The Inner Capital
The Inner Capital is a podcast for visionaries ready to build wealth from the inside out.
Hosted by Kate, this show blends money, mindset, and mastery to help you unlock your greatest asset — the one within.
Once a month, you’ll hear honest conversations with founders, investors, and thought leaders who are redefining wealth, along with solo episodes on the strategies and mindset shifts that turn inner growth into outer success.
Wherever you are on your journey, this is your space to grow your capital — and yourself.
🎙 New episodes drop once a month on Fridays.
The Inner Capital
From 7 Figures to Freedom: Rethinking Success as a Founder
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If you’ve ever thought building a successful business meant burnout, constant hustle, or chasing the next big milestone then this episode will shift your perspective.
In this episode, I sit down with Kirsten Baumberger, founder of Mini Social, a 7-figure business connecting brands with micro-creators, and an angel investor supporting the next wave of female founders.
We talk about what it actually looks like to grow a profitable business, how the creator economy has evolved, and why redefining success might be the most important move you make as a founder.
Key takeaways:
- Why “slow and steady” growth can outperform scaling fast
- How micro-influencers (1K–10K followers) can make money working with brands through Minisocial
- What brands look for when partnering with creators and how the process works
- How the creator economy has shifted and where it’s headed next
- The real reason micro-influencers drive trust (and sales)
- Why raising venture capital isn’t always the right move
- How to build a business that supports your lifestyle, NOT consumes it
This episode is about more than building a business, it’s about building a life.
Because success isn’t just about hitting a number…
it’s about creating something sustainable, meaningful, and aligned with how you actually want to live. That's real wealth.
You don’t need to scale at all costs.
You don’t need to burn out to prove something.
You need clarity on what you’re building and why.
This episode is sponsored by Social House — a technology-driven real estate brokerage in Southeast Michigan, using modern tools and social media to create a more transparent and informed experience for buyers and sellers.
If you’re exploring a move, they’re a team worth knowing. Connect with them on Instagram @socialhousegroup.
Thanks for listening!!
Connect with Kate:
Instagram — @theinnercapitalpod & @katelynnicolee
TikTok — @theinnercapital
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Welcome to The Inner Capital, the podcast where money, mindset, and mastery meet. Because your greatest asset is within. I'm Kate, your host, and together we'll explore the stories and strategies of founders, visionaries, and leaders who are redefining wealth from the inside out. Thanks for tuning in. Building wealth isn't just about what you earn, it's about all the decisions you make along the way. For many people, real estate is one of the most meaningful of those decisions, and who you choose to work with shapes that experience. Today's episode is sponsored by Social House, a technology-driven real estate brokerage in Southeast Michigan. They use modern tools and social media to create a more informed, more transparent process for buyers and sellers. If you're exploring a move, they're a team worth knowing. You can learn more on Instagram at Social House Group or through the link in the episode notes to connect with our team. Welcome back to the Inner Capital. Today's guest built her business by seeing where the creator economy was headed before most brands even caught on. Today I'm joined by Kirsten Baumberger, founder of MiniSocial, a platform that connects brands with microcreators to produce authentic, user-generated content. What started as an early bet on micro influencers has grown into a seven-figure business working with companies like Native and DoorDash. But what stood out to me about Kirsten isn't just what she's built, it's also how she thinks. She challenges a lot of the traditional startup advice around growth and offers a different perspective on what sustainable entrepreneurship actually looks like. After more than a decade as an entrepreneur, she's also now investing as an angel, intentionally supporting other female founders. In today's episode, we talk about her journey, how you can get involved with Mini Social as a microcreator or brand, and how her thinking around money success and entrepreneurship has evolved over time. Kristen, welcome to The Inner Capital. Thanks so much for having me. I'm so excited to have you on. You've built a seven-figure business called Mini Social. But before we get into that business, let's talk about your journey to entrepreneurship. So, what were you doing before Mini Social?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so before Mini Social, I was a marketing consultant. So I did a lot with direct-to-consumer brands, working with them on their social media strategies. So it started off as freelance work and then turned into an agency that my husband and I ran. And that agency then turned into mini social. So we were doing a lot of work with direct-to-consumer brands, e-commerce brands, lots of random companies. One of our first clients was a um, it was it was an apartment building in New York. So that was one of our first clients, and it landed us a feature in the New York Times. Um, just because it was a very innovative thing at the, you know, 10 years ago to be doing social media for an apartment building in New York. So that was really where we got our start and what what mini social was born from.
