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

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]


Follow Aishwarya: 


* Website: https://www.instagram.com/wearebrightland/ 


* Instagram: https://brightland.co/


Follow Yasmin:


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/


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