Have you ever wanted to launch your own business? With millions quitting their jobs (yes, that “Great Resignation” you’ve been hearing so much about), that entrepreneurial voice inside your head might be begging you to finally take the leap.
So what’s holding you back from becoming your own CEO? If it’s because you think your brilliant idea has already been done before, think again. Below, we’re sharing the start-up stories behind two inspiring entrepreneurs who tapped into the power of technology to disrupt old ways of doing business. One is revolutionizing the way we use snail mail; the other is launching an app that’ll show you exactly how to invest your money to achieve specific financial goals (like buying that watch you’ve always wanted… or that dream vacation home).
Both industry disruptors in their own right, they’re also part of a special group of 10 women who won Ally’s Daring to Disrupt contest last year. (More on that below!) Find out how they’re switching things up in their respective industries, and where they’re headed next. It might be the inspiration you need to get out and disrupt whatever’s been on your mind.
She’s revolutionizing the power of connection through tech-forward greeting cards
It can be tough to find the silver lining — let alone launch a new business — during a jarring, life-changing event. But both of those things are exactly what Ashley Sutton, the founder of Hustle & Hope, did at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Sutton tapped into our craving for connection and created innovative digital greeting cards with embedded QR codes that link the recipient to inspirational (and downloadable) guides.
“I can’t quite answer why this 175-year-old industry hadn’t innovated in this way, but I can say that, especially starting during the pandemic, people really got back to one-on-one connection and talking to each other,” says Sutton. “I think it’s that authenticity and that wanting to connect with folks that makes this the right idea at the right time.”
“Everybody’s talking about the Great Resignation — moving up and out and over, as we’re now two years into the pandemic,” says Sutton. With so many people questioning their next moves, her cards are intended to help people feel confident taking a major leap. “Let’s take the guesswork out of what should be on your resume, or how to find your passion, or how to sell yourself in an interview,” she says. “Now is the time, more than ever, to give people that hope and motivation.”
What keeps Sutton going? Most of the time, it’s the heartfelt feedback she receives from her customers and the community she’s cultivated since the start. In fact, after becoming one of Ally’s Daring to Disrupt contest winners last year, she connected with a fellow entrepreneur Jasmine Hathaway from Compass Coordinators, which helps people navigate life after loss. The two collaborated on an empathy card that comes with an After Loss Checklist.
“A woman bought it and said, ‘I really, really needed this card. I recently lost my husband — it’s been so tough and I couldn’t put into words how I was feeling. This hit home,’” Sutton tells us. “It’s moments like that where I know I’m on the right path. I’ve never been one to just add products to our line without them really being able to help someone.”
Beyond partnering with a fellow Daring to Disrupt contest winner, Sutton used her grand prize winnings to overhaul her branding, hire freelancers, and launch new Zodiac-sign cards in collaboration with Horoscope.com. “I am forever and eternally grateful to be a part of this amazing group of women.”
For anyone else hoping to start a business, Sutton has some Nike-like advice: “Just do it… and get out of your head,” she says. “We’re often in our own way more than society is. Yes, the media, families, friends, or colleagues might give you negative feedback, but if you can get out of your own way, you’re halfway there.”
This former hedge fund analyst is breaking down barriers around finance and investing
Tara Falcone’s father passed away when she was 13 years old. “I grew up in a very blue-collar, low-income family, and my dad was the breadwinner,” says Falcone. “When he passed away, I was forced to become financially independent at a very young age.”
Flash-forward a few years, when Falcone was on her way to Yale University via a financial-aid scholarship. That’s where she got her first formal education on investing, and all the money talk enticed her. Her first job out of college was on Wall Street.
“I went from no income and having no idea about money to realizing there’s a whole other spectrum of financial possibility,” says Falcone. “Now I’m making money for myself, learning about investing, and how to make my money make more money.”
Falcone felt empowered by her new financial freedom: “It was incredibly transformative and eye-opening to finally feel welcome in a world that I had felt excluded from for so long,” she says. She realized she wanted to help others achieve that same feeling. So, in 2015, she left her investment analyst role on Wall Street to figure out a way to help distill her own financial learnings to others in a way that made sense.
She launched her platform ReisUp, which offers resources and tools that help anyone confidently manage their money. And this year, she’s launching a new app called Reason. The goal? To show people — especially women — how to use specific investing habits to achieve success.
Her strategy for how to make those money goals happen? By disrupting the way traditional retail-investing apps work. “We approach investing from a very different place,” says Falcone. “We start with the end in mind, and then show you which actions to take to get there, rather than other apps that just want you to trade fast and as much as possible because that’s how they make money.” Starting with an end goal in mind (whether it’s making enough cash to buy a new car, or something smaller, like saving for a new necklace) is deliberate for Falcone. She understands women are a bit more calculated when it comes to making decisions about money.
“Most retail investing platforms have been founded by men, and men approach investing in a very different way. It’s all about action, trading, news, movements, gains — it’s a gambling-esque approach,” she explains. “And that just does not resonate with women. We want to know why we’re doing something. Why should I be putting money at risk that I’ve worked really hard for, in order to level up my financial life?”
Her background story — climbing to the top by learning how to manage money on her own — puts her in a unique position to develop such a distinctive app. “My perspective as a female founder in this space, and as somebody who has come from very little means and really understands the value of a dollar, allows us to infuse all of that perspective into the app that we’re building,” says Falcone.
As a long-time Ally customer, being recognized in last year’s Daring to Disrupt contest meant the world to Falcone. “I’ve always been impressed with Ally and their mission and commitment to education and female investor empowerment,” she says. “Growing up, I didn’t really feel like I had role financial models. To be recognized and potentially be able to inspire other young women to chase their dreams — or disrupt an industry that they think is worthy of disrupting — is a responsibility I don’t take lightly, but one that I’m excited for.”
To join the waiting list for Reason, click here.
Our friends at Ally are championing the future of inspiring and innovative female entrepreneurs, like Ashley and Tara, through their Daring to Disrupt platform. Daring to Disrupt showcases the stories of women who are changing industries by challenging the status quo. Want to meet more of them? Starting March 8 (on International Women’s Day!), we’ll be introducing you to eight new passionate women who are breaking glass ceilings and shattering outdated ways of thinking. Stay tuned for more!
