Cyndi Ramirez on Laying the Foundation for Success Post-COVID-19
Photo: Courtesy of Cyndi Ramirez
The health and wellness industry is a $4.2 trillion market (yes, that’s trillion with a “t”). And guess what? Women are leading the way. In fact, no other trillion-dollar industry is as heavily dominated by female entrepreneurs as health and wellness.
One of the women paving the way is Chillhouse founder and CEO, Cyndi Ramirez. In just three years, she’s opened two brick-and-mortar locations, built a digital media empire, and expanded into retail and e-commerce. She’s a great example of how to lay down the foundation for success—she launched her biz with a solid digital marketing strategy from day one—and how to pivot a business in a crisis—she’s handling COVID-19 like the boss that she is.
At our Money Moves Digital Summit, the forward-thinking entrepreneur sat down with the founder and CEO of Create & Cultivate, Jaclyn Johnson, to chat about raising money, creating diverse revenue streams, and mentoring during COVID-19 in partnership with Dell Technologies and Dell's Women's Entrepreneur Network (DWEN).
Scroll on for all of the most memorable moments from the conversation. Be sure to grab a notebook and a pen because class is now in session.
“I want to be able to help small business owners because everyone’s worlds are collapsing right now.” - Cyndi Ramirez
“This is the time that small business owners need each other the most, just sharing resources and helping each other out and being sounding boards for each other.” - Cyndi Ramirez
“A little bit goes a long way now.” - Cyndi Ramirez
“Mentorship right now is so different than mentorship was four or five months ago.” - Jaclyn Johnson
“Even the most successful women we know and look up to are all in this together with us—applying for the same loans, applying for payroll protection—everyone is working together to figure it out along the way.” - Jaclyn Johnson
“It’s affecting the biggest of the big businesses and the smallest of the small businesses.” - Jaclyn Johnson
On raising money from family and friends…
“It’s a good barrier-to-entry fundraising method. If you have a few friends that can pitch in $10k, $20k, $30k, then it’s a great way to go.” - Cyndi Ramirez
“It also engages your community. You have a lot of people who are fighting for you and want to support your business, too. Some of our investors are our biggest allies.” - Cyndi Ramirez
“It also motivates me a lot. It’s one thing to not be able to pay a bank loan, but to not be able to get my friends a return on their investment? That motivates me every day.” - Cyndi Ramirez
“There’s so much more benefit than just the cash. At the end of the day, when you have advocates and allies who can make a phone call or get you that meeting, those are truly priceless opportunities that you get through this network.” - Jaclyn Johnson
“Diversifying. For us, it’s been a savior. The fact that we’re able to diversify our revenue is huge and has really served us now.” - Cyndi Ramirez
“We have ecomm, we have our own products, we have merch, there are a lot of different ways we can sustain our business if, god forbid, we do have to close our doors.” - Cyndi Ramirez
“As you evolve, I think it’s really important to continue adding ways that people can engage with your company and support you.” - Cyndi Ramirez