Cait
Hello, and welcome to today’s episode of The Born to Rise podcast. I’m your host, Cait Scudder, and I am so excited. You guys, holy moly. About Our guests today. The one and only. Arielle Lauren. Arielle, thank you so much for being here. I’m so happy to have you on the show. No,

Arielle
Thank you, Cait, for having me. I’m super excited to chat.

Cait
Oh my gosh, so good. Okay, so as our listeners just heard, you are the founder of 100k incubator, you have been in the startup entrepreneurial space for over a decade busting moves and breaking glass through glass ceilings, for those of our listeners, which I imagine is a lot of people who, like a aren’t familiar with you, but be have no idea like what this world of venture capital and funding for female entrepreneurs is. Talk to us a little bit more about your journey in this space. And also like what this space is, because I feel like you sort of you kind of live in like the hidden wing that nobody knows is in the castle.

Arielle’s journey merging the process of scaling and capital for early-stage entrepreneurs

Arielle
Absolutely. So I started my career as a consultant for startups over 10 years ago, I and so really, I was in like every facet of the business, to be honest. And so I would come in oftentimes, I’d be running a lot of marketing campaigns, helping them scale, I’d be looking at their finances, I’d be obviously looking at capital opportunities. And so there were just a lot of things that you know, with small teams, you know, startups, small businesses, etc. Like you kind of get your hands in everything. And one of the things that I really realized was that when it came to platforms that existed, it was either they were teaching and supporting entrepreneurs through the process of scaling, you know, to hit, you know, their, you know, whatever income goals they might have, you know, or they were strictly focused on capital. And I hadn’t seen a platform for the earliest stages of entrepreneurship, actually put the two together. And so that’s where I really got the idea for 100k incubator, you know, however many years later, and then yeah, here we are today.

Cait
So amazing. Oh, my God, there’s just so many directions that I want to take this conversation. I love your journey. I love how you merge these two fields. And one thing that I you know, that I would love for you to talk to us about because you’re such an expert at this and I know from just working with clients, entrepreneurs at every stage of business, it feels like a mystery and like a room that we’re not supposed to be in to know that there we have access to capital to grow our businesses. I don’t know if you have seen this I’m sure you did as a consultant in those early days, but you know, I think a lot A lot of us are sort of sold and told about this, you know, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, you know, Sara Blakely started Spanx with $5,000 and never took funding. So you can do it too. And this whole idea that like, we should just either a magically have the money to start grow and scale a business or be, you know, feel a ton of shame if we don’t have it. And you know, I want to talk about debt later on in this conversation. But I would love for you to talk to us about capital and accessibility to capital as female entrepreneurs, like why don’t more of us know that it exists? And where can we start to look for it and tap into it?

How female entrepreneurs can start tapping into capital

Arielle
So okay, I think this conversation for sure is like super layered, right? And so a lot of people ask me, I think it’s a good starting point, like, why are you called 100k incubator. And the reason is because we focused our capital opportunities, oftentimes on women who are earning under $100,000 per year. And the reason for that is, because that is really the earliest of early stages. And oftentimes, after you pass that 100k, kind of annual revenue mark, getting capital gets a lot easier. So we were like, if we could figure out how to solve this, for the demographic that doesn’t get access to capital very often, you know, then everyone’s going to be set up, and everyone’s going to win, you know, basically from it. And so when it comes to capital, you’re absolutely right, like the conversation and the narrative is very much so like, you know, you can do it, you know, just take, you know, $100, and you’ll have your first startup and you know, all of the things and oftentimes when you actually talk to more established founders who have been running businesses for 510 1520 years, right, they’re gonna tell you a very different story, if you actually know how to ask the question if they’re willing to be transparent. And so oftentimes, what you’ll hear them say is, maybe quote, unquote, they didn’t get a business loan, when they first started out, but maybe a family member wrote them a check, you know, or maybe they took all of their personal credit cards and Max them out up to 20 3040, whatever, $50,000. You know, maybe they sold a piece of real estate, you know, and got a bunch of equity out, or they took out a home equity line of credit. And so it’s interesting, like, as we started to just really dive into the research and really ask founders, and even just from our own personal experiences, like I’m a serial entrepreneur, this is not my first business. And so even just personally looking at like, how did I capitalize and fund businesses, it was very interesting to see a very different story arise, and what we often see in the media, so I think, first and foremost, oftentimes people are getting quote, unquote, funding, it’s just not being called funding are coming from traditional places. So that’s definitely something I think we have to talk about.

Cait
Yes, 100%. I love that. And like removing the state, the sigma stigma or shame around, like having support from the outside, it’s like, okay, most of us don’t have a trust fund, or like a super wealthy uncle, that’s just gonna write us $100,000, check and be like, here you go invest in all the things. But you know, I think that funding for a lot of female entrepreneurs in particular, feels terrifying, because we’re conditioned, and there are so many layers to this conversation. I’m like, we could just go off on the patriarchy right now. But there are so many layers of conditioning that have women feel a certain way about debt. And this is a conversation I know that you and I were able to have in person when we met in Miami a few months ago, which was just so powerful. I like I’m still thinking about that conversation all the time. But I would love to hear your perspective on debt. Because one of the things that I took away most from your chat when I heard you speak and we connected that time was the debt is not a bad thing. And that, in fact, most business owners, successful business owners have taken on debt at some point or another. And it’s like knowing how to leverage that debt. But I think that, I mean, even if our listeners are hearing this now and thinking like, whoa, whoa, pump the brakes, like you, you lost me, talk to us about how debt can actually be extremely beneficial for us for growth. And you know, anything you want to share from your own personal journey with that as well.

How debt can be extremely beneficial for your growth

Arielle
Yeah, absolutely. So fair debt, we always say comes from not knowing your numbers, right. Like, if you know your numbers, then actually, that makes a lot of sense. So, let me let me explain. Let me give a very specific example. Oftentimes, a lot of internet entrepreneurs, I’m sure, as you know, and the women that you work with, run all sorts of advertising campaigns, whether that is on Tik Tok, or YouTube or Facebook slash Instagram, and you go into the backend of those advertising campaigns. And you see basically what are your conversion numbers? And so if you know that for every dollar you put into a Facebook ad, you make $2, right? Like, I’m not saying those are your numbers, but let’s say that’s on the low end side like you 2x is your money, right? So why would it not make sense to accept a business loan, you know, if you can qualify for it, and we’ll get into the different levels of funding depending on where you’re at in terms of revenue in a second. But let’s say you get a $10,000, business owner or $20,000 business loan, and if you know, if you’ve already strategically tested, you know, your Facebook ads, maybe with just like $1,000, and you were able to see that that $1,000 turned to $2,000. Why would you not put a $10,000 business loan and use that capital to put into your ads and to accept money into 20,000? So even, let’s say after 10%, you know, interest, like, you’re still at the end of the day, like, you know, netting, what is that? Like? Basically, I you know, $8,000 worth of profit off of somebody else’s money. Like, yes, I just, for me, literally, like every time we break the numbers down, so many women are like, Oh, wow, like, I didn’t even I didn’t even think about it that way. And I think that’s the point, right? So like, the more we get into the math and the numbers of our businesses, and the more we know that data, in terms of how we’re actually converting, then I think capital becomes this beautiful opportunity and all different types of funding, whether it’s grants, debt, investor, capital, etc, we get to look at it through a new set of eyes to see like, Okay, is it something that actually, long term and even short term is going to actually like propel my growth. And so that’s the conversation that we like to have.

Cait
I love that. And that’s such a powerful mindset shift of rather than Oh, God, looking at the number, I’m going into the red, or, ooh, this is like going to, you know, if I don’t pay this back, this is going to impact my credit score. And like all of these sort of, you know, pulling the brake, nervous system responses that we have to going into debt, which again, is such a, I feel like it’s such a cultural taboo, or there’s so much stigma and story because of a lack of education, because of a lack of transparency, it what you’re describing is like, if you can go into debt to fund a portion of your business that you know, is going to generate an ROI, then why would you not do it? Like, it doesn’t make sense not to do it? And I think, you know, and I’d love to hear your perspective on this, I think a big thing that holds a lot of women back, like, let’s say they’re not investing in Facebook ads, or it’s not just going into a machine where you can’t like the Facebook ad slot machine where you pull and you know, you’re gonna get two for one, you know, $2 out for every dollar you put in, it’s maybe a more arbitrary, or not arbitrary, but a less certain ROI, like whether that’s investing in a team member or investing in a mastermind space or investing in I don’t know, a new piece of equipment or something like that. Are there certain types of investing that are, quote unquote, smarter to do with capital? In your opinion? I’m curious what you would say to that.

