Remi Founder Freck Beauty interview

We know how daunting it can be to start a new business, especially if you’re disrupting an industry or creating an entirely new one. When there is no path to follow, the biggest question is, where do I start? There is so much to do, but before you get ahead of yourself, let’s start at the beginning. To kick-start the process, and ease some of those first-time founder nerves, we’re asking successful entrepreneurs to share their stories in our new series, From Scratch. But this isn’t your typical day in the life profile. We’re getting into the nitty-gritty details—from writing a business plan (or not) to sourcing manufacturers and how much they pay themselves—we’re not holding back.

Photo: Courtesy of Freck Beauty

About Remi, Founder + CEO of Freck Beauty

Remi is a design-loving, music-obsessed business owner and cat mom to Enzo in Echo Park, Los Angeles. Having grown up in cold and rainy Seattle, Remi was always obsessed with freckles, at a time when it seemed like everyone was trying to get rid of theirs. She started her career as an interior designer, but the idea of a freckle cosmetic was always lingering in the back of her mind. After attending college for branding and marketing, the idea for Freck Beauty’s rule-breaking brand voice and design-forward packaging began to take shape.

She later moved to LA, and after a couple of career changes and attempts at starting her own business, Remi launched Freck Beauty in 2017 with a hero product, FRECK OG – the world’s first freckle cosmetic. Since then, alongside her business partner and COO Des Wilson, Remi has expanded the brand into both skincare and color cosmetics, creating bold, clean beauty products for anyone who cares about ingredients, respects the process, and doesn't care about the rules.

Take us back to the beginning—what was the lightbulb moment for your business?

My background is interior design, and I never thought I would be in beauty. The path to launching Freck Beauty was really formed from a lifelong obsession with freckles. I’ve always wanted to be able to put on freckles since I don’t have any of my own (even though everyone thought I was crazy since this was a time where people wanted to cover and hide their freckles!). 

If ever there was a lightbulb moment, it was when I met my first mentor who had decades of experience in cosmetic manufacturing. She was the first person to say “this is actually a really interesting idea,” and her support gave me the confidence to start trying to put the puzzle pieces together on how I would actually formulate a cosmetic.

Did you write a business plan? If yes, was it helpful? If no, what did you use instead? Why did you take that approach?

Hell no. I mean, I definitely tried because everyone told me to, but it was so daunting that I found myself just doing the steps before writing them down. Sometimes it’s best to just dive in. Even now with my business partner, Des, we prefer to organize with bullet points, cocktail napkins, voice memos, Google sheets, pretty much anything informal. We tend to spend our time executing rather than organizing; not ideal, but that shit’s real. 

How did you come up with the name Freck Beauty, and what are some of the things you considered during that process? What advice can you share?

All of our products have cheeky names, but Freck Beauty is obviously derived from “freckles.” Most people don’t know this, but I had a ton of name revisions from the Kickstarter days to now: Go Freck Yourself (yikes, so agro); Freck Yourself (still agro); Get Frecked (too confusing to brand); Freck (confusion around our hero product name); and, finally, Freck Beauty. Whenever friends or colleagues are running names by me I always ask, “Can you visualize it on a billboard?” I knew Freck Beauty was the right and final name when I thought about it on a billboard over Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park where I live. Simplicity is key, I think.

What were the immediate things you had to take care of to set up the business, and what would you recommend to new founders reading this?

I think it’s really easy to get wrapped up in the housekeeping of a business early on. While that’s important, it’s not the point, and anyone can set up the housekeeping. Really invest the time figuring out your WHY because it's nearly impossible to stay focused, unique, and positioned without it.

What research did you do for the brand beforehand, and can you explain how you found and compiled that research?

I wanted to manufacture a perfect freckle cosmetic for myself and my friends, but before I dove into Kickstarter, I decided to run a Google Survey. It was a minuscule sample size, but I was able to ask 500 beauty-loving strangers a couple of key yes-or-no questions in 2015 like, “Do you think freckles are desirable?” and, “Would you apply freckles if you could?” This really shaped the way I approached the brand, knowing that I wasn’t alone in wanting freckles. 

How did you find the manufacturer or production facility you use, and what advice do you have for other founders looking for a trustworthy manufacturer?

In the case of cosmetic manufacturing, date your labs. Super time consuming, but I would recommend meeting with all the small-run vendors you find from referrals (or Google if you don’t have referrals). Small production runs are barely profitable for labs, so you almost need to sell them on yourself and your concept, because they’re taking on a risk, too—hoping that doing small runs for you will lead to bigger runs. Go into your meetings as your best self, excited about your project, and talk to the lab like they are a potential investor.

