Building a $110M Startup: The Journey of LifeBrand Co-Founder Jemma Barbarise-Kelley

Learn about the journey of LifeBrand Co-Founder Jemma Barbarise-Kelley on how she built a $110M technology startup and her insights on leadership on this episode of "Follow Our Lead with Alaina Kearney."

LifeBrand is a cutting-edge AI brand protection company that uses advanced machine learning algorithms to scan social media history and detect questionable content, allowing users to edit, delete, or monitor their online presence easily. They have successfully cleaned 7.2 million posts to date, with an impressive average of 19 posts deleted per scan.

LifeBrand partners with businesses and individuals to manage their social media footprints. Jemma shares her inspiring story of leaving a six-figure job to chase an idea that her former colleague and now business partner, T.j. Colaiezzi had. She took massive risks because she believed in herself and the product. 

As a female entrepreneur under 30 years old, Jemma faced unique challenges, including overcoming impostor syndrome and gaining the credibility and respect she deserved. Jemma discusses her leadership style and how she cultivates a culture of inclusivity and openness.

Visit https://www.lifebrand.life to learn more about LifeBrand's innovative solutions and start protecting your online presence today. 

This episode is presented by Barsz Gowie Amon & Fultz, a certified public accounting firm with offices in Delaware and Chester County, Pennsylvania. Visit their website at www.barszgowie.com to learn more about their services.

Watch the episode live on YouTube!

Transcript

This transcript was autogenerated.
 
Alaina Kearney (00:07):

Today on Follow Our Lead, I'll be talking to Jemma Barbarise-Kelley, co-founder and vice President of LifeBrand, a company that scrubs your social media. If they find something cringey, they'll flag the post and give you the ability to delete it, edit it, or just leave it. LifeBrand was started in 2018, employs over 50 people in the Westchester, Pennsylvania area, and is valued at $110 million. Jemma and I talk about how she went from leaving a six figure salary to chase a concept, to overcoming imposter syndrome, to managing to stay effective in all areas of her life.

(00:43):

I have so many things to ask you and I feel like I'm extra nervous for some reason. And I think it's because we have a little bit of history.

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (01:00):

We do.

Alaina Kearney (01:01):

So we went to Franklin and Marshall College together, we were in the same grade. And I read somewhere, Jemma, that you were the second woman in your family to attend college and I'm sure that had to have impacted you in some way. So talk to us a little bit about that and kind of the influence of F&M in your journey.

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (01:20):

Sure. So it's hard because I have so many educated women in my family, although they're not formally educated. So I hate to admit that I'm only the second to go to college. But it was really difficult, I think, to have that pressure when I was younger in applying to school. Because I didn't really have an adult that could help me figure out what that application process looked like, how I could pick the right school that would fit my needs and what I wanted to do for my career. My mom and I went on all of the college tours together. And I fell in love with F&M right away. I applied early decision. But I applied for a completely different reason than I ended up graduating. I thought I was going to be a dentist. I actually applied thinking that I wanted to be a pediatric dentist.

(02:06):

I had had a lot of dental issues as a kid. It was my total like package essay, everything. And when I graduated I was pre-law. And I had a business and philosophy degree, completely opposite. I loved the idea of privacy law and a few of my professors really helped me get there actually realizing that bio and chem were not my calling, and that being more abstract was. And I think it just helped me shape the way that I think. I would've never been able to start thinking outside of the box and try to do something outside of the typical 9:00 to 5:00 if I hadn't had professors like the ones at F&M push the boundaries and help me really try to figure out what my passions were outside of what I was told my passions should be.

Alaina Kearney (02:54):

I think I feel very similar to you. I feel like F&M should definitely sponsor the next episode or they should hundred percent have you as a graduation speaker one day. I feel like, at least from my own experience, and it sounds like from yours too, the grit and the determination and the I will not fail type of a mentality. It's interesting though that you did not initially go to school for what you thought. And I think a lot of people are in that same boat where we feel like we have to have this path in our mind, "Okay, I'm going to go to school for this. I'm going to follow through. I'm going to do X, Y, and Z." And we don't do it. And I think our career trajectories go in a way sometimes that we don't necessarily anticipate. And I think that happened for you both in your college experience but also in your life. I mean, talk to us a little bit about what you were doing before you started LifeBrand and where you were in your life.

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (03:51):

So it's a little bit of a long story. But when I graduated, I first started working at a law firm in New York City. And I was working in bankruptcy law, so Lehman and MF Global, Republic Airways, all Chapter 11 cases. And I tried to figure out whether or not corporate law would be my thing. Again, I wanted to eventually get my JD. I graduated pre-law. It was a goal of mine. I loved privacy law so much more, but it was kind of the wild west when I first graduated because the internet, although not new, didn't have the same type of social media exposure that it does today. So I didn't really know if that was going to be possible. And if I wanted to do that, I figured corporate laws where I had to start. Well, after about a year and a half of working as a paralegal, I realized I didn't like corporate law at all and maybe I could apply it somewhere else.