Is there a smart way to invest your capital?

Arielle
Yeah. So we do have kind of a recommended budget, you know, break down, you know, when anytime that someone accepts capital, capital, right, and so they’re usually we would say, 50% of the capital that you accept, should go into some sort of direct revenue generating activity. So whether that is, you know, a paid advertising campaign on Facebook, tik, Tok, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc, you know, or if it’s, you know, potentially some other advertising, you know, opportunity that you can measure a direct ROI. So we say, 50% should definitely go into that. The other 50% is more discretionary. So that’s like, if you need to purchase inventory, let’s say, if you’re in the E commerce space, you know, or maybe you need to make a new hire or you know, etc. But we find that usually, when women split it that way, it, it tends to be a little bit more balanced, you know, in terms of making sure that it all shakes out, like, number wise, it doesn’t mean that it’s a hard, fast rule, you know, but it is something that, from what we’ve seen, 5050 tends to work pretty well. So there’s that, I think, in terms of the questions you were also asking about, like masterminds and coaches, you know, that usually would fall in that other, you know, 50% But what I also always say, you know, to have an entrepreneur is, is that you don’t have to go full on and if your, like, risk tolerance, and energetic level is not at that point yet, right? So instead of investing 50 G’s, you know, in a coach right now, maybe you can’t handle that at the moment. So why don’t you sign up for a program that’s closer to 5000 or 10,000, or, you know, whatever it is, that you personally feel comfortable with. And then here’s, here’s the key piece to that, maximize the results in the commitment that you make for that lower price program and squeeze all of the value and put into action, everything that you can out of that program so that you really can get the return that you’re looking for and then continue to invest at higher levels. And so everything that we do we always say start in baby steps. So even for the Facebook, you know, Instagram you know, paid advertising, you know, campaigns. We never say go get get a business loan and take $20,000, you know, and put it into a new ad that you’ve never tested before, right? No. Oh, like, start with $1,000 see what happens? Can you make a convert, if you can make a convert? Okay, great, put 5000 in next time, great, that’s doing well, that 10,000 index time, you know, and like really just kind of step by step by step, you know, kind of ease your way into the pool. Of course, there are people who do things, you know, different ways. But for us, we find that that gradual approach, like really ends up working well for a lot of women. So that’s what we recommend.

Cait
I love that. And I love that you are speaking to different risk tolerances for different people. And I think that’s such an important thing to underscore, in any conversation about money is like, okay, there could be, you know, there can be quote, unquote, best practices or recommendations, but everybody’s risk tolerance is going to be different. And so for you going all in might be the $50,000 program, but it also might be the $5,000 program. And I think you mentioned something else, it’s so important, which is the decision of how you’re going to show up for any investment that you make, because investing the money is one thing, right, but investing energetically is another.

Arielle
Agreed 100%, you know, and I think that, you know, of course, there’s some bad apples out there when it comes to, you know, people who deliver courses, but for the most part, you know, the experience that we found is that, you know, the people who are committed to extracting value, you know, from a coach or a program, like, at the end of the day, like those people who just walk in declaring, like, I’m gonna get this result like, and that’s it, like, basically, I don’t know, if it was you or someone else that I was listening to, that was like, a member of their mastermind came in, and basically wrote their testimonial ahead of time, it was like, this is basically what’s gonna happen by the end of this program, right?

Cait
Oh, my God, I love that I haven’t had that happen. But I have had a woman come in saying, I am going to be your best testimonial that you’ve ever had. And like, she just like, literally day one said that to me. And it’s, of course, like, she is one of the like, most incredible testimonials, because she decided that.

Arielle
Because in that’s the key, because she decided that right. And so you know, even when it comes to getting capital. So, you know, specifically, there are a lot of different opportunities that are out there, you know, depending on the level of business that you’re at, you know, we help women get capital, even before their businesses are even generating revenue, right. So we go pre revenue all the way up, you know, through the gamut. But, you know, with that being the case, like, I mean, at the end of the day, get, first of all, being determined enough, and committed enough to getting access to capital and understanding the process and studying the process. Like, that’s a commitment in and of itself, right, you know, so even for the trainings that we put on, you know, inside the 100k incubator app, and like, all the things that we do, like you have to be willing to show up, you know, and then after you get the capital, that’s just like, half the process, right? Then you get the capital, you still fail, right? So then you also have to be committed, you know, to that other side. And so, oftentimes, you know, I think entrepreneurship is glamorized, and kind of made as this like, Freedom seeking super sexy career, when in actuality, while there is really beautiful freedom, you know, in it, not everyone is cut out to be a founder and to be a CEO. And so I think you also have to ask yourself the question of like, where is my level of commitment? Are you just like, going to entrepreneurship, because you don’t like your job, you know, like, maybe you need to find a better job, you know, so that’s something else we have, like very real conversations with founders, like, Is this really what you’re called to do? Like, is this really what what you’re supposed to be doing? You know, right now, and, you know, because if you’re not all in, I just, it’s, it’s a process, you know, and it can definitely put a lot of pressure, you know, in weight, you know, on you to actually be able to perform. So, yeah.

