This is a series of real talk blog posts meant to let founders share a bit about themselves and their companies without the marketing jargon and “killing it” puffery of most tech startup profiles.
What does your company do, for who, in plain English please!
Rock Paper Coin provides contracts, invoicing and document sharing for the wedding and event industry.
What's a typical day like for you, from wakeup ‘til bed?
E: I typically am awake by 6:00AM to allow myself time to work out, get my two boys to school and get ready for the day. Usually I am at my desk around 8:30AM. Most days are typically filled with back to back meetings. Since we are fundraising right now, a lot of the meetings are around this topic. I also oversee the technical and product side of our business so often working with the team on roadblocks, designs, etc. I take a break around 4:00PM to pick up my two boys (Gus & Finn) from school. We typically have a snack together, play at a park, play with cars or climb trees. My husband Tim comes home and around 5:30PM we have dinner together as a family. After dinner usually involves a neighborhood walk or scooter ride, followed by a bath and books for the boys. 6 out of 7 nights I typically am back online around 8PM and work till 10:30PM.
N: I am up and at 'em by 5:30 am to bust out some emails and get a sweaty workout in while catching up on my favorite show, podcast or pump-you-up music to start the day off right. From there, its a whirlwind getting my kids ready for school and either my husband or I will take them when the other gets to work. I like to block a solid hour off at the beginning of the workday to catch up on any time sensitive emails or Slack messages--I know myself and if I cannot see the bottom of my email inbox, it is stressful! From there, its a busy schedule of Zooms with partner pitches and demos, company 1:1's and marketing meetings. I oversee the Member Success, PR/Marketing and HR for our team so there is a lot of brainstorming, follow up, and compliance that needs to be managed on a regular basis. With some time padded in at the end of the day to flush out the inbox again, I am typically home by 5:30. Family dinner is a priority for us, so most nights we all hang out or finish homework while dinner is prepped and enjoy a meal together sharing our wins and losses. After baths/showers and reading, the boys are in bed by 8:30 and I have time to tidy the kitchen if my husband hasn't beat me to it. I will hop back on my laptop for a few hours (sometimes less, sometimes more!), read and then start the grind all over again!
What keeps you up at night?
E: Fundraising, managing our company goals vs investor goals, worrying about team or personal issues that occasionally arise.
N: This is a loaded question! I do some of my best brainstorming and troubleshooting as I'm trying to fall asleep. What keeps me up most is meeting our goals and new creative ways we are going to make that happen.
What brings you joy?
E: Being on the water, swimming with my boys, a date night out at a good restaurant and a delicious meal with my college girlfriends are all what truly fill my cup.
N: Nothing brings me more joy than spending time with my kids. As cliche as it is, they make me laugh until I cry and are genuinely so fun to be around. I love a good extended family style meal with my husband and our close friends or family, celebrating team member wins, dessert of any kind (except lemon) and an amazing glass of champagne.
What is one word you hate to hear?
E: No. I understand that this is a common answer, but with problem solving at my core (and Nora's) - I like to brainstorm deeply before coming to a no answer.
N: I'm with Elizabeth..."no" is not a word in our vocabulary. There is always a creative way to make something happen, maybe not as originally intended but maybe better. Getting creative and problem solving is something we excel at together!
What is one word you love to hear?
E: Helpful. I love when our team comes together to be helpful to one another. Or when someone offers to be helpful to myself or Nora. Team mentality over me mentality is essential.
N: Thank you. Ok...that's two words but being a company founder is a thankless job. There are so many early mornings and late nights, so much stress that you would never know having never done it. We put our team before ourselves time and time again. A simple thank you goes a long way.
What was your biggest failure in the past year?
E: Not keeping one of our employees ego in check. It was a slow burn of an ego getting out of control and it wasn't until the well was poisoned that I looked back and saw how I did keep things in check and ultimately negatively affected our team for months to follow.
N: I think our biggest failure has been trusting the wrong people and not getting second opinions. We were naive to think that everyone had our best interest at heart when giving advice.
What was your greatest accomplishment in the past year?
E: Having our first $1M transaction month.
N: We've had so many great accomplishments but I think the most exciting is our month-over-month growth. We've shown proof of concept and the fact that we've turned on subscriptions and our members are willing to pay is very exciting to me. While it seems obvious and minor, the continuation and increase of monthly subscriptions has felt very validating.
Who or what inspires you most?
E: All female entrepreneurs. The juggling act of pregnancy, kids, family, household things, etc. is not for the faint of heart. Anyone who starts a business with the cards stacked against them before they even start is incredibly inspiring. The easy thing is to not start a company, the hard thing is being so determined you do it anyways.
N: A big surprise when we came into the tech world was the number of entrepreneurs that have gone out of their way to help us, encourage us and cheer us on. It's inspiring to see so much support in this industry, especially to two non-technical founders. I'm inspired by the kindness and will absolutely pay it forward.
What's your best tool for managing stress?
E: Working out and time to work through the situation.
N: Exercise is my stress relief. I turn my brain off if stress is overwhelming and come out with a clear mind. Or, if I'm struggling to find a solution to a problem, a long run helps me work through it and come up with creative ideas. I feel it when I skip workouts and even though it means early mornings to fit them in, it's 1000% worth it and I make it a priority.
What's getting the most burn on your playlist right now?
E: n/a - when working I do not listen to music as my brain doesn't work that way.
N: I'm easily distracted when I listen to music while I work and find it difficult to focus. Mostly I listen to music in my car with the kids, so on their playlist there is a lot of DJ Marshmello!
Favorite shoes?
E: Nike running shoes
N: My wedding Monolos, saved for special occasions!
Favorite cooking ingredient?
E: Jennifer Fisher Spicy Salt
N: Za'atar!
