Business Growth Architect Show: Founders of the Future

Ep #186: Laurel Mintz: From Marketing Powerhouse to Venture Capital Trailblazer

• Beate Chelette • Episode 186

Share episode

Had an AHA or Insight? Share it:

She’s not here to play nice — and she’s definitely not here to sugarcoat anything. Laurel Mintz — my friend, favorite bada$$, and unapologetic force of nature — built a marketing agency that’s worked with over 400 brands (including Squishmallows) and then decided, screw it, I’m starting an investment fund too. On this episode of the Business Growth Architect Show: Founders of the Future, we kick off our heels and get real. No PR polish. No fake humblebragging. Just straight talk about what it actually takes to leap from marketing maven to GP of Fabric VC.

Laurel lays it all out — the fear-based decisions that will sink you, the “dumb money” investors you should run from, and why your inner circle can make or break your business. We go there on the guts it takes to launch a fund, the moments you question everything, and the joy of proving the doubters wrong. And yes, this episode is explicit — because sometimes business talk needs a few F-bombs.

She also gets into the current market madness and why most founders freeze when things get shaky. Laurel’s take? That’s exactly when you double down and go harder. We talk about spotting opportunities before anyone else sees them, pairing capital with hands-on marketing muscle, and playing chess while everyone else is still moving their checkers.

If you want the real behind-the-scenes — the messy wins, the hard truths, and the moments that make you pour another glass — this is your episode. Laurel has built two thriving companies, invests in founders who actually move the needle, and knows how to turn chaos into a damn good story.


👉 Learn more about Laurel’s work at elevatemybrand.com and fabricvc.com.

_____________________
We appreciate you, thank you for listening. Let us know in the comments what resonated in this episode, we want to hear from you.

Leave a comment, like, share with one person who needs to hear the message our guest shared.

Take our QUIZ and find out what your talent is worth in this market: What's Your Talent Worth (http://WhatsYourTalentWorth.com)

Follow us on Instagram:
Check us out on Tik Tok:
Work With Us

Laurel Mintz:

Hi everyone. Laurel Mintz here, CEO of"Elevate My Brand" and GP of"Fabric VC" and on my episode for the Business Growth Architect Show, I'm going to share and reveal how you can become an investor, market your brand and elevate your life.

BEATE CHELETTE:

This is the Business Growth Architect Show for founders who don't follow trends. They set them for entrepreneurs who aren't here to fix the past, but to build the future they actually want to live in. Hi. My name is Beate Chelette. I'm a Palisades fire survivor strategist and the entrepreneur behind a multi million dollar tech exit to the gates. And every week I bring you the fire, real guests, real strategy and the real talk on how to control your mind move fast and create your future. This is where strategy needs energy, because your next level needs both. Let's grow you. Uh, welcome back. Beat Chelette The Growth Architect, today with my friend Laurel Mintz from Elevate Your Brand and Fabric VC, and today I'm going to take you in a two fold conversation, because today we are not just sharing kind of things about elevating your brand. We also talk about when a founder of the future sees a need to found something for the future and what that looks like. Laurel, I'm so excited to have you. I can stand

Laurel Mintz:

it. Oh, I'm so excited to be here. You and I have known each other a long time and have had very similar perspectives on I'm excited for this conversation 100%

BEATE CHELETTE:

so for somebody who's not familiar with Elevate Your Brand, tell us who you are and what problem you solve for your clients,

Laurel Mintz:

thank you. We are on the Elevate side, a digital and experiential marketing agency. We've been around for 16 plus years. I can't believe that. And 400 brands later, for those who have kids would probably most know the squishmallows brand. That's the one we're most famous for launching and selling to private equity. And we're a full service marketing agency on that side of the fence. And before that, I was a corporate M and A attorney, which is how we came to launch fabric, which I know get into in a bit. Let's talk

BEATE CHELETTE:

about what's going on in the marketplace. I think a lot of people are very confused about brands and marketing, and is there a requirement right now?

Laurel Mintz:

I think that the first of all, like people are confused about the difference between branding and marketing and advertising and content and social. I like it. I like to like make it clear from a visual perspective. Let's imagine it. Marketing is an umbrella, right? And under that umbrella is everything that think marketing is social media, content creation, influencer, branding and messaging, advertising, research and development, I mean, all of those pieces, but that's all under the marketing umbrella. And the handle of that umbrella is visibility, awareness and eventually leading to sales. I think that that that visual helps people to understand like marketing is the big umbrella, and everything is under that umbrella in its own kind of little silo, hopefully not silo to doing it the right way. That's the starting point.

BEATE CHELETTE:

Well, things have to be connected for for them to work. Is what's happening right now in the marketplace, with all the uncertainty in the economy, with all the talk, with the whiplash of one day it's this, one day it's this. Do people need to make adjustments? What do we tell our audience?

Laurel Mintz:

I wish that people would just keep putting one foot in front of the other, because what we're seeing happening is everyone is freaking out because there's much uncertainty. And when people are uncertain, it's a psychological response, right? The immediate response is, I'm just not going to do anything. But the long term impact of that can be very and is usually very detrimental. And we saw that during the pandemic, brands that pulled out of marketing had a much steeper hill to climb when they were back in market. And from an ownership perspective, when about market share, if everybody's pulling their dollars out of marketing, you're doubling down, you're gonna get a lot more bang for your buck, right? And just from a statistical mafi perspective, it makes much more sense to stay in market and even maybe double down with your dollar that you can build that funnel, that long term, you can have a much stronger path to revenue. But yeah, right now, people are totally freaked out, and we're seeing that on the agency side. And I'm always as super transparent about about us, we have usually a 70% conversion rate on our scopes, and right now it's like a sub 10% conversion. We are seeing it as a major trickle down on the service side. Luckily, we've been in it long enough that we have great long term clients prior, but that's a great example and indicator of what is happening in this crazy, messed up, backwards market.

BEATE CHELETTE:

Do you think that it's the uncertainty that gets people weirded out? Because you and I, we've been studying business ownership, and we've been in many of the same conferences and events, we know that great a. Opportunities I found in down markets, right? It's when it's rich, there is not much of an opportunity. But when things are volatile, what kind of mindset Do you have, or do you recommend our our founders of the future to have get out of this uncertainty paralysis?

Laurel Mintz:

It's a fear based mentality, whatever you're if you're into meditation or psychedelics, I don't care, but you need to get into a place of growth and stability. Because I think what we're seeing is that founders, everyone is just terrified right now, and a fear based decision making process is never going to allow you to make a decision that is positive and providing forward momentum for your company. I know it's easier said than done, especially when people are getting laid off and the economy is wonky, but to your exact point, this is when the real winners are made. And every down economy we've seen the other side of it are the big, big, big winners, and that's what we're seeing on the fabric side, we're able to take a much more equity because valuations are normalizing. There's not a lot of cash in the market. I know I'm kind of mixing the conversations, but it's the same thought process, which is, double down, stay in it long term, and if you are pulling out of marketing and investing, then you're not you don't have the stomach for it in the first place. You know what I mean? Like, if you don't have that mentality of, like, growth and exploration and excitement and regress into a fear based model, probably should just go get and else worry

BEATE CHELETTE:

about it. That's what I love about you. Just like, say it like it is. I always think our job is to get people to an intersection where there's only the right and the left to take. There is no there's no other option, right? I mean, you could stay in the intersection as a 7 Eleven and do slurpees all day long, but you to take a left or right. That's our job. When I see this hesitation, and I feel that people are so uncertain, is there a way for for them to aside from meditation stuff like that, but how do you find opportunities? And this is my setup for the fabric we see. How do you find an opportunity when you are in this panic mode or in this Oh shit, mode. This may not work out.

