Well, welcome everyone to episode 15 of Rooted and Reaching.

We are here today with Niles Mataffa, who is the co founder of a very cool startup called Zahara.

I hope I said that right.

Yes, Zahara.

So Niles is just.

She was just telling me she's just returned from Europe where she's been exploring some fundraising opportunities.

But before we get into that, Niles, welcome onto the show.

Thank you.

Good to be here.

And I think most of our audience have not heard of your business yet, your startup yet, so maybe you could just give us a basic overview of what you've been doing or what the company is.

Yeah.

So Zahra is a groundbreaking health app for Muslim women especially.

We are based in the Middle east as well as.

Well, we're starting there, but we plan to potentially, like, expand within that region.

It started because we, my sister and I have a nonprofit at in the Middle east which focuses on women's health.

And as we started producing health content, we noticed that there was a significant gap, based on our analytics, just because of the growth rate, a lot of the responses, and just the rapid interest in this specific niche that was tailored specifically for Islamic women.

And there are Arabic resources out there.

But we kind of wanted to tackle the more, I guess, cultural approach to it just because it seemed like there was a lack in that space.

And.

Yeah, so essentially we provide health tailored health solutions within sexual and repurpose menstrual health for women in this region, but plan to expand further.

Expand further.

Okay.

Okay.

This is very interesting.

So.

So this is an app.

Yes, it's an application so users interact with the content.

Yes.

So it has four main features.

It has the.

We have, like, the cycle tracking app, but it also has the Islamic calendar to help with women who are trying to plan around Islamic holidays so that they can plan accordingly when it comes to their, you know, health practices like Ramadan or other religious activities.

And then we have our community forum where girls can kind of talk about, like, different issues that they're going, you know, that they are struggling with that can be tailored for, you know, we actually want to take an approach where it's localized by, like, the specific country, like, or the region.

Like the Levant has specific needs compared to North Africa or to the Gulf.

Like they.

Like.

Yeah.

They share similar language, but there's still differences and nuances within these spaces.

So there's that community part.

And then we have.

Sorry, I'm on.

Off the top of my head, four things.

You have the, the content, the calendar, the community forum, the content part, which is where we have tailored solutions from health professionals and Islamic specialists about what to do in XYZ situation regarding their health.

And then the fourth one.

Why am I blanking right now?

Okay.

Anyways, yeah, there's a lot that go into the app, but.

Oh, yeah, and then there's pregnancy tracking, which is going to be, like, a future feature that will come out in December, so.

Yeah.

Excellent, excellent.

Yeah, so those are kind of the nitty gritty, just of, like, what we do as a function for the application.

And, yeah, we just want to be a resource for these women who have, like, their own specific needs and wants regarding their health, but, like, create a safe space around that so women can just feel free to anonymously share what is on their minds and, like, what their health struggles are.

Yeah, Yeah, I was.

I was wondering about that part.

If there's sort of the anonymity of the app.

Yes.

Allows for a freer conversation or different kinds of questions to be asked.

Yeah, we want to keep it anonymous just for the nature of the topic, and there is a little bit of stigma, disregarding that.

And we want to just be respectful to people who may not feel comfortable, you know, like, putting their identity out there.

So when people log on or create an account, they're using a username and an avatar of some sort to interact.

Yeah, super, super, super anonymous.

Almost like Reddit, but.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So, yeah, that's kind of the premise of it.

But everything that.

Everything that's gone into it has been just a wild journey.

Just with the development part, the fundraising, I think I spearhead more of the fundraising part and shout out to my sister for the product development.

Yeah.

And when we had won the pitch in.

What was that?

April.

Yeah, in April, I believe so.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That was kind of when we had started to realize this project, just because we had data collected prior to it.

And then, um, we.

Yeah, it was when we started, like, kind of gathering the team, the mentors at Andrews University has provided us, which I am so grateful for.

I think we're.

This is like the first year that Andrews is trying to really spearhead this.

Their.

Their innovation department and providing, like, an incubator type of thing.

And we're kind of like the.

The Guinea Pigs Test trial.

But it's been honestly, like my.

