Lori Cheek: Cheek'd

THE FACTS
Name: Lori Cheek
Job Description: Founder/ CEO of Cheek'd
Company info: http://www.cheekd.com/

Founded in NYC in April 2009 and Officially Launched in May 2010, Cheek'd is a savvy online social circuit which draws on the age old custom of networking with business cards. The company designs personal cards with clever catch phrases and unique ID numbers which direct card receivers to an online profile to learn more about the card giver. It's like online dating, only backwards. Photo by John Nasta.

WHO ARE YOU?

1. What made you decide to start your company?
I'm actually an architect and one evening after a design event in Soho, a male colleague/ friend and I went across the street to grab a bite. While I'd excused myself from the table, he had written "want to have dinner?" on the back of his business card and slipped it to an attractive woman as he and I were leaving the restaurant. I loved the mystery behind this handsome stranger handing off this flirtatious gesture and immediately came up with the idea of creating these mysterious black cards with a variety of pre-printed "lines" (which could be used in many different scenarios) and a code that would lead to the card giver's online profile instead of offering their personal information on a typical business card. It's like online dating, in reverse. The cards would create real life/ real time connections and take the online dating world offline. Two years later, in May of 2010, I launched Cheekd.com.

2. Where do you see your business in 5 years?
We're shipping internationally for free and are currently in 39 states and 13 countries. We were featured on the cover of the NY Times Style Section back in July of 2010 and were coined as "the next generation of online dating." I clearly see us as that-- the next Match.com, where members don't have to sit behind computers shuffling through online profiles or counting on the chances that their soul mate is also on that same dating site-- we are providing the opportunity to find love in real life all over the world, in any situation at any time of day.

3. Who was your inspiration?
I've always had ideas and dreamt of creating my own business. The idea of Cheek'd, particularly, couldn't be left without action. I'd have to say my friend that night and the gesture of handing his card was ultimately the inspiration, but my drive to bring it to life is what has really brought it to this level of success.

4. What turns you on?
Humor. I think the Cheek'd cards are actually quite sexy because they all have a presumptuous sense of humor, with lines such as "act natural. we can get awkward later." or "i just put all my drinks on your tab." and "i'm totally cooler than your date." One can even customize the cards to say whatever they'd like and represent their own personality.

5. What advice do you have for tomorrow’s female entrepreneurs?
Coming up with an idea is relatively easy. Ideas come about every day. Making them happen is the hard part. It's cliche, but you only live once-- I've risked just about everything I have on this project and I'm gambling on ME (someone I know extremely well and trust will make this happen). It's been the most rewarding experience of my life. If you believe in what you're doing, jump in 100% and don't look back.

6. Tell us a sexy secret ;-)
I'm a magician and can make cards disappear. : )

Emily Smith, aka Nightengale: Nightengale Needles

THE FACTS
Name: Emily Smith, nicknamed Nightengale
Job Description: Seamstress & Owner of Nightengale Needles
Company Info: http://www.nightengale.org/ or Facebook search for "Nightengale Needles" and on other social networking sites

Nightengale Needles is "Geekery and Fannishness by way of fabric": Hats, scarves, plushies, baby goods, doll clothes & accessories, bags, backpacks, cushions, art dolls, and a host of other delightful, colorful items all themed around the fun of being a fan. Anime, video games, animals, and popular culture are my main subjects. Most of my work is custom-made commissions, and many of those are created from one-of-a-kind patterns. I do all my own designing, pattern drafting, and work. Nightengale Needles was founded in July, 2009. It's a primarily online and traveling business, and you can meet me and my plushies at a number of anime, gaming, and pop culture conventions across the Eastern USA.

WHO ARE YOU?
1. What made you decide to start your company?
I've been sewing since I was little, but I had a conviction that my ability wasn't 'good enough.' At a Pittsburgh convention for animation and video games, I was wandering the artists' venue and found myself mentally critiquing almost every fabric-crafts booth I encountered -- not their vision, but their technical skill! Some goods there had loose threads or were made of the wrong material for their application. There was a full size wedding dress with glitter puff paint for "trim". And don't get me started on the sad excuses for "durability" being touted, or the atrocious customer service practiced by some of the 'artists' who were more interested in their portable gaming systems than in conversing with their customers. As I looked around, the little voice in the back of my head had some helpful advice: "Sheesh, Emily, look around! If these people 'deserve' to take the chance to sell here, you sure as flipping hell do too!"