Laurel Mintz:

Yeah, I don't know if you can. That's the truth. The honest answer is, I don't know if you're in that fight or flight mode that you're going to be able to see anything other than two inches in front of your face, and maybe not even that, right? You have to get out of that basal reaction that that that fight or flight mode to be able to see a few steps down the road. If you were in fight or flight, maybe you're just playing checkers. But once you get into a more strategic mindset, then you're playing chess, and that's when the opportunities. That's when you can see the opportunities. Otherwise, you're just seeing that next checker stop in front of you. When you're able to take that 30,000 foot view, breathe and get out of that fear mode, then you can play chess and see down the path and see the real opportunities. But I don't know that it's possible do that when you feel like you're in survival mode, and unfortunately, that's what a lot of this uncertainty has done to founders. And I'm not perfect. Certainly, I've been in those phases myself. I would say the best way out of that is to work with amazing coaches like you who can help you get out of your own way if you can't do it yourself, and to create routines. Make sure that you're eating clean, make sure that you're waking up at the same time, hydrating, getting sunlight, doing your workouts, meditation, whatever you need to make you a solid human first, because the oxygen mask if you are not feeling good in your body and your mind and your spirit, you're not gonna be able to make even the most simple decision impactful.

BEATE CHELETTE:

I think we need to get personal here. Lauren, Laurel So what made you come up with

Laurel Mintz:

fabric receipt? I, as I mentioned, started my career as a corporate M and A attorney, and because of that, and a little bit more about my history, taking over my family business and all of that. But because of the legal background, a lot of private equity and venture firms were coming to us market them. And actually it was one of the GPS we were working with that said, you need to go launch your own fund. You have this insane early deal flow, this marketing special sauce, and this real commitment to diversity. And honestly, I was like, No thank you. I'm an operator. Like, I don't need a second headache. I'm good. And then I, frankly, I saw, I saw the opportunity to your earlier question, I started becoming obsessed and excited about what that would look like. Started doing my homework and research. We had been very lucky to be LPS in multiple funds at that stage of our life. And I think what most people know is that 2% number, which is that lesson, that 2% of venture dollars goes to diverse founders. But what I found in my research was the other side of that coin, which is that when diverse founders do receive funding, we return, on average, at a 25% higher return rate this line tube. Four, but like, I'm certainly a bleeding heart, but I'm Can I curse on the podcast? Am I allowed to do that? Yes, go ahead, I say I'm a bleeding heart, but I'm a fucking capitalist first, right? And the numbers spoke to me, and that was where I saw an opportunity. And as an operator, I knew I could do it better.

BEATE CHELETTE:

I think this is a critical, critical aspect here is that? And one of the reasons why I think it's important we talk about this now and not later, is that this whole whoop law of diversity, inclusion.

Laurel Mintz:

Yeah, we're popular right now. Let me tell you,

BEATE CHELETTE:

it's super popular for all the wrong reasons. And you and I, we've been women owned certified for a gazillion years, since the first year I didn't get certified. Oh, wow, I don't see any point in it right now. Why am I fighting an uphill battle? So I had to take this friction out, right? But I think that the the idea behind diversity, affirmative action, or understanding that equal opportunity or equality is not the sameness. It means that you create the equivalent

Laurel Mintz:

for success. Yeah, it's about access, and that's what I say when people have this conversation, like, I've had people call me a racist before, like I've had, oh, nice conversations, Oh yes, oh yes. And I'm like, have you looked at this room full of white men? And like, Look, I am. I love men. I think that we need all the allies in the world to do this. But to your point, it's about access and making sure that there's an equal, equal playing field more than anything. And that's why, particularly in venture, they call it an access class, not an asset class, because frankly, most women, and certainly women and men of color, have been left off of this conversation very intentionally. That's one of the things we're here to change, and because we do much education in this space. As you all know, 70% of our investors are diverse, and 40% are actually first time check writers into the asset class. And I'm proud of those statistics because it means that we're lifting up folks and giving access to folks who never had a seat at this table before

BEATE CHELETTE:

let's go to kind of this idea about fabric we see. I want to, want to talk a little bit more about this. So you go in at a time where everybody tells you to stay on a safe baseline, and now you do the opposite. Tell us about that. I think people need to hear what the heck are you thinking?

