Straighten Your Crown

Confused 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 this episode, Alda gifts all female founders her simple, laser sharp strategies for negotiating and winning. You'll learn effective levers founders can use to negotiate on valuation, how important it is to understand what your counterparty cares about, and how to communicate in a way that will be heard. We hope this episode makes all the difference in your next round!   Alda's bio:   Alda Leu Dennis is a General Partner at seed-stage investment firm, Initialized Capital. She has over a decade of investing and legal experience and is focused on investing in startups with founders that are solving real world problems with software in sectors including famtech, consumer behavior, and underserved markets. Some of her investments include The Mom Project, A-Frame, Kinside and Ava. Before Initialized she was managing partner at 137 Ventures where she led investments in Planet Labs, Wish, Coupang, CourseHero, and Work Market (acquired by ADP). Previously she was COO at Airtime, General Counsel at Founders Fund, Assistant General Counsel at Peter Thiel's Clarium Capital Management. 

The 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 conversation so that you can strengthen your relationships, and get what you want.   Amy's bio: Amy is a mindfulness-based leadership coach and speaker. Amy has coached mission-driven entrepreneurs backed by a16z, Female Founders Fund, First Round Capital, and executives at Google, Lyft, and Hinge. She utilizes the latest research in neuroscience and human behavior to empower her founders and has been trained by The Coaches Training Institute (CTI Co-Active). She is a pitching & public speaking expert and regularly speaks at tech & leadership conferences, accelerators, and universities. A negotiation nerd, she has been personally trained by Stuart Diamond, author of Getting More.   A former tech executive, Amy launched & scaled first-of-kind products across the US and Europe. At Google, she led business development, including the successful international launch of Google Pay across Europe. Prior to that, Amy was the youngest member of the OpenTable sales team, where she won every sales award and helped build the company's revenue towards its 2009 IPO. In 2010, Amy co-founded MEI New York, a fashion startup aimed at empowering women. Amy brings the lessons of burnout, of working at startups of all sizes, and as an operator and co-founder to her coaching practice.   Amy holds a B.A. in Psychology and Legal Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a certified yoga teacher, a dedicated meditator, a tango and wine enthusiast, and has traveled to 46 countries. A passionate advocate for women, she is the co-host of Straighten Your Crown, a podcast for female founders. Her life's mission is to reduce human suffering, and her mantra is to lead with heart.

Did 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 meditation, Netysha walks us through killer tools that change the way you enter and leave negotiations. She hones in on how womxn specifically can win in negotiations. Her sharp assessments will show you how to be the best steward of your vision in any circumstance. You’ll feel coached, just like we did. Netysha bio: With over 15 years of business experience ranging from Wall Street to Google and now Facebook, Netysha Santos has spent the bulk of her career on Wall Street and in Big Tech negotiating. Netysha holds an MBA from INSEAD and two bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Political Science from Rutgers University.  She is a PCC with the ICF and a trained negotiations instructor via Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation.  She currently lives in Paris with her family.

Second 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, how to set expectations, and align interests. Most importantly, she gives us the magic for how to find ourselves in negotiations, how to care for fear, and how we can show up: “This version of you is going for the invention of new opportunities. She’s not bound by convention.” Goosebumps!!! Tune in now. Andrea’s bio Andrea is the secret weapon, cheerleader and advisor for second career female entrepreneurs and CEO’s. As an entrepreneur herself she has lived through starting a company and raising 2 rounds of capital.  With 15+ years of creating award winning, impactful work, Andrea is a business strategist with expertise in crafting value propositions, marketing, branding, visual design, technology strategy for companies like, SAP, Intel, Stanford University, Nike and the New York City Marathon. Andrea helps second career female entrepreneurs because she knows both the pain points and expertise needed to start your own business. From the highest highs to the lowest lows, she has seen it all. And she has come out on top.  After working in politics for leaders such as Hillary Clinton and Harry Reid, Andrea moved into creating world-class experiences for companies like Unilever and Under Armor and eventually cofounding an event software management company. Whether it’s politics or business, brand impact or human connection, she understands what makes both businesses and people thrive. She may be a nationally recognized speaker, writer and strategist on female entrepreneurship, technology, politics and business, but Andrea’s not all work. She also loves to play! From sailing to skiing, to hiking with her poodle, Reuben, Andrea loves to be outside and enjoy everything life has to offer. https://andreaminkow.com/

First 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 as when we’re the only woman in the room. (Her elegant answer? “Their behavior is not my fault.” BOOM!) Whether you’re closing deals, hiring/firing, or negotiating with your family, Erin shares ingenious ways to lead with mindfulness and positivity in negotiation. You’ll feel more confident, more creative, and as women, more authentic. You might even walk away with tips to manage imposter syndrome. Erin's Bio: Erin Gleason Alvarez is a mediator, an arbitrator, and an attorney who has been teaching negotiation theory and practice for over fifteen years. She is the CEO of Take Charge Negotiations, which she founded to transform negotiation into a dialogue grounded in mindfulness and positivity. Her online membership community, Compass by Take Charge Negotiations, provides members with a space to learn, practice, and share their journey toward more collaborative and rewarding negotiation experiences and outcomes. https://goop.com/wellness/career-money/why-mindfulness-is-key-to-negotiating/  https://www.takechargenegotiate.com/

We 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 obstacles when she was getting started. Her take home message for moms, kids, and entrepreneurs? Trust yourself. We’ll take Mo’ of that, Jennie! Jennie’s bio: Jennie Monness (Moe-ness) began her career in early childhood 14 years ago after receiving her Master's degree from Teachers college, Columbia University in Psychology in Education. Her first job was teaching English to 18-24 month old native Mandarin speaking children, helping to prepare them for entrance to the most prestigious schools in NYC.  Monness then became the Educational Director of several early childhood centers for 8 years, creating programs that used research-based best practices. In 2017, Jennie decided to take a decade's worth of knowledge in early childhood education, and share her  philosophy and learnings with new parents to educate and empower them through her blog Mo' Mommies. She continued to teach classes, speak at events, and use social media to provide timely information about her own parenting and toy recommendations that new parents deeply need and desire. This led to forming mom’s support groups and eventually the creation of Union Square Play. Links: Replay: Straighten Your Crown AMA on Fundraising, Negotiation, and Deal Making Join our club on Clubhouse!

Alex 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 on their own terms. Their motto is F*ck 4% because Womxn entrepreneurs make up nearly 50% of entrepreneurs yet their companies only generate 4% of TOTAL business revenues. Alex believes womxn entrepreneurs deserve better, can do better, and we will by getting sh!t done and gaining traction, together. Get Sh!t Done’s tribe of Womxn Founders gives 4% the middle finger by slaying traction from increasing revenues 5000% in 30 days, increasing revenues 5X YOY, raising millions from investors, acquiring companies, and much more. Prior to founding Get Sh!t Done, she was co-founder & CMO of ZipFit Denim, a multi-million dollar venture-backed eCommerce company that was acquired in 2019. She's been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, and has spoken around the nation at Harvard, Turner Broadcasting, etc. You can find her at: shegetsshitdone.com/join, and her podcast.

We 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 that in 2020, anti-Asian hate crimes increased by nearly 150%. While the overall hate crime rate is declining, hate crimes targeting Asian people are spiking up. And, a new report shows 3,795 anti-Asian hate incidents (verbal and physical assault) between March 19, 2020 and February 28, 2021. More than 500 incidents happened in 2021. The majority targeted Asian women. What you can do: Sign the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum’s petition to Condemn Hate and Violence Against Asian American Women. Support Stop AAPI Hate, Hate Is A Virus, and/or Red Canary Song, the only grassroots Chinese massage parlor worker coalition in the U.S. in support of political representation and access to labor rights. Donate to the Asian Mental Health Collective

The 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 entrepreneur and as an investor. At thehelm.co, she provides women with the opportunity to put their money to work via her VC fund, by providing access to deals and information via a membership, content you want to consume (trust us) and an e-commerce platform carrying only products by female founders.  Lindsey reveals the bizarre reality that women would rather give their money away than invest it, and what you can do to change this paradigm. You’ll walk away with a surge in perseverance, a more well-rounded perspective, and tips on how to navigate tricky situations. And most importantly you will see how she not only survived the pandemic, but led The Helm to thrive. “The genius thing that we did was we didn't give up.” — Jay Z

Ready 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 lesson.

