Meg Smith is redefining confidence culture for girls with Cloudstate, a next-gen wellness brand

Please share a brief introduction and your business:

Hi everyone! I’m Meg, girl mom, New Englander, and Founder & CEO of Cloudstate (featured in Fast Company) — a next-gen wellness and lifestyle brand blending product, platform, and purpose. We’re in full sprint toward our December launch while raising our Pre-Seed round and building exciting early traction. Today’s girls are navigating puberty and self-discovery in a digital world that leaves them unsupported — 84% feel self-conscious, 79% struggle with body image, and nearly half quit activities they love.

 Cloudstate is building confidence culture for girls, with girls, supporting her physical self through innovative bras engineered for her unique body, and her emotional and mental well-being through our digital platform. Our proprietary ContourTech innovation is disrupting the category by finally delivering what girls actually want in a bra — comfort, confidence, and support that grows with her. Guided by our Gen Z Council and Ambassadors across the U.S., we aim to impact 10M+ girls by 2030.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Yes

What accomplishments are you the most proud of to date in your business?

Our growing list of excited, empowered Gen Z Council Members and Ambassadors across the US. We've had to put an application process in place due to the high demand/buzz around our model of "giving girls a voice to shape the brand." It's been incredible. Other feel-good milestones: closing over $100k in capital from angels (and counting), landing our final prototypes (goosebumps) and our pre-launch feature in Fast Company.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?

How important emotional endurance and work-life harmony is. "You can't pour from an empty cup"

When hiring, what is your go-to interview question?

What part of Cloudstate’s journey excites you most to help shape?

What did you go before starting your own business?

CMO of DTC cosmetics brand, owner of boutique branding agency for decade, Head of Marketing at sports media company

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

A clear realization of a void in the market, validated by 18+ months of focus groups and research

Do you have any recent wins?

99% Net Promoter Score from our first two Girl Talk Live episodes (on Cloudstate's digital platform)

9.85 ranking (on scale of 10) of returning for the next event

What's one app on your phone that you cannot live without?

InShot (similar to cap cut). I create a lot of videos and content snippets and have been using the app for years. It's user-friendly and a great tool.

Notes app. I'm constantly writing notes, thoughts and to-do's that pop into my mind at the school pickup line. It syncs directly to my laptop and has become a reliable, scrappy tool for a Founder wearing way too many hats.

Who are your customers?

Gen Z Girls (ages ~13-25)

Are you a mamaprenista?

I am! As I'm typing this, I'm cuddled next to my 4th grader. I promised her I would take time to lay with her while she reads a chapter book for a school project. A few emails derailed me after dinner and I found myself back in my office while my husband was getting both daughters settled. Being aware of my promise and what was happening, I took a deep breath and shut my laptop, came upstairs and did exactly what I told her I would do. We got through 2 long chapters! Now, she's in bed sleeping and I'm working on this Q&A, feeling so much better than I would if I neglected to carve out the time she wanted with me.

 Point of the story? The to-dos will never end. As a Founder, there will always be distractions, unexpected emails, random "light bulb moments" that call you back to your laptop during 'off hours' (which we all know, there are no structured off hours - really). Our children are watching. They need us. They're growing faster than we can blink and we'll never get these years back. My advice? Prioritize them, always. The work will eventually get done, maybe not during ideal hours of the day, but that's where prioritization and organization with your workflow come into play in a big way.

You'll never look back and regret time spent with your kids. I keep reminding myself of that daily, because the pressures and stresses that come with being a Founder can easily bump you off that track - you just have to remain self-aware enough to find your way back.

Take us back to when you launched? What was your marketing strategy?

We've been building community for the past 6 months, leading up to our December 2025 launch. Our team at Cloudstate believes that in order to build a lasting legacy brand, you need a real community of advocates who feel emotionally connected to your purpose and one-another. We're adding value to our community through our digital platform pre-launch, creating camaraderie among girls across the US and providing them with the support and resources they need in an engaging, interactive, trustworthy space. We're also growing our list of Gen Z Council Members and Ambassadors from coast-to-coast who are the ones shaping Cloudstate. They will play a pivotal role in our launch strategy, amplifying our mission through their own lived experiences, voices and involvement in the brand.

What's your top productivity tip?

Excel spreadsheet of to-dos, highlighting top 3 priorities in bright yellow. I try and stay focused on moving the needle on 3 priorities in a given day, doing my best to avoid distractions from emails and/or slack messages (unless it's pressing).

What's your favorite business tool?

Slack - to keep our team feeling connected and organized. Our entire team is spread across the US, but Slack makes us feel together in a digital office.

What's your approach to work-life balance?

Planning out my detailed, hour by hour, schedule on Sunday for the following week, whereas the blocks that can't move are the ones dedicated to spending time with my girls, i.e.: after-school pickup, hang-time, making dinner, bedtime cuddles. Yes, there is work in between those gaps, but as long as my phone is away and laptop is shut when I'm doing each of those things, I can feel fully present. I've learned the worst feeling is when you're not giving 100% of yourself to the task at hand, then everything is suffering. As a mom, I make sure my time spent with my daughters remains top priority, because I'll always get the work done, but I can't get these years back. They're growing so fast. (Even if that means I'm up until 2am or waking up at 4am many days of the week).

How do you avoid burn-out?

1. Waking up at least 30-mins before my daughters. Self-time and setting daily priorities before packing lunches.
2. I pull myself away from being hunched over my laptop for a podcast walk break, around ~2-3x per week
3. I'm trying to get better at this, but: asking for help. Delegating. 

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas? 

1. Don't be intimidated by what you don't know, use it as motivation to learn and become a sponge.
2. Lean on mentors and grow your network. Get comfortable on LinkedIn and believe in the power of connecting with those who are aligned with your path, idea, market. You'd be surprised how many people are willing to help, especially in the very early days as you find your footing!
3. Be relentless in your pursuit of turning your dreams into reality. Manifest it. When negativity or doubt from outsiders try and dim your light, let it bounce off of you and shine brighter. No one will ever care as much as you do - you're the biggest thing standing in your own way.
4. Dream big and do the work!

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