1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:06,439 Speaker 1: Today on the bright Side, entrepreneur and self made multimillionaire 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: Danielle appears in is Here, the creator of the news 3 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: At newsletter, is going to show us how to stop 4 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: taking no for an answer, how to get scrappy and 5 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: create the kind of connections that open doors we never 6 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: thought we'd walk through. Plus, she's sharing the life changing 7 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: advice she received from her mentor, the one and only 8 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 1: Diane von Furstenberg. 9 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 2: Fear is not an option, she likes to say. That's 10 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 2: always resonated with me because I was somebody who definitely 11 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:34,520 Speaker 2: became successful from a place of fear. 12 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,480 Speaker 1: I'm Simone Boyce and this is the bright side from 13 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 1: Hello Sunshine. Who doesn't dream of financial freedom, growing a 14 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: successful business, building a life where we get to call 15 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 1: the shots and make our own schedule and follow what 16 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:53,560 Speaker 1: lights us up. But let's be honest, reaching those goals 17 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 1: is no easy task, and it's way harder than people 18 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 1: make it look on social media, especially when you have 19 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: people in your ear telling you this is too hard. 20 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: You don't have what it takes, you don't have the 21 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: background for this, No one will take you seriously. In 22 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:10,639 Speaker 1: our guest Today, Daniella Pearson heard all of those things. 23 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 1: As she was building her first company, the women's newsletter 24 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: Newzett from her college dorm room. By the way, as 25 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,119 Speaker 1: she gained subscriber after subscriber, she could tell she had 26 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,760 Speaker 1: a winning concept. But when she met with investors, a 27 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 1: lot of old men in suits in Manhattan skyscrapers, they 28 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: literally laughed at her. I mean they essentially called her 29 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 1: the poster child of who not to invest in. But 30 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 1: instead of giving up, Daniella doubled down and today that 31 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 1: same business has five hundred thousand subscribers and is worth 32 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 1: two hundred million dollars. Danielle has been on Forbes' thirty 33 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 1: Under thirty list. She's collaborated with Serena Williams, she gained 34 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 1: a mentor in Diane von Furstenberg, and she's become one 35 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 1: of the youngest and wealthiest self made women of color. 36 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 1: She's also recently launched a new project, Chasm, to help 37 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: up and coming entrepreneurs find mentorship and avoid some of 38 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: the obstacles that she ran into when she was first 39 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,920 Speaker 1: starting out. What I love about this conversation with Danielle 40 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: is that even though she's sharing lessons that she learned 41 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 1: about building her business, from the ground up. I think 42 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:22,639 Speaker 1: her takeaways are very universal. If you're secretly dreaming of 43 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,800 Speaker 1: launching your own business, she's obviously got great advice for you. 44 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:28,800 Speaker 1: But I think her story is relevant for all of 45 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: us because we all want to design a life and 46 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: a career that works for us right, and Daniella is 47 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,079 Speaker 1: the poster child of that. I'm excited for you guys 48 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 1: to listen to this one, so let's dive in. Daniella, 49 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:48,359 Speaker 1: congrats on your first company, Newzet, celebrating its ten year anniversary. 50 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,839 Speaker 1: That is so major, considering you created the news At 51 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 1: with zero funding from your dorm room as a sophomore 52 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,519 Speaker 1: at Boston University and now it's grown to over five 53 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,679 Speaker 1: hundred thousand subscribers. Take me back to those early days. 54 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: Do you remember the day that you got the idea 55 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: for the news At? 56 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 2: Yes, well, thank you so much for saying all of 57 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 2: those kind words. And yes, it feels very weird to 58 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 2: have a ten year old company as a twenty nine 59 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 2: year old, But I started when I was nineteen, so 60 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 2: it makes sense. I remember the day I started the 61 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:22,920 Speaker 2: newst because it was almost like an intersection between my 62 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 2: depression me feeling like I didn't belong in the world 63 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 2: or wasn't adding value to the world. My OCD getting 64 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 2: almost unmanageable and kind of realizing I had to do 65 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 2: something and I had zero confidence, zero resources, zero anything. 66 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 2: But I had a feeling that if I put myself 67 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 2: in everything that I knew I was capable of into 68 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 2: one thing, into one dream, that I could kind of 69 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 2: manifest my own destiny in a way. And so I decided, 70 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 2: after you know, being at BU for your and a half, 71 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 2: seeing you know, all these people go get consulting internships 72 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 2: or you know, my dream was to go work at 73 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 2: a magazine. But the only people that I knew who 74 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 2: worked at magazines were like they knew a friend of 75 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 2: a friend, and I had, you know, no connections. I 76 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 2: also had pretty shitty grades, so it wasn't a surprise 77 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,479 Speaker 2: to me because I was learning things, and this is 78 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 2: like a theme my entire life. I was learning things like, 79 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:26,479 Speaker 2: you know, triangles and I don't know, looking at how 80 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 2: volcanoes are formed, which is great, but I knew I 81 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 2: was one hundred percent never doing anything like that, and 82 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 2: so I kind of felt like, what am I doing here? 83 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 2: I want to go work, I want financial freedom, I 84 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 2: knew from a young age. I saw a lot of moms, 85 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 2: at least where I grew up, didn't have jobs as 86 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 2: much as you know nowadays. And I realized that, you know, 87 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 2: the dads had the power quote unquote, and that kind 88 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:53,720 Speaker 2: of annoyed me. I felt like, I was like, I 89 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 2: want to be the dad. 90 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:56,360 Speaker 1: I want to be the dad. I want to be 91 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 1: the dad. I like that. That should be a song. 92 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, no, yeah, I I want to be the dad. 93 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 2: And so basically I said, Okay, fuck it, I am 94 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 2: not going to get hired by any place when I 95 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 2: leave BEU, I already have really shited the bed. So 96 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:17,719 Speaker 2: if I'm going to have a job, if no one's 97 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:20,160 Speaker 2: going to hire me, I have to hire myself. And 98 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 2: that's what I did. And so every single day after 99 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 2: that day, it was January eighth, twenty fifteen, I sent 100 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 2: out the first newzett, riddled with typos, to like eight people, 101 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 2: and who were of course like my cousins and people 102 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 2: I obviously knew. And even though it was so bad, 103 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 2: it felt so good creating something, and especially because I 104 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:46,040 Speaker 2: had no idea who I was, I had zero self confidence, 105 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 2: zero knowledge of what I would do in the world, 106 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:51,359 Speaker 2: and if I even added value and so building the 107 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,719 Speaker 2: new zett sending that newsletter every single day for it 108 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:57,599 Speaker 2: would be five years. I wrote it even when we 109 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:00,279 Speaker 2: were making over a million dollars, you know, from five 110 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 2: am to ten am, and then going into either full 111 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:05,520 Speaker 2: day of school when I was in college, or full 112 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 2: day of work. It felt like I was in charge 113 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 2: of my own destiny and it actually built me into 114 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:13,080 Speaker 2: the person that I am today. It gave me confidence 115 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 2: that I could do something that maybe I didn't believe 116 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:17,599 Speaker 2: I could before. 117 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:20,720 Speaker 1: Well, you mentioned something so important, and that is just 118 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,120 Speaker 1: making the first thing, whether it's bad or not. We 119 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:26,840 Speaker 1: get so hung up on Okay, if I'm going to 120 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:29,600 Speaker 1: start something new, this first one has to be perfect. 121 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:31,880 Speaker 1: But we've all seen that quote that's been passed around 122 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:34,480 Speaker 1: social media that's like, your first podcast is going to 123 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 1: be terrible, your first screenplay is going to be terrible, 124 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:40,200 Speaker 1: your first book is going to be terrible. Doesn't matter, 125 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 1: do it anyways? 126 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 2: Exactly? I mean, I really did not have a choice. 127 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:46,479 Speaker 2: It was like, when I decided I was going to 128 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 2: do something that would allow me to hire myself after college. 129 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:52,919 Speaker 2: So essentially, what if I started building something while I 130 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 2: have two and a half years left of college. I 131 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 2: have a roof over my head, and so when I 132 00:06:57,480 --> 00:06:59,800 Speaker 2: was thinking about what it could be, I made a 133 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:03,920 Speaker 2: One column was what am I good at? The other 134 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 2: column was what do I like? The column on the 135 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 2: left was so empty it might as well have been 136 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 2: in a Western movie when that like Mothball goes by 137 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:17,880 Speaker 2: like do because there was nothing. And so then I thought, Okay, 138 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 2: well what do I like? And I remember growing up 139 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 2: in Jacksonville, Florida, the thing that I loved the escapism 140 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:27,000 Speaker 2: was a magazine, and so I was like, what if 141 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:30,760 Speaker 2: I create my own mini magazine that is delivered into 142 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:34,560 Speaker 2: women's inboxes every single morning and makes them feel like 143 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 2: they can take on the world. It was kind of 144 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 2: me projecting or creating something that I wish I had, 145 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 2: And because I never meant for the Newsette to have 146 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 2: anything to do with me, it was like the news 147 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 2: at the brand. I felt safe that I could, you know, 148 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 2: be cheeky and kind of build this out because it 149 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 2: wasn't me doing it. I actually grew the newsletter list 150 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 2: to one hundred thousand subscribers while I was at BU 151 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:00,480 Speaker 2: by telling people that I was an intern for this 152 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 2: really cool, big media company called the New Zette, and 153 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 2: if they wanted to be an ambassador, all they had 154 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:07,160 Speaker 2: to do was invite ten friends. 155 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: Wait, no way, So you told people you were the intern? 156 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 1: Why did you tell people you are the intern? 157 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 2: There's a theme in my life. I grew up as 158 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 2: the dumb twin. And that's not a name that I 159 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 2: gave myself. It's a name that my teachers and fellow 160 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 2: students in high school gave me because my Yeah, so 161 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 2: it was sad. But I kind of own it now 162 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:31,560 Speaker 2: because it's like, Okay, I was the dumb twin. Now 163 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 2: I'm not right, Like I can evolve. So by being 164 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 2: the dumb twin quote unquote, I grew up basically knowing 165 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 2: that my sister, who's a genius, was going to be 166 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:45,320 Speaker 2: a shining star and I was kind of going to be, 167 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,320 Speaker 2: you know, kind of a disappointment, which is horrible, but 168 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 2: that's how I felt every day of my life. And 169 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:55,520 Speaker 2: so that lack of confidence followed me into college. It 170 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 2: was just kind of a mess. I was incredibly depressed, 171 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 2: and I realized that even if I was going to 172 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:03,960 Speaker 2: start this, I had no authority. Who was I? I 173 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:06,839 Speaker 2: was the dumb twin. And so the reason why I 174 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:09,800 Speaker 2: said I was the intern is honestly because I thought 175 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 2: that if people thought I started the company, they would 176 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 2: immediately just say, oh, okay, right, like disregard it in 177 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:20,200 Speaker 2: a sense, because who am I to start a company? 