Podcast appearances and mentions of jules pieri

Guest Stephanie Roulic is the founder and CEO of Startup Boston where she's become a driving force behind Boston's startup ecosystem. Through Startup Boston, Roulic is on a mission to bring networking opportunities that bridge connections between people from different industries and companies from all stages. She leads a team of dedicated volunteers who are all aligned in fulfilling Startup Boston's vision to establish a more connected Boston business ecosystem. Since co-founding the martech company nDash in 2016, she recognized the need for meaningful connections in the local startup community. This led her to also launch Startup Boston Week in 2017, an annual event that brings together thousands of attendees and hundreds of speakers, including industry luminaries such as Brian Halligan and Jules Pieri. Throughout her journey, Roulic's leadership and passion have shone brightly. From being the first non-engineering hire and employee number 11 at Goldcast, she built out and managed customer success and support teams. She's played an instrumental role at MassChallenge and nDash as well, demonstrating her expertise in community-building and client support. Her accomplishments extend to education where she advises Suffolk University's Management & Entrepreneurship Career Community Advisory Group. In 2022, her efforts with Startup Boston were recognized by the Boston Business Journal as she was named one of BBJ's 2022 40 Under 40 Honorees; and prior to that was named to BBJ's Power 50 for 2020. Her strategic prowess is evident in securing sponsorships, developing onboarding strategies, and creating year-round initiatives and events. With a commitment to diversity, her leadership has resulted in Startup Boston Week drawing a majority representation of women and people of color among speakers. Roulic's journey began with a Bachelor's degree in Communication and Media Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her dedication to her craft and community led her to embrace roles at Geek Girl, where she served as Program Coordinator as a dedicated volunteer. From nDash's inception to the birth of Startup Boston, Stephanie Roulic's profound impact on Boston's startup ecosystem is truly commendable.

What is it like to host several Afghan refugees? We explore refugee resettlement efforts through an inside look into the hosting experience with the first-hand story of Afghan refugee host Jules Pieri, '82, and expert insight from Dr. Odessa Gonzalez Benson, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I interview Jules Pieri, and gain insights on becoming an online, e-commerce juggernaut and successful investor. Jules is the co-founder and former CEO of the product launch platform The Grommet. From industrial design, to consumer products, to X factor Ventures, this is a  deep conversation about thinking, acting and becoming a top innovator in your field. 

The Buzz 1: “What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: know your product better than anyone, know your customer, and have a burning desire to succeed.” (Dave Thomas, Wendy's founder) The Buzz 2: “The best startups generally come from somebody needing to scratch an itch.” (Michael Arrington, TechCrunch founder and co-editor) The Buzz 3: “Don't let others convince you that the idea is good when your gut tells you it's bad.” (Kevin Rose, Digg co-founder) The Buzz 4: “Ignore the hype of the startups that you see in the press. Mostly, it's a pack of lies. Half of these startups will be dead in a year. So, focus on building your business so you can be the one left standing.” (Jules Pieri, The Grommet co-founder and CEO) We'll ask entrepreneurship experts Don DeLoach at Rocket Wagon Venture Studios, Professor Robert N. Eberhart at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, Jim Gagnard at Industrial IoT Studio, and Bob Mazer at Smart City Works for their insights on The Future of Entrepreneurship: Why Will Startups Keep Failing?

The Buzz 1: “What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: know your product better than anyone, know your customer, and have a burning desire to succeed.” (Dave Thomas, Wendy's founder) The Buzz 2: “The best startups generally come from somebody needing to scratch an itch.” (Michael Arrington, TechCrunch founder and co-editor) The Buzz 3: “Don't let others convince you that the idea is good when your gut tells you it's bad.” (Kevin Rose, Digg co-founder) The Buzz 4: “Ignore the hype of the startups that you see in the press. Mostly, it's a pack of lies. Half of these startups will be dead in a year. So, focus on building your business so you can be the one left standing.” (Jules Pieri, The Grommet co-founder and CEO) We'll ask entrepreneurship experts Don DeLoach at Rocket Wagon Venture Studios, Professor Robert N. Eberhart at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, Jim Gagnard at Industrial IoT Studio, and Bob Mazer at Smart City Works for their insights on The Future of Entrepreneurship: Why Will Startups Keep Failing?

The Buzz 1: “What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: know your product better than anyone, know your customer, and have a burning desire to succeed.” (Dave Thomas, Wendy's founder) The Buzz 2: “The best startups generally come from somebody needing to scratch an itch.” (Michael Arrington, TechCrunch founder and co-editor) The Buzz 3: “Don't let others convince you that the idea is good when your gut tells you it's bad.” (Kevin Rose, Digg co-founder) The Buzz 4: “Ignore the hype of the startups that you see in the press. Mostly, it's a pack of lies. Half of these startups will be dead in a year. So, focus on building your business so you can be the one left standing.” (Jules Pieri, The Grommet co-founder and CEO) We'll ask entrepreneurship experts Don DeLoach at Rocket Wagon Venture Studios, Professor Robert N. Eberhart at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, Jim Gagnard at Industrial IoT Studio, and Bob Mazer at Smart City Works for their insights on The Future of Entrepreneurship: Why Will Startups Keep Failing?

Jules Pieri is the co-founder and former CEO of the product launch platform The Grommet. The Grommet is her third startup, following roles as VP at Design Continuum and President of Ziggs.com. In this episode, Pieri tells us her experiences being a female founder, inequality in investments, and advice on maintaining focus in your business. Guest: Jules Pieri instagram.com/julespieri Book: How We Make Stuff Now https://www.thegrommet.com/our-makers/how-we-make-stuff-now-book Host: Seun Phillips instagram.com/mydreambigclub Join My Accountability Partner (MAP) https://www.mydreambigclub.com/map

I was anxious to talk to Jules Pieri and Joanne Domeniconi about what happened at The Grommet, a company they founded together about 12 years ago. They are no longer there. What happened?A company that was formed to be a platform for the "little guys." For the "Makers", folks who had a dream, started small by making and selling products to friends and family and then needed help to grow into a real business. Jules and Joanne share with us their journey from the beginning to their departure from the company. "Building a business over 12 years is HARD! An unhappy investor complicates things even more. It was actually becoming unhealthy." If you want to grow your business and are considering taking on an investor, this is a must listen to interview. Some brands that we all recognize were launched during Jules and Joanne's tenure at The Grommet: Bombas Socks, Fit Bit, Goldie Blox, Love Pop, Otter Box, Soda Stream - impressive lineup!Thank you for taking time to listen and learn with us on the Business Builders Show with Marty Wolff. Find all our shows and other fine podcasts at businessbuildersmedia.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What you'll learn: In this episode of the Page One Podcast, your host Luke Peters talks with Jules Pieri, the co-founder and CEO of The Grommet, a managed marketplace. Jules begins by describing how the company works and touches on how coronavirus has impacted The Grommet and different ways that Jules is working hard to care for her team during the crisis. In the second half of the episode, Jules discusses the main differences between The Grommet and Amazon, her perspective on using social media like Pinterest and Facebook, and the opportunities that Amazon's shortcoming open up for businesses like The Grommet. Finally, she and Luke talk about the takeover of large companies like Amazon and changes that need to happen to protect smaller businesses. About our guest: Our guest, Jules Pieri, is the co-founder and CEO of The Grommet. Educated at the University of Michigan and Harvard Business School, she has gone on to compete with huge companies like Amazon and start The Grommet, a site that has launched more than 3000 innovative consumer products since 2008. The company's citizen commerce movement is reshaping how products are discovered, shared, and bought. Jules is one of Fortune's most powerful women entrepreneurs in 2013 and won Goldman Sachs 100 most interesting entrepreneurs in 2014. She is an Entrepreneur in Residence Emeritus at Harvard Business School and an investing partner at XFactor Ventures. She also happens to be an author! Jules' first book, “How We Make Stuff Now: Turn Ideas into Products That Build Successful Businesses,” was published by McGraw-Hill in April 2019. Key takeaways from this episode: How The Grommet has handled coronavirus and Jules' strategies for taking care of her team during this time The differences between The Grommet and Amazon The centrality of product videos on The Grommet's website Jules' view of using social media like Facebook and Pinterest How Amazon's shortcomings open opportunities for companies like The Grommet How to protect against cheap, counterfeit manufacturers and changes that need to take place to protect businesses Episode Timeline: 0:55 – Luke introduces today's guest, Jules Pieri 1:50 – A description of Jules' company, a managed marketplace 3:58 – How coronavirus has impacted Jules' and The Grommet 6:38 – Business changes during the pandemic, meetings, and communication 12:43 – The Grommet staff and warehouse locations 14:48 – Jules' personal strength: designing and creating 15:28 – The differences between The Grommet and Amazon 20:49 – The Grommet's site traffic and conversion rate 24:00 – How The Grommet uses product videos on their website 25:12 – How The Grommet uses social media like Facebook and Pinterest 27:03 – Jules talks about the best consumer product opportunities 29:00 – What opportunities does Amazon open up for competitors? 31:09 – Jules' perspective on the changes needed to protect companies 37:00 – “How We Make Stuff Now” by Jules Pieri

