In this episode, Lauren Sparks shares her story of founding two businesses, walking away from one of them, and trying to change an industry from the inside. You’ll hear how she went from bank teller to founder of a women-led bank, what she’d tell anyone going into business with other people, and how she continues to empower women in business today.
Topics discussed:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:52) From New York and to Houston
(03:09) Why banking is hard for women
(04:39) The appeal of consulting
(07:18) Starting Third Party Resources
(10:21) Building an all-women team
(12:00) AI’s impact in banking
(13:53) Co-founding Agility Bank
(16:00) Why they struggled to raise $44 million
(17:10) The business plan: a women-owned, women-led bank
(19:23) Why she left the bank
(20:45) Women’s struggle to be taken seriously in business
(26:00) Advice for going into business with others
(28:41) Would she do it again?
(30:07) How she’s helping women and minorities now
(33:30) What makes a successful bank (and where things goes wrong)
(36:46) AI’s impact in banking
Candus Hinderer and Carrie Ferroukhi are the co-founders of Arcus Advisors, a business consulting firm dedicated to helping Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies improve results by optimizing the accounting and finance functions through strategic guidance and practical solutions. For more information and resources, visit Arcus Advisors: https://arcusadvisors.com/home
This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com
