Feeling under-appreciated as an employee, a nonexistent work-life balance, financial struggles, getting out of bad relationships – these are the most common triggers that push women to become entrepreneurs. Tell us about your trigger?

I saw a huge opportunity to change the way children learn and I wanted to make an impact that continues for generations. When you look at the education system, you see that it is one of the industries that has not been changed quickly by technology and it is still missing a lot of opportunities especially when it comes to early childhood education. I saw a huge opportunity here to help children by creating our educational robot to utilize artificial intelligence and gradually develop personalized content for children based on their learning pace and interests.

How did you come up with your business idea?

I met many families during my tenure at iBaby. By engaging in conversations with them, I realized a great interest in smart educational toys that make learning fun and introduce children to technology. Through market research, I found out that most of the available products were software-based and were using hardware designed for adults—this was frustrating for parents. So I decided to work on a toy robot that teaches children through fun and playful lessons with designed hardware, especially for children.

I thought we are still yet to utilize artificial intelligence to its fullest potential in education, so I wanted to create a smart tool that uses sophisticated AI technology for teaching children. ROYBI creates an active learning experience for children—meaning that children are not passively learning, but through discussions and chat, they’re learning from their robot. Our content is designed to not only teach children about a topic, but to also get them curious with the subjects so they would carry on learning through self-directed learning even when they’re not interacting with their robot. It also allows children to learn from technology without a need for screens.

Have you had support from someone, even if just encouragement? Who was that and how did it help you?

My mom is a woman who I’ve always looked up to with admiration. She managed our family incredibly well, and she was the person behind my dad’s success in his business because she took care of the company’s finances and was the voice of reason behind so many of my dad’s decisions for his company. She is one of my strongest supports and someone that always is by my side to help me navigate the challenges in business.

Female entrepreneurs are often underestimated and overlooked. Have you ever felt at a disadvantage?

This is a difficult question to answer because I don’t have a benchmark. All I can say is that even if sometimes I felt maybe my gender is playing a roll in not getting me into the direction I want, I’ve always decided to stop thinking this way and change the way I approach the problem. I’ve got a lot of support both from female and male colleagues and to this date, I never limited myself thinking about my gender or race. I believe we can make anything possible by just being persistent. 

Some say it’s hard work, others say it’s talent and resourcefulness that play a crucial role for success in entrepreneurship? Which traits have been instrumental for your success so far? And why?

Persistence. I believe it is important to be persistent in order to be able to move forward successfully. Don’t give up easily! Be ready to change and make necessary changes in your business when needed. 

What excites you the most about being an entrepreneur?

To grow my company and to see ROYBI impacting the lives of children worldwide. I want every child out there whose parents cannot afford private tutoring to have a ROYBI that teaches them based on their personalized interests and abilities. Being an entrepreneur means you can change the world and that excites me every day about my work.

Share with us some of the worst business advice you’ve ever received?

I don’t recall anyone giving me bad advice because I think people simply provide their opinion and it is up to me to take it or leave it. Even if I take the advice and I fail, I consider it my responsibility and my learning opportunity. 

You’ve got a high stake investment opportunity. Pitch your business in 150 words.

Named by TIME Magazine as one of The Best Inventions in Education, ROYBI Robot is the world’s first AI-powered robot for children to teach languages through personalized lessons to spark creative thinking, improve communication skills, and boost self-confidence. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs?

Life is short! Follow your dreams and work on something you are truly passionate about. The beginning is always hard but you will succeed eventually if you are persistent. 

What are your goals for the upcoming year?

My goal is to expand our company’s services beyond North America and make ROYBI robot available in EMEA and APAC regions. We are also working hard to make our technology available to schools and educators around the world. 

Any final words to end this interview?

Our mission is to provide a personalized learning experience to highlight every child’s ability and interest rather than one-size-fits-all. We provide an infinite learning opportunity to set children apart for future success.

Feeling under-appreciated as an employee, a nonexistent work-life balance, financial struggles, getting out of bad relationships – these are the most common triggers that push women to become entrepreneurs. Tell us about your trigger?