Jules Pieri is Co-Founder and CEO of the product launch platform The Grommet. The company’s Citizen Commerce™ movement is reshaping how consumer products get discovered, shared, and bought. Jules started her career as an industrial designer for technology companies and was subsequently a senior executive for large brands, such as Keds, Stride Rite, and Playskool. The Grommet is her third startup, following roles as VP at Design Continuum and President of Ziggs.com. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and people tell her she is the first designer to graduate from Harvard Business School, where she is currently an Entrepreneur in Residence. Jules was named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in 2013. In June, 2014, Jules was invited to the White House Maker Faire to launch The Grommet Wholesale Platform, connecting Makers with Main Street Retailers. She writes a personal blog at jules.thegrommet.com, and the “CEO Unplugged column on Inc.com. She posts as @julespieri on Twitter and Instagram.

We Make our Stuff Jules Pieri is CEO and cofounder of The Grommet, a popular online product launch platform that discovers, supports and sells innovative makers. These products can range from problem-solving kitchen utensils to high tech innovations. In her new book How We Make Stuff Now, Jules shares advice and inspiration on how anyone […] The post CL255: How We Make Stuff – Interview with Jules Pieri appeared first on James Taylor.

Hear from the founders of The Grommet, a “makers” marketplace that highlights the stories and people behind the products. One of those people is David Zamarin, who is founder and CEO of DetraPel, Shark Tank deal-maker and Babson alum. David chats with The Grommet founders Jules Pieri and Joanne Domeniconi, as well as host Alex Kennedy, about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship and making products with purpose.Learn more about The Grommet: https://www.thegrommet.com/Learn more about Detrapel: https://www.detrapel.com/

Discussing how we make stuff now? with @Julespieri Work 2.0 Podcast #FutureofWork #Work2dot0 #Podcast In this podcast Jules Pieri talks about her book on "How we make stuff now". She shares some of the best practices as shared by many creators and their manufacturing journey. This conversation is great for anyone looking to see how a creative designers and creators could leverage this new reality of manufacturing revolution. Jules's Recommended Read: The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking by Roger L. Martin https://amzn.to/2WdSZ41 Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days 1st Corrected ed., Corr. by Jessica Livingston https://amzn.to/2Q7l2wm Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott https://amzn.to/2w2DcWS Jules Book: How We Make Stuff Now: Turn Ideas into Products That Build Successful Businesses by Jules Pieri https://amzn.to/2Ecu0Ui Podcast Link: iTunes: http://math.im/jofitunes Youtube: http://math.im/jofyoutube Jules's BIO: Jules Pieri is Co-founder & CEO of The Grommet, a site that has launched more than 3,000 innovative consumer products since 2008. The company's Citizen Commerce™ movement is reshaping how products are discovered, shared, and bought. Jules started her career as an industrial designer for technology companies and was an executive at Keds, Stride Rite, and Playskool. The Grommet is her third startup, following roles as VP at Continuum and President of Ziggs. In 2017, Ace Hardware acquired a majority stake in The Grommet. She was named one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in 2013 and one of Goldman Sachs' 100 Most Interesting Entrepreneurs in 2014. She is an Entrepreneur in Residence Emeritus at Harvard Business School and an investing partner at XFactor Ventures. About #Podcast: Work 2.0 Podcast is created to spark the conversation around the future of work, worker and workplace. This podcast invite movers and shakers in the industry who are shaping or helping us understand the transformation in work. Wanna Join? If you or any you know wants to join in, Register your interest by emailing: info@analyticsweek.com Want to sponsor? Email us @ info@analyticsweek.com Keywords: Work 2.0 Podcast, #FutureOfWork, #FutureOfWorker, #FutureOfWorkplace, #Work, #Worker, #Workplace,

Jules Pieri Co-founder & CEO of The Grommet LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julespieri/ Jules Pieri is Co-founder & CEO of The Grommet, a site that has launched more than 3,000 innovative consumer products since 2008. The company's Citizen Commerce™ movement is reshaping how products are discovered, shared, and bought. Jules completed her undergraduate degree summa cum laude at the University of Michigan and people tell her she is the first designer to graduate from Harvard Business School, where she is an Entrepreneur in Residence Emeritus. Jules was named one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in 2013 and one of Goldman Sachs' 100 Most Interesting Entrepreneurs in 2014. Jules’ first book, “How We Make Stuff Now: Turn Ideas into Products That Build Successful Businesses,” was published by McGraw-Hill in April 2019. https://jules.thegrommet.com https://twitter.com/julespieri  In this episode, we discuss: The importance of education and how a college scholarship opened options Identifying an opportunity in the marketplace How the growth of B2B opened opportunities for entrepreneurs The challenges of the start-up phase and funding Discovering the unexpected support that comes from family and being viewed as a role model and mentor Walking through the fear when making tough decisions or facing difficult situations A 5-year business plan versus an 18-month plan versus a 5-Year life plan

Product discovery and marketplaces are all the rage right now but when Jules Pieri launched a product discovery marketplace 11 years ago she pioneered a cross-section of entrepreneurship that launches products more than 300 times per year. The Grommet is a curated marketplace of small businesses producing unique products from inspirational founders.

