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
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Guests
Hosts
Stephanie Cartin is a serial entrepreneur, investor, podcast host, community builder, and a champion for women founders. She created the Entreprenista League, a community for women founders, to provide resources and support necessary at all business stages. She’s also the Co-founder of Socialfly, one of the first social media marketing agencies, as well as Entreprenista Media and Pearl Influential Capital which was recently acquired by Cherub. Stephanie has shared her journey managing her health challenges with Multiple Sclerosis, Infertility, and a complicated pregnancy and is an advocate for women going through similar challenges. Her story and businesses have been featured on the Today Show, Bloomberg and Forbes. Consider Stephanie your biggest business cheerleader.
Courtney Spritzer is an accomplished entrepreneur, investor, podcast host, and advocate for women founders. As Co-Founder and CEO of Socialfly, a social-first digital agency launched in 2012 and acquired in 2024, she has helped shape the industry with innovative strategies. She co-founded the Entreprenista League, a community for women founders, offering essential resources and support for all stages of business growth. Courtney’s entrepreneurial journey and business insights have been highlighted in top publications like Entrepreneur.com, Bloomberg, and Forbes.
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Highlights
- Distribution of responsibilities
- The difference between online and in-store marketing
- The importance of product quality
- Adjusting to COVID
- Remote working tips
- Hiring over Zoom
- Work-life balance