Christy Fletcher | Authoritive
CHRISTY FLETCHER
Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Authoritive, a company that builds customized learning experiences over messaging technology for experts and creators.
What Is Authoritive? Tell Us About What You Do And How It Works.
Authoritive is a technology platform that allows content creators, coaches and experts of all kinds to deliver paid programs via messaging (SMS, WhatsApp, Slack, MSTeams et al). Right now, we’re collaborating on the content development and building each program, and supporting the creators in marketing and sales, so we’re selective about who we’re working with, but by the end of this year we’ll have a self-service option that will allow anyone to create a program and sell it.
What Is Your Background? What Led You To Starting Your Own Company, And How Did You End Up In This Space.
My background is in publishing. I have run a very successful literary management company where I collaborated with writers to help them develop ideas which turned into books and then supported them in the publishing of those books. Eventually I grew into helping them develop communities around their work and with strategies for how to grow their businesses to be self-sustaining. In doing this over and over, I realized how many people were overly dependent on social media platforms that both owned their audience and required enormous effort to maintain engagement, while only providing erratic monetization at best.
There were also people who wrote books and made a good living speaking or consulting but were limited by their available time and by not having a product outside of themselves or a book. I concluded that there had to be a technology solution that would fill this product space, enabling them to deliver an experience of value to their audience, keeping that connection strong, while providing recurring revenue. Messaging does all of that and we’ve built a system that provides a very rich experience that feels personalized, like it’s one to one.
What Was The Fundraising Process Like For You? Tell Us About Your Investors And How You Use The Funds You’ve Raised.
We ran on revenues for a few years before raising money so we were in a relatively good spot to approach the process. We were able to secure a significant (for us) seed round and found a lot of support in the EdTech space. Owl Ventures led the round and GMG Ventures became a major investor along with a small number of strategic angel investors. The funds were invested in two ways- expanding our team and developing the foundation of what will be a self-service platform launching later this year, in addition to add some important product features that make for a richer user experience.
Who Are Your Co-Founders Or People Who You Work Very Closely With? How Do Their Skills Supplement Yours?
My two co-founders are Jacob Lewis and Gene Cohen. Gene is our CTO whose background is in building and managing messaging systems. Jacob is my co-CEO who was an executive at Conde Nast, before starting his own content startup (which he later sold). They both have worked in venture-backed companies before (and together) and have a deep understanding of managing technology (and tech teams). It complements my background working with creative people which brings more of a brand, editorial and design sensibility. They happen to be very funny people which has kept us moving together through all of the ups and downs of startup life.
What Have Been Both Your Favorite And Least-liked Parts Of Your Entrepreneurial Journey? What Have Been Your Most Challenging And Most Exciting Moments For You And The Company?
The collaboration with creative people who are passionate about their work and supporting their audiences is always energizing for me. After years of being a solopreneur, working with my two co-founders and building a team together has been rewarding in all kinds of ways. The hardest parts are navigating all of the unknowns and always trying to see around corners, but that’s just part of trying to learn how to build something that didn’t exist before. Every new program launch is a thrill and seeing how audiences respond to the experience; closing our seed round was also thrilling.
Can You Share A Couple Of Use Cases With Us Of How Different Creators Or Businesses Use Authoritive To Distribute Content?
Of course. We collaborated with food entrepreneur and award-winning writer Mark Bittman on a program to help people eat less meat. It’s an instructional program that delivers cooking tips and recipes with step by step instructions pushed on demand over sms. Another example is Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas who co-teach a course at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business called Humor Serious Business. We developed a curriculum that helps people use levity as a super power at work that can be delivered over sms but can also be delivered via MS Teams or Slack so companies can make it available to their employees directly where they are already working.
What Was The Inspiration Behind The Company Name?
We started out working with authors primarily and people who have a lot of authority in their fields. So Authoritive was a combination of author and authoritative.
Tell Us About Your Typical Workday Schedule. What Are Your Morning And Evening Routines? What Are Some Tips You Have For Staying Productive?
