Female Disruptors: Stephanie Kaiser Of saymore On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Vanessa Morcom

Chances are, less-experienced, less-knowledgeable people have done what you’re trying to do. So many ideas do not move past people’s personal fear of rejection or failure. But look at all of the businesses out there that might spark thoughts of “I should’ve done that.” I urge people to just get started.

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, we had the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie Kaiser.

Stephanie Kaiser is the founder of saymore, a virtual community focused on mental wellness. A passionate advocate for women’s mental health, Stephanie began her career in finance. Her experiences as a young female analyst in a male-dominated corporate culture motivated her to create safe spaces that supported women and effected positive discussion and change.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

My entrepreneurial spirit was developed early in life with the help of encouraging parents. Growing up, I played competitive tennis and learned so many lessons on the court about competition, playfulness, and resilience. My first founder experience was creating a social tennis club right after college, then later, a podcast dedicated to exploring queer culture. After college I took a finance role, but I found the corporate world to be stifling and unsafe for authentic expression. I yearned for a supportive community, but couldn’t find any online spaces that reflected my mental health experiences as a queer woman. This gap inspired me to create saymore. It was daunting at first, but my love for entrepreneurship and desire to make a positive impact kept me going. I hope to build something meaningful that helps others feel less alone and more supported in their unique life challenges.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

There are many nuanced topics around mental health that aren’t always discussed online, especially when it comes to centering women and marginalized communities. saymore was born out of the desire to create inclusive safe spaces where people could have positive discussions, share advice, and support underrepresented experiences. Our goal is to put inclusivity, trust, and community at the forefront of social media and mental wellness, leading the way for a different kind of online experience.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

As an entrepreneur, the beginning is overwhelming because you are literally every role and team: CEO, marketing, legal, designer. At first, I really thought I was going to design the logo and code this whole site on my own! Luckily, someone I respect told me to not be lazy about the early parts of the business; hire people who know what they are doing. I asked a friend to help design my logo and thank God, because my attention to detail is garbage. So don’t get hung up on every little thing, but some details like your company’s name or logo might last a while, so try to prioritize and be intentional about the process where you can.

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

Surprisingly, experiences with strangers have had the biggest impact on my journey to launch saymore, after my family and support system. Two wonderful strangers-turned-friends come to mind: Sarena Diamond and Robin Sodaro.

Sarena, a successful ex-IBM consultant who now runs her own consultancy, found me by accident early on in my launch and set up a meeting. I expected her to pitch me on using her consulting business but instead, she told me she completely believes in my business and offered her entire network for whatever I needed–and she continues to! This wonderful stranger has become a supportive and kind mentor, and one of my biggest cheerleaders.

Robin Sodaro has a long, successful history in marketing and she helped me get an early hold on how to market my business. She believed in me from the start and has worked with me for hours, drilling into my brand and my target audience–skills I did not have starting out. When you’re a founder, you can be so in the weeds and protective that it’s easy to lose sight of your intended image and messaging. She offered me valuable feedback and a great sounding board for ideas; I respect and admire her so much. Robin also told me early on there’s no room for naysayers in the early stages–only positivity. It’s something that continues to stick with and serve me.

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’?

I love how disruption and entrepreneurship make space for new approaches and ideas to better the world around us. In the case of saymore, I had some challenging experiences working in a male-heavy corporate culture that motivated me to find other women to connect with, vent, and find support. I didn’t see communities online that reflected my experiences and feelings, so I created a platform that could.

But disruption also needs to be fluid and evolving. I think disruption can go wrong when the initial good intention is clouded by expectations of success. For example, Elizabeth Holmes had a brilliant idea to be able to do blood tests with just one drop of blood, which would have helped millions of people and been a big win for healthcare. That fell apart when her company could not deliver results with the time and money they were afforded. Ultimately, I think disruption needs time to breathe and change as we gather more information along the journey.