The mentor that I have, that I've been assigned to has been so helpful and in just, like, giving me the connections and the people and the resources.

And he's from London, which is great because he's like, yeah, there's more funding options.

Here in London, like, can he connect you there?

I'm like, yay.

Another excuse to leave the country, right?

Yeah.

And I'm like, yeah.

So it's, it's been an international journey as well.

And that is something that I've always been interested in.

But there is like this point.

Sorry, I'm rambling.

That's okay.

I'm gonna ask some more questions, but finish your thought.

But there was this point.

So I graduated last summer and I had a job offer at a consulting firm in San Francisco.

And they basically gave us the option to.

Well, there's like something called like a white collar recession.

No one's really talking about.

Essentially like people in consulting, I think banking, I don't know.

But consulting for sure.

Worker is slower.

And so they.

So different consult consulting firms were essentially telling their new hires to delay their start date or they could start immediately.

So basically my firm was like, okay, we will give you the option to delay your start date or you can start in September, but if you delay your start date, we'll just pay you like a lump sum of sum of money.

And then I was like, wait, let me get this straight.

You're going to pay me to do nothing?

Pay me not to work right away?

Right?

And they're like, yeah.

And I'm like, bet.

So took the money, went to the Middle east with my sister.

And then from then I had to kind of like choose.

As we started growing this, the idea, the research, I was like, okay, am I going to go back to work in February or am I going to like continue with this track?

And I ended up delaying my start date again.

And the fact that they were so open to me doing that kind of just told me that I'm like, okay, there's seems like the market is still struggling a bit if they're still wanting new hires to be pushed back.

And then by the time June rolled around, I was supposed to start of September of this year.

Okay, so next month.

Next month.

Next month.

Well, then in June, I decided, I'm like, you know what?

I'm, it's.

I love what I'm doing.

I love the progress we're making.

And I really think that there's a good chance that I'm just going to put 100% into this.

And so I ended up just terminating my contract.

Okay.

Did you have to give the money back?

I did.

Okay.

But it's okay.

It was like, it was, it was, it was, it was a nice little cushion.

Yeah.

A thought that it was like there.

Well, listen, I Think the world is probably happier that you're pursuing your entrepreneurial vision here than it is just becoming a consultant.

I am too.

I am as well.

Yeah.

So let me back up for a minute.

So you mentioned your sister, who is your co founder, and tell us about your sister.

Is she also at Andrews with you?

No.

So she went to.

Actually, no.

She did a study abroad program through Andrews University.

And Andrews University is really well connected to foreign schools.

We have a school in Taiwan, Argentina, Spain, France, whatever.

But a lot of the more popular schools would be like, Spain or France.

Like, people want to go there, but my sister's really.

She tries to be different for some reason.

I'm just kidding.

I don't know.

She wanted to do something really different.

So she chose the school in Lebanon to learn Arabic.

There was like two students that went.

That chose that school because it's just not the popular choice.

Anyways, she went there six years ago, ended up loving it.

Never.

Never left.

She never left.

Yeah, never left.

So she transferred, graduated in Lebanon, fell in love with the people, the place, the culture, the food, everything.

She can speak the language.

And yeah, she just decided, like, I want to, like, this is my home now.

So she's kind of adopted Lebanon.

And.

Yeah.

So she started translating for an ngo.

And during this time, like when we were in college, we started this, a small nonprofit that basically provided reusable pads for women in.

Because they also.

Lebanon has a huge refugee population from Syria.

And so she worked alongside with NGOs in that region.

So our nonprofit partnered with an NGO to create these pads.

And then as we would distribute the pads, we noticed that a lot of people were not educated on the subject.

And so when we started educating them, we noticed that there were other factors.

And.

Sure, that's.

And like religious and cultural factors involved that we needed to be aware about, to con.

To present the information in a way that was digestible for these women, and they would express these concerns to us.

And then we put this online, and then when we put it online, that's when it kind of blew up.

And we're like, oh, okay, so this is like a woman thing.

Yes, yes, yes.

But classic entrepreneurial fashion.

You were doing one thing and you noticed a problem.

Yeah.

And you said, hey, I think we have something that could help solve this problem.

Right.

