Building a Business to Sell and Pitching to Investors with Jaclyn Johnson of Create & Cultivate

Jaclyn Johnson Create and Cultivate New Money Ventures Entreprenista Podcast Episode

Jaclyn Johnson is the ultimate multi-hyphenate redefining the concept of work for a new generation of women. She is a serial entrepreneur with two exits from highly successful businesses, including cult-favorite brand, Create and Cultivate. In addition to being a best-selling author, Jaclyn is the host of a business podcast where she has interviewed pioneers of the industry such as Martha Stewart, Meghan Markle, and Chelsea Handler. She now uses her expertise in business to pay it forward to self-starters, entrepreneurs, and women in business with her angel investment fund, New Money Ventures.

Today, Jaclyn shares her journey into accidental entrepreneurship and how she went on to successfully build and sell two businesses before the age of 35. She reveals some of the challenges of managing a company that takes off quickly and explains how she structured her business partnerships. Jaclyn details the things to keep in mind as you build your business to sell and the process of finding a new CEO for a company. She discloses why she chose to start a venture capital company and outlines her decision-making process for selecting companies for her investments. Jaclyn also describes what makes a successful investment pitch and some of the biggest mistakes people make when pitching to investors.

“When you’re building something to sell, there are a couple of things you need to think about: one is you want to retain as much equity as possible, and two is you want to run it as lean as possible.” – Jaclyn Johnson

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

  • Jaclyn’s accidental entrepreneur story and how she acquired her first clients 
  • How Jaclyn structured the deal for her exit from her first company
  • How Create and Cultivate came into being
  • The secret sauce in Create and Cultivate that made it take off in the first year
  • How the business evolved over time
  • The most challenging part of growing the company so quickly
  • How Jaclyn structured her business partnerships
  • Things to keep in mind when building a business to sell
  • The challenges of selling a business you built yourself
  • The process of finding a new CEO for the business
  • What inspired Jaclyn to start her new venture
  • The decision process for investing in a new business
  • What makes a great pitch for successfully gaining investors
  • The exiting companies that Jaclyn has invested in recently 
  • Biggest mistakes people make when pitching to investors
  • How Jaclyn approaches challenges in her business

Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

  • “The most challenging part of growing the business was figuring out how much bandwidth the team would have and how much business we would get.” – Jaclyn Johnson
  • “You don’t want to be chasing somebody to invest in their business.” – Jaclyn Johnson
  • “Going into it with an attitude of being really excited to be in the room is really important as well.” – Jaclyn Johnson

Connect with Jaclyn Johnson:

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

Join our Entreprenista League community of women founders! You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded Entreprenistas who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE!

Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

PNC Celebrates Women Business Leaders

Each year, PNC celebrates women business leaders by hosting Women in Business Week. As co-founders of SocialFly and Entreprenista, Courtney and I were invited to join the lineup of this year’s keynote speakers!

Join us on Thursday, May 12th at 1p.m. Eastern Time for our keynote event, but you won’t want to miss any of the webcasts. This year’s all-virtual line up is absolutely inspiring.

To register for PNC’s Women in Business Week webcast event, head over to PNC.com/businesswebcasts – we can’t wait to see you there!

Introducing… Startups in Stilettos Podcast

Have you recently started a business? Are you considering taking the leap to start? Do you find yourself alone and overwhelmed in the whirlwind of early challenges in your entreprenista journey?

Then our newest podcast – brought to you by the Entreprenista Network – is for you.

The Startups in Stilettos Podcast helps you learn what it takes to grow your startup from your peers in the startup world and those who are in your shoes… or your stilettos, if you will. Each week, you’ll hear from startup founders from the Entreprenista League who are in the trenches and building their businesses from the ground up.

Learn more about the Startups in Stilettos Podcast by visiting www.entreprenista.com/startupsinstilettos/ and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts..

Startups in Stilettos launches on March 8, 2022 – on International Women’s Day. We can’t wait to share everything we have in store with you.

Become An Entreprenista!

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast – the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Radio | GooglePlay

Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and for more exclusive content, tips, and insight, join the Entreprenistas Facebook group and visit the SocialFly website.

Share it!

