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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
Join our Entreprenista League community of women founders! You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded Entreprenistas who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and access to Office Hours with top founders who have been on our show! We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!Curious about joining the Entreprenista League? Sign up here for a free info session.
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Guests
Ali Mejia
Mariela Rovito
Hosts
Stephanie Cartin
Co-founder of Socialfly and Entreprenista.
Stephanie Cartin is the co-founder and CEO of Entreprenista, an all-in-one platform – which includes a private community & business membership called The Entreprenista League that's made up of over 2,000 women founders at all stages of business, a weekly newsletter received by 60,000 readers, two podcasts, in-person educational & networking events, and an award program – that women founders at all stages can turn to for everything they need to grow.
Stephanie is also the co-founder of Socialfly (acquired by Truform Media Group in 2024), Markid, and Pearl Influential Capital. She has won countless awards, including the SmartCEO Brava award, which recognizes the top women CEOs in New York, and a Stevie Award for Women-Run Workplace of the Year. She has also appeared in Bloomberg, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Refinery29, and more.
Courtney Spritzer
Co-founder of Entreprenista.
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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