359 - Ali Mejia and Mariela Rovito, Eberjey: Scale Faster by Focusing on Your Hero Product

“It was our journey and we were quite happy on our journey and we knew that eventually all the things, everything would align and, you know, we would end up where we were meant to end up. But just for us two personally, we were very aligned as to how we wanted to grow the business.”From $20,000 in seed money to a global brand loved by women everywhere—this is the story of Eberjey. Founders Ali Mejia and Mariela Rovito share how a passion for beautiful, comfortable sleepwear sparked a business that grew into over 1,200 specialty stores worldwide. In this conversation, they open up about the challenges of launching in the pre-social media era, why they chose to stay self-funded, and the lessons learned from trade shows, distribution hurdles, and scaling through both wholesale and e-commerce.Ali and Mariela also reveal their biggest mistakes (and what they taught them), the creative tools their team relies on, and why focus is key for every entrepreneur. Most importantly, they highlight the power of community—lifting up other women founders and building supportive networks they wished they had when starting out.What we talked about:Spreading the Word [8:59]Changing With the Times [18:15]Making Small Mistakes [24:42]Funding a Business Like This [29:58]Being With the Right Business Partner [42:24]Connect with Ali and Mariela:⁠Eberjey⁠ ⁠Ali's Linkedin⁠⁠ Mariela's LinkedinJoin our Entreprenista League community of women founders! You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded Entreprenistas who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and access to Office Hours with top founders who have been on our show! We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!Curious about joining the Entreprenista League? Sign up here for a free info session.Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast - the most fun business meeting for women founders and leaders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Radio | GooglePlayBe sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.