Straighten Your Crown
30 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 30 ratingsWorld domination for female entrepreneurs. Join Andrea & Amy as we share all of the secrets you need to know about starting, scaling, and raising money for a business -- and everything you need to know as a leader.
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Episodes
Alda Leu Dennis: Negotiation Coaching from an Investor
July 22, 2021 22:01 - 48 minutes - 66.3 MBConfused by negotiations on valuation and dilution? Tired of not being heard by men? Feeling like the underdog negotiating against an investor who has 20x the deal experience? What you need is the advice of a seasoned investor you can trust. Enter this ground-breaking interview with Alda Leu Dennis, General Partner at Initialized Capital. Not only is Alda a former litigator (aka expert of experts!) and operator, she came highly recommended from a founder we trust. In...
Amy Jin Demystifies Difficult Conversations
June 16, 2021 13:00 - 58 minutes - 80.1 MBThe key to mastering negotiations is mastering difficult conversations. Yet what makes difficult conversations difficult? How can you have them skillfully instead of avoiding them? As a founder, the most challenging aspects of your job probably boil down to maneuvering difficult conversations, whether they’re in fundraising, with your co-founder, or in delivering or receiving feedback. This interview with Amy gives you exactly the right tools and know-how to master any difficult conver...
Netysha Santos Gives Masterful Negotiation Coaching for Womxn
June 02, 2021 19:39 - 1 hour - 100 MBDid you know that your head is connected to the rest of your body? Why does that matter in negotiation? Does this apply to you: “I know what I need to do, but I feel bad”? What’s happening Meet Netysha Santos, an expert negotiator, coach, and teacher. Netysha honed her negotiation skills on wall street, in big tech (Google and Facebook), and is a trained negotiation instructor via Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation. Yeah, when we said expert, we meant expert. From boxing to medi...
Andrea Minkow's Secrets to Empowered Fundraising Negotiations
May 21, 2021 20:27 - 55 minutes - 76.2 MBSecond in our negotiation series is an in-depth interview with our very own host, Andrea Minkow! Ever wish you could sit down with a seasoned, caring founder who’s dedicated her life to helping other founders? That’s what you get in this interview with Andrea: best-in-class coaching advice, from direct experience, for how founders can win in fundraising negotiations. Andrea gives us the words, questions, and mindset to make killer deals. She shares with us the art form of negotiation, ho...
Erin Gleason Alvarez: Why Mindfulness is Key to Negotiating
May 06, 2021 16:45 - 49 minutes - 67.7 MBFirst up in our negotiation series is star mediator and negotiation teacher, Erin Gleason Alvarez. If you’ve got a negotiation boogie man hiding under your bed, Erin’s smart tools and mindful approach will vanquish your fears and empower you. You’ll realize that negotiation is a survival skill we cultivate early on in life and use hundreds of times every day - meaning, you’re already a skilled negotiator! (What a relief!) You’ll learn how to show up in perceived power differentials, such ...
Bootstrapping, Babies, and Blasting Off: Meet Jennie Monness, the Founder of Union Square Play and Mo’Mommies
April 20, 2021 04:08 - 32 minutes - 44.7 MBWe love vulnerable, shame-busting women like Jennie Monness, the founder and Chief Mom-In-Charge of Union Square Play and the beloved blog, Mo’ Mommies. Jennie, an educator and mom, has built a business that helps all other moms. You’ll hear about the lessons she’s learned from both roles (entrepreneur and mom), and how she’s applied these lessons straight back into both worlds. Jennie also shares with us how she adapted a brick-and-mortar business to the pandemic, and how she overcame obsta...
Alex Batdorf Gets Sh!t Done!
April 01, 2021 19:07 - 1 hour - 87.3 MBAlex Batdorf is an electric presence in the empowerment of female founders. She shares lessons she’s learned as a 3x founder, her early experiences in entrepreneurship, why traction is critical for female founders, and the power of focusing on revenue. We promise you will leave this interview pumped! Bio: Alex Batdorf is a 3X entrepreneur and the Founder & CEO of Get Sh!t Done, the superpower scaling sidekick supporting Womxn entrepreneurs in gaining traction to scale their companies ...
