Delivering on a social media strategy and a thoughtful marketing plan as part of the DNA of launching a business from the beginning, finding people who roll with punches matters, the art of winning with a small team, the impact of making yourself valuable, and persevering in spite of tough personal challenges…Samantha Wasser, Restaurateur andFounder of by CHLOE, & Co-Founder of DEZ and The Sosta, joins Socialfly founders Stephanie Cartin and Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about her journey to success, along with a surprise and a brainstorm.In this episode:
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
- Getting into the food world
- Spending a lot of free time in restarants with friends, inspiring to go into the business
- Building by CHLOE for 3+ years
- Studied sociology/psychology in college
- The 2009 job market was tough, Samantha worked for a year wthout pay to get her foot in the door
- Samantha on how she only wanted to work with her father in restaurants if she could create her own brands
- How she has created an “Instagram dream”, everything so thought-out in appearance and function
- How Samantha was excited for vegan restaurants because of her impending wedding then she decided to create a vegan restaurant that was approachable and felt like you really belong
- Instagram feed vs. stories
- Using stories to connect with customers and engage users
- Cookies and pastries are so instagrammable
- CBD-infused by CHLOE sweets
- Sourcing CBD oil
- A kind of traveling pop-up plus a dozen locations
- Managing so many business priorities
- Finding the right partners
- You figure it out, all encompassing, you will find the tme when something is meaningful for you
- How the business recently took on outside funding for first time
- Growing the team, identifying the right employees, building culture with experiences, being a fun boss
- A typical day for Samantha
- How Samantha doesn’t want to be a boss that is unavailable or at a distance
- The importance of an open office environment
- Focusing on best skills with the immediate team
- Mistakes that have been made
- Kombucha
- Samantha’s fertility journey while running business, putting yourself first when it matters so much
- The emotional impact of miscarriages and how it created a lack of openness, how that changed with IVF
- Pilates and yoga a part of game-changing routine
- Maternity leave for an entreprenista?
- A brainstorm for a new restaurant idea