And that.

Yeah.

And then it just.

It was by accident because people always ask me, like, what made you think of this idea?

I'm like, honestly, like, I didn't come up with it.

They, like, they told us the issue like, this was the issue that was.

Right.

That was the in demand.

And when did you realize that sort of the anonymity of a phone app or a smartphone app might be the solution or a way to respond to that problem?

We were talking to one of our.

A mentor of ours who's kind of doing the same thing.

He does, like, social enterprises.

And what he does is he.

He teaches people to code from underdeveloped countries or, like, juvenile delinquents just to give them, like, a chance or a skill.

Okay.

And he's just very well versed in this space.

And he kind of.

We were kind of just brainstorming with him about the issues because, remember, my sister and I were working at this nonprofit, right?

And in collaboration with this, another.

A bigger ngo and their Brazilian ngo, so they have a sewing department, and they also have a coding department.

So he came in on, as the coding teacher to, like, teach some of the refugee kids, like, how to code and stuff.

And then we kind of had told him our findings of, like, hey, there's these women.

They do this.

And we.

He was like, you know, it'd be really great if you guys created this app that did xyz.

So I would kind of have to give a shout out to Rodrigo for, like, kind of helping us, like, formulate this idea.

Brilliant guy.

Super brilliant.

He's now based in Dubai, but he's, like, a Mexican entrepreneur that also is working in.

Oh, that's fantastic.

Working for a Brazilian nonprofit in Lebanon.

Well, he was working with them in collaboration to build up his own thing that he's doing.

And so, yeah, we're kind of all in a similar space in the area.

You'll meet really interesting people in Lebanon, I can tell.

Wow.

It's amazing.

So were you in Lebanon when this happened, working alongside your sister, or were you getting this feedback from your sister based on her?

Um, I was getting this feedback from her, but I was in Lebanon this past.

Wow.

Like, last September, and then the war broke out.

So that we have another layer on top of this.

Um, it's honestly amazing to, like, talk to other Lebanese founders in the space, like, to see, like, the resilience that a lot of these entrepreneurs have, especially in, like, a very unstable, I'm sure, region.

And it's really inspiring because, like.

Like, they just keep going.

But, yeah, I was there last year and then went fundraising, and then I came back this summer, so I did, like, three months this summer with them, so.

So you had the idea or you had the data that was telling you that There was a problem that could be addressed.

And then you talked to Rodrigo.

Yeah, Rodrigo.

Rodrigo.

So how did you get to the first, like, your first beta app or beta test of this concept?

Well, we.

Okay, we work alongside with our.

The women that we.

That were helping us, like, create the pads.

Like, we would say, we'd ask for feedback, like, hey, what do you think would work well with this?

And one of.

Or some of the girls that we've talked to were like, you know, it would be nice to have, like, an actual, like.

Yeah, there's a calendar.

The calendar apps already exist.

Right.

But we would like something that would plan around these specific practices that we have to help us plan around these, like, fasting times.

That makes sense.

Yeah.

And so I was like, okay, that's a good idea.

I wouldn't have come up with that, but thank you for telling me.

So I'm like, you know, writing.

We wrote down ideas.

We also, like, kind of deconstructed our competitor competing apps of, like, how they work and kind of gotten feedback on our.

From some of the girls that we were working with.

Like, hey, what do you.

What do you like?

What you.

What do you dislike?

What.

What is missing?

And how could we improve this?

And so that was another way that we had kind of dissected it and then, like, formulated to do our own rendition and version of it.

Right, right.

So a lot of.

A lot went into.

Yeah, I can tell.

I have, like, a lot of, like, a lot of R and D, I guess you would say.

Sure, Yeah.

A lot of breakdowns of just like, of specific applications, what works, what doesn't work, and formulating our own based on our own data and the data that's already out there.

So that's kind of how we've done it.

So we have many drawing boards of sketches of like, hey, this is how these things are.

Do you sketch in paper or using a Miro board mirror?

Yeah, Miro.

Yeah.

So, yeah, we have multiple.

And how did you take that first technical step, like, actually coding the thing?

Did you have to hire someone to do it?

Did you learn to do it yourself?

