01:30 From Diplomacy to Corporate Law and Startup Legal Work   05:45 How One Sentence Changed Her Startup Legal Business   08:50 Building a Flexible Legal Firm for Female Founders   12:08 Networking Strategies That Drive Business Referrals   16:30 Legal Decisions Every New Business Owner Must Make Early   23:26 Redefining Growth and Success as a Legal Founder   29:44 Practical Advice for Women Starting A Business For The First Time Connect with Leslee Cohen: Follow AllRise Legal on Instagram Subscribe to The FoundHer Files  Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram  Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    35 min

  2. 3D AGO

    Scaling Challenges: How This Female Founder Went From $15K on a Credit Card to $20M In Sales Without Investors

    Female founders, scaling challenges can test your confidence, especially when you are starting a business for the first time without investors or a clear roadmap. In this episode of Dear FoundHer, Lindsay Pinchuk sits down with Tamara Coleman of Bark Bistro to talk about what it takes to keep growing a business when the pressure builds and the answers are not obvious. If you are working through scaling challenges of your own, this conversation will show you a practical path forward. This is one of those real founder stories that focuses on decisions, not hype. Tamara built a $20 million brand through bootstrapping, starting in her kitchen with a $15,000 credit card. She heard “no” from retailers, struggled to get approved on Amazon, and had to rethink her distribution strategy. Instead of quitting, she adjusted and kept moving. For female founders who are starting a business for the first time, this episode offers clarity on what growing a business truly requires. Tamara explains how bootstrapping forced her to understand margins, protect cash flow, and expand at a pace she could sustain. She shares how she managed scaling challenges without losing control of quality or operations. If you are facing scaling challenges and wondering whether you are doing it right, this episode will help you refocus on what really matters. The lessons here are useful, especially for female founders who are growing a business with intention. You will walk away with clearer thinking around margins, momentum, and the discipline required to build something that lasts. Episode Breakdown: 00:01 From $15K Credit Card to $20M Bootstrapping Bark Bistro 04:30 Retail Rejection and the Strategic Pivot to Amazon 10:53 Scaling Operations From Home Kitchen to 25,000 Square Feet 14:18 COVID E-Commerce Boom and Rapid Revenue Growth 24:22 $20M in Sales, Exit Strategy, and Advice for Female Founders Connect with Tamara Coleman: Follow Bark Bistro on Instagram Visit the Bark Bistro website Follow Tamara Coleman on Instagram Connect with Lindsay: Subscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram FoundHer Faves: Tubby Todd Best Face Gel Cleanser Connect with Jillian Straus The Press by Nor Huephoric by Judy Lee Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 min

  3. FEB 19

    Getting Publicity the Daily Way: How Ariana Carps Sustains a 50-Year Retail Business | From The Forum

    If you care about where retail is headed and how a brick-and-mortar business is getting publicity that converts, this episode of Dear FoundHer is worth your time. Host Lindsay Pinchuk sits down with Ariana Carps, a woman business owner and second-generation retailer behind Rear Ends, a nearly 50-year-old brick-and-mortar boutique that continues to thrive without chasing scale or trends. Ariana shares what actually drives in-store sales and customer loyalty, and why building a strong community around her retail business has been just as important as the products she sells. You’ll hear why daily social media routines can outperform flashy campaigns, how quiet followers often become high-intent buyers, and why removing friction does not have to mean removing people. Ariana breaks down how personal service, honest feedback, and relationship-based selling create a retail experience that feels human and keeps customers coming back. This conversation reframes retail success as something sustainable, repeatable, and deeply human. If you are a woman business owner looking to get publicity, or build a community-driven retail business, this episode delivers practical ideas you can actually use. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Getting Publicity: How Daily Instagram Videos Drive Retail Sales   02:31 The Story Behind a 48-Year Family Retail Business   05:16 Smarter Retail Buying Decisions That Reduce Stress   06:44 Why Human Connection Still Wins in Retail   12:14 Building Consistent Social Media That Converts   16:48 Selling Without E-Commerce Through Personal Shopping   19:27 Choosing Sustainable Growth Over Retail Expansion  Connect with Ariana Carps: Follow Rear Ends on Instagram Follow Rear Ends on Facebook Subscribe to The FoundHer Files  Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram  Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    26 min

  4. FEB 17

    How Getting Press Helped This Female Founded Product Startup Explode With Annabel Love, Co-Founder of Nori

