This was my first experience running a company. l co-founded this digital marketing startup in 1999 and closed it in 2004. I learned and grew a lot.

Biggest takeaway: To be sustainable, you need a clear, unique value proposition.

I started Good Sweat with the thought of gamifying health. I conducted a small amount of customer discovery, secured capital, and participated in a Dan Gilbert-funded accelerator, but it never fully launched. I’d love to revisit solving this problem.

Biggest takeaway: Launch early and perfect as you go.

I became a co-founder of Snapsure after meeting the founder at a Startup Weekend Detroit. Snapsure was designed to help users crowdsource advice on their daily outfits. We worked on the startup for a year and got it in the Apple App Store. Unfortunately, the problem was not urgent enough to sustain users and revenue.

Biggest takeaway: You can’t skip customer discovery.

Commune Angels was an inclusive network of angel investors based in Detroit with members across the country. With four other co-founders, and a really special community of members, we invested hundreds of thousands into exceptional companies. In 2022, our angel group made over $250,000 in investments from first-time angels.

Biggest takeaway: Intention is not enough. Proper infrastructure--including capital--is required for sustainability.