Dr. Lisa Klein, Founder of Turning Teen
Name: Dr. Lisa Klein
Founder: Turning Teen
What's your elevator pitch? (Ie. In one sentence, what do you do?)
Educational programming about puberty, sexual health and menopause developed by physicians for classrooms and communities.
What's your story? Share how you got to where you are and WHY it is you do what you do.
Every parent wants a manual that tells them how to handle difficult and awkward moments with their kids, especially as the teen years evolve. As a mom, I was feeling the same way when my oldest son hit the puberty years. But I realized as a pediatrician, at least I was equipped with a skill set that most parents don’t have: the medical knowledge and the experience of giving the “tough talks” to adolescents in my office everyday. So, together with my doctor-mom friend, Turning Teen was created to help parents start the conversations about puberty and sexual health.
I love helping tweens and teens learn about their bodies without stigma, shame, and embarrassment. I love helping families not only survive, but thrive, during the adolescent years. My business partner, Dr. Carrie Leff, is a menopause specialist, and she loves helping women through their second puberty during our Turning Teen for Women class. It should not be mystery how our bodies change as we age in various stages of life. We need information so that we can care for ourselves the best way possible.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
I absolutely love being part of the FoundHer group! I love being a student again! More than anything, I have enjoyed connecting with so many motivated, smart, successful women with a passion for learning and connecting. I have not felt this motivated, creative, and empowered in a long, long time.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
I have been doing a lot of collaborating with other women in this group! Whether promoting each others’ business on social media, being a guest on a podcast, shopping in their stores, or brainstorming together - I feel we are truly a group and all here to support one another! It’s absolutely amazing how a group on zoom once a week has made me feel so supported and connected (no surprise since we have a fabulous leader!)
What are the first five things that you did when you were starting your business?
1. I remember brainstorming lists and lists of names for the business
2. Getting a lawyer for all of the paperwork, trademarks, and legal stuff (the business stuff I can’t stand)
3. Hiring a female-founded company to design a logo/brand and website
4. Getting organized: business email, shared google drives with biz partner, dividing responsibilities
5. Content, content, content: we had to write all of our programs! We are still focused on content, content, content….
Who is someone who has helped change or shape your business for the better and what did they do to help you?
Your marketing class has been transformative. It has been so helpful with ideas, networking, collaborations, brainstorming, problem solving, and more! The only negative to the class are all of the new ideas and longer to-do lists to help me grow the business! But that’s a good thing!
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
I do! And I am fascinated what a huge job it is!!!!!!! I have learned so much just by trial and error, and am now officially learning so much in your class! I also found a college summer intern who is helping me with design and new ideas. Recently I have learned the power (and fun!) in collabs with other businesses that have the same type of followers, and in marketing myself a valuable asset to work with other businesses that find value in my content, knowledge and expertise.
How did you land your first client?
My friends were our first clients and our guinea pigs as we developed our programs! Our first official programs were marketed as part of local community center parks and rec programming.
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
We say words like vagina and penis at our programs more times than you can count. LOL
What was an obstacle you overcame to get your business where it is today? Please share the story behind it.
COVID!!!!!!!! But this ultimately helped us out…we filmed our programs and put them online! And started doing webinars!!
What are three actionable tips you would give with other women who want to start a business or are just getting started?
I think we have done things backwards….but starting somewhere is better than not starting at all. This past year (8 years into business), I finally attended some women in business networking events, and am finally taking your marketing class! So I would advise doing this in the correct order! I also would find a mentor - someone willing to share how to start from the beginning, use who they use for website, and legal, and banking, etc….
But I wouldn’t change this: have fun! I am truly enjoyed this process - of learning, growing, and achieving and doing what I am passionate about!).
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