SPEAKER_00Wow, okay. So you've always kind of been in the marketing space and like the creator economy kind of. Did you always want to start a company, or were you always kind of like entrepreneurial? Or did you think like you would be working for someone and this kind of came out, it just like evolved into that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. So I was definitely very entrepreneurial. My parents had lots of different businesses when I was growing up, lots of different side hustles. So it was definitely something that I grew up around and something that, you know, it didn't feel weird for me to, you know, start my own business or have my own thing. It just sort of felt like something that people did because I was surrounded by it so much. So for me, it was, you know, it felt very natural, which was nice. I moved to New York when I was 18 and I didn't go to college. So traditional sort of the traditional route of going to college and then graduating and getting a job wasn't something that really was anything that I was gonna do. So for me, it was really just about finding my path and you know, social media was was one of the ways that, you know, I found that and just started, you know, finding work through that.
SPEAKER_00Nice. Okay, so um you said you mentioned you and your husband kind of started started an agency and then it it kind of evolved into mini social. When did the idea for mini social first come together? Like, was there a pivotal moment where you both sat down and were like, wait, like this could really be something, or let's like pivot to this? Like, was tell me about that evolution.
SPEAKER_01For sure. Yeah, so it happened really naturally. A lot of the work we were doing with the clients we had at the time, 2017, 2018 time frame. We were doing these UGC campaigns. We just didn't really have a word or a term for it at the time, where we were sending creators product, they were creating content, and then we would take that content and use it across, you know, the brand's marketing channels. And that content was way outperforming, you know, studio shop content or you know, brand content or graphics. So that's really where the idea for mini social came from is you know, so many brands, you know, should be using creator content, should be working with micro influencers. And so around late 2018, early 2019 is when we spun management creative, which was our agency, into mini social. And um, that's really when mini social really took off super fast. And um and in 2020, mini social continued to really take off during COVID because everybody was stuck at home and marketers were trying to figure out how to, you know, get content, and working with creators was just so top of mind. Everybody was on social, everybody was, you know, needing to still post and be relatable. So we really took off in 2020 and have been just kind of growing ever since.
SPEAKER_00Wow, so for someone who has never heard of mini social or is not really familiar with the space, how would you explain like what exactly the company does?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so what we do is we partner brands up with micro influencer creators. So for us, that means a creator that has a following between 1K and 10K typically, and all the content that the creators make are licensed to the brand. So the brand can actually take that content and use it and repurpose it across their own channels. So it's really just this idea of you know getting content for brands that performs and partnering them with the right types of creators and high-quality creators.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so let's think I want to think about it from like each perspective. Say, so for me personally, let's let's go through an example because I I have like just over a thousand followers. And if I like how would I approach mini social if I decided, you know what, I want to make some, I want to make UGC, I want to kind of pursue this path. What are like what should I do? I should get on the website, create an account, then kind of what happens from there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, exactly. So the first step um is to, you know, sign up, create an account on mini social, and then from there, what our team does is we actually review every creator application to make sure that, you know, your content's a fit for us and you know your audience is a fit for us, and you sort of check all of our boxes. And then once approved, you go into our database of creators. And then the way that Mini Social works is pretty unique from other like platforms in you know, creator spaces where we're not just like an open casting call where anybody can sign up and anybody can apply to work with a brand. We're really highly curated and highly vetted, and we do that to really ensure that the brands who work with us get the best results in terms of quality of content and quality of creators. So the way it works is once a brand comes to us and submits a brief for their campaign, our team actually handpicks creators for each project from within our database. So we kind of have like two different vetting processes. Process one, right when the creator applies, and then process two to make sure that we're inviting creators that are relevant to the brand and to the specifics of their campaign. So if we have a beauty brand that's coming to us for a Mother's Day campaign, we're gonna invite, you know, moms that, you know, create relevant content, have a relevant audience to the brand and to beauty. Um, so yeah.
