Scarlet Mick
Scarlet Mick wants to help other women on the entrepreneurial path. Whether they are female founders, woman owners, or CEOs, she believes that the pearls of wisdom she collected along the road to success can help other powerful women on the same path.
The Denver tech company that she co-founded, TECOBI, is revolutionizing the auto sales industry, thanks to her very astute business strategizing and some savvy software engineering on the part of her partner-in-both-senses-of-the-word Jason Girdner.
TECOBI is an innovative tech startup that bridges the formerly wide communication gap between buyers and auto salespeople. Using AI-integrated technology, TECOBI assists thousands of car dealerships across the US in automated lead follow-up that prospective customers also love.
Her product allows car buyers to start the buying process over text messages, asking all their questions about options, safety features, and financing over SMS. For many, this saves them the time of driving out to the dealership early in the buying process, and it keeps them from being pressured into buying too quickly by pushy car salespeople.
Here are Mick’s favorite tips for female founders that are ready to find the same level of success that she enjoys today.
Mick is the first to admit that entrepreneurship is not an easy path, and your brain will get in your way at every twist and turn in the road.
“There will be failures, there will be bad days and days when too many bills are piling up. But, to be honest, this was our third attempt to make this project a success. The first two tries failed miserably, and we were getting into debt. But I believed in Jason, and I believed in myself, and I really believed in the product we were creating; that’s what kept me going in the dark times,” she explained.
She says that writing down why your dream is important and why it will eventually work was helpful to her. She also went through periods where she did daily affirmations in the mirror to help her stay focused and not let negative self-talk derail her motivation and dreams.
Do you think 23andMe Founder Anne Wojcicki or Away CEO Steph Korey never had a failure to deal with or a bad day to contend with? Of course, they did. Being a female entrepreneur, you need to learn to roll with the punches, but more than that, Mick suggests that you learn to enjoy each rough patch and embrace it as a learning experience.
“The thing is, those days are certainly the hardest, but they are also the ones that force you to grow, innovate, and learn. And isn’t that really what we’re here for?” asked Mick.
As she explained, you don’t get your best ideas — the ones that will land — until all the previous ones have failed.
Starting a business isn’t neat, easy, or comfortable. Along the way, there will be naysayers, there will be critics, and sometimes they will be your best friends and family. But that’s okay; you’re starting your business and pursuing your dream for you, not them.
Expect to experience investors that back out, meetings that go wrong, late nights, and far too much coffee. But, remember, you’re in good company; all founders have gone through this.
“The best business minds have ideas far outside the mainstream, sometimes even shockingly so,” mused Mick. She referenced Classpass Co-founder Payal Kadakia, who had to listen to why her idea of letting app users access exclusive gyms and classes would not work for years before investors and gym chains got on board. Her company was valued at $1 billion before it was acquired by Mindbody last year.
Every emerging field will constantly change, and female founders must stay up-to-date on every development. This means reading trade news religiously and continuously learning more about your niche.
Mick also attends networking events, conferences, and virtual events. She connects with others in the industry and gives back to the community by sharing her knowledge as an occasional conference speaker or moderator.
“If people consider you an expert, they’re going to be that much more likely to listen to your elevator pitch and give your dream a chance to blossom,” said Mick
With tips like these, perhaps we’ll dust off our entrepreneurial dreams and see what we can make happen!
Jason Girdner & Scarlet Mick are the Founders of TECOBI, an advanced communication and advertising solution of SMS/Text conversations for the automotive industry. Served thousands of automotive companies through their industry changing software. To learn more please www.tecobi.com
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