School of Hustle

Moving Mountains for Women in Rock Climbing

As co-founder of the nonprofit organization She Moves Mountains, Lizzy VanPatten aims not only to encourage women to push beyond their limits, but to break the mold and make space for women in the male-dominated industry of guiding. Opening up about her past struggles with depression, she found inspiration through mountaineering that allowed her to face insecurities, overcome fears and emerge stronger than ever before. Her overwhelming sense of empowerment became a newfound passion that changed the course of her life. Confronted by the lack of female representation in rock climbing, Lizzy and her partner sought out to move their own mountains to start a guiding business and mentorship program built to inspire women to discover their untapped strength. Despite the challenges of funding, permits and even a pandemic, Lizzy continues to grow She Moves Mountains into a thriving business. As she pioneers her way through the competitive climbing industry, she learns to take deep breaths when criticism comes her way and continues to challenge the status quo for the sake of all gender minorities. Lizzy encourages aspiring climbers and entrepreneurs to not let the fear of being uncomfortable keep you stagnant, as failure is what sparks the growth that pushes us forward. Loving this podcast series? Subscribe and leave us a 5-star review! Learn more about She Moves Mountains at https://www.shemovesmountains.org [https://shemovesmountains.org]. As the company empowering everyday entrepreneurs around the world, GoDaddy gives you all the help and tools you need to grow online.

Bionic Yarn: Saving Oceans One Plastic Bottle at a Time

As an avid outdoorsman and mountain-living dreamer, NYC native Tyson Toussant wanted to create something he loved with a mission he cared about. So he launched a sustainable backpacking brand for nature lovers like himself. After lots of research and going down plenty of rabbit holes, Tyson discovered how other brands were recycling plastic to create a small handful of their products. But he wanted to find a way to turn plastic waste into every single one of his products — even if that meant creating his own sustainable material. So that’s exactly what he did. He pivoted his backpacking brand into what’s now a world-renowned material engineering company: Bionic Yarn. Through his persistence in asking the right questions and meeting with the right people (plus a dose of good luck), Tyson got the funding, expertise and business partnerships he needed to propel his business forward into a global brand. As the world continues to shift towards sustainable living and choosing eco-friendly products, Tyson works with famous brands to create quality items that people love and feel good about purchasing. Bionic Yarn not only remains committed to protecting oceans and conserving our planet, but they have big plans in mind for turning more types of waste into something new. Loving this podcast series? Subscribe and leave us a 5-star review! Learn more about Bionic Yarn at https://www.bionicyarn.com [https://bionicyarn.com]. As the company empowering everyday entrepreneurs around the world, GoDaddy gives you all the help and tools you need to grow online.

How Almost30 Turned Deep Conversations into a Top-Rated Global Podcast

What started as an in-depth discussion quickly turned new friends into co-hosts of one of the most popular podcasts in the world: Almost30 — a lifestyle podcast chatting about all things related to life in your 20s. Little did they know their closet recordings (literally!) would turn into a world-wide community and movement that has helped guide listeners through their evolution of early adulthood. Over the past five years, Krista Williams and Lindsey Simcik have evolved their podcast topics from relationships to spirituality and everything in between, all with intentional and authentic discussions in each episode. But despite the quick success Almost30 Podcast has seen, Krista and Lindsey claim it wasn’t perfect in the beginning — they just took the leap and started. They didn’t have fancy equipment, any experience in podcasting or even felt ready to launch a podcast. But they knew it felt right, so they took it seriously and treated it like the business they knew it would become to ensure it had every opportunity to grow. As this savvy duo gives loads of helpful advice to aspiring podcasters, they remind entrepreneurs of the importance of self-care. In order to be your best self, investing in your mental, physical and emotional health will positively impact the way you show up for your business. Loving this podcast series? Subscribe and leave us a 5-star review! Learn more about Almost30 Podcast: https://www.almost30.com [https://almost30.com] As the company empowering everyday entrepreneurs around the world, GoDaddy gives you all the help and tools you need to grow online.

BoConcept and Calligaris NYC Owners Pioneer the City’s Furniture Industry

With roots in Malaysia, immigrant Niki Cheng blazed her way through the hustle and bustle of NYC’s competitive job market and established a career that would leave lasting footprints in a niche industry. From a failed attempt at being a waitress to immediate success in furniture sales, Niki saw untapped potential and grabbed the reins to open her own furniture store — a U.S. location of the Denmark brand BoConcept, selling sophisticated pieces at affordable prices. This single store quickly sparked the establishment of the Furniture District in NYC. After growing BoConcept into its second location, nine more stores followed across the city within a decade. Pivoting a different direction, Niki and her business partner husband continued their entrepreneurial journey and launched a U.S. location of the Italian brand Calligaris in NYC. Even with the global pandemic, their new furniture business brought in an unexpected increase in sales. As Niki continues to build two furniture brands in the big city, her savvy sales advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to do everything with the heart — you’ll gain trust when you focus on helping the customer find the right product that fits their needs and budget, and they’ll become customers for life. Loving this podcast series? Subscribe and leave us a 5-star review! Learn more about Calligaris NYC at https://www.calligarisnyc.com [https://www.calligarisnyc.com]. As the company empowering everyday entrepreneurs around the world, GoDaddy gives you all the help and tools you need to grow online.

From Party Planning to a Multi-Billion Dollar NYC Real Estate Company

With New York City being one of the world’s most expensive and competitive real estate markets, Eric Benaim came sweeping through the area to redefine what it means to be a successful real estate broker. Formerly a party planner in NYC, the 9/11 tragedy put a major halt to his industry and forced him to pivot his entire career. He shifted into real estate and came across a unique opportunity that would eventually lead to the launch of his own successful brokerage. A new building was being constructed in the sleepy, underdeveloped area of Long Island City and Eric envisioned it as the perfect location to sell rental property. His savvy instincts proved to be instrumental. He sold properties like hotcakes and Long Island City quickly rose to the top in the high-end real estate world. After quickly establishing his clientele through endless referrals, it paved the way for Modern Spaces to obtain 70% of the local market share. Despite not having gone to college, Eric has built a multi-billion dollar empire in the greater NYC area from the ground up, proving that anyone can take on a successful business endeavor no matter what the current economic climate is. Loving this podcast series? Subscribe and leave us a 5-star review! Learn more about Modern Spaces: https://www.modernspacesnyc.com [https://www.modernspacesnyc.com] As the company empowering everyday entrepreneurs around the world, GoDaddy gives you all the help and tools you need to grow online.