Meet the Entrepreneur Who Turned an Idea into $200M in Debt Relief

As co-founder of the nonprofit organization She Moves Mountains, Lizzy VanPatten aims not only to encourage women to push beyond their limits, but to break the mold and make space for women in the male-dominated industry of guiding. Opening up about her past struggles with depression, she found inspiration through mountaineering that allowed her to face insecurities, overcome fears and emerge stronger than ever before. Her overwhelming sense of empowerment became a newfound passion that changed the course of her life. Confronted by the lack of female representation in rock climbing, Lizzy and her partner sought out to move their own mountains to start a guiding business and mentorship program built to inspire women to discover their untapped strength. Despite the challenges of funding, permits and even a pandemic, Lizzy continues to grow She Moves Mountains into a thriving business. As she pioneers her way through the competitive climbing industry, she learns to take deep breaths when criticism comes her way and continues to challenge the status quo for the sake of all gender minorities. Lizzy encourages aspiring climbers and entrepreneurs to not let the fear of being uncomfortable keep you stagnant, as failure is what sparks the growth that pushes us forward.

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Learn more about She Moves Mountains at https://www.shemovesmountains.org.

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As an avid outdoorsman and mountain-living dreamer, NYC native Tyson Toussant wanted to create something he loved with a mission he cared about. So he launched a sustainable backpacking brand for nature lovers like himself. After lots of research and going down plenty of rabbit holes, Tyson discovered how other brands were recycling plastic to create a small handful of their products. But he wanted to find a way to turn plastic waste into every single one of his products — even if that meant creating his own sustainable material. So that’s exactly what he did. He pivoted his backpacking brand into what’s now a world-renowned material engineering company: Bionic Yarn. Through his persistence in asking the right questions and meeting with the right people (plus a dose of good luck), Tyson got the funding, expertise and business partnerships he needed to propel his business forward into a global brand. As the world continues to shift towards sustainable living and choosing eco-friendly products, Tyson works with famous brands to create quality items that people love and feel good about purchasing. Bionic Yarn not only remains committed to protecting oceans and conserving our planet, but they have big plans in mind for turning more types of waste into something new. 

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Learn more about Bionic Yarn at https://www.bionicyarn.com.

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What started as an in-depth discussion quickly turned new friends into co-hosts of one of the most popular podcasts in the world: Almost30 — a lifestyle podcast chatting about all things related to life in your 20s. Little did they know their closet recordings (literally!) would turn into a world-wide community and movement that has helped guide listeners through their evolution of early adulthood. Over the past five years, Krista Williams and Lindsey Simcik have evolved their podcast topics from relationships to spirituality and everything in between, all with intentional and authentic discussions in each episode. But despite the quick success Almost30 Podcast has seen, Krista and Lindsey claim it wasn’t perfect in the beginning — they just took the leap and started. They didn’t have fancy equipment, any experience in podcasting or even felt ready to launch a podcast. But they knew it felt right, so they took it seriously and treated it like the business they knew it would become to ensure it had every opportunity to grow. As this savvy duo gives loads of helpful advice to aspiring podcasters, they remind entrepreneurs of the importance of self-care. In order to be your best self, investing in your mental, physical and emotional health will positively impact the way you show up for your business. 

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Learn more about Almost30 Podcast: https://www.almost30.com

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With roots in Malaysia, immigrant Niki Cheng blazed her way through the hustle and bustle of NYC’s competitive job market and established a career that would leave lasting footprints in a niche industry. From a failed attempt at being a waitress to immediate success in furniture sales, Niki saw untapped potential and grabbed the reins to open her own furniture store — a U.S. location of the Denmark brand BoConcept, selling sophisticated pieces at affordable prices. This single store quickly sparked the establishment of the Furniture District in NYC. After growing BoConcept into its second location, nine more stores followed across the city within a decade. Pivoting a different direction, Niki and her business partner husband continued their entrepreneurial journey and launched a U.S. location of the Italian brand Calligaris in NYC. Even with the global pandemic, their new furniture business brought in an unexpected increase in sales. As Niki continues to build two furniture brands in the big city, her savvy sales advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to do everything with the heart — you’ll gain trust when you focus on helping the customer find the right product that fits their needs and budget, and they’ll become customers for life.

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Learn more about Calligaris NYC at https://www.calligarisnyc.com. 