How have you funded your business? What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs reading this?

The short story is that I raised a TINY round, bought back those investors after nine months, and didn’t take money again until a pre-seed round in 2019. It was a horrible initial experience. If you’re going to raise money, just make sure that you know and trust your early investors. After that, Des and I basically grew the business by using small private loans. It was ridiculously expensive, but it allowed us to retain equity as long as possible until we were really ready to fundraise.

Do you pay yourself, and if so, how did you know what to pay yourself?

Nada. Des and I both had multiple full-time jobs to pay ourselves (and any hiccups Freck faced) until about two years in. Not only was it not an option to pay ourselves, but we wanted to reinvest into the company by hiring the initial team and expanding our product line. Beyond the money though, I think it’s really important to keep a day job in the early days so you’re not putting too much pressure on the concept or yourself. Starting a business is hard AF without the added stress of having to also make rent every month. Plus, if you find the time to keep motivated after your day job, you know you’re really invested in your idea.

How big is your team now, and what has the hiring process been like? 

We have eight employees now and had just one 18 months ago, which has been a huge learning curve. I didn’t have hiring experience, but I did get to talk with interior designer Amber Lewis at Create & Cultivate Los Angeles and she gave some advice that I’ve never forgotten. I asked her, “When did you know you were ready to hire?” She said, “You just know, but when you’re there, put everything into training them. You’ll be working three times as hard, but you can’t expect someone to think like you if you don’t spend the time.” That’s the real truth.

What has been the biggest learning curve during the process of establishing a business? What mistakes have you made?

Without a doubt, the hardest part has been hiring, letting go, and trusting. In the past, we’ve hired people because we’ve been so overwhelmed and just needed someone. No matter how overwhelmed you are, it takes more time to train a position multiple times. Hold out for the right candidate who you fully believe in, who you’re excited to talk shop with, and who can teach YOU about their specialty. That’s where the most innovative ideas come from.

How did you promote your company? How did you get people to know who you are and create buzz? What challenges have you faced?

I almost completely gave up on Freck OG a year after launch because I couldn’t figure out how to get the product in front of people I knew would love it. I didn’t have the confidence to reach out to influencers and beauty bloggers at the time, and when I finally just bit the bullet everyone I spoke to was really curious about the product and open to receiving samples. I think just throw spaghetti until something sticks! And don’t be scared to try different marketing avenues until you find something that works for your brand. That being said, if you can find a CMO to be your business partner or co-founder early on, that’s a killer move that will only speed up your growth. 

For those who haven’t started a business (or are about to), what advice do you have? 

I love this question. I have a good friend who told me (after the Kickstarter failed and I was trying to figure out a way to market with my embarrassed tail between my legs) that I have “stick-to-itiveness.” That’s always stayed with me. Know that there are going to be so many ups and downs. Take it all in and feel it all. Looking back those are my favorite memories, and I’m so glad I and the team were able to overcome all the obstacles that we learned so much from.

What is your number one piece of financial advice for any new business owner and why?

It’s all about leverage. Keep as much equity as possible, for as long as you can.

If you could go back to the beginning with the knowledge you have now, what advice would you give yourself and why?

If I could go back, I’d ask myself to listen to and trust my voice and point of view more. Don’t worry about following what other people are doing in your industry. The best concepts are ones that no one has come up with yet. Secondly, you can’t do everything yourself. Find amazing, experienced partners who can fill your weaknesses and are ready to sweat it out with you. Des essentially took a percentage of nothing with the vision that we could grow Freck together.

As a co-founder, how have you developed a good working relationship with your business partner? What tips can you share?

Des and I have a really unique partnership in that we have basically no boundaries. We’re best friends, business partners, co-managers. I’m her son’s godmother, and she’s the first person I call to bitch about my ex or neighbors with. We have literally no secrets. Once I helped her get her Diva Cup out. Idk, it just works for us. But doing some serious soul searching before you decide on a partner is key. If you know you need separation from work and boundaries, do you.

Anything else you’d like to add?

In the early days, I thought it would be out of this world insane if Freck Beauty ever made it to Sephora as the world’s first freckle cosmetic. It’s been my absolute dream since day one. We’re launching online on March 2nd and in stores on April 9th, and it’s a pipe dream come true! It’s been a wild and wonderful ride of so much growth and development. If you can see it on a billboard (or on a Sephora shelf) keep it up, you’re onto something big.