    Getting press can feel like a lucky break until you hear how Annabel Love and her co-founder built a repeatable strategy behind it. In this episode of Dear FoundHer, Annabel shares how a dorm room hair-straightener hack became Nori, an eight-figure, profitable brand now sold nationwide at Target. This is a must-listen for women founders who want a clearer playbook for building visibility, earning trust, and turning attention into revenue. Annabel walks Lindsay through the early, scrappy days of the company, including customer discovery in the real world, focus groups, and building a product with zero hardware background. You’ll hear what it took to go from idea to manufacturing, then into a go-to-market plan that included Meta ads, influencer partnerships, and getting press that actually moved product. Annabel breaks down how they approached press opportunities like Oprah’s Favorite Things and The Today Show, plus how they repurposed those wins across paid ads, their website, and customer acquisition. This conversation also covers growing an audience before launch, choosing the right agency partners, and why a lean team can be an advantage when managing rapid growth. Annabel shares how Nori expanded from DTC into retailers like Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Target, and what changed operationally once mass retail entered the picture. If you are one of the many female entrepreneurs trying to scale without burning cash or building a bloated org chart, you will walk away with concrete lessons you can apply right away. Episode Breakdown: 00:01 Nori Founder Story: From Dorm Room Idea to Eight-Figure Brand 03:24 Launching a Hardware Startup Without Engineering Experience 07:05 Customer Research and Product Validation Strategy 09:32 Direct-to-Consumer Go-To-Market Plan 11:54 Meta Ads, Influencer Marketing, and Getting Press 13:52 Retail Expansion: Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Target 16:10 Fundraising and Profitability in a Consumer Brand 22:18 Scaling to $20 Million With a Lean Team 28:46 The Today Show Impact on Sales Growth 31:14 Advice for Women Starting a Business Connect with Annabel Love: Follow Annabel Love on Instagram Follow Nori on Instagram Subscribe to The Foundher Files: http://foundherfiles.substack.com Follow Dear FoundHer... on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/dearfoundher Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    38 min

  5. FEB 12

    From the Forum with Kim Oser, Founder of Game Plan Organizing

    After more than two decades in business, Kim Oser realized that working harder was not the answer. The missing piece was structure. In this episode of Dear FoundHer from the Forum, Kim, founder of Game Plan Organizing, shares the shift that changed everything. After years of strong results, she realized the real barrier was not the quality of her work but how clearly she could articulate it. Once she stopped winging her own growth and built a clear plan, her business momentum followed. Kim opens up about moving from inconsistent marketing to confident storytelling, and how clarity in her message led to stronger referrals and a calendar that finally reflected the value of her work. She also talks about rebranding, not as a fix, but as an evolution. Game Plan Organizing gave her the language to lead more strategically and the confidence to say no to work that no longer aligned. As demand grew, so did questions about capacity and sustainability. Those questions ultimately led to Clear Game Plan, an online program designed to help people get organized without shame or overwhelm. Throughout the episode, one theme remains constant. Growth became possible and sustainable because it was supported by community, accountability, and shared perspective. This conversation is for anyone who knows their work is solid but feels stuck explaining it, scaling it, or sustaining it without burning out. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Women Founders and the Power of Community 01:55 What Game Plan Organizing Is and Why Planning Comes First 02:52 When Experience Is Not the Problem but Marketing Clarity Is 05:36 How Clear Storytelling Led to Referrals and a Full Calendar 07:32 Rebranding a Service Business for Strategic Growth 11:17 Using Events and Partnerships to Build Trust and Visibility 14:09 Scaling Beyond Personal Capacity with an Online Program 17:26 Why Community Accelerated Business Growth Connect with Kim Oser: Follow Kim on Instagram  Follow the Game Plan Organizing on Facebook  Connect with Game Plan Organizing on LinkedIn Visit the Game Plan Organizing website Subscribe to The FoundHer Files  Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram  Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    24 min

  6. FEB 10

    How Growing an Audience Centered on Integrity and Community Built This Female Founded, Family-Owned Brand

    Building a breakout brand in the baby space usually looks slower and messier than people expect. It means facing real scaling challenges, making patient decisions, and staying committed to the product even when it would be easier to rush. In this episode of Dear FoundHer, host Lindsay Pinchuk talks with female founder, Andrea Faulkner Williams, of Tubby Todd, about what it really took to build a brand parents trust. Andrea shares how Tubby Todd began with a personal family need and a hard reset most founders would avoid. After spending years developing their first product, they chose to start over when it did not work for their own child. That decision shaped everything that followed, including how they focused on quality, earned trust, and started growing an audience through real word of mouth instead of shortcuts or paid hype. Community, consistency, and listening closely to customers became the backbone of the business. That foundation made the next stage possible. Andrea walks through how Tubby Todd expanded beyond direct-to-consumer, first onto Amazon and eventually into Target, without losing what made the brand work. Instead of relying on retail to create demand, they brought an already loyal audience with them. If you are a woman business owner, wrestling with scaling challenges or trying to grow an audience before taking a bigger leap, this episode gives a refreshingly honest look at what steady growth really takes. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 How Tubby Todd Grew Without Paid Ads 03:00 Two Years of Product Development and Starting Over 04:00 Word of Mouth Strategy for Growing an Audience 07:00 “Be a Good Friend” Marketing Philosophy 14:00 Community Building Offline Through Play Dates 19:30 Scaling Challenges: Amazon to Target Retail Expansion 25:00 Founder Challenges: Confidence, Relationships, and Boundaries 30:00 A Simple Founder Framework: Why, One Goal, Quarterly Focus Connect with Andrea Faulkner Williams: Follow Andrea of Instagram Follow Tubby Todd on Instagram FoundHer Faves: Keep Mahjing On Foundation PR Maelove Dryness Treatment Kit Womaness Let’s Neck Serum Roller Kendra Scott 5 Link Match Band Subscribe to The FoundHer Files  Follow Dear FoundHer... on Instagram Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    39 min

