In this episode of Founder Connect, Elizabeth chats with seasoned startup veteran Ben Carcio about the importance of thoughtful leadership transitions in startups. Ben shares his experiences from his successful venture PromoBox, which he grew to over $10 million in ARR, and his latest endeavor, Trevr, a marketing AI startup. They discuss the emotional challenges of stepping down as a CEO, the importance of creating a support network for transitioning leaders, and the need for practical playbooks for CEOs navigating these difficult transitions. Ben also reflects on the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing the value of learning and adaptability.

Ben Carcio is a seasoned start-up veteran with over 20 years of experience building and launching companies. A 5-time entrepreneur, his most successful venture was Promoboxx, which he grew to over $10 million in annual recurring revenue. As a Techstars alum, Ben mentors and advises dozens of founder CEOs, helping them navigate the end stages of their businesses. Recently, Ben shared insights on LinkedIn about shutting down his marketing AI startup, Trevr, highlighting the importance of discussing failure and how founders can transition to their next venture. Alongside exploring leadership roles at growing startups, Ben is building a community dedicated to supporting founding CEOs as they navigate their exits and next steps.

CONNECT WITH BEN:
Linkedin

CONNECT WITH ME:
• Website: www.elizabethoneill.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-oneill-consulting/
• Email: elizabeth@elizabethoneill.com


LET'S WORK TOGETHER:
• Find out how to work with me here: https://elizabethoneill.com/howitworks/

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Ashley Blackington, the founder and CEO of Dovetail®, a B2B care tech company. Ashley shares her compelling journey from being an occupational therapist to becoming an entrepreneur. We chat about the unique challenges of founding a startup, especially as a mother of four during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ashley talks about the importance of staying true to one's vision, the value of contracts in business relationships, and the necessity of balancing personal life with the demands of entrepreneurship. Tune in to hear her insightful perspectives on leadership, efficiency, and the reality of building a business from the ground up.


Dr. Ashley Blackington (OTD, OTR/L) is the Founder & CEO of Dovetail®- a B2B CareTech company helping families streamline the logistics of care. Dovetail® was inspired by her time as a clinician and seeing the impact on family caregivers trying to navigate care without tools to simplify the process. She is also the host of the AND/BOTH podcast (available wherever you get your podcasts), a show featuring conversations with moms honoring themselves as individuals alongside motherhood. She is a mom of four kids, lover of hot coffee, all varieties of books and a good driving soundtrack. You can read more of her work on her Substack. Her forthcoming book examines the intersection of generational trauma, feminism, and personal accountability.

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY:
AND/BOTH Podcast
Dovetail® Website
Substack

CONNECT WITH ME:
• Website: www.elizabethoneill.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-oneill-consulting/
• Email: elizabeth@elizabethoneill.com


LET'S WORK TOGETHER:
• Find out how to work with me here: https://elizabethoneill.com/howitworks/

In today's episode, we feature Erynn Petersen, the CEO and founder of Emme. Erynn shares insights from her extensive career in technology and her journey with startups. Erynn emphasizes the importance of not taking oneself too seriously while taking the mission seriously, recounting lessons learned from massive failures and the resilience it takes to keep going. She discusses the pivotal moment of taking over Emme, maintaining user privacy, and balancing business models with user needs. Erynn elaborates on how age and experience have influenced her current venture, including the challenges and rewards of both failure and success in startups. She highlights the intersection of her professional and personal lives, such as using 360-degree feedback with her children, and offers practical advice for new founders on customer acquisition cost and lifetime value. Her approach is rooted in values of transparency, inclusivity, and kindness, aiming to create meaningful and user-centric products.

Emme is a seed stage healthcare technology company with a mission to put women's health in women's hands, starting with birth control. Emme's products, the Emme app and Emme Smart Case, are together an integrated technology-enabled solution designed to safeguard the birth control pill experience and help reduce the rate of missed pills. With our foray into birth control pill management we are working on solving the adherence problem overall, helping busy women manage their pills and their health. We care deeply about our users' data and privacy is a first class principle in our design process.

Connect with Erynn:
Website: https://www.emme.com

CONNECT WITH ME:
• Website: www.elizabethoneill.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-oneill-consulting/
• Email: elizabeth@elizabethoneill.com


LET'S WORK TOGETHER:
• Find out how to work with me here: https://elizabethoneill.com/howitworks/