Dear FoundHer...

A jar of homemade deodorant at a Portland farmers market became a multimillion-dollar acquisition by Unilever seven years later, and the woman behind it never had a master plan.On this episode of Dear FoundHer, host Lindsay Pinchuk sits down with Jaime Schmidt, founder of Schmidt's Naturals, for one of those rare, unfiltered conversations about bootstrapping a consumer brand from a kitchen table with almost no money, no manufacturing experience, and a newborn at home. Jaime's path was not linear or polished. She was a social worker who moved across the country, got inspired by the Portland maker community, and started whipping up natural deodorant while pregnant because she wanted cleaner products and could not afford to buy them. That is where it all began.What makes her story so useful for a first-time founder is how unglamorous the early days really were. Jaime hand-formulated everything using basic pantry ingredients, packed jars in a garage with a small team working off a changing table, and sold them on Etsy and at markets before she had a real website. Getting publicity came not from a PR firm but from sending samples to bloggers and YouTubers who were excited for new things to try. An early Today Show feature brought a flood of orders she was not ready for.Transitioning from employee to founder meant learning wholesale, retail pricing, inventory forecasting, and supply chain on the fly as the brand moved into Whole Foods and beyond. Managing rapid growth brought its own pressure. Scaling rapidly through multiple manufacturing spaces while trying to protect product quality and stay cash-flow stable tested everything she had built.Jaime's advice to women starting over or starting late? Stop talking yourself out of it. Find people who support you. And stop fixating on the end game. Just focus on the next real step in front of you. She did exactly that, and it was enough.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Jaime Schmidt on Building Schmidt’s Naturals From Scratch03:16 How Schmidt’s Naturals Started at a Kitchen Table06:09 Getting Publicity Through Bloggers, The Today Show, and Early Retail Wins10:39 Bootstrapping Manufacturing and Scaling Into Major Retail Stores13:08 Why Jaime Schmidt Sold Schmidt’s Naturals to Unilever17:28 How to Scale a Consumer Brand Without Losing Your Values22:20 Jaime Schmidt on Mentorship, Supermaker, and Investing After Exit26:28 Business Advice for Women Starting Later and Becoming a FounderConnect with Jaime Schmidt:Follow Jaime on InstagramConnect with Jaime on LinkedInSubscribe to The FoundHer Files: http://foundherfiles.substack.comDon't build your business alone, join the FoundHer Forum to build alongside women just like you: https://www.dearfoundher.com/tourFollow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Are you looking to level up your business? Apply for Lindsay's year-long mastermind and mentorship, Marketing Made Simple for Small BusinessScaling a business means protecting your brand, your standards, and your sanity as growth picks up speed.On Dear FoundHer, host Lindsay Pinchuk sits down with Gara Post, co-founder and chief creative officer of The NOW, for an honest look at scaling a business through smart decisions, steady leadership, and a clear brand point of view. Gara shares what helped The NOW build brand awareness early, why partnership marketing and earned media played such a strong role, and how women founders can create momentum without chasing every trend.This conversation gets into the real work behind managing rapid growth, from franchise systems and team support to protecting the customer experience across every location. Gara also speaks to the emotional side of scaling a business, with pressure, risk, and the need for support as the company grows. For women founders who want a clearer path to scaling a business, this episode offers practical perspective, sharper thinking, and a useful reminder that growth works best when the brand stays consistent and the founder stays grounded.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Gara Post on Building The NOW04:44 The Gap in the Wellness Market That Sparked The NOW05:50 What Made The NOW Stand Out From Traditional Massage Brands10:17 Scaling a Brick and Mortar Business in the Early Growth Stage13:04 Organic Marketing, Press, and Growth Without Paid Influencers14:54 The Franchise Decision and the Risks of Scaling a Brand19:44 SOPs, Team Support, and What Helped The NOW Scale22:51 Brand Consistency, Social Media Control, and Customer Experience29:25 Product Strategy and Local Brand Awareness32:00 Gara Post’s Advice for Women Founders and Business GrowthConnect with Gara Post:Follow Gara on InstagramFollow Gara on TikTokFollow The NOW Massage on InstagramFollow The NOW Massage on TikTokSubscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Join us for our free SWEEP workshop on April 9th to learn how to apply simple marketing strategies to your business. Register hereApparis grew