178 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: It sounds like it was your own self doubt. 179 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,199 Speaker 2: One hundred percent. Yeah. And it's not like I had 180 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 2: a lot of fans, Like, you know, I didn't tell 181 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 2: anybody what I was doing. I told my teachers because 182 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:35,080 Speaker 2: I failed the Entrepreneurship project when I was a junior. 183 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 2: It's like the big project. It's called core every it's 184 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:42,320 Speaker 2: like legendary, and I failed it. And then six years 185 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 2: later to the day I graduated, I was the commencement speaker, 186 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 2: And so it was like, you know, maybe you can 187 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:49,959 Speaker 2: fail literally what you want to be when you grow 188 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 2: up and still make it right. And the fact that 189 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:56,560 Speaker 2: I was able to put myself together not only emotionally 190 00:09:56,640 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 2: mentally and still do the newseett every single day, that's 191 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 2: where I learned, Wow, like maybe I am a strong person. 192 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,200 Speaker 2: Maybe I should not have counted myself out. 193 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 1: I'm sure. It's so much easier to talk about these 194 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:13,439 Speaker 1: moments now with reflection and ten years behind you. It's 195 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:16,440 Speaker 1: not easy to be stuck in those moments of crippling 196 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: self doubt. But there's something different about you, Daniella, because 197 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:26,320 Speaker 1: everyone experiences self doubt, but you found a reason, found 198 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:30,480 Speaker 1: a motivation to push through that, and I think you 199 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 1: have that quality. Someone like Melanie Perkins, the founder of Canva, 200 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:40,160 Speaker 1: has that quality. Founders of other unicorn businesses have that tenacity. 201 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:44,120 Speaker 1: Where does that come from? That ability to just push 202 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 1: through the self doubt and say I'm going to do 203 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:46,400 Speaker 1: it anyways. 204 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:51,319 Speaker 2: So that's a great question. I always like to say 205 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 2: that the success of an entrepreneur the mindset of an 206 00:10:54,360 --> 00:11:00,600 Speaker 2: entrepreneurs where delusion, passion and just pure like want belief 207 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,960 Speaker 2: in what you're doing meets. And so you have to 208 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,439 Speaker 2: be a little delusional because you know, when you say, oh, 209 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 2: I'm going to build a newsletter that's going to be 210 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 2: worth two hundred million dollars when I'm twenty seven, like, 211 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 2: come on that. I didn't I couldn't even convince myself 212 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:18,600 Speaker 2: of that. But every single day that I wrote the 213 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:21,560 Speaker 2: newsletter and I continue to do it, I believed so 214 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:24,160 Speaker 2: much in that this newsletter was not just a little 215 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 2: email this was going to, you know, help millions of women, 216 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:29,679 Speaker 2: This was going to be a real company. That then 217 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:32,920 Speaker 2: I believed it myself, And so I like to say 218 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:35,720 Speaker 2: that the one thing that everybody has in common that 219 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:39,160 Speaker 2: is successful or that pushed through boundaries is that they 220 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:41,640 Speaker 2: either had no other choice. They were in survival mode, 221 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:43,680 Speaker 2: which was kind of like me. I had no other choice. 222 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:45,760 Speaker 2: It was like that or go live at home. I 223 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:49,680 Speaker 2: had no internships, nothing lined up. I had to make 224 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:52,440 Speaker 2: it work. But then also the people who keep going 225 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:54,880 Speaker 2: are people who say, you know what, let the world 226 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:57,640 Speaker 2: say what they want to say. I believe so much 227 00:11:57,640 --> 00:11:59,880 Speaker 2: in myself that like, I don't care if it's point 228 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:02,360 Speaker 2: zero zero one percent chance that I'm going to make it. 229 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:05,720 Speaker 2: I'm going to be the one right. And that's at 230 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 2: least how I felt. I also come from a family 231 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:13,000 Speaker 2: that had a lot bigger problems than I had. You know, 232 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:15,679 Speaker 2: my mother grew up in Columbia. She didn't come here 233 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:19,720 Speaker 2: until she was twenty three. She's my inspiration. I actually 234 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:22,640 Speaker 2: gave her fifteen percent of the new zet That is 235 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:23,360 Speaker 2: so cool. 236 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:26,040 Speaker 1: You gave your mom a fifteen percent stake in your company. 237 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, when I was twenty five, and we did forty 238 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:32,319 Speaker 2: million dollars of sales, and I was able to personally 239 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:35,480 Speaker 2: take home over ten million dollars. I wrote my mom 240 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 2: a multimillion dollar check. 241 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:37,960 Speaker 1: How did that feel? 242 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:46,760 Speaker 2: It felt like I could finally, at least try to 243 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:51,960 Speaker 2: repay her for all of the times that she believed 244 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 2: in me when no one else did, and all of 245 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:58,280 Speaker 2: the times that I wanted to die, I wanted to 246 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:01,760 Speaker 2: just disappear, and she told me that I had something 247 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:05,559 Speaker 2: special to share with the world. It felt really good, 248 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 2: And it also felt really good to give her so much, 249 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:12,560 Speaker 2: you know, incredible financial freedom, and you know the things 250 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:16,000 Speaker 2: I've been able to do, Like my mom in Colombia 251 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:18,679 Speaker 2: was only able to become an oral surgeon because there 252 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:22,080 Speaker 2: was one scholarship that she won every single year. She 253 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 2: was incredibly poor. They lived next to a mass grave 254 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:30,520 Speaker 2: at that poor and she won that one scholarship. And 255 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,800 Speaker 2: so after I made a few million dollars the year 256 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:37,520 Speaker 2: before the big win, I started a scholarship program at 257 00:13:37,520 --> 00:13:40,160 Speaker 2: that school so that more people like my mom could 258 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 2: live out their dreams. 