Growing an Audience Through Community Building for Business | A Female Founder Story With Zibby Owens
Dear FoundHer...Real Founder Stories for Women Small Business Owners
Lindsay Pinchuk
4.9 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 20 January 2026
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
When growing an audience feels impossible because your business did not start with a neat plan, this episode is proof you do not need one. Lindsay Pinchuk sits down with Zibby Owens, founder of Zibby Media, for a conversation that is part strategy and part reality check for women building in midlife.
Zibby shares how a personal reset led to a podcast, then events, then a bookstore, then publishing, all by paying attention to what people responded to. These are real founder stories about testing ideas in public, keeping what works, and letting go of what drains the team. If you are leaving corporate or staring down career pivots, you will hear how both women built momentum without pretending it was effortless.
This is also a lesson in community building for business. Zibby explains why bringing people together in real life made it easier to book guests, strengthen partnerships, and keep growing an audience even when algorithms change. Lindsay connects the dots to her own journey bootstrapping a company from $500 to seven figures, selling it, and then building Dear FoundHer into a podcast, a forum, and live events.
They also talk about values and visibility. Zibby reflects on the backlash that can come with speaking publicly and why she chose to keep showing up anyway. If you want growing an audience without burning out, you will leave with practical steps for outreach, clarity on what to stop doing, and a reminder that growing an audience is built one relationship at a time, starting today.
Episode Breakdown:
00:02 Bootstrapping From $500 to Seven Figures and Building Dear FoundHer With Lindsay Pinchuk
03:48 How Zibby Owens Started Zibby Media Without a Business Plan
07:20 Growing an Audience Through Podcasting, Sponsorships, and Consistent Content
09:36 Community Building for Business Through Live Events and Real-Life Connection
14:09 Leaving Corporate After Acquisition and Making a Career Pivot Into Entrepreneurship
19:07 Rebranding and Streamlining a Growing Business With a Clear Mission
25:12 Values-Driven Leadership, Public Visibility, and Backlash After October 7
31:34 Turning Purpose Into Action With a Bestselling Anthology and Ongoing Community Work
37:05 Hiring, Team Building, and the Reality of Monetizing a Media Business
44:41 Practical Advice for First-Time Founders on Feedback, Clarity, and Growing an Audience
Connect with Zibby Owens:
Follow Zibby Publishing on Instagram
Follow Zibby’s Bookshop on Instagram
Follow Totally Booked with Zibby on Instagram
Connect with Lindsay:
Subscribe to The FoundHer Files
Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram
Join us for the Dear FoundHer... Forum Virtual Open House + Networking Event on January 28th to meet other amazing women business owners just like you. RSVP HERE to save yourself a seat, it's free.
Subscribe to The FoundHer Files
Follow Dear FoundHer... on Instagram
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Dear Founder, the podcast for women business owners over 40 who are building their next chapter on their own terms. |
| 0:09.5 | I'm your host, Lindsay Pinchuk, award-winning entrepreneur, community builder, and one of the less than 1% of female founders who have led their company to acquisition. |
| 0:18.4 | I bootstrapped my first business from $500 to seven figures, sold it, |
| 0:22.8 | and learned that success isn't about hype. It's about smart strategy, strong relationships, |
| 0:27.4 | and real support. Deere found her was created for women who are pivoting, rebuilding, scaling, |
| 0:32.8 | and finally betting on themselves. Women who want real conversations, practical advice, and a community |
| 0:38.2 | that actually gets this season of life and business. Each week, I sit down with some of the |
| 0:43.2 | most influential female founders and industry leaders to talk about what it really takes to grow a |
| 0:48.4 | business. The wins, the setbacks, the pivots, and the lessons you can actually use. No fluff, no gatekeeping, |
| 0:55.5 | just what works. You'll find honest conversations, actionable strategy, and a network of women |
| 1:00.4 | building businesses together. This podcast is the heartbeat of the Deer Founder movement. From our live |
| 1:06.0 | events to our online community, the Deer Founder Forum where Women Over 40 come together to grow, connect, |
| 1:12.1 | and stop doing business alone. If you're ready to build a business that fits your life, |
| 1:16.6 | not the other way around, you're in the right place. Welcome to Deer Fountain. |
| 1:24.1 | Welcome back to another episode of Dear Fountain. I'm Lindsay Pinchuk, your host, and today's |
| 1:28.9 | conversation is one I've been waiting a long time to have. My guests and I have been in each other's |
| 1:35.1 | orbit for years, crossing paths at events, following each other's work, cheering each other on |
| 1:40.3 | from a distance. But we'd never actually sat down for a real conversation. |
| 1:45.1 | And in many ways, it feels especially meaningful that we're having it now, just a couple of |
| 1:50.2 | months after Zibi Owens and I were both honored as women to watch by Jewish Women's International. |
| 1:57.5 | Since October 7th, so many Jewish women in leadership, including both of us, have been forced into a level of visibility, responsibility, and courage that we didn't necessarily sign up for, but couldn't step away from. |
| 2:10.9 | And today's guest is someone who didn't just speak up. |
... |
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