That was the turning point, and I can still look back on that single day and name it as the point at which I decided my college degree in Creative Writing, which had me spinning my wheels because of a disconnect between my own writing vision and the strictures of the publishing world, wasn't where my true career and passion lay. Two years later, here I am!

2. Where do you see your business in 5 years?
Not bankrupt? *laughs* I am such a new business that right now, I'm taking it one day at a time. Well, okay, one week, because there's that thing next Thursday; and I have to contact that one vendor for the event next month. *laughs* I have often been told that I have the right balance of right and left brain to hold down the business end of things while my artistic playfulness can grow. In five years, I want to have proven that true. I'd love for Nightengale Needles to be in a smooth rhythm, where I know how it works and it works with me. If I tell you that my business feels more like a teammate to me than a simple economic endeavor, would that make sense to you?

3. Who was your inspiration?
Without a doubt, my mother. She's the one who taught me to sew. Every Halloween we were the best costumed kids on the block. And my knowledge of fabrics, threads, and the quality that comes from taking 12 steps to do what could be accomplished in 10 are precious things I've gleaned from her, her fabric cupboard, and her 1970 Husquvarna Viking. She's also the one who taught me about the importance of presentation and staging, and gave me an eye for aesthetic layout.

I also have to give a shout out to my dad, my biggest fan by far. Thanks to him I know how to engineer an effective, lightweight display that has big at-show appeal but packs into a 24" suitcase for the flight home. I know how to keep my books, integrate wire and metal work into my fabric goods, and translate a concept through the patterning process into a three-dimensional object. While my peers were playing Nintendo 64, I was playing with KeyCAD and, later, AutoCAD.

I guess in a brief way, I can say that I was given the skills that are now creating my success by a very practical, DIY-minded set of parents. =D

4. What turns you on?
*laughs* If you asked my roommates this, they'd give you an earful. To say I'm turned on by fabric isn't the half of it; they usually leave me standing in front of the boutique windows and come back fifteen minutes later to drag me away from the exquisite pleating and seams and drape. I'll babble for hours about the qualities and techniques of manipulating fabric. I have Very Strong Opinions about the proper use of blades and choice of thread. Thinking about my work turns on my artistic brain; I get entirely wrapped up in the need to sew and to make and to get all the ideas out into products, all at the same time. Thinking about how many more techniques and talents I can teach myself, and how much I can't do yet that I someday WILL -- that's my drive. ♥

5. What advice do you have for tomorrow’s female entrepreneurs?
Keep it professional & organized. I can't count the number of times that I've struggled to convince someone that I'm only in my second year of business, and that's because I understand that when you are in public, every second, you are performing and presenting your brand as an extension of yourself. And yes, you do have "a brand." From Day 0, carry yourself in confidence. Get a professional email address, carry real business cards - even if your first batch is the free kind from Vistaprint - and follow up on contacts, emails, and promises. Keep your paperwork in order, and stay abreast of the legalities of your field.

My family always says, "Guts & Hard Work." That's what it takes, especially as a single proprietor. When I'm at an event, I *am* Nightengale Needles from curtain up til we pack up and head home. It's exhausting, especially since I work intense convention-style shifts as opposed to the more regular daily hours of a physical shop. But either way, if you are as excited to utterly exhaust yourself in pursuit of your business success as strongly as you are excited to make your passion a huge part of your life, then you'll be okay.

6. Tell us a sexy secret ;-)
I am a ridiculous fan of garden-fresh berries and tomatoes. I go into absolute fits. You could probably pay for one of my products just by placing a perfect branch of deep red organic cherry tomatoes in my hands. At the least, it would probably take me twenty minutes to even notice you'd swiped anything! =D

Gabriela Salamanca: No Limit Events, LLC

THE FACTS
Name: Gabriela Salamanca
Job Description: Co-founder of No Limit Events, LLC

Company info: www.nolimiteventsllc.com, 800-670-3671 

We’re a luxury wedding/special event planning and coordinating firm based out of North Jersey owned and operated by a husband and wife team.  Our motto really sums up how we work: “No limit. Just high standards.” We were founded in January 2010, although formally in the works for two years prior to our official founding date.

WHO ARE YOU?