"There's endless innovation in this area (of sustainable products) because it's where people are focused essentially. When you think of values or voting with your dollars, this is one of the very first things people would think of...These products are not a compromise but an improvement in functionality."  Jules Pieri on Green Connections Radio   Jules Pieri and her company The Grommet have learned so much from launching their own business and over 30,000 products on their e-commerce site that sells hand-picked products made by small "makers," that she decided to write a book about it. In her extensive interview with Green Connections Radio host Joan Michelson, about her book, “How We Make Stuff Now,” Pieri explains key lessons learned.   You'll hear: ·       How they hand-pick and test each item on The Grommet - and why ·       Why you may not want to sell, or buy, on Amazon ·       The nuts and bolts of how to build and grow a product-based start-up ·       Protecting your IP .... And, great career advice...What to do when your career path is out-of-sync with your peers.     “You are way more confident and savvy than you would have ever been 20 years ago, and that’s a strength to play to. You have a playbook, you kind of know your personal ethics, you…manage people, you have a Rolodex maybe digital, of people who might be motivated to help you or join you..”  Jules Pieri on Green Connections Radio     You’ll also want to listen to: Jules Pieri, CEO/Cofounder of The Grommet on eco-conscious gifts, products.RashaHasaneen, Ingersoll Rand VP of Product Management Excellence & Innovation.Amina Razvi, VP of te Sustainable Apparel Coalition.Annie Gullingsrud, of Cradle-to-Cradle on Sustainable Apparel.  Thank you for subscribing to Green Connections on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review! Also, join our Private Facebook Group and share your insights! Join our mailing list to stay up to date on the top podcasts! Email us: on Twitter @joanmichelson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you have an idea for a business but don't know where to start? Thanks to high-speed Do you have an idea for a business but don't know where to start? Thanks to high-speed Internet, game-changing technology, and innovative new platforms, you can go from idea to marketplace on a shoestring budget―and join the growing movement of successful Makers who've built their businesses from the ground up.  Whether you're a self-starting newcomer to the world of e-commerce, a member of the Maker Movement, or an experienced entrepreneur, the first crucial step in your journey to turning little ideas into big businesses is learning How We Make Stuff Now. We welcome Jules Pieri, author of “How We Make Stuff Now: Turn Ideas into Products That Build Successful Businesses” Deciding if you want to be an Entrepreneur Maker Movement Empowering Innovation The Maker Challenge The Amazon Challenge Testing the Market Fraud Products Funding Data Fear and Failure More about Jules: https://jules.thegrommet.com https://twitter.com/julespieri

Today’s episode features a highly informative discussion between our host, Christopher Lochhead and Jules Pieri. She’s the first designer to graduate from Harvard Business School. She shares some amazing lessons on how to create legendary new products and how to make sure those products succeed in the world. Industrial Designer Turned Legendary Marketer Fortune named Jules as one of the Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs." She is the Co-Founder and CEO of the product launch platform The Grommet. Jules shares that before she formed the company, she observed the huge shifts in technology ⁠— specifically the internet, like the development of 3D printing. 3D printing enabled a huge new class of entrepreneurs with physical products. “Creative people have access to inexpensive tools, they will use that. Physical products are less abstract than software, so they're gonna inspire more people to participate.” - Jules Pieri  What We Can Learn From Squatty Potty Jules shares with Christopher the story behind the product Squatty Potty ⁠— a stool that raises the leg of the user during elimination. Christopher labeled the product as legendary because it created a new need for consumers.  Jules admitted that it is often quite a challenge whenever they start a new category. She pointed out the importance for companies to be as bold as possible when launching a new product. “They hired a great agency to get the ads done and they had more vision and courage than most companies tend to have at the early stages. That's a super insecure stage of a company and they paid large money. Your reputation is aligned with these ads.” - Jules Pieri  Category Creation Is a Must Jules remarked about the importance of category creation. She believes that it is very hard to cut through in a crowded world. She added that through The Grommet, they can create categories that enable them to study product searches of users.  “Category search, ‘cause names are not usually as memorable as descriptions.” - Jules Pieri Christopher and Jules discussed more about Legendary Marketing, the differences between creating demand and capturing a demand. They also touch base on to have an invention and bring it to the world in a way that it would be connected, unique and distinct.  Jules also shares some important parts of her great, new book out called How We Make Stuff Now. Bio: Jules Pieri is Co-Founder and CEO of the product launch platform The Grommet.  The company’s Citizen Commerce™ movement is reshaping how consumer products get discovered, shared, and bought.  Jules started her career as an industrial designer for technology companies and was subsequently a senior executive for large brands, such as Keds, Stride Rite, and Playskool.  The Grommet is her third startup, following roles as VP at Design Continuum and President of Ziggs.com.  She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and people tell her she is the first designer to graduate from Harvard Business School, where she is currently an Entrepreneur in Residence.  Fortune named Jules as one fo the "Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs" in 2013.  In June 2014, White House Maker Faire invited Jules to launch The Grommet Wholesale Platform, connecting Makers with Main Street Retailers.  Links: Blog: The Grommet  Twitter: @julespieri Instagram: @julespieri CEO Unplugged Column - Inc. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and subscribe on iTunes!

Today’s episode features a highly informative discussion between our host, Christopher Lochhead and Jules Pieri. She’s the first designer to graduate from Harvard Business School. She shares some amazing lessons on how to create legendary new products and how to make sure those products succeed in the world. Industrial Designer Turned Legendary Marketer Fortune named Jules as one of the Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs." She is the Co-Founder and CEO of the product launch platform The Grommet. Jules shares that before she formed the company, she observed the huge shifts in technology ⁠— specifically the internet, like the development of 3D printing. 3D printing enabled a huge new class of entrepreneurs with physical products. “Creative people have access to inexpensive tools, they will use that. Physical products are less abstract than software, so they're gonna inspire more people to participate.” - Jules Pieri  What We Can Learn From Squatty Potty Jules shares with Christopher the story behind the product Squatty Potty ⁠— a stool that raises the leg of the user during elimination. Christopher labeled the product as legendary because it created a new need for consumers.  Jules admitted that it is often quite a challenge whenever they start a new category. She pointed out the importance for companies to be as bold as possible when launching a new product. “They hired a great agency to get the ads done and they had more vision and courage than most companies tend to have at the early stages. That's a super insecure stage of a company and they paid large money. Your reputation is aligned with these ads.” - Jules Pieri  Category Creation Is a Must Jules remarked about the importance of category creation. She believes that it is very hard to cut through in a crowded world. She added that through The Grommet, they can create categories that enable them to study product searches of users.  “Category search, ‘cause names are not usually as memorable as descriptions.” - Jules Pieri Christopher and Jules discussed more about Legendary Marketing, the differences between creating demand and capturing a demand. They also touch base on to have an invention and bring it to the world in a way that it would be connected, unique and distinct.  Jules also shares some important parts of her great, new book out called How We Make Stuff Now. Bio: Jules Pieri is Co-Founder and CEO of the product launch platform The Grommet.  The company’s Citizen Commerce™ movement is reshaping how consumer products get discovered, shared, and bought.  Jules started her career as an industrial designer for technology companies and was subsequently a senior executive for large brands, such as Keds, Stride Rite, and Playskool.  The Grommet is her third startup, following roles as VP at Design Continuum and President of Ziggs.com.  She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and people tell her she is the first designer to graduate from Harvard Business School, where she is currently an Entrepreneur in Residence.  Fortune named Jules as one fo the "Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs" in 2013.  In June 2014, White House Maker Faire invited Jules to launch The Grommet Wholesale Platform, connecting Makers with Main Street Retailers.  Links: Blog: The Grommet  Twitter: @julespieri Instagram: @julespieri CEO Unplugged Column - Inc. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and subscribe on iTunes!

A maker: people or hobbyists who pursue the creation of a business around an individual product. On this episode of the Reboot Podcast we welcome Jules Pieri, (Co-founder and CEO of The Grommet) back to the show for the third time. In this dialogue with Jerry, Jules describes the maker space and shares a few stories about entrepreneurs from her new book How We Make Stuff Now: Turn Ideas into Products That Build Successful Businesses. Jerry and Jules note how loneliness often accompanies the maker experience and touch on the importance of peer support in the maker community. Jules expands on how tenacity is integral for a maker’s success and how learning to tackle fear creates more resilient leaders. As Pieri proclaims, “people who manage to pursue their ambitions learn to recognize the fear and walk into, rather than practice avoidance.” Leave us a review on iTunes! Follow our step by step guides: - How To: Leave a Review on Your Computer: - How To: Leave a Review on Your iPhone: Never miss an episode! Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on all our episode releases.  