Well, thank you, Rodrigo.

Again, I have to, like, he is.

So he's going around the world doing, like, building a programming.

He's building some type of software.

Really smart and brilliant.

I think he, like, he worked on Tinder, like, help program something with.

Okay, some app development.

Yeah, app development.

So like, a lot of our mentorship does come from him.

And so when he went to the Philippines to kind of, like, expand his project there, he Introduced us to some of like the developers that he was working with in the area.

And obviously if you're bootstrapping, you kind of need to like keep things as low costing as possible.

And so he gave us some of the resources that he has, his own personal relations that he has.

And I had done a bit of like interviewing other companies like seeing if we'd be combat compatible, some companies in India and like their price ranges and things like that, what they can work with and kind of really relaying that to Rodrigo.

He's kind of just been a really good mentor for us because like I'm, I'm an accounting background and he's more technical in that aspect.

But yeah, we hired this, we outsourced a team and the Philippines and their head developer has been so helpful to us, like just kind of explaining things to me in non technical terms as a non technical founder and.

Yeah, and I just, I used to feel a lot of like imposter syndrome because I'm like, I'm not technical and like there's you know, like if like I had a little flop pitch where I like pitched to someone who was technical and they asked me these questions and I, it didn't turn out well.

I'm just going to be completely honest because I'm sure that multiple people have like done something like this, like we don't know all the answers and say.

I'll refer that question to my technical team.

Yeah, right.

Yeah, I should have said something along those lines.

I attempted to answer it.

Not as smart, I shouldn't have done that.

But yeah, like a lot of it just kind of revolved around me asking my teammates, asking the people who know better than me in this space like how to do things or what that means.

And then I've also followed these meme pages about like founders and venture capital.

It's just like meme pages for founders in this space and they make fun of non technical founders based in San Francisco.

So I'm like, okay, I'm not the only one.

Like there's other people.

I'm like, I'm not like this is not an anomaly.

And for me to feel like I'm not qualified just because I'm not technical I just think is not true.

Or like, well, absolutely.

You're hiring technical people to execute on your vision.

Right.

And based on your connections and your ideas.

Yeah.

And you're bringing the passion to the project.

Yes.

There we go, the vision.

And then like you execute.

I will tell you like, hey, let's go in this direction.

You can execute it better than I can, so.

Right, right, right, yeah.

So when I first met you.

Well, I think I actually first met you at the student immersion experience, but that was a separate thing.

But I came up to Andrews University to be a judge for the pitch competition.

And Zahara, yeah, Zahara really was a standout in that competition.

So by that point, so this was April of 2024, you had already really taken off in a lot of ways, I think.

And if I remember correctly, your following had exploded online as well.

And so the demand was manifesting itself very clearly.

Were you surprised by the way it took off, the way the platform took off?

Was it a whirlwind for you to sort of manage that or you were looking at your followers?

What was that like?

Well, we haven't even had the time to go through every single comment.

So we've hired a girl to.

An Arabic speaking girl on our team to go through it to help us collect the data.

And would I say it's a shock?

Yes and no.

Yes.

Because I didn't think we would be the ones to do it.

Like two Americans, like, that's right.

And.

But we have another, we have other.

We're working with a team of girls from this region.

Actually we were bringing on another kind of like part of the co founding team, a Lebanese health professional to like help us in this space.

And so like, and then, yeah, like, I didn't expect it from us, I guess.

And then secondly, I would also say I'm not surprised because there's just, I think it's, it, it revolves around the stigma around the topic.

Like there just is stigma that, that is so pervasive in.

And not just in this region.

Like, this is just like a woman problem and like it's a worldwide problem.

So I'm like, yeah, of course, like, of course this is like a high, like a really high demand topic because there's just not a lot of research for women's health.

Like we just haven't invested as much resources and funding into looking at women's wellbeing.

And I think they're making strides towards improving this space.

But yeah, I'm not surprised on that part, but I was definitely surprised that it was like, that.

It was, I guess coming from our.

I mean, do you think you had, I think you're suggesting you had an advantage maybe as an American coming to the topic because you weren't working with the same set of constraints that local women were working with.

