Why Investors Should Take A Close Look At Founders With Challenging Backgrounds Who Are Making Big Waves “Don’t worry about falling down; worry about getting back up,” I said to my teenage son this morning after he expressed his fear over performing his piano composition in front of an audience for his final class project. … More WHEN HIRING FOR THE GAME OF “GET BACK UP,” I’M GOING TO WANT TO MEET A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE FALLEN DOWN

When I first wrote this cover letter years ago and read it to my friends, family, and colleagues, most of them thought I was either nuts or just some cocky show-off. But this cover letter is special because it’s a no-holds-barred introduction to who I am as a person and as a worker. I knew … More THE COVER LETTER THAT GOT ME EVERY SALES JOB I EVER APPLIED TO

Melissa Strawn sits in a brightly colored room inside the earthship her and her family built by hand in Seattle, Washington, scrolling through menu options for an upcoming meet and greet where she’ll get a chance to speak to some of the helpers on her site.  The mother of five lights up as she recounts … More How Mom Of Five Melissa Strawn Built A $900 Million Fortune In Less Than 3 Years

On November 27th, I wrote an article titled: Ponderings On Why We Have Yet To Find Success With MyPeopleNow.com (Chapter 1 – Economic Advantage). This was part of a series of articles I will write as I uncover tremendous success with our platform in real time.  What does this mean?  It means that I haven’t … More Our First Partnership and Economic Advantage Part 2

On my way to a Founders Live event at the Hard Rock Cafe last week, I heard a soft voice, “are you gonna eat that?” I turned and saw a man walking with a bike, but because he had turned away from me, I carried on, holding my vegan Thai leftovers in my hand that … More After All These Years, I Still Feel Most At Ease Amongst the Poor

I am super in love with NFX (nfx.com) because with only one article, they helped me mentally define what I have been trying to build with my startup: a market network. There are marketplaces where people buy and sell (think eBay or Airbnb where buyers and sellers are two distinct categories), there are social networks … More Ponderings On Why We Have Yet To Find Success With MyPeopleNow.com (Chapter 1 – Economic Advantage)

Last night I surprised myself at the Safeway checkout when the checker asked me how I was and I replied with, “oh, alive.”  I quickly tried to quell the uncomfortable vibe by rambling on that I had a startup that was still in limbo, etc. etc., but I don’t think the cashier actually wanted to … More Ponderings On Why We Have Yet To Find Success With MyPeopleNow.com (Prologue)

I just completed my first real survey to better understand my customers, website users, and target market.  Though I haven’t sent it out to anyone other than my mom, husband, and kids, I have a heavy boulder-like feeling of anxiety in my chest. This is going to sound super cliche (or like I stole it … More Yes, It Took Me 9 Years To Seek Out Customer Feedback For My Startup

“Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow a great sorrow For it’s tomorrow I behold a great shame For one year it has past since our au pair did arrive Yet I go back to the drawing board from whence I came   See my childcare is now done but my startup did not bloom A thousand and one … More Why I Bought A Lab Coat Today and A Shakespearian Farewell to My Childcare

I have given birth four times. I still remember being in “transition” during my labor with Michael, my oldest. I had done well with no drugs throughout the whole 14 hours and then I got to a point where I felt like I was going to go mad. Like bat-sh*t crazy. I couldn’t take it … More A Thought About “Transition” and Letting Go So That I Can Finally Have