Kelly connects with co-founder and CEO of The Grommet, Jules Pieri, on her new book, How We Make Stuff Now, which unlocks key insights on turning ideas into products to build a successful business.

Jules Pieri is Co-founder & CEO of The Grommet, a site that has launched more than 3,000 innovative consumer products since 2008. The company's Citizen Commerce™ movement is reshaping how products are discovered, shared, and bought. She was named one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in 2013 and one of Goldman Sachs' 100 Most Interesting Entrepreneurs in 2014. She is an Entrepreneur in Residence Emeritus at Harvard Business School and an investing partner at XFactor Ventures. Jules' first book, “How We Make Stuff Now: Turn Ideas into Products That Build Successful Businesses,” was published by McGraw-Hill in April 2019. “one is go big or go home… After that I would say more tactical things like name your company after your vision not your first product because to survive and succeed you will need a full line of products and you don't want to be limited by the very first thing you do so name it correctly. I would say protect your intellectual property… I would say prototype the heck out of it. So you have an idea whether it's a digital product or a physical product if you want to get some very rough low fidelity prototypes in front of potential customers as soon as possible, nothing fancy not CAD drawings, not 3D printed, like hardboard paper or really basic clickable digital prototypes so that iterate as many as possible ”…[Listen for More] Click Here for Show Notes To Listen or to Get the Show Notes go to https://wp.me/p6Tf4b-772

Composing the perfect pitch is an art.  You have to know yourself, your business, or your offer SO well, and then be able to extract the information that is most important to the person or business you’re pitching. The perfect pitch is engaging and informative, and it inspires interest or better yet, action.  Today’s guest knows what makes a great pitch. Jules Pieri gets thousands of pitches a day as the Co-Founder and CEO of the product launch platform called The Grommet. Do products like FitBit, OtterBox, SodaStream, and S’well sound familiar? Jules and the discovery team at The Grommet have helped make those a household name.  With her experience, you know she’s seen some awesome pitches, and some not-so-awesome. Jules is here to share her advice for a great pitch, especially when it comes to the product world, but also how her advice applies across the board. We also chat about innovation and standing out in a crowded market. GOAL DIGGER FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/goaldiggerpodcast/ GOAL DIGGER INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/goaldiggerpodcast/ GOAL DIGGER SHOWNOTES: https://jennakutcherblog.com/goodpitch/ 

Episode 209 - Jules Pieri, CEO of The Grommet, discusses her book "How We Make Stuff Now" and ways to turn your ideas into products that build successful businesses. Jules is co-founder of The Grommet, a site that has launched more than two thousand consumer products since 2008, and is working to reshape how products are discovered, shared, and bought. She was named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in 2013 and Goldman Sachs’ 100 Most Interesting Entrepreneurs in 2014. She is currently an Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard Business School. Listen for three action items you can use today. Host, Kevin Craine Do you want to be a guest? Everyday-MBA.com/guest Do you want to be a sponsor? Everyday-MBA.com/sponsor

Creating a product is only the first step to building a business. In this episode Kim speaks with Jules Pieri about how creators take a product to market and build a thriving business. Kim & Jules discuss real-world examples of the pitfalls and successes of several developers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Entrepreneur and Relauncher Jules Pieri, Co-Founder and CEO of The Grommet, and author of the newly released “How We Make Stuff Now,” joins Carol to discuss the the key steps involved in starting and growing a product-based business.

SEGMENT 1: When it comes to a website, it's not set it and forget it. According to a Stanford university study, 75% of consumers just a company's credibility based on their website's design. Reviewing your website performance with a professional marketer is just like reviewing your balance sheet with your accountant. If you want to upgrade your website, what elements should you focus on? Beth Thouin, VP of Digital Marketing at Web.com, lays it all out for us.SEGMENT 2: Are you working hard to develop and launch a new or innovative product? If so, I have some good news ...and some bad news. First, the bad news: most new products will fail in the market, even if competently executed. The good news is that the former Engineering Director at Google is here to help us avoid this failure. Alberto Savoia is an award-winning entrepreneur, innovator, and speaker. He was the Engineering Director at Google. Today, in addition to working on his own ideas and projects, he teaches his unique approach for beating the Law of Market Failure in seminars and workshops at Google, Stanford University, and to organizations all over the world. He is the author of the book “The Right It”. SEGMENT 3: One of the parts of the economy that has really grown over the last 10 years is the maker culture. This is a democratic, “DIY” culture that intersects with “hacker culture” and revels in the creation of new things as well as tinkering with existing ones. One company, The Grommet, has been on the leading edge of this and one of the co-founders is on to share her insight on the maker economy. Jules Pieri is cofounder and CEO of The Grommet, a site that has launched more than two thousand consumer products since 2008. She was named one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in 2013 and Goldman Sachs' 100 Most Interesting Entrepreneurs in 2014. She is currently an Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard Business School. Her new book is “HOW WE MAKE STUFF NOW: Turn Ideas into Products That Build Successful Businesses”.Sponsored by Nextiva, Corporate Direct, MAKO and Web.com

The Community College of Rhode Island has said its farewells to the first set of graduates to complete its tuition-free program. Almost 80 percent of New Hampshire residents support a paid family leave program, but the state is embroiled in a political stalemate over the policy. And, several colleges on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard will soon begin training a new generation of local offshore wind industry workers. These stories and more in our Regional News Roundtable. Guests: Arnie Arnesen - Host of The Attitude with Arnie Arnesen from WNHN Philip Eil - Providence-based free-lance journalist Paul Pronovost - Executive editor of the Cape Cod Times Later in the show: This is the era of makers. And no one knows that better than Jules Pieri, co-founder and CEO of the greater Boston-based, small-maker marketplace The Grommet. Since 2008, more than 3,000 consumer products have launched on Pieri's platform. In her new book, "How We Make Stuff Now: Turn Ideas into Products That Build Successful Businesses," Pieri discusses the factors that can help small makers be competitive in a marketplace ruled by big retailers. Guests: Jules Piere - CEO of The Grommet, and author of "How We Make Stuff Now: Turn Ideas into Products That Build Successful Businesses." Chad Laurans - Co-founder of Boston-based home security company, SimpliSafe. ———————-—————————————————————————-———————- More UTR: https://www.wgbh.org/news/under-the-radar-with-callie-crossley Follow Callie on Twitter: @CallieCrossley Like UTR on Facebook: facebook.com/UndertheRadarWGBH UTR is produced by Franziska Monahan. Doug Shugarts is our engineer. Under the Radar is a production of WGBH.

Jules Pieri, author of How We Make Stuff Now and CEO of The Grommet (a site that launched SodaStream, Bananagrams, Swell water bottles, and more), talks about what developers should think about when prototyping new products. Read more: https://mackinstitute.wharton.upenn.edu/2019/fitbit-jules-pieri/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

My guest today is Jules Pieri, the Co-Founder and CEO of The Grommet – a marketplace for unique and innovative ideas to launch. She helps entrepreneurs bypass the corporate chain by reshaping how consumer products get discovered, shared, and bought. The topic is her book How We Make Stuff Now: Turn Ideas into Products That Build Successful Businesses. In this episode of Trend Following Radio we discuss: Inventing Patents & Trademarks Innovation Amazon and counterfeit products New product launches Jump in! --- I'm MICHAEL COVEL, the host of TREND FOLLOWING RADIO, and I'm proud to have delivered 10+ million podcast listens since 2012. Investments, economics, psychology, politics, decision-making, human behavior, entrepreneurship and trend following are all passionately explored and debated on my show. To start? I'd like to give you a great piece of advice you can use in your life and trading journey… cut your losses! You will find much more about that philosophy here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/trend/ You can watch a free video here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/video/ Can't get enough of this episode? You can choose from my thousand plus episodes here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/podcast My social media platforms: Twitter: @covel Facebook: @trendfollowing LinkedIn: @covel Instagram: @mikecovel Hope you enjoy my never-ending podcast conversation!

