Ep. 32 From Educator to VC Partner: Insights from Shruti Shah on Building Confidence and Scaling Success
11/19/2024
Welcome to the DO GOOD X podcast, where hosts Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis engage in insightful conversations with changemakers making a difference in their industries and communities. In this episode, they sit down with Shruti Shah, Partner at Symphonic Capital, to discuss her journey from educator to entrepreneur and the lessons she's learned along the way. Shruti opens up about the challenges and triumphs of scaling a business, building confidence as a founder, and the importance of empathy in the investor-founder relationship. From her experiences navigating a failed exit strategy to the essential resources she recommends for startup entrepreneurs, Shruti shares invaluable insights that will inspire and empower any founder. Stay tuned to unpack key takeaways to help you on your entrepreneurial journey.
In This Episode
- [4:13] Shruti transitions from teacher to entrepreneur
- [6:24] How Shruti built her confidence to be successful
- [9:18] A failed exit strategy
- [21:07] Identifying with an entrepreneur from the investor's side
- [26:18] Resources that Shruti would recommend to start up entrepreneurs
- [37:42] Shruti answers questions in the “Off the Cuff’ segment
- [43:13] The hosts bring it all together
Key Takeaways
- Building confidence as an entrepreneur comes from navigating challenges and reflecting on how you overcome them. When you're starting, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by how much you don't know. But through that process, you develop self-awareness and learn to lean on others' expertise, recognizing that your role is to hold the vision and learn from your team.
- In the early stages of building a business, founders should prioritize generalists—flexible, adaptable team members who can jump in and help figure things out. As the startup scales, however, bringing on specialists with deep industry expertise who can provide insights and solutions quickly is crucial to success.
- The best type of investor for an entrepreneur is one who brings deep empathy and understands the challenges of building a company. Entrepreneurs face constant uncertainty, making decisions with limited information and juggling many responsibilities. A supportive investor doesn't just provide capital—they help founders navigate challenges and offer guidance.
About The Hosts
Kimberly R. Daniel
Kimberly R. Daniel catalyzes entrepreneurs and organizations to do good. She is co-founder and project director of DO GOOD X, a community that provides programs and support for faith-driven social entrepreneurs whose businesses focus on positive Change.
Kimberly also helps purpose-driven organizations clarify and design compelling brand and communication strategies. With over 15 years of experience developing and leading communications efforts, she is committed to producing effective processes and creating authentic, “sticky” brands that are community-centered.
In addition, Kimberly has nearly ten years of experience as a certified life coach. She has facilitated workshops, spoken to communities, and written about innovation and entrepreneurship centered on social impact. She co-authored A Way Out of No Way: An Approach to Christian Innovation (2021).
She is deeply passionate about purpose, meaning, and the common good in any aspect of her work.
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Stephen Lewis
Stephen Lewis is the president of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) and the creator and co-founder of DO GOOD X. This community provides programs and support for faith-driven social entrepreneurs whose businesses focus on positive change. He is an organizational change strategist and a leadership development specialist focused on inspiring the next generation of faith-inspired leaders and entrepreneurs to live and work purposefully. Stephen co-authors Another Way: Living and Leading Change on Purpose (2020) and A Way Out of No Way: An Approach to Christian Innovation (2021).
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