SPEAKER_00Right, that makes sense. So then from the other perspective too, say like I was a business owner and let's just, for example, say like I sell phone cases or something and I do I contact you all, I create an account maybe or whatever I do. How do you like what what do brands how do they approach you and like refine exactly what they're looking for? Like what does that look like?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. So very similar brands come to us and submit a brief. That's the first step for getting started with Mini Social. They'll submit a brief, and then what we'll do is we'll invite those relevant creators, and then we manage really the process from start to finish with the brands. So inviting the creators, managing the back and forth with them. So all brands have to do is submit the brief, approve their creators, and then you know, approve their content as it comes in. So it's pretty streamlined and pretty simple for brands as well.
SPEAKER_00Nice. And so what is a typical like, um, so you you said brief, but like I'm assuming that's kind of like a campaign type of thing. What does the typical campaign look like?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so the nice thing about Mini Social is we're a project-based or campaign-based service. So brands can come and go as it makes sense for them budget-wise. We've always wanted to be a very startup-friendly business because, you know, we've been a startup, we are a startup, we understand, you know, budgets that come with, you know, being, you know, a lean team. And I think that's something that really has made us stand out in this space is that, you know, we do allow for brands to, you know, come and go and just do projects with us and not sign year long commitments. Most of the brands we work with do end up working with us year over year over year, but it's just nice that they're not locked into something and feel forced into it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, definitely. It's always, I feel like there's always kind of a better relationship when you don't have like a long, a long-term like contract because then it's like you're actively choosing to continue to partner with a business, basically. So that's kind of nice. And like also that gives like them the freedom to explore other like other types of marketing, and it's not like, oh, this is like where everything's going, like we have to, we're locked in for the next like year and a half. So that's that's awesome.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, the nice thing about mini social and the word that we've used for all of what we do as a business and honestly as people is we want to be friendly, friendly to brands, friendly to creators. That's been like our word, our defining word for mini social for years. Being friendly to brands, being friendly to creators. We want to make sure that we are, you know, just good people and in a good business to work with. And I think that's really, you know, shown in our longevity and you know, our work with brands over the years.
SPEAKER_00Definitely. I can understand how like relationship is a big piece of without business, right? Because you are like building, you're connecting, you're connecting the relationship basically. So yeah. Nice, awesome. Um, how has the creator economy changed since you started Mini Social? So I think you said was it around 2020 or 2018 that you've got to do it?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, 2018. Okay. December of 2018 was when Mini Social like officially launched to the world. And yes, so much has changed in the creator economy since then. Um, when we first started, we were doing primarily, we were doing only gifting campaigns. So we were sending creators product in exchange for them posting. And that was really, you know, in 2018, 2019, even 2020. Like that was what you were doing with microinfluencer. Now I would say 90% of our campaigns include a creator payment. So our creators are actually being paid, they're not just working in exchange for product. We have some brands that still like to do those gifting campaigns, but in terms of the majority of our work, you know, paying creators for participating and for posting. We really have just seen a shift in, I would say, quality in terms of micro influencers as well. I think a lot of the content, you know, back in, you know, 2018, 2019 was really lots of stills. So we were sending creators product and they were, you know, snapping a photo and posting it. But now the content's a lot more in-depth, it's a lot more, you know, thoughtful and thorough. So that's really nice that we're able to, you know, pay out creators and pay them for their work. So it's been a great shift and we're really happy that we've seen that shift in the creator economy because we love supporting creators and the ability for them to get paid for their work is something that we're super excited about.