Jules Pieri is Co-Founder and CEO of The Grommet – a marketplace for unique and innovative ideas to launch. She helps entrepreneurs bypass the corporate chain by reshaping how consumer products get discovered, shared, and bought. Her new book is “How We Make Stuff Now: Turn Ideas into Products That Build Successful Businesses.” Jules loved fine arts in school. She went to the University of Michigan and subsequently put herself on an “art diet” so she could focus her studies in other areas. She eventually took a sculpture class and saw some unique tools that were created by students. She had a light bulb moment-wanting to know how to get into the space of creating new products. Jules started her career as an industrial designer for technology companies and later moved into senior executive roles for large brands, such as Keds, Stride Rite, and Playskool. When Jules worked at Playskool she saw a large concentration of power among the big brands and noticed innovation slipping away as big retailers like Walmart, Kmart, Target and Toys-R-Us were unwilling to buy new/fresh products. They would take on new products but only ones with slight variations or products with a little new twist. The Grommet was later formed as a response – Jules saw a new route for getting products made and she jumped on the idea. Since October 20th, 2018 The Grommet has launched one new product a day and given small brands the chance to grow among the big competitors. In this episode of Trend Following Radio: Inventing Patents & Trademarks Innovation Amazon and counterfeit products New product launches

John speaks with Jules Pieri, founder and CEO of the Grommet, about how makers differ from other entrepreneurs and what they must do to create a business around their product idea.

So much to learn from this interview with Jules Pieri! Some questions we asked were " why has the "Maker" movement gained so much traction? What are a couple of challenges you see all the time with small business startups when trying to get their product into the market? Why should a startup business be careful about rushing in to sell their product on Amazon?Basis of our discussion is Jules's book, How We Make Stuff Now: Turn Ideas Into Products That Build Successful Businesses." Website to learn more is howwemakestuffnow.com. To learn more about Jules's company - thegrommet.comMy co- host J. Kelly Hoey joins me in this interview. Listen carefully when Jules talks about Kelly Hoey's favorite topic - the importance of building your network before you launch your new product.Thank you Jules Pieri for being a wonderful guest on the Business Builders Show with Marty Wolff and co-host, J Kelly Hoey. Get all our shows on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.To learn more about your hosts: martywolffbusinesssolutions.com jkellyhoey.co.Call or text me with your comments and questions at 570 815 1626. Thanks for listening! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

SUMMARY: Successful entrepreneurs master a set of skills. Jules Pieri joins Andy and shares her hard-earned wisdom from her entrepreneurial journey. This is a must-listen episode for anyone thinking about ... Read More

Welcome to Episode 57 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast of your most-trusted source for startup and tech jobs, news, and insights! For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Jules Pieri, Co-Founder & CEO of The Grommet. The Grommet is a community that has reshaped the way people discover, share, influence, and buy products online. The company's mission is rooted in what they call “Citizen Commerce,” and they have helped launch many products that are now household names like Fitbit, SodaStream, OtterBox, S'well water bottles, and many more. To kick off our interview, I ask Jules about “the shoes.” It is a story about Jules and how she was pounding the pavement in the early days of building The Grommet to the point where she wore out these shoes and they fell apart right before a meeting with potential investors. It is a legendary story of entrepreneurial grit and perseverance that is a common theme throughout not only Jules' professional career but her whole life. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: -Jules' background growing up in Detroit and the early foundation years. -Her work on the iconic Reebok Pump sneaker. -What she learned working very closely with legendary tech CEO, Meg Whitman. -The details on The Grommet, a successful consumer marketplace that is now majority-owned by Ace Hardware. -Her scrappy PR strategy, and how she has been able to get coverage in major publications like The New York Times, Fortune, Inc., and many others. -Advice for entrepreneurs, especially women, who are raising venture capital. -Plus, a lot more. Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

It's the season for giving, and what could be better than giving a gift that also helps someone else? Fair trade and social enterprise gifts are becoming trendy, benefiting people all around the world, from assisting with clean-water philanthropies to providing people with living wages and safe working conditions. And as this desire to buy gifts that give back expands, the trend is spreading from start-ups and independent makers, to small business, to nationwide chains. Callie Crossley speaks with three local business owners and workers on why this is a trend worth following. Guests: Dave Spandorfer, co-founder of Janji; Jules Pieri, co-founder of The Grommet; and Glenn Whidden, manager of Ten Thousand Villages in Downtown Crossing, Boston.In our Lagniappe segment:It's the holidays, which means delicious food and wine is on our plates, in our wine glasses and stuffed in our gift bags! Our food and wine gurus tell us all about the latest culinary trends, including some innovative and grown-up twists on holiday favorites like Christmas cookies and hot cocoa. Plus, we get tips on how to shop for the wine lover in your life this holiday season.More "Under the Radar with Callie Crossley": news.wgbh.org/utrLike us on Facebook: Facebook.com/UnderTheRadarWGBHFollow Callie on Twitter: @CallieCrossley

Engaging, enlightening and entertaining interviews with innovators and leaders in energy, clean tech and sustainability – featuring mostly women. Green Connections Radio helps you “live green, work green, earn green.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jules Pieri, CEO and Co-founder of The Grommet, shares revealing information about Amazon's impact on product development and how we all can exercise influence by way of our purchasing habits.  Do the products you buy reflect your own personal values?  Jules generously shares some surprising revelations about Amazon's business approach and why what we buy matters so much.  This program is a production of KBMF 102.5 Butte America Radio and is underwritten by Purse for the People.

This week my guest is Jules Pieri, Co-Founder and CEO of the product launch platform The Grommet. The company’s Citizen Commerce™ movement is reshaping how consumer products get discovered, shared, and bought. Jules started her career as an industrial designer for technology companies and was subsequently a senior executive for large brands, such as Keds, Stride Rite, and Playskool. The Grommet is her third startup, following roles as VP at Design Continuum and President of Ziggs.com. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and people tell her she is the first designer to graduate from Harvard Business School, where she is currently an Entrepreneur in Residence. Jules was named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in 2013. In June, 2014, she was invited to the White House Maker Faire to launch The Grommet Wholesale Platform, connecting Makers with Main Street Retailers. She writes a personal blog at jules.thegrommet.com, and the “CEO Unplugged” column on Inc.com. She posts as @julespieri on Twitter and Instagram. The title of our second segment this week is “Amazon Sucks.” To be honest, no one is more surprised to be writing those words than me, having been an Amazon customer since all they sold were books. To be honest I’ve LOVED Amazon for a long time. I respect their execution and how they take care of me as a customer, and it’s the default store in our household, which spends more than it probably should online. When I posted something to that effect on Facebook, though, my longtime friend Jules stepped in to set me straight, about the impact of Amazon’s policies related to pricing on fellow entrepreneurs. She has some very specific concerns about the way they’ve gone after counterfeiters in particular, and I have to say having spent some time with Jules that I now share them. If you’re skeptical, that’s great. Hear her out in our second segment today, and judge for yourself. How Hard Can It Be is sponsored by G20 Ventures, early traction capital for East Coast enterprise tech startups, backed by the power and expertise of 20 ​of the Northeast's most accomplished ​entrepreneurs. G20 Ventures.​..​​ ​People first. How Hard Can It Be is ​also ​sponsored by Actifio​. Actifio​ virtualizes​​ data ​the way a hypervisor virtualizes compute, ​to ​help customers enable the​ ​hybrid cloud, build higher quality applications faster, and improve business resiliency and availability.​ ​Actifio​... ​Radically Simple.​