(04:41):

So I worked at Goldman Sachs for a while, had an amazing time there. I worked for their bank board of directors in their legal department. So adjacent to what I was doing before, but I got to actually see how bank policy was shaped. How the board of directors interacted with everything company-wide. And I loved it. But again, it wasn't my passion. So I figured, okay, if I'm not going to be able to do the things that I love right away, I need to just go to grad school the way that I originally planned. So I moved to Philadelphia in 2017 and when I was living in the Philadelphia area. I worked at Lifetime Athletic Ardmore as a personal training manager. It was a fantastic time because I was a sales manager. I got to help develop people, build my own book of business, get the business exposure that I hadn't had before as I was working on all of these other legal endeavors.

(05:33):

And while I was applying to grad school, that's where I met TJ. So we met at Lifetime. He was in the shared workspace upstairs. And when he started telling me about LifeBrand, it wasn't real yet. It was just an idea, a couple wire frames, a dream. He was kind of building it, kind of not, trying to figure out where investment was coming from. And I immediately pounced because that's what I loved. I wanted to be a part of privacy law. And if I couldn't do it as a lawyer, I wanted to be a part of the change for other people on the other end. How can you control your own data? How can you be a part of the solution? And I stalked him, no joke. I say that word to be funny, but it's true, for a year for a job. And when he finally gave in, I knew he couldn't afford to pay me. So I just quit my job. I worked for free. And the rest was history.

Alaina Kearney (06:25):

That's pretty amazing. I've heard you say that before and it was hilarious listening to it because that kind of grit and determination that you had, I think a lot of us would love to emulate but are kind of afraid to. And I think you took a massive, massive risk. So during that initial time when you were like he couldn't afford to pay you in the beginning, you decided to just go out on whim, you had no idea if this company was going to work or not. It could have been a massive fail.

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (06:53):

Absolutely.

Alaina Kearney (06:54):

How did you support yourself? What made you decide, okay, I'm going to just put everything to the wayside and just give this a try?

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (07:01):

Sure. So there was no fallback plan. I didn't give myself the opportunity to think of a plan B. I just said, well, it's going to work. And I know that that sounds crazy. I especially know that it sounds crazy because none of my friends, or my family, or anybody thought that I was making the right decision. I was leaving a six figure paying job, doing really well, huge book of business with a really large network of people who probably could have helped me work anywhere, to go off with this madman with an idea that didn't really exist and it was just going to be the two of us. My offer letter initially said I was going to make basically half of what my salary was at Lifetime. And I told my parents that. They were very upset. But they said if this was what I wanted, hands off, whatever.

(07:52):

And then obviously he couldn't pay me. So I never told them that. What I told them was that I was making money and I was in severe credit card debt. I put my home on forbearance. And by the way, my first day of work was two days before the original Coronavirus shut down. So we had nothing. We were in the middle of a fundraising round and we were supposed to have money coming in. But because of the shutdown, it all went to shit. Oh, sorry, I don't think I can say that.

Alaina Kearney (08:21):

You can say that. You can totally say that.

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (08:23):

It all went away. And it was really scary because the stock market crashed. Our investors weren't not giving us money because they didn't believe in us. It was because they didn't have the money to do it. So your initial question was how did I support myself? It was really just ramen noodle, credit card debt, trying to figure it out and it kind of came together eventually. I hate saying that Coronavirus was good for us because... It wasn't really good for anybody, but the contention that started during Coronavirus was good for us because it was proof of concept.

(08:58):

People, when they have a little too much to drink, a little too much time on their hands, and not a lot to lose, post whatever they're thinking and feeling. And it immediately showed why LifeBrand was so important because Coronavirus wasn't forever. We didn't sit in our homes for the rest of our lives. It was only a couple months and then we had to go back in person and be around one another, and own up to what we said online. And I think everyone was a little bit afraid at that point because they said a little too much. So people really started believing in the product and it just kind of went from there. Now it was really hard, don't get me wrong. But it worked out.

Alaina Kearney (09:34):

I mean, first of all, there's so much to unpack there, but I'll tell you, I love the story about your parents because I would probably do the exact same thing or that, "I don't know if I'm doing this right, but I'm going to try it." And I think that that's something really unique. But what do you think was the turning point for LifeBrand? So you mentioned a little bit about the Coronavirus, you feel like LifeBrand kind of took it to the next level.

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (10:00):

Sure. So I think it was a turning point for our investors initially, Coronavirus. I don't think that's where the company really had its credibility. For me, the turning point was seeing our sign in Citizens Bank Park. That was the first partnership we had done. And to see LifeBrand next to Toyota, a huge legacy brand, I mean, melted my brain. I actually, which is so stupid, teared up when I saw it because it had meant, oh my God, we've kind of made it a little bit. We have a long way to go. But it just made me feel like this is a permanent sign in a huge stadium, and now we can't fail. We're too big to fail at this point, even though we're still really tiny.

(10:45):

I think the turning point for us as a company was finishing our series A and over subscribing. That was a huge milestone for us. The valuation that we received, the amount of money that we received, the credibility that came with it, the people who joined our board because of it. I mean that's when we really gained legitimacy and I think now have something to fight for in terms of building towards a series B and beyond.

Alaina Kearney (11:09):

I agree with you about the sports team thing because I will say I had heard of LifeBrand because of you. I follow you on social media, so I've seen every time you would post about it, I would see it. So it wasn't new to me. But for other people, like my husband for example, he recognized the LifeBrand logo from the sports team. So I think you're spot on there. I think it became something that people associate, they saw that purple and they instantly thought LifeBrand. And I think when you see your logo... Or yeah, honestly, even when I see a long rectangle with the color purple, I automatically think of you. But I feel like being at the time, not a massive company, you had to have taken some sort of a leap to decide that you were going to partner with many of these sports teams.

