Nicole Smith, Flytographer - Accidental entrepreneurship

Before starting up Flytographer, Nicole was happy in her global marketing job at Microsoft, but had the idea and simply couldn't shake it. What started as a side hustle has grown into a global business, selling over $20 million in photo shoots and capturing millions of priceless memories.There was an inflection point for Nicole when she needed to make a decision - to take the leap from side hustle to giving it everything. She asked herself, “what would my 85-year-old self say about this situation?” and went full force into the startup.Nicole’s first experiences with pitching were demoralising with many male investors saying they simply didn't “get” the product. Nonetheless, Nicole secured angel investment and has raised several rounds since. While Nicole feels that there's a lot of pattern matching in Silicon Valley, it can be positive: it forces you to build a stronger business because you don't get the pass that others might get. In this episode you’ll discover:How accelerator programmes can kick start your fundraising journeyThe level of traction you need to secure a “yes” from investorsHow important it is to master your pitch