Sara Bavar

I would say it's the fact that I've had to teach myself everything on my own - from the smallest things like how to build a pitch deck to how to present it - and I've been really proud of the fact that I've been fluid with it and moved with it without letting all that fear in that I famously have done for myself. I've cut myself off at the knees before because I thought, oh, this is going to be really difficult to do, and I'd try a few times and just give up. But with this, I'm proud of the fact that I'm creating a company that's going to be impactful for generations, and I'm still working through the blood, sweat, and tears - literal tears - and just being like, okay, I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna bang this out, I'm gonna do it. And still being present at the same time. It's been a journey of self-discovery as well. I also attribute my success to my mentors - my brother and my sister who are both entrepreneurs with small businesses, and they've been very pivotal in helping me do this and introducing me to people. They helped with the mental mentorship, like how do you stay sane in this process. I always tell people this process is like going on constant first dates and thinking they went really well, like you've met your soulmate, and then they never call you back. My mentors kept me grounded, reminding me not to take it personal because it's not personal, it's a business.

The best advice I've received, which came from my mentors including my brother and sister, is to not take anything personal because it's absolutely not personal - it's a business. Even if someone is thinking of investing $1,000, they're gonna be really, really careful with that $1,000. So if there was any kind of red flag, that's what it is. This helped me understand that in the entrepreneurship process, which I describe as like going on constant first dates where you think they went really well and you've met your soulmate, and then they never call you back and you just can't figure out what happened - you have to remember it's not about you personally. My mentors kept me sane by reminding me that if there's any kind of rejection or setback, it's not personal, it's just business.

I would say, do it, 100% do it. And be open to feedback. Take everything as constructive, don't take anything as personal, but take all of it as constructive. And be fluid. Be constantly fluid. Don't be afraid to change with how you think it needs to move, and it feels right to you. I don't mean reinvent constantly, because then I think the authenticity comes out of it. But I think that we initially go into the idea of entrepreneurship if we have an idea, and we're like, this is it, this is what's gonna be the best. But we know, like with the example of Instagram, Instagram was a lot of things before it just became photos initially, before it just became a social app like that. So being open to listening to what people are saying, and then see how it relates to your mission and how you need to sort of shift your mission. But first and foremost, I think it's you listen with an open heart and an open mind. And you don't take anything personal, nothing. Because it is your journey, it is your baby, ultimately. But being willing to take a step back and say, okay, as a third person looking in on this, what actually, based off of what I just heard, what would make sense? So that's what I would say.

The most important value to me is creating meaningful impact. I learned through my career journey that if the money was coming without any meaning to it, it just felt empty to me. I always wanted to be an advocate ever since I was teeny, tiny little, because we were first-generation immigrants and we came at a really difficult time, and it was hell for us. I always kind of had this feeling that I want to fight for the underdog, I want to fight for the underserved. But I never went after it because I thought there's no money in it, which was the wrong thing to do. So I kept doing careers where I'm like, okay, I'm making money, but I was never happy. I was miserable about it. That became a learning experience for me - it's not enough for me to be making money that just has no meaning for me, and then maybe doing a couple hours of volunteer work. I wanted to do a lot more. Another core value is trust and integrity in relationships. My co-founder and I made a commitment to each other when we started that zero money would be pulled until we've both agreed on it - we're 50-50 in this company and I don't want to break that trust. I also value being present and authentic - still being present while working through the blood, sweat, and tears of building something impactful.