Why Safe Choices Don't Build Wealth: The Power of Strategic Risk-Taking with Suze Dowling, Co-Founder of Pattern

Join Syama Bunten for an inspiring conversation with Suze Dowling, co-founder of Pattern, a multi-brand consumer goods company operating on a unique private equity model. Suze takes us on her remarkable journey from growing up in a lead-smelting town in rural Australia to becoming a successful entrepreneur in New York City.

In this conversation, Suze shares how her father's entrepreneurial spirit and financial wisdom shaped her early relationship with money, her bold move to New York with just a few thousand dollars, and the serendipitous meeting that launched her career in digital media. You'll hear about the risks and rewards of building Jin Lane Media, the agency that took equity in now-iconic brands like Harry's, Reformation, and SweetGreen, and how that experience led to founding Pattern.

Suze's story is a masterclass in betting on yourself, taking calculated risks, and building wealth through entrepreneurship while staying true to your values and desire to help others succeed.

Key Topics:

1. Growing up in small-town Australia - Life in a blue-collar lead-smelting town and early lessons about money from her single father
   
   
2. First jobs and financial foundations - From peeling potatoes at a kebab shop to learning the value of hard work and her father's lesson about always keeping emergency money
   
   
3. The scholarship that changed everything - Moving to Sydney at 15 and discovering how money could be leveraged, not just survived on
   
   
4. Taking the leap to New York - Moving to NYC with just a few thousand dollars and the power of cold emails that led to meeting her future business partner
   
   
5. Building Jin Lane Media with an equity model - How taking equity in early-stage brands instead of just cash fees created generational wealth
   
   
6. Transitioning from agency to brand owner - The decision to launch Pattern and move from building brands for others to owning a portfolio of consumer brands
   
   
7. Current investment philosophy - Balancing stable long-term investments with higher-risk angel investing in female-led startups
   
   
8. Building legacy through education - Creating resources for future entrepreneurs through the D2C Operator project
   
   

Connect with Suze Dowling:

Pattern: https://www.patternbrands.com/

D2C Operator: Coming soon - reach out to Suze for early access and to share what resources would be most helpful for founders

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzedowling/

 

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