Business
Ariel Kaye has known from a young age that she wanted to learn, improve and move forward in all aspects of life. Today, she talks with us about her journey in starting Parachute Home, a popular direct consumer brand offering bed and bath linens as well as other home essentials for the modern home. We discuss the challenges and rewards of fundraising, how to build a collaborative environment and ways to tell a story in a big, bold and undeniable way. In This Episode You’ll Hear About: Ariel’s unconventional path from working in Advertising to starting her own business. How Ariel merged her interest in building a brand with her passion for high-quality home essentials to start Parachute Home. What she did to update investors and show progress in order to secure capital. How she took feedback and applied it feverishly to better herself and her company. Best lessons learned and tips on hiring the right people based on your own core competency. Some of the challenges she faced in building her confidence, and ways she encourages camaraderie and bonding within the Parachute culture. Why it’s not rare to see employees of Parachute cardio boxing each other. What investors need to feel and see, and what Ariel has done to bring out the “crazy” within her own pitch meetings. Her recent $30M Series C round, and why fundraising is like a performance. How Ariel measures success, and her focus on building a long lasting brand. The moments where Ariel felt most defeated, and how she got back on her feet. Ariel’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. To Find Out More: Parachute Quotes: “You have to fake it til you make it.” “You are investing in the person so much more than the actual idea” “I had to let go of my own insecurity regarding the types of people that would be excited to work here.” “When you have a great brand that people are inspired by, it becomes a lot easier to recruit people.” “You are your own biggest advocate. You must put the excitement and passion on the table so it can be felt and experienced by others.” “Nothing is easy, and that’s what keeps it fun.” “Everything takes longer than expected.” “I think when you have an idea you really believe in, it’s totally worth following that passion.” “You have to get used to things going wrong, and moments that are overwhelming.”