A lighter example of a positive disruption I appreciate is menstrual cups. Tampons and pads have withstood the test of time, but I think the newer generation wanted cheaper and more sustainable ways to deal with their menstrual cycle. Especially as more and more info has come out around toxic chemicals being found in our menstrual products, I find something as simple as the menstrual cup has been incredibly successful and disruptive for me in a space that has not been too creative for decades.

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey?

1. Chances are, less-experienced, less-knowledgeable people have done what you’re trying to do. So many ideas do not move past people’s personal fear of rejection or failure. But look at all of the businesses out there that might spark thoughts of “I should’ve done that.” I urge people to just get started.
2. Criticism is natural. Surround yourself with people you trust who are enthusiastic supporters. Many times I’d take heavy-hitting critiques from people who would not even use my business. Don’t talk to those people. Know your audience and gather feedback, but keep your head down and push forward. It’s not going to be perfect in the beginning, so remain dedicated to the journey of learning and growing.
3. Ask for help and believe people who genuinely want to help, without feeling guilty. I was surprised how many times I’d blatantly ask for what I needed and support would come flowing from seemingly nowhere. Whether it was an intro to someone in tech or marketing, or promoting my business to friends and family, people were more than willing to help and spread the word. Everyone has to start somewhere. When starting out, it can feel like you have nothing to offer back, like money or clout. But if people genuinely want to help out of the kindness of their own heart, believe them and pay it forward when you get the opportunity.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

I want to have my hands in so many areas of impact and help support other businesses who share the same values. Short-term, I want to build local communities around mental health and major life transitions that help people navigate confusing times in their lives. Eventually, I would love to help influence healthcare and the rhetoric around mental health, and for saymore to serve as a data resource for policymakers. A long-term goal is to see more intersectional healthcare data that reflects all women. Representation matters in so many ways and when you can see yourself, you feel more empowered to live how you want to live.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

Men are generally more encouraged to take up space in the world, whether it’s in corporate, online, or entrepreneurship. For instance, fundraising for my company wasn’t my first instinct because as a queer woman, it’s historically not a welcoming process. That’s why finding your people and building a strong support system is so important for women entrepreneurs–we all need to take up more space, and we all need to uplift each other! As a woman solopreneur, community has been the most important part of my journey.

Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?

I recently finished reading Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez, which is fantastic. It’s about the lack of data around women and our stories, which creates an inaccurate representation of women across the board, in turn impacting our “realities” of what people believe about women. It’s really inspiring me and my work right now.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

More awareness, data, and support for women’s health! I’d love to inspire more research and changes in wellness and healthcare so women can enter these spaces without anxiety, armed with the info to get exactly what they need without feeling guilty, or too much, or like we are inconveniencing these very busy doctors. Ideally, women sharing our success stories will influence the change needed, so we can hold healthcare accountable to our needs.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

If it doesn’t already exist, build it.

You never know how many other people are looking for the exact same thing. Just because it doesn’t exist yet does not mean it isn’t needed or would not be successful.

The rollercoaster of being an entrepreneur and disruptor is one full of doubt. Initially, I was looking at other companies that had similarities to what I was trying to do, secretly hoping this already existed so I wouldn’t have to take the biggest risk of my life. But it didn’t. Then I thought, what if someone else creates my business and has all the success? What if they create my business and they do it badly? If you know your business and target audience well, you’ve got something. Trust yourself and your vision. You will get rejected and it will sting. That’s part of the journey. Experience it, learn from it. Then add it to the pile and move on.

How can our readers follow you online?

Join or start a conversation on saymoreco.com, and follow us on Instagram at @saymoreco. We’re always looking for unique perspectives from our users.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

About The Interviewer: Vanessa Morcom is a millennial mom of three and founder of Morcom Media, a performance PR shop for thought leaders. She earned her degree in journalism and worked for Canada’s largest social enterprise. She can be reached at vanessa@morcom.media