Marissa Saporta and Jennifer Bernstein never dreamed of starting a company together. They had no background in entrepreneurship, but when the opportunity presented itself with the explosion of ecommerce, they decided to give it a try. They weren’t sorry. Today their company, Gorilla Commerce, has grown exponentially, providing home and pet products to people around the world. The company is even thriving during COVID, giving Marissa and Jen a chance to continue hiring, thus providing work in a time of employment uncertainty.
Today, Marissa and Jen join me to talk about their business. They tell me about their backgrounds and discuss a number of lessons they’ve learned, including the importance of delegating, recognizing the value of joint effort, what makes a good product, and the importance of vision. They go into the steps of launching a new product, the importance of quality, the difference between online and in-store marketing, remote working tips, work-life balance, hiring over Zoom, and more. They finish with the lessons they’ve learned from 2020.
“Big things come from big ideas, and small things come from small ideas.” - Marissa Saporta
“We can’t be afraid to be scrappy.” - Jennifer Bernstein
Say “Hello!” To DigiCards™
Are you ready to take your virtual team meetings to the next level? Are you tired of yelling “You’re on mute!” at your computer screen and letting the important points you were trying to make get lost?
If you’re tired of leading unproductive, distraction-filled team meetings, then it’s time for you to say “Hello!” to DigiCards. Each pack of virtual meeting cards include 20 color-coded professional cards designed to streamline your meeting communications while allowing each meeting to create an opportunity for collaboration and fun.
Say “Goodbye!” to waving your arms, being ignored, and frantically typing in the chat.
Start your next virtual meeting with DigiCards - the virtual meeting cards for entreprenistas.
To grab your deck of DigiCards and bring fun, engagement, and collaboration back into your team meetings, visit www.hellodigicards.com. Use the coupon code: Entreprenista10 to receive 10% off your first order.
Become An Entreprenista!
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast - the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeartRadio | GooglePlay
Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and for more exclusive content, tips, and insight, join the Entreprenistas Facebook group and visit the SocialFly website.
Guests
Hosts
Stephanie Cartin
Co-founder of Socialfly and Entreprenista.
Stephanie Cartin is the co-founder and CEO of Entreprenista, an all-in-one platform – which includes a private community & business membership called The Entreprenista League that's made up of over 2,000 women founders at all stages of business, a weekly newsletter received by 60,000 readers, two podcasts, in-person educational & networking events, and an award program – that women founders at all stages can turn to for everything they need to grow.
Stephanie is also the co-founder of Socialfly (acquired by Truform Media Group in 2024), Markid, and Pearl Influential Capital. She has won countless awards, including the SmartCEO Brava award, which recognizes the top women CEOs in New York, and a Stevie Award for Women-Run Workplace of the Year. She has also appeared in Bloomberg, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Refinery29, and more.
Courtney Spritzer
Co-founder of Entreprenista.
Courtney Spritzer is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, author, and community builder with a passion for creating brands and platforms that empower women to lead, grow, and thrive.
In 2012, she co-founded Socialfly, a leading social-first digital and influencer marketing agency. Over the course of a decade, she helped scale the business into an award-winning agency working with Fortune 500 brands and emerging startups, building a powerhouse team and culture along the way. In 2024, Socialfly was acquired.
In 2018, Courtney launched the Entreprenista Podcast to spotlight the stories of inspiring women founders. That passion evolved into Entreprenista Media in 2021, a media platform and community supporting women entrepreneurs at every stage of growth. She now co-leads the continued expansion of The Entreprenista League, a membership-driven community and ecosystem for founders.
As an angel investor, Courtney supports female-led and mission-driven startups aligned with her vision for a more inclusive and equitable business landscape.
She is the co-author of Like, Love, Follow: The Entreprenista’s Guide to Using Social Media to Grow Your Business (2015), a strategic guide for leveraging social platforms to drive business success.
Her work and ventures have been featured in Bloomberg, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and The New York Times. She is committed to championing visionary founders and helping build the next generation of impactful, community-driven businesses.
Join 2,000+ supportive, ambitious founders in the
Highlights
The Latest
Heather Lillico Helps Burnt-Out Founders Rewire Their Nervous Systems
The former nutritionist burnt out building her nutrition business, and the tools that brought her back to calm now anchor her coaching for women founders.
Elizabeth Watson Helps Founders Recover Their Lost Energy
Automate Your Site with a 1-Month Free Trial
Kartra