The Risk-averse Approach to A Dozen Cousins

When Melissa Ben-Ishay was fired from her advertising job in 2008, she decided to turn to the one thing she knew she could always count on to make her happy—baking. She made 250 cupcakes and sent them into her friend's work the next day. They were such a hit, Melissa and her brother decided to go into business together, and Baked by Melissa was born. For years, Melissa was the chief product officer and the face of the company, while her brother held the position of CEO of the company. And then this happened.

Aishwarya Iyer was living in New York, cooking often, and started thinking about where the fundamental ingredients from her pantry were actually from. She realized she had no idea what good or bad olive oil actually meant, and this led Aishwarya to start looking into a way to source and produce a better olive oil, and she moved to California to meet different farmers and continue her learning. Aishwarya was new to the world of food, but she believed that there was a real opportunity to disrupt the industry with Brightland. And then this happened.

Bryan Edwards and Phil Riportella have been best friends since middle school. After college, the two stayed close, but their careers took them on different paths, and Bryan spent the first part of his career in management consulting. But Bryan had a feeling he would want to start his own business one day, and he knew Phil would be the ideal partner if he ever did—they just needed an idea. And then this happened.

Jamie Banks worked for several major fashion brands, with her longest tenure at Kate Spade as the senior design director for their ready-to-wear collection—and she loved her job. In fact, Jamie figured she’d never leave. But then Jamie’s entire team was laid off during the pandemic, and although she had financial security from her husband’s job, she was wanted to find a job that would fulfill her like her job at Kate Spade did. After a stint in consulting for a swimwear company, Jamie realized that she had the time, know-how, and resources to start her own company, and she found a business partner that she believed would help her succeed. And then this happened.

Ibraheem Basir started his career at General Mills, where he worked on iconic brands like Annie’s and had the opportunity to learn about sourcing and ingredient quality—and that’s when the idea for A Dozen Cousins. Ibraheem wanted to make food that was good for people and that also evoked the same feelings he associated with his childhood. At first, the business was bringing in enough to cover rent, but what Ibraheem really needed was to get into retail. And then this happened.

Eli Weiss grew up among 9 other siblings in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish household without TV, internet, or a secular education. But Eli wanted to break into the “real world.” After moving between New York City and Israel, traveling across Europe on credit card points, getting his high school diploma, and joining different startups, Eli was looking for his next challenge. So he did what any entrepreneurial minded person would—he started his own brand, which aimed to solve men’s hair loss. And then this happened.

When Steph Hon was on a rock climbing trip, she realized there was an opportunity to develop travel capsules that would be more innovative, sustainable, and thoughtful than the traditional single-use plastic containers. But to create the product she wanted to bring to market, it would take years of prototyping. After searching far and wide for an engineer that would make Steph’s dreams a reality, she found one. And then this happened.

Gwen Jimmere was working at Ford motor company and had all the comforts of a cushy, corporate job—until she was laid off. Fortunately, Gwen had already begun working on her own company on the side, and soon after, she launched Naturalicious, a holistic beauty brand with a focus on natural haircare products. As the brand took off, Gwen realized that there was an opportunity to expand by opening a salon. And then this happened.

Amanda Goetz was at the height of her career, but she was finding it difficult to manage her stress and anxiety as a single mother with a high profile job, who was also going through a divorce. Not to mention, the pandemic was in full swing. Amanda wanted to find a self care solution that didn’t require turning to a glass of wine. That’s when she started looking into CBD, and launched House of Wise. And then this happened.

Coming from the tech world and without any experience in fashion or apparel, Melanie Travis wasn’t an obvious choice to become a swimwear designer. But after a long, iterative process to create the “little black dress” of bathing suits, women fell in love with Andie Swim. The only problem? Money was running out, and Melanie realized she would likely have to shut down the business. And then this happened.