(12:00):

And we talked about Citizens Bank Park, but you've also partnered with the Eagles, the 76ers, I mean teams that are even outside of our Philadelphia area. So how do you think partnering with sports teams and athletes helped you and how did you even start building those partnerships early on?

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (12:22):

Sure. So I think the benefit was twofold for us. The initial benefit was having the exposure. Just like you said, your husband recognized us from being in Citizens Bank Park. It builds credibility when you're selling a service to businesses. The businesses might buy it, but are there people going to use it without understanding what you are and what a benefit you could be to them and their families? Probably not, especially when you're touching such intimate pieces of their lives, like their social media history. And I'm going to digress for a second. I'm sorry, I'm going to tell a little aside for a second. But I kind of aliken LifeBrand to looking in someone's underwear drawer. If I went into your home, your underwear drawer has clean pieces of clothing in it. There shouldn't be anything embarrassing about it, but it still feels icky me even talking about it. It's your personal underwear drawer, why would I go and do that? They're laundered. There's nothing wrong with them. It's very much like that when we're looking at someone's social media history. It's private, it's intimate.

(13:25):

And although there might not be anything there that could be considered a skeleton, it's still a piece of their life and their history that they might not want to share right away, especially with somebody that they don't trust. So we partnered with these sports teams to really have that credibility, that B2C buy-in, to make sure that our B2B clients had the best activation with the people that worked for them. To make sure that it wasn't just bad revenue, they were buying a service that their people weren't going to use. We really wanted to become a part of their company ecosystems and offer their employees something that gave them a benefit that also helped the employer.

(14:05):

The second piece of this though, really is to get in front of the other corporate partners. When you look at what some of the corporate partners are of the 6ers, the Eagles, the Phillies. An Aramark for example, can only be used by a fraction of them because a lot of them don't have catering services. They're not going to continue to offer catering services now that a lot of people are working from home for their employees, it could change. Social media is something that every single employee of every single corporate partner uses. And to have the credibility of being in a stadium like that to meet their corporate partners, and then to start to move forward and sell to those corporate partners was a big deal for us.

(14:45):

Little old LifeBrand calling Citizens Bank to have them use our services would've never happened. But now we've built a really close relationship with the reps from Citizens Bank. We are hopefully very close to moving forward and things like that wouldn't have happened again without the credibility of being there. I think it was kind of kismet that had happened. They reached out to us first. But the strategy really moved forward as TJ and I tried to figure out how we could kind of old school dorm storm like we used to in college, but in the easiest way in the Philadelphia market. And what better than Philadelphia sports.

Alaina Kearney (15:21):

I mean, do you think that... Obviously our sports seems did absolutely amazing this year. And they've been pretty good since you've partnered with them. Do you think that them being so exceptional, and I'm not just saying that they actually are. But do you think that that had anything to do with this strategy? Or do you think that even if they weren't, as awesome as they are, would this still have worked?

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (15:50):

Wow, what a good question. I think it still would've worked, especially in the Philadelphia area because Philly fans are just diehard fans. Even when their teams suck, they want to be a part of that culture no matter what. It's much better when they're winning, don't get me wrong. But you're still going to turn on the TV, you're still going to watch the 6ers, you're still going to watch the Phillies, the Eagles, because you just have that much pride. Would it have worked with some other markets? Maybe not. There are some other fair weather fans. But I don't think Philadelphia is one of those cities. But we've been very careful about where we've invested our time and money and these partnerships and they truly are just in cities where we feel like we can have the best hold, hire people to help us build the brand and move it forward.

Alaina Kearney (16:33):

I think it's so smart. I don't know of another company that uses the sports market the way that you guys are using it right now. I don't know of another brand doing that. Maybe I'm wrong, but I haven't seen it. But I think it's really interesting. So we might get back to that topic, but I think it's really cool. A lot of people listening to this podcast maybe have an idea the way that TJ kind of had that idea about LifeBrand. But they're not really sure what's the first step in executing that. So they have this idea, where do they go?

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (17:09):

Oh, man. I don't want to pretend to be a subject matter expert because certainly... TJ and I, this is our first business endeavor together. But you have to start with burning the boats. I did talk about the risk that I took. And he also took as big a risk, if not bigger, because he had children at the time, a wife, a house. I had only had my little tiny twin. It was me, my dog. So it was very different. But you can't give yourself a fallback. You have to make sure that if this is your passion, you're moving forward with your passion. And the best way to do that I think, is to also try to look for people who have done it before. And if it's not exactly your idea, because no one's come up with a LifeBrand before. At least people who have come some exposure in the same space.

(17:55):

So our partners, when we first started that helped us build the website, build the product, came to us because of a connection that he used to work with. One of his friends, their brother-in-law started a development company. They had engineers overseas, and that's how he started moving that forward before we met. You need to make sure that you surround yourself with people that just are willing to help have the right resources in front of them. And if they're not going to take advantage of you, because unfortunately some people try to in business. You move forward with their help as much as you can, and then continue to surround yourself with smarter people than you, because you're just never going to make the right decisions unless you have a good support system.

