Emily Wazlak helps female founders in style of wedding registry
Shine Registry is a platform for female founders to ask for startup needs in the style of a wedding registry. You can ask for a gravy boat when you’re getting married and with www.shineregistry.com you can ask for office supplies and network connections when you’re starting a business. We're changing the way communities show up for people they care about and reimagining the relationship between women and ambition.
More than 145 female founders have already created profiles on www.shineregistry.com and have received more than 1200 fulfillments! Founders on our site represent a full range of entrepreneurship including sole proprietors, small business owners, and venture backed startups so people ask for a lot of different things. Some of the more universal asks include network connections and we’ve built in crowdfunding tools. Sign up for our newsletter and keep an eye on the site as we add new features in the coming months!
How did you come up with your business idea? What inspired you?
A few years ago a friend of mine was getting married and another was starting a business at the same time. We had so many obvious ways of celebrating our friend who was getting married — an engagement party, bridal shower, bachelorette, wedding and post-wedding brunch. Meanwhile, without traditions to fall back on it was unclear how we could support and celebrate our friend that was starting a company. Shine Registry uses a tradition people are familiar with so communities can show up for people they care about and in turn reimagine the relationship between women and ambition.
What were you doing before this? How did it prepare you for the entrepreneurial life?
I worked in political organizing and advocacy, including time as a campus organizer for the Obama campaign in Ohio and working in digital advocacy for a fair courts non-profit in D.C. My work in organizing taught me so much about building communities and empowering them to be a part of conversations that they didn’t necessarily see themselves represented in before. I also learned the importance of understanding the values that drive work, for you and the people that want to support what you’re doing.
If you were a book, which one would it be and why?
I love this question. Right now I’m Lunch Poems by Frank O’Hara, because I just moved back to my hometown of New York City and this small book of poems has lots of references to the city. Another chapter of my life (sorry to mix metaphors) might be a different book, but it’s probably also poetry.
What do you think about company culture? What are some of your tips on being a good leader?
We have a small team looking to grow and I think a lot about how we can support folks by understanding how their goals align with the companies needs. Every startup requires flexibility and the ability to wear multiple hats but we try to do as much as we can to make sure our team is playing up their strengths and interests while being supported when they’re learning something new or working outside of their comfort zone. You can hear a little bit more of how this works on this podcast I recorded with Brittany Martin, one of the developers that works on Shine Registry: http://5by5.tv/rubyonrails/256
What is one thing you find to be true that most people would disagree with?
Everyone is a good dancer if they’re having fun and pineapple on pizza isn’t that bad.