Ep. 32 - From Cold Emails to $1 Billion: Building Big and Knowing When to Leave

This week I got to sit down with the co-founder of Chief - a venture-backed, $1.1 billion valued community for women executives - and we're going deep.

Lindsay shares what it was like to build this from scratch: from cold emailing strangers and hitting $1M in revenue before the company even launched, to the moment she realised it was time to step back and hand over the reins to someone with fresh energy.

We talk honestly about achieving big things, burnout, and the career lessons she wishes someone had told her earlier.

WE COVER:

• How to stop doing a good job and start having real business impact
• What community actually means (and why it's your biggest career tool)
• The unglamorous reality of building a venture-backed startup
• How to take feedback without losing yourself in the process
• What to unlearn on your way to the top

CHAPTERS:

1:06 – Intro + welcome

5:37 – What Chief is and why it needed to exist

12:44 – The founder story: from cold emails to $1M pre-launch

19:29 – Feedback is not a gift — it's a vitamin

23:13 – The real paths to being a founder (no glamour)

30:36 – Burnout and knowing when to step back

38:27 – Lindsay's best advice

MY LINKS:

Ellie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliedewit/

Ellie's IG: https://www.instagram.com/elliedewit_/

MOXIE: https://www.getmoxie.io

MOXIE IG: https://www.instagram.com/getmoxie.io/

MOXIE TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@getmoxie.io

EPISODE LINKS:

Chief: https://chief.com

Bullish (consumer VC + agency): https://www.bullish.co

Lindsay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsaykaplan/

📚 The Likeability Trap - Alicia Menendez: https://www.amazon.com/Likeability-Trap-Break-Free-Worth/dp/0062838768