Helping you build a brand that STICKS & resonates with your ideal customers (this fall!)

The Lucy Lab Marketing Accelerator will help 15 founders create their unified brand message, build a brand that sells, and communicate their “why” to their customers.

(An exclusive virtual program brought to you in partnership with GWBC x Her Brand & Co!)

Scholarships are available to certified WBE’s!

Applications close September 10th

Do you feel stuck and confused because you’re missing brand clarity?

Are you wasting money on marketing that doesn’t “work”?

It’s because you don’t have the 4 C’s — without these, your brand is unclear, and it’s hanging by a thread.

“I finally understand what you do.”

I encourage anybody to take this if you’re struggling connecting with your customers. Once you have this information, you can keep it forever and ever, and it helps your customers understand what you do, why you do it, and why they should buy it.”

— Chef Maria Kemp, DEI&B , Pastry Chef, Beyond Decadence

The “4C’s”

In the Lucy Lab, you’ll learn our proprietary “4C Curriculum” that teaches the following:

  • How to clearly COMMUNICATE what you do to your audience.

  • How to gain ongoing CLARITY around your brand positioning and differentiation.

  • How to create CONSISTENT brand experiences everywhere your product/service shows up

  • How to find and target the CUSTOMERS who are primed to buy what you’re selling.

In this program, you’ll learn, step-by-step, how to test and validate your ideas, build a brand that sells, and communicate your “why” to your customers.

Scholarships are available to certified WBE’s!

“Jess and Mari helped me to discover a level of clarity I should have had years ago. What they do is something that can't be done alone, it takes community.

[The Lucy Lab] pulls you to a level of clarity that's necessary to develop into your next level. [It] helps to create a solid foundation for the development of brand collateral, and it makes moving forward with brand completion possible and worthwhile. 

— Aisha Floyd, Founder of CRM Tech Global

You will leave the program with a brand that is market-ready with a clear purpose and vision, and the building blocks to dominate your market.

Scholarships are available to certified WBE’s, apply!

Is your brand set up for success?

77%

of consumers buy from brands who share the same values as them.

Do you know what your brand really stands for? We can help you dig deep to find the values that matter to you and your business the most.

46%

of consumers would pay more for brands that they trust.

Do you know how to create a brand that establishes trust on every platform? We’ll teach you how to leverage your brand’s mission, vision and values to create trust with your ideal customers and increase your revenue.

67%

of consumers say it’s important for brands to provide them with personalized experiences.

In a world where products are commoditized, personalization with your content, customer service and brand messaging is key. We’ll teach you how to hyper-focus on your unique customer so that you can deliver flawless, personalized brand experiences to them everywhere they buy.

You will leave with these guaranteed outcomes:

  • 1. Business Validation

    This is a product/service with a clear offering, customer, and brand.

    There’s no use in building a brand around a broken business. We’ll share tools, tactics and frameworks to help validate your business and ensure you have “product-market fit,” which is a fancy way of saying: an offering people actually want!

  • 2. Customer Clarity

    A firm understanding of who you should market to and who is suited to buy what you’re selling, as well as an understanding of who not to market to.

    You may be losing money, or spending ad dollars inefficiently, if you’re marketing to anyone and everyone. We’ll outline how to find your target market and spend that money wisely.

  • 3. Brand Clarity

    A renewed sense of confidence in your brand aesthetic, your brand voice, and the quality and consistency of your “brand experiences.”

    Once you’ve validated your business and fully defined your customer, it’s time to make sure your brand assets – on social media, in emails, on your website – to help you properly market and speak to your target audience.

  • 4. Personal Accountability

    Tools and tactics you can use to hold yourself accountable, so you can keep momentum and consistently build your brand, even after The Lab is over.

    We don’t promise a silver bullet (and you should be weary of anyone who does), because it doesn’t exist.

    The key to building a bigger and beloved business is dedication and discipline, and we’re here to help you find both!

APPLY

How the program works.

100% virtual, designed just for GWBE’s.

We meet for 2 hours every week, for a total of 10 weeks. You must be committed to the entirety of the program, and weekly cohort meetings are mandatory.

Access to the entire Lucy Lab Curriculum

The curriculum includes video lectures, takeaway assignments, resource links, guides, editable templates and complimentary materials for each module.

Weekly accountability + group coaching

We meet weekly as a cohort every Monday from 5-7pm EST. Accountability is crucial to the success of this program, as program participants greatly benefit from combined learnings of their cohort.

Weekly takeaway assignments + action items

You’ll have takeaway assignments that build off of each other and are designed to help you implement everything you are learning in the program. Your inner over-achiever will be thriving with these fun and engaging assignments!

Jessica Korthuis, your lead mentor, has built and led brand strategies for many incredible brands like TedxWomen, Red Bull, Girls Who Code, Stanford University, and various global-focused organizations. As an accelerator participant, you will receive 2, 60-minute, 1×1 private coaching calls with her, in addition to your time with her leading the weekly group accountability sessions.

Private Coaching + TLC from stellar mentors

Program participants will receive a copy of The Lucy Lab Workbook, a customizable digital guide to help you progress through the program.

The Lucy Lab Workbook

Virtual Demo Day & Pitch Event Panel

We celebrate the end of the program with a live and virtual demo day. This is where program participants will showcase everything they’ve learned in the program with a 3-minute pitch deck presentation of their business. It might sound scary (or almost impossible) to pitch every important aspect of your brand in under 3 minutes, you’ll easily be able to do this by the end of the accelerator! Participants will have approximately 2 weeks to prepare their pitch decks before Demo Day.

Pitch Prep, coaching & mentoring

We bring in guest experts for every cohort that have deep knowledge in marketing, entrepreneurship, pitching, and presenting. All participants will get exclusive mentoring and guidance from this experts.

Important DATES & DETAILS

  • Fall 2024 Cohort Launches:

    • September 16th

  • Applications close:

    • September 10th

  • Cohort runs: 

    • September 16th - November 18th

      • Every Monday 5pm-7pm EST

  • Demo Day Pitch Event:

    • November 22nd

— Stufona Latta, Founder of Bake Your Mark

“I gained crystal-clear clarity on who I was serving and how I would best serve them.”

Jess & Mari provided the clarity, tools, and guidance I needed to take my business to the next level. I learned how to validate my business idea, develop a strong brand that resonated with my ideal customer, and gain crystal-clear clarity on who I was serving and how I would best serve them.

The best part? I was in a supportive community of inspiring female entrepreneurs who faced similar challenges. We learned from each other, celebrated each other's successes, and held each other accountable. This program wasn't just about information; it was about transformation.

If you're a female entrepreneur looking to grow your business, The Lucy Lab is an investment you won't regret. It will give you the tools, the confidence, and the support you need to take your business to the next level.

The curriculum.

This curriculum has been tested repeatedly with founders in all industries and business types. The curriculum is the secret sauce to this program, and is built on our CEO’s 10+ year’s of experience building brands of all sizes. We pull best practices and frameworks that tried-and-true, data-driven, and focused on objective outcomes.

  • A movement that completely transformed how products are built and launched — the Lean Startup teaches you how to objectively look at your business.

    “I don’t know what to prioritize in my business.”

    “How do I know if I’m doing the right thing, right now?”

    The Lean Startup is a simple framework that will help you ditch your inner perfectionist, and create viable solutions that your customers actually want.

    In The Lucy Lab, you’ll learn 11 key Lean Startup principles that will become the fundamental pillars to building and launching your business.

  • Lack of customer clarity is the #1 pitfall for failed brands and marketing strategies. It is imperative that you deeply understand what your customers need and value. Knowing their age range and gender is not enough.

    You’ll learn how to identify, find your ideal customer, and determine if they will actually PAY for your unique solution.

    Part of this process is finding what we call, Product-Market Fit, this is the intersectionality of your unique selling points are, and what your customer actually needs. You will leave this program with a clearly-defined product/market fit that is primed for powerful branding.

  • Building a brand is a series of delicate, deliberate, interconnected steps. These modules will teach you how to build a brand that resonates with your ideal customer and create a brand story that is unique to you and your business.

    We’ll explore your brand values, your mission and vision statements — and you’ll leave with a clear understanding of what makes your brand different than everyone else in your space.

  • A newly added module taught in conjunction with one of our program mentors, the Public Speaking module will teach you everything you need to know about mastering the art of presentation and public speaking. Once you have a brand message that is clear and concise, knowing how to present that message effectively is the key to landing partnerships and closing sales.

  • Pitching is a skill that every entrepreneur must master at some point in their career. Whether it’s pitching to investors, partners, or potential clients — being able to clearly and concisely explain what you do, who you help, how you help them, and why you’re unique is every business’ ultimate goal.

    This module will teach you the basics of pitching, and you’ll get to see and experience real pitches from past Lucy Lab graduates.

Program investment.

The typical cost of the program is $2,950 with a value of over $20K in materials, mentors, support and accountability. 

Scholarships have been provided by generous donors, bringing the founder tuition to $1,000. 

 If selected for the program, a $500 deposit is required. If applicants need scholarship support, they will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  

A special thank you to our program sponsors! More details coming soon.

Program Leads & Mentors

Our mentors and program leaders are second-to-none. They are marketing, communications, branding and entrepreneurial experts who deeply care about our cohort and have offered their brilliance to ensure their success. 

These are just a few of our featured mentors. Each cohort will have a specific selection of mentors.

  • Co-founder & CEO, Her Brand & Co.

    Jessica will be leading you every step of the way, challenging and encouraging you to ask the right questions, she’ll get you out of your comfort zone (quickly!). Jessica makes learning super fun and engaging, she’s your go-to marketing strategist for the entire program.


  • Co-founder & COO, Her Brand & Co.

    Mari handles all operational program efforts and facilitates many of the activities, discussions, breakout rooms, and provides additional program support to help founders clarify their lean experiments, marketing ideas, and launch plans. Mari will help you create, prioritize, and get your brand launched in market.

  • Communication & Public Speaking Expert, Founder of Right Brain Journeys.

    As an award-winning expert in culture and communication, Gino draws upon more than two decades of corporate management/training and academic research/teaching experiences to guide individuals and organizations through a strategic journey of self discovery and awareness.

    Gino will help our Ladies of the Lab prepare to deliver their pitches with power, conviction, and intention. So much of what we communicate happens nonverbally, which is especially difficult to do in the virtual world we are living in now. Gino will help our founders understand the basics of public speaking, and teach our founders how their verbal cues and nonverbal behaviors can persuade the audience to lean-in to pieces of their pitch that matters most.


  • Co-founder and Chief Design Officer,     Hazel

    Since launching Hazel, Aubrey and her team have successfully raised millions in capital. From pitch competitions to landing investors, Aubrey knows exactly what it takes to grow and scale a brand. She received her B.F.A. in Digital Design from the University of Colorado in Denver – and studied Scandinavian design in Copenhagen, Denmark.

    Aubrey is coming back as mentor (she was formally a guest judge for our pitch event!) to mentor our founders on everything they need to know about pitching. She is a pitch pro – and she’ll be mentoring our founders on everything from how to pitch, what should be in the pitch, design best practices for their decks, and much more.

  • Founder of The Lead Method

    Kimberly climbed up the career ladder at very young age, having worked and lived in the Middle East, Africa and Europe, where she founded and sold two companies.

    She mentors our founders on how to develop combining business principles with personal goal setting and execution so their businesses are set up for high-growth and scale.


  • Founder of     Ampersand & Ampersand

    Sarah has spent 18+ years working with global media companies, in-house agencies, design studios, and advertising agencies as a Creative Director and Brand Strategist before jumping into her latest venture — &and&. Sarah is the former Creative Director for The Food Innovation Group, as well as the Former Head of Enterprise Branding Strategy for Condé Nast.

    Sarah mentors our founders on brand positioning, value proposition statements, mission/vision and value statements, and is an excellent sounding board to ensure brands are including inclusive language in their positioning.

    She will help our founders bring truth to their brand positioning statements in ways that rings authentic to them and their visions as founders.

  • Founder of Fundr, co-founder of Black Women Talk Tech

    A four-time entrepreneur, Lauren Washington cofounded and launched Fundr in 2020 with a mission of bringing equal opportunity to the investing world. She has raised millions for her own businesses, and is an expert in fundraising, product-market fit, and brand positioning.

    Lauren mentors our founders on a variety of these topics, and specifically focuses on helping them with their pitch decks for demo day.

Watch past GWBC founders show their stuff!

You can watch a recent video of our Demo Day, where participants pitch their businesses in under 3 minutes to a panel of judges for mentorship and feedback. Watching Demo Day will give you a great idea of what you can expect from the program. 

 FAQs

  • This program is perfect for female founders who already have an existing business and/or idea, and who are focused on getting it launched and in market. You could also be an established business owner who is launching a NEW product/service, which needs to be branded and in-market.

    If you are looking for a program that allows you to DO and TAKE ACTION on your business and brand ideas, then this program is for you!

  • The Lucy Lab is an industry agnostic accelerator program and our curriculum has been proven and vetted to work for service-based companies (B2B, business-to-business), or product-based companies (B2C, business-to-consumer). As long as your business already exists and you have a clearly defined product or service, you should apply!

  • Only 10 founders will be accepted into the each cohort. To ensure we can deep-dive into everyone’s business and maintain the optimal program experience, space is limited. Sometimes we do run multiple cohorts, and there are opportunities to meet the founders from the other group when that happens.

  • Once we have received your application, you have been accepted into the program, and you have paid your tuition or signed up for the payment plan, no refunds will be issued under any circumstances. We understand that rare and extraordinary circumstances do happen, so we will review on a case-by-case basis. If you are not convinced that this program is for you, please consider other programs.

  • Yes. Attendance is mandatory. In this program, each lesson builds on each other, and if you miss the previous session, it is very difficult to catch up to the rest of the cohort. Of course we understand that life gets crazy sometimes, and there can be extenuating circumstances, we ask that you clear your schedule and be ready to dive into the program for the full 8 weeks.

  • We suggest budgeting about 5-7 hours per week. Between our weekly group strategy calls (2 hours), the individual videos, modules, and takeaway assignments, 5-7 hours/week is realistic.

    Some weeks will be more intensive with regards to your tasks than others, this is because launching a brand into market is no small task! We will be here to help you create a plan, set expectations and hold you accountable during the entirety of the program.

  • YES! As long as you are a HB&C Member, you’ll have lifetime access to this program, as well as every other course, workshop and resource available to our community in the HB&C Vault. If you are not an HB&C Member, you will lose access when the program completes.

  • Demo Day is our program “pièce de résistance.” Founders say that Demo Day is one part of the program that they didn’t realize how much would benefit them.

    During Demo Day, you will have 3 minutes to pitch your business and brand story to a panel of judges, where they will be listening for a several key categories. The benefit of this experience is that it gives you the opportunity to wrap up all of your hard work that you’ve done in the program into a concise and clear pitch.

    Everyone with any type of business benefits from having this pitch ready and on-hand when they need it!

Have more questions that we didn’t answer? Don’t be a stranger, and email us at [email protected]