because Lauren knew how to spot demand before the business looked ready for it.On Dear FoundHer, Lindsay Pinchuk talks with Lauren Nouchi, co-founder and creative director of Apparis, about the kind of growth story women founders rarely hear told plainly. Lauren shares how Apparis moved from an early concept that missed the mark to a brand with real traction, and why that shift depended on listening closely to the market, making fast decisions, and building credibility one move at a time. The conversation gets into bootstrapping, growing an audience, scaling challenges, partnership marketing, and founder visibility in ways that feel useful rather than polished. Lauren explains how retail partners, pop-ups, gifting, and brand collaborations helped create momentum, and why staying lean forced better choices.For women founders, the value here is the honesty around pressure, pivots, and the gap between how a brand looks from the outside and how it actually runs day to day. If women founders want a clearer picture of how trust, visibility, and demand are built over time, Dear FoundHer delivers that here.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Why Lindsay Pinchuk Brought the Apparis Founder to Dear FoundHer01:25 How Lauren Nouchi Started Apparis04:28 The Pivot That Helped Apparis Find Product Market Fit07:25 The Bold Ask That Turned an Idea Into a Brand12:12 How Apparis Built Credibility and Grew Through Wholesale19:35 The Marketing Strategy Behind Apparis Growth23:27 Building a Lean Team and Scaling Apparis35:38 Lauren Nouchi’s Best Advice for Women FoundersConnect with Lauren Nouchi:Follow Apparis on InstagramFollow Lauren on InstagramJoin us for our free SWEEP workshop on April 9th to learn how to apply simple marketing strategies to your business. Register hereSubscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Before you dive in, grab your free spot at my SWEEP Workshop on April 9th, the marketing framework that makes everything you're about to hear actionable for your own business. REGISTER HERE.What does it actually take to grow an audience, get press, and scale a business, without a massive team or a marketing budget? In this episode, Lindsay Pinchuk pulls back the curtain on the exact system she used to build her first company, Bump Club and Beyond, from a $500 idea into a 7-figure brand working with Target, Nordstrom, Huggies, and Unilever. The real founder story behind the framework? She didn't know she had a system until after she sold the company.That system is SWEEP, and in this solo episode, Lindsay breaks down how she's applied it, on purpose this time, to grow Dear FoundHer… from a passion project podcast into a full community, events platform, and mentorship program. This is a masterclass in founder visibility, growing an audience without paid ads, managing rapid growth as a solo operator, and building a publicity strategy from scratch.If you're a woman startup founder who feels like you're doing all the things but not getting the traction you deserve, this episode is the one you've been waiting for.In This Episode, You'll Learn:The real founder story behind SWEEP, how Lindsay built a 7-figure business while serving as her own marketing department, with little more than a couple of contractors by her sideWhy SWEEP was born out of necessity: what bootstrapping, scrappiness, and zero budget actually looks like in practiceHow Lindsay leveraged press relationships from her first company to land TV segments and build immediate credibility when launching Dear FoundHer…The intentional decision to launch with interview-only episodes for an entire year, and the audience growth strategy behind itHow listener demand for real-life connection led to live events, and how those events became the catalyst for expanding into workshops, an online community, and mentorshipThe five-part SWEEP framework: Social Media, Website, Email, Events, and Partnerships + Publicity, and how to apply it to every piece of content you createWhat managing rapid growth actually looks like when you're a founder who is also your own marketing teamHow to build a publicity strategy that doesn't require a PR agency or a big budgetWhy company messaging and consistency across every touchpoint is the real driver of scaling challenges, and how to solve itIf You Loved This Episode: Share it with a woman startup founder in your life who needs a real marketing system, not another hack. And if you haven't yet, scroll down and leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts. It's the single biggest thing you can do to help other women find this show.Everything you just heard in this episode? It's SWEEP in action. Join me on April 9th for a free live SWEEP Workshop where I'll teach you the exact framework that makes marketing simple, consistent, and effective for women business owners just like you. Register for free, and I'll see you there.Subscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram This episode originally ran on April 18, 2023.