Cait
100% I think that’s such an important reminder. And I’m, you know, thinking back to you sharing your story, and I’d love for you to share a little bit of your lineage and entrepreneurship, because this is clearly in your bones, it’s in your blood. But it’s, you know, it it is a calling, you’re absolutely right. And it’s not everybody, you know, not even every ambitious high achieving person is necessarily cut out or designed to be an entrepreneur, and I would love for you to share with us your trajectory and knowing of that lineage in your family, and also, you know, how it’s unfolded for you personally.

How entrepreneurship blossomed in Arielle’s life

Arielle
Yes. So I’m so glad that you brought that up. Because I think that even within my family story, it even speaks to the point that we just made so my great grandfather, I went to law school during the Jim Crow era, right and so was living in Mississippi, black man and so obviously I A black man with a law degree in the southern part of the United States, they were like, you are absolutely not going to be allowed to practice law, he went to law school anyway, he didn’t care. So he comes out, they won’t let him practice law. So he says, Okay, I’m going to go into business. And so he basically bought up a bunch of land in Mississippi, and that land ended up being a really tremendous asset, you know, for, you know, our family, and to this day, definitely still, you know, generates income. And so, that land in particular, you know, like I said, having it laid that foundation, putting multiple generations through school, and really just supporting the family, you know, overall, between my great grandfather who started it, you know, along with my great grandmother, and then, you know, my, my grandmother, you know, and then, you know, ultimately she married, you know, my grandfather, you know, and then you know, my father, and you know, in my mother, there were two generations of people who kind of skipped being full time entrepreneurs, my father had a law practice, you know, for, you know, a bit of time, but for the most part, he worked in corporate or government, as a judge. And so, specifically, if you look at like, when we asked my grandmother like, Well, why didn’t you be an entrepreneur? Why don’t you want to acquire, you know, additional real estate and build a bigger empire, she was like, I didn’t want to be bothered. She wasn’t, she wasn’t, like, Listen, I don’t want to make I don’t want to manage tenants, I don’t want to do all that. Like, that’s not that’s not it for me, you know, so she very clearly knew exactly what it was that she wanted to do. And she did what she wants to do. And she had, you know, a great career, you know, as an educator, you know, it was a, you know, incredible professional, right, you know, and then my father kind of dipped in both worlds, you know, having a law practice for a few years, but ultimately also decided, like, I would prefer to be in corporate or government because I liked the security, you know, and that was that, right? And then here I come basically being like, I think I worked in a traditional office, nine to five for a year right out of college. And I was just like, oh, no, like, this doesn’t, it’s not in my bones, you know, and so oftentimes, like, again, like, I really, I know that for me, it’s a calling, and I feel that deeply when I talked to other founders who are like, I am literally unemployable. Like, it won’t work, like I have to run my company, like I have to be the founder, or the CEO of something, right. And it doesn’t mean that I can’t collaborate, it doesn’t mean that I can’t have clients, it doesn’t mean I can’t do any of those things. But ultimately, when it comes to my structure, you know, my career, my company, I have to be sitting at the top. Right. And so I think that, again, knowing where you where you sit in, and what you’re really called to do, because I have amazing members of my team, who are also, you know, entrepreneurs, investors, you know, etc, who are great intrapreneurs, even within our company, and we share equity, right? So there’s that, you know, but at the end of the day, like, they have more of a leniency to say, like, hey, we would rather be part of a team and build something even bigger than potentially maybe even running, you know, a small business, even if it is very successful, right. And so again, it all, it all depends on what your path is, you know, and I think, you know, once you really know that, and you get clear about that, then, you know, the rest of this journey of capital and scaling, you know, et cetera, I think becomes clearer and clearer.

