VICTORIA MARSHMAN – ON FINDING THE RIGHT COFOUNDER, SHORTCUTS TO SUCCESS AND CREATING THE PERFECT PRODUCT

In today’s episode, we have the pleasure of talking to Victoria Marshman, an entrepreneur and the Co-Founder of Mave & Chez. Mave & Chez is a direct-to-consumer brand that specializes in offering ergonomic slippers for women who prioritize comfort without sacrificing style.

Victoria shares her journey from working for others to taking the leap into entrepreneurship. Since 2015, she has successfully operated and scaled two six-figure companies while also playing a significant role in raising over $200,000 for local Canadian charities. Victoria is truly passionate about empowering and supporting women and creating purpose-driven brands.

During our conversation, Victoria provides valuable insights into various aspects of business and entrepreneurship with practical advice and personal anecdotes based on her journey.

In this episode, Victoria and I discuss the following:

• • • Tapping into creativity at a young age, following your passions, and working part-time to gain valuable training opportunities
    • Profound impact of receiving an anonymous donation and how it can transform someone’s life
    • How Victoria met her co-founder and the dynamics of working with a business partner
    • Value of corporate experience and the lessons one can learn from working in such an environment
    • Importance of surrounding yourself with people who recognize and support your natural skill set, guiding you in the right direction
    • Recommendations for some insightful books that offer valuable lessons
    • Starting an event planning business and discovering which aspects of the business she truly loved
    • Reasons behind her decision to leave traditional employment and embark on her own entrepreneurial journey
    • Going above and beyond to exceed expectations, people-pleasing, and accomplishing tasks efficiently
    • Unique dynamics of starting a business with a best friend
    • Transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship
    • Reality of networking and how it can be improved for better connections and opportunities
    • Understanding how different life stages can impact one’s readiness to dive into entrepreneurship
    • Exploring generational differences in funding and the difficulties of asking for investment when there’s no tangible proof of success
    • Normalization of seeking sponsorships as a stepping stone towards securing investment
    • Significance of working on your money mindset and how one’s upbringing influences their relationship with money
    • Factors that held her back in her initial business ventures and overcoming them
    • Common tendency among founders to overlook paying themselves for their hard work
    • Importance of establishing non-negotiables as a business owner
    • Dispelling myths surrounding business ownership and operation
    • There are no shortcuts to success
    • The Project management triangle and its three key elements: money, time, and quality
    • Impact of the pandemic on the events industry and how City Moguls, successfully transitioned from in-person events to online events and a membership program
    • Importance of networking and connecting with like-minded individuals striving for success
    • Benefits of online speed networking and its effectiveness for entrepreneurs
    • Perpetual need for mentorship and networking throughout one’s entrepreneurial journey
    • Comparing the experience of operating a business independently versus having a co-founder
    • Parallels between having a co-founder and being in a marriage, and the advantages it brings
    • Extensive time and effort involved in creating a new business, Victoria’s journey, and how it unexpectedly centered around slippers
    • Contrasting product-based and non-product-based businesses and the unique challenges faced by the product-based industry during the pandemic
    • A step-by-step look at the process of creating a physical product and establishing the right connections for production
    • Emphasizing the importance of implementing systems in business operations
    • Evolution of retail toward community-building and the significant challenges faced in this realm
    • Value of creating customer avatars to better understand their needs
    • The most powerful question entrepreneurs should ask themselves: “Will this matter five years from now?”

If you would like more information on Victoria, you can visit:

Instagram – Victoria Marshman

Website – https://maveandchez.com/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/maveandchez/

Listen to this podcast on Spotify, Google Podcast, iTunes or click play below to stream it.

If you have a minute, leave a short review here, or send me an email to tell me what other guests I should have on the podcast.