Whether dining out or planning a party, those of us who care about sustainability want to spend our money consistent with these values, especially for holidays and special occasions. But how? Listen to Linda Chipperfield of Green Seal describe to Green Connections Radio host Joan Michelson how to identify sustainable restaurants, and how Green Seal certifies restaurants in their new guide. She’ll also tell us the kinds of gifts that make a difference this holiday season – and for all occasions. You’ll hear:  What makes a restaurant truly “sustainable” and how to verify the claims. If using the term “organic” on the menu means it’s been verified. Questions to ask before booking your party at the restaurant or venue. Websites for “green gifts” and how to tell – and gifting “experiences.” The Green Seal website has more tools and information as well.  Share your favorite gifts on our Facebook page or tweet them to @joanmichelson. Check out also our episodes with Steve Aaron of Child’s Play Toys on cool clean energy toys, and with Jules Pieri of The Grommet on gifts made from sustainable materials by eco-conscious small businesses. Thanks for subscribing to Green Connections on iTunes and for leaving us a review and to signing up for our newsletter at http://www.greenconnectionsradio.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tired of buying the same types of gifts? Want your "consumer power" to match your values? Listen to Jules Pieri, Founder & CEO of the creative gift site The Grommet on Green Connections Radio describe unique gifts “made by real people with stories and values worth sharing.”  Jules share with GCR host Joan Michelson some of her favorite picks from their catalog and the cool stories of the makers behind them – for anyone on your list, for any occasion The Grommet Holiday Catalog has a full range for buffs of all kinds and everyone on your list – something for the cook, the kids, the host/hostess, the wall, the wine- lover and more.  Share your favorite gifts on our Facebook page or tweet them to @joanmichelson. Thanks for subscribing to Green Connections on iTunes and for leaving us a review and to signing up for our newsletter at http://www.greenconnectionsradio.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tired of buying the same types of gifts? Listen to Jules Pieri, Founder & CEO of the creative gift site The Grommet on unique gifts “made by real people with stories and values worth sharing.”  Listen to Jules share some of her favorite picks from their catalog and the cool stories of the makers behind them.  For Dad, the grad, Mom, birthdays, anniversaries or holidays, The Grommet Holiday Catalog has a full range for buffs of all kinds and everyone on your list – something for the cook, the kids, the host/hostess, the wall, the wine- lover and more.  Share your favorite gifts on our Facebook page or tweet them to @joanmichelson. Thanks for subscribing to Green Connections on iTunes and for leaving us a review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Full notes at Reboot.io/podcast “...the greatest gift of relationship proves to be that as the result of encountering each other, we are obliged to grow larger than we had planned.” - James Hollis Two co-founders, who refer to each other as business soulmates, have found themselves in that special place of alignment. A place in partnership where they align not just intellectually, not just energetically, not even just at a values level, but at a human level. Jules Pieri (her second time on the show) and her partner Joanne Domeniconi are the co-founders of The Grommet. They join Jerry to talk about the beginning of their partnership, where and how they found alignment at the human level, how it has evolved over time, and the challenges it represents as they scale the business. Links The Grommet - thegrommet.com The Grommet on Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheGrommet Jules Pieri - https://twitter.com/julespieri Joanne Domenic - https://twitter.com/jdomeniconi Fred Wilson - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Wilson_(financier) Mark Pincus - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Pincus Sunil Paul - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunil_Paul David Whyte - http://www.davidwhyte.com How to Be an Adult in Relationships by David Richo - http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Adult-Relationships-Mindful/dp/1570628122 The Center for Collaborative Awareness - http://www.blueprintofwe.com/cfca.html Parker Palmer - http://www.couragerenewal.org/parker/

see more at: http://reboot.io/podcast Fear is a familiar and powerful co-founder in startups. We do our best to quiet it, shut it down, deny it. Perhaps our biggest struggle is simply acknowledging it. But what if you not only acknowledged your fear, but leaned into it? What if you let go of your own hope to control things, and go back to building and leading from a place of love? Jules Pierri, cofounder and ceo of the product launch platform the Grommet, has done just that for her growing team of 55 employees. In this conversation, Jules and Jerry discuss what it was like to embrace the grit of her Detroit working class upbringing, face head on the fears of being a non-prototypical entrepreneur building a new kind of company in one of the scariest economic times in recent memory. Through it all, Jules has been able to move forward with courage to build an organization where people can feel loved and do great work in the process.