Or at least there's like that cultural feeling of I'M not supposed to do.

This maybe or no, I don't think so.

I think the way, the only advantage that we have, I think is our marketing tactics.

I think those are the, like, that is definitely more of our strength.

And I think we do have competitors.

Like, they do exist in this space, but they are taking a different approach to branding themselves.

I think we've taken on more of like a Gen Z approach into like.

Makes sense.

Yeah.

And like when it comes to Islam, like a lot like 18, like the highest percentage of the age range in this, this region is 18 to 30, which is like the hotspot of where we like our age demographic for women.

Okay.

Especially in like the reproductive health.

Like, this is the space for it.

Yeah.

And, and that's kind of like my age.

Like I'm a Gen Z person, so I feel like I know how to.

Gen Z lingo kind of transcends all language barriers.

So we, yeah.

So we've kind of communicated to our content creators like, hey, this is, this is what's kind of in right now on like what we're seeing on in the space here.

Could you guys do something like that?

And they execute it amazingly, which, hence the millions of views.

Right.

And then like, boom, the, the, the views go up.

And so I, I would just say like, maybe our marketing tactics, but not necessarily like the us being the first to talk about this issue.

There's other, there's other people talking about this.

But I think our approach.

But your approach has opened up a wider audience in this case.

Yeah, yeah.

And I think our niche as well, like, okay, yeah, we're trying to be more tailored and think of like cereal and gluten free cereal.

We're gluten free cereal.

That's how I would describe it to people.

And I feel like a lot of people are trying to recreate cereal, but I'm like, we're not trying to recreate cereal.

We're trying to make gluten free.

You're trying to get really good at this one range.

Yep.

Yeah.

And that's why I think it is scalable, just because it's very specific.

Like it's not just honed in on the Arabic speaking language.

It's kind of, this cultural value kind of transcends.

Right.

That.

And I'm speaking as like someone who's a Christian.

Like the, a.

The Bible app is a great example.

The Bible app has millions of users from various denominations worldwide.

And like.

But I have the same Bible app as like a Catholic person or as a Baptist person.

Like, we're all using this application because it kind of ties us into, like, a set of principles.

And so I think that aspect is what we're targeting just in the health space, if you know what I mean.

I mean, is it really a truly amazing international story?

You have a Christian American working in the Middle east with Filipino developers and a Mexican mentor.

Is that right, Rodrigo?

Yeah, yeah.

It's really.

It's really fascinating and it really speaks to your.

Probably your fluency across cultures.

I would say Islam is the same way.

They work, like, cross.

Like, it's the largest religion in the world and it transcends language barriers.

And like, they.

Sure, they're connected through some, you know, something that is so important to them.

And I.

And I get that from, like, from my upbringing.

Like, I understand that.

Have you had to deal with backlash?

We've dealt with concerns.

Concerns, yeah.

For example, one of our girls is from the Gulf.

And I don't want to say which particular region, but there have been some.

There's a lot of comments.

There have been comments about, like, people telling us to stop.

Like, this, you should not be talking about this.

This is, you know, not a good thing to talk about.

And.

Yeah, so, yeah, there, there are.

Yeah.

Just wondering if there's any, you know.

Yeah, there is backlash.

Acute, you know, especially as an American working in the space.

And the topic is.

Yeah.

Do certain people think, yeah, back off or you don't belong here or something?

Oh, yeah, yeah.

No.

But our team, our core team is like, we want it to be true to, like, our, like, we have representation across the region because this is for them.

Like, this is their.

Their space.

And even then, like, when I was in Central Asia, like, the stands.

I know, right, the stands, right.

Similar thing too.

Like, we want to expand to, like, a team in that region.

It's not just for Arabic speaking people.

It's for girls worldwide.

Got it.

And so, like, I want to, like, aim, like, have girls from Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan on our team eventually.

Like, it's.

It's.

Well, it's very clear that you're not working for.

Yeah.

Other people.

You're working with other people.

I mean, every area from beginning of this conversation, you've been pretty clear about that.

Yeah.

Which is great.

Right.

The process is the most interesting part for me.

I think the.

My sister's like, the humanitarian.