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Jamila Powell Founder Naturally Drenched Interview

We know how daunting it can be to start a new business, especially if you’re disrupting an industry or creating an entirely new one. When there is no path to follow, the biggest question is, where do I start? There is so much to do, but before you get ahead of yourself, let’s start at the beginning. To kick-start the process, and ease some of those first-time founder nerves, we’re asking successful entrepreneurs to share their stories in our new series, From Scratch. But this isn’t your typical day in the life profile. We’re getting into the nitty-gritty details—from writing a business plan (or not) to sourcing manufacturers and how much they pay themselves—we’re not holding back.

Photo: Courtesy of Jamila Powell

tk intro

Jamila Powell founder of Naturally Drenched

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you were doing professionally before launching Naturally Drenched?  

I am an attorney for the federal government. I am also an entrepreneur, mother, and the owner of one of the top texture salons in the country, Maggie Rose Salon. So much of the inspiration behind Naturally Drenched came from the day-to-day experiences I had with our trained stylists and customers within Maggie Rose Salon. I was able to see first-hand what our stylists would do for each unique type of hair texture. They would talk about the different needs of each kind of hair they would work with and about products they wished they had more of. This is when I first started to notice a lack of pre-conditioning treatments for textured hair and a lightbulb of inspiration went off. 

What was the “lightbulb moment” for Naturally Drenched? What inspired you to start your business and pursue this path? 

I think I had two major moments that really pushed me towards the path I’m currently on. First, I recognized how stylists at the Maggie Rose Salon were constantly in search of better products to use on natural and textured hair. And second, the COVID-19 implications on my salon really focused my headspace toward product innovation. I love working with hair but since I was no longer able to operate my salon, I turned to e-commerce as an alternative. 

Did you write a business plan? If so, was it helpful, and if not, what did you use to guide your business instead and why did you take that approach? 

While I know this is something I should have done, I didn’t write a business plan. I tend to go with the flow and if an idea sticks with me over time, then I know it’s something I have to pursue. Having a vision is key, but understanding a need to pivot from time to time is also a baseline for business expansion is important as well. 

How did you come up with the name Naturally Drenched? What are some of the things you considered during the naming process? 

It actually only took me a singular day to construct the name for the new brand. I really wanted something that sounded luxe but spoke to hydration. I wanted the name to represent how the product would react to naturally curly-girl hair: covered, dripping, a burst of hydration, environmentally-conscious, etc., and Naturally Drenched seemed to do just that. 

What were the immediate things you had to take care of to set up the business?

Building social channels and securing the domain name came first. When I decided to move forward with the project, I secured the trademark.

What research did you do for the brand beforehand? Why would you recommend it? 

I conducted first-hand primary research by reviewing what worked and what didn’t within my salon. Further, I did secondary research on oversaturated trends in the hair market and what needed further representation and lacked product attention. 

How did you find and identify the manufacturers that you work with? What was important to you during this process and what are some of the mistakes you made and learned from along the way? 

Initially, I found a few manufacturers through Instagram and then used Google to identify if they were a local company or not. I moved forward with contacting three but only heard back from one. It took time for me to understand the established buy chain because I formulated Naturally Drenched independently, without the help of a manufacturer. However, manufacturers ultimately have established relationships with suppliers and I have learned that they build off of where the formulator secured ingredients and go from there. Additionally, I have seen how ordering new items in bulk can lead to backorders. 

Photo: Naturally Drenched

How did you fund your business? What were the challenges and what would you change? Would you recommend that route to other entrepreneurs? 

I am self-funded by choice. I haven’t had a lot of success in partnerships in past ventures, and frankly, I find it easier to carry the weight on my own two shoulders. Personally, I believe if financially possible, funding a project yourself is the best way to launch a startup. Here, individually, you can potentially run out of money, so take into account what it’s going to cost to produce, manufacture, and market the product. If your product is top of the line but has no market share or recognition, it really just doesn’t matter how good it is. 

Do you pay yourself, and if so, how did you know what to pay yourself?

Currently, no, I do not pay myself, and I don’t have plans to do so in the near future. I return all profit from Naturally Drenched right back into the company.

How big is your team now, and what has the hiring process been like? 

I am my team but you can outsource your team. You need to find people you can trust to make a recommendation. My design team and PR team have been great. I have a team member that does my Instagram graphics whom I got from a referral. To be successful while going through the hiring process, focus on recommendations, remain active in listening to podcasts, Zoom calls, and panels, and always vet a potential hire and see the results they’ve been able to produce for other people.