Before you dive in, grab your free spot at my SWEEP Workshop on April 9th, the marketing framework that makes everything you're about to hear actionable for your own business. REGISTER HERE. If you've ever wondered what it really takes to go from a kitchen table idea to a brand with a cult following, this episode is your blueprint.Lauren Dudley-Stevens and Khaki Dudley-McGrath, co-founders of Dudley Stevens, are two of the most refreshingly honest women startup founders you'll ever hear from. They started with a simple observation, stylish fleece didn't exist, and turned it into a thriving, self-funded direct-to-consumer brand that women are obsessed with. No outside investors. No big marketing budget. Just real founder stories, scrappy decisions, and an unwavering commitment to their mission.In this conversation, Host, Lindsay Pinchuk, sits down with Lauren Stephens and Khaki McGrath to unpack exactly how they did it, and what they'd do differently.In this episode, you'll hear:How they tested their product with just 600 pieces before going all in, and why that decision changed everythingThe organic social media and influencer strategy that built their audience from the ground up, without throwing money at adsHow their company messaging and "North Star" has guided every decision they've made for nearly a decade, and how coming back to it has saved them more than onceThe real story of managing rapid growth, including the day they sold out of everything and had to hire high school girls to help pack boxesWhy managing teams with fractional employees and consultants has been one of their smartest scaling decisionsHow their publicity strategy evolved from gifting influencers to building a full affiliate program that drives real revenueThe honest truth about scaling challenges, what happens when you grow too fast and why bigger is not always betterWhat founder visibility actually looks like when you're a product-based brand, and how telling your story is the single most powerful marketing tool you haveWhy getting press and building partnerships has been central to their growth from day oneThis episode is for every woman founder who is building something real, something slow, and something she actually loves.Whether you're just starting out or navigating the growing pains of a business that's taken off faster than expected, Lauren and Khaki's story will remind you that the best brands aren't built overnight, they're built with intention, consistency, and an unshakeable sense of who you are.Connect with Dudley Stevens:Instagram: @dudleystephensWebsite: dudleystephens.comEverything you just heard in this episode? It's SWEEP in action. Join me on April 9th for a free live SWEEP Workshop where I'll teach you the exact framework that makes marketing simple, consistent, and effective for women business owners just like you. Register for free, and I'll see you there.Subscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Loved this episode? Share it in your stories and tag @lindsaypinchuk and @dearfoundher. And if you haven't already, subscribe and leave us a five star review, it's how other women startup founders find real stories like this one.This episode originally ran on November 7, 2024.

Before you dive in, grab your free spot at my SWEEP Workshop on April 9th, the marketing framework that makes everything you're about to hear actionable for your own business. Register Here to JOIN US!You Know You Need to Show Up — So Why Aren't You? With Peloton's Jenn ShermanIf you've ever felt invisible online despite having something real to say, this episode is for you.Peloton's original instructor Jenn Sherman is back on Dear FoundHer, and this time, we're not talking about her Peloton journey. We're talking about one of the biggest challenges facing women startup founders and entrepreneurs today: founder visibility. Specifically, why so many of us know we need to show up on social media for our personal brand and business, and why we still don't.Jenn made headlines (in our community, at least) when she admitted she had never made a reel. What happened next? An outpouring of real founder stories from women just like her, accomplished, driven, and completely paralyzed when it comes to social media.In this conversation, Host, Lindsay Pinchuk and Jenn get real about the imposter syndrome, the overwhelm, and the very practical steps that finally got Jenn moving.Because here's the truth: growing an audience doesn't require perfection, it requires consistency.In this episode, you'll hear:Why founder visibility matters more now than ever, and what's at stake when you go dark on social mediaHow Jenn finally broke through her fear and what happened to her engagement when she didLindsay's 5-step social media challenge designed specifically for founders who feel behindThe connection between company messaging, showing up consistently, and building a community that convertsWhy your publicity strategy starts with your own platforms, before you ever pitch a journalistHow to stop posting and ghosting, and start building real relationships onlineThe simple content banking system that makes growing an audience actually manageableThis one is for every woman founder who has ever said "I know I should be doing more," and hasn't yet.Whether you're navigating the scaling challenges of a growing business, trying to get press for the first time, or just figuring out how to manage your time and messaging across platforms, this episode will meet you exactly where you are.Connect with Jenn Sherman on Instagram here.Everything you just heard in this episode? It's SWEEP in action. Join me on April 9th for a free live SWEEP Workshop where I'll teach you the exact framework that makes marketing simple, consistent, and effective for women business owners just like you. Register for free, and I'll see you there.Subscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram If this episode resonated with you, share it in your stories and tag @lindsaypinchuk and @dearfoundher, we want to hear from you. This episode originally ran on March 16, 2023. You can listen to the follow up from this conversation here.