I think I'm the developer.

Like, I'm.

Like, the process is so interesting.

Like, I think I'm in love with the process.

Yeah.

Well, good.

Yeah.

I mean, because you're Right in the middle of the process.

So what a great place to be in love.

Right?

How's the money part working?

So you've mentioned a couple of times.

Yeah.

The money raising or traveling overseas to meet with possible sponsors or investors.

Yeah.

So there's definitely.

We have, you know, like any founder has gone through, like my sister took this crowdfunding source or this course and the first thing they said was like, you need to ask your friends and family.

And that's like the hardest part.

Have you ever done door to door sales?

I used to do door to door sales and I have, yeah.

Door to door sales is the most humbling, but the most, I think, useful skill you will ever have.

And out of all the jobs that I've ever landed, like, that was probably the most useful job that I've ever taken.

And it was because you have to learn to talk to multiple people and like adapt to different personality types and be able to present the same item to them, but still kind of like be able to speak their language and sell something.

Like sell the product to them.

And I had to do that with my friends and family as well.

And that was.

So I think it was harder for me to sell to my friends and family than it was to people, to random people.

Should have some anonymous.

Yeah, yeah.

So we have had, we have gone door knocking to a lot of our good networks within and like we're part of a global community who have been really helpful and just like believing in what we're doing and have been just kind enough to sponsor us in that regard.

Okay, so a lot of cold calling.

I hate that, I hate to say it.

And I have this week I have to do it again.

So how does that work for you?

Like just talk us through a sample.

Of how that happens.

Literally, like everything I learned from door to door sales, I do the same thing.

What did you sell door to door?

I sold books.

Books?

Yeah, I sold books.

And when I sold about $10,000 worth of books for a summer, I was 16, got it.

And I'm like, you know what?

If I can sell this book, I can sell this to any product.

I'm like, if I can sell this random book.

And so they gave us a canvas where you have to memorize the whole thing in under one minute.

So it was like at least a page long and you had to be able to just say it in less than a minute.

I've done the same thing.

We have written out a script and thinking about it gives me anxiety because, like, I'm sorry.

No it's okay.

It's okay.

Because I have to do it this week and I'm like, it's okay, I have to do it.

It's fine.

And so, yeah, we.

And the biggest thing is the clothes.

You have to close big.

You have to be brave.

So to close big.

Tell us, what does that mean?

So I get it.

You're calling.

Where do you get the person's name from?

Is this.

Oh, these are part of a network.

You know, people I know ask them for their own.

Their people that they know that may like be interested.

Got it.

And you read the script, you kind of have it.

Well, you don't have to read it because you probably have it memorized at this point.

Yeah.

And so you have to basically.

Yeah, you do the script.

A little small talk, like, hey, how's so and so doing?

And the dog, whatever.

Okay.

You know, formality's sake.

Right?

And then.

And then, yeah, do the pitch.

And then afterwards you just kind of close.

It was all they.

Even when I did door to door sales, they're like, this is the most important part is the close.

Like, hey, you have like, you know, we're doing this.

And people usually give from this range to.

Okay, so you suggest.

I suggest the range.

Okay.

And just based on relationship status and like network status.

Yeah, you can close a little bit.

You.

You kind of guesstimate based on like, okay, this person.

I think they can give this much.

That makes sense.

And yeah, so a lot of fun cold calling.

And at this point in the process, are these investments that folks are making?

No, this is sort of people that like just believe in us and they're.

Just sort of donations at this point to get the company like moving.

Moving forward.

Another thing we have done for just like the marketing aspect is we have a nonprofit.

It's a 501C3.

Because we're giving like what's it called?

We.

It is like a social impact thing.

We are non profit fit like contracts.

Like some.

Some of the money goes to our nonprofit, but we contract that for like content, like women's health content for marketing.

On that aspect.

Actually learning more about the nonprofit space, we had talked to an NGO who was interested in like, oh yes.

So our business model was like B2C.

But then when I went to.

When I met and like Lebanon has a bunch of NGOs, I met a director at one of these NGOs that works with refugees.

We kind of told her what we were doing and she's like, you know what?