Laurel Mintz:

Yeah, you wouldn't be the first to say that for sure, but I've always been a bit of a contrarian, because, again, that's where I think the opportunity lies when everyone's running that way, as long as it's not dangerous to run this way. Running this way is going to get you much farther, right, because that's the direction everyone was running in, and now everyone's regressing. For me, it was a very natural progression into launching the fund through the agency. And when we were thinking about our thesis and looking back at all of our companies that we'd worked with on the agency side, we saw that of the 400 plus companies we'd worked with, over half were diverse led, and almost 40% of those companies had raised capital that was already our ecosystem, and I wasn't going to create a new ecosystem in a system that I didn't already have deep roots in and deep connections with. And frankly, I've always led with heart and culture as a leader. I think that I'm a very human people centered leader. And when we were coming up with our thesis, and we saw those statistical numbers in terms of our historical connection points, it was kind of like a no brainer, and I still say, I still have to defend it, but also now that it's so clear that you're either with or against that conversation, people don't show up in a zoom or a room With me, if they see what we invest in, and they are anti that, and actually, it's created a much more linear conversation people either excited about it in the rooms that we're in and writing checks, or they're never going to have a conversation with me. And that is just fine. Well,

BEATE CHELETTE:

I mean, I think the conversation is timely, because it's not about the controversy, but it is about a core value system. If we believe that this is a diverse world, which does, yeah, it is more now than ever, we can say, Do I believe that we can change that? No, we cannot. Because the people are going to go on, whether they here or there, there are going to be and they're buying and what we're seeing to your point, is that there is a much larger loyalty toward brands that do the right thing. How does this affect who you investing in? Is there a part of a is this a trustworthy brand that's investable, not just investable from a capitalistic perspective, because we know the opportunities there. But does that play a part now, and does this play a bigger part than it ever has?

Laurel Mintz:

Well, because that's our core thesis, we don't have to do the diligence on that piece. It's kind of table stakes, right? If they're coming to us for investment, then they're not going to be pale, male or stale. That's not who we invest in, and we're very clear about that. And then on the other side of it, we're not just investing out of the goodness of our heart. We do all of the traditional financial and founder diligence required from our Investment Committee, and we do a whole second layer of diligence that's all marketing focused based on our agency expertise. What that layer does is we believe helps us to de risk our portfolio company picks because it tells us are the numbers real from an omnichannel marketing perspective, how far are they from their competitors, which ultimately tells us if our checks going to meaningfully close the gap for them. And then on the last piece is that on about quarter of the deals that we write cash checks to will match with sweat equity on the agency side, but we're not even just taking one bite of that apple. We are picking winners and making them winners when we have high conviction. It's a holistic approach that we believe not only is a better layer in terms of de risking, but in terms of controlling the narrative of success for these brands.

BEATE CHELETTE:

Do you think that the whole venture capital model is changing in that regard, I've seen this a lot, and I'm personally myself involved in in in the impact accelerator Summit, where I'm I'm mentoring founders, where the ecosystem is designed to have these mentors available as board member and as advisor in advisor roles. Do you think that just giving money and is now replacing giving money and services and mentorship.

Laurel Mintz:

I don't know if it's fully there yet. I would say founders are becoming smarter and they want more from their they don't want dumb dumb money, right? There's a reason that there was that movie called dumb money. So for example, we have an amazing Latina CEO, female founder who runs a FinTech company already, she's like a unicorn. She's like a tiny grain of sand and a huge beach of FinTech founders that are all men. But because she had such a high IQ and EQ, she made sure that there was a carve out for a fund like ours that was bringing more than just capital to the table. Because she was she knew that she was creating a technical product, but selling to kind of a non technical audience. I think that there are certainly, I think certainly the diverse founders that we've come across are much smarter with who is on their cap table, because they know that this is a very long term relationships like a marriage, and they don't want assholes on their table, and they'd like on their table that's gonna also help make introductions. Maybe help them close their round out. Maybe help them go up market when they raise their next series. Add value with marketing expertise, or whatever that layer is. I think it is shifting. But I think it's shifting because there are more VCs like me who have added value, who are coming out of operating roles and saying, I can do this better.