SPEAKER_00Definitely. And like as somebody who like has created reels myself, I know that the time and energy that goes into it, right, is is a lot different than just like taking a picture and posting something. So I'm glad to hear. I I have noticed like that's obviously the way social media has been trending with like videos. So I can totally understand how like that has shifted. So um when when brands were just like doing the gifting, they they're still like they pay you to help connect them with creators, and then they're just gifting the creators it, like the microcreators, okay. The product.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, the the the clothing or the beauty products or or whatever it is, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So you talked about the trends about how that's changed with now like actually paying uh the creators. What do you where do you think it's headed to next? Like what where do you think it goes from here?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think uh AI is sort of an interesting piece of the conversation. I think we're seeing a lot of brands on social who use AI for a campaign or a content or an ad and then get a ton of backlash. So that's something that we're really paying attention to is just how can we continue to humanize UGC and humanize creator relationships. And I think what we're gonna see more of is longer-term relationships with creators, less one-off posts, and more focused on, you know, truly being a brand ambassador and being someone that, you know, this is a brand that I truly love, that I, you know, wear or use or drink or eat daily. And so I think we're gonna continue seeing, you know, with AI video and AI content becoming, you know, more of a thing, especially with ads. I think, like everything, it's gonna shift to as more and more authentic as we can make this, the better. And so that's always been the thing with UGC is that people trust other people's recommendations over a brand. And so with AI, it's going to be the same situation where it's like AI is being, you know, of AI video is being put out by a brand as their ad, but that's not a real person, that's not a real testimonial, that's not a real recommendation. So I think UGC is gonna continue to be at the forefront of that if you want to build trust with your consumers.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I can absolutely see that. Do you think too, like people you you mentioned this, people buy from people, right? And I think part of the reason maybe that some of like the micro influencers have been so successful is because more and more, and I feel this as well, I don't necessarily want to buy from like the Kylie Jenners of the world because I know in like I know that I'm a closer to fit to, I don't know, Jenny down the road. Like, so I think I would rather buy from Jenny down the road, who I I'm maybe more like, than like this this big celebrity influencer. So I feel like that, do you think that's contributed to the success of mini social and just in general the success of having like this idea of micro influencers and them being able to create UGC and and people actually like buying those things?
SPEAKER_01Right, for sure. I think micro influencers, you know, I always hear like, oh, you guys are so early. I still hear like, oh, you guys are really early with micro influencers. And, you know, for us, I've never felt like we're early. I've always felt like micro influencers, you know, are the authentic ones. They are the more relatable ones versus, you know, a celebrity or a macro influencer that's, you know, chartering a private jet for their bachelor party, you know, as or bachelorette party. You know, as much as I love to watch that content, I think it's so fun. I don't think that's the kind of content that makes people buy a product. I think the content that makes people buy a product is the content where, oh, that's relatable. That's my lifestyle. That day in the life looks like my day in the life. Things like that. Um, I think this sort of the difference between aspirational content and relatable content. And I think they both have a place in a brand's like marketing, you know, in their marketing, but I think it's for sales specifically. I think relatable is where it's at, and then sort of brand awareness that aspirational can come in. So I think the most successful brands strike a balance between aspirational and relatable content.
SPEAKER_00That makes total sense. And I feel like you just articulated exactly what I was trying to get at. Is like there, I'm there's definitely an audience for like the, you know, the Kylie Jenner, the Hailey Beavers of the world, like 100%. But I think that for most people who are under 5,000 followers, they are probably more likely to buy from somebody they either know or like is more familiar to them, more like them, right? More relatable. And so I can definitely see how for most of those people, like having somebody that is is authentic and seems more like them is definitely where they would lean to. But also at the same time, like, you know, you are aspiring to be like the Kylie Jones and the Hilly Beaver. So at the same time, if if they're posting something, I'm also like, shoot, maybe I should get that or maybe I should do that workout plan kind of thing. Like, so I can see the balance of both, just like you mentioned. Like there, there's probably definitely a time and place for both. And I can see how that could definitely be successful.