I’m an early riser. So I get up around 5:30, make coffee and take my dog for a walk before getting kids out the door. I’m at my desk by 8 and each day is a new set of meetings, zoom, writing or other deep work before cutting out around 6:30. I blocked off an hour each day for “lunch” which gives me a space in my day to breathe, take a walk, actually eat. That let’s me re-energize for the second part of the day. I am working on trying to get to bed earlier but am notorious in my family for falling asleep on the couch. No one wants to watch a show with me at this point!
What Are The Top Qualities or Skills You Believe Entrepreneurs Need In Order To Be Successful? Also, What Advice Do You Have For Entrepreneurs Who Are Just Starting Out?
The top three qualities that I think helps entrepreneurs succeed are curiosity, empathy, and critical thinking.
The ability to step back and assess situations or problems critically, with curiosity and empathy for the different perspectives present, helps you gather important information in order to make good decisions. It also helps you recover from decisions that didn’t turn out well.
What Is One Thing About Building A Business You Did Not Know That You’ve Learned So Far Since Launching Authoritive?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that everything takes longer than you expect it to so it’s best to just accept that and build it into your models.
Tell Us A Story Of Something That Happened To You That Taught You An Important Lesson.
When I was starting out, working in publishing, an editor I really looked up to was working with a brilliant but unconventional writer. I asked how he navigated editing such a complicated text. He told a story about the editing that really stuck with me- there was a list of names in the book that he felt was too long for the reader to recall, so he suggested cutting it down to only a few so it would be easier to absorb. When the book was redelivered the list was three times as long. The point wasn’t to recall the names. His job as the editor was to ask the questions, not to solve the problem, so the writer can craft solutions that reflect their intention. I’ve thought about that in mentoring people or managing processes, that my role is not to find the solution to every problem. It’s to ask the right questions.
What Do You Do In Your Free Time?
I read a ton- books, articles, newsletters. I listen to podcasts. I spend time with my kids and husband. I love seeing movies but I’m out of the habit now because of COVID.
Who Is Your Role Model?
My current role model is Alexander Vindman. He lives a life that is principled and loving, courageous and hardworking. I’ve been lucky enough to get to know him and my admiration is even deeper.
What Is Your Favorite Quote And Why Does It Resonate With You?
“The days are long but the years are short.”
It’s from my friend and longtime collaborator Gretchen Rubin. It is a perfect reminder of the duality of life, both fast and slow, and how important it is to be really present.
Any Other Thoughts You Want To Share Relating To Current Events, The Economy, Political Climate, Or Any Other Topic?
My kids are both studying US history- high school and middle school level- and it is shocking to see how many issues in the late 1800s are still pervasive issues today. We’re living through a particularly dangerous moment for the world, but we’ve been in dangerous times before and wiser people have prevailed. I’m holding on to my optimism, while working hard to see the world as it is, which is the only way to help make it better.
What Does Success Mean To You?
For me success is about having agency, the ability to choose how I spend my time and what I give my attention to and it means having the resources to support other people reach their potential. We’re not supposed to define success in financial terms, but I find that only people with a lot of money pretend that money doesn’t play a role in how they define success. For me, having started out without it, achieving financial stability was an important part of feeling successful.
Christy Fletcher’s Favorites Stack:
Books:
1. Creativity Inc., by Ed Catmull
2. The Captain Class, by Sam Walker (by my husband, but objectively brilliant)
3. Made to Stick, by Chip and Dan Heath
Health & Fitness:
1. Walking
2. LMNT
3. I have a new GoRuck sack I’m going to test out soon.
Brands:
1. Athleta has the best, softest yoga pants
2. Nili Lotan
3. Me + Em for summer clothes
Products:
1. Nespresso
2. Airpods
3. Altoids
Newsletters & Podcasts:
1. Smartless (podcast)
2. CreatorEconomy.so (Peter Yang’s substack)
3. Divinations (by Nathan Bashaw, founder of Every)
Upcoming Vacation Spots:
1. Bermuda
2. Copenhagen
3. Thailand