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With New York City being one of the world’s most expensive and competitive real estate markets, Eric Benaim came sweeping through the area to redefine what it means to be a successful real estate broker. Formerly a party planner in NYC, the 9/11 tragedy put a major halt to his industry and forced him to pivot his entire career. He shifted into real estate and came across a unique opportunity that would eventually lead to the launch of his own successful brokerage. A new building was being constructed in the sleepy, underdeveloped area of Long Island City and Eric envisioned it as the perfect location to sell rental property. His savvy instincts proved to be instrumental. He sold properties like hotcakes and Long Island City quickly rose to the top in the high-end real estate world. After quickly establishing his clientele through endless referrals, it paved the way for Modern Spaces to obtain 70% of the local market share. Despite not having gone to college, Eric has built a multi-billion dollar empire in the greater NYC area from the ground up, proving that anyone can take on a successful business endeavor no matter what the current economic climate is. 

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Learn more about Modern Spaces: https://www.modernspacesnyc.com

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With a background in finance and interest in fragrance, JJ Vittoria pursues an unbeaten entrepreneurial path by launching Olfactory — a custom perfumery in NYC offering luxury scents at affordable prices. Wanting to step away from the extravagant packaging and gendered marketing of luxury perfume brands, JJ provides an inclusive experience that allows everyone to create a scent they uniquely love. His brilliant business model even sparks a newfound interest in fragrances for folks who once rarely wore perfume. Through small business funding to shifting his online product offerings during the pandemic, JJ Vittoria shares his inspiring journey of building a NYC business for long-term success.
 

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Learn more about Olfactory at https://www.olfactorynyc.com.
 

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When it comes to entrepreneurship, getting out of your own way is the hardest part of starting a business. For Olivia Young, that meant trusting her gut and quitting a career in hospitality to launch something that no one had done before: Box + Flow. This yoga and boxing studio was started by her desire to create a space that would balance effort and ease through physical fitness. Fueled by her drive to create a life she loved, Olivia built her studio from the ground up.She focused on her strengths, acknowledged her weaknesses and outsourced to fill those gaps for scalable growth. Even after opening her second studio in NYC just three weeks before the COVID-19 shutdown, Olivia Young continued to fight and flow to keep the flame alive for her business. Stay tuned as Olivia shares a wealth of knowledge and prophetic motivation that inspires entrepreneurs to keep their head up through thick and thin, even in the midst of a pandemic.

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Learn more about Box + Flow at https://www.boxandflow.com

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Looking back on her teen years, Dr. Jennifer Tsai, O.D. recalls two life-changing moments when she experienced eye issues that could’ve totally cost her vision. These close calls inspired her to set out on the journey to become an optometrist and help fellow contact lens wearers from making the same mistakes. Jennifer’s curious nature and desire to find better solutions to everyday needs helped pave the way for her to not only become a successful modern-day optometrist, but also a savvy entrepreneur. First, she launched Carrot Wear — a quality blue-light eyewear line with stylish designs and affordable prices. After building this ecommerce brand from the ground up, the opportunity presented itself to launch another business called Line of Sight — a concierge vision care and optical boutique focusing on eye wellness. Despite the challenges of starting a business during the pandemic, Jennifer’s organic marketing approach and industry IQ has allowed her to build both businesses to achieve what few others in the optometry world have done.

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Learn more about Jennifer Tsai at at https://www.drjennifertsai.com.

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Raised in upstate New York, brothers John and Rick Scarano pursue their childhood love of boats and turn it into a yachting company in NYC: Classic Harbor Line. With it’s cozy and classy vibes, Classic Harbor Line attracts both tourists and local New Yorkers alike who want a luxurious experience in one of their ten historically-inspired boats. From licensing to funding and staffing, Rick tells the story behind his 25-year entrepreneurial journey of building the business from the ground up — and the perseverance it takes to stay afloat during the unprecedented storms of a global crisis. 

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Learn more about Classic Harbor Line: https://www.sail-nyc.com

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After experiencing a “Ratatouille moment” while studying in Spain, the simple flavor explosion of an anchovy-stuffed olive changed Marisel Salazar’s life. Without a clear-cut path, she set out to become a food writer to tell the stories of the people behind the amazing dishes. More importantly, she dedicated herself to telling stories of undocumented workers in the restaurant scene. When Marisel unexpectedly got laid off from her full-time job, what felt like the scariest moment of her professional life ended up being the biggest blessing. She took the leap and started building her food writing career, one step at a time. After several years of putting herself out there in the publication world, things came full circle and she achieved top-tier status as the go-to Latina food writer in many lifestyle publications, including Insider, Martha Stewart Living and Tasting Table. In her conversation with Sarah, Marisel reminds entrepreneurs that success doesn’t happen overnight — it takes years of training and hard work to achieve a successful career in food writing. 

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Learn more about Marisel Salazar: http://www.mariselsalazar.com

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