Yesterday, I woke up to an email that got me to leap out of bed and wake my husband up while screaming like a banshee.  “We got a maybe!  We got a maybe!  We might be in!!!” I exclaimed as he clearly struggled to know what the heck I was talking about.  I explained that … More I Got Rejected By YC Today – For the 2nd Time – and Still Feel Incredible

Dear Rand, Before I nervously walked up to you after your “Why Startups Suck At Marketing” talk on Friday, you and I had never met in person. But you had already changed my life and startup in several critical ways over the last several months since reading your book, “Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field … More An Open Thank You to Rand Fishkin for “Lost and Founder”

Last night I had the privilege and honor to volunteer with the Greater Foundation by being both a mentor and judge to underserved youth who are learning entrepreneurial, technical, and business skills. Walking into the youth center where the event was being held was a bit of a culture shock – but only until it transported … More It Takes A Village To Raise A Generation Of Diverse Entrepreneurs

Yesterday was the very first time that two people transacted and spent money on our site without our direct involvement.  Making that first $3 dollars made me so excited that I shrieked and ran upstairs screaming the news to our au pair (and subsequently waking up my sleeping toddler). But wait, you mean you haven’t … More We Earned Our First $3 Dollars Yesterday (but wait – I thought you were doing so well!)

My startup was featured on GeekWire exactly one week ago today (https://www.geekwire.com/2018/mypeople-inc/).  The article had over a thousand views on LinkedIn (my highest yet) and no doubt contributed to more than 150 people joining our site.  In fact, half of all of our website visitors came from GeekWire in the last week. And yet, here … More A Week After GeekWire – Where’s My Cover On Forbes?!

I never talk about how I arrived in Seattle four years ago homeless as a single mother with two children and nothing but the possessions that fit in my car. But it was the first thing out of my mouth when I met Alicia Crank at the Female Founders Alliance Ready Set Raise program in … More Poor Women Make Great Founders Too

Dear WSU, $7,000 dollars stands in the way of me returning to your school to finish my Sociology degree. I’d like to use this letter to explain to you why I think I am a good enough bet for you to allow me to return to your school before the debt is paid (versus after). … More An Open Letter to WSU (preventing another teen mom statistic)

Since entering the startup scene in Seattle about 16 months ago, I have been inundated with the rhetoric surrounding the massive disparity between the funding that female founders get versus male.  But funding, especially since many angel investors outright say they don’t want you to use their money to pay yourself a salary, is not … More Female Founder Equality Won’t Truly Exist Without Accessible Childcare

I’m sitting on my flight back to Seattle and rather than getting in some much needed shut-eye, my wheels are turning again. I’ve decided to stop trying to fundraise from accelerators, Angels, and VC’s. Sure, I’ve only applied to a handful of things so this may seem premature, but the experience itself has proven not … More Fundraising and Prostitution (a phony comparative analysis)

For anyone who thinks entrepreneurship is glamorous, think again. This was my day yesterday. I woke up around 4AM. This is basically when my brain becomes aware of the outside world again and within minutes, panic sets in. “How will we succeed? Will we survive? I need to send that email! I need more sleep! … More A Day In the Life (and remembering my “why”)