Did you hire an accountant? Who helped you with the financial decisions and setup? 

I do have an accountant and bookkeeper. They don’t help me with financial decisions, as that is typically left to both my boyfriend and my mom. It’s important to have an accountant or bookkeeper because you need to look at your numbers weekly to know if you’re losing or gaining money. In the long run, you are saving yourself time when you have to do taxes. Always know where your money is going. 

What has been the biggest learning curve during the process of establishing your business?

Marketing. Trying to figure out what makes people buy your product is a challenge within itself, and understanding how to move past “surface-level” marketing is an additional challenge.

How did you promote your company? How did you get people to know who you are and create buzz? 

PR of course! We also use the product in the salon and I've reached out to stylists and influencers. In addition, I secured inclusion in a subscription box in Germany. All of these ideas are a good way to get the word out and the product in peoples’ hands.

You’re an entrepreneur and a mom. How has being a mother changed your priorities and your focus in terms of your career? 

Being a mother makes me work harder. You really want to give everything to your child and it just makes me do more. Also, having a daughter helps me put things into perspective because there becomes a point where I say “enough is enough” and I have to step away from my workload and spend quality time with my child.

Do you think motherhood has made you a better business person? 

Absolutely, yes! Motherhood changes your mindset, your patience, your adaptability, creativity, and basically everything else I forgot to mention. 

Do you have a business coach or mentor, and would you recommend one? 

I don’t have a business coach, but I have “business besties” whom I talk to all the time. All of these women are at different points of their entrepreneurship journey! I recommend having people you can talk to openly who can give you insight on places you're trying to go, and how to get there.

What is one thing you didn’t do during the setup process that ended up being crucial to the business and would advise others to do asap? 

Have a strong marketing plan! 

What is your number one piece of financial advice for any new business owner and why? 

Make sure you know what you want to spend and add 10 percent more to that. The worst thing you can do is put all your time and effort into research, formulation, and development, and not have any money to market it.

Photo: Courtesy of Jamila Powell

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Ariana Sokolov co-founder trill project interview

Op-ed Overview

The pandemic has been a lonely time for LGBTQ+ youth for those who do not live in supportive households, making the need for inclusive spaces outside of the home even more important. With the pandemic, connecting with people outside of the home has been particularly difficult and we’re seeing youth turn to safe digital spaces as an alternative. I’m reaching out on behalf of Apple to introduce you to Trill Project, an app created by a talented, up-and-coming teenage developer, Ariana Sokolov. The young, LGBTQ+ ally created the app to ensure her best friend, who came out as bisexual, had a safe space online to express herself. 

After hearing how hard it was for her friend to come out, Sokolov developed Trill – a combination of the words true and real – as an anonymous social network with no usernames (it uses various colors instead!) where everyone can freely and safely express themselves. Created by teenagers passionate about coding, the app provides a supportive community to make new connections and have authentic conversations. 

Timed to April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Ari can draft an op-ed that speaks to:

• How the Trill Project creates a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community and why that is so important for this community specifically during April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month

• Her allyship to the LGBTQ+ community and inspiration for creating the Trill Project

• How she came to become an advanced coder at such a young age

• How her experience at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference and Apple’s Entrepreneur Camp built her coding skills

 photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1x-SR7fAL5TWniGQ5NXtI_NnMpXAPTEeo

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you were doing professionally before launching Trill Project?

I started coding when I accidentally walked into a computer science class at a summer camp when I was eight years old. I loved getting to combine my interest in math and design to create something from scratch, and this is what drew me to app development. Growing up, I used the coding resources Apple provides online to teach Swift classes to myself. 

Eventually, I was awarded a student scholarship to the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). And my love for developing apps only grew stronger. Through this, I was able to unlock a community of fellow app developers that loved to create apps that impacted the lives of others. I was privileged to have the support of Apple engineers in labs and attend talks at WWDC that were instrumental in allowing me to become the app developer I am today. 

I launched my business when I was 16 years old. Before that, I founded my own app development company and was working on projects for a variety of clients with my work being recognized by Apple, South by Southwest, and the U.S. Congress. 

What was the “lightbulb moment” for Trill Project? What inspired you to start your business and pursue this path?

