#17 – Birchbox co-founder Mollie Chen on what it’s like to leave the company you co-founded

The Role Models Podcast

Mollie Chen is the co-founder of Birchbox, a subscription service for makeup and beauty samples. Mollie shares what it’s like to start and grow a company like Birchbox to millions of customers and 300 employees and also what it’s like to decide to leave the company that you co-founded after 6 years. We talk about the early days of Birchbox and the moment Mollie decided to join her friends from college Katia Beauchamp and Hayley Barna to turn Birchbox from an idea into a real company. Mollie takes us behind the scenes of the very first months of the startup, how she learned to become a manager, how to navigate the ups and downs over the course of 6 years, what mistakes she made, the biggest challenges she tackled, and what advice she can share with people in startups or those interested in joining a startup. We talk about the thought process that led to eventually leaving the company that Mollie co-founded and how she dealt with the self-talk and voices in her head. This episode is recommended for people who want to learn what it’s like to start a company even though you have a different background. It’s a great episode if you want to learn how to navigate the ups and downs of startup life and what it’s like to slowly let go from something you so dearly love. Read Mollie’s post about leaving Birchbox here on Medium: https://medium.com/grey-matters/what-its-like-to-leave-a-company-you-started-dd731058bd62 Thank You to the following patrons for supporting the production of The Role Models Podcast in the $5 per episode tier: Johannes Kleske https://johanneskleske.com/ Caoimhe Keogan https://twitter.com/caoimhekeogan If you want to help us create The Role Models Podcast in the future, become a patron and chip in $1, $3, $5, or $10 per episode. Read more about the different tiers and rewards on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rolemodels