While my experience as an entrepreneur has highlighted my personal strengths, it has also frankly put me face-to-face with challenges in my career and personal life. I have always been creative. I like to come up with different ways to think about things. I love to learn. 

One of my challenges is a tendency to be overly self-reliant and to be a perfectionist. Connected with this challenge is, I believe, a universal experience of isolation start-up founders experience because no one is doing exactly what you are doing the way you are doing it.

Indeed, I have a tendency towards self-reliance. To overcome this, one key strategy I have adopted is to shamelessly and unapologetically ask for help when needed. This shift in perspective –  away from avoidance to a proactive approach – allows me to leverage the experience and wisdom of those around me. My fear of burdening others or “looking dumb” has definitely been set aside. I won’t assume I should figure out every answer independently without depending on others. I’m surrounded by intelligent people who most likely have the answers I am seeking, so why not ask the questions? It is crucial that I actively showcase CanvasPad to new faces, inviting even more opportunities for feedback. This is the perfect cohort of professionals to initiate that process as I embark on the user feedback phase of my work this summer.

My other strategy, particularly pertinent within the startup world, is to embrace the notion of “good enough”. I am in the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage. I don’t have to have all the bells and whistles to show my product the way it is now, but that is okay! The whole point is to illustrate the concept’s potential and feasibility. Presenting things as they are knowing that it isn’t the final destination has been an active effort during this journey. 

While I lack a business or tech background, I am hoping this experience will help me build a stronger foundation in these areas that I can continue to build off of after the fellowship. Giving my undivided attention while also working a full-time job is going to be priceless!

I am brimming with anticipation for the opportunities that lie ahead. Embarking on this transformative journey at my alma mater, where my career as a psychologist began, and also where I met my late husband, a proud Stern graduate of ‘97, holds deep significance!

I’m looking forward to meeting fellow founders and learning about their work, talking about our struggles, and sharing resources that may benefit one another. I am very much looking forward to the direct and indirect benefits of being in an environment where I will receive more structure.