From experiencing sexual harassment and a constant struggle between a work-life balance, I learned that working for male-dominated companies wasn’t my long term career path. In my head and heart, I knew I would open a business one day once I was financially ready to do so or so I thought. 

I wasn’t ready neither mentally nor financially but after my VP of Sales at my former position made a comment “You make enough money for your age.”, I responded back “It’s not about the money it’s about the opportunity, and age shouldn’t define your wealth.” 

Although I was always an overachiever and excelled beyond the goals expected from me, I constantly felt undervalued and underpaid by my employers because I was a woman. This was my chance to prove everyone wrong, especially those who doubted me.

That comment was the breaking point in my career where my eyes opened up and it was time to make a major change. I wasn’t happy and I was not going to tolerate being mistreated any longer. I started forming my business idea and plan while I was working full time as an Account Executive. For 6 months, my days consisted of me running on 3-4 hours of sleep a day because my end goal for that year was to launch my business, Eternal Fleur, within 6 months and resign from my full-time job. 

My goal was achieved in just under 6 months and we were up live online and I ended up resigning from my job that week as well. By far one of the most difficult decisions that I’ve made but happy I did it!

How did you come up with your business idea?

There was a trend on Instagram with models holding huge floral bouquets in Russia and Dubai. I was quite fascinated with the concept and haven’t really seen anything similar in the US market. 

I started researching the floral market to see if I could find any floral suppliers but an issue that I was running into was that fresh flowers required special refrigeration and the inventory had to be sold pretty quickly to stay in business. Then after multiple discussions with the floral suppliers, I was introduced to a rose farm in Ecuador that specializes not only in fresh roses but as well as preserved roses. I haven’t seen preserved roses but when I received the samples I fell in love.

For those of you who don’t know preserved roses or flowers are coated in glycerin, a wax-like solution, that is used in a bar of candy or soap and it allows the flower to last a year or longer without water or sunlight. This was the perfect solution for fresh flowers because they look and feel just like fresh flowers. This was when Eternal Fleur was born and my goal was to become an e-commerce floral shop that specializes in long-lasting floral arrangements. 

Have you had support from someone, even if just encouragement? Who was that and how did it help you?

I have multiple mentors and close friends who are business owners. Honestly, if it weren’t for them, I don’t think I would be where I am right now with Eternal Fleur and as an individual as well today. 

One of my life-changing mentors is Sam Bregman whom I met at the beginning of this year. I came across his information online after reading an article about relationships and something that stuck out was “You need to be the best version of yourself to attract the right person for you.” After reaching out to him, we clicked right away and Sam helped me with everything from legal advice to operations and everything else in between. But the best thing he’s done for me is motivated me to keep my head up high and keep building my road to success.

Female entrepreneurs are often underestimated and overlooked. Have you ever felt at a disadvantage?

Unfortunately, I have felt disadvantaged as a woman especially when it comes to raising capital. Did you know that only 3% of VC firms invest in women-owned businesses? It’s definitely been one of the most difficult challenges I’ve experienced recently but I know I will be able to overcome it soon and raise the capital that is needed to grow and scale Eternal Fleur. 

I’ve had other obstacles in my business where I had to face difficult challenges being a female entrepreneur but I always took a step back from the problem, accessed it, and made a plan to resolve it. I believe that anything is possible even if you’re a woman. You just need to get creative and figure out how to achieve your end goal because when you do, you will feel like even the impossible is possible.

Some say it’s hard work, others say it’s talent and resourcefulness that play a crucial role for success in entrepreneurship? Which traits have been instrumental for your success so far? And why?

Based on my experience of being a CEO and Founder, I’ve discovered that it’s a mix of hard work and talent that will make you a successful entrepreneur. You have to be willing to do things that don’t always make you feel comfortable in order to attain certain goals. 

For example, I was never passionate about finance and I couldn’t afford a CFO in the beginning so I had to ask for help and then I taught myself how to create P&L’s, balance sheets, and other reports. 

You have to assess what your strengths and weaknesses are as an entrepreneur and then either hire a team who can balance out your weaknesses or learn how you can do the task yourself. You never know, your weaknesses may actually turn into your strengths. Another thing that has made me successful is my experience in fashion and consumer goods which helped me understand product placement, sales, marketing, customer service, and production and logistics. 