259 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:44,480 Speaker 1: What a beautiful success story and a testament to your 260 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 1: family and your family bond. We've got to take a 261 00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:50,400 Speaker 1: quick break, but we'll be right back with more. Daniella Pearson, 262 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:57,520 Speaker 1: you had some really clever marketing strategies to get the 263 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:02,320 Speaker 1: word out about the news that even making college students ambassadors. 264 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:06,559 Speaker 1: Tell me about some of those scrappy early growth strategies 265 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:07,760 Speaker 1: that you experimented with. 266 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:12,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, when you have zero funding and you were 267 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 2: a college student just trying not to get kicked out 268 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:18,840 Speaker 2: and you know, basically not sleeping, you have to get 269 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 2: pretty creative. And so I remember, and this is going 270 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:25,400 Speaker 2: to quote unquote age me, but when I was nineteen 271 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:29,920 Speaker 2: in college, in all the classrooms, you could see everybody 272 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:32,920 Speaker 2: on Facebook, and everybody was like messaging with their friends. 273 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:36,320 Speaker 2: I had no friends, and so instead what I did 274 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:38,960 Speaker 2: was I went to all of the people. I went 275 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 2: to high school's profiles, and at the time, Facebook had chronologically, 276 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:46,400 Speaker 2: you know, put their new friends, and so I knew, okay, 277 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:49,520 Speaker 2: at least the last two hundred people for each person 278 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:53,600 Speaker 2: were newer friends. They're likely from college, so that means 279 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:56,200 Speaker 2: they could be anywhere in the country, right, And so 280 00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:59,840 Speaker 2: I started friend requesting all of the girls like a psychope, 281 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:03,960 Speaker 2: and every time somebody would accept it, I would say like, hey, 282 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 2: I see that you're a sophomore. I am too. I'm 283 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,800 Speaker 2: interning for this really cool brand called the New Zette. 284 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:12,920 Speaker 2: I know, as a sophomore it's hard to put things 285 00:15:12,920 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 2: on your resume to get, you know, internships, but this 286 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:17,920 Speaker 2: is something that is really easy. All you have to 287 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:20,360 Speaker 2: do is just have ten of your friends subscribe and 288 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 2: you become a Newseet official ambassador. And I did that 289 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:28,760 Speaker 2: about a thousand times. And so it felt like entrepreneurship 290 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 2: is so like not in your hands in terms of 291 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:34,400 Speaker 2: the market and you know, if you're able to get 292 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 2: fun and whatever it is. But for me, it felt 293 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 2: like being an entrepreneur and building the New Zette was 294 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 2: the most in control I could be of my destiny 295 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:47,720 Speaker 2: because it was like, Okay, they don't want to be ambassador, 296 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 2: I'll email one hundred other people until someone does. 297 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: You focused on what was in your control. 298 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:57,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, and it was it was just me hustling. If 299 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:00,160 Speaker 2: this didn't work, I try something else, Like I to 300 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:03,080 Speaker 2: be on my laptop until my eyes were closing, you know, 301 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:05,720 Speaker 2: because I knew there is a way for me to 302 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:08,680 Speaker 2: get people to notice this without me having this big 303 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:11,960 Speaker 2: marketing budget that I didn't have. Right, like there has 304 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,160 Speaker 2: to be some way, and that's what I tapped into. 305 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 2: I saw a need of you know, people in college, 306 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:21,320 Speaker 2: especially freshmen and sophomores, wanting to have stuff on their resume. 307 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:24,880 Speaker 2: Ambassador programs were like not a thing. It was very new, 308 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 2: and so I found a way to make people feel 309 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:30,240 Speaker 2: like they were a part of something, make them feel 310 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:33,360 Speaker 2: like they were kind of the person being in on, 311 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 2: you know, this new thing that they found, and also 312 00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:39,160 Speaker 2: being able to give them something to put on their resume. 313 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:42,760 Speaker 2: And so I always think about when with whatever I do, 314 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:45,720 Speaker 2: even now, when I'm in a business meeting, when I'm 315 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:48,680 Speaker 2: negotiating whatever I'm doing, I always put myself in the 316 00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:51,960 Speaker 2: position of the other person and ask what do they want? 317 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 2: And I always ensure that what I'm bringing to the 318 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:59,600 Speaker 2: table is not just that it's even more so. 319 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 1: The new Zett eventually caught the eye of legendary fashion 320 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:07,399 Speaker 1: designer Diane von Furstenberg, and I hear that there was 321 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:10,320 Speaker 1: a life changing conversation that took place between the two 322 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:13,320 Speaker 1: of you. Yes, tell me everything about that encounter. 323 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:19,639 Speaker 2: Yes, So, Diane von Furstenberg her team reached out to me. 324 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:21,919 Speaker 2: When I was twenty three years old, I had just 325 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:25,719 Speaker 2: moved to New York after making twenty five thousand dollars 326 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:29,280 Speaker 2: my first month of advertising when I graduated, and so 327 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:31,680 Speaker 2: I used that money to move to New York. I 328 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:34,600 Speaker 2: hired a few interns. It was very scrappy, but I 329 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:36,520 Speaker 2: like to say the team that I started out with 330 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:39,919 Speaker 2: was a team of three me, myself and I and so, 331 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:43,879 Speaker 2: you know, we worked our asses off, and because I 332 00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:48,240 Speaker 2: sent a newsletter every single day, it became, you know, 333 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:52,320 Speaker 2: way more of likely that somebody would see something because 334 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:55,040 Speaker 2: it was every single day. And I didn't know that 335 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:57,320 Speaker 2: at the time. I just, you know, was kind of 336 00:17:57,520 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 2: doing what I knew I had to do every day 337 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:04,159 Speaker 2: to grow this. And so I guess someone read the newsletter. 