{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/63ba05595c7f640011fdcaed/6a30334d6edea1d9abe5081f?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"She Got Adidas to Back an Idea on Paper | Female Founders and Bootstrapping with Odessa Jenkins ","description":"<p>Odessa Jenkins built a professional women's tackle football league before anyone believed the market existed.</p><p><br></p><p>On this episode of Dear FoundHer, host Lindsay Pinchuk talks with Odessa Jenkins, known as OJ, founder and CEO of the Women's National Football Conference. Her story carries a lesson female founders everywhere need to hear. You don't wait for permission to build something new. You describe your vision so clearly the right people see it before a single game is played. That's how OJ won over ten teams and two major sports brands while the league was still an idea on paper.</p><p><br></p><p>This is the kind of conversation women in business rarely get to hear. OJ worked a full-time job while selling the league. She convinced her wife to leave a corporate career and build alongside her. Bootstrapping kept the lights on for five years and profit didn't arrive until year three. None of those details show up on a TV broadcast, yet every one of them shaped what the WNFC has become. Sixteen teams, 900 athletes, and a championship game airing live on ESPN2.</p><p><br></p><p>Female founders will recognize themselves in OJ's honesty about startup funding, partnership marketing with brands like Adidas, and the unglamorous work behind a bold mission. Her message cuts through the noise. Ready isn't real. Ask for what you need. Stop choosing the hardest path when an easier one exists.</p><p><br></p><p>If you're drawn to real founder stories with heart and grit, this episode will stay with you long after you press pause.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Episode Breakdown:</strong></p><p>00:00 Female Founders Who Build Before the Blueprint Exists</p><p>03:05 How Odessa Jenkins Started the WNFC</p><p>08:26 Getting Adidas and Riddell to Back a League That Didn't Exist Yet</p><p>11:13 Bootstrapping, Profit, and the Real Timeline</p><p>14:43 How the Public Responded in Year One</p><p>22:41 Fan Growth, Streaming Numbers, and National TV</p><p>24:53 Flag Football, the Athlete Pipeline, and What's Coming</p><p>27:55 Why the Timing Is Right for Women's Sports Right Now</p><p>31:17 Championship Weekend at Ford Center</p><p>34:28 Three Things Every Woman Starting a Business Needs to Hear</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Connect with Odessa Jenkins:</strong></p><p><a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ojthejuice03/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Follow OJ on Instagram</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wnfcfootball/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Follow Women's National Football Conference on Instagram</a></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Submit your most pressing business questions for our Q+A Substack on Thursday:<a href=\"https://form.jotform.com/260218655668062\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> https://form.jotform.com/260218655668062</a>&nbsp;</p><p><a href=\"http://foundherfiles.substack.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Subscribe to The FoundHer Files&nbsp;</a></p><p><a href=\"http://www.instagram.com/dearfoundher\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram&nbsp;</a></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Podcast production and show notes provided by <a href=\"http://hivecast.fm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>HiveCast.fm</strong></a></p><p><br></p>","author_name":"Lindsay Pinchuk | Female Founder & Small Business Marketing Expert"}