When I was working for employers, I always was eager to learn and took notes because I knew I’d need the information one day. From experience, I strongly feel that it is important to be willing to learn because even when you become an entrepreneur you will be not only teaching but learning every day.

What excites you the most about being an entrepreneur?

That’s a great question! 

Well, I love being able to have a work-life balance which means if I want to go to a workout class at 10 am and then work the rest of the day I can do so. Anytime I have something important to do or I need to take a personal day, I don’t have to ask anyone and I just do it. 

Another thing I enjoy about being an entrepreneur is that I love what I do and I am passionate about it. I’ve created a floral brand that creates emotions for consumers and we are not only able to create more career opportunities for women but as well as focus on sustainability programs and philanthropy. It truly feels amazing waking up doing what you love to do and giving back to the community at the same time.

Share with us some of the worst business advice you’ve ever received?

Well, the best advice that I received is not to take business advice from people who do not understand your business. But the worst business advice is investing too much capital in something you have a gut feeling won’t work but another company or employee is pushing you to invest. 

If you are going to invest then let it be a small amount of capital, this way if the idea fails you don’t lose too much. I always say trust your gut and do all of your research before you commit to a decision you aren’t 100% sure about.

You’ve got a high stake investment opportunity. Pitch your business in 150 words.

Real floral arrangements preserved to last 365+ days without water or sunlight.

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs?

Be consistent and persistent in everything that you do and NEVER GIVE UP. There will be days where you feel like the most successful person and then there will be days where you feel like your world is falling apart. This is all a part of the journey. If you have a vision, make sure you write it down and create a plan before you execute. And always keep an agenda!

What are your goals for the upcoming year?

The goal for Eternal Fleur is to raise capital and then scale and grow the business in 2021. We have other goals as well within those major goals which include expanding our operations, launching new product lines, and channels of distribution. 

Feeling under-appreciated as an employee, a nonexistent work-life balance, financial struggles, getting out of bad relationships – these are the most common triggers that push women to become entrepreneurs. Tell us about your trigger?

I felt that I was at a dead-end in my career in fashion, despite only graduating from college in 2014. I was feeling the nearing collapse of the industry here in NYC, and absolutely hated my job. 

How did you come up with your business idea?

I’ve always enjoyed DIY skincare and self-care experiments, so I looked to create a simple, customizable product that could be produced easily by me, a person with zero formulation experience. This is how I came to create my first powder clay mask.

Have you had support from someone, even if just encouragement? Who was that and how did it help you?

My husband has always been extremely supportive. He was the one to encourage me to try and create my own side-business, and as said side-business grew, he’s been so helpful in helping me to figure out smarter and better ways to produce my goods. 

Female entrepreneurs are often underestimated and overlooked. Have you ever felt at a disadvantage?

The only disadvantage I have ever felt as a young female entrepreneur was in dealing with manufacturers here in the US. Factories are often run by old-school manufacturing men, and I’ve been talked down to in ways that a man certainly would not.

Some say it’s hard work, others say it’s talent and resourcefulness that play a crucial role for success in entrepreneurship? Which traits have been instrumental for your success so far? And why?

Perseverance, gut-instinct, and the ability to plan for the future but pivot at the moment.

What excites you the most about being an entrepreneur?

My ability to create my own financial future.

Share with us some of the worst business advice you’ve ever received?

I haven’t received much advice!

You’ve got a high stake investment opportunity. Pitch your business in 150 words.

Klei is a sustainable self-care company, helping you to make every day like Sunday. In a market where more customers are demanding sustainable values and goals from companies, Klei is positioned to thrive.

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs?

What are your goals for the upcoming year?

2021 will continue to be a focus on wholesale, with the goal of acquiring a few more national accounts.

Feeling under-appreciated as an employee, a nonexistent work-life balance, financial struggles, getting out of bad relationships – these are the most common triggers that push women to become entrepreneurs. Tell us about your trigger?

I always loved my work as an executive assistant and never had a job that I didn’t love. However, I often changed jobs because I hit a ceiling when it came to earning potential and limited flexibility to be the mom I wanted and needed to be for my children. 

