Ep 396 | Jenna Sá Freire

Written by Yasmin Nouri

It Took 4 Years of Waiting Tables Before Her Side Project Took Off: Costly Mistakes, Failed Launches & the Audacity to Keep Going

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Jenna Sá Freire is the founder and CEO of MINA BAIE, a beloved handbag brand she spent years building while waiting tables to pay her bills. Her first product sample cost $10,000, her first production run was a complete disaster, and when she finally launched with 200 people on her waitlist, she made just one sale. But instead of giving up, she kept going, learning from her mistakes and finding a way forward. And it's that incredible determination and resilience that makes her story so inspiring.

Jenna had been obsessed with handbags since childhood, but after graduating during the recession, she had no idea how she'd turn that passion into a career. She worked in retail, advertising, and inventory management, and while working at Nordstrom, she noticed something interesting: pregnant women wanted beautiful diaper bags, but they couldn't find anything that felt like their personal style. She tucked the idea away until years later, when she was living in Los Angeles and working at a restaurant to pay her bills. With no manufacturing experience, very little money, and no connections in the industry, she decided to take a chance on herself. What followed were years of trial and error, costly mistakes, and plenty of moments when it would have been easier to walk away. But Jenna kept showing up, and little by little, she began building something that worked.

In today's conversation, we get into all the behind-the-scenes details of building MINA BAIE, from the financial risks and failed product launches to finding her first customers, figuring out what actually worked in marketing, and the breakthrough that finally helped her scale. Jenna also shares how an unexpected introduction led to a mentor who eventually became her business partner, how motherhood gave her a whole new perspective on her customers, and why she believes the freedom to build a life on your own terms is worth taking a chance on yourself. Her story is such a great reminder that building a business isn't about getting everything right the first time. Sometimes it's about having the courage to keep going, even when things aren't going according to plan.

Show Notes:

  • Growing up valuing independence over a traditional career. [03:05]

  • How Nordstrom revealed a gap in the diaper bag market. [05:42]

  • Career experiences that prepared her for entrepreneurship. [08:04]

  • Moving to LA and pursuing her business idea. [11:42]

  • Turning her love for handbags into Mina Baie. [12:57]

  • Starting without manufacturing experience or connections. [16:39]

  • Spending $10,000 on her first sample, only to face production setbacks. [17:47]

  • Finding a new manufacturer and navigating small production orders. [21:17]

  • Why perseverance matters through multiple failed attempts. [22:52]

  • Building a 200-person waitlist but getting just one launch-day sale. [24:22]

  • Learning why her first $500 diaper bag failed. [25:28]

  • Simplifying designs and finding success with her third bag. [27:04]

  • Using preorders and Instagram to grow the business. [29:22]

  • Overcoming imposter syndrome as a founder who wasn't a mom. [31:03]

  • Finding Mina Baie's niche in feminine, functional diaper bags. [32:20]

  • How motherhood transformed her designs and customer connection. [37:13]

  • Reinvesting in the business instead of paying herself. [38:50]

  • Scaling in 2024 through influencer marketing. [41:03]

  • Why micro-influencers outperformed bigger partnerships. [42:35]

  • Finding a mentor who eventually became a business partner. [46:24]

  • Bringing her husband into the business. [52:55]

  • Navigating the realities of new motherhood while running a business. [56:04]

  • Managing mom guilt and accepting that you can't do it all. [57:48]

  • Focusing on core products instead of expanding into other categories. [01:01:15]

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Ep 395 | Alex Schinasi