338 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:07,560 Speaker 2: Diane read the newsletter, and she was working on this 339 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:10,720 Speaker 2: thing called the in Charge Movement. They basically were like, 340 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:13,440 Speaker 2: Diane wants to meet with you, and I was like, okay. 341 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:17,119 Speaker 2: As a huge fan, I've read her books, watched all 342 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:20,040 Speaker 2: the TV shows, I was like, Okay, either one of 343 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:23,159 Speaker 2: two things is going to happen. One I'm going to 344 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 2: be kidnapped because this is not real, or two this 345 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:29,399 Speaker 2: is real and the first one is worth it if 346 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:32,840 Speaker 2: it's real. So I went. Luckily he was not a 347 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:38,200 Speaker 2: kidnapped situation. There was a huge magical staircase. Ellen, who 348 00:18:38,359 --> 00:18:41,359 Speaker 2: I'm very close to now, her assistant of over fifty years, 349 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:44,119 Speaker 2: walked me in and closed the door behind me, and 350 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 2: I realized there's a meeting going on during my meeting time. 351 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:50,720 Speaker 2: So I'm like, oh my god. And so I'm standing 352 00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:53,200 Speaker 2: there at twenty three years old in my wrap dress, 353 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:57,240 Speaker 2: probably shaking and sweating, and I don't even think anybody 354 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 2: noticed me walking into the room. And they were talking 355 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:03,720 Speaker 2: about a podcast. And back then at twenty three, being 356 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:07,360 Speaker 2: a millennial was like being a gen Z. It was like, ooh, millennials, 357 00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:10,640 Speaker 2: what do they want? And so someone was pitching her 358 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:15,160 Speaker 2: ideas about, you know, what millennials would want, and then 359 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:20,200 Speaker 2: I basically had a mental breakdown moment where I thought, Okay, 360 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 2: I should say something because I know I'm never going 361 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:26,360 Speaker 2: to be in this position ever again. But I burst 362 00:19:26,359 --> 00:19:29,000 Speaker 2: it out, well I don't think millennials would like that, 363 00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:30,840 Speaker 2: and it was like cover my mouth, like, oh my god, 364 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,440 Speaker 2: what just happened. Like I'll just exit my I'll see 365 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:35,879 Speaker 2: my way out. And so while I'm like peeing my 366 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 2: rap dress waiting to see what happens. They all turn 367 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:41,880 Speaker 2: around and Diane is like, tell me more, and so 368 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 2: she dismisses the people from the podcast you know situation, 369 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 2: and she has me sit next to her and she's like, 370 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:51,000 Speaker 2: what should we do together? And I didn't know that 371 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:54,159 Speaker 2: I was there to like pitch her. But with OCD, 372 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:57,800 Speaker 2: one negative that I've actually been able to turn into 373 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,760 Speaker 2: a positive is you have, you know, like the thoughts 374 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:03,679 Speaker 2: that someone without OCG has every single day. So some 375 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:05,880 Speaker 2: of those thoughts are like did I turn the oven off? 376 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:08,640 Speaker 2: Did I whatever? But with me, if I am put 377 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:11,240 Speaker 2: in that position, I'm like okay, and there's like ten 378 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:15,120 Speaker 2: ideas already, and so whatever I said must have sounded 379 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:19,760 Speaker 2: kind of smart because she said, okay, like you know, 380 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:22,879 Speaker 2: we'll be in touch. And I pitched her basically saying 381 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 2: that you know, she had the e commerce side, she 382 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:28,600 Speaker 2: should have a content side called the Weekly Rap, a 383 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:31,439 Speaker 2: weekly newsletter. And so she was like, okay, we'll be 384 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:34,960 Speaker 2: in touch. And I knew again I will never be 385 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:36,720 Speaker 2: in front of this woman. She's probably gonna put me 386 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:39,080 Speaker 2: on like a poster like do not let in. And 387 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:43,920 Speaker 2: so I said, Diane, you are known for being the 388 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:47,600 Speaker 2: most female empowering woman since you invented the rap dress 389 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:50,639 Speaker 2: in nineteen seventy four, right, And I looked around in 390 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 2: the eye and she goes yeah, And I was like, 391 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 2: what would be more female empowering than hiring a twenty 392 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:57,840 Speaker 2: three year old to her company to do it for you? 393 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,200 Speaker 2: And I just like looked at her and she was, Okay, 394 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:04,679 Speaker 2: let's do it, and like I literally walked like I 395 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:07,600 Speaker 2: got it was probably like sixty miles home, like in 396 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 2: my heels. I didn't even feel it. I was just 397 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:12,600 Speaker 2: like on fire. Two weeks later, we were, you know, 398 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:16,439 Speaker 2: pitching Mark Zuckerberg something because I had an idea about 399 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:20,040 Speaker 2: her in charge movement that led to so many adventures. 