When my husband passed away suddenly in 2012 it flipped my world upside down. I had always said I would “never” own my business because everyone I knew that owned their own business didn’t enjoy freedom and flexibility. Starting my own VA business meant I could be with my family as much as I needed and still do the work I love. 

How did you come up with your business idea?

I had heard of virtual assistants and researched being a VA on several occasions because my commute was pretty bad. Nothing I found gave me the earning potential I needed or knew I was worthy of. I decided that being a VA was still my best option, but instead of being a VA for a third party I would become my own boss to set my own rates and, most importantly, my schedule. 

Have you had support from someone, even if just encouragement? Who was that and how did it help you?

My former employer was very encouraging and supportive of my decision to leave. Family and friends also thought becoming a virtual assistant was a great idea. Hiring a business coach was a pivotal decision for my business. I had no trouble performing my VA duties. Where I was stuck was understanding how to run a business which is much different than the work you do or the product you create. 

What I was missing was a community of like-minded individuals, other virtual assistants, who could relate to not only the struggles I faced but also the goals and dreams I had. Other VAs who could celebrate wins with me. My business coach was great for business but she had never been a VA and couldn’t support me in this area. That’s when I decided I would create a place for VAs at all stages of their business. The Association of Virtual Assistants launched with great success in March 2019.

Female entrepreneurs are often underestimated and overlooked. Have you ever felt at a disadvantage?

Some say it’s hard work, others say it’s talent and resourcefulness that play a crucial role for success in entrepreneurship? Which traits have been instrumental for your success so far? And why?

With my background as an assistant, I’ve always known that no one achieves great success on their own. I went into business looking for a community and resources that would support me and assist me on my journey. This is what the Association of Virtual Assistants provides. 

Talent will only get you so far and there is always someone who is better than you. In fact, anyone who considers themselves a true leader is leading others to be better than they are and working with them to avoid the same mistakes they made. You can be the smartest and most talented person in your field but if you don’t have the grit and resilience to get up after a fall you’ll never make it. My community is always there for me but I have to be the one to show up and be vulnerable. I have to ask for help. 

Be ready to show up, show grit, and show resiliency if you ever plan to show off what you built!

What excites you the most about being an entrepreneur?

What excites me now is what excited me six years ago when I started my business – creating a lifestyle for myself. There is nothing more important than my family. Even though my children are now adults they appreciate my ability to work from anywhere and that includes the time I spend with them. 

While my family always comes first, to be able to assist others in creating the lifestyle of their dreams doing the work they love is incredible. I had no idea where my business would take me when I first started. Plenty of people thought I could be replaced by an app – those were not my people! 

I stay excited by keeping the right company and that includes my family, friends, and those with whom I work with to create a lifestyle they love living!

Share with us some of the worst business advice you’ve ever received?

Hands down the worst advice I ever received was to change my title of “virtual assistant”. I was told that I would never make “good” money as a VA, be taken seriously, or be seen as a thought leader with that title. I’ve laughed at that so many times! I’ve laughed all the way to the bank, to the tune of two bestselling books, and while I was traveling the world running my businesses in 2017. 

Being an assistant is who I am at my very core. Changing my title is not being entrepreneurial-minded. That’s an employee mindset. No one has the power to tell me what my title stands for or what it means. I hold the power and I use it.

You’ve got a high stake investment opportunity. Pitch your business in 150 words.

I work with clients and VAs alike.

•  I match clients to the right virtual assistant based on communication strategy and ideal client fit. When matched with the right VA, your life will be easier, you’ll have more time, and you’ll be making more money. 
•  I create Perfectly Priced Packaged for virtual assistants – packages clients love to throw money at!

Because you can’t do it all yourself…

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs?

Start! It won’t ever be perfect because perfection doesn’t exist. However, until you try you won’t ever know if your idea is any good. The longer you wait to start the more you are delaying your dreams the opportunity to come true. 

What are your goals for the upcoming year?

In 2021, I’m starting another business that will automate the VA hiring process to not only match for communication strategy and ideal client fit but it will also include company culture as well!