Michelle Maryns's guest appearances

Michelle Maryns

Beingwonderly Podcast

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Matt Decuir

Bharat Pulgam

Casey Allen

Jay Newton-Small

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Adam Stone

Caroline Karanja

Mary Rick

Amanda LaGrange

James Hill

Matt Hardy

Kyle Hale

Zaheen Nanji

OwlTail

On this week’s episode, we are joined by the Sparkler-in-Chief of We Sparkle, Michelle Maryns. *Use code techmn to get the We Sparkle personal assistant for $100 for the year! Hype TimeEvery episode we ask our guest to name-drop someone doing cool things in the tech community. Michelle gives a shout out to Danielle Steer at Lunar Startups (Listen to her episode  here).  Socials tech.mn on TwitterKevin McArdle on TwitterJac Stark on TwitterMichelle Maryns on TwitterWe Sparkle on Twitter  Links We Sparkle Website

On this week’s episode, we are joined by the Sparkler-in-Chief of We Sparkle, Michelle Maryns. *Use code techmn to get the We Sparkle personal assistant for $100 for the year! Hype TimeEvery episode we ask our guest to name-drop someone doing cool things in the tech community. Michelle gives a shout out to Danielle Steer at <a href="https://www.lunarstartups.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lunar Startups</a> (Listen to her episode <a href="https://tech.mn/news/2019/12/10/the-tech-mn-podcast-the-psychology-of-confidence-with-danielle-steer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> here</a>).  Socials <a href="https://twitter.com/TECHdotMN" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tech.mn on Twitter</a><a href="https://twitter.com/Kevin_McArdle" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kevin McArdle on Twitter</a><a href="https://twitter.com/minneapplejac" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jac Stark on Twitter</a><a href="https://www.twitter.com/michellemaryns" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michelle Maryns on Twitter</a><a href="https://www.twitter.com/wesparkleorg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">We Sparkle on Twitter </a> Links We Sparkle <a href="https://www.wesparkle.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a>

Building a Business with Balance with Michelle Maryns of We Sparkle

Resilience

Michelle Maryns is building a stronger and more inclusive economy by equipping underestimated entrepreneurs with tech-enabled business tools.    Special Note: This episode was recorded before the killing of George Floyd. Should this interview have happened later, Michelle and I would have had a different conversation with a different tone. We present this interview in solidarity with all who are working to dismantle systemic racism.  From an early age, Michelle Maryns was interested in the economic empowerment of women of color. “My mom was the first entrepreneur I ever knew,” she says. “She had a successful fabric business back in Vietnam, but when my parents immigrated to Kansas in 1975 as part of the first wave of refugees, she didn't feel confident in continuing her business because of all the language, cultural, and systemic barriers. I always wondered what she could have accomplished if she had the tools, resources, and confidence to continue her entrepreneurial journey. That's why I've dedicated my own career toward issues of economic empowerment--especially for women of color like my mom.” Michelle wanted to start a business like her mom. In middle school she participated in an after-school program on entrepreneurship. “I ended up competing against high school students in a business plan and stock market competition. I won both!” The prize for the stock market competition was an all-expenses paid trip to New York to see the NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange. During that trip, one of her mentors who was a traditional investment banker told her that he didn't think she was cutthroat enough for the business world. “I was only in middle school, so I took his words to heart and decided to pursue a path in public service. Over the years, I helped various startups on the side--including two of my brother's companies--but I was always afraid to take the leap and start my own venture.” Genesis of We Sparkle Michelle directed her energy toward public service. She completed a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University. She worked at the U.S. Department of State, the American Academy of Neurology, and the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (Meda). But she was never able to ditch the feeling that she wanted to start a business. On her journey, she experienced setbacks. Michelle reminded herself to not let others dull her sparkle. She developed a mantra, we sparkle. “It was a reminder to let your light shine, to help others to shine, so that together we shine,” she says. It was another amazing woman in Michelle’s life, her mother-in-law, who finally made Michelle realize that if didn't take the leap and start her own venture, she would always regret it. “That's why I finally did it and I took the leap.” In 2018, Michelle applied for and was accepted to the FINNOVATION Lab as a FINNOVATION Fellow. The FINNOVATION Fellowship is a nine-month incubator and fellowship program for purpose-driven entrepreneurs. This led to her startup, We Sparkle. We Sparkle is a public benefit corporation that leverages technology to help small businesses save time and increase revenues. They are building a stronger and more inclusive economy by equipping underestimated entrepreneurs with tech-enabled business tools. Most of their customers are women of color. We Sparkle’s AI Assistant texts with customers to schedule appointments, answer their questions, educates them on your products/services, and encourages their reviews. Learn More About Michelle Maryns and We Sparkle:  Michelle Maryns on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryns/ We Sparkle on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeSparkleOrg We Sparkle on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeSparkleOrg We Sparkle on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/WeSparkleOrg

Michelle Maryns is building a stronger and more inclusive economy by equipping underestimated entrepreneurs with tech-enabled business tools. Special Note: This episode was recorded before the killing of George Floyd. Should this interview have happened later, Michelle and I would have had a different conversation with a different tone. We present this interview in solidarity with all who are working to dismantle systemic racism. From an early age, Michelle Maryns was interested in the economic empowerment of women of color. “My mom was the first entrepreneur I ever knew,” she says. “She had a successful fabric business back in Vietnam, but when my parents immigrated to Kansas in 1975 as part of the first wave of refugees, she didn't feel confident in continuing her business because of all the language, cultural, and systemic barriers. I always wondered what she could have accomplished if she had the tools, resources, and confidence to continue her entrepreneurial journey. That's why I've dedicated my own career toward issues of economic empowerment--especially for women of color like my mom.” Michelle wanted to start a business like her mom. In middle school she participated in an after-school program on entrepreneurship. “I ended up competing against high school students in a business plan and stock market competition. I won both!” The prize for the stock market competition was an all-expenses paid trip to New York to see the NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange. During that trip, one of her mentors who was a traditional investment banker told her that he didn't think she was cutthroat enough for the business world. “I was only in middle school, so I took his words to heart and decided to pursue a path in public service. Over the years, I helped various startups on the side--including two of my brother's companies--but I was always afraid to take the leap and start my own venture.” Genesis of We Sparkle Michelle directed her energy toward public service. She completed a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University. She worked at the U.S. Department of State, the American Academy of Neurology, and the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (Meda). But she was never able to ditch the feeling that she wanted to start a business. On her journey, she experienced setbacks. Michelle reminded herself to not let others dull her sparkle. She developed a mantra, we sparkle. “It was a reminder to let your light shine, to help others to shine, so that together we shine,” she says. It was another amazing woman in Michelle’s life, her mother-in-law, who finally made Michelle realize that if didn't take the leap and start her own venture, she would always regret it. “That's why I finally did it and I took the leap.” In 2018, Michelle applied for and was accepted to the FINNOVATION Lab as a FINNOVATION Fellow. The FINNOVATION Fellowship is a nine-month incubator and fellowship program for purpose-driven entrepreneurs. This led to her startup, We Sparkle. We Sparkle is a public benefit corporation that leverages technology to help small businesses save time and increase revenues. They are building a stronger and more inclusive economy by equipping underestimated entrepreneurs with tech-enabled business tools. Most of their customers are women of color. We Sparkle’s AI Assistant texts with customers to schedule appointments, answer their questions, educates them on your products/services, and encourages their reviews. Learn More About Michelle Maryns and We Sparkle: Michelle Maryns on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryns/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryns/</a> We Sparkle on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WeSparkleOrg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/WeSparkleOrg</a> We Sparkle on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/WeSparkleOrg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/WeSparkleOrg</a> We Sparkle on Twitter: <a href="https://www.twitter.com/WeSparkleOrg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.twitter.com/WeSparkleOrg</a>

Resilience Through Community, with Michelle Maryns of We Sparkle

When we think of technology, so often do we overlook any human involvement in them, thinking more of them as machines. Contrary to that kind of thinking, Michelle Maryns founded We Sparkle, an AI-powered SaaS social enterprise that incorporates human-centered design into their work. Michelle brings up the importance of human-centered design to products and services as well as their relationship with the users. She also gives her insights on AI assistants, chatbots, websites, plugins, and more, as well as the beauty of social entrepreneurship, the entrepreneur roller coaster, and being bootstrap entrepreneurs.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the BeingWonderly Community today:wonderlysoftwaresolutions.com BeingWonderly Twitter BeingWonderly LinkedIn

When we think of technology, so often do we overlook any human involvement in them, thinking more of them as machines. Contrary to that kind of thinking, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryns/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michelle Maryns</a> founded <a href="https://www.wesparkle.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">We Sparkle</a>, an AI-powered SaaS social enterprise that incorporates human-centered design into their work. Michelle brings up the importance of human-centered design to products and services as well as their relationship with the users. She also gives her insights on AI assistants, chatbots, websites, plugins, and more, as well as the beauty of social entrepreneurship, the entrepreneur roller coaster, and being bootstrap entrepreneurs.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! <ul><li><a href="https://wonderlysoftwaresolutions.com/how-to-subscribe-rate-our-podcast-5-stars-on-itunes/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here’s How »</a></li></ul>Join the BeingWonderly Community today: <ul><li><a href="https://wonderlysoftwaresolutions.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wonderlysoftwaresolutions.com</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.twitter.com/smilewonderly" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BeingWonderly Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/wonderlysoftware/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BeingWonderly LinkedIn</a></li></ul>

Human-Centered Design Products And Services With Michelle Maryns