This week's guest is kicking some serious butt - literally and figuratively.
You see before Lynn Le came along, women boxers all over the world were trying to fit into a man's world. Too often they would use men's gloves that were much too large or children's gloves that were much too small (a modern boxing Goldilocks dilemma if you will).
All that changed when Lynn founded Society Nine, a company on a mission to make the best boxing and MMA gear designed specifically for women in mind.
I was initially drawn to Lynn because Society Nine's gloves are so badass. What I quickly realized as I began talking to her though, is that while her gloves and gear are incredible, it's her drive, passion, and grit that makes this company a serious knockout.
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In This Episode Lynn shares:
- Why Lynn felt like the world needed a boxing glove for women
- The excitement and scariness surrounding creating your own company
- How to deal with haters and the importance of surrounding yourself with the right group of people
- The low-cost ways that she started testing and getting customer feedback
- The challenges and fears that came up before she decided to make her big leap
- How she gets through the toughest days in her company, and final tips to help you take your big leap
Top 3 Tips from Lynn:
- Let your passion fuel you. You can’t do well if you don’t give your all to your business. Starting a business means giving up nights and weekends, and doing whatever it takes to succeed. Put your customers and your business first. Don’t cut corners just to make an extra dollar. Make yourself stand out because you have a quality product and a quality company that really cares.
- Surround yourself with “no” people you respect. Many people who start their own company turn to their friends and family and other “yes” people who won’t tell you if your ideas need work. While having supportive friends and family is good, you need to surround yourself with people who will tell you the truth and help guide you towards the right decisions. Find people you respect, and who have solid opinions. Surround yourself with those people.
- Reflect on what your worst case scenario might be. Make sure you know all the outcomes when starting a company. Is this the right time to start a company? Can you afford to live and eat if your company goes under? What will happen to YOU? Not the company but you. Are you financially stable enough to survive a company going under? When you know what can happen, you know you are prepared to really give your all to the company. People need to realize that taking the leap is a serious thing, and it’s not some Silicon Valley Cinderella story.
Lynn
Thanks for having me Kathlyn! If any audience members have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! xo Lynn