Teresa Friesen, SheMate
In 2021, Teresa Friesen joined the NMotion Venture Studio to build a company from scratch. Even though she came from a family of entrepreneurs, Teresa Friesen hadn’t thought of herself in that way up to that point.
Instead, she was drawn to the field of social work and solving highly complex people issues. In addition to working in the clinical setting, she returned to the classroom as a professor to teach aspiring social work professionals.
But in the hazy days of the COVID era, she felt the urge to do something different. Through the StartupLNK Jumpstart Challenge, she came upon the opportunity to help women athletes leverage new NIL (Name Image Likeness) rules to create meaningful income sharing their knowledge and insights on a wide range of topics.
Today, SheMate helps connect young women with Olympic, professional, and amateur athletes to learn and grow through virtual group mentoring sessions. SheMate is a partner of Hudl and the Dallas Wings professional basketball team.
1. If you could teleport back to when you started SheMate, what advice would you give yourself?
Making your business work is going to take longer than you expect, and certainly longer than you would like. That's okay. That is a reflection of truly understanding your customers, understanding your market, and trying to determine the best next step to intersect it all. Dive into the data and keep pushing forward.
2. What has been the toughest decision you have had to make?
Every time we have to course correct feels really tough. It's hard for me to not feel guilty or like we wasted time or money on things that did not end up going as expected. I can recognize that going a different direction is a reflection of new data and a smart move, but it's hard to let those past steps go without fixating on them.
3. Who do you lean on to help refuel and recharge your mind/body/spirit?
First and foremost, myself. I do not believe that I can fully refuel or recharge if I'm depending on things outside of myself to feel good. I start with mindfulness and reflection to bring myself deep awareness of my thoughts, preoccupations, and goals. If I find that I'm needing connection, I make quality time with wonderful people. If I find that I need a mental reset, I spend time moving my body outside. And if I find that I need rest, I let myself rest unapologetically.
4. What hacks and tricks have you developed to connect with customers?
Stop thinking about sales and instead foster relationships. Know your people, ensure they know you, and make what you are building mutually beneficial, authentic, and aligned with goals and purpose.
Learn more about SheMate here.
