I found my first business, a mobile loyalty program, when I was 22. With no experience as an entrepreneur, much less a technology entrepreneur, many, many things went wrong. The team progressively clashed, competitors grew, and funds ran dry, ultimately leading to the business’ demise just one year later. With much embarassment and no savings, I finally gave into my parents’ 5-years long request to take the LSAT in preparation for law school. Obviously, I wasn’t going along with it without a plan of action-- I’d brainstormed various possibilities on how to eventually mesh the law profession and the booming NY tech startup scene.
While looking for a legal internship during this summer before the next round of law school applications, Deborah Jackson, a truly inspirational mentor I met earlier this year, approached me regarding an opportunity to help her at Jumpthru (her company) with Plum Alley, an e-commerce site to launch Fall 2012. Secretly ecstatic but apprehensive that I’d waver on my difficult decision to apply to law school, I agreed under the condition that she’d introduce me to some of the legal aspects of her site and connect me with lawyers in the start-up world who could provide insight on their careers.
To briefly summarize, Deborah’s mission is to empower and support female-founded companies, and she builds amazing products and businesses around this mission. On my first day at Jumpthru (which was so uplifting as I hadn’t been in an office atmosphere in over a year), Deborah gave me a long contract to read over. I remember glancing at it and wanting to cry. That was such a brief, yet powerful moment as I knew where my heart belonged, and it certainly wasn’t in law. After a week of sorting out various roles and where I could contribute, Deborah looked at me out of the blue and said, “Don’t you think there should be a female Kickstarter? I really wish someone would build one.” I nodded, nervously glancing around to see team Jumpthru collectively looking at me, and Foundher was born.
Since that day, Min, a Jumpthru intern has been furiously teaching herself HTML, CSS and PHP to build Foundher on Wordpress. Jumpthru brainstorm sessions and Deborah’s guidance have further helped lead to a functional website and although we still have ways to go before we can test it with the public, it’s mind-blowing what becomes possible with a healthy blend of support, passion and persistence. I know they say the third time’s the charm, but I sure hope this time around, ‘second’ will do.