SPEAKER_01Right. And none of these things are are new either. I think a lot of people think that, like, oh, UGC and microinfluencers, it's new. And same with like celebrities and influencers. It's like, no, we've always had spokespeople that are famous for brands. That's dated back forever. We've always had testimonials from real customers. That's nothing new either. So I think that it's just sort of the evolution of you know what UGC is and what, you know, a celebrity spokesperson is that's more of the macro influencer and then more of the micro influencer. So we've really just seen that evolution turn into what it is today because of social media. Exactly. Yeah, the balance is truly key, I think, for brands that are want to sort of be everywhere and be the next poppy. I think it's having.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, definitely. And for anybody listening who doesn't know what UGC is, it's user-generated content. Just wanted to put that out there too, because I know sometimes I hear acronyms when I'm like, well, I don't know what that means. So doesn't know. And that's just essentially like I'll give my best understanding. It's like when I'm like, let's just say Poppy sends me the drink and I'm creating content of how I love Poppy. It's like a user generating content that they can then use to post and share. So it's like their their customers, that's what it appears to be, their customers kind of like vouching for the product, basically.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And the line of UGC has gotten a little, I think, blurry. I think UGC now is also really synonymous with influencer content. I think just in terms of, you know, the way things have have shifted. But I like true UGC is exactly that. It is, you know, a customer working with the customer testimonial is like true UGC. And then I think where the sort of lines get blurred is that you know, these micro influencers are these brands' customers. These creators are working with this these brands because they truly like these brands. I think there's a lot of discourse on social where it's like, oh, this influencer is getting paid. That's the only reason they're working with them. But it's like, no, I think a lot of the creators, especially micro creators, are really cautious about the opportunities they take on and they want to bring on opportunities that really resonate with them. And even macro influencers now, especially with how you know people have been like, oh, I don't trust influencers, like they're really cautious as to the brands that they promote because of that narrative. And so I think that's really why UGC still really reigns true for creator content because it is still people who are using the product and love the brand, love the product, and are using it like genuinely.
SPEAKER_00So it's like it's it's essentially another way to build trust with your audience. Like, yeah, yeah. It's a trust builder, absolutely. So Mini Social does around seven figures annually. Let's get into that a little bit. What do you think has been like the primary drivers that have contributed to that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so for us, I'd say really just being friendly, coming back to that word that you know, mini social keeps as our North Star. It's really just allowing for good relationships to be built and you know, being there for brands when they need us, not being pushy. One of the things that I love about us and our team is we're not overly salesy. We're not, you know, trying to extract every dime out of you because, you know, we can. What we're trying to do is be a good partner and find the solution that makes sense for you and that works for you. So I think that that's been a big contributor to our our success and also not overextending, really being, you know, the the tortoise versus the hare in the situation. We raised a little bit of venture capital back in 2020, but it was a very small raise. We raised only, I think it was 115k. So with that, just add it had us like add some tech at the time. But everything now has been, you know, we've put it put profit back into the business in order to grow. We've grown our team, you know, slowly over the years, but it has been something where we've gone down, gone out and raised $10 million, you know, launched a huge office in New York and, you know, tried to just like take over the world. And I think that's been why we've seen this slow and steady success over the years, is because we're not trying to be something that we're not.
SPEAKER_00So like the sustain it's sustainable growth, right? It's like was there a point um when you so I think you said you raised in 2020. So you had already you had launched in 2018. Was there a point in the business in the early days where you were like kind of bootstrapping, trying to really, really grind to get, you know, more brands engaged? Like what did take me back to like that first year? Was there ever a point where you were like, is it am I going to be able to keep this going? Like, are we going to be able to scale this? What does it look like?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So for us, like I mentioned earlier, we transitioned from our agency, um, you know, managing social media into mini social. So we were able to actually fold in a lot of those clients that we were working with doing their social into mini social clients. So that was really helpful in terms of, you know, making that transition and making that jump. Um, and then from there, we really relied on a lot of cold email. That's how we landed some of our, you know, first customers. Um, we landed native deodorant that way. This was before their acquisition to PG and worked with them for years and years. They at the time didn't have any in-house creative, they just were doing graphics in-house. So we were basically their creative arm for if there's a real person in this content. At the time, it was mini social created, which was really cool. And definitely landing a brand that was so, you know, high growth and everywhere was definitely, you know, really key for us. So that's always what I, you know, tell younger brands or tell brands that I I angel invest into is, you know, having sort of that that hero or having sort of that that social fruit for like we've done this for this brand that can really, you know, make or break your growth.
SPEAKER_00So what are some of the other um like bigger brands like that that really stood out to you over the course of building them?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, in the early days, I would say DoorDash was another big one, Hum Nutrition, a lot of brands that like we all have heard of. We all like know them, we've seen them on shelves, or you know, we've seen we use them. Um, and I think that really allowed for us to like create some really case studies that were extremely valuable to brands we were pitching. And so that really helped propel the growth.
SPEAKER_00Definitely everything everything everything keeps coming back to trust too, because I feel like that's ultimately what that is, right? It's building the trust with other uh potential brands that like, hey, we've done we did this for native, we did this for DoorDash. Like, yeah, everything kind of comes back to like a large part of like a theme of what I feel in marketing is is building that trust with your end consumer, basically.
