Ashley Sheble
Special guest
Ashley Sheble is a passionate and results-driven professional with a diverse background in corporate leadership and entrepreneurship. Throughout her career, she has sharpened her abilities as a strategic sales leader. She has successfully expanded strategic partnerships and has been instrumental in enhancing healthcare and technology solutions in the employee benefits and health insurance sectors. Dedicated to helping others and establishing enduring relationships, she is a force to be reckoned with in these industries.
Simultaneously, she has nurtured her entrepreneurial spirit by recently founding and leading AvidFirst. This venture aims to simplify college saving and spending through technology. Its mission is to empower individuals to secure the education they desire, free from the burden of student debt.
Her extensive experience in sales and entrepreneurship synergize well, enabling her to bring innovative strategies and a customer-focused approach to both fields. Always on the lookout for learning opportunities, she is keen to make a positive impact on the industries she is a part of.
Open to networking with like-minded professionals, she is enthusiastic about collaborating, sharing ideas, and exploring potential opportunities. Together, she believes, they can make a meaningful difference.
Ashley Sheble has been a guest on 4 episodes.
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thoughtbot's Incubator Program Mini Season - Episode 04: AvidFirst with Ashley Sheble
November 1st, 2023 | Season 12 | 28 mins 23 secs
Dawn Delatte, Vendela Colavecchio, and Jordyn Bonds interview Ashley Sheble, the Founder of AvidFirst, about her experiences and progress in thoughtbot's Incubator Program, which aims to help founders like Ashley turn an idea into a viable product.
The discussion covers various aspects of the program, including the evolution of the product idea, insights gained from industry conferences, the importance of listening to customers, and the ongoing development of the go-to-market strategy. Everyone emphasizes the value of the Incubator Program in helping founders connect with their market and refine their strategy.
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thoughtbot's Incubator Program Mini Season - Episode 03: AvidFirst with Ashley Sheble
November 1st, 2023 | Season 12 | 23 mins 36 secs
Dawn Delatte and Jordyn Bonds interview Ashley Sheble, the Founder of AvidFirst, about her experiences and progress in thoughtbot's Incubator Program, which aims to help founders like Ashley turn an idea into a viable product.
In the third part of the Mini Incubator Series, they talk about user interviews, data analysis, and prototyping to validate ideas. They emphasize the importance of being open to user signals and adjusting their approach accordingly. They also discuss the upcoming weeks of the program and the goal of refining their story and business strategy.
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thoughtbot's Incubator Program Mini Season - Episode 02: AvidFirst with Ashley Sheble
November 1st, 2023 | Season 12 | 25 mins 20 secs
In this second conversation in this Mini Incubator Series, Dawn Delatte and Jordyn Bonds interview Ashley Sheble, the Founder of AvidFirst, about her experiences and progress in thoughtbot's incubator program. thoughtbot's Incubator Program aims to help founders like Ashley turn an idea into a viable product.
The trio talks about Ashley's experiences and progress in the program. She emphasizes the significance of user research and interviews in shaping product strategy and understanding customer needs. She also highlights the need to narrow their focus to specific customer segments to build a product that resonates with a particular group. Additionally, they discuss the complexities of the FinTech industry and how regulatory considerations are an integral part of their product development process. As they gain more insights, they are transitioning into the prototyping and testing phase to validate their product concepts and messaging.
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thoughtbot's Incubator Program Mini Season - Episode 01: AvidFirst with Ashley Sheble
November 1st, 2023 | Season 12 | 30 mins 38 secs
Lindsey Christensen is back as the Marketing Lead at thoughtbot! She's joined by guests Jordyn Bonds, the Director of Product Strategy at thoughtbot, and Ashley Sheble, a founder currently participating in thoughtbot's eight-week startup incubator, to discuss the multifaceted journey of entrepreneurship.
thoughtbot's Incubator Program aims to help founders like Ashley turn an idea into a viable product. They're currently at the stage of validating assumptions about the problem space and target market. Jordyn introduces a new concept: a project roadmap visualization that includes an "emotions workstream." This is designed to help founders anticipate and navigate the emotional rollercoaster often associated with the early stages of startup development.
Ashley finds the roadmap valuable, especially as it challenges her to examine her ideas from multiple perspectives. She appreciates the one-on-one support from the Incubator team, which complements her own expertise. She also speaks to the liberating aspect of acknowledging emotions in the startup journey, which is especially pertinent for female founders who often face additional challenges like lack of funding.
Jordyn emphasizes the importance of early and continuous customer engagement for product validation and innovation. She encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to talk to potential customers as soon as possible to iterate and learn from these interactions. Jordan and Ashley stress that embracing the logical and emotional aspects of entrepreneurship leads to more effective and grounded decision-making.