1. What made you decide to start your company? 

Being in the legal and corporate environment for so many years and my husband dealing with the ups and downs of his construction industry, we desperately sought change.  I had done several parties and corporate events throughout my career and only after an over-the-top 50^th birthday party in 2008 was it that we decided the time was right to start putting together the pieces of our own event planning business.  Being in the services industry, we both had a solid understanding of true customer service and wanted to bring those high standards to our luxury event planning business.

2. Where do you see your business in 5 years? 

In 5 years, we hope to be well established within Bergen County as a business.  By this time we will have a brick and mortar office and, should plans runs smoothly, possibly one in Manhattan too.  We also plan to get more involved in more philanthropic activities and support local communities as best as we can.

3. Who was your inspiration? 

My inspiration came from our mentors, Natalie Bradley and Marley Majer.  Both successful, female entrepreneurs have gone through such struggles and seen the ups and downs of their business and personal lives affected.  Each woman respectively an East and West coast powerhouse in this industry and women to look up to.  Many of the struggles they went through, I went through and continue to go through.  However knowing the success at the end of the tunnel continues to make each day a loving and learning process.

4. What turns you on? 

Crossing things off my “to do” lists. Seriously! It’s a euphoric feeling to know that I don’t have to continue to think about that item anymore and that I can move on to the next task and continue towards my goals. 

5. What advice do you have for tomorrow’s female entrepreneurs? 

It’s a long, up-hill battle (one I’m still climbing), but you need to be confident, headstrong and love yourself to make it to the top.  Also, structure your time so that you can make time for YOU.  Even 1 hour at the gym or at the nail salon to get a manicure can make all the difference when it comes to stress.   

6. Tell us a sexy secret ;-) 

I love art and collecting paintings.  We’re members at the Museum of Modern Art and try to get there as often as we can.  We love various forms of art, but some of our favorite artists that come to mind first are Tarkay, Kincaid, Marcus and of course Dali and Picasso.

Brenna Padesky: Brenna Green Jeans

THE FACTS
Name:  Brenna Padesky
Job Description: Owner of Brenna Green Jeans
Company Info: http://www.brennagreenjeans.etsy.com/ 
I design original knit and crochet wear and home accessories.

WHO ARE YOU?
1. What made you decide to start your company?
I am a total control freak and perfectionist. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to run a business that was completely based on my own tastes and desires. I learned to knit in college and taught myself to crochet shortly after. Creating has always been an outlet for me. It's a way that I can express my unique sense of humour and bring to life what I see in my imagination. I foresee that my designs will grow quirkier as I continue to carve out my design niche.

2. Where do you see your business in 5 years?
I'm looking forward to getting my hats and hood scarves featured in some unique boutiques not only in New York City, but also in Wisconsin where I grew up. I'm also planning to expand and offer blankets, pillow coverings, and other household goods. Summer promises to get my creative juices flowing because who needs cold weather gear when things heat up? I've already got some fun ideas in mind (think bikinis...). Right now most of my sales are local. I wear my items around and people get interested. I am really looking forward to seeing online sales grow and my Etsy site flourish.

3. Who was your inspiration?
My inspiration for my items comes from my friends and family. I design each item with someone in mind. Sometimes the item reflects the personality traits of the person who it's made in honour of. Other times, I don't have someone in mind when I begin a project but by the time I'm through I can picture exactly who should be wearing it, so I name it for them.

4. What turns you on?
So many things. My boyfriend for one (that's important, right?). Creatively, I'm turned on by anything that has history. I love old quilts. They seem very romantic and I love imagining who made them and slept underneath them. I also love vintage fabrics and children's books, old farmhouses, and cardigan sweaters that look handmade. Show me pretty much anything that looks like a grandmother should own it, and I'll fall in love. I hope that the people who buy my wares will keep them for a long time and have lots of adventures of their own while wearing them. I like to daydream about where a pair of my legwarmers might end up in 50 years.

5. What advice do you have for tomorrow’s female entrepreneurs?
Take it one step at a time. It's so easy to become overwhelmed when you think about all of the things that need to happen in order for your business to become a reality. I try to celebrate each small achievement. It's much more important to me to do things well than to do them fast. Every sale, no matter the size, is hugely thrilling and I hope I never lose that feeling. I can hardly believe that something I only imagined doing has become a viable business over the past few months.