SPEAKER_01We definitely practice what we preach in terms of social proof and UGC and and trust and you know having having like a diehard community.
SPEAKER_00Right. What made you you mentioned angel investing, which I'm glad because I want to talk a little bit about that too. So what made you decide to start angel investing?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so it was always something that, you know, back when I was a a baby founder, I always looked up to lots of you know female founders in this space, Emily Weiss at Glossier and um Ty Haney at Outdoor Voices, and saw a lot of them angel investing. To me, the reason I'm an entrepreneur is because I just am to my core in my blood, that's who I am. What really like you know lights my fire is supporting other female founders. So that's really where angel investing came from for me is the idea to support more female founders, get more businesses out there into the world, and really just support, you know, people who have amazing ideas. So um I started off by investing in Locker, they're a shopping app, and um the founder Christine and I had just sort of like known each other. I started a podcast for about five minutes and then was like this is really hard, I'm not gonna do this. But she was somebody who I I interviewed like four people who I was like friends with, and she was one of the ones I interviewed. And I remember just on that interview being like, Oh, Locker sounds amazing, like I need to download it. And this was like 2021. And so I downloaded Locker and I was like, Oh, this is amazing. I use it all the time, like it's just such an amazing product. And so when I saw she was raising, I literally sent her a message and was like, hey, I I love Locker so much. I need to I need to get on in on this. Like, send me send me the detail. So that was really the first investment I made that was I think in 2020, either 22 or 23. And no, it was amazing to be able to invest in a product that I use in a female founder that I truly believe in, and then have sort of just done similar from there, invested in um, you know, two beauty brands, Ceremonia and Esker. And they're just brands that I believe in and that I feel should exist in the world and are female founded because I love supporting female founders.
SPEAKER_00Um, this is such a full circle moment because I've actually I had her uh uh Kristen on as well to talk about law. Yes, and she and we talked about her raising process, and so she definitely probably she didn't like mention you by name, but definitely probably mentioned you in her journey of like raising. So that's crazy.
SPEAKER_01That's so funny. Yeah, I know she's she definitely raised with a lot of angels and you know some VCs, but yeah, no, it's definitely definitely a small world in the the founder community, which which I love. Everyone seems to know each other and it's so fun.
SPEAKER_00No, I love that, and it's like women supporting women, right? Like it's it's so powerful, and I know it's just the be it feels like just the beginning of it. I think it's gonna really like keep getting keep growing and keep getting um larger and larger.
SPEAKER_01So it's something that's grown so much since you know we started our agency, you know, back in you know, 2017. Just seeing how the female founder world was back then, there was like four or five prominent female founders, and that was really all you heard about. But now there's so many, and you know, there's such a community with female founders. And, you know, I host dinners occasionally um through I have a a little community called Friend of a Founder, and I like to host dinners with female founders and just bring founders together that are at similar stages and working on similar things. And it's been really cool to see like how many female founders there are out there now than there were, you know, back when I started. So yeah, it's really amazing to see that trajectory.
SPEAKER_00Yep, yep, it's on the rise. And you've actually talked about online, you've talked about controversial things that you don't do as a founder. So, what what is one piece of startup advice that you kind of disagree with?
SPEAKER_01My gosh, there's so many, honestly. Um, I'd say probably number one and something that just is really true to me and has been true to our growth has been not raising venture capital. If you don't need to, want to, have to. I think so many, I think this has changed, but I think back when we were starting mini social venture capital was really glamorized. It was like, if you raise venture capital, you're gonna have a successful business. And if you don't, you won't. But that has changed definitely just as sort of the economy has shifted, that sort of narrative has changed a bit. But there is definitely, definitely still this like over-glamorization of raising venture capital. And so I think at the time, you know, we did raise a little bit, and you know, we were sort of on this path to maybe going down being, you know, fully VC backed. I think there's a time and a place for that. There's certain businesses that make sense for that, there's certain types of companies that need those funds in order to, you know, survive. But and it's kind of funny being an angel investor and being kind of anti-VC. It's funny. I feel like I'm like two sides of the coin, but I definitely feel like it's it's a tool that if you know what you're opting into and you know why you're raising and you know the reasons behind it and you know what comes with it, then it's great to raise venture capital. I think there's a lot of businesses out there that shouldn't and are probably better off not raising venture capital.
