SelfMade Stories

Brian speaks with Sabir Semerkant, SVP of eCommerce at VaynerMedia, a full service digital agency. Sabir has over 20 years of experience growing eCommerce businesses and is an expert in social and digital marketing. This episode covers social media best practices and the ingredients of successful online marketing for entrepreneurs.

Erika Szychowski co-founded The F Project, a social impact initiative raising the profile of female founders and celebrating their economic success. On this episode, Erika shares how The F Project was born out of her experience trying to raise capital for Good Zebra.

Erika Szychowski is the founder and CEO of Good Zebra, a high protein snack company. After founding her own company and undergoing the multiple obstacles she co-founded The F Project, a social impact initiative designed to raise awareness and promote success among female founders. On part 1, Brian speaks with Erika about her journey creating Good Zebra.

Stacy Berman is an entrepreneur and pioneer in the fitness industry. She’s the founder of Stacy's Bootcamp and The System by Stacy, a line of organic whey protein powders. Stacy created The System to help herself and people all over the world achieve a higher and more meaningful level of health and fitness. In this episode, Brian talks with Stacy about the components of building a successful business and what it takes to achieve your fitness goals.

Rebecca Allen is the CEO and founder of a nude pump collection that comes in a variety of shades for women of color. As a female in finance, Rebecca wanted to look professional without sacrificing clean, sophisticated style but couldn’t find a nude pump to complement her skin tone. She’s now perfecting this wardrobe staple for women. In this episode, Brian talks with Rebecca about her mission, motivation and path to launching her brand.

Amanda Zuckerman is the co-founder and creative director of Dormify, a retail brand that’s reinventing bedding and decor for dorm rooms. When shopping for her freshman year, Amanda realized there wasn't a one-stop-shop for affordable bedding. She pitched the concept of fun, stylish dorm room decor designed and curated specifically for college students to her mom and together they launched Dormify. In this episode, Brian talks with Amanda about practical product iteration, ambassador marketing, and the importance of investing in your team in the early stages of a startup.

Ryan Dougherty’s idea was ultra-sleek, comfortable slippers like the world hadn’t seen before. Now, after three challenging and exciting years as founder of TI:ME Slippers, Ryan’s high-end yoga mat slippers are making inroads into leisurewear. In this episode, Brian talks with Ryan about the trials of finding quality product manufacturing partners, hacking social media advertising, and navigating what Ryan calls the “golden age” of e-commerce entrepreneurship.

Nadia Boujarwah is the co-founder and CEO of Dia&Co, the leading plus-size retail service. Dia&Co has incredible company culture and fans who love what Dia brings to the community. Nadia talks openly about her journey from the very beginning of how she went about building her business.

Brian catches up with friend Carissa Reiniger, founder and CEO of Silver Lining Ltd. Using her background in behavioral psychology and economics, Carissa challenges the behavior of today’s small business owners.

Brian speaks with Danny Taing, founder and CEO of Bokksu, a monthly subscription service that delivers curated boxes of Japanese snacks and teas to your door. He developed his passion for food and travel during his four years working in Japan. Danny takes us through his journey from working at e-commerce giant Rakuten to using his knowledge of web development to create Bokksu.

SelfMade CEO, Brian Schechter, interviews e-commerce leaders who provide tangible tips and real-life inspiration for listeners. Tune in to hear authentic conversations on what it takes to grow a business.