“It's not an easy road to be an entrepreneur, owning your own business. It's not for the faint hearted, you must have a stout heart, be able to address and overcome the challenges that are thrown your way.” - Vivian Valenty
Vivian Valenty has known since she was young that her purpose on earth was to help people. Originally, she wanted to be a doctor, but she went into chemistry instead. After meeting with a man whose wife had a problem with the drying time of nail polish, she worked to fix it. When Covid hit, she pivoted her business to include the manufacturing of hand sanitizer––only to give it all away because she knew it was desperately needed.
Today, we sit down with Vivian Valenty, founder of Dazzle Dry, a nail polish company that dries completely in FIVE minutes. In this Entreprenitsa Podcast, he shares the journey behind building Dazzle Dry, why it’s never too late to start something new, and the lessons she’s learned from creating products designed to truly disrupt the nail care industry.
You can listen to the podcast here on Spotify and Apple Podcast.
You’re right — please use this corrected version and discard the earlier quotes.
Here are a few moments from the podcast:
Dr. Vivian shares the founder mindset required to build a business through challenges.
“It's not an easy road to be an entrepreneur, owning your own business. It's not for the faint-hearted. You must have a stout heart, be able to address and overcome the challenges that are thrown your way.”
She explains the real problem that inspired the original idea behind Dazzle Dry.
“My wife loses a lot of money being a nail tech because every time, or not every time, but most of the time, when her clients go out the door, they ding their nails on the car door, and they come back and want their nails redone for free.”
Dr. Vivian describes why she believed there had to be a better solution for slow-drying nail polish.
“That's the reason why I don't do my nails because it takes so long, like at least 60 minutes for you to become functional... he said, ‘I have spent all my money. I hired a chemist in Pennsylvania, and they weren't able to do it. I talked to a chemist in LA, and they told me it's impossible.’ So I said, ‘Well, I'm willing to, to face the challenge, and there must be a way.’”
She shares why Dazzle Dry was created as an alternative to traditional nail systems.
“Still a, a product is needed to solve the issue of the slow drying of traditional nail polishes. Then they chip in one or two days, and they turn your nails yellow... So I started working on VassaDry... I have the background to create products and I have the passion for, for creating products.”
Dr. Vivian reflects on one of the hardest lessons she learned while building Dazzle Dry.
“Having a great product is not enough, that you need to have the marketing, you know, to support it and get it recognized and known by the public... by your customers.”
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You may also like:
- Heba Maksad’s Vollie Is Redefining At-Home Haircare
- How to Get Your First Customers: 18 Founder-Backed Mindset Shifts That Work
- How to Get Funding for a Business as a Woman Entrepreneur Before Profitability
Connect with Dr. Vivian Valenty:
- Instagram: Dr. Vivian Valenty (@nailpolishdoc)
- LinkedIn: Vivian Valenty, Ph.D. - Chemist, Inventor, Entrepreneur, New Product Visionary
If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!
Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!
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Updated on: May 29, 2025
Guests
Dr. Vivian Valenty
Founder of Dazzle Dry
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.
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