Alaina Kearney (18:38):

Yeah, I think that's great advice. And I think... You touched on this a little bit, but the people in your network and mentorship and the importance of having those key people in your circle. I think some people value that. But I don't know that people really understand the difference that somebody else could make who's walked that walk before you. And I hope that these episodes show people that you know can get to where you want to go. You can be where you were, take a massive risk and then end up where you are now, which is pretty amazing. I think that we... You're a young woman, obviously. You started this from nothing with TJ. We talk a lot about imposter syndrome in the leadership space. And for those who are listening that don't know what it is, essentially it's a perceived fraudulent. You feel like you're going to be found out that you're not really who you say you are. You doubt your abilities. So being a woman under 30 or 30, you reached massive success. Has this been something you felt?

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (19:54):

Absolutely. Every day. And not because I doubt my own abilities, but because I feel like the world isn't shaped for people that are me. There are no female executives that I know of at my age that have... Well, I shouldn't say that. There are a few that exist. But there are none that I know directly in my six degrees of separation. I don't have exposure to those people. And have I seen them in the news? Sure. Are they role models? Absolutely. Have I had any personal conversations with them? Have I been able to learn from them? No. So as much as I believe in myself and I know that I've earned this position, I've never had somebody that looks like me, that sounds like me, that's my age say, "You're doing an incredible job. Here's where I have messed up before. Here's how you can learn from me and here's how you move forward with your career."

(20:44):

I've just kind of had to figure it out. And I don't want to say that entrepreneurship is a big boys club, but every piece of every business has that element to it. So it's even more uncomfortable when I am not only the youngest but the only female in the room 90 something percent of the time. So there's a little bit more work I have to do to be taken seriously. And although I don't really stress about it anymore at this stage of LifeBrand, I used to a lot because I just felt like I'm the little girl walking into the room that no one's going to take seriously. And I'm asking for a couple million dollars and how the hell is anyone going to give that to me when I'm trying to pitch them this idea?

(21:27):

And since I've gotten over those fears, do I experience it as much? No. But there are still moments in my day where I think, oh my God, I've never done this before. But the secret is no one's ever done anything before and they have to just move forward. Everything's always going to be a new experience. And if you've done it before, you're not pushing yourself hard enough to continue to grow. Or you're at the end of your career, and godspeed, I hope I get there soon, but we're not there.

Alaina Kearney (21:56):

Now, women tend to overvalue their expertise. Meaning they have to learn more or they have to do more before they take risks. I am that person. I feel like I can't do this thing because I didn't do enough research, or I didn't do enough planning, or I just don't know enough. I have to read more. I can't do this thing. And then by the time I'm ready to do it, two years have passed and I'm like, do I really want to do that anymore? No. And I feel like a lot of women are in that same boat. For you though, and I could be wrong, but it seems like that didn't happen for you because you sort of jumped into this really not knowing. You did have some background. You worked at Goldman Sachs, you worked at Lifetime. So you had some business acumen in the background. But it's not like you had 40 years of experience jumping into this like other people may have had. So why do you think that is? Why do you think you don't fall into this overvalue expertise category? Or maybe you do.

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (23:01):

I think I did initially. When I first started working with TJ, I was a salesperson, the only salesperson. And I think I really fell back on my sales experience from Lifetime. And although I wasn't doing what I had done before, it still felt like I could do it because I had some experience in it. But as I moved forward, I think I've just been on this journey of self-acceptance and really just trying to be the best version of myself. It sounds corny, but in my late 20s, I just don't really give an F anymore. I really just want to be as true to myself as I can be. And I know that I have a lot to offer. So I might not have all the answers by any means, but I feel like I can get there as long as I'm trying really hard. I'm trying an earnest, I'm really trying to do my best, and I just look at the people around me and they don't really know what they're doing either.

(23:58):

There's no shot at my network, my business partner, the people that I surround myself every day with, but everyone's kind of faking it until they make it. That's why that phrase exists. And if you really believe the hype about yourself, I think you can do almost anything. It was ingrained in me from a young age that I just had to really think about how valuable I was when I was a toddler. My dad would always... It was a cute little three line rhyme that he would repeat to me and make me repeat back to him. But he'd say, "You're pretty, you're smart, and you have a really big heart." And it stuck with me.

(24:35):

And I know that it seems very simple because he was saying it to a toddler. But it just has helped me realize that I have so much to offer. And even if I don't have the exact experience I need for a situation, I know that I can figure out the answer either with the right people around me or with the right amount of work. And I'm sick of waiting for opportunities to come to me. I want to go and take them.

Alaina Kearney (25:01):

I think that's incredible advice. And it's so interesting because the more I've been doing these podcasts, the more I'm hearing the same type of theme of nobody really knows what they're doing. I think we're under this... I don't know, at least for me, I think that people are just automatically experts in a certain area. And I think we forget that initially, they might not be. And they get to this point where they become the expert because they've built this massive business, or organization, or whatever it may be. But I think it's so interesting that almost everybody I have interviewed so far, has said very similar things that you just said. And I think it's inspiring for people listening that they can really do whatever they want to do. They have to just do it. And I think taking that initial step of feeling like, "I am good enough. I don't need to be the best right away. I can figure it out." Something that I'm curious about is the technology piece. I mean, you didn't come from a tech background. So that had to have been really challenging for you.

