Meet Inbal Claudio | Tech Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Inbal Claudio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Inbal, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Along with Like Minded Collective, I also own a luxury candle company – Goldwick Candles. After having my first baby, I wanted to get into the influencer marketing space with my candle company and realized that it was a bigger struggle than I had anticipated. Either the platforms were too expensive, or my business wasn’t large enough. I felt like I was being overlooked. I wanted to create a community-driven environment for underrepresented influencers and small businesses. A place where the pricing is affordable, the platform is easy to use and most importantly, everyone is welcome.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’m starting a tech company with no tech background and it’s been quite the struggle! I don’t know what I was thinking, but looking back, I would do it all over again. The biggest struggle I’ve had is with hiring developers, which has been the reason why my project got delayed over and over again. I started out with a very small budget, and it really is true… you get what you pay for. I hired a company that ended up outsourcing the work overseas and there were so many issues I encountered with that. The company didn’t review the work at all, they didn’t correct grammar, punctuation, content. After cutting ties with them, I hired another developer to manage the project and it was the exact same issues as before. I learned a lot from each of my mistakes, what questions to ask, where to look for quality developers, and although I am hopeful for the future, I know that more problems will come around. The most I can do is learn from them and move on even stronger!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Starting the day with coffee and burrito at Dory Deli in Newport Beach is a must! Then going for a hike in Newport Coast to take in all the sights, followed by lunch at Gulfstream. Happy hour at Rooftop down in Laguna, then checking out all the art galleries, and ending the day with a beautiful sunset over the ocean. Depending on the day, there are farmers markets, festivals, shows, the Orange County Fair in the summer, and so many more options! Anything with an ocean view is a must as well!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I came up with the idea for Like Minded when my first daughter was 3 months old and from the time I told my husband about it, he’s been completely on board and excited to help in any way he can. He’s been my shoulder to cry on when things don’t go as I had planned, he’s been my cheerleader when I have doubts about whether or not to continue, he’s been there to brainstorm with, he tells everyone he can about Like Minded and provides feedback when needed. He’s made me feel comfortable with taking on this risk, both financially and because we now have 2 daughters.

Website: www.lm-collective.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/like.minded.collective

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inbalclaudio/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/like.minded.co/

Image Credits
Kevin Keller Anna Kightlinger Arisa Yoon