6. Tell us a sexy secret ;-)
Well, I haven't been hit by lightning or anything like that, but I did (accidentally) bite myself in the knee when I was a kid. Hard enough to require stitches. And the scar looks like a kiss print. Muah!

Jean Chuang Menges: Wisdom House New York

THE FACTS
Name: Jean Chuang Menges, L.Ac.
Job Description: Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wisdom House New York, Inc.
Company Info: http://www.wisdomhousewellness.com/.

I founded Wisdom House New York, Inc. in 2009 based on my philosophy of health and wellness. I am trained in both western medicine with degrees in biology and medical technology, and in eastern medicine with training and certifications in acupuncture and oriental medicine. I envisioned a holistic center where expert practitioners of various healing disciplines come together and integrate their modalities to help optimize the health and well being of the individual client. Wisdom House is located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.


WHO ARE YOU?
1. What made you decide to start your company?
In late 2008, several energy medicine practitioners approached me to start a low-cost community clinic for energetic modalities. We opened our first 4Women Community Clinic in NYC and began treating clients using the BodyTalk System, Matrix Energetics, Yuen Method, Total Body Modification, and Natural Healing. Each of these techniques has helped thousands of people worldwide to empower their health. Working with these three inspirational women reenergized my life-long passion for community health and philanthropic work. In July 2009, I began the groundwork for Wisdom House New York, Inc.

2. Where do you see your business in 5 years?
My dream is to have multiple locations in the tri-state area providing holistic health-care modalities in private practice sessions as well as reduced-cost clinics in under-served neighborhoods. Our company philanthropic focus will be on improving neighborhood ecology, with projects ranging from providing education programs by leading holistic medicine leaders to supporting community access to green, sustainable food and resources. Our objective is to establish a new system of access to easy, effective, and economical wellness care and to help our clients to achieve optimal health, happiness, and purposeful lives.

3. Who was your inspiration?
My grandparents and the people in the rural community in Taiwan where I grew up inspired me. There the respect for ancient Chinese practices of health and longevity are strong. High school and college encounters with inspiring biology and physics teachers lead to several science degrees, but I felt something was missing. I began to study holistic healing and found my calling and inspiration in the principles of natural healing and in the community of others such as the women founders of 4Women Community Clinic.

4. What turns you on?
I love it when my clients respond and heal with my help. I am deeply enthusiastic about the Wans 3E method of acupuncture, which focuses on ease and efficiency of diagnoses and treatment leading to economical use of fewer needles, less work, less time, and fewer herbs. I am also trained in other healing modalities, and I am fully committed to finding the best treatment for each individual.

5. What advice do you have for tomorrow’s female entrepreneurs?
Persistence and passion are the keys, I believe.

6. Tell us a sexy secret ;-)
I love ballroom dancing, but my 6’2” musician husband seems to have two left feet. Perhaps the fact that I am 5” has something to do with it! I also love being a mom and laughing with my two children ages 5 and 3.

Jocelyn Chia: MomsLoveIt.com

THE FACTS
Name: Jocelyn Chia
Job Description: CEO of MomsLoveIt.com
Company info: http://www.momsloveit.com/

Momsloveit.com is a group-buying website featuring great deals for moms and their families launching January 2011.  We also have a lifestyle component focused on bringing moms back to themselves - a place where they can come to and receive inspiration, encouragement, and also quality deals to help them put themselves first for once.  The site features blogs by other mommy guest bloggers on topics such as "how I go from mommy mode to sexy woman mode," "top tips to reach hotmamadom" and "prioritizing one's needs first, even before your kid" (controversial I know! But we believe that a mom has to be happy first before she can be the best everything else that she is - mom, wife, career-woman, sister etc).  We even have hot giveaways like a $1000 soul styling makeover by the fabulous stylist Dame Lori http://www.damelori.com/, and we'll chronicle the transformation on our vlog!  Another mommy organizer is also giving away a 4 hour home organization/transformation session.  We also plan to organize events for moms such as mommy-nanny speed-dating events (for moms to meet their potential nannys and baby-sitters), S-factor pole dancing classes for moms, and lots more. 

