Ep 245 | Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin

Written By Yasmin Nouri

theSkimm Founders on Launching a Business With No Plan B, Being Bold & Taking Risks, and Building a Viral Brand Through Word of Mouth

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Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin co-founded theSkimm in 2012, a digital media company dedicated to giving women the information they need to navigate life’s most important decisions. Since hitting send on the first Daily Skimm email over a decade ago, Carly and Danielle have cultivated a trusted community that reaches more than 12 million women. As their audience has matured, so has theSkimm, evolving beyond a singular newsletter into an award-winning ecosystem that includes dedicated newsletters in money, wellness, parenting, and shopping, a career podcast, an in-house creative agency, and a commerce arm that performs at 3x the industry standard.

Danielle and Carly both grew up with a love for journalism and storytelling. The two met after a summer spent studying abroad in Rome and reconnected after graduation while working in New York City, where they eventually became roommates trying to make it in the media industry. Both news junkies at heart, they quickly realized there was an opportunity to change the way media was consumed and created an outlet that provided its audience with bite-sized and easily digestible news. With $4,000 between the both of them, they decided to quit their jobs and launch theSkimm. 

In this week’s episode, Danielle and Carly share their love for storytelling, what it means to start their own digital media company literally from their couch, and why they thought it was a much bigger risk to not pursue theSkimm than it was to pursue it. They also share with us what it’s like to work with a co-founder and the benefits of having one, ways they applied grassroots marketing in the early days of the business when they had zero funds, and how they intentionally thought about growth & monetization. We also get the inside scoop on how they fostered an intensely engaged community through their Skimmbassador program, how they balance their relationship as friends and Co-CEOs, and what goes into producing great content. Danielle and Carly also open up about their biggest mistakes during their journey, how they dealt with rejection when fundraising early on, and so much more. 

Show Notes:

  • Danielle's and Carly's lives as journalists prior to theSkimm. [02:53]

  • Transitioning to full-time focus on theSkimm. [11:15]

  • No Plan B: Driving force for productivity. [17:33]

  • Early organic growth despite financial constraints. [19:58]

  • Growth propelled by theSkimm ambassador program. [22:01]

  • Leveraging Facebook for community engagement. [25:47]

  • Finding the right investors amid rejections. [27:06]

  • Momentum building and monetization strategies. [29:56]

  • Fostering their relationship as co-founders. [33:37]

  • Tips for first time entrepreneurs. [38:35]

  • Prioritizing self-care basics. [41:39]

  • Rest's role in reducing cortisol and enhancing brain function. [45:43]

  • Shifting societal attitudes on hustle culture. [46:53]

  • Who shouldn’t be an entrepreneur. [48:55]

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Ep 246 | Dr. Tanda Cook and Dr. Katie Collier
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Ep 244 | Kori Estrada