We'd love to like Contract some of your services.

Okay, so you're seeing some B2B opportunities.

Yes.

And I'm like, oh, great for how many people?

Like, you know, like for premium features, you know, like for everything.

And yeah, so now like we have a mark like that market.

And so that kind of made me feel like, oh, great.

This has like potential to, you know, just be a little bit more stable than just like an.

On the individual customer level.

So she was saying that like what they do is they want to kind of like take on.

Help, take on our project.

And it made me realize, like, there are a lot of loop.

Not loopholes, but just like ways to get creative.

Creative funding where they would essentially get on sponsorship money to contract services on behalf of whatever thing that they are looking to achieve, like women's health or this type of thing.

Got it.

So, like it's almost like government contracting, but on an NGO level.

Like, does that make sense?

Like the NGOs can contract services if they can't do it themselves?

Well, I think it does.

Right?

Yeah.

They also are seeing the same need.

Yeah.

Probably with the folks that they're working with.

And then you're providing a potential way for them to respond to that need.

Yep.

And so the more that I.

Yeah, the more that we talk to people, meet people, the more opportunities there are to find funding.

And I just don't want to take the traditional, hey, I'm going to take a bunch of these investors money and just like have to answer to them later.

But like, I actually believe in this and I want to like raise the funding ourselves and see it through and like kind of keep on brand to our mission and what we're trying to achieve without feeling like it needs to be profit driven.

Because this is something that is definitely more philanthropic than.

Yeah, I mean, it's certainly service driven.

Right?

Service driven for sure.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So, yeah, that's kind of the goal for me at least.

Like, I just want to.

I want to see it through.

And yeah, so those.

That's.

That the funding part is always like the biggest stressor.

But yeah, the relationship building.

And that's a huge part of the sales aspect.

Like, and which is why I feel like I need to tap into a lot of my international connections.

When I was in Australia, I went to school there or like a type of schooling program.

Okay.

And a lot of them live in Europe.

And so when I was talking, when I went to Sweden two, three weeks ago, I just met up with her randomly and then she's like, I love what you're doing actually, like, can you come speak at this conference?

We'd love to, like, help, you know, sponsor and fundraise in this area because we.

We delve a lot with, like, you know, women's health.

So just opportunities pop up here and there.

I live month to month, so whenever people ask me, like, where, what I'm doing, where I'm going to be, I'm like, I can't tell you because I just go where the, like, opportunities.

Well, I know that I wanted you on this podcast, but it was.

I was worried I was never going to get you because you were.

You were oftentimes in some other part of the world.

So I'm glad we were able to get you back here in town.

Yeah, it's been good, actually.

I'm running a marathon on Sunday.

Of course you are.

Well, I mean, I haven't been training for it.

It's more of a bucket list item.

Yeah.

26 years, 26 miles.

That's it.

I only have two weeks of training.

It's not going to be good.

It's not going to look pretty.

You can walk as you walk as.

Much as you can.

I'm just trying to survive.

That's it.

That's it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So that's why I mainly come back to Mission, so.

Well, lucky for us.

Yeah.

It was nice to get you on the podcast.

So you're a young founder, you know, running this company.

Didn't.

I don't know if you always thought you'd start your own business someday or what your goals were.

You said you're an accounting major.

What advice would you give to someone, I don't know, a few years younger than you or even a few years older than you that has an idea.

So I am someone that lives for purpose.

Like, there's some thing about me that wants to do things that, you know, is aligned with my values, and I think serving people is one of them in that regard.

A lot of people want to do good things in the world, but maybe are limited by funds or, like, their job.

And I always wanted to do, like, my own entrepreneurial endeavor.

I just didn't know what that looked like, which is why I took the accounting route, which is very, like, stable, contrary to my lifestyle.

Well, right.

It does seem like in contrast.

Right.

Accounting, you imagine somebody sitting behind a desk, you know, kind of working away.

And you're this global vagabond almost.

Yeah, yeah.

But I think what made me realize is that I.

I have a control issue.

Like, I want to feel in control.

Of my life, which is why I chose accounting, which is why I went into consulting.

Or I was like, something that is more stable.