400 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:25,160 Speaker 2: And she's my fairy godmother. We talk almost like every day. 401 00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:29,080 Speaker 2: We talked this morning, and she has taught me everything 402 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:33,080 Speaker 2: that I know honestly in life. She is the reason 403 00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:37,439 Speaker 2: why I became a fearless salesperson because she allowed me 404 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:39,520 Speaker 2: to be in the biggest rooms of the world with 405 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:42,720 Speaker 2: her and then the CEO of a huge company like 406 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:46,080 Speaker 2: many many different companies, and would allow me, a twenty 407 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:48,639 Speaker 2: three year old with no business being in business, like 408 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:52,160 Speaker 2: no idea what I was doing. But I knew how 409 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:54,919 Speaker 2: to make incredibly engage in content for millennials, and that 410 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:58,240 Speaker 2: was what everyone wanted. And so I would literally take 411 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:01,920 Speaker 2: the stage, like leading the entire conversation. And the fact 412 00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:04,159 Speaker 2: that she trusted me that much to do that on 413 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:07,280 Speaker 2: her behalf really gave me the confidence to say, you know, 414 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:09,040 Speaker 2: I don't care if I'm not the smartest person in 415 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:11,480 Speaker 2: the room, or I don't have a special Ivy League degree, 416 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:14,720 Speaker 2: or I don't have funding. If this woman, this icon 417 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:16,840 Speaker 2: believes in me, I should believe in myself too. 418 00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:21,200 Speaker 1: What is the biggest lesson you've learned from her? 419 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:29,879 Speaker 2: She is somebody who taught me that words matter a lot, 420 00:22:30,359 --> 00:22:34,919 Speaker 2: and so whether it's an email or an essay or 421 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 2: a speech, whatever it is, every single word should tell 422 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:44,320 Speaker 2: a story. And she taught me how to edit down 423 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 2: things that I would ramble on about. She taught me 424 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,280 Speaker 2: how to almost have a script on who I was 425 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:53,879 Speaker 2: and what I was there to do, so that I 426 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:55,719 Speaker 2: didn't have to think about that, that I could just 427 00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:57,600 Speaker 2: like breeze through this is who I am, this is 428 00:22:57,640 --> 00:22:59,840 Speaker 2: what I'm doing with Diane, like let's get to business. 429 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:03,200 Speaker 2: And by doing that, she gave me the kind of 430 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:06,359 Speaker 2: confidence that someone that's been in the industry for decades 431 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:10,520 Speaker 2: would have. And so I really, to this day, every 432 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:14,440 Speaker 2: time I send an email anything, I always think about, Okay, 433 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:16,640 Speaker 2: I need to take at least two sentences out because 434 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,160 Speaker 2: Diane would tell me too. But yeah, and then she's 435 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:22,639 Speaker 2: also just taught me that life is meant to make mistakes. 436 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:25,320 Speaker 2: Life is meant to, you know, fall in your face, 437 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:30,639 Speaker 2: get back up. Life is never something to fear. Fear 438 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:34,320 Speaker 2: is not an option, she likes to say. And that's 439 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 2: always resonated with me because I was somebody who definitely 440 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:40,640 Speaker 2: became successful from a place of fear in the beginning, 441 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:44,399 Speaker 2: and then I stopped and I, you know, had my 442 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:48,199 Speaker 2: intention for being successful just to provide myself financial freedom 443 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:51,800 Speaker 2: and then to provide every woman the freedom to own 444 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:52,680 Speaker 2: their own destiny. 445 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:59,320 Speaker 1: More from Daniella Pearson after this shortbreak. So I want 446 00:23:59,359 --> 00:24:02,960 Speaker 1: to talk about your newest initiative and it ties into 447 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,520 Speaker 1: your personal story too, because you've talked about getting left 448 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:07,800 Speaker 1: out of the room when you went to find your 449 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:11,960 Speaker 1: own venture capital investors for the news set. How did 450 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:16,080 Speaker 1: that experience inspire you to create Chasm? 451 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:21,399 Speaker 2: So Chasm is an ecosystem with content resources, connections, et 452 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:25,679 Speaker 2: cetera for any female entrepreneur from idea to exit. And 453 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:29,399 Speaker 2: it's powered by the most powerful and successful people in 454 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 2: the world. Because that way, women never have to pay 455 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:35,720 Speaker 2: a dollar for these resources. You know, when I came 456 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:37,520 Speaker 2: to New York, everybody was like, well, how big is 457 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:40,080 Speaker 2: your team? Oh well how much did you raise? Every 458 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:44,440 Speaker 2: success metric was around like a facade, Oh where's your office? 459 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 2: And I, you know, obviously as a twenty three year 460 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:49,119 Speaker 2: old trying to fit in, was like, oh, well, I 461 00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:52,959 Speaker 2: guess I have to go get funding. And thank goodness 462 00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:56,000 Speaker 2: that all of these old white men and I'm half 463 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:59,200 Speaker 2: old white man, so like, you know, no discrimination there, 464 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:00,879 Speaker 2: but like you know, love old white men. Some of 465 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 2: them suck, Like this guy that laughed me out of 466 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:05,840 Speaker 2: the room and told me I reminded him of a 467 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:09,720 Speaker 2: granddaughter that he hated. So I know, cried the whole 468 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:14,800 Speaker 2: way home. That experience was horrific. And so if I 469 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:19,360 Speaker 2: can prevent that situation from happening to even one person, 470 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:24,040 Speaker 2: then like it's worth it. But the reality is that 471 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:27,199 Speaker 2: whether I was laughed out of that room because I 472 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:30,280 Speaker 2: was a woman, I was in my early twenties, I 473 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:34,400 Speaker 2: was hispanic, maybe I was just bad at presenting right. 474 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:38,240 Speaker 2: It could have been all of the above right. I 475 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:44,000 Speaker 2: have realized that there is such an inequity in female entrepreneurship, 476 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:47,440 Speaker 2: not just because of funding, but because of the way 477 00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:51,160 Speaker 2: that the world looks at female entrepreneurs. If you think 478 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:54,520 Speaker 2: about a hundred of the most successful self made people 479 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:57,040 Speaker 2: in the country, just the country, they have two things 480 00:25:57,040 --> 00:25:59,200 Speaker 2: in common. What do you think those two things are 481 00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:06,439 Speaker 2: grit and that is an amazing answer. I wish it 482 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:09,200 Speaker 2: was that deep. Nope, they have two things in common. 483 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:13,240 Speaker 2: They're all men, and they're all entrepreneurs. And so that's 484 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:15,320 Speaker 2: why I thought, Okay, well, if fifty of these one 485 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:18,360 Speaker 2: hundred people were women, no one would be, you know, 486 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:22,040 Speaker 2: stomping all over us. We wouldn't be making less than men. 487 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:25,720 Speaker 2: And so chasm is basically a way for us to 488 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:31,879 Speaker 2: achieve gender equality by also making incredible waves in female entrepreneurship. 