Posted in
Tags

Leave a Comment





Katia Conte Honors Daughter’s Legacy with Childhood Cancer Nonprofit

Hi, Katia! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: My name is Katia Conte, and I am the President/Co-Founder of the Daniela Conte Foundation. Our nonprofit organization is a beacon of hope for families battling pediatric cancer. Founded in 2020, our mission is deeply rooted in the memory of my daughter, Daniela,…

Kristen Chimack Provides Real-World Coaching for Success

Hi, Kristen! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Hi, I’m Kristen. After a 30-year stint in corporate America, culminating in a whirlwind four years leading the public relations department at a Fortune 40 organization, I decided it was time to hang up my corporate hat and chase my true passions. In…

How Dr. Sophia Yen is Transforming and Investing in Women’s Health with Pandia Health

“One in five women with menopause have considered dropping out of work, have foregone promotion. And we are just at the top of our game and to take us out at 50 is not okay. It’s about empowering women to be the best that we can possibly be.” When Dr. Sophia Yen co-founded Pandia Health,…

Amy Rees Celebrates Solidarity With Personality Plates

Hi, Amy! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Hi, I’m Amy. Women are at the heart of Personality Plates because I could not have gotten through my difficult divorces and heartbreak without my friends and chosen sisters. I couldn’t have raised my daughters as the strong, independent young ladies they are…

How Julia Haart Reinvented Her Life at 42 from Restrictive Upbringing to Fashion Leader

“Ignorance, people, is good! Jump in. Enjoy it. Ask the questions. Study. Learn. Be an eternal student. That’s how you succeed.” In this episode of Entreprenista, we sat down with Julia Haart, the founder of +Body by Julia Haart, a body-positive, technologically advanced shapewear brand that aims to empower women to unapologetically express themselves and…

The Most Common Mistakes When Starting a Business—and How to Avoid Them

When you’re first starting a business, there’s so much you don’t know you don’t know—like how to price your offerings, market your business, or hire people to support you. Every entrepreneur learns along the way, so why not save yourself some time and money (and potentially even business heartbreak) by learning from the candid stories…

Logan Rae on Her Journey to Founding a Digital Marketing Agency

Hi, Logan. Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: I’m Logan Rae, I’m 29 years old and Founder & CEO of Argon Agency. Who are your customers? Mid-size businesses mostly in the behavioral healthcare field. What made you take the leap to start your own business? I had done entrepreneurship once before…

Jennifer Jank on Helping Entrepreneurs Reclaim Their Time and Energy

Hi, Jennifer! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Jennifer Jank (JJ) is a productivity consultant helping business owners make more profit in less time and with better systems. Her goal is to help entrepreneurs, especially women, reclaim their time, energy, and attention away from busyness and towards joy… without sacrificing profits.…

How to Make an Impact as a Podcast Guest with Patrice Poltzer

“We’re being bombarded all day with so much content and noise. “Please, please. I need your attention here, here, here.” You really have to learn to think about who’s listening. Really ask yourself, what is the takeaway for the person listening? Why does that matter? And if you can’t think of that, then you don’t…

Andrea TheoJohn Helps Clients Grow and Market Their Brands

Hi, Andrea! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Andrea TheoJohn, MBA is a marketing and branding professional with over 15 years of global and corporate experience. She’s managed over 70 brand professionals in 17 different countries, handled the branding and communications efforts for 160M Euro M&A ventures and now brings that…

How Laurel Mintz Is Empowering Diverse Leaders in Venture Capital

“We transitioned almost everyone out of the company and really flipped the entire company around. It was one of the most painful few months of my entire career, but also one of the most impactful. And if we had not done that, we probably wouldn’t still be standing today.” In this episode of Entreprenista, we…

Valeria Lasak’s Marketing Agency Focuses on Fashion, Beauty, and Personal Brands

Hi, Valeria! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Hi, I’m Valeria. Cofounder of MKT Besties and Nomad, a marketing agency focused on fashion, beauty, and personal brands, I’m also a community leader with the New Miami Girls community and host the street podcast ‘Who Is She Miami.’ This project is especially…

Leigh Burgess on Her Passion for Consulting, Coaching, and Curated Events

Hi, Leigh! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Leigh is a CEO & Founder and driven entrepreneur who is passionate about helping organizations and individuals achieve their fullest potential faster. By continuously stepping out of her comfort zone and pushing boundaries, Leigh has not only grown her own company into a…

How to Avoid Legal Challenges with Lauren Bercuson from Storylock Legal

“In the beginning, if you don’t have a team or a system or community around you, it’s very easy to feel lost. There are these amazing communities out there for amazing female founders that will really help guide and support you. So, the greatest lesson I learned pretty quickly was that you’re never alone. Or,…

The Secrets to Building a Community Led Business with Ingrid Read

“You really have to understand that, in order for you to scale, you have to learn how to do certain things and master them before you move on. If you don’t do that, then your audience is going to feel just as lost as you feel.” In this episode of Entreprenista, we sat down with…