WHO ARE YOU?
1. What made you decide to start your company?
It all started when I got downsized from my law firm during the recent economic downturn.  No longer being a high-income earning attorney, it was the group-buying websites like Groupon and Living Social that enabled me to still maintain a certain quality of life that I otherwise would not have been able to.  I really loved their business model because of the positive impact it had on me, as well as on this economy. So I decided to start a business along that model. I noticed at the time that none of these group-buying sites were serving the family market, and we all know how expensive kids can be!  And when a mom has to tighten the purse-strings the first person she compromises upon is herself.  So I decided to use the same group-buying business model to cater to the mommy market.

2. Where do you see your business in 5 years?
There is a lot I'd like to see us do and be in 5 years.  I'm creating this company to be a socially responsible one, where a portion of our proceeds benefit less privileged women and children around the world, and we partner with other charities and non-profits in a variety of different projects.   Because this is a highly scalable business, my vision is that my business has a large multi-national presence and be able to have a great impact on not only on the women and families who are our direct customers, but also on women and children who may have never heard of us, via the charities and non-profits that we partner with.

3. Who was your inspiration?
For the business I'd have to say Andrew Mason, who turned the world onto Groupon and group-buying.  Groupon started out as The Point, a site for collective social action.  I'm now looking to bring some of the social change that The Point does into my business model. 

4. What turns you on?
New, exciting ideas, talking to and working with simply brilliant and inspirational people.

5. What advice to you have for tomorrow’s female entrepreneurs?
Work hard but be sure to take good care of yourself too!  You are only as effective as you are happy and healthy so keep that front and center and everything else will flow from there.  Also try your best to help other entrepreneurs out in any manner you can - the entrepreneurial community is a beautifully supportive one, much more so than corporate America, and what you give out often comes back to you multiple times over! (and at the very least leaves you with a glow :) Know when and who to ask for help, because you absolutely cannot do this alone.  You'll be surprised by how willing people are to help you out - just remember to show your appreciation and pay it forward! And finally, keep on learning - read books, attend lectures/seminars/classes, learn from people who are more experienced than you are - invest in yourself and do whatever you can to keep improving your entrepreneurial skill-set. 

6. Tell us a sexy secret ;-)
Haha..oh dear...ah I was in an off-broadway play a couple of years ago called Miracle on Mulberry Street, and was written up in a review for my role as the Material Girlfriend of a Hollywood star as combining "bouncy burlesque moves with ultra-wry line readings and the largest pocket mirror in the history of the world." Oh, and I'm pursuing stand-up comedy classes right now! So there is quite the performing bent in this entrepreneur :)

Patricia Pao: The Pao Principle, LLC

THE FACTS
Name: Patricia Pao
Job Description: CEO, The Pao Principle, LLC
Company info: http://www.paoprinciple.com/

We are a consulting firm that excels at increasing sales and profits for our clients.  We do this by: 1) quickly identifying and solving issues which inhibit them from achieving their desired goals, 2) Profitably executing opportunities for growth and 3) Creating a roadmap to ensure continued success.  Importantly, we complete all work ahead of our planned schedule. Work to date has consistently resulted in doubled sales and substantially increased profits and relevant metrics for each of our clients within six to eighteen months.  Every client project we have worked on has generated a minimum 10X ROI.

WHO ARE YOU?
1. What made you decide to start your company?
I was always good at making money for companies and was always the “go to” person to fix whatever was  ailing the organization I worked for at the time.   I also really like working on a variety of projects and industries.  My interests and skill set were much more conducive to having a consulting firm which specialized in helping companies profitably grow across a wide range of industries.

2. Where do you see your business in 5 years? 
We have offices in New York and China (currently in Shanghai but moving them to Beijing).  Our company is entering its sixth year in 2011.  We have been fortunate to have grown every year (knock on wood).  I anticipate by 2015 we will generate four times the sales we did in 2010.

3. Who was your inspiration? 
My dad.  He is an entrepreneur and taught me to 1) not be afraid, 2) pursue my passion, 3) to work hard and 4) invest in my education (he forced me to go to Harvard Business School when I was 20 years old).

4. What turns you on? 
Interesting problems and puzzles.  I like the chase…

5. What advice do you have for tomorrow’s female entrepreneurs?
Don’t be afraid of doing the “ask.”  What I have noticed is that women are afraid to ask.  If a man wants an introduction he will ask one of his buddies to introduce him. Women are more hesitant to make the ask.

6. Tell us a sexy secret ;-) 
I adopted the artist Ronnie Cutrone’s cockatiel, Woody, who was the inspiration for his most famous art suite.