Cait
So true. And thank you so much for sharing that I think there’s such an interesting and beautiful parallel in your family lineage and personal story and unfolding your great grandfather all the way through the generations to you and, and, and what you do for your career in supporting women get funding and scale businesses through funding and through access to capital. There’s such an interesting relationship between the two of those, and as it relates to power and understanding and recognizing the power that we contain, and that we carry as women and I am really curious, what what is it that stops so many, in your opinion, observation? In conversations I’m sure you’ve had with hundreds and hundreds of founders through the years. You know, whether it is feeling like oh, I don’t I don’t want to be at the top. I do desire to be at the top. I know that’s in my blood, but being the one who calls the shots being the one who is steering the ship, being the one like being a CEO is no freaking joke. It’s a lot of responsibility. It’s a lot of responsibility for a lot of people but also holding a vision. And there’s no one you know, we are the pioneers. There’s nobody else who’s giving us the orders. There’s nobody who’s pushing it pushing the memo sheet across the desk and saying, here’s what you need to say today. It’s us and I think that amount of power can be too Terrifying in the same way that getting handed a $20,000 check can be terrifying because it’s like now what now? What do I do with this amount of power? And so talk to us about what is it about capital and entering the conversation of around capital, which, in so many ways has been a conversation and a room for men, you know, historically? What is it about women that is intimidating of when, as it relates to breaking into that room? And how can we start to get more comfortable with the power that we carry?

How women can start getting comfortable with the power they carry

Arielle
Yeah. So I think this is actually a great time to talk about the way that 100k incubator breaks capital into three different levels. And the reason I say that is because oftentimes, people get intimidated by the capital process, because they don’t understand where they stand, and they go after capital that they’re not going to qualify for. And then they don’t qualify for it, and they get upset. And then they’re like, See, I told you, like, I can’t get access to capital, you know, I have to do this on my own, right, when it’s like, actually no, like, you just have to understand how this all works, you know, and know where you fit in, and then go through the scaling process. So you can get approved for the different types, right. So we break capital down into three levels at 100k incubator, and So level one is if you are earning under $3,000, and that even includes, if you are pre revenue, oftentimes, this particular subset of kind of founders, in particular, at frankly, are probably gonna moreso have to lean on their personal income to get approved for capital, that’s not for all of them. But I will list out kind of where that actually starts and kind of ends. So alright, level one, you’re earning under $3,000, you know, per month, you could probably, you know, get approved for a personal loan, if you own a piece of property, you can get approved for a home equity line of credit, you can probably get approved for a business credit card, because it will also be dependent, most likely on your personal credit, starting out. And usually that’ll end up but as long as you’re in the average range, if we’re talking about the US system, so that’s probably somewhere, you know, around like a 620 is usually where we put it at. But usually anything in the six hundreds, we can get you approved. And then there also is crowdfunding campaigns, which doesn’t require any of that personal income, you know, or, you know, credit score. But But But But But But oftentimes with crowdfunding campaigns, they are really marketing campaigns. And so oftentimes, you need capital, unless you have this big existing audience already, to be able to reach the people that you need to pledge into your campaign. And so with those four different types of capital for that level one, again, mainly personal income dependent, mainly personal credit, you know, dependent, and even if you get both of those things kind of exempt, that crowdfunding campaign is still gonna probably require that you tap into one of those other three, just to have a little bit of money to invest in ads, or, you know, whatever it is that you need to do. So That’s level one, level two, things get a lot more interesting. And that’s if you’re earning above $3,000 per month in your business, that’s when things like payment processor load. So like, for those of you who are running your payments, through stripe, through PayPal, you know, in any square or block is they’re now known, I think, you know, they have their own internal capital programs is dependent on your sales volume. And what we’ve seen with a lot of founders is, you know, if you can have at least $3,000 per month, you know, in revenue, oftentimes, they will offer you small amounts of capital to help you be able to invest in things like ads, you know, excetera, to continue to scale up, and then instead of you having like a monthly payment, or whatever it is, they just take a percentage of your sales until the loan is paid off. So that’s something that a lot of founders are really into, because basically, so long as they’re making money, they’re paying it back. And if they aren’t making money, then there isn’t like a monthly payment usually that they have to be dependent on. There’s some things you know, in that, but that’s like the most general way to describe it, then you have like regular business loans, right. And that can come from a variety of different private institutions. So whether you’re working with a traditional bank, or even a private um, financial institution, that’s just a group of investors that maybe came together and they’re doing things like merchant cash advances or you know, whatever it is, and you can get approved you know, usually for that sometimes people require your personal credit to be averaged, sometimes they don’t even check your credit. It really just depends on who the provider is. There’s also government backed business loans. So that’s if you’re talking to the SBA, a lot of people got a lot of eidl money and they got a lot of PPP money.

Also, there are these institutions called Community Development Financial Institutions CDFIs and those are local organizations that are supposed to approve underrepresented populations and underserved populations to get approved for capital and untraditional ways. And so all of those again are usually backed by the government, which basically means the government is kind of CO signing on your loan. And it’s sometimes a little bit easier to get approved for like a CDFI versus the SBA, we’ve seen have, not excluding the ideal money, we’re talking about kind of pre pandemic, but for like sba 787, a loans and just a bunch of, of their other lending programs, we do usually see that the requirements tend to get a little bit more harder and stringent, you know, requiring you to have at least a 680 credit score and up a certain amount of revenue. So that’s a whole other thing. But yes, that is, you know, also an option. You know, and then, of course, you have, like, you know, business lines of credit, you know, and which is basically the same thing as a loan, but it’s more like a credit card, you know, where you have a line that you can pull on, and there’s several other, you know, different lending, you know, opportunities, you know, within that level two that we teach. And then also, of course, you have grants and pitch competitions, and everyone I know loves free money. But oftentimes, we say that we put that in level two as well, just because if you have someone who is revenue generating, competing with someone who is not revenue generating, and you have a group of judges who are looking at how is this money going to be best invested, most times, I will say all times, but most times, the judges tend to go with the person who’s showing that they’re actually creating jobs, they’re generating income, you know, they’re things being poured back into the community. And so we also put both of those under level two. So anyway, that moves us to level three. And that is when you’re earning at least $9,000 per month, which will put you at that 100k, more or less, you know, kind of annual level. And that’s when, you know, a lot of people asked like, Well, what about angel investors? And what about VCs? Like, usually, what we found is that angels and VCs, unless you were starting a really unique, kind of tech oriented kind of business, I usually what they want to see is some level of traction at the six figure, you know, annual level, before they start to invest in you. And usually it’s angel investors who go first. And then depending on your scalability, and like how big and fast you can go, then you can also talk to VCs who are looking for, you know, those unicorn billion dollar, you know, nine figure exits. And so that in very kind of long form is the three different levels of funding, you know, that we teach and the different funding opportunities that we kind of teach to founders and introduce them to different financial institutions that we’re partnered with. And so it’s, it’s a, it’s a process, you know, and it’s definitely something that you have to study and you have to know where you stand. And as soon as you do know where you stand, it becomes a lot easier to get the capital that you need to scale.

Cait
So helpful. I love that you just went into that full detail for us. And thank you so much. And I think that you just spoke so beautifully to the power of getting equipped with information. And I think that quite like you’ve just really laid it out for us and gave it all to us. But I think for a lot of women, they don’t even know the questions to ask, they don’t even know the rooms to get into. They don’t know if that 100k incubator exists or that you exist, and now they do. But you know, they don’t they don’t know where to go to look and ask the questions. And not even I think that not knowing what’s available is such a thing that keeps a lot of women away from seeking out funding when it’s available, as you beautifully describe at all these different stages and tiers of business. And it’s such a such an empowering thing to know. I’m curious for you, if you can talk to us a little bit about your journey with with funding and you know, you are a serial founder, you’ve been an entrepreneur entrepreneurship game for over a decade, you’re building an app, or how it’s already live, I don’t even know. But this like, that is such a it’s a very different world from you know, I’m going to put out some content on Instagram and like sell a program that I made up out of my head. Like there’s a lot more moving pieces, you’ve got investors that you are answering to talk to us about the process of birthing like a really big, a really expensive, but ultimately the potential for like a ton of impact. What is your vision for 100k incubator as a founder?

