Breaking the Barriers: Empowering Women in Business and Finance with Melody McCloskey

Two percent of venture capital money goes toward women-owned businesses. Still, in 2023. It’s still somewhat shocking to me. Our guest, Melody McCloskey, co-founder and CEO of StyleSeat, the premier platform for booking beauty and wellness appointments, is one of those lucky 2 %. She started her business in 2011, ironically right next to the two Instagram founders who would ask her thoughts on what Instagram photo filters she liked. As a woman, she’s learned how to grow a business from the ground up and push through the boundaries of being a female tech business owner, what you need to know to pitch yourself for venture capital funds the right way, and why it’s so important to have a good money team in place. She’s sharing all the juicy bits in this episode and the money lessons she’s learned. Links StyleSeat https://www.styleseat.com/m/ Melody on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/melody/ 10 Money Questions to Ask Yourself Freebie https://bit.ly/10moneyq Timestamps [00:00:46] Lack of venture funding for women. [00:05:51] Taking unconventional risks in business. [00:09:56] Normalizing talking about finances. [00:11:11] Doubting and building a business. [00:16:04] Founding documents and equity. [00:18:48] Seeking support in starting businesses. [00:24:30] Starting StyleSeat near Instagram founders. [00:28:09] Lack of venture funding for women. [00:30:55] Women's impact on venture capital. [00:34:07] Different paths to success. [00:39:54] Branding and design importance. [00:43:29] Have a clear vision. [00:45:35] More funding for women SPONSORS Thanks to EarnIn for sponsoring the show. Just download the EarnIn app in Google Play of the Apple App store and use code Talkin Money under Podcast. Thanks to Factor for sponsoring the show. Head to www.factormeals.com/etm50 and use code ETM50 to get 50% off. Thanks to Noom for sponsoring the show. Start taking control of your weight management and join the millions who have lost weight with Noom. Sign up for your TRIAL today at www.noom.com.   Thanks to NetSuite for sponsoring the show. Download NetSuite’s popular KPI Checklist for free at www.netsuite.com/etm.  Thanks to ButcherBox for sponsoring the show. Sign up today at www.butcherbox.com/etm and use code ETM to get $20 off your first order. Thanks to AirDoctor for sponsoring the show. Head to www.airdoctorpro.com and use promo code ETM and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off. How To Connect with Shannah: Download 10 Money Questions to Ask Yourself Free Money Guide https://bit.ly/10moneyq Join the Everyone’s Talkin’ Money Newsletter, where you get insider tips, exclusive content, and takeaways from each episode https://tinyurl.com/etmnewsletter  Ask Shannah a question on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/shannahgame/  Submit a money question for Shannah to answer in an upcoming episode https://tinyurl.com/askshannahq  Leave a 5-star Review here https://ratethispodcast.com/etm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices