Maggie Bachenberg is the Co-Founder of Pointz, a bike safety app that offers safe navigation, route customization and 24/7 emergency roadside assistance to make people feel safer on their bikes. Maggie has been grinding away at Pointz for 4 years and was part of Techstars in 2022. Maggie shares how having shared values makes her relationship with her co-founder more resilient, how former founders tend to give the best advice, and how she's learned to set boundaries after experiencing burnout. I admire her focus and love for making her customers happy and incorporating customer feedback throughout her product development process. Speaking with Maggie has encouraged me to have more confidence and conviction in my ideas and business decisions.

00:00 The Founding of Points: A Bike Safety App
02:54 Introducing Points Plus: The Premium Subscription
06:23 User Engagement and Revenue Traction
14:00 The Co-Founder Partnership: Complementary Strengths and Shared Values
23:34 Navigating the Fundraising Environment
25:31 The Power of Techstars and Networking
27:30 Personal Growth and Lessons Learned
30:09 Seeking Advice from Former Founders
38:53 Balancing Work and Self-Care
43:44 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Jennifer Tang, a fashion and portrait photographer, shares her journey from shooting random photos with friends to becoming a professional photographer. She discusses her experimentation and creative process, drawing inspiration from her rebellious nature and finding beauty in the overlooked and off-putting. Jennifer also talks about her debut exhibition, Feed Me, which explores messy and intimate moments of people eating. She shares her experience balancing client work with her personal aesthetic and the challenges of imposter syndrome. Jennifer emphasizes the importance of a supportive community and offers advice to aspiring photographers.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction and Background
(03:03) Starting the Feed Me Exhibition
(08:54) Balancing Client Work and Personal Aesthetic
(14:48) Transitioning from Hobby to Income
(23:25) Style and Aesthetic
(29:00) Discovering Yourself as an Artist
(36:43) Dealing with Imposter Syndrome
(43:06) Building a Supportive Community
(48:25) Advice to Past Self
(50:22) Where to Find Jennifer Tang

After praying for a long time to become a mother, Giana was staggered when she realized she was unfulfilled. Giana looked into herself and asked, “The day I die, what would I want to see as I go through my life’s memories?” Her answer and creation is Patisserie Luce, a boutique cakery that specializes in making cakes and desserts that are refined, timeless and enchanting.

Chapters
(00:00:00) Baking, Infertility & Life Purpose
(00:06:46) Nurturing the Fire and Passion Within
(00:13:21) Balancing Your Own Art with Client Requests
(00:16:37) Receiving and Rejecting Client Feedback
(00:21:27) Balancing Perfectionism
(00:22:54) Joy in Experimentation
(00:24:45) Facing and Overcoming Fears
(00:29:33) Turning Obsession into a Virtue
(00:39:38) Taking Care of Yourself to Nurture Your Passions