Arielle’s vision for 100k Incubator

Arielle
I love this question. Yeah, you know what it is? It is a journey. So primarily we’ve been tapped into. We’ve funded the business primarily off of debt and grants. And so we’re just now getting into the investor space. And that’s just because we have really big plans for our technology and just frankly a very personal and deep mission that we believe that women deserve to be approved for capital in non traditional ways. And so the current financial structure of purse No credit scores and you know, personal income debt to, you know, limit whatever ratio, it’s like, all that shit needs to be like just puts aside, right like to us, you know, women are the most innovative, the most creative, the most structured. And if you look at the data in terms of how much better teams perform, and companies grow, when women are in leadership, we deserve more capital than the, you know, whatever, little percent of 2% of that we’re getting a VC money and also even small percentages, you know, of debt funding that is become available, right. And so for us to build technology that speaks to getting those women approved, we have to be able to collect more data to prove our point, right, it’s one thing to have a mission and a belief, it’s another thing to have the data to back it up. And so for us, we knew that we had to make some really big investments, you know, in tech, and we decided that we wanted partners, to make those investments alongside us so that we can grow faster, and have you know, even stronger technology and hopefully, be able to exit you know, in the next five to seven years, I’m gonna do something incredible. And so really, the process of you know, building this business has not been easy, having a fin tech company, working in that finance, kind of business development, you know, space with startups and small businesses. I mean, it is, it’s a lot, you know, and we do it with a very small team, like, my team has never been bigger than like, seven, you know, people, you know, at a time, some of those people are part time, and some of them are full time, I have the most committed team, like I’ve, I’ve literally been through it all, like from like, like, if we’re going to be 100%, like real, you know, here, I’ve been through like, super amazing, you know, multi six figure, you know, months, and then I’ve been through times where it’s like, there’s no income coming through. And I have no idea how I’m going to make payroll, and that should have been late, right. So there has been a lot of trials and tribulations that has allowed me to really learn how to be a CEO, and it is an active learning process, even to this day, it is not the same, when you are just a coach, and you have like a VA and you’re running a program, you know, versus when you have a full team and multiple people that you’re responsible to, and you’re building something that is not just going to maybe generate, you know, a million dollars, but something that could potentially be a billion dollar company, right, like two completely different tracks. And all of them deserve funding, you know, so we love working with the smaller businesses, you know, as well. But I again, this comes back to not only just knowing like, am I cut out to be a CEO, but what type of CEO? Am I cut out to BS? Am I Am I the CEO that’s like, No, I’m gonna run this incredible, powerful small business, and I’m going to serve, you know, a small subset of women and I’m going to change lives in that particular way, you know, or am I going to build a billion dollar tech company, you know, and, you know, change the way that the country in the world looks at approving people for capital. And so those again, like everyone has to know, their path, you know, and what they’ve been called to. And I’ve, you know, even for myself, I’ve said to myself multiple times, like the amount of money that I’ve invested in the company, you know, even though there’s been you know, return and all of those things, I’m like, I could have made a lot more money just putting my stuff in real estate, you know, or investing, you know, in stocks, or crypto or whatever, like, so much easier. But in the end, if we’re talking about legacy work, if we’re talking about looking back, like, I don’t want to look back in 20 years and just say that I made a lot of money, I want to look back in 20 years and say like I completely shifted an industry you know, and because of that, you know 1000s You know, if not millions of women got access to capital that wouldn’t have been able to get approved before that for me is like the real work that I believe that I’m here to do and it’s the reason why I don’t mind all of the bumps and scratches and all the things that you know me and my team go through as we’re trying to improve and get this market this product market so yeah.

Cait
Oh I have so I’ve chills as you’re talking it’s so powerful and that vision of changing an industry not just making bank also that but not just that because if that alone is the goal, you’re right like go invest in real estate go invest in crypto, like get some bitcoin baby but it’s Yeah, you don’t have to go through all the other stuff but the vision that you’re describing, and the way that that holds you and has supported you through the ups and downs and we are all about the real here on this show and I love that you just shared Yep, we’ve got and have like multi six figure months and then there’s been months that have been like so skinny that it’s terrifying and I would love to hear you speak to how you have led yourself so as a CEO of a team No matter how big or small that team is, you’re still the leader, you’re the captain of the ship. You’re the one, you know, driving it forward. How do you lead yourself so that you can lead your team and you know, knowing because as a CEO, and the kind of CEO that you are, excuse me, in particular you are, you know, you’re in relation to your team, but you’ve also got your partners, you’ve also got investors now that you’re wanting to take on board. And so there’s a level of leadership that’s required of you and an outward facing way, on a ton of different fronts. But how do you lead yourself in those moments when it feels like shit is hitting the fan? It’s all gone pear shaped? It’s not looking good. How do you study yourself to both not buy into the story of like, Oh, God, this ship is sinking? We’re going full Titanic over here. And like, get into this, you know, spiral? How do you stop yourself? Before you get there? How do you study yourself, so that you can move forward.