BEATE CHELETTE:

I think the model is much better, to be honest with you, because I I see that especially in the conscious investment aspect that there is the desire to make purpose driven decisions. Think that another part, and I want to hear how you feel about this. But this whole idea about investing, when first the Internet came to be, the Internet was the unicorn, that if you had whatever, a million dollars or$10 million and you gave 10 companies a million dollar, then you may have had a chance to find the unicorn, the Airbnb, the Facebook, the Uber, whatever that was. I don't think this is this market anymore. I don't think, I don't think we have these kinds of unicorn opportunities. But what we do have, we have these huge companies that are uncreative and lack any kind of vision other than money that they're buying up creativity like there's no

Laurel Mintz:

conversation for sure, I agree that the opportunities for unicorns are few and farther between. And actually, when I have that conversation, I tell people I'm not looking for unicorns, I'm looking for stallions, because unicorns are fictional, right? We're looking for companies that can be profitable, that may be set up for some sort of M & A activity. I do agree with you. I think that the top of the food chain, the companies that are public, are acquiring these other companies because they just they can't move fast enough. They'd rather buy than build.

BEATE CHELETTE:

They can't build. And I think this is the this is the tremendous opportunity. So let's talk now about with your expertise, with the marketing side of things, and now with seeing what's investable and what is sustainable. What advice from your unique, opinionated back can you give founders that are, you know, aside from Get your head out of your butt, what can we tell them on how to get into this, into this flow state and believing in the future and creating the future?

Laurel Mintz:

Loaded question, I think it's about. Who you surround yourself with, again, working with amazing coaches, but building a board of advisors who are going to stand by you and support you in the best of times and in the worst of times. And we did that very intentionally. On the fabric side as well, we have a 12 person venture and advisory board, who's the who's who of the categories that we invest in. And I can call each one of them like a Chelsea Grayson who literally only sits on public boards now, was the CEO American Apparel and true religion jeans. And I can call her and ask her, what do you think about X, Y and Z, consumer tech company? And I can get her on the phone anytime. I think it's about like, who your community is around you that's supporting your greater mission. Because there's a lot of people that are going to be naysayers, especially like friends and family who don't believe in themselves enough to build like that. And entrepreneurs, good entrepreneurs, are doing things that are beyond most people's vision, that people try and pull them down from the clouds instead of boosting them up. So I think to the answer to that in terms of a flow state other than many martinis, psychedelics, meditation, whatever. Again, your bailiwick is, is about who you surround yourself with. And when I started becoming successful on both companies, I had to eliminate some of those people in my community that were always so negative, because they just couldn't see a vision for themselves. Who

BEATE CHELETTE:

got you here is not going to get you there necessarily. I find that and family is a tough one to be honest. Laurel, yes,

Laurel Mintz:

certainly not, you know, yeah. Well, if you ask my dad, he said that I came out of the womb like this, like I just came out fire. I was came out screaming, ready to take on the world, and that this has always been kind of the energy that I have possessed and cultivated, right? I'm very intentional again, about the people that I surround myself with, because a lot of people take a lot of things and they drain you, and actually we, I think I mentioned to you, when we were hanging out last that we just bought a piece of land in Todo Santos, Mexico, and we're building a home there. Did I tell you that story? Oh, you didn't. And the reason that we're doing that is because my husband, in his infinite wisdom, he's such a great partner and an entrepreneur. He said, we're looking for the next big house in LA and he goes, sweat, babe, you don't need more of anything other than spaces where people can't pull on need space from other people, because in it all day, every day, and I take 16 to 18 meetings a day in 20 minute increments, because I'm on the hustle raising a fund right now. For me, this is, like, kind of always who I've been. I think I have honed the skill set. I've also mellowed quite a bit, if you can believe it, and I still, like, I was just at a big Finance Conference, and people were like, clutching, I dropped an F on this man, like, clutched his pearls. And I was like, got it. Not that room for that. What I mean for me, it's been who I I always have been and continue to kind of focus my energies and efforts to just try and make it a bit better and a bit more focused. I think,

BEATE CHELETTE:

what do you do? Oh, no, let me reframe this question. How do you learn to be unapologetically you when you are opinionated, especially as a woman,

Laurel Mintz:

I think it just you have to realize that you're not going to be everyone's cup of tea. And for a long time, my father's very much a people pleaser. If you can believe it, I have been a people pleaser for a long time myself, and I never wanted people to be mad at me. I always wanted everyone to like me. And the truth is, if you're gonna do crazy, wild, exciting, different things in the world, people are gonna not like much, and that has to be you have to be okay, being not likable and not being everyone's friend, and that's really hard for me, because I want everyone to love me. I don't think people realize that I I have this bold exterior, which is certainly who I am and very authentically me, but inside, I'm mushy and gooey and, like, very emotional. And I don't think most people see that side of me, because I'm out in the world being the boss. So I think it's, it's that it's being okay with people not liking you because you have to like yourself deeply.

