Whenever I meet someone who’s got a really cool job, who runs a thriving business, or who has completed an amazing project, I always want to know: “How did you do that?”
I’m always curious to hear the “behind-the-scenes story” — who they emailed, what they said, how they got their first client, how they got their foot in the door — the exact steps that they took to achieve their goal.
HOW DID YOU DO THAT? is an interview series where we get to hear the REAL story behind someone’s success—not the polished, neat and tidy version.
To see a complete list of all the interviews that have been completed to date, head over here.
Name: Meral Arik
Location: San Francisco
Profession: Founding Team Member & Growth Lead at Hello Chava, Founder of DOER Society
Meral Arik is a go-getter in every sense of the word. She is a founding team member and Growth Lead of Hello Chava (B-Corp), a technology startup using AI to power client relationships for solo entrepreneurs. Her popular instagram @my.startuplife is the first of its kind, documenting the day-to-day experiences of a young woman building a tech startup in Silicon Valley.
Meral is also founder of DOER Society, a fast-growing entrepreneurial community for women. She built this active community on the firm belief that real, shared experiences are the best way to improve & scale mentorship.
You are a busy woman. And VERY motivated. You seem to work 24/7. You are working in a startup called Hello Chava and are also the Founder of DOER Society. First things first. Tell us a little about your career path. How did you end up working at Hello Chava? What exactly do you do and are the steps you took to get this job?
I got to where I am today by putting myself out there and taking chances. I started my entrepreneurial endeavors with a dog walking business at 8 years old. Fast forward a decade and I co-founded an events & ticketing company during my time at UCLA. Though that company didn’t go too far, the lessons I learned did— and by the time I decided to shut that company down (towards the end of my junior year), I was more determined than ever to find my way into the startup scene.
I started reaching out to founders/CEOs in the LA area, offering to help them with anything from marketing, business development, and growth/ partnerships to coffee delivery. I was ignored by what felt like hundreds of founders, until one day, I “lucked out”: the CEO of one of Mark Cuban’s companies, Dust (fka Cyber Dust), responded to my cold LinkedIn InMail and the rest was history.
I spent the next year working at Dust, where I learned lessons about building companies that I couldn’t learn in the classroom. Throughout that year, I made sure that on top of working and successfully completing my senior year, I was networking as much as I possibly could. That was the year I met Zac Choi, a brilliant McKinsey alum who was still ideating Hello Chava at the time.
When the time came to make a decision on “what I was doing with my life,” I was almost certain I would start my own company until I took a trip to SF, met up with Zac and his cofounder, Leonard. I fell in love with their vision for Hello Chava, and eagerly agreed to join their team as employee #1. Today, I lead user acquisition and growth at Hello Chava, and I couldn’t be more excited to roll my sleeves up and hustle hard everyday in our quest to make the world a better place.
You started DOER Society in 2017. It is a community of mostly women who share their experiences, learn from each other and grow together. You presently have over 1700 members in your Facebook group. I have noticed that there seems to be a hunger for women to join together in community: coworking centers, Facebook groups, gatherings of all sorts. Was this the motivation behind starting DOER society? Do you have a specific goal for this project? What is it? Where are you at, right now, in terms of reaching that goal?
I built DOER Society because I wholeheartedly believe in the power of community. I’ve seen the crucial role that community (i.e. networking, mentorship) has played in accelerating and enhancing my professional career. I’ve also felt the negative impact of the lack of community that comes with the entrepreneur’s journey.
My goal is to build a positive, friendship-first community that provides massive personal and professional value for entrepreneurial women. We currently have a Facebook group, newsletter, interview series, website, and exclusive member opportunities (like this year’s partnership with Startup Grind, where we brought 55+ female founders to the Startup Grind Global Conference). I’m proud to say we are currently growing our early team and getting some more exciting partnerships together! That said, how DOER Society takes shape over the years will be up to the community. Stay tuned!
Can you share one piece of advice for someone who’s thinking about starting a side project like the DOER society?
Do what you love and play to your strengths. When it’s time to grow, find a team that believes in what you’re doing and complements your strengths.
A lot of things happened in order for you to get the job yu have now. Were there any moments along the journey that felt discouraging, stressful, where you felt worried, or where your attitude went into a negative place? What happened? How did you get your attitude back on track?
My toughest obstacle has always been myself. I constantly dream big and push my limits. Though in many ways this works to my advantage, I also spend a lot of time feeling like I’m not good enough, fast enough, doing enough, etc., as a result.
Whenever I catch myself feeling overwhelmed or in a state of self-doubt, I do a few things to get back on track:
• Give myself credit for what I HAVE done. As an overachiever, it’s important to get in the habit of stepping back and putting things into perspective.
• Prioritize! I often find that my negative feelings stem from trying to do too much at once, while mentally assigning equal importance to every single thing I’m trying to accomplish. I combat these feelings by asking myself the question: “what one or two things MUST I get done today?” This exercise reminds me to focus my time on the tasks that will have the greatest impact- and that I am in control of my work, my life, and my attitude.
• Talk it out with a trusted source. A conversation with a friend, family member, team member, or DOER Society member always does the trick!
You are still so young (23!!) and at the beginning of your career and life journey. So far, so much of what has unfolded for you is part serendipity and part grit. Is this the path you see yourself on 10 years from now? Or do you have other dreams and plans in mind? If you had a crystal ball, what do you see yourself doing in 10 years?
First things first, I see Hello Chava becoming wildly successful. Since we’re an early stage startup, this will require a few more years of fantastic growth – I really believe we’ll get there!
10 years from now, I’d love to find more ways to empower others at scale whether that’s through DOER Society, investing, speaking, etc.
Rapid fire round! (1-2 word answers!!) What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
Business Podcasts
What’s the last TV show or book that you really, really enjoyed?
HBO’s Silicon Valley
Who is your #1 hero?
Zac! (Hello Chava Co-founder)
What’s something you always carry around in your purse or pocket?
Black eyeliner
If someone looked in your fridge right now, what would they see?
Peanut Butter
Do you prefer typing or writing by hand?
Typing
What is your favorite smartphone app?
Hello Chava, of course!
What is one habit you’d like to change?
More exercise
3 THINGS
If you were to sit down with a newly minted college graduate who wants to find work she loves, what are the 3 things you would tell her?
1. NETWORK, network, network.
Put yourself out there, meet with people that inspire you, and stay close to people you want to be like.
2. Give value without expecting anything in return.
There’s good business karma.
3. Fail fast and fail often.
Experiment with different opportunities, and when one doesn’t work out, pick yourself up and go for it again. You have time.
ONE MORE THING…
Do you have “one more quick question” that you’d like to ask Meral? Email me and tell me what you want to know! I might choose your question for my ONE MORE THING… Podcast (Coming soon!!!)
YOUR #1 CAREER GOAL: ACHIEVED
Do you need some encouragement to help you achieve a big, daunting career goal? Would you like to have a career coach/strategist in your corner—feeding you ideas that you’d never considered before, helping you figure out who to contact, and what to say, and checking in to make sure you don’t procrastinate? If so… click here to find out how we can work together. I’d love to coach you!
photos by Sergio Gomez