Our Director Sue Di Chio sat down with Doone to talk about her podcast and platform, the Female Startup Club.
Doone is the founder ofFemale Startup Club, a popular podcast and community for female entrepreneurs. With over 500 interviews under her belt, Doone has become an inspiration for female entrepreneurs everywhere. Her impact reaches far and wide, empowering women-in-progress globally.
Doone is known for her insightful interviews with women who run 6, 7, 8, and even nine-figure businesses, adding depth and inspiration to her Female Startup Club platform.
Before creating the Female Startup Club, Doone made waves in the digital marketing world, working with big names like Snapchat, IMG, and Australia's top online retailer, The Iconic. She's also a serial entrepreneur, having launched successful ventures like Kincs, a direct-to-consumer jewelry brand.
Despite not having much experience in journalism or business, she's made the Female Startup Club a big success in just a few years. Recognized as the Young Australian of the Year, Doone remains committed to her mission of challenging the status quo and encouraging young women to build wealth through entrepreneurship.
Join us as we explore how Doone Roisin and Female Startup Club became so successful, and how they keep pushing the boundaries in the business world.
And if you haven’t heard of Female Startup Club, Doone shares her top 3 must-listen podcast episodes!
For our readers to get to know you a bit more, let's start with your podcasting journey. What inspired you to start your podcast, and how has the journey been so far?
I’ve always wanted to do my own thing and create my definition of success. Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money. I watched my single mum hustle to raise me — her only child — to put food on the table and give us a happy life together, on a shoestring budget, in the bush. As I got older and found a deeper sense of appreciation for her and my upbringing, it wasn’t just about wanting to do my own thing; it became clear that I wanted to do something with purpose, preferably something that positively impacted women.
Over the years, I’ve tried my hand at a few different things, and Female Startup Club kind of evolved as a side project while I was building my DTC ecommerce jewelry brand, Kincs. Even though the brand was a lot of fun (it took me all over the world from China to Thailand, Indonesia, and France!) and super cute, it didn’t feel like it was the right product for me.
Fast forward to November in 2019, I’d started asking my girlfriends in business if I could record quick interviews with them that shared tips, insights, and resources and post them on Instagram. My now-husband suggested I turn it into a podcast; I’d bought femalestartupclub.com randomly a few years prior and thought it could make sense to put it under that URL, and that’s how it all started!
Could you tell us a bit about the themes or subjects you explore in your podcasts and why they're important to you?
I interview the world's most successful women, 7, 8 & 9 figure-businesses to share the how and why behind their business with our community. The playbook essentially!
When it comes to the bigger picture, we’re on a mission to keep amplifying this conversation. I’ve been told repeatedly by these women that they’re happy to share so deeply because they wish there had been a platform like this when they were starting out. If we can show other women-in-progress that anyone can do it, and that we all start from the same place (an idea!), we can empower women to dream big and think bigger.
Just like digital media and fashion, I think a lot of people look at entrepreneurship as this very glamorous path - but it’s very challenging and takes a lot of resilience, grit, and time.
Many of our audience members are interested in digital media and fashion. How do you think podcasting intersects with these industries, and what advice do you have for those looking to break into this space?
Just like digital media and fashion, I think a lot of people look at entrepreneurship as this very glamorous path - but it’s very challenging and takes a lot of resilience, grit, and time. If you’re working a nine-to-five and have that security of a monthly paycheck, don’t underestimate what you can do by having something that continues to pay your bills and allows you to invest in your business on the side slowly.
The female consumer industry is known for its rapid evolution and innovation. How do you think female entrepreneurs can stay ahead of the curve and capitalize on emerging trends and technologies within this sector?
Consuming content! Spend a lot of time on TikTok, devouring newsletters, and (surprise, surprise) listening to podcasts. Things are changing at a rate we’ve never seen before and I think this is the only way to stay on top of it all. My all-time favorite show is 'How I Built This'withGuy Raz, and I also love 'Girls that invest'with Simran Kaur. She’s such a star and has done a great job of cultivating community and educating women on the latest business and investment trends.
For more e-commerce-focused resources, Nik Sharma is a genius in the DTC space. His newsletter is gold.
With a spotlight on International Women's Day, let's talk about the importance of diversity and inclusion in entrepreneurship. Why do you think more women must become founders, particularly in industries like fashion, consumer, and lifestyle?
More women should become founders because it means everybody will win. I really believe that. When we crunch the numbers, female founders tend to outperform males in several areas. But I’m not just talking about the workplace. There are plenty of studies to support the idea that female founders will more likely prioritize corporate social responsibility and sustainability over their male counterparts. I get direct confirmation of this three times a week. It’s the 3 P’s: people, planet, profit vs profit above everything else.
Our readers may be discovering your podcast for the first time; can you link your top 3 podcast shows to date?
On your podcast, you've covered a wide range of topics related to entrepreneurship. Are there any specific episodes you would recommend to our audience, particularly those interested in starting their own online business?
Absolutely! We recently recorded a co-hosted episode titled “7 Tips to Launch Your Dream Biz in 2024” - this is your ultimate guide to launching this year and breaks down what I would do to get started right away.
What’s the best part about your role? What skills have served you well in your industry?
Besides connecting with some of the most incredible minds in business, my biggest highlight has to be the freedom this adventure has given me. It took a few years, but my husband and I have both worked hard to build entirely online businesses and allow us to be wherever we want to be when we want to be there.
Resilience has been the thing that has served me well in this industry. Things can get pretty ruthless. When you’re small and just starting it’s easy to take everything personally but over the last few years, I’ve come to realize that rejection is part of the journey, but also that a ‘no’ isn’t a no forever. When you’re committed to building something special, it does take time, persistence, and resilience.
When you think about the future of female entrepreneurship, what trends do you see emerging, and how do you think they will impactthe landscape for aspiring female founders?
It’s such an exciting year for founders in the e-commerce space. In the new era of AI, having a strong personal brand has never been so important. So, build your online presence and start building it today! My advice to everyone who aspires to have a business one day is to pick something you’re interested in enough to talk about every single day and begin crafting content on TikTok; having an audience will help you so much on the day you want to launch something.
My advice to everyone who aspires to have a business one day is to pick something you’re interested in enough to talk about every single day and begin crafting content.
Being able to create compelling content and stories is the most important skill set we have at our disposal. If you can win eyeballs and attention - you hold the power. Moreover, 2024 is the year live-stream shopping truly takes center stage. Another reason to take your presence on platforms like TikTok very seriously.
Before we wrap up, is there anything else you'd like to share or any upcoming projects or episodes of The Female Startup Club that we should keep an eye out for?
We have some very exciting things in the works for 2024. Things are turning up a notch — you’ll see much more of us in this new year. We have just released our highly-anticipated E-commerce Fundamentals course. A course designed for early-stage founders and future founders ready to conquer overwhelm, generate sales & build a self-sustaining growth engine. I’m super proud of how it’s come together - it’s exactly what I needed when I first started in entrepreneurship.
