Meet Jaclynn Brennan | CoFounder of Fyli & CEO of Creative Duality

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jaclynn Brennan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jaclynn, what do you attribute your success to?
The biggest factor behind my success boils down to taking big risks, not being afraid to fail, and believing in myself. Taking risks actually takes some practice. You have to have a belief and trust in yourself, and you get better at it over time. Using critical thinking and a mix of following your own intuition is key. As an entrepreneur running a start up, taking big risks becomes part of the DNA. It encourages innovation, opens the doors to new opportunities, and builds courage. I have always bet on myself, I learned to trust myself, and I know there is always a solution for any situation. The next key factor is failing, I’ve failed a lot in my career. I’ve reframed failures into discoveries, they have been my greatest learning lessons. It’s an opportunity for self growth, you have to see things from different perspectives and iterate and keep moving forward.

What should our readers know about your business?
I started my career working in luxury fashion, fine jewelry/accessories. I always loved fashion and how it had the power to inspire confidence and originality. Over the years I found a very strong calling to support the advancement of women and gender equity. I credit a lot of that to working for UNLEASHED, a 501c3 non profit brand who dedicated net profits to girls education. I had so many wonderful women and mentors in my career along the journey who inspired and elevated me. I also made a lot of mistakes and learned along the way which fueled my fire. After joining a tech start up (SaAs B2B tech company) with a few male partners I realized how badly I needed a company of female founders who were going through a similar journey. After meeting my incredible Co-Founder Yanyi Li (aka Summer) at a female founders pitch event at the New York Times we created Fyli. We started it as a passion project because this community was something w both personally needed, and now today we are 8500 women globally and featured on the Forbes Next 1000 list as a top start up to watch.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I currently reside in Austin Texas, and I truly have to say this is one of the most special cities in the US with a lot of magic. The people are incredibly nice, there is a real sense of community, the weather is beautiful, and it has quickly because a new start up hub. Austin has a wonderful food scene (I am a total foodie) and here would be my “must dos” for any one that comes to town:

– Take a walk around Ladybird Lake
– Go Two Stepping on Friday nights 7pm at the White Horse Tavern and take the lesson, it’s so much fun!
– Get a custom hat made and decorated at Murfrais on South Congress Ave
– Pay a visit to Allen Boots

LIVE MUSIC
– the Continental Club
– Stubbs
– Parker Jazz Club
– The skylark lounge
– Gruene Hall

FOOD
BBQ
– Le Barbecue (go at 10:30am and get in line it opens at 11 and gets packed no reservations)
– Lamberts
– **Terry Blacks is my fav

Dinner (need to make reservations)
ABA
J Carver
Red Ash
Simi
Jeffries
Lichas
Neighborhood Sushi

LUNCH or BRUNCH
– snooze for breakfast
– Juniper **best for brunch it’s a 3 course tasting and amazing
– The Peacock in the Austin proper hotel
– Junes all Day
– Chuys *my fav casual Tex mex
– Lazarus * best tacos and brewery
– Central Machine Works * great place to hang during the day

Drinks
– here nor there * my fav speak east make a ressy
– The proper hotel
– Co-Dependent
– Whistlers
– Native Hostel

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I dedicate this shoutout to my team and entire Fyli community. Fylí (pronounced FEE-LEE) which stands for “tribe” is a female mastermind membership community focused on educational masterclasses, accountability, peer-to-peer mentorship, leadership advancement and funding opportunities for early stage female founders. The women within our community motivate me, hold me accountable, inspire me, and pick me up on the days when I feel like I can’t keep going. They each bring something unique and exciting to the table and have become family. I am extremely blessed to wake up and do what I love everyday.

Website: https://fylitribe.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynnbrennan/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaclynnbrennan/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaclynnMaryBrennan

Image Credits
Harrison