Asian Voices Matter
March 23, 2021 18:54 - 37 minutes - 68.6 MBWe are processing, holding, and doing the work to understand how we can support our Asian community right now, and going forward. We feel it is important to have this conversation, to see and be seen. To hear and be heard. Right now and forever. Amy is Chinese-American, and shares her current experience, as well as an important message to Asian Female Founders: YOU ARE REMARKABLE. We are finding and using our voice, and hope you are finding and using yours too. Some stats: NBC reports th...
Lindsey Taylor Wood wants women to have and make money
March 01, 2021 20:25 - 55 minutes - 75.8 MBThe world is built on men investing, and Lindsey Taylor Wood is here to change that. This founder, investor, and changemaker has been unapologetically empowering women to leverage their capital for over 15 years. And she’s here to share with you her invaluable insights on both investing and raising capital. Not only has Lindsey advised some of the biggest philanthropic names in how to mobilize their capital, she’s also figured out how to deploy funds in the for profit space as an entrepr...
Alexsandra Guerra is a real life mermaid reversing climate change by being a badass entrepreneur
February 08, 2021 20:23 - 53 minutes - 73.6 MBReady to meet another badass female founder tackling climate change? Alexsandra Guerra is the Co-Founder & Director of Corporate Development at Nori. You’ll hear what Alexsandra wanted to be when she grew up (answer: A MERMAID, of course!) and how she’s imbued everything she’s done with true mermaid essence. She tells us stories of stepping into her entrepreneurial DNA, drops confidence sparklers like, “I do sales now because I can do anything,” and leaves us with an invaluable leadership ...
Sanchali Pal follows her dreams, raises an oversubscribed $2.5M seed round from Sequoia, and shows us how to take meaningful climate action
February 08, 2021 20:15 - 55 minutes - 76.2 MBReady to meet another badass female founder? Sanchali Pal, Founder and CEO of Joro, is breaking barriers, scaling her company, and saving the planet, literally. While all of us are sitting over here emitting a full shipping container of carbon everyday, Sanchali is building Joro, an app which makes it easy for regular Janes like us to do something about our emissions. Sanchali removes your cognitive load so that you can take your individual action and turn it into aggregate demand. Sanch...
Jane Mosbacher Morris shows us how to unleash our purchasing power, make global change, and conquer rejection when fundraising
December 08, 2020 01:25 - 58 minutes - 79.8 MBIt’s Season 2 and we are bringing you interviews with incredible female founders who have broken barriers and are changing the world! You want inspiring stories? You want know how? You got it! Our first interview is going to blow your mind. Meet Jane Mosbacher Morris, Founder & CEO of TO THE MARKET. Jane is a visionary entrepreneur who was named one of the World’s 25 Greatest Leaders because of her response to COVID-19 by Fortune Magazine. Jane shares her illuminating journey from the...
Your badass fundraising narrative is here!
November 11, 2020 18:04 - 53 minutes - 73.9 MBWe are back with Season 2! And ready to help you dominate! We'll vulnerably share why we took a break, how we navigated the last 6 months, and how you can give yourself this radical act of empowerment. Now we want to help you Focus, Execute, and Gain Speed! The end of this year is yours. And so is 2021. Grab a scone and latte, and take down our four step process so that you 1) Get clear on your priorities 2) Strategize like a boss 3) Ruthlessly prioritize and 4) Execute even on t...
Crystal Ball Predictions: How will ordinary life change post COVID?
June 18, 2020 14:23 - 56 minutes - 103 MBEven though the lights are down on Broadway, the show must go on. Ordinary life as we knew it is over. We now live in a world where smiling with your eyes is a real thing (you called it, Tyra! SMIZING!), the words “Tiger King” actually make sense, anxiety, grief and loss are commonplace, virtual dating is the only way to meet a partner, WFH and homeschooling is the norm, telehealth and virtual collaboration companies are exploding, and baking has become the national pastime. What else is ne...
Crystal Ball Predictions: How will home life and work change? What new trends will we see?