Before you dive in, grab your free spot at my SWEEP Workshop on April 9th, the marketing framework that makes everything you're about to hear actionable for your own business. REGISTER HEREWhat do you do when every bank says no, the SBA tells you baking is "just a hobby," and you still believe in your idea with every fiber of your being? If you're Susie Sarich, you print out your business plan, hand it to anyone who will listen, and you build one of California's most beloved bakery brands anyway.This is one of the most inspiring real founder stories we've ever shared on Dear FoundHer, and it is packed with lessons that every woman startup founder needs to hear.Susie Sarich is the founder and CEO of Susie Cakes, a now-iconic bakery brand with 26 locations across California and Texas and a thriving nationwide shipping business. But before the empire, there was a woman with a dream, her grandmother's recipe cards, and a fierce belief that the West Coast was missing something: simple, from-scratch, Midwest-style baking made with love.In this episode, Susie and Lindsay dig into the real story behind the brand, the scrappy early days, the grassroots publicity strategy that got the word out before social media even existed, and the hard lessons that come with managing rapid growth across dozens of locations.In this episode, you'll hear:How Susie identified a gap in the market and built her company messaging around a mission that has never wavered, connecting through celebrationThe rejection she faced from banks and the SBA, and how she funded her first location anyway through friends, family, and sheer persistenceHer early publicity strategy, including passing out cupcakes in traffic on San Vicente Boulevard and catering events for free to get her product into the right handsHow she grew an audience and built a loyal customer base long before Instagram existed, and what that teaches us about founder visibility todayThe real scaling challenges of going from one location to 26, including how she seeds every new location with experienced team members to protect the brandHer approach to managing teams across multiple states while staying true to the values and culture she built from day oneWhy getting press matters, and how celebrity word of mouth and old-school media became her most powerful growth toolsHow she finally embraced her own founder visibility and what her marketing team had to convince her to doThe nationwide shipping business she resisted for years, and why COVID changed everythingWhat it means to build a legacy brand rooted in the women who came before youThis episode is for every woman startup founder who has been told no, who is figuring out how to scale without losing her soul, and who believes that the best marketing isn't about budget, it's about showing up and serving your community.Susie's story proves that when your mission is real, your product is good, and your values are non-negotiable, the growth will come. It just takes grit, patience, and a really good cupcake.Connect with Susie Cakes:Instagram: @susiecakesWebsite: susiecakes.comEverything you just heard in this episode? It's SWEEP in action. Join me on April 9th for a free live SWEEP Workshop where I'll teach you the exact framework that makes marketing simple, consistent, and effective for women business owners just like you. Register for free, and I'll see you there.Subscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Loved this episode? Share it in your stories and tag @lindsaypinchuk and @dearfoundher. And if you haven't already, subscribe and leave us a five star review, it's how other women startup founders find real stories like this one.This episode originally ran on December 6, 2022.

In this episode, host and Founder of Dear FoundHer..., Lindsay Pinchuk, gets real with you about a bump in the road, one of the more relatable real founder stories she's lived through: losing a key team member right when you need them most.Lindsay spent three months onboarding and investing in her new VA, only to receive an email saying she was done with no notice, no transition. As someone who is actively managing rapid growth and navigating the scaling challenges that come with running a small business solo, this hit hard. And she wants to talk about it, because she knows so many of you are in the same boat when it comes to managing teams and finding the right support.Here’s what we cover in this episode:•      The full story: What happened with the VA and what it really means to leave a small business owner without notice•      Why managing teams as a solopreneur is one of the hardest parts of scaling challenges no one warns you about•      What’s changing on the podcast this month (and why it’s actually a good thing)•      Lindsay's 5-tip framework for pivoting with purpose when your plan suddenly changesSubscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Get on the waitlist for Lindsay's mastermind, Marketing Made Simple for Small Business. Applications for the new cohort open soon.