Even while she was happily working in corporate, Kayla Rodriguez-Graph knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur, and she was always looking for her big idea.

So when her brother Isaac, a biomedical tissue engineer, told Kayla about a technology he was

studying that could help heal wounds, it was all systems go.

This is a really practical conversation about how to assess a product's viability, how to

pivot when new information emerges, and how to build a life

while you build a business.

Kayla, you have been on my list for a while, so thank you for taking the time to do this.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to have this conversation. I've been looking forward to it.

You grew up with

entrepreneurs in your family. Your grandmother owned a bridal salon in Puerto Rico. What did you

learn watching her? It's really something to be so fortunate to have strong women to look up to in

your life. I consider myself so fortunate to have watched

my grandmother and my other grandmother and my mother really create opportunities for themselves.

And when I was younger and I saw the store and I saw people coming in and out of the store

and there are so much joy in the

bridal business. And what I had associated with what she had done was she made people really

happy. She put happiness out into the world. And for me, that was my first thought of what

business should be. You know, it should be a place that can bring joy to people. And I watched her grow.

I watched her struggle. I watched hurricanes come in and tear down the store. I watched her rebuild.

And I was just so fascinated and so proud of what she accomplished. I knew it wasn't easy for her,

but I took it as an opportunity to carry on the torch. And I felt like it was my duty to do it.

And like a lot of entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship wasn't the first thing that you tried straight out

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