The Scoop on Building a Business from Scratch with Kim Malek

CEO of Salt & Straw

September 25, 2023

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Name

“Money is always available, you will find it believe it or not, it really is, but finding the right money. It could not be more important.” - Kim Malek

Kim Malek is the Co-Founder and CEO of Salt & Straw, an ice cream company that produces and serves boldly unique flavors made by hand, where customers can taste the difference with each spoonful. Opening up an ice-cream shop that could serve as a community gathering place was a lifelong dream of Kim’s, so much so she wrote a business plan while working for Starbucks in their early years. She carried this plan around with her for years, while working as an Intrapreneur for major Fortune 500 companies. Until one day, Kim came across a file in her office labeled ’401k’ and decided to cash it, max out her credit cards, put her boyfriend's house up for collateral, and started her dream business! All while navigating The Great Recession. Call her crazy, call her the luckiest woman alive, either way Kim’s bold decision made way for her company to now be scaled to over 30 stores, 1500 employees, and holds the coveted spot for ice cream - in Disney Springs. In today’s episode, we sit down with Kim Malek to discuss her journey. She shares with us how she learned to navigate the technical side of business vs. just the communication and vision side operations, the game changing advice Kim received from the founder of Shake Shack, why its so important to focus on what you're best at and what you uniquely bring to the table, and so much more!

This episode was made possible by our friends at Square, who are passionate about empowering women to Just Get Started with their business idea. Square is offering Entreprenista listeners 20% off your first POS hardware device. Click here for more.

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Guests

Kim Malek

CEO of Salt & Straw

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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