Resources mentioned:
“I was thinking about this like a business. And to pretend like it was a little hobby and I just got lucky I think is a disservice to the amount of work I was putting in.”
What happens when you turn your expertise into a mission to help people feel more confident about their money? Vivian Tu, better known as Your Rich BFF, joins the Entreprenista Podcast to share how a single social media post turned into a powerful media empire spanning millions of followers, two books, a podcast, and her newest venture, Ask Dolly.
Vivian takes us behind the scenes of her journey from Wall Street and corporate media to entrepreneurship, revealing how she recognized momentum early, treated her side hustle like a real business, and ultimately built the financial runway that allowed her to leave her corporate career and go all in. She shares lessons on pricing your value, building a team, hiring for culture, creating systems, and surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you.
What We Talked About:
Transitioning from Corporate to Entrepreneurship [9:11]
Building the Media Empire [16:41]
The Challenges of Hiring as a CEO [24:18]
Self-Funding vs. Raising Capital: A Personal Choice [31:02]
Planning and Operations: How to Stay Ahead [43:02]
Connect with Vivian:
@your.richbff on Instagram
Vivian Tu on LinkedIn
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Guests
Vivian Tu
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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