#54: How to Conquer Your Inner Critic & Go for It with Aishwarya Iyer, Founder of Brightland

Jun 14, 2021

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Aishwarya Iyer is the founder and CEO of Brightland, a modern olive oil company that champions authenticity in the olive oil industry and celebrates good design & California living.

Aishwarya was living in New York City for years, enjoying all the restaurants the city had to offer before she started cooking at home. She started to make more meals at home but, instead of feeling better, she realized she was feeling worse, and ultimately ended up having chronic stomach issues.

To her surprise, she learned that the olive oil that she was using in her cooking was the main issue, discovering that 70% of the olive oil Americans consume is either rotten, rancid, or has been adulterated. After years of research into the olive oil industry, Aishwarya decided to change the game and started Brightland in 2018 with a mission to transform the relationship we have with our food.

We talk to Aishwarya about her path to finding her calling after years of feeling unfulfilled, the steps she took to build the courage to launch her business, how she overcame the inner critic that so many of us struggle with, and what it takes to disrupt an industry & launch a product with little experience.

In this episode, we’ll talk to Aishwarya about:

* An introduction to Aishwarya, her childhood, and how it influenced her. [2:15]

* How Aishwarya knew that going to NYU was the right step to take at the time. [4:57]

* Marrying creativity and entrepreneurship, even in a corporate space like L'Oréal. [6:32]

* The value of startup experience in learning what it means to move quickly. [8:04]

* How Aishwarya’s fascination with olive oil started with personal interest. [9:15]

* What her thought process was at the time and how she built the confidence to bring her entrepreneurial vision to life. [11:23]

* Find out how Aishwarya overcame her inner critic using various methods. [12:54]

* The infinite value of knowing what you want, and how a vision board can help. [14:13]

* What support Aishwarya had during the transition into launching her own business. [14:37]

* The early stages of Brightland and why Aishwarya says product is everything. [15:34]

* Her rationale for launching direct-to-consumer and the relationships it enabled. [17:35]

* Creating awareness about her product as a first-time entrepreneur; from building a following prior to launch to securing media placement. [18:48]

* What didn’t work in the early days and what Aishwarya learned from those issues. [20:22]

* Why dwelling on mistakes is pointless. [21:29]

* Why Aishwarya’s experience in venture capital discouraged her during fundraising. [21:55]

* Navigating which investors are the right fit for your business; having support is key. [23:30]

* Some of the challenges Aishwarya has encountered, including the labor placed on female founders to become influencers. [23:58]

* How to hone in on your authenticity without getting caught up in comparisons. [25:28]

* Managing and avoiding burnout as the founder of a rapidly growing business. [27:39]

* The most common mistakes that Aishwarya sees young entrepreneurs making. [29:48]

* A little-known fact about her that she is proud of: she is a classical Indian dancer. [31:35]

* Aishwarya’s definition of wealth: health and waking up feeling optimistic. [32:13]