OnlyFounders

023: Surviving Disruption, Thriving in Community

Matt Lo & Anne Gillaspie

In this episode, Matt and Anne sit down with entrepreneur Sandra Graves, founder of Innova Industries and founder of Hub HTX. Sandra shares her journey from a initial role in the intermodal shipping world to running two different businesses—one in ISO tanks and another in community coworking.

We talk about navigating bespoke industries, the realities of starting a company during a recession, how coworking spaces survived COVID, and why resilience and intuition matter as much as strategy. Sandra’s perspective on growth, balance, and trusting your cycles is a refreshing reminder that entrepreneurship is as much about personal evolution as business tactics.

🚨 Stuff You’ll Want to Remember:

  • “Starting a business during a recession makes you a leaner, more resilient founder.” — Sandra
  • “At some point you have to trust the foundation you’ve built and lean into your expertise.” — Sandra
  • “You can’t force creativity every day. Trust your cycles — the energy always comes back.” — Matt
  • “Sometimes laying the groundwork feels like failure, but really it’s setting the stage for future growth.” — Anne

📡 Where to Find Us: