Plenty of Ups and Downs: Riding the Rollercoaster of a Startup
Release Date: 05/18/2025
Monday Morning Radio
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At first, Maria Fraietta considered naming her organizing system the “death box.” After all, the idea for her product arose after her father passed away in January 2021, leaving Maria and her brothers to sort through their dad’s scattered files, financial accounts, bills, titles, and possessions. Eventually, Maria landed on calling her kits — N.O.K. box — for Next of Kin. Her vision was to save others priceless hours of frustration trying to piece together the puzzle of their deceased loved one’s accounts and possessions. A high school teacher when she began, Maria invested just...
info_outlineAfter more than 15 years as an executive at Meta, eBay, and Target, Anya Cheng set out to launch her own venture, Taelor. Her company uses artificial intelligence and personalized styling to rent clothing to men who dislike shopping, but need to look put-together for professional and social occasions.
As she candidly shares this week, her two-year-old company has encountered a full buffet of challenges — from limited resources, both financial and human, to the steep personal transition of relying entirely on her own judgment.
Drawing from her successes and missteps, Anya offers ten actionable recommendations that every new and most established businesses should heed. Be sure to have a tablet or pen available to take notes.
Above all else, Anya’s journey underscores the grit and adaptability required to build and maintain a new business in today’s startup landscape.
Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.
Photo: Anya Cheng, Taelor
Posted: May 19, 2025
Monday Morning Run Time: 47:07
Episode: 13.46
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