Arielle’s advice on moving past obstacles

Arielle
So I will say that even though the challenges get bigger, it gets easier as time progresses, if you can remember to look back in and see, like, there have been so many situations that you probably thought that you couldn’t have gotten out of, and they’ve been, like, horrible, you know, and then you live to fight another day, right? And so for me, I just often look back and remember, like, hey, you know, my ancestors, my shrines, God, like, everyone has always had my back. Like, I have an incredible, you know, support system, you know, as well, here, you know, with, you know, family, a partner, like, all of those things, like, again, everyone has always had my back, right. So, at the end of the day, I mean, entrepreneurs, there have definitely been entrepreneurs who have faced, you know, a lot worse circumstances, you know, that I have, I but I also have gone through the wringer like I know what it is to be late on mortgage payments, I know what it is to not have any money, you know, in the account to be late on payroll, and know what it is to, like I said, you on the flip side of being flush with cash, and, you know, whether it’s, you know, sales, new capital that came in, you know, etc, and being like, okay, like, again, we live to fight another day, you know, and so, personally, like my personal practice, like I do a lot of spiritual work, like, you know, and I like to spend, I live in a really beautiful neighborhood. And so I like to spend a lot of time outside, I live in Miami, you know, so we have pretty much good weather as well as your route. And even when we don’t, and even when I’m traveling, and I’m visiting, like my family in Jersey, or, you know, whatever it is, it’s still great to just get some fresh air sometimes and to just sit into fleet. And so I think that one of the things that I’m always actively working on is to remind myself that I don’t have to work this, like Henry Ford style, 40 hour, very patriarchal, work week, to be a successful CEO. It’s like, no, there are days where I am extremely productive, like, and I might do a banger, like all day, you know, where I wake up, and I start working at eight, and I’m done at 8pm in the evening, and it’s just 12 hours. So like, just, and then there are other days where I’m like, I literally cannot check one thing off my to do list because my body is like, today’s the rest day today. And you start to learn your cycles, you know, and your rhythms. And I remember I was working with the coach one time. And I realized that I work very well, Mondays and Tuesdays, but usually after I go hard Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday has to be my day to rest. And every time I try to not do that, and I try to work on Wednesdays, if I’ve been working Mondays and Tuesdays, it does not work out well. But when I do rest and I surrender to it, I come back and have an amazing Thursday like today, you know, where it’s like, Hey, I’m in it, I’m productive. I’m checking things off the list, like you know, and all of the things that come you know, with that heightened energy. And so, you know, honestly, it’s all of it is a process but support system, strong spiritual foundation, and just knowing the rhythms of your body, like those are the things that you know, really have helped me as a CEO, you know, just make sure that I stay on point, you know, and keep moving the ship forward.

Cait
So beautiful. I love all of that. Thank you so much. Are y’all this has been such an incredible conversation. tell our listeners where they can stay connected with you follow along, get in touch with 100k incubator and all of the amazing services and opportunities that you guys provide there.

Arielle
Yes, so I’m one first of all, I love personal messages in DMS right so you can find me on Instagram personally @arielleloren and so feel free to you know, definitely reach out to you listened to Cait’s podcast, you know, and just share you know, any thoughts that you have? Or more if you need any support? Like, definitely let me know. Also, of course, you can find us at 100k incubator.com If you’re looking for more information about the app, and some of the different programs, you know, that we run and that we do with our different partners, also, and if you just want to follow along Instagram as well, you can follow 100k incubator, too. But yeah, I would say those are probably the the three kinds of locations and maybe LinkedIn too. I’m kind of I hang out on LinkedIn quite a bit, you know, as well if you really want to hit me up on there, but usually, like Instagram DMS are like where I like to get in the nitty gritty. So

Cait
I love it. So good. Well, we will put all of those links in the show notes, you guys. 100k incubator, Arielle Loren on Instagram. Go check her out, follow her. This woman is just a powerhouse of information and wisdom. It’s been so beautiful to connect with you. Thank you so much for being here and sharing your wisdom with us.

Arielle
Thank you so much, Cait, for having me. This has been great. It’s been an awesome conversation. So I appreciate you.

Cait
Thank you guys. Thank you so much for tuning in. And we will see you next week on the next episode of Born to Rise.