June 10, 2020 21:39 - 41 minutes - 75.1 MBFirst puzzles sell out, now bikes and kites! Staying home has changed our spending habits, which means new tech, new products and services, and new companies. What business opportunities are in growth and decline? What are you buying? Have you fled city life? How will cities and their surrounding rental markets change as a result? Will the city office go the way of the dinosaurs? How will this pandemic affect the way we care for family members? As for work, as we sit more, will we work mo...
Crystal Ball Predictions: What will die post-COVID? (including unicorns...)
May 14, 2020 18:15 - 42 minutes - 77.2 MBShocker alert: shared dips will die, full stop! Could this virus mean the end of a world where guac for the table is no longer an option? What about restaurants? Will we bid goodbye to the sharing economy? What about movie theaters, hot desking and founder friendly term sheets? Prediction by prediction, we flip through the rolodex of what may no longer exist in a post-COVID19 world. Come get your creative juices flowing so that you can plot your next move as a founder. Don't just live throu...
Crystal Ball Predictions: The fastest growing companies post-Covid
May 14, 2020 18:01 - 15 minutes - 28 MBNewton’s Third Law states: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Ok, so, with all that is not happening, what is going gangbusters? Find yourself wondering what will thrive post-Covid? And what industries or companies will explode? We are. And we think it matters big time for you and your business. Come take a peek inside our crystal ball. Join us as we share our most exacting (and sometimes nutty) predictions for fastest growing companies in the near future. We hop...
The Covid Chronicles: Where Laughter Meets Tears
April 13, 2020 21:10 - 33 minutes - 62.2 MBFound yourself asking what the F is going on? Isn’t the “new normal” an oxymoron? If you’re anything like us, you just ordered new sweatpants and want to build an instagram filter so you don’t have to see another #QuarantinePillowChallenge. Come take a breather and have a laugh with us. After all, there is only so much Xanax in the world, and laughter is the next best medicine. Together we can weather this pandemic with grace and compassion, and return to what truly matters for you and your ...
Ep. 9 Fundraising During Corona? Listen to this!
March 24, 2020 14:04 - 1 hour - 135 MBIf you're fundraising during the COVID-19 pandemic, LISTEN TO THIS NOW. Andrea and Amy interview well respected VCs, angel investors, lawyers, and finance experts and summarize their advice for you. Are investors still writing checks? How do current events influence their decision making? We show you how to: take control of your own destiny, adapt your story even if your revenue has dropped, tap your network, strategize, find opportunities, and pitch remotely. Head to our website for more re...
Fundraising During Corona? Listen to this!
March 24, 2020 14:04 - 1 hour - 135 MBIf you're fundraising during the COVID-19 pandemic, LISTEN TO THIS NOW. Andrea and Amy interview well respected VCs, angel investors, lawyers, and finance experts and summarize their advice for you. Are investors still writing checks? How do current events influence their decision making? We show you how to: take control of your own destiny, adapt your story even if your revenue has dropped, tap your network, strategize, find opportunities, and pitch remotely. Head to our website for more re...
What holds female founders back? Wielding Your Feminine Prowess
March 04, 2020 22:51 - 53 minutes - 99.1 MBHave you wondered about how female energy plays a role in entrepreneurship and fundraising? Can your female prowess be an asset instead of a liability? Sexuality is never going away, so let’s navigate it and behave in a way that benefits us and our businesses. How can founders identify their prowess and wield it effectively? Get tips for how to amp up your situational awareness, set boundaries, make asks and more. And, we recommend obligations that investors can adopt today. Tips: https://bi...
What holds female founders back? The Dangerous Dance of Comparison
January 08, 2020 19:34 - 47 minutes - 67.7 MBEver find yourself distracted comparing yourself to others and their success? You have come to the right place! Andrea & Amy explore how female founders get cheated when they stop asking, "Why not me?", and focus on what others are doing. We are trained from a young age to compete and compare -- what would happen if we stopped and focused on empire building, AND helped other women along the way? Join Andrea & Amy as they provide hilarious stories, tips and tricks for how to increase the pace...
