In today's episode, we delve into the world of sales with Alice Meyerhoff, a seasoned expert in sales partnership and go-to-market strategy for mission-forward organizations. We explore the mindset shift from selling to advising, the importance of believing in your product, and practical strategies for building a sales team. Alice shares her experiences in various sales roles, including working with non-profits and engineering firms, and offers valuable advice for founders on structuring sales teams, using CRM tools effectively, and aligning sales incentives. We also touch on the broader applications of AI in business and personal scenarios, making this episode a rich source of insights for founders and sales professionals alike.

Alice Myerhoff leads Myerhoff Consulting which offers sales, partnership & go-to-market strategy consulting to mission-forward organizations. Over the last decade, she has dedicated her career to supporting organizations with a positive social impact, holding executive-level positions in workforce development, gender equity and education-focused organizations. She is a Founding Limited Partner at How Women Invest, a venture fund that invests exclusively in women-led companies. She is an executive board member of Lincoln Families, an Oakland-based nonprofit which provides support services that disrupt the cycles of poverty and trauma, and a board member for Girls Inc of the Island City, which delivers life-changing programs and experiences for ethnically and economically diverse girls, equipping them to overcome serious barriers and grow up strong, smart, and bold.

In her free time, Alice bikes, plays tennis, does yoga, reads a ton and travels. The ideal trip combines all of those things and may or may not include her husband and two daughters.

Connect with Alice:
www.myerhoffconsulting.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/

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/

In this episode, Jason Griffith, co-founder and co-CEO of Synco, joins me to discuss the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurial life. Jason shares insights from his extensive experience in founding multiple startups, including SiteCompli, and offers advice on selecting the right co-founders, building company culture, managing crises, and the importance of values in a business. He emphasizes the necessity of having tough conversations and adapting to change while maintaining a resilient and passionate mindset. This episode is a deep dive into the realities of startup life, from initial survival to scaling and beyond.

Jason Griffith is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Synco, the centralized communications platform for leading Property Management teams. Prior to founding Synco, Jason was the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of SiteCompli, a compliance automation platform used across 1M+ residential units & 70% of Class A office properties in NYC that is now part of Inhabit, a collective of property management software companies backed by Insight Venture Partners and Goldman Sachs. Jason is passionate about building great real estate technology solutions powered by great teams.

Connect with Jason:

Website: teamsynco.com

Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/company/teamsynco

Links Mentioned:

Lifelabs

Feiner Points of Leadership

Jason's article on co-founders

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, Jen Bullard, founder of Yes Yes Know, a full-service UX agency, discusses her experiences and insights on user experience and UI design, reflecting on her work with startups. We talk about her inspiration for starting her company, the importance of user research and understanding cognitive psychological factors in design, and practical advice for founders, including the significance of knowing user needs and being ready to pivot. Jen also shares her teaching experience at Northeastern and delves into the challenges and strategies she employs to manage her team and business development.

Yes Yes Know Founder, Jen Bullard, has over 20 years of UX experience. Yes Yes Know has become synonymous with outstanding UX design and start-ups alike: Jen’s clients have been bought by Apple and acquired for hundreds of millions – even billions – of dollars.

Jen’s industry experience includes high-tech, b2b, SaaS software startups in cyber security, data management, and fin-tech. She has a Master's in Human Computer Interaction from Rensselaer Polytechnic (RPI) paired with a fine arts degree from SUNY Buffalo. Jen also lectures at Northeastern University in Informatics and Mentors with TechStars Boston and Rhode Island Black Business Assoc. (RIBBA).

Connect with Jen:

https://www.yesyesknow.co/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferbullard/

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 premiere episode of the Founder Connect Podcast, we are joined by Christine Fisher, COO and co-founder of POSSIP. Christine shares insights on managing startup challenges, maintaining team morale, and balancing personal and professional life. She discusses POSSIP's mission to streamline communication between schools and parents through pulse check surveys and addresses the importance of focusing on controllable factors to sustain motivation. She also highlights the transition from corporate to startup culture, the significance of co-founder dynamics, and offers advice on maintaining resilience and finding joy outside of work.

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/