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (26:07):

Oh, yeah.

Alaina Kearney (26:07):

How could you learn that? Did you ever feel like intimidated, "I'm not going to be able to do this. This is way over my head?" And how did you overcome that?

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (26:16):

Yes, intimidated, still to this day, when I talked to some of our engineers, because I know how smart they are and they are these incredible minds that I will just never understand. I wasn't so much scared about working in tech because I didn't have the exposure. I wasn't going to be doing any of the coding. So I felt comfortable really bringing my expertise to the table in terms of user experience. I love technology. I love social media. There are a lot of gripes about it too, but I love what it does. It brings people together. And I feel like because I've spent so much time trying to understand, again, to go back to privacy law, what the shortcomings in the strengths of each social media outlet are. I could bring that to the table when talking to our engineering teams and saying what the user experience should be, what the actual interface should look like, how we could compete with other outlets out there.

(27:12):

I've learned so much from all of them, and I really appreciate the minds that we have on staff because we really do have some of the best technological minds in the tri-state area. I learn from them all the time. But I don't know, it took a little bit of getting used to really just again, taking it all in and not pretending to know something that I didn't. But I think sometimes engineers are looking at it because they are doing the surgery on the tech and trying to make it all function. But they need someone else from the outside to remind them of what the functionality should represent to the users. And I really felt comfortable bringing that to the table.

Alaina Kearney (27:53):

And I think too, you bring up a good point of the importance of having so many different people at the table with different backgrounds, different expertise, different experiences. And for you being somebody young, a woman, you had a whole different set of issues to overcome, and more so probably than the average male in your shoes. I know from my own experience, being young and you're in a room of people who have more experience or have life experience, but also business experience. And at least for me, I sometimes find myself like retreating. How do you engage with people who may have already written you off?

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (28:38):

So I think about this a lot because it still happens once in a while. But I think I just make myself impossible to ignore, especially in those rooms when I know people are going to look at me and think there's nothing I need to talk to her about. I hyper prepare for those meetings and I anticipate what those questions are going to be from them. And I make sure I have my own set of very difficult questions to ask them. Because let's say this is a business negotiation of sorts. Just like they're vetting me, I need to make sure they're the right partner for me in my business as well. And if I'm not asking the right questions, I can't make sure that I'm doing my due diligence appropriately. If they're writing me off, they're probably not the right partner to be fair. But it really did take some getting used to not take it personally.

(29:26):

I know that it feels personal in those moments, but it's because their views are so myopic. They're not allowing themselves to really understand that someone like me has value to bring and I need to just prove it in that moment. I don't try very hard to prove it in that moment. I try to allow it to just kind of flow. I used to try really hard, but preparing for those meetings, making sure I have the right questions, making sure that I can have all the right answers. And if I don't know the answer, admitting it. Because I think people can feel when you don't know something and you try to fill the silence. And that's where you lose credibility, even if you didn't have it in the first place.

Alaina Kearney (30:05):

It's so true. And it's so funny when you were talking, I wrote down the word personal, because I wanted to know how you don't take it personal. I struggle with this, and I think a lot of people do. How do you kind of separate the personal from the business? Or just somebody's just being a jerk and how do you not go home and sit on that? I've gotten a lot better with it, but I feel like it's so hard not to.

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (30:25):

There are moments where I definitely still take it personally. They're not as often, but I think it's really trying to understand that everyone comes from their own world that I'm never going to understand. They might have had the worst day ever before being in front of me. Maybe I said something that rubbed them the wrong way and I didn't realize, even if I didn't mean to because of the experience they had before speaking to me. Maybe it's just that they hate people that look like me. I don't know. There could be a million reasons, but I know that I'm not the person that started that issue. It's them. It lives with them, it dies with them. And I'm probably not going to see them after that conversation. So I don't know. It took me a while because I really did take work home and sometimes still do.

(31:12):

But my husband and I talk every night about what our days are, and I try really hard to focus on the positives because if I focus on all of the negative pieces of my day, I would never want to come back to work again. There's just so much stuff that happens. But when I focus on the positives, I really think about the impact that I've made in certain conversations or the impact that I've made in certain one-on-ones with my employees, or the way that the business is moving forward. And it just keeps me coming back to work instead of focusing on all the reasons why I should hate it. And there are a lot for everybody.

Alaina Kearney (31:45):

I bet. So I'll tell you. Something that I've really struggled with in recent years is that I have trouble public speaking. It has been something I never had an issue with as a kid or even into my teens in college, never had a problem. Now all of a sudden I'm in the business world and I have a trouble with it. So I think personally, that probably reverts back to my own imposter syndrome. But likely you've had to do a lot of public speaking, you've had to network with very important people, professional athletes, people who have a ton of money to invest in your company. There's a lot at stake for you. So how do you overcome the anxiety of not putting your foot in your mouth?

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (32:26):

Sure. Oh, sometimes it still happens. But I have to kind of tell myself that I'm (censored). I know that sounds nuts. But if you don't kind of believe your own hype before you go into those meetings, before you go into those presentations, those people, if you are the one presenting, are coming to see you. They really care about what you have to say. And they're just as nervous listening to you as you are going to speak to them. So I've really started to get over that. I had a presentation not long ago to one of the GLE teams for an NBA team in the area. And when I walked in, I was very nervous before I had started talking. And then I stood in the locker room and I was like, I'm here to tell these guys how amazing I am and how amazing my product is. I'm not nervous anymore. They're just kids. And I really just want to have a good time. It should be a good time. They're coming to listen to be educated.

(33:22):

In networking situations. I know that there are professional athletes, celebrities that have invested in the company or that I might have exposure to at networking events, but I don't really get excited about that anymore. It makes me sound jaded. It truly does. And there are some very exciting moments. But I try to think about them as business people and as humans and how I would want to be treated on the other end of that conversation. And that's how I approach it, because if I get nervous or I fan-girl over them, I immediately lose any chance I had of having that credibility in that conversation or making them feel comfortable. So it's taken some practice, don't get me wrong. But you just have to hype yourself up and really feel like you have so much to add that they would be stupid not to listen to you.

Alaina Kearney (34:08):

I love that advice. If anybody hears me saying these words, they're going to know it came from you. I love that. I'm still going to put my foot in my mouth. I'm sure of it. I'm sure of it.

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (34:17):

It's going to happen.

Alaina Kearney (34:18):

A lot of people our age when I have these conversations of what's the hardest thing in your career? What's the biggest obstacle you have to overcome? So many people are age are like public speaking. You don't seem to have that. And if you do, I don't feel it.

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (34:31):

Well, thank you. I do definitely get nervous, but I also think that my version of preparing for things... And I think other people's version of preparing for things is very different. When I get sent an outline that I have to go over with somebody when I'm doing a presentation or whatever it looks like, I try to dissect that as much as possible, and just give myself really short bullet points because I have to leave enough room for people to ask me questions. But I also want to leave enough room to riff. If the room is completely different, maybe I'm talking about something that's totally irrelevant. I don't want to get stuck on just one thing that I've prepared that might not be relevant to that group of people.

(35:13):

So I don't know. I think our age group... I go back to third, fifth grade when we were really trying to understand how write five paragraph essays, whenever that was. And we really got stuck on every paragraph needs a subject, you need to have a conclusion, whatever, the structure kind of messed with us. We didn't allow ourselves to just kind of flow and riff, and have enough space to be creative for the room that you were in or the people that you might be talking to.

Alaina Kearney (35:41):

I think that is so spot on. And so funny, looking back at that. The PSSAs and all those things we had to take, I guess it was different for you where you live, but the standardized tests for public school kids was the same. And I remember them saying, you had to have a topic sentence, and then all your sentences underneath had to add to that topic. And now it's totally different. I'm learning, being in the marketing space, the website writing is so different than the way we were taught. And business memos even are so different than the way we were taught. And it seems like nowadays people are, there is no sort of status quo. There's nothing to really look at. I mean, even in the PR space, of course there's the AP style book. But is everybody familiar with that? No. I mean, if you forget where to put a comma, are people going to notice? Probably not.

(36:35):

So it's so interesting that things have evolved and we've kind of grown out of this standard that we set for ourselves. But I want to talk about something that was on your website. So you had said on your website that your personal mission is to lead a professional life of honesty and integrity, while encouraging failure recovery over failure avoidance. I love the saying. So how did you come up with that statement and how do you think you've been able to achieve that?

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (37:05):

Sure. So it's twofold. My dad, when I was growing up, had his own business. And their mission statement was integrity and action. And I loved that. And I think I've really tried to lead with that. I try to do the right thing every day, even if it's uncomfortable. But sometimes doing the right thing gets me in trouble and I totally screw up. And that's where the failure recovery and failure avoidance piece came from. It's really the first thing I wrote to remind myself when we started LifeBrand. I think I still... Yeah, I mean, I would turn my computer, but I have the post-it still on one of my chargers over by my computer. I've had it since 2020. I don't know. You have to make sure that you're trying everything and then apologizing after if it's wrong, not asking for permission, because if you're always waiting for someone else's permission, you're never going to move forward.

(37:59):

You just kind of have to throw spaghetti against a wall and see if it sticks. While also doing the right thing, and having the right intentions, and making sure that everything you do is leading your company and your people in the direction that you believe is right. And if it's not right, you got to own the mistake. And you have to make sure that your people see you owning the mistake. Because if you lead by example and you show that every leader is fallible, it also makes you more believable. It makes you more followable. It makes people gravitate towards you. Does everybody like me? No, probably not. And I hope not. Because that means I've done something wrong.

(38:34):

But I would hope that they respect me because I can honor when I've made a mistake, tell the people that told me I was making a mistake, they were right and absolutely come back to them to help fix the problem and make sure that I have the right people there next to me. So like I said, twofold. My dad really started that. He has a lot of cute catchphrases that he's been using since I was little. But integrity and action really stuck with me, and I wanted to make that a part of my personal mission statement.

Alaina Kearney (39:04):

I mean, it's really great advice and I think it shows the authenticity of you as a leader. I think it's really hard sometimes for executives to come down a little bit and be able to relate to their staff in a way that makes them feel like humans, like people that they can relate to. So I want to talk a little bit about your role at LifeBrand. What is your day-to-day look like? Are you overseeing the people? Are you overseeing just the operations? What does your day-to-day look like?

