Tell us about where you work and what you do there.
I’m the founder and fearless leader of Doughp, an edible and bakeable cookie dough company on a mission to make the world a little sweeter. I lead our business development, marketing efforts, and our #Doughp4Hope initiatives to break the stigma around mental health and addiction recovery!
How would you describe yourself?
I’m an extremely passionate entrepreneur who loves inspiring others to follow in my footsteps and pursue their dreams. I’m 5 years sober (woot woot!) and am living my recovery out loud as a mental health and recovery advocate, hoping to make it less scary to talk about the tough stuff in life. I’m a huge coffee lover, yoga do-er, meditater, adventurer, and cat lady. My husband and I have two of ’em — Nova and Chip! I adopted Chip shortly after leaving my career with processor chips to start with Doughp’s chocolate chips.
I left San Francisco in 2019 with my husband (Doughp co-CEO) and our cats and moved to Las Vegas. We’re enjoying all the access it gives us to nearby hiking trails, and state and national parks to visit. I love playing games (dominoes, card games, Yahtzee), but I’m horribly competitive and a terrible sore loser, so it usually doesn’t end well… unless I’m winning.
What is your leadership style?
I’m the hype girl. I love being able to excite everyone around our mission and keep them motivated to crush another day. We have a #5StarReviews channel in Slack to be able to share these incredible messages from customers whose lives we’ve touched, who resonate with our mission and share their story with us. It’s a real mood-booster to remember the WHY we’re doing this.
I don’t have time to micromanage, and it pays off. My team feels empowered to kick major butt every day without someone breathing down their neck. The Doughp crew is an incredibly supportive, kind, transparent team who work together so well.
What do you think has been your biggest professional success so far?
Getting Forbes 30 Under 30 and my episode of Shark Tank airing all in the same year was pretty surreal. I really felt seen. It’d been two years in Doughp by then and it felt like a big pat on the back from the universe saying, “Keep going, you’re doing something right!”
Shark Tank filming was an out-of-body experience! I was so proud to watch it play back — though weird to see yourself on national television! With all the preparation I put in, I think I came off really well poised, handled critique with grace (and a bit of comedy… I can’t help myself), and knew my numbers front to back. Professionally, this was such a big accomplishment. There’s less than half a percent chance that you’ll make it on a season of Shark Tank so it’s still pretty surreal. So awesome!
What goals do you have for 2021?
We’ve got some exciting new product releases coming, brand partnerships, and kickass flavors! We hope to double our eCommerce business in 2021. Beyond D2C, I’m also focused on expanding our retail business! Working to get us launched on grocery store shelves. I hope by the end of 2021 we’ve got at least five accounts moving our product, maybe more! Like I said on Shark Tank, heading to “World Cookie Dough Domination!”
What do you think is the next big trend in eCommerce?
As far as advertising trends go, I think we’re just scratching the surface of TikTok and am also really intrigued to see the value brands can find in Clubhouse. Hosting rooms that align with your mission/purpose, etc.
Name an eCommerce brand you admire and why.
Recess. Love the playful emails, the tone of voice, their site is all dreamy and fun. It’s those little details that we try to put into our work with Doughp that really stand out to the customer. Helps make us different from the rest, break the mold in many ways.
What do you geek out over?
I really geek out about helping other people quit their jobs. No, seriously. I love talking to budding entrepreneurs who have that idea, that itch, and they just need a little push to go and DO IT. I am a big dreamer/brainstormer and I get so much out of helping others dream up what a different path could look like for them. I love helping to turn an idea into a business model, poke holes, and help formulate a plan to just go and make it happen!