Audio File:  Download MP3Transcript: Terry Morreale:  Hi, this is Terry Morreale, from the National Center for Women in Information Technology or, NCWIT. This is part of a series of interviews that we are having with fabulous entrepreneurs. Women who have started IT companies in a variety of sectors, all of whom have just fantastic stories to tell us about being entrepreneurs. With me is Larry Nelson from w3w3.com. Hello Larry, how are you? Larry Nelson:  Hello, I can't wait to get into this interview. We love what NCWIT is doing and we have everything posted on our w3w3.com website. It's all business and of course here we're focused on women IT entrepreneurs. Terry:  Today we are interviewing an industrial designer turned entrepreneur, who was named one of "Fortune Magazine's" most powerful women entrepreneurs in 2013. Jules Pieri is the CEO and co‑founder of The Grommet. The Grommet is a company that launches undiscovered products or "grommets" and helps them succeed. The Grommet is Jules' third start‑up. She's also an entrepreneur in residence at the Harvard Business School. Before we start, Jules, tell us a little bit about the latest at The Grommet. Jules Pieri:  The thing I'm working hard on right now is we have an annual competition called the Product Pitch on March 20th. Believe it or not, we're in Boston and we have all of Fenway Park for that. The point that people that listening to the podcast would care about is that we're taking submissions for that. So, if people have an ordinary problem solver or hack that they think the world should know about and if it's in one of two categories, ready for crowd‑funding or ready for market. We're looking at all those submissions starting last night and for the next 12 days. Terry:  Thank you for that information. How did you first get into technology, Jules? Jules:  I guess through the back door. In high school, I simply had that girl disease of not necessarily thinking it was for me but I did keep succeeding whenever I tried. There was a programming course in the high school. It was new to the school. I just kept acing it and I would get 100s. I would never get 100s on the tests. The teacher decided girls couldn't have 100s so he would actually always find something wrong on my page to make it 99. It was bizarre. However, I was always top of the class. So, I guess, I knew I had some capability but it still felt back door even through college because I ended up becoming an industrial designer, which is kind of a different flavor of technology. It's not as hardcore as if I'd studied computer science but you do have to have a really solid base of understanding, particularly in mechanical engineering and ergonomics and human factors and now a lot of new words that people use to describe the things that I had to master. And so, it felt like a blend of business and technology as a profession to me. Terry:  What are some of the technologies you think are cool today? Jules:  Actually, we're just barely scratching the surface of 3D printing. One of the reasons I founded The Grommet was its existence. I was blown away when I went to a prototype lab at Savannah College of Art and Design several years ago and I saw three 3D printers for rent for $15 an hour. I saw that and said, "That changes everything," because for me it was something I could directly relate to because I had been an industrial design student. I knew what it was like to conceive of ideas and then execute them, prototype them. I knew how hard it was without 3D printing and that your ideas could even be limited by your ability to actually build the model or draw something. When I saw that for such a cheap access point, $15 an hour, I was already working on The Grommet but it just sort of made me double down on the idea to see that. I was reading "Food and Wine" magazine last night and they were giving a big overview to 3D printing and showing some spun sugar creations that were being done by 3D printing. And so, it's infiltrating but it's far from mainstream. It's far from the future of when we'll be able to print products at home, but it's so important to the maker movement, which is where I spend my days thinking. It's the one I'm probably most excited about. Larry:  I couldn't agree more. Very exciting area. Taking your background and everything that you've been involved with why are you an entrepreneur? And then, also, what is it that makes you tick as an entrepreneur? Jules:  That's interesting. I think there are genetic entrepreneurs who have to be them. They're born that way. And then there are people who almost become it by necessity. They trip on an idea they have to do. I'm a little of both, more necessity. The both part, genetic part, is that I've always been very comfortable creating things. It's my preference. I've never had a job that any one had before me where I was just repeating something or making it better. As an industrial designer you're trained to attack the white space, to find the opportunity, to not be intimidated about having to create something from your own observations and insights. It's a really important discipline in being an entrepreneur that most people wouldn't have. I didn't know I was being taught to be an entrepreneur but I effectively was when I was learning and practicing as a designer. Having said all that, I wasn't one of those people who walked around saying, "I can't work for someone else." They have to do their own thing. Frankly, I like working for other people because it's way easier than working for myself. I'm a tougher boss. But the necessity part kicked in over the course of my career. "Why do the best products don't win?" That's almost anti‑American or anti‑capitalism to say that because we think that the market decides and the best products win but it's far from true. Today and for a long time it's been the case that people have a chance of making the products you see one of two ways. They either are part of a large organization and then they can muscle their way through. It's still not guaranteed but you have better odds. Or there's kind of a lucky break scenario where Oprah calls or something big happens that's outside of your control. That's a really crummy business plan and it means that a lot of really good products don't see the light of day. That was a business opportunity that I saw that somebody had to attack. It just had to get done. It wouldn't have been possible without technology. Social media, broadband, the ubiquity of video. A lot of things were happening that enabled the business. Honestly, if I think about it, I saw the problem as far back as the '90s, that the best products aren't winning. But earlier I was just throwing up my hands until just before this company. I was president of a social network called Ziggs.com. I saw what social media meant. That was one component of the bigger picture that cracked the puzzle of putting the access to these kind of products and the power into the hands of people, the power to decide which companies we wanted to support by sharing them or buying their products. Social media changed everything. This is really an idea that was enabled by technology and also I have to acknowledge the change of behavior that those technologies enabled. That's the business side. Me, as an entrepreneur, what makes me tick? I went to a really rigorous high school. I kicked myself out of Detroit. Actually I grew up in a tough neighborhood in Detroit and I went to tough public schools until I was 14. And then I was thinking about applying to an exam school. Public school, my teacher that I loved told me to apply to boarding school so I did. I snuck, actually, behind my parents' back and did it. Not because they didn't support it ultimately but I didn't want anyone to tell me, "No." I applied. They had to fill out financial aid forms so they found out. I got a scholarship. Even though I was in this really rigorous academic school it happened to have really wonderful art facilities. And so, I would spend a lot of time making things when I was in school. When I had time at night I would go and weave. I liked wood shop. I liked working in the ceramics studio, jewelry, anything I could make something. It was really important to me and now I'm making a business. I extend that creativity to a whole business model but around me I'm enabling makers as well. I get a lot of kicks out just watching their creativity and then when I need to actually make something I'll do it at home on the weekend. It's really the creation of a business model that's very exciting to me. Terry:  I'm guessing that you had some mentors or role models along the way. Did you have folks that influenced you that way? Jules:  I mentioned that one teacher in terms of he gave me a sense of possibility outside of where I could to on my bike, basically, as a young person. And also when I was in elementary school I read every biography and autobiography in my little school library. Those lessons were really important to me. I really did get the sense an ordinary person could do something extraordinary. It sounds trite, reading books, but I didn't have access to a lot of role models. Nobody in my neighborhood went to college. People went to jail. It was not like I could personally know people who could be my mentors in that environment. My parents were solid and I knew a lot of really solid people in the neighborhood but there were bad things going on around us in Detroit that were going the wrong way. We were part of it. But then I got lucky. Let's fast forward a little bit to later in my career, in '91, '92. I had a boss land on my head in a consumer products company. I've gone back and forth between technology companies and big consumer product companies. I was working at Keds, the show company. Meg Whitman, who ended up running eBay, running for governor of California and now she's CEO of Hewlett Packard. She landed on my head as my boss. I ended up following her and working for her directly in three different companies. I wouldn't call her an entrepreneurial role model. She's not an entrepreneur but I would call her a leadership role model. It mattered that she was a woman, I'm sure, on some level but I had the chance to work so closely with her for so long that I definitely absorbed a lot of her learnings and things that she succeeded. Her techniques and ways she worked with people. Larry:  Boy, that's for sure. I can relate to that a great deal. We interviewed Meg Whitman a number of years ago now. Also, I was born in Detroit so I can relate to what you were talking about. I know you've been through so many different things and I would say you probably have faced a number of challenges along the way but if you had to pick out. what is the single most toughest thing you had to do in your career? Jules:  It was definitely this business and raising money for this business. I literally walked my shoes off to do that. I have a funny picture. I was near MIT and Kendall Square and Cambridge walking from one venture capital office to another in these Stuart Weitzman platform shoes I had on ‑‑ just those basic black shoes ‑‑ started disintegrating. I'm not kidding. They just literally started falling apart and this platform was about three or four inches high so that platform going down to one inch high was a big difference. They were a mess and it was kind of symbolic of what I did. We started the business in 2008 when the sky was falling and we were working on the maker movement before it had words. Nobody had a name for what we were working on and Kickstarter didn't exist yet and 3D printing didn't hit the mainstream press. A lot of things we knew about were just invisible to the average investor and then the average investor was scared to death. Raising money was definitely the hardest but there was one ...We almost died three times. We almost went bankrupt three times. That's no fun to come up with that plan and just unwinding the business. You just have to do what you have to do. There was one dramatic moment which crystallizes it. My shoes were a symbol but there was a moment where it all came together in a positive way but it was coupled with a sad event, although ultimately we