How to Rebuild, Scale & Sell a Business From Zero w/ Sarah Bundy
ReLaunch to a Rich LifeAugust 27, 2026x
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35:1548.42 MB

How to Rebuild, Scale & Sell a Business From Zero w/ Sarah Bundy

Sarah Bundy is a serial entrepreneur, growth strategist, the co-founder of Athena Collective, and host of the For Female Founders podcast. After spending more than 20 years in affiliate and partnership marketing, she built All Inclusive Marketing into a highly respected agency, earning recognition including Company of the Year in British Columbia, Profit 500, Canada’s Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs, and Top 40 Under 40.

In today’s episode, Sarah joins me to share the lessons that helped her build, scale, and successfully exit her company. She shares how she rebuilt herself and her business after having to walk away with just $7 in the bank.

Sarah shares the three key skills she used to rebuild her business from the ground up, starting with just one client. She explains what taking “immaculate care” of clients means and how it helped her create opportunities and long-term relationships that fueled her growth.

We discuss how to build a strong partnership, identify the right business partners, use complementary strengths, and create a company culture where people can thrive. Sarah also reveals how she eventually found the right values-aligned partner who led to the successful acquisition of her business.

Sarah also shares how she identified a major gap in support for female entrepreneurs, built Athena Collective, grew it to more than 1,200 members, and then expanded internationally.

Join us today to learn how to build a business around your strengths, choose the right partners, create lasting client relationships, know when to walk away, recover from major setbacks, and build toward a successful exit without sacrificing the people and values that matter most.

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Ready to build your business with better resources, guidance, and a community of female founders?

Join Athena Collective and get the support you need to grow with more clarity and less overwhelm.

>> https://www.athenacollective.co/

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Want more honest conversations and practical lessons from successful women in business?

Listen to the For Female Founders podcast for insights on building, scaling, and selling a business.

>> https://open.spotify.com/show/598WiBQLFsRgJ5ewkrJfx7?

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If this episode lit something inside you, that quiet knowing that you’re meant for more, then I want to personally invite you into the most powerful room of the year.

ReLaunch To A Rich Life LIVE is a transformative, neuroscience-backed 3-day experience happening September 17–19, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s designed for women who are done playing small and ready to step into clarity, confidence, and next-level success, not just in business, but in health, wealth, relationships, and life.

This isn’t another event, it’s a quantum upgrade into the life you’re meant to live. Join women who are ready to rewire their identity, elevate their frequency, and claim a Rich Life that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside.

Learn more and join us in September: https://www.relaunchtoarichlife.com

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Visit Sarah Bundy’s website: https://www.sarahbundy.com/

Connect with Sarah on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1F42QmARUv/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahbundyconnect?

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahvbundy?

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Connect with Hilary:

Website: https://therelaunch.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hilarydecesare/

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReLaunchCo

Interested in being a guest on the ReLaunch Podcast or booking Hilary as a guest? Email us at hello@therelaunch.com

Find Us on Your Favorite Podcast App - https://the-silver-lined-relaunch.captivate.fm/listen

[00:00:00] There were 100 million women trying to build, scale and exit their companies. 1.8% of them hit seven digits in revenue. About 12% hit six digits in revenue and everybody else does not. Sarah Bundy is the CEO of Athena Collective, a global growth platform for ambitious women in business. Before Athena, she built one of the most respected affiliate agencies in the world. In 2020, she and her husband sold it.

[00:00:26] Some people, they'll know it's the right time because they have lost joy in their lives. What is your joy worth? And I was pregnant, about to lose everything and I ended up having to sell the company for a dollar. How did you get through that? Building a business with integrity is what I would always do. And unfortunately, the business partner was doing things that was against my integrity. How did you decide what was going to come next? At first I panicked because I had no money. I was able to find the courage to go again because...

[00:00:55] So here we are. I mean, wow. I am beyond excited. I've enjoyed being like, you know, a lot of times in this very virtual world, Sarah, we don't get to spend time in person.

[00:01:17] And I've gotten that time with you and you are such a dynamic, incredible woman. I get to see you next month. So excited for that, to give you a big squeeze. But the road to success is never that one that is painted on social media. That is, you know, hey, these are all the great things.

[00:01:39] You really are willing to go there and share. And I'd love for you to tell me and the audience more about that most significant relaunch for you that changed everything. Well, thank you, Hilary. And it's wonderful to see you too. I appreciate your introduction. And I was trying not to cry during the introduction. I was like, my goodness.

[00:02:01] That brings back the memories of those days in the hospital room and pregnant and not knowing what was going on and about to lose everything and being totally broke. Having to walk away, totally broke. I ended up having to sell the company to my ex-business partner for a dollar literally to save my son's life and had $7 in the bank. And the first meal that we had was my husband and I. So picture my husband and I and I'm pregnant and we could only afford one plate of food.

[00:02:29] So we shared the three of us shared a plate of food for dinner that night. So I think we've come a long way. You know, from there I'm very fortunate now to be sitting in my lake house in the Okanagan in BC. Unfortunately, it's a bit smoky, but it's been it's been a journey and, you know, I have been torn down and the rug pulled out from me a few times in my life.

[00:02:53] I've started, you know, from the wrong side of the train tracks from a family that was challenging to grow up in. And, you know, here we are, got a thriving family, very healthy, healthy relationships, all of the abundance that I could possibly want to need right now. And I'm extremely grateful for that. So, yes, let's talk about all the relaunches.

[00:03:15] So, yeah. And there are always a ton, right? I find that there hasn't been a woman that's just like, huh, I got my one. I've got my one in my life. There's always, you know, so many of them. But I want to go back to the emergency room doctor. He gives you that impossible sentence. You're going to lose your baby or the business and you get to pick. You get to pick one.

[00:03:38] Okay. What was going, what was going through your head? Because you are such a driven individual. I mean, and then all of a sudden you had to sign your business away the next day for a dollar. Like how, how did you get through that? Like what?

[00:03:55] So the interesting part about that was I was fighting tooth and nail to save that business. I wanted to keep it. The business partner that I had chosen, I didn't know him well enough. And to your point earlier, we were not values aligned.

[00:04:09] I was very young. I was in my 20, I think I was 28 years old when this happened. And I had never really been an entrepreneur before. I came out of corporate and I had studied under the wing of a very brilliant businessman, Roger Hardy, who built a company called Clearly in Canada.

[00:04:29] And I was fortunate enough to spend three years with him learning how to build very ambitious, high growth companies. He was a profit 500. He was a top 40 under 40. He won all the accolades. And I kind of looked up to this mentor and person that I had in my life. And I said, you know what? I know I want to be like this. This is what I want for me.

[00:04:47] So I was very fortunate to be able to do that. And then when I did finally leave corporate world to go start my own business, all of the work that I had done was built on relationships that I had and trust and my reputation.

[00:05:02] And I felt very strongly that building a business with integrity is what I would always do. And unfortunately, the business partner that I chose was doing things in a way that was not only value disaligned, unaligned, is that a word I made that up?

[00:05:21] But also against my integrity. And it was starting to cause a lot of psychological stress on me and my baby, because how he was representing the company was also representing this company that we started together, which was representing me and the opposite of how I wanted to be showing up, how I wanted to present myself to the world.

[00:05:47] So there was a level of psychological, you know? I think that's one of the hardest things, is these massive relaunches and what they do on an emotional trauma level. Yes. And when your reputation is at stake and when your values and your integrity is on the line like that, I can't. I'm running a free workshop on June 17th called The Quiet Crisis.

[00:06:14] And it's for women in a quiet crisis, not a loud one. It's the room where you finally name what's holding you back. 60 minutes and it's free. And in the hour, I'm going to cover three things. Why this transition gets misdiagnosed as burnout, midlife or hormones. The three signals that your inner work is ahead of your outer life.

[00:06:37] And the three question audit that's walked through in real time with my prompts to take you a layer deeper than you go on your own. It's not a sales pitch. There's no upsell. It's the actual work that we'll be doing in 60 minutes with a room of women going through the same transition. If anything I've said today has hit too close, this is the room that you need to be in. The link is in the bio to register and doors are going to close 24 hours before the workshop.

[00:07:05] So the other side of it was, and I won't name names. I don't want to talk about past companies because I don't want to throw anybody too much under the bus. To give you a little, I got locked out of our bank account and the money in the company was being used for his personal gain. And so there was a little bit of that happening as well behind my back, which I did not know. So all of this, you know, I'm 15 months into this business. We decided to start a business together. It's going great.

[00:07:34] I'm using my reputation and all my connections to bring in business. You know, we're building a brand. We're making a ton of money. Like it was going really, really well until all of this came kind of crashing down all at the same time. And so because it was so stressful emotionally, financially, I'm hormonal. I'm carrying a baby and growing a human in my body at the same time. I'm working like 80 hour weeks, maybe 90 hour weeks. I think I was sleeping four hours a night perhaps.

[00:08:03] And it was just, yeah, like wake up, work, and then go to sleep really late. Sleep four hours, wake up, work. Like that's horrible when you're pregnant. I don't recommend it for anybody. So finally, when I did end up in the emergency room three times in the same week, it was first time I was okay for a bit. And actually I went in because I felt like Kai, who's my son, he wasn't moving. Like he stopped kicking. He was like not okay.

[00:08:31] And I was like, okay, I got to go see what's going on with this baby. So went in and the doctor was like, you are under way too much stress. Like you need to take it down a lot. You need support. You need to work less hours. You need to get more sleep. You need to eat properly. I wasn't doing any of those things. And so the next day I seemed to be okay. But then the next day after that, he wasn't kicking. He wasn't moving around. And then the next day after that, he went. And so that by the third time, same emergency room doctor.

[00:09:00] He's like, you are going to lose your baby or your business. So just pick one at this point. How pregnant were you? I was six months. Six months. Yes. God, that is nice. Yeah. So Hillary, to answer your question, what was going through my mind until literally that sentence came out of his mouth? Like you're going to lose your baby or your business. Just pick one. Was such a slap in the face.

[00:09:26] Like it wasn't even, it wasn't even in decision. It wasn't even, I didn't even have to grapple with it. It was like, okay, like this isn't worth it. Baby comes first. I'm saving. Like I want my baby. Like I'd like my family. I'm saving this person. So the fastest way out of it was to sell, because he was being very difficult and we were fighting over the company and who keeps contracts and who's going to keep the brand and who's going to keep it. Anyway, I was like, whatever, it's not worth it.

[00:09:54] So I just sold it to him for a dollar and I walked away, broke. And I was like, we're going to do this right. And we're going to do it under my terms when I can. And I started a new company literally the next day. I'm like after break. This is the point I love about your story. You and I have talked a lot. So I know, I know your background. Okay. But the doctor who's just literally told you, stop. And then, but, but you didn't say like, you can't keep thinking.

[00:10:22] You can't keep, so you kept thinking, you just sat there and you're like, what kind of business? How did you decide what was going to come next? You're sitting there, you got three more months until this, you know, incredible baby is born. Yes. And what, like what made you say, this is what I need to be doing? Well, at first I panicked because I had no money and was broke and was like, how are you going to feed ourselves? We're sharing one plate of food between the three of us.

[00:10:51] I panicked and I was like, you know what? Nobody's going to hire me at this point. I'm six months pregnant. This was back in the day before people went and worked remotely. And obviously nobody wanted to hire someone for three months. And then I'm off on a maternity leave or I can't work or I don't know what's happening, right? I want to commit to something new. Ready to turn someday into now? ReLaunch to a Rich Life is the in-person experience women called the best event they'd

[00:11:16] ever attended because clarity, confidence, and connection actually happened. Join us September 17th to the 19th in Scottsdale. Learn more at relaunch to a rich life.com. So I looked at the one contract that was not stuck in a contract at that company. And it was a gentleman called Mitch Ganman and he owned a company called Eyeglasses 123.

[00:11:45] Really lovely gentleman from New York. And I found him and I said, hey, Mitch, you know, I know I'm about to have a baby here, but would you be interested in just coming on as my first client? And I will take care of you and you and you will be the only person I worry about. And I will take immaculate care of you and my baby. Are you okay coming in and just, I'll be part-time. Is that cool with you? And he's like, of course, Sarah, of course I want to stay with you. Yes, let's do this thing.

[00:12:11] So for years, he doted on my family. Like he would send, he was a really lovely Jewish gentleman who would send me Christmas presents and like stuff for my kids. And he just was, we ended up calling him Uncle Mitch in the end. And he hired not just myself, but 10 months in actually my husband as well. And every time the baby was crying, he'd be like, go take care of him. It's okay. It's okay. Just call me back.

[00:12:38] And so we were able to, I was able to find the courage to go again because I had this one person who was like, you got this. It's good. He had my back and he understood the situation. And so, you know, as you take immaculate care of people, they start to talk a little bit about you, right? And the experience that they're having with you. And that's all I really ever wanted to do is take immaculate care of people.

[00:13:06] And I use that term on purpose because there is a difference between doing something well and elevating it to the point where people feel loved. It's unusual. I feel for people in business to like love their clients and love their team and love their industry. And but that's kind of who I am. I kind of come from that. If I was to define myself in a word, it would be love.

[00:13:33] So I think that that is exactly the right word for you. And I'm a lover of love. I love love. So I have a tendency to spot the good ones. So let me, let me ask you this. You mentioned that your husband joined you and before you hadn't worked together. Is that right? We had not. So I need to ask you this because I know there's a lot of people out there that are contemplating

[00:14:02] whether it's a, you know, husband, wife joining them in the business or another founder. How was it? I mean, what did the two of you get right? So many couples in the business get wrong. Yes. I appreciate that question. And I will preface with good news. Everybody, we're happily married still. Like not all, not all couples can work together successfully, let alone work together and stay

[00:14:31] married, happily married. So very grateful for that. It took some time for us to understand how to work together. So, and, and we were new parents. Like we literally had a baby in our laps while we're on phone calls and answering emails and negotiating sales. Like it was just kind of bonkers. And then we had another baby. So now we both have babies in arms. So, uh, and we lived in a little teeny tiny house that didn't have office space or a playroom.

[00:14:58] The internet didn't even work for half of the, in the half of the house, but we were working from home. So we'd have to like find little corners that we could sit in and, you know, angle our laptops in the correct way. Anyway, anyway, long story short, it worked for us because we learned how to leave our egos at the door and we learned how to lean into each other's strengths, which thankfully are very different strengths from each other.

[00:15:26] So the need for each other was there and our goals and our values were exactly aligned. So we wouldn't take things personally because we knew that we were stronger together as a team. And if we could talk through things that were difficult, but hunkering together and lean in together, then we would get through it together. So I'm very grateful that my skillsets are, you know, sales, marketing strategy, partnerships,

[00:15:55] people. I love people as you can see. Um, and his strengths are in finance operations, logistics, engineering minded. He's very introverted. I'm very extroverted. So we didn't have a lot of overlap, but the complimentary piece and then tied back to our goals together and our values is what it made it work. And we ended up working together 15 years, 16 years in that business. Um, we, as you said, got acquired. It was a mid-market.

[00:16:25] I think, I think I read in 2020, you sold the AIM business to Plus Company, but I like what you said. You said something that really resonated. You said we didn't sell because we were done. We sold because the right partner came along at the right time. Okay. This is, this is a magic statement because how many people, and I'm raising my hand. I had an acquisition offer and I'm like, yeah, uh, you do.

[00:16:55] No, I don't think it's the right time. Hindsight probably should have done it. Had a few other opportunities, you know, how did you decide? All right. This is the right partner. And this is the right time. I appreciate that question because it's a very difficult answer and it's going to be very individualistic. So for some people, they'll know it's the right time because they have lost joy in their lives altogether.

[00:17:26] And to me, that is the right time because what are you sacrificing in the meantime to drag this on to be miserable in your life? Just like, let it go. It doesn't have to have the perfect price tag attached to it. What is your joy worth? If you're sick, if you're burning out, if you're on the cusp of getting a divorce, if you're going to lose your family over this, like what is the right time? Like, let it go. If you have to let it go, like what's the most important thing, right?

[00:17:53] So, um, I understand and can sympathize with people who are in those situations. And that's a personal, that's a personal thing that you have to decide. Like, am I willing to do this for six more months, 12 more months, 18 more months, three more years in this current state for maybe a higher dollar amount? Or do I say thank you universe for bringing this to me because I need to focus on something that's more important to me and myself and my health and my relationships right now? Because you can start again.

[00:18:22] And I can talk a little bit about that because I did. But in our case, the right partner for us came along and, and like we had quite a few people approach us to want to buy us before this. Um, we actually almost got acquired in 2018 and we were part of a big group that was going to go public on the London stock exchange. So somebody like this kind of fun billionaire guy was like, I'm going to take all of the best companies that are kind of segmented and specialized in these areas, put them together under one roof in one company, and we're going to go public.

[00:18:52] It was 48 hours. It was like an 18 month thing. We were value aligned. It was great. We even loved the other companies that we were going to get acquired with. Um, but 48 hours before that went public, like the whole deal was supposed to complete and go to IPO. Um, the Cambridge Analytica Facebook breach happened and all of everybody's personal information went everywhere. And because we were all in digital marketing or some variation of it, the investors all

[00:19:20] pulled the plug and they're like, Nope, we're not investing in this right now. So then the guy who was spending this whole thing decided to not move forward. That was a rug pull. That was a re relaunch for us because we got really, really depressed. Like we were literally two days away from 48 hours and breach happened. Yes. Yes. Like what, what are the chances? So, and we were like, we shouldn't say anything to anybody yet. We had just announced it the day before to our team. And then we're like, nevermind. Like it was so turbulent.

[00:19:50] It was such a thing. So anyway, that did not go through. Then we picked ourselves up and we're like, okay. But then about two years later, it ended up happening. And in those, in between those two years, we had a lot of other people trying to buy us because we were doing very well and we had a good reputation. We had big brands and the solid team and winning all these awards and our growth was great. But when plus company came along and we met, there was something very different about them.

[00:20:18] And it was, again, I learned my lesson with the first business partner about being values aligned. These guys were so values aligned. Like, and some companies have lip service. They're like, oh yeah, we're going to do all these things. Once we buy you, we'll make sure your team is taken care of. Oh yes. We put people before profits as well. And they're like a 3000 person company and like manage multi-billion dollar stuff. I'm like, but these guys actually convinced me.

[00:20:47] I felt it in my bones. And so we decided to move forward with Plus Company. And when we got to the other side of this transaction, you know, you kind of are like, okay, like, is this going to, are you going to fulfill everything that you said you're going to fulfill? Like, was this too good to be true? Because you hear these horror stories of people who get acquired and then stuff doesn't get fulfilled and everything falls apart and somebody doesn't fulfill their side of the deal.

[00:21:16] Anyway, we did not have that experience. Plus company was outstanding. Everything that we questioned them on, tried to be value aligned on. They were, that's just who they are too. Like I was so grateful to them. They treated our team. Right. That's not always the case. Right. And they treated our team even better than what they could have. Like I was adamant that we have to put the team and clients first because we've never,

[00:21:41] I'm not like, it doesn't interest me to be penny pinching over profits and stuff like that. Like this is our lives that we're talking about. And it's one of the reasons why we had such a strong culture at AIM because we wanted to make sure that people could feel joyful coming to work and like become the best versions of themselves and love what they do and grow as they, like there were just so many things. So they were like that. We said, yes.

[00:22:06] I think you got lucky in a way because you had had that prior experience in 2018 and then 2020 hit. But what I want to talk about here is that here you are retired in your forties and it did not take you long again to have something really exciting happened. I think it was 2023 LinkedIn, you did something and what happened?

[00:22:31] So in December of 2023, about two days after Christmas, I actually posted a private LinkedIn group called for female founders. And the reason why I did that was because Ian, my husband retired. So we got acquired in 2020 and then we did a cash in earn out. He was able to retire before me. And so in December of 2023, I was kind of on my own, like he wasn't in the business anymore.

[00:23:00] I was still operating in the business and I was like, this is really lonely. Like, this is really difficult. I didn't know what I was doing without him because he had been by my side for 15 years. And so I started this little group and I sent a private, this is a private group on LinkedIn, invitation to a bunch of ladies that I knew. And I was like, hey, is anybody interested in just like connecting and hearing stories of other female founders? Like, do we need resources? Where's everybody at emotionally? How are you guys all doing over there? And within the week,

[00:23:30] we had like 500 people in the group or four or 500 people. It was so fast. It was over the Christmas break. And like, it just kind of exploded. So I was like, huh, this is really hard. Yeah, I think there's something here. Yeah. So I decided to launch a podcast called for female founders, not for female founders, but it is for female founders. And I did a couple of episodes and I was like, I don't know if this is going to do anything, but let's just have some interesting

[00:24:00] conversations with other female founders. And it has grown into an incredible podcast. I think the LinkedIn podcast page, like the business page, not the private group, but just the business page has about 7,000 followers on it right now. And that was only a couple of years ago. So we have, we're on YouTube, we're on Spotify. That actually inspired the business that we're in today, which is Athena Collective. We can talk a little bit about that too, if you like, but yeah, it was, it was like a whim

[00:24:29] where I'm like, I don't want to be alone. Like who else is struggling out there? Like, geez, this is kind of what you hit on a nerve. And we, you and I talk, cause we have a relaunch has that movie coming out, which you're in all around iconic women. And the fact that only 1.8% of entrepreneurs hit seven figures and the secrets, the good, the bad, the ugly there. But there is a number that

[00:24:58] literally always stops me in the tracks that more than a hundred million women run businesses in the world. And again, you think about only, you know, geez, how many women are actually crossing over. You're right now doing something with this new business to really help that problem. And that's why I think you and I are going to be joined at the hip over the next couple of years.

[00:25:22] Yes. But I'd like to understand from you, tell us about Athena, what you're doing, how you're growing it and what your, you know, kind of this next relaunch is really going to be about. Thank you. Last January is when I actually retired from AIM. So end of, it was actually the day

[00:25:43] after my 44th birthday and it was a Friday and I took 48 hours and then I launched a new company because this seems to be what I do. 48 hours. That's my break for it. I had a five day maternity leave when my daughter was born maternity leave. So anyway, I just like to go. So, so to answer your question, I was looking back at this podcast and I'm like, oh my gosh, there are so many ladies that

[00:26:10] need help. And to your point, that's when I started doing the research and I realized there were a hundred million women who are trying to build scale and exit their companies. And about 1.8% of them hit seven digits in revenue. About 12% hit six digits in revenue and everybody else does not. So what that equates to is about 88 million women out there trying to build and scale their companies and they haven't

[00:26:35] even hit a hundred thousand dollars in revenue. They don't know how resources are scattered everywhere. Like what can they trust? There's so much garbage out there. There's so many people trying to take advantage of people. There's just too many bowls and in the air and people it's like paralysis analysis. I don't know where to start. I don't have the resources. I don't have the funding. I don't have the skills or expertise. I have no team. I don't have time. I probably have a baby in arms like I did.

[00:27:02] Like it's just, it's so overwhelming. But women have their dreams and aspirations and goals and they want to be financially free and they want to be self-sustainable and they want to be able to make a difference in the world themselves and not have to either ride the coattails of someone else, work for someone else or rely on someone else to be able to just say, I mattered and what I did mattered and you know, I want to contribute something that's bigger than myself. So the question is how do we help women do that when everything is so

[00:27:30] difficult and scattered everywhere? And so I met a few months prior to January last year when I retired from AIM, a really wonderful lady called Michaela Stewart, who is my business partner now. We're co-founders. Ian, my husband from my last company, is also one of our co-founders. So the three of us are the co-founding team of Athena Collective and her background's in tech and we met at a women's networking event. We saw each other from across the room and kind of like locked eyes. So I walked over

[00:27:58] and introduced myself. She's in her twenties. I'm in my forties. She's tech. I'm growth and strategy. She has such a different skillset than I have. And when I was talking to her about this problem and the frustration of how we are all stuck because there's no one centralized place you can go where everything's aggregated, curated, kind of vetted, personalized for where you are at in your business, depending on stage, as you kind of work your way up from like zero dollars to first hundred thousand,

[00:28:28] to your five hundred thousand, to your one million dollars. There's nothing out there that gives you what you specifically need when you need it without overwhelming you. That is the right thing at the right time and the right place for you to go from A to B in a more easy, stress-free way and expedites the entrepreneurial process of you achieving your goals and making that difference you're trying to make in the world. So we were like, let's go build it. Let's build it. And so Michaela and I and Ian in January,

[00:28:57] the month that we, that I retired, we signed our incorporation papers and our partnership agreements were like, let's go. So the day, the weekend after my birthday, we launched, we started and last March, so I guess it was not like just over a year ago. Yeah. We launched a MVP, like a minimum viable product. We onboarded 50 entrepreneurs that I knew, all ladies. And we said, please play with this, play with

[00:29:24] us. What do you like? What do you not like? Break it, like pressure Tesco. And we learned so much from that experience. We took it down and then we rebuilt it. And that launched in May of last year. So May, June, July, August, we're just over a year. Yeah. We now have over 1200 members. Yes. We've gone global. We have members signing up in France and Australia and South Africa and Germany.

[00:29:51] Like, I don't even know how people are hearing about us at this point. But the majority of the work that we're doing is in Canada and the US right now. And it's been wonderful. We have incredible sponsors who are coming in, incredible community partners who come in, incredible people like yourself who see the vision of what we're trying to do for the world and for the women in the world who are trying to make a difference and become empowered and support with education or content

[00:30:17] or events or collaborations or like, it's so fulfilling for me and seeing the ripple effect of this kind of grow in scale right now. And the crazy part is, is that we're still just trying to build like we are in foundational building stage right now, but it's still going like it's growing. The demand and need is there. So I love it so much. I love the fact that you're saying it's worldwide.

[00:30:43] And as you said, it's lonely, right? You for so long had your husband involved, then you didn't. Now you have them again and you have another co-founder, but it is, it's lonely. And so having that group where you can go in and you can talk about the things that are going on, that's, you know, that's one of, you know, that's my whole thing is around putting yourself within that

[00:31:08] right room, whether it's a virtual room, a live room, that's what it's all about. So where can people hear more about this incredible group and you? Thank you for asking. So we can, please go to athenacollective.co. That's where you're going to find our main site. You can sign up right now. Actually, I appreciate the question because we just had a conversation this week about boosting your prices up because everyone's like, you charge too little. It's only $25 a month for 250 bucks for

[00:31:36] the whole year to access the platform and the same group and us and all that piece. So we're going to bump up pricing, but that's not going to happen until probably October. So if anybody comes in now, they can get grandfathered in. But yeah, I would say find me on LinkedIn, Sarah Bundy. Otherwise, come and check out athenacollective at athenacollective.co. And if you're interested in the podcast, come check us out at For Female Founders. What stays with me from this conversation

[00:32:04] is that you have relaunched so many times and all times you did it from that position most people would call losing, right? Oh, this didn't work out. Or once with that dollar in the hand, baby on the way. And then another when you wanted something, you wanted, and then it didn't work out, 48 hours ahead. And you tell people your employees and you don't. I mean, there's like all these ups and downs. And I really want to say that that is entrepreneurship right there. And so everyone,

[00:32:33] I want you to write this down if you can. Walk away is not the same as giving up. Walking away, no. Sometimes it's the only way to actually keep the thing that actually matters. And I've heard you say over and over and over again that it's like you get knocked down, you get up again, right? You just keep going. And if this episode kind of touched something and you believe that there is a woman

[00:33:02] that you can share this with that should be a part of this incredible, incredible group that Athena and it, you know, you can meet the community is amazing. You get all of the support that you could possibly need. You heard the prices here are going up, please go. We will put in the, we'll put in all of the links and everything, but share it, share this. The Athena collective is something that

[00:33:32] really, no matter where you are in your entrepreneurial adventure from beginning to scaling, selling and selling, you belong. And that's the best part. So you know, but the room is right there. And so I really ask all of you, if you have a female founder in your, in your world, make sure that they hear this, make sure you subscribe so that you're not missing a single episode. And thank you

[00:34:00] again, Sarah, for your time. I look forward to seeing you next month at relaunch to a rich life. And everyone, please remember, this is your opportunity to relaunch right now by taking action. One small action towards the next best version of you. And that would also include seeing you again next week. Take care, everyone. Bye-bye.

[00:34:24] All right. Your next level is waiting. Thanks for tuning in. This is amazing what we're doing right now. Relaunch into a rich life. If today's episode sparks something in you, don't keep it to yourself. Please share it. I'll tell you more later about how that actually helps you have more success yourself.

[00:34:50] Subscribe so you don't miss one episode. Let's create unstoppable momentum together. So until next time, keep relaunching, keep rising and remember, it's go time.