489 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:34,840 Speaker 2: That doesn't just help when female entrepreneurs make a ton 490 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:38,479 Speaker 2: of money, No, it starts right when they start launching 491 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,760 Speaker 2: their businesses. Because the more female entrepreneurs, the more females 492 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:45,240 Speaker 2: at the helm of companies, the more that maternity leave 493 00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:48,840 Speaker 2: policy will be better. Having women on boards instead of 494 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:51,760 Speaker 2: having to pluck a woman, you know, out of obscurity 495 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:54,280 Speaker 2: into a board and be like grateful for it. No, 496 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:56,480 Speaker 2: the woman makes the board and there's probably going to 497 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:58,879 Speaker 2: be woman on it because that's the kind of person 498 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 2: like that. Just people based on what their superpowers are. 499 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:06,120 Speaker 2: This is a statistic, a fact that men are way 500 00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:08,200 Speaker 2: more likely to invest in other men because they look 501 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:12,160 Speaker 2: like them. And so now with women having a seat 502 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:15,800 Speaker 2: at the table, then it's not you know, an inclusivity thing, 503 00:27:15,840 --> 00:27:19,600 Speaker 2: it's actually like that person is amazing, let's invest in them. 504 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:22,680 Speaker 2: And so yeah, that's the reason why I created a chasm. 505 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:28,159 Speaker 2: It's essentially an ecosystem built for female entrepreneurs, all entrepreneurs, 506 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:32,080 Speaker 2: but especially female entrepreneurs. We like to say that if 507 00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:34,400 Speaker 2: a man is walking out of a VC office and 508 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:37,479 Speaker 2: he is one hundred times more likely to you know, 509 00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:40,320 Speaker 2: get an investment because he's a guy, then we want 510 00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:43,840 Speaker 2: the woman walking in to be a thousand times more prepared. 511 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:48,879 Speaker 2: That's how we equalize everything. And so the tools that 512 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:52,040 Speaker 2: we offer women are things that honestly I struggled with. 513 00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:54,960 Speaker 2: I use myself as you know, a case study. It's like, oh, 514 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:58,040 Speaker 2: legal stuff. I had no idea what I was doing, 515 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 2: and I spent so much money that I didn't have 516 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:03,160 Speaker 2: because I thought I had to have all these things. Great, 517 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:06,680 Speaker 2: we're launching a resource that's a legal lab built by lawyers, 518 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,400 Speaker 2: and we're partnering with a law firm where we can 519 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:13,320 Speaker 2: actually provide women with a free consultation if they're raising 520 00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:16,400 Speaker 2: over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Let's say, okay, 521 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,720 Speaker 2: who to hire? That's something that I struggled with. We're 522 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:23,119 Speaker 2: building a hub where every single kind of person for 523 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:27,360 Speaker 2: different kind of companies, CpG, service, et cetera, where it's 524 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:30,200 Speaker 2: all of the people what they actually do, and then 525 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:34,040 Speaker 2: a JD a job description for what they do so 526 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:36,880 Speaker 2: that you can literally copy paste it, make a few changes, 527 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:40,680 Speaker 2: and put it on LinkedIn. That's stuff that took me hours, 528 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:44,440 Speaker 2: and if we're able to just streamline it, then fantastic. 529 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:48,160 Speaker 2: We're having community calls with the biggest, you know, VC 530 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:50,800 Speaker 2: firms in the world where let's say the partner, the 531 00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:53,480 Speaker 2: managing partner is speaking to five hundred women in a 532 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 2: zoom room about what he looks for in an investment. 533 00:28:57,040 --> 00:29:01,160 Speaker 2: That's powerful, right, But what's more power is if one 534 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:05,080 Speaker 2: of those women right after the session, emails that person 535 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:07,520 Speaker 2: and says in the subject line, I was just in 536 00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:10,800 Speaker 2: that session. Don't you think there're one hundred times more 537 00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:13,520 Speaker 2: likely to get an answer? Those are the things that 538 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:17,080 Speaker 2: we're trying to do to create proximity, to create you know, resources, 539 00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:20,480 Speaker 2: to be able to actually give women the dialogue, the 540 00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:23,640 Speaker 2: glossary of words, all of the stuff that we just 541 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:28,640 Speaker 2: don't have because of societal norms. And the other thing 542 00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:32,200 Speaker 2: about CHASM is we're bringing men into the equation. And 543 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:35,320 Speaker 2: so if men control ninety nine point nine nine nine 544 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:39,240 Speaker 2: percent of the resources, power money in the world, then 545 00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:43,640 Speaker 2: how are we supposed to achieve equality by isolating them. 546 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:46,960 Speaker 2: When we built Chasm, it was important to me that 547 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 2: men and women were going to be a part of 548 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:52,520 Speaker 2: the platform to you know, teach and speak and all 549 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:56,400 Speaker 2: of those things, because I want people to learn from everybody. 550 00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:00,720 Speaker 1: Andielle, it's amazing to think that this all started because 551 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:03,640 Speaker 1: you built a media company in your dorm room in 552 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:06,120 Speaker 1: your sophomore year of college. And I have a theory 553 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:07,640 Speaker 1: that I want to run by you. As we wrap 554 00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:11,360 Speaker 1: up our conversation. You mentioned that you always wanted to 555 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 1: work for a magazine growing up, and I think you're 556 00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:19,240 Speaker 1: a millennial too, And I can remember growing up watching 557 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 1: movies like Thirteen Going on thirty or How to Lose 558 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:25,160 Speaker 1: a Guy in Ten Days or even Sex and the City, 559 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:28,680 Speaker 1: and we were following these female characters who worked in 560 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:32,800 Speaker 1: publishing and journalism in the editorial space. How much did 561 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:35,040 Speaker 1: that influence your career trajectory? 