SPEAKER_00No, I like that. It's kind of like maybe thinking about it more intentionally and not just like rushing into it because you feel like it'll give you like that backing that that makes you more confident as a founder or whatever it might be. And I like that. Like just I I also I can definitely see, like you said, there's two two sides to the coin and like certain industries or certain businesses probably require a little bit more funds, you know, up front. And if that you can't bring that to the table, then you definitely need to get support elsewhere. But um, I also think too, it's probably important like who you're getting the funds from, like like you know, finding the right angel investor or the right kind of partnership that is bringing to the table. And it's not just like, you know, you're doing it, you're forcefully doing it because you feel like you need to raise a bunch right now and you're not maybe necessarily aligned with where you're getting the funds from. So I think it's probably also just like where you're getting it from and like being really intentional. I like that advice. Like, do you really need it or is this just something that you feel like you need to do it?
SPEAKER_01Feel like you should do because everyone around you is doing it. And that was definitely the chap that I think we almost fell into. Um, we got really lucky with the small investment we brought on, our people and investors that are extremely aligned with us and our vision and who we are as people. And so I think that oftentimes founders can get in this trap where they they raise money and then the VC wants to take it in a direction that isn't the right direction with them. And you know, I just hate that it can kill so many beautiful ideas and beautiful businesses. So I think it's a great tool if you know what you're signing up for and you know why you're using it. You're not just doing it because you feel like everybody is and you should too. So agreed completely.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So what how has building this company changed the way you think about money and success?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's such a great question. I think it's shaped my entire view of success and money and wealth. I think that early on in like these sort of startup, you know, I'm just gonna grind as as, you know, fast as I can and you know, build and just scale at all costs. Definitely that was sort of, I feel like pre-2020 for me. And then now I definitely am more like balanced entrepreneurship is my whole thing. It's like my like ethos, it's my core ethos. And I really preach that to my team as well, where we're a very casual workplace, almost maybe too casual at times, but you know, for us, what I've seen is, you know, if you want to pop out at noon and go take the Pilates and come back, you know, and work later, perfect. I love that. I want people to feel balanced in their work and their life. And I think that there's this narrative that like you can't do both, you can't live a balanced life and grow a successful business. And I think that if you're trying to grow a unicorn, then then no, you're gonna need to, you know, do the grind thing and not sleep, you know, if you're if you're wanting to grow that. But if you're wanting to grow a business that, you know, creates something beautiful in the world or gives you a lifestyle that you love, and that's really what I've found now, is that mini social has allowed me to build a lifestyle that I love, which means, you know, signing off at 5 p.m., taking my dog to the park. It means, you know, being able to travel and work remotely. And so that's really truly what, you know, wealth has meant to me now is it's not about, you know, top-line growth at all costs. It's about how can we build a profitable, sustainable business that supports our lifestyle and the lifestyle of our employees while, you know, doing that in a way that emphasizes health and wellness.
SPEAKER_00I think it's really important because I feel like what happens to a lot of people in the grind era is they get, maybe they build the unicorn or whatever, but you get to a place where you you recognize that it's not a sustainable approach. Like you can, you know, you can grind for a couple years, but then at some point, I feel like um your, you know, your body or your mind is gonna start to burn out a little bit. So if you can find a way to create a business that's built around your lifestyle, I feel like that is the most sustainable, like like that's the goal. That's the most sustainable way to run a business, I think. And like inevitably you will you will build and grow this business. It might not be like you already have, I mean, but like in general, if somebody is doing it, like it might not be tomorrow that it goes from zero to a hundred, but you will be able to sustain and enjoy the path. And I think that that is like super important and not talked about enough.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, exactly. I think that again, sort of with the the glamorization of you know, raising, you know, venture capital. I think there's the same thing with the glamorization of like, I'm gonna grind. Oh, I went to bed at 1 a.m. last night because I was working so hard. And, you know, that you can do that, but only for so long. Like you said, you know, I burnt out, I had health issues that, you know, hit me. And I was lucky that it hit me sort of right before COVID. So I was able to kind of, you know, take a step back and see, okay, you know, what am what am I doing this for? What is the point of all of this? And, you know, COVID was a really nice sort of step back for me, where it's like we got rid of our office, we went all remote, and we were able to really focus on like just being like physically outside in the world and like getting outside. Like I remember my husband, who's my co-founder, we just like went in like road bikes for like an hour every day at like four or five p.m. and just like rode around town. And like that was something that was so healing for me at the time because we had just come back to the suburbs from New York City, and it was something that was like, oh wow, like I can be in nature, I can slow down, I can take a breath, I can take a pause. So, you know, there was a lot of negative that came with COVID for sure in in the world, but I do think there were some positives, and I think working remote, having work-life balance and being able to like physically get out into the world and like take a breath, I think was really big for you know, everyone. And I think we are still seeing luckily a lot of that carry over, you know, businesses have gone back to you know, to work and in in office, but I do think there is still more of a tolerance for having work-life balance.