What holds female founders back? Our need to be liked
January 08, 2020 19:27 - 43 minutes - 79.2 MBIn our next batch of episodes, Andrea and Amy excavate and conquer what holds women back. First up: our need to be liked. What’s the problem with needing to be liked, especially as a female entrepreneur? How does it hold us back, and can it diminish our authenticity? At the end of the day, is there something more important than being liked? How can we free ourselves AND other women from this societal patterning, and thereby unleash a community of women leaders? As usual, Andrea and Amy pro...
How to Run a Baller Pitch Meeting - Making the ask
October 16, 2019 16:17 - 26 minutes - 32.7 MBUncomfortable asking for money? Andrea and Amy show you why you MUST make the ask, what power it gives you (even if it means being vulnerable), what to ask for, and how to craft a partnership with an investor. You also get the secrets of the benefits of asking. You'll learn how to hold onto your power, present yourself as an opportunity, all whilst not giving away the farm! (Part 4 of 4)
Ep. 5 How to Run a Baller Pitch Meeting - Making the ask
October 16, 2019 16:17 - 26 minutes - 32.7 MBUncomfortable asking for money? Andrea and Amy show you why you MUST make the ask, what power it gives you (even if it means being vulnerable), what to ask for, and how to craft a partnership with an investor. You also get the secrets of the benefits of asking. You'll learn how to hold onto your power, present yourself as an opportunity, all whilst not giving away the farm! (Part 4 of 4)
Ep 4: How to run a baller pitch meeting: Mindset, discovery, and the one thing you should never leave the meeting without doing (Part 3 of 4)
October 16, 2019 16:15 - 38 minutes - 45.9 MBPitching can be the most empowering thing you do! We give you the secrets of a charismatic mindset, the pre-meeting ritual that primes the rockstar in you, and how to avoid common pitfalls. Andrea recounts her experience pitching 100 investors, and you learn the power of discovery. We discuss best practices on where to sit, what to wear, and how to showcase your special sauce. Tune in for stories from other founders and tips that you can't live without. Most of all, never leave the meeting w...
Ep 3: How to run a baller pitch meeting - Prep your materials (Part 2 of 4)
October 16, 2019 16:11 - 15 minutes - 19.8 MBSo you're pitching and fundraising. What materials do you need to ace the process? Andrea and Amy break down the essentials of a pitch deck, business plan, and financial model and make it easy and simple. You'll also get tips on email templates. The best part - learn about the single mindset shift that will totally change the way you approach pitching and fundraising, for good! Tune in, get guidance and clarity, and realize that it is you who's offering an incredible opportunity to your inv...
How to run a baller pitch meeting - Prep your materials (Part 2 of 4)
October 16, 2019 16:11 - 15 minutes - 19.8 MBSo you're pitching and fundraising. What materials do you need to ace the process? Andrea and Amy break down the essentials of a pitch deck, business plan, and financial model and make it easy and simple. You'll also get tips on email templates. The best part - learn about the single mindset shift that will totally change the way you approach pitching and fundraising, for good! Tune in, get guidance and clarity, and realize that it is you who's offering an incredible opportunity to your inv...
Ep 2: How to run a baller pitch meeting - Know your why and get unflappable confidence (Part 1 of 4)
October 16, 2019 16:05 - 21 minutes - 26.5 MBAre you thinking about fundraising, or in the middle of it? Trying to ace your pitch? We will walk you through how to prepare before you even start pitching. Get the tools to develop unflappable confidence. Uncover your personal & business WHY & use this to power your pitch. Understand what makes you unique, formidable, and therefore a compelling investment. Last, we will help you get clear on the business problem you're solving so that you can articulate it in a quantifiable & urgent way. P...
Ep 1: Meet your hosts and get the #1 tip they want female founders to know
July 17, 2019 13:42 - 35 minutes - 48.1 MBWelcome to Straighten Your Crown, the secret society for women who want to rule the world! Meet your co-hosts, Andrea Minkow and Amy Jin, and learn how they got to where they are, what's motivated them to share all of the secrets you need to know to start, grow, scale and raise money for a business, and be the best leader you can possibly be! They also share the ONE thing they want all female entrepreneurs to know -- it's an empowering secret you won't want to miss! Send us your question...