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“It was our journey and we were quite happy on our journey and we knew that eventually all the things, everything would align and, you know, we would end up where we were meant to end up. But just for us two personally, we were very aligned as to how we wanted to grow the business.”
From $20,000 in seed money to a global brand loved by women everywhere, this is the story of Eberjey. Founders Ali Mejia and Mariela Rovito share how a passion for beautiful, comfortable sleepwear sparked a business that grew into over 1,200 specialty stores worldwide.
In this conversation, they open up about the challenges of launching in the pre-social media era, why they chose to stay self-funded, and the lessons learned from trade shows, distribution hurdles, and scaling through both wholesale and e-commerce.Ali and Mariela also reveal their biggest mistakes (and what they taught them), the creative tools their team relies on, and why focus is key for every entrepreneur. Most importantly, they highlight the power of community, lifting up other women founders and building supportive networks they wished they had when starting out.
What we talked about:
Spreading the Word [8:59]
Changing With the Times [18:15]
Making Small Mistakes [24:42]
Funding a Business Like This [29:58]
Being With the Right Business Partner [42:24]
Connect with Ali and Mariela:
Eberjey
Mariela's Linkedin
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Guests
Ali Mejia
Mariela Rovito
Hosts
Stephanie Cartin
Stephanie Cartin is a serial entrepreneur, investor, podcast host, community builder, and a champion for women founders. She created the Entreprenista League, a community for women founders, to provide resources and support necessary at all business stages. She’s also the Co-founder of Socialfly, one of the first social media marketing agencies, as well as Entreprenista Media and Pearl Influential Capital which was recently acquired by Cherub. Stephanie has shared her journey managing her health challenges with Multiple Sclerosis, Infertility, and a complicated pregnancy and is an advocate for women going through similar challenges. Her story and businesses have been featured on the Today Show, Bloomberg and Forbes. Consider Stephanie your biggest business cheerleader.
Courtney Spritzer
Courtney Spritzer is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, author, and community builder with a passion for creating brands and platforms that empower women to lead, grow, and thrive.
In 2012, she co-founded Socialfly, a leading social-first digital and influencer marketing agency. Over the course of a decade, she helped scale the business into an award-winning agency working with Fortune 500 brands and emerging startups, building a powerhouse team and culture along the way. In 2024, Socialfly was acquired.
In 2018, Courtney launched the Entreprenista Podcast to spotlight the stories of inspiring women founders. That passion evolved into Entreprenista Media in 2021, a media platform and community supporting women entrepreneurs at every stage of growth. She now co-leads the continued expansion of The Entreprenista League, a membership-driven community and ecosystem for founders.
As an angel investor, Courtney supports female-led and mission-driven startups aligned with her vision for a more inclusive and equitable business landscape.
She is the co-author of Like, Love, Follow: The Entreprenista’s Guide to Using Social Media to Grow Your Business (2015), a strategic guide for leveraging social platforms to drive business success.
Her work and ventures have been featured in Bloomberg, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and The New York Times. She is committed to championing visionary founders and helping build the next generation of impactful, community-driven businesses.
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