After hearing about my friend’s struggle coming out as a bisexual teen, I rallied together my Girls Who Code Club, and we sent out an anonymous survey to LGBTQ+ teens across Tumblr. We asked users, “What would you say if nobody knew you were saying it?” Through grassroots marketing strategies, we received hundreds and then thousands of responses to this survey. Responses trickled in around stories of feeling unheard, isolated, and alone. 

We were stunned to see that many LGBTQ+ teens felt this way, especially in toxic digital spaces, so we decided to address the mental health issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community. After interviewing LGBTQ+ teens in our high school and learning from our friends how difficult their coming out experiences were, these early connections in customer discovery, who believed in my team and me enough to share their stories with us, became our first beta testers. Trill was designed collaboratively with 10,000 beta testers, and our users have trusted us from day one to listen without judgment and build this community for them, with them.

After working on Trill for a bit, we were accepted into Apple Entrepreneurship Camp. Here we were able to get tremendous feedback on the design and structure of our app to make it more meaningful to our users. We also learned how to integrate Machine Learning technology that would direct users to relevant crisis resources. These improvements that we made over the course of the program were very important to improving Trill.

An entrepreneurial career path is so special because it allows you to identify real problems in your life, like my friend’s struggles with her identity, and take action. I didn’t set out to be a founder necessarily, but I did seek out to solve a problem for my friend. And now I’m able to create technology that is used every day by my classmates, the online communities I belong to, and my generation as a whole.

Did you write a business plan? If so, was it helpful, and if not, what did you use to guide your business instead? Why did you take that approach?

My team and I participated in the Technovation Challenge, a global competition encouraging female-identifying high schoolers to build an app to solve a social problem. Through this, we were able to write our first business plan. 

In the words of Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, “Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” With regard to Trill, we actually have pivoted and evolved our business tons since participating in Technovation. That said, the process and exercise of taking time in the early days of our launch to consider moderation at scale, paid marketing campaigns, revenue strategies, and company culture was incredibly useful. If anything, writing a business plan gave us an opportunity to start thinking about some of the tough questions around building a business like how you make money and how you will grow community. Even if we didn't have all the answers when we first made our business plan, it gave us a solid foundation.

The primary guiding force we’ve always used when building our business (more than any business plan) is real-time user feedback. We are strong advocates for practicing collaborative and inclusive design processes that are user-centric. We’ve maintained a robust beta tester community with regular surveying, interviews, and focus groups to make sure we are building a product that users actually need, want, and are finding value in. 

How did you come up with the name Trill Project, and what are some of the things you considered during the naming process?

Trill is a combination of the words true and real. And Trill Project is an anonymous social network for mental health peer support. 

While it may seem counterintuitive, our experiences with Trill have given us the unique empathy and insight that anonymity and stepping away from whatever identities constrain you in the real world can actually allow you to more fully discover your true and real self. On Trill, we turn social media on its head. We replace followers with friends, emojis with True feelings, and selfies with Real people. 

We allow users to unlock their most authentic selves in a digital world, and it doesn’t happen overnight. The movement to make the internet a safer and more kind space for people from all walks of life is an ongoing process and project. It’s Trill Project. 

What were the immediate things you had to take care of to set up the business? 

Immediately after coming up with the idea for Trill, my first action item was to build out a team. My team and I believe in capitalizing on our strengths and hiring for our weaknesses. Personally, I am a technically minded individual and enjoy software development, graphic design, and product management. So I brought on a co-founder who was more inclined towards the world of operations and could handle marketing, external relations, and sales down the line. 

We worked right away to build team culture, setting expectations around responsibilities, commitments, and values. We did this by establishing workflow tools (GSuite, Trello, and Slack), setting up anonymous surveys for internal feedback, and identifying goals or OKRs for a given work sprint. We also collaboratively wrote community guidelines and strategized together on brand identity and company vision documents. With regard to logistics, we also had to set up our website, our social media channels, officially incorporate, and bring on an accountant and lawyer to advise us. 

What research did you do for the business beforehand? 

We were lucky to participate in an accelerator program in the early days of Trill. This gave us an excellent community right away to tap into for answers to questions around our business. We would recommend accelerators and incubators for first-time founders because it provides a valuable sense of structure, accountability, and routine. Additionally, you will be able to connect with other founders who can empathize in your journey and mentors and experts who are motivated to work with you.

How did you fund Trill Project? What were the challenges and what would you change? Would you recommend your funding route to other entrepreneurs today? 