And when they had called me to say, like, oh, yeah, you know, there's not enough work.

We may need the new hires to, like, not work, it made.

It just kind of.

Kind of hit me that I'm like, nothing is really in my control.

This idea of, like, security is all an illusion.

Like, it's all an illusion to begin with.

Yeah.

Like, I'm like, so might as well just take that risk and do something that you want to.

Obviously, like, there are some limitations.

Like, know your limitations and.

But see how you can navigate it.

But if you really have the opportunity to do something that you're.

That you know can have positive impact and, like, bring you purpose and meaning in your life, I think you should, like, you should go for it.

And you should also believe in yourself that, like, I feel like a lot of people don't.

They sell.

They cut themselves short because they don't.

I feel like.

I feel like a lot of people suffer from imposter syndrome.

I think people are more qualified and capable than they think they are.

And then the more that you experiment, the more you try.

That's kind of how you learn.

Like, you.

Trial by fire.

Well, and you yourself mentioned that, I think earlier, maybe when before we were recording, too, that, like, you realize that you might feel like that, but you.

But so many other people do, too.

So why do I need to worry about it?

Yeah, I'm not alone in this.

Yeah, I'm not alone.

Like, you're not as unique as you think you are.

Like, a lot of people are feeling the exact same way.

And that's actually really comforting because it's like, yeah, we can all.

All kind of be together as a resource to help each other out.

I always reach out to other founders.

Like, one guy was on the road for the next for, like, two, two and a half years before he, like, finally found an address.

I don't say I'm homeless.

I'm addressless.

Like, I'm just living out of a suitcase at the moment.

But, like, yeah, yeah, yeah, but that's kind of the.

Yeah, you're building something that you believe in, and I think it's worth it, especially if you.

And this is the time, at least for people my age, like, to kind of experiment and, like, try something that they've always wanted to do.

And, yeah, if you have that opportunity, like, please, like, do it.

I think that's fantastic advice.

So before I let you go.

Because this is a regional podcast and you went to school here in Bering county, up in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

Yeah.

But you're also a major global traveler.

So tell us, looking back at your time in Michigan or here in the region, like, what are some of your favorite things about having gone to school here?

Living, living, working here.

I actually want to make Michigan like a home base for me because Michigan has provided all these opportunities for international reach.

Actually, Andrews University has their motto and its world changers made here.

And like, it's.

Because there's always like this aspect of like, you're like there's something beyond ourselves, like you want to make impact.

And that has kind of been taught to me, and I feel like I'm living out the Andrews University legacy through that.

Sounds like you are.

And yeah, we have other amazing people, alumni from Andrews, just doing great things globally.

A guy in Sri Lanka, the Chai guy.

I don't know if you ever heard of him.

The Chai guy?

Yeah.

Oh, I think so.

Super cool person.

And then.

Yeah.

But I.

A lot of these things are happening because of, like, the support and the community and the teaching that I had received at Andrews University and the opportunities that.

Yeah, yeah, it definitely sounds like it.

And again, that's why I first met you was through Andrews University connections and the, and the pitch competition that they did.

So.

Yeah.

But on my, in my spare time, I like to go surfing at Silver Beach.

Silver Beach.

Yeah.

My friends and I'm gardening a little bit.

We actually, we have like a, like a, A gardening thing tomorrow.

Okay.

So, yeah, come support local business.

So you're gonna like cold call.

Yeah.

One hand and garden on the other hand.

Yeah.

So I love the, the local community aspect, but yeah, I like, this is.

The small town vibe really has like big world impact.

And that's.

That was kind of right here.

I love that.

Yeah.

In Michigan, small town vibe.

Big, big, big world impact.

Yeah.

100%.

Excellent.

Excellent.

Well, we are happy to have you in the region and have inspired you here in this region to do all these amazing things in the world.

So thanks so much for being on the episode with us.

Of course.

Happy to be here.

Yeah.

And continued.

Good luck.

Really.

You're.

You're one of these companies that I am excited to see where you are a year from now, where you're a couple of years from now and the kind of impact that you're going to be able to have on women all around the world.

Sweet.

Thanks a lot.

I appreciate it.

Great.