Ready 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. Sanchali shares her advice on how she closed an oversubscribed $2.5M seed round led by Sequoia, how she broke into Silicon Valley as an outsider, and how a shift in her thinking led to an increase in success. Sanchali is full of deep wisdom on moving through the challenges of starting a company (and a movement!) and she drops some great fundraising advice. We love Sunchali's grit and focus on her customers and her mission, not just investors. 

It’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 beginning of her career at the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Counterterrorism, to raising her last round of capital. You'll hear her wise lessons in dealing with rejection, filling your fundraising round with the right investors (including strategic investors), and key business insights for how to leverage market forces and tap into bigger market sizes. Basically, she's Jack Bauer turned Richard Branson. Her company, TO THE MARKET, allows consumers and businesses like Bloomingdales and Target to source ethically products from around the world. Jane shows us how we can stop human trafficking and empower women with financial freedom on a global scale.  This holiday season, you'll want to check out her book, Buy the Change You Want to See: Use Your Purchasing Power to Make the World a Better Place. Jane shows us how to shop our values, and you'll never underestimate your power as a consumer ever again! Jane's served as the Director of Humanitarian Action for the McCain Institute for International Leadership, and currently serves on the Institute's Human Trafficking Advisory Council. We can't wait for you to meet her! www.tothemarket.com https://www.amazon.com/Buy-Change-You-Want-See/dp/0143133217 

We 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 the things you hate. You’ll get our transformational tips for: thinking like a Billion Dollar CEO, single-metric strategizing, and motivation. To cap it all off, we’ll show you how to turn your experience this year into a compelling, bad ass fundraising narrative. Take stock: you’re closer to product market fit than ever before, and stronger for weathering this storm. Britney would be proud, and so should you. 2020 has given you hard proof of your resilience, formidableness, and ability to execute, and we give you the reframe to help you tell that story to investors.

Even 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 new? What will be born out of this period? What new habits, services, products, or expectations will we see? What cultural shifts will take place? When it comes to startup land, the new normal includes looking at ways people will be born, grow up, buy stuff, stay safe, get exercise, date, marry, pay taxes and die.  Come hang out as Andrea and Amy reimagine the impact of COVID-19 on our ordinary, daily lives.

First 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 more? How do we reclaim headspace? Is there momentum for a 4 day work week? And what trends are we seeing in hiring, layoffs, the passion economy, and the success of women leaders in their handling of this virus in their countries?   Links from our episode: What Do Countries With The Best Coronavirus Responses Have In Common? Women Leaders Nearly Half of Men Say They Do Most of the Home Schooling. 3 Percent of Women Agree. The Richest Neighborhoods Emptied Out Most as Coronavirus Hit New York City Where New Yorkers Moved to Escape Coronavirus ReverCare

Newton’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 hope you’ll find an insight for your business or investment.

Found 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 business. Straighten Your Crown

If 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 resources.

Have 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://bit.ly/2xn9MXh

Ever 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 of your personal and business success. Read: “We could find no empirical evidence supporting the notion that women are more mean-spirited, antagonistic, or untrustworthy in dealing with other women than men are in dealing with other men.” 

In 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 provide tips and tricks for you to better understand yourself and go into any situation and win. Free yourself from what holds women back! 

Pitching 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 without making an ask. (Part 3 of 4)

So 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 investors! (Part 2 of 4.)

Are 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. Part 1 of 4.

Welcome 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 questions and comments at straightenyourcrownpodcast@gmail.com.