raised a wonderful investment from a Japanese company called Rakuten, the third largest eCommerce company in the world and the CEO is kind of the Japanese Jeff Bezos or Steve Jobs. Very, very well known. It's a happy day but at the time I was negotiating that deal my mother was dying. She had colon cancer. This really mystical thing happened. At the moment that she died I got a phone call. I was staying at my childhood best friend's house near the hospital and my aunt called me to say my mother had passed. It was 3:00 in the morning. I was already awake because there was this tremendous lightning and thunderstorm that only Detroit can serve up. I was awake, looking at that. I got the phone call which is the phone call you might expect but never want and then, since I was awake and had my phone in my hand I hung up, looked at my phone, and there was the letter of intent from Rakuten. All three things happened at once. It was amazing. I think my mother went up to heaven and kicked up some dust. Said, "Get this deal done. My daughter deserves a break," and it happened. Terry:  Wow, what a story. Jules, if you were sitting here with a young person today giving them advice about entrepreneurship what advice would you give them? Jules:  I think entrepreneurs, kind of nicely, are almost like modern day rock stars or Olympic athletes but there's a lot that goes with being an Olympic athlete. There's a lot of hard work and defying the odds and being the crazy person. I'd try to help them understand what that looks likes or what that feels like in reality without discouraging them. I'd try to help them find what in their own life symbolizes the ability to be an entrepreneur because it's about taking yourself into some really uncomfortable zones at times. There's not a lot of certainty. There's a lot of anxiety and ambiguity about being an entrepreneur. Even when you're young you might have to deal with that. If you've made choices or you had a choice and you chose something difficult. It's really hard to go away for college. It's against the norm, against the grain and more expensive or you're going where you don't know anybody. Those kind of choices where somebody else took something more comfortable or if you pick an athletic event or a sport that's really hard for you or you try out for a play. If you take challenges that you don't have to take and you get through it you realize you're left standing on the other side. You're still alive and all that. You understand you can do it. I think somebody just thinking they might want to be an entrepreneur wants to look for a bit of a pattern of that in their life, of creating firsts around them. Doing something the first time. I was the first girl in the Detroit Public Schools to wear pants to school. I was really young and I was just mad that it was freezing cold there and I had to wear a dress. I went home at lunch one day and changed. The policy changed the next day. It was bizarre. It was just like somebody standing up to it. I don't know. Something collided but even pretty young people have those kind of opportunities to do something different than the norm and claim it as their own achievement. I'd look for a pattern of that. I think that there has to be a bias for action as an entrepreneur. You have to be able to defer gratification, have good impulse control because you're not going to get a lot of feedback in the near term every day that you're doing the right thing. If you're doing something really big, really different you're automatically going to get the opposite feedback because there's nothing like it out there and people can't make easy comparisons to match patterns about your idea. If you're working on something pretty big the world provides a lot of friction for a while. If you're somebody who does not need that immediate feedback, has some inner strength and confidence about your ideas, that helps a lot, too. Larry:  With all the different things that you've been through and the things you've started and faced all different types of challenges what would you say is the single most personal characteristic that's given you the advantage of being an entrepreneur? Jules:  Definitely tenacity because it never was easy for me to do anything I did. To leave home, go to boarding school. To go to school in a tough school where I was worried about chairs flying over my head instead of studying. Everything I did as a young person required tenacity, sticktoitiveness. There's a lot of truth to that kind affirmism about 90 percent of success is just showing up. That somewhat defined another quality of being an entrepreneur is tenacity. Terry:  What do you do to bring balance into your personal and professional lives? Jules:  What is that? Larry:  It starts with a B. Jules:  I'm a little unusual. I have done two other start ups but this was the first one I started. It's a really higher level of commitment when you start the company and the buck stops with you. I started this company when I was 47. That's pretty meaningful because I have three sons and the youngest was in middle school at that time. I had one in college. Basically my boys were somewhat autonomous at that time. That made a big difference because, for me, it would have been really hard to do this at the level of commitment I made and the tough economic times where the wind was definitely in our face if I'd done it at an early stage in my life. I was also more efficient and effective. I had a better network than I did when I was younger. I'm very confident in my decisions. I never do something twice or take longer than I need to. My co‑founder, similar vintage. We practice divide and conquer. It's an excuse. We never do the same thing together if one of us can do it. That helps, too, to have a strong co‑founder. But I will say, having said all of that, that it helped having oldere family be more effective myself, being older. I did let the physical side of balance go in 2011. It's 2014 now. It's been a couple years since I had time when I said, "Look, I'm going to re‑calibrate here." It was a pretty traumatic time. It was hard. My brother had just died and my mother was sick. The economic times were horrible. We had a lot of financial stress from me not getting paid and my husband's work was a little bit dried up for the time. Here's the kids in college. Huge demands. I even had a little battle with cancer so a lot of really hard things. I just named a grocery list but it didn't seem like a grocery list in those years. I was getting worn out, basically. No better way to describe it. That was an unusual feeling for me. I did have to re‑calibrate. I did have to focus more on sleep. Really basic things that you could read in any health magazine but basic things. Diet, sleep, exercise. I had to make sure I was covering those really well and I still do. I'm really disciplined about exercise and sleep now. Sleep's a weapon that I didn't really recognize it as a weapon before but I do now. Larry:  You have really been through a great deal personally and professionally. You're on an exciting road right now with Grommet. Jules:  We grew 450 percent last year. We've launched products now that you would know but when we launched them were unknown. Things like Fitbit. Wearable technology is such the rage. We saw the potential of that way before the average person or investor or retailer would see it. We launched an ordinary kitchen device, the SodaStream. It makes soda. It's a kind of eco‑friendly product for your home. We launched something that you see in every start‑up office on the planet now, IdeaPaint. I'm sitting at the Harvard Business School at their Innovation Lab, the wall is painted like whiteboard. You can write on the walls thanks to these debts and college entrepreneurs. We are moving from where we used to be which was recognizing what could make a market to now we actually move markets. Our community's big enough that when we launch a product the sales and social entity trait is meaningful but because we're trusted and respected by bigger companies, like media companies and retail companies our Grommet makers get those phone calls and press coverage and the things that they dream of because The Grommet has lent their reputation to them. A new product every day at noon with a video story that's been thoroughly researched. We see about 200 ideas a week and we're only working with five. Only five of them are Grommet worthy. We've created a global community of people to submit ideas to us. This year we have a goal that 30 percent of the Grommets we launch will be totally new to market. Nobody's seen them before. We pick up where crowd‑funding platforms leave off, ready to become a company. We have a goal that eventually, I think it's going to take a couple more years, we'll be a household name so that when somebody has a great idea they think of us first. It's their first choice for, "How am I going to take this from first production run to a business? How am I going to gain the trust and get my story out there in a way that has enduring impact, that will help my business be sustainable." I want the next thought to be, "The Grommet." This year we'll grow to have about three and a half million people in our community to see The Grommet every day. One in 150 Americans, something like that, will be part of our community. That's on the supporters side. They're not necessarily makers but those supporters send us ideas. They use a product they love or they've heard of one and they send it to us because it would be really old fashioned for us to have a giant team of scouts when social media, anybody can be a scout for our business and they are. They can submit publicly to something called our Citizens Gallery. Anyone can see the ideas that we're seeing that come through that particular vehicle. Others come in through Pinterest and Twitter and Instagram. There are lots of social media vehicles for getting ideas our way but the Gallery on our own site is the one where it's easiest to see some of the ideas coming through. Clearly so. I want to be associated with that. I want to be heroic to makers. I want our business and our community to be heroic to them, to change the game. It sounds so basic. Changing how products get discovered and sold. It's so generic. The way I describe our business is a product launch platform. Those words don't really mean anything but neither did crowd‑funding or online auctions or Internet radio. If you do something really new you have to invent words for it and then eventually the words mean something to other people. That's the goal. Larry:  That's super. Obviously there's a lot coming up for you in the next number of years. We'll have everything posted on the w3w3.com website, our blog, our podcast directory, and most importantly the NCWIT.org site. I want to thank you for joining us today, Jules. Terry:  Yes. Thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it and we know our listeners are going to be thrilled to hear what's been going on with The Grommet. Larry:  That's a fact. Jules:  Great. Thank you so much. It's fun to take the minute to think about these things and share them. It actually energizes me. I thank you. Larry:  That's great. Series: Entrepreneurial HeroesInterviewee: Jules PieriInterview Summary: Jules Pieri is the founder and CEO of The Grommet. The Grommet is a company that launches undiscovered products or "grommets" and helps them succeed. "Meg Whitman, who ended up running eBay, running for governor of California and now she's CEO of Hewlett Packard," Jules said of one of her leadership role models. "She landed on my head as my boss. I ended up following her and working for her directly in three different companies. I wouldn't call her an entrepreneurial role model. She's not an entrepreneur but I would call her a leadership role model. It mattered that she was a woman, I'm sure, on some level but I had the chance to work so closely with her for so long that I definitely absorbed a lot of her learnings and things that she succeeded." Release Date: April 3, 2014Interview Subject: Jules Pieri, Founder and CEO of The GrommetInterviewer(s): Terry Morreale and Larry NelsonDuration: 25:12