  7. FEB 5

    From the Forum with Jillian Bernstein, Founder of The Wellness Extension

    What it really takes to leave corporate with confidence and build a people-first business that actually works. Leaving a stable corporate role is rarely about courage alone. It’s about timing, clarity, and building the right support before you leap. On Dear FoundHer from the Forum, host Lindsay Pinchuk sits down with Jillian Bernstein, founder of The Wellness Extension, to unpack what the corporate-to-founder transition really looks like when it’s done thoughtfully. Jillian shares how she assessed her readiness, invested in learning where she had gaps, and resisted the pressure many women founders feel to rush decisions just to make it work. This episode challenges a common misconception about workplace well-being. Jillian explains why surface-level wellness initiatives often fall short for small business owners and how listening closely to clients led her to build a more comprehensive HR concierge model. Her pivots were shaped by real conversations, careful testing, and a willingness to evolve her services based on what businesses actually needed. At the center of it all is community. Jillian reflects on how her network supported her during the quiet early months of building her business and how she now creates paid opportunities for other women through her work. This conversation is for women founders who want to grow sustainably, think strategically, and stop trying to do everything alone. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Investing in Skills You Do Not Have as a Founder 02:52 Building an HR Concierge Business for Small Businesses 06:30 Knowing When You Are Ready to Leave Corporate 11:25 Revenue Goals, Business Pivots, and Sustainable Growth 16:27 The Key Decisions That Made This Business Work 19:49 Why Community and Network Matter for Women Founders Connect with Jillian Bernstein: Follow Wellness Extension on Instagram  Connect with Jillian on LinkedIn Visit the Wellness Extension Website Subscribe to The FoundHer Files  Follow Dear FoundHer... on Instagram Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min

  8. FEB 3

    The Most Underrated Growth Strategy for Women Over 40

    If you're a woman business owner over 40, join the Dear FoundHer... Forum to find support, advice, resources and mentorship—JUST FOR YOU. It’s all inside, without the gatekeeping and without the overwhelm. If you’re a woman business owner over 40 who feels like growth should be louder or more complicated than it needs to be, this episode is for you. In this solo episode, Lindsay Pinchuk shares why real business growth rarely starts with a launch, funnel, or rebrand—and almost always starts with a conversation. Drawing from her experience building and exiting a seven-figure company, Lindsay explains how conversations have led to her biggest opportunities, partnerships, and long-term growth. You’ll learn why women over 40 are uniquely positioned to grow through relationships, how one aligned conversation can create more impact than ten pieces of content, and why community—not campaigns—is often the missing piece. If networking feels forced and marketing feels heavy, this episode will help you rethink what growth can look like. Subscribe to The FoundHer Files  Follow Dear FoundHer... on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    11 min
See All (336)

Trailer

4.9
out of 5
1,091 Ratings

About

Dear FoundHer… is a How I Built This–style podcast sharing real stories from female entrepreneurs, female founders, and women in business, especially women 40+, who are building companies on their own terms. Hosted by award-winning entrepreneur Lindsay Pinchuk, each episode features honest, thoughtful conversations with women CEOs and founders navigating leadership, decision making, career pivots, and business growth. These are the stories behind the success, the lessons, the marketing strategies that actually work, and the leadership moments that shape women building and leading businesses. From Bobbi Brown to Rebecca Minkoff, Peloton’s Jenn Sherman & Dr. Becky Kennedy to Gail Simmons, Dear FoundHer… brings you conversations with some of the most influential female founders and leaders of our time. Dear FoundHer… explores what it looks like to grow a business with clarity and confidence, from starting a company for the first time or after leaving corporate, to scaling responsibly, managing teams, building visibility, getting press, and creating sustainable growth. Topics include leadership development, confidence at work, business strategy, marketing strategies and tactics, company messaging, community building, and showing up confidently. There’s no fluff. No gatekeeping. Just real insight, shared perspective, and practical wisdom, because building businesses is better when women learn from each other. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

You Might Also Like