Boss Money: Jessica Ruhfus, Founder & CEO, Collabosaurus
Jess Ruhfus is the Founder of Collabosaurus, a marketing platform that match-makes brands for clever collaborations & partnerships. With a background in fashion publicity and marketing education, Jess was frustrated sourcing cool brand partnerships in events, products & social media. So, she launched Collabosaurus in 2015, which has now attracted over 8000+ brands including Porsche, ASOS, Olay, Topshop & one of the largest global retailers in the U.S. Jess won the 2019 B&T 30 Under 30 award in Entrepreneurship, & has spoken for Apple, Vogue, General Assembly, ADMA & The College of Event Management. Jess is here to share with us her money stories and business lessons as a boss lady.
So Jess, tell us a bit about your business. What’s Collabosaurus all about?
Collabosaurus is like a dating site for brands! We connect over 8000 businesses like Microsoft, Marks & Spencer, Bondi Sands & Abe's Bagels for clever collaborations & marketing partnerships.
What inspired you to start your own business?
I was experiencing frustrations around partnerships first-hand. I started my career in fashion PR & then moved into SMB marketing education, where both roles I encountered brand collabs in different forms. I could see the huge upside of partnerships secured successfully, and the potential that was getting missed by so many businesses approaching them haphazardly, or with a 'let's get free stuff' mentality. Tinder was becoming popular & I thought - how great would this be to access brand collaborations?
'Swipe right' for partnerships, if you will - haha!
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
Honestly, I think my 22 year old naivety when I started out played to my advantage. If I had known that building a business would take years and years of near-burnout stress, I probably wouldn't have done it! No regrets!
What's the biggest business money lesson you've learned since starting your business?
There are always impossible-to-predict curveballs!
What's been your biggest financial win as a business owner?
Becoming profitable as a bootstrapped tech company!
What kind of legacy do you wish to create with your business and why?
I want to create a legacy where people see that we're better together. I want to help businesses team up & help each other grow!
What does your business empower you to do?
I certainly don't get paid the big bucks (yet), but I have the freedom and flexibility to work at hours I'm most productive, on work I really love.
Who's in your 'A Team' - that is, your support & advice team?
I have so many incredible people in my corner! I think it's really important to have a mix of friends in business (from a widespread range of industries), & friends NOT in business. For some things, only my business owner friends can relate!
What advice would you give to another lady hoping to start her own business?
Make sure you ADORE the work that you do. It's hard work, but well worth it!
And finally, What are you looking forward to right now?
I'm about to kick off an investment raise for the business that will allow us to scale further internationally & expand our team. I am SO looking forward to that exciting chapter!
Thank you so much for being part of our Boss Money interview series, Jess! We wish you every success in your latest capital raise and can’t wait to see Collabosaurus take over the world! If you would like to get to know Jess better, grow you business through Collabosaurus or maybe even invest in her company you can find her on Linkedin, via the Collabosaurus website, and on social media as @collabosaurus.