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (39:33):

So my day-to-day is different every day, which really is my favorite part of the job. I never know what to expect coming in. Even if there's stuff on my calendar, it could be gone in a moment's notice. But my job, yes, is to oversee the operations of the company, make sure that our day-to-day vendor relations, our data science, everything is moving forward, our product and technology team. But I meet with all of our department heads once a week to make sure that I understand the inner workings of the company. If I am only looking at data, or I'm only looking at what our vendors are doing, or only looking at certain KPIs, and I'm hiding from our people, I'm missing the biggest part of operations, because I'm not the one that makes the company run. TJ's not the one that makes the company run, it's everyone else that we've hired.

(40:22):

Those departments are much more important that anyone else that sits on my floor. So I need to make sure I have personal touchpoints with them. So every week, yes, I'm looking at all of these other numbers. But I have a lot of personal one-on-one time with department heads. And I also have open office hours on my calendar from eight to 10 every morning, where anybody who's not a department head, who doesn't have an appointment can come see me, make time, and make sure that we have that one-on-one face time. In addition to all of those one-on-ones, and appointments, and other meetings, I also have time each Wednesday afternoon to sit with the whole company. We have, whether it's like team bonding moments, scavenger hunts, pizza parties, whatever that might be to make sure that we really are sharing in the mission.

(41:09):

I think it's important that everyone stays connected because if one person is unhappy, all of LifeBrand becomes unhappy. Because we're so small and because we're a startup, we really rely so heavily on each role that's involved here. We need to make sure that everyone is connected and feels comfortable enough to share either what's going well or what's not going well.

Alaina Kearney (41:30):

How do you think you build that comfortability with them? I mean, that's got to be very hard, and I'm sure that even though you are very approachable, in my opinion, I'm sure there's probably people who are very intimidated by you. How do you overcome that? How do you build that? I mean, this is a loaded question here, but how do you build that culture that you're talking about?

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (41:52):

I think my employees, they know that I will always keep it real. They will always know where they stand, whether it's positive or it's negative. I'm not going to hide it from them. So I think even if that has an intimidation factor, it makes me more approachable because they know that they're not just going to get lip service and that they'll get my real opinion. And if I don't give it to them, my face will give it to them. So no matter what, they know where they stand. I think building that culture though, started from the beginning. We had a one floor office where everyone had open door policy. We truly spent as much time as we could together. There was a lot of collaboration no matter what were. Whether you were on the engineering team, on the marketing team, somewhere in finance, we wanted everyone's opinions on the product.

(42:38):

All of those meetings, I think, helped shape the culture where people could feel comfortable enough to talk about what was going on at the company that they liked and they didn't like. I also started this cute half hour to an hour meeting on Wednesdays where we talk about anything other than work. So we literally just sit together and sometimes I come with topics, sometimes we have an activity, but it's just to make sure there's no LifeBrand talk and we are actually getting to know one another personally. Now, whether or not my employees enjoy that, you'd have to ask them. But I think it's worked so far, because we really do enjoy spending time together.

(43:16):

I mean, I hate when decision makers call their business a family. We're not a family. We're people that work together. We have to refer to each other as family because we are a very small, tight-knit community. But we do choose to see each other outside of work. So I guess that would be the biggest measure of success. It's that everybody here has somebody from this office that they see on a regular basis want to spend time with and choose to be around, even though they're there for 40 to 60 hours a week in front of that same person over and over again.

Alaina Kearney (43:49):

I'm listening to this and I'm thinking, wow, that's got to take up a lot of your time, and it's time well spent. But it also leads me to think how are you able to manage your time in a way that when you go home, you're not constantly working and maybe you're still working on this because it's got to be really challenging. So I guess my question is twofold. How do you handle the time management piece of being somebody in your shoes, but also how do you separate your home life from your work life? Or is there none?

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (44:24):

I think my husband would tell you there's no separation, even though I would like to say the opposite. But I think when a business is your baby, there can't really be any separation. I go home and I have personal time, and there are hours where, no, I won't look at my phone. But I know that I have to if it's important, because no one's ever going to care about my business the way that I care, the way that TJ cares about LifeBrand. But how do I manage my schedule effectively? I think I built really good habits when I was at Lifetime. I have to credit my last manager, Dan Kubo, with that, he drilled home a highly effective schedule. So if you were to look at my Google calendar, I mean, it's insane.

(45:05):

I will block every half hour, every hour on the hour. It's either my meetings, it's whatever I'm doing admin wise, it's whatever I'm focused on. I want people to know, even if it's not a meeting, that I'm writing what I'm doing so that I can hold myself accountable and that my employees can hold me accountable for what work I need to get done. But I go as far as to even write little reminders, bring your Tupperware home so that everything is there and nothing can be missed. Work will come home with me once in a while. Yeah, I will work late. My husband will say a lot of other things. But I really try to use my time as valuably as possible, and as effectively as possible when I'm in the building, because if I don't, I'll never stop.

Alaina Kearney (45:51):

Yeah, I mean, I'm amazed by how you're able to sort of juggle it all because there's a lot there. But I know we're getting close to the end here. So I want to ask you two more questions before we close out. The first one is, how has your life changed since LifeBrand? I mean, you're talking about your life did a full 360. You went from leaving your job, cutting your salary in half, not even having a salary, to being part of and helping to build this massive, massive company. So talk to us about the positives and the negatives of about how your life changed.