562 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:38,440 Speaker 2: I mean I literally just watched thirteen going On to 563 00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:43,120 Speaker 2: thirty like two weeks ago, because like again, because of 564 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:47,560 Speaker 2: that exact thing I rewatched, like the September issue. All 565 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:51,520 Speaker 2: of those things one hundred percent influenced me. When I 566 00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:56,160 Speaker 2: got older, I didn't really know the mechanics or you know, 567 00:30:56,240 --> 00:30:59,640 Speaker 2: the behind the curtain part of building a magazine until I, 568 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:03,400 Speaker 2: you know, was probably in college. But what always excited 569 00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:05,240 Speaker 2: me was the fact that I could pick up a 570 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:08,800 Speaker 2: magazine from publics, beg my mom to let me buy it, 571 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:11,920 Speaker 2: and then be lost in it and tranced in it. 572 00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:15,040 Speaker 2: That's the feeling that I wanted to give woman every 573 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:19,840 Speaker 2: single day in somewhere that's oftentimes toxic, you're in box. 574 00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:24,440 Speaker 1: I don't think that we have fully comprehended the impact 575 00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:28,720 Speaker 1: that magazines had on millennial women growing up, Like, yeah, 576 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:29,600 Speaker 1: is it a joke old. 577 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:31,800 Speaker 2: I mean it was everything. 578 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:35,960 Speaker 1: The quiz is the I just remember, like the lifestyle 579 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:39,280 Speaker 1: and fashion spreads, the boy crushes. 580 00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:43,200 Speaker 2: The embarrassing stories, the embarrassing. 581 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:45,800 Speaker 1: Stories, those are so good. I mean I basically learned 582 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:47,480 Speaker 1: what puberty was through a magazine. 583 00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:50,400 Speaker 2: I'm pretty sure, oh one hundred percent. And every single 584 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:52,680 Speaker 2: product I would say, like, Mom, I have to go 585 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:55,000 Speaker 2: to CVS. I have to get this product like whatever. 586 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:57,800 Speaker 2: I know that people are like, oh, magazines aren't good 587 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:00,440 Speaker 2: at like selling you things anymore. When I was young, 588 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:02,760 Speaker 2: I would literally say, Mom, we got to go to 589 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:06,240 Speaker 2: CBS and get this like whatever cleanser that they're talking about, 590 00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:09,960 Speaker 2: because I just, you know, immerse myself in this world. 591 00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:12,440 Speaker 2: If I use that cleanser, I'll be more like the 592 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:14,560 Speaker 2: woman who make this magazine. Right. 593 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:17,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, And I think magazines are still here. It's just 594 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:22,760 Speaker 1: it's a bit fragmented now, and a lot of the 595 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:25,400 Speaker 1: things that appealed to us about magazines are now on 596 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:26,240 Speaker 1: social media. 597 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:31,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. I think magazines have now transcended into not just 598 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:35,680 Speaker 2: this coveted book that comes out once a month. Now 599 00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:41,719 Speaker 2: it's this accessible hub of point of views. Depending on 600 00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:46,160 Speaker 2: what magazine slash you know, website, media brand, you want 601 00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:48,240 Speaker 2: to go on and you don't have to wait for 602 00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:51,080 Speaker 2: the next issue, which was something that I, you know, 603 00:32:51,320 --> 00:32:53,560 Speaker 2: always was like I can't when I would see the 604 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:55,800 Speaker 2: new cover and be like, oh my god. But now 605 00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:59,960 Speaker 2: you don't have to wait, and everything online is editorialize 606 00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 2: and then reconfigured to fit social media. Magazines are now 607 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:07,680 Speaker 2: basically taking the stuff that they would have put in 608 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:11,760 Speaker 2: print and being able to have it be ten times 609 00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:16,440 Speaker 2: more effective and reach a way larger audience by you know, 610 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:22,240 Speaker 2: putting those tips or tricks or recommendations in highly digestible content. 611 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:24,959 Speaker 2: And that's what we do at The New Zett and 612 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:28,520 Speaker 2: I think the reason why we've been successful because unlike 613 00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:31,560 Speaker 2: some magazines where they talk down to you, we always 614 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:34,680 Speaker 2: have been like the accessible best friend that is learning 615 00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:35,560 Speaker 2: alongside you. 616 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:38,960 Speaker 1: Danielle, thank you so much for joining us here on 617 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:39,760 Speaker 1: the bright side. 618 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:41,440 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me. 619 00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:46,560 Speaker 1: Daniella Pearson is the founder and CEO of The New 620 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:49,760 Speaker 1: Zett and Chasm, a company founded to close the gender 621 00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:55,720 Speaker 1: gap through entrepreneurship. Big announcement here, I am so excited 622 00:33:55,720 --> 00:33:59,480 Speaker 1: to share Shinaway is back this October eleventh and twelfth. 623 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,640 Speaker 1: In Life, angels. If you've been before, you know it's 624 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:07,120 Speaker 1: Hello Sunshine's incredible weekend of connection, joy and community. And 625 00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:09,279 Speaker 1: if you haven't, well, this is the here to come. 626 00:34:09,719 --> 00:34:14,360 Speaker 1: Throughout the day, you'll experience thoughtful panels, fireside chats, workshops, 627 00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:18,040 Speaker 1: and immersive activations surrounded by voices that are shaping culture 628 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:22,040 Speaker 1: and shifting conversations. Whether you're a longtime listener or just 629 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:24,200 Speaker 1: joining us, this is your chance to be part of 630 00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:27,960 Speaker 1: a truly special and memorable weekend. Tickets are selling fast, 631 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:30,799 Speaker 1: so head to Hellosunshine dot com slash shine Away to 632 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:34,600 Speaker 1: grab yours. The bright Side is a production of Hello 633 00:34:34,680 --> 00:34:38,200 Speaker 1: Sunshine and iHeart Podcasts and is executive produced by Reese 634 00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:43,400 Speaker 1: Witherspoon and me Simone Voice. Production is by ACAST Creative Studios. 635 00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:47,960 Speaker 1: Our producers are Taylor Williamson, Adrian Bain, Abby Delk, and 636 00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:53,600 Speaker 1: Darby Masters. Our production assistant is Joya Putnoy. Acasts executive 637 00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:57,400 Speaker 1: producers are Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder. Maureen Polo and 638 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:01,399 Speaker 1: Reese Witherspoon are the executive producers for Hello Sunshine. 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