SPEAKER_00Definitely, I agree. Do you think, just reflecting back, do you think that if you hadn't so you mentioned like there was there was definitely a grind period for you, right? Do you think that if you hadn't um had that period that mini social would still be successful as successful as it is today? Like, do you think that starting a business in general, there is a period of grind before you get to kind of the balance? Or what's your take on that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's a good question. And I honestly I don't think I have a perfect answer for it. Would like I I'm I don't want to like you know sit here and be like, oh no, you totally can. Like, because I don't know. And I do think that being open to both possibilities is interesting in in my mind. So I think the idea is that, you know, if you want to grow a business slow and steady, I do think you can. It just might take you more time to get to maybe where you want to be than if you do go through, you know, a couple years of like really grinding and then getting to a place to where you can maybe take a breath and be like, okay, we can grow this sustainably from here on out. But I think it's possible both ways. I just think one way might take a little bit longer to get to a point where you're like, oh, yeah, we can, we can, you know, hit our goals and be where we want to be as a business. I think it's just about like tuning into you and being like, are you locked in? Are you ready for another sort of like, you know, grind period where you're gonna, you know, you know, focus in on work and maybe have less of a balance. I think that's okay. I think that's great, but I think it's about listening to your body and when you need to slow down, having that awareness to actually take a step back and slow down.
SPEAKER_00That makes total sense. At the end of each episode, we do an end-of-episode ritual. So I'm gonna fire three questions your way, and you just give me kind of the first answer that comes to mind. So the first one is one daily habit you do to feel wealthy.
SPEAKER_01I go to Pilates almost every day, and I love it for my mind and my body.
SPEAKER_00Love it. I love Pilates as well. Okay, your go-to coffee order or morning drink.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I am a green tea girl, so typically it's an iced green tea. Um, and then I'll typically jump in right after to some sort of like hydration drink. I really love leisure hydration right now.
SPEAKER_00Nice. Okay, I've never I haven't tried leisure. I'll I'll have to try that on.
SPEAKER_01They're at Whole Foods. They just raised their their series A. I'm not an investor, but I wish I was because I genuinely love their product. So yeah, a little shout-out to them.
SPEAKER_00Nice. No, I'm excited to try it. I'm always looking for new new drinks. Like I'm I'm a drink girl. I love drinks, so I'll definitely be trying.
SPEAKER_01I love like I probably have like multiple like different drinks on my desk at any time. Like a poppy, a leisure, a green tea. That's sort of my move.
SPEAKER_00Yep, yep. A little bit of everything. Okay, and then last one, your most used emoji lately.
SPEAKER_01So lately it's been the tulip because we're in beautiful spring right now.
SPEAKER_00Spring, spring, even though it's like been raining so much in Michigan. You know what they say? April showers bring Mayflowers, so we're heading in that direction.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and it's already pretty warm so far this spring, so it'll be interesting to see what summer brings for sure.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes. Well, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. I really appreciate it. This was wonderful getting to know you and Mini Social. And thank you everyone for tuning in. Of course. Yeah, thank you so much for having me.
SPEAKER_01It's so fun to chat through the whole journey and relive it again.
SPEAKER_00Well, thanks everyone, and I will catch you all on the next episode.