BEATE CHELETTE:

I think that that's all there is, is that at the end of the day, the older you'll get, and this is going to be an explicit episode, I can say it, yeah,

Laurel Mintz:

is totally create your tribe like you. How lucky am I?

BEATE CHELETTE:

Yeah, same, same here. Every time we see each other, we like giddy with joy, I know and

Laurel Mintz:

that So Laurel, before we move on, I was like, the point, right? The point is way, like, I know everyone's having a hard time right now, but we have to remember that the point of this is to enjoy this one wonderful life that we have and sometimes we get. I mean, today I had a hard day. So having this conversation is meaningful, because it reminds me to focus on the joy,

BEATE CHELETTE:

right? And when you have somebody, you can talk real stuff when it's not. And this conversation was completely unscripted. There's two things I wanted to talk about, is obviously the things that you do, but I knew that your personality was going to come through and that it would lead the conversation where it needed to go. Know, but what I want our listeners to take away from this is this this authentic being, or this authentically you. Even though this word is so overused, I wish it could come up with another word for it, but that's the essence of it. And when you step into the truth of who you are, and you allow people to see that, that's when these real relationships are formed. Because I know who to send to you,

Laurel Mintz:

absolutely, yeah, yeah. It's a very it's a rare thing to be able to stand in your true power and show up authentically as who you are. I think people, again, to the initial part of this conversation, live in their fear much more than their foundation of who they are. At their core, it is, it's a gift to be able to show up in the world the way that you are. I think that people need to remember that as well, the joy and then just showing up, putting one foot in front of the other. Like I said, I had a hard day today, and yet I'm here showing up authentically, having a joyful conversation. Because when you get to talk to people like you who can see also, who can see who you are, right? Then that reflection reminds you why you show up every day.

BEATE CHELETTE:

Yeah, and it's a mutual appreciation. I think what I have met when I first started to stepping out, what 30 years ago, then I probably would have looked at you, would have been in judgment, and would have been very opinionated about what I perceived you to be. And I think when you step into these the recognition of who you are and what you came here to, do you how to pull yourself together when it's showtime, and when we recognize that everybody has this duality, or the mushy part, like you call it, and that bold exterior, hopefully that gets shit done. I mean, how rich is the life that we get to live with each other and enjoy this

Laurel Mintz:

experience? Yeah, 100% so grateful for you. Same

BEATE CHELETTE:

here for somebody who wants to now learn about maybe investable your fund, or about working with you on the marketing side. Where are we sending them?

Laurel Mintz:

On the fabric side, fabricvc.com, and we are ecosystem builders. We have quarterly pitch days that are open to the public. You can see these incredible companies and participate. We're marketers. We do, I think, a pretty good job of showcasing some of these amazing founders, even if we don't write a check. Please join us there and then on the Elevate side, elevatemybrand.com, similar ecosystem on that side, obviously more company brand focused, but we have a good time. We hope that you'll join us.

BEATE CHELETTE:

Thank you so much. Well, it's been a pleasure to have you on the show as always. Can't wait to run into you again very soon,

Laurel Mintz:

and you're amazing. No, you're the best. I appreciate this time. Thank you. Thank you. Same

BEATE CHELETTE:

here, and that's it for us for today. So as you saw, we had a little bit of a different conversation that took us where I think it needed to go, but I wanted it to be a real conversation about a personal transformation, and in a very honest conversation about what you can do when you are finding yourself in challenging times like this, and how you just with a simple conversation, hopefully find some takeaways that you can implement right away. And with that, I say goodbye, and until next time, that's it for this episode of the Business Growth Architect Show, Founders of the Future. If you're done playing small and ready to build the future on your terms, subscribe, share and help us reach more Trailblazers like you. And if you're serious about creating, growing and scaling a business that's aligned with who you are, schedule your uncovery session at uncoverysession.com. Lead with vision. Move with purpose. Create your future.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Beate Chelette

Host
Head Shot

Laurel Mintz

Guest