We have been bootstrapped and only raised capital from equity-free sources such as pitch competitions and incubator programs. For us, this was the right decision and we wouldn't have changed anything around our fundraising journey. Given that we weren’t ready to work full-time on Trill and wanted to finish our college degrees, bootstrapping gave us the flexibility to run the business on our own terms and not feel pressured to grow in ways that weren’t authentic to our mission. 

I would recommend that founders take a critical look at what their ultimate goal is for their business. Do you want to grow very quickly? Is this a side hustle? Are you mission-oriented? Do you need capital to hit these goals? And then make educated decisions around fundraising from there. 

Do you pay yourself, and if so, how did you know what to pay yourself?

At this time, no one on Trill’s team takes a salary as we are all also still full-time students. 

How big is your team now, and what has the hiring process been like? Did you have any hiring experience before this venture? If not, how did you learn and what have you learned about it along the way?

Our team is now over 30 high school and college students from around the world all working as volunteers at Trill. Neither of us had any formal hiring experience since we started this venture so young, and for us the hiring process is something we put a lot of thought and care into. 

We recruit for our “trillternship” every new semester in the school year and during the summer. To do this we tap into women in tech groups we are a part of, personal connections, and outreach on campuses. We have a written component and interview process for all interested candidates. We evaluate possible hires not only based on their skill set but also their knowledge of Trill, support of our mission, and fit within our company culture and values. 

We’ve learned that it is critical to interview not just for skills but also for this mission alignment. Trill is a remote-first team, and most of us have never even met in person. Everyone is a volunteer. And so it’s important that we all like each other and the work that we’re doing. We conduct regular team satisfaction surveys and host a variety of team bonding socials such as movie nights, game nights, and showcases of our work. Our team is like a family, and we all support each other not only with our endeavors with Trill but also with our other academic and professional commitments and our own mental health and wellbeing. 

We are proud that our team is Gen-Z powered, BIPOC-owned, and majority female engineers. 

Did you hire an accountant? Who helped you with the financial decisions and setup?

We do have a bookkeeper who we are so grateful for! We would recommend finding and investing in a bookkeeper early on to keep all your expenses, taxes, etc. organized and in order. 

What has been the biggest learning curve during the process of establishing your business?

Learning how to manage running a business with also being a full-time student can be a challenge. We’ve discovered the importance of prioritization and sacrifice. As long as you and your team are on the same page around time commitments, goals, and accountability structures, then it is totally possible to be both a student and a business owner. In fact, college can actually be a great opportunity to take courses that make you a better entrepreneur, tap into professors as potential mentors, and network with classmates who may be future co-founders, hires, advisors, customers, or investors. 

How did you promote your company? How did you get people to know who you are and create buzz?

We first launched through a grassroots marketing campaign on Tumblr. From there, we have been growing our community organically mostly through socials. We have an active presence on all major platforms, and we work with influencers through our Trill Talks interview series who in turn promote our community to their audiences. We also have been able to achieve some wonderful press through various incubators and programs we’ve participated in, and we partner with other organizations as well for collaborative campaigns to mutually drive traction for each other’s products and missions. 

Do you have a business coach or mentor, and would you recommend one? 

Yes, we have a vibrant advisory board, and we definitely recommend building one out. Our business mentors give us tangible advice around our paid marketing campaigns, analytics tracking, moderation curriculum, and more. Additionally, our business mentors also offer less tangible advice sometimes, which can be just as useful. Such advice includes strategic input on time management, company vision, growth, and more. 

What is one thing you didn’t do during the setup process that ended up being crucial to the business and would advise others to do asap?

We only recently have started formally setting and sticking to company-wide OKRs. We would recommend that all business owners get into an early habit of goal setting collaboratively with team members. This allows for transparency around milestones, organization around prioritization and delegation, and accountability to hit your business goals.  

What is your number one piece of financial advice for any new business owner and why?

Protect your cap table with care. You will put so much time, energy, and love into your business, and you deserve to be an owner of the results of those efforts. Make sure you are building alongside teammates and investors who have been vetted and who share in your vision. 

Anything else to add?

Download Trill Project, and follow us on socials. Trill has a full schedule of upcoming Pride Month events, including social mixers, panels, and moderator orientations specific to LGBTQ+ issues. We're collaborating on these events with a variety of mental health and emotional wellness experts, including Blue Fever, a pocket-sized support group app centered around anonymous, judgment-free journaling for every chapter of life. Interested individuals can RSVP for our fireside chat on Mental Health for the LGBTQ+ Community here and for our “Ask Me Anything” Panel here.

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