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (46:32):

Sure. I think instead of referring to them as negatives, I'll say challenges. The biggest challenge I have now is feeling responsible for 50 people every day. It's not just my livelihood, it's 50 people. And every day that I think, oh my God, I'm not going to work today. I'm pissed at everybody and I really just need a break. I think, no, my employees are there. They need me. They need to see a smiling face. They need to know that I'm as dedicated as they are. And whatever happens on the executive floor with fundraising, with revenues, with our KPIs, whatever it might be, I will never show my stress downstairs to my employees. I want them to know that even if my hair is on fire, they are my priority, their comfortability, the work that they're putting forward, their livelihood is always going to be what I'm focused on.

(47:24):

So it feels like I have 50 children even though I don't have children yet. So I'd say that's the biggest challenge. I don't want to call it a negative, it's just an added stress that I should have seen coming when we started the business. But I don't think I could have ever anticipated feeling that stress and feeling that agita when I think about how many people I have to make sure remain happy because it's not just them, it's their families too.

(47:50):

The biggest positive change, I think is the one I've seen in myself. I mean, before LifeBrand, I think I really just wanted to find my purpose. And I really just wanted to fit into whatever business I was working in, do the best I could, which is great, but I wasn't fulfilled. And now, although there are challenges, I feel fulfilled every day because it's something that I really care about and it's something that I really want to see through. So it's the biggest positive.

(48:19):

But also I just feel like I have so much more autonomy. I feel like I can speak up and be valued in a room where before I was taught you are an analyst. You do not speak unless spoken to. There are other VPs and MDs in the room that you need to make sure you are listening to first, don't ask questions until after. Just a lot of weird, bad habits that I don't think really should exist. I think that there are so many good ideas that can come from anybody, no matter their title. And I really try to stress that with my people. So I tried to push that as much in myself to make sure I led by example.

Alaina Kearney (48:53):

I mean, I feel like so many people listening are like, wow, I really wish I had a boss like that. I really wish I had somebody in my corner like that, because I think that that's the way it should always be. But something you talked about when we talked about challenges with LifeBrand. We talked about that added stress of feeling the employees on your back and feeling like your decisions are directly impacting them and their families. And that's just one of the many, many stresses that I'm sure come along with the job. But how are you dealing with the stress of this job?

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (49:32):

Sure. I mean, it takes a lot of time management, but it also takes a lot of self-care. And I don't mean self-care like what you see in the movies when you stand in the bathroom and you put your little mask on, although sometimes that's a part of it. It really is making sure you're investing in the things that make you happy outside of work. So for me, that's my family, my friends, my pets, my husband, it's my hobbies. So it's golfing, it's horseback riding, it's reading. It's sitting in my backyard in the grass and just enjoying some sunlight when I can, even if my laptop has to be next to me. It's making sure that my cup is filled, because if it's not, I'm not going to be able to fill those around me, and I'm not going to be able to be 100% for the people that depend on me. So self-care is huge.

(50:19):

And then just also letting go. I had a really hard time letting go when we first started LifeBrand. And TJ's the same way. We're both control freaks. So for us to delegate and give homework to other people that we really felt like we could do better, something we had to really fight through. But that's helped with my stress management because I trust my people. I needed to learn that and I needed to give my people autonomy the way that I've been trusted with autonomy. So that's also really helped with my stress management.

Alaina Kearney (50:47):

This has been so helpful, and I've loved the chance to ask you all these questions. And I feel like I could potentially be on this call with you for another two hours, but that would totally mess up your time.

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (50:57):

We can always do this whenever you want.

Alaina Kearney (50:59):

I think it would mess up your time block. I think it really would. You would have to time block me for an entire day. I mean, you would be stressed. You would need self-care after that. But is there anything else you want to share or something we didn't talk about before we kind of wrap it up?

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (51:14):

Sure. I mean, I think just how grateful I am for all of the opportunities I've been given. I know that I've said a lot on this podcast that I've fought for a lot of the opportunities and I have. But I am very grateful for having the belief of my business partner, for having family and friends that really supported me even when it was hard and it didn't look like LifeBrand was going to make it. And I just owe a lot of people a lot of thank yous. And I don't think I get to say it enough. So I'm saying a blanket thank you right now. But I think all those people know who they are, and I just like to always include that because I wouldn't be here if it weren't for everyone else to help me get here.

Alaina Kearney (51:53):

Well, Jemma, I am so, so grateful and thankful for you for being on this podcast. This has been so exciting for me. This is something that I've always wanted to do and you're part of my journey now. Thank you again, Jemma, and hopefully we'll be seeing each other soon.

Jemma Barbarise-Kelley (52:08):

Yes. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.

Alaina Kearney (52:11):

As you can hear from listening to Jemma. She is eloquent, empathetic, driven, and very strategic. Her story from making no money to building $110 million brand came with risks and uncertainty. But that little voice inside her head, thanks to her dad's affirmations, helped her develop a mindset that shaped her career trajectory and her leadership style. I challenge you to focus on failure recovery over failure avoidance, and work on believing your own hype. And of course, if you've enjoyed this podcast, be sure to subscribe so we can continue to provide content from exceptional leaders.