Today we’d like to introduce you to Pia Beck.
Hi Pia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m the CEO of Curate Well Co. I’m a business consultant and Chief Strategy Officer to our clients. I’m a coffee snob (addict?), believe logistics are a love language and consider building spreadsheets an art form.
My story starts in the tech and startup world with 60+ hour weeks spent sprinting toward big goals, and while I quickly realized that the career I had created wasn’t what I wanted, it was the perfect training ground for what I add to my clients’ businesses today. I knew what I was great at –– creating sustainable organization, grounding the big vision in the details, and building intuitive systems and processes to support growth. I thrived when given the chance to create: to see the big picture and add process, structure, and function, transforming a simple idea into a complex, living system. However, there’s only so much change one can make from within a container built by someone else. So, I set out to build my own business, Curate Well Co., from the ground up.
Today, Curate Well Co. is a consulting and community platform for impact-driven innovators and entrepreneurs who want to catalyze community, build culture, set a new standard, and scale intentionally. I’m here to get in the weeds with our clients: to add structure and business strategy to their deep expertise so they can show up as the leader they are, set a new standard in their industry, and deliver their work to more people in a meaningful way. We serve clients around the world and have grown to a small internal team (our PTO policy and retirement savings plan makes the former HR Manager in me very proud).
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Is it ever?! One of the hardest things about being the owner of a small business is that I play so many different roles — CEO molding our innovative path forward, people manager to my team, integrator of all our departments, consultant to our clients, and leader in our community — not to mention content creator, salesperson, and more! I love that my role is so dynamic, and there are also days/weeks that are draining because my brain has to work in so many different ways.
We’re navigating through our ‘awkward teenage years as a business right now — our initial growth was hard and fast, and for the past six months or so, we’ve been breaking through our current barriers so we can keep growing in ways that feel good.
Building our team has been one struggle. It takes so much vulnerability to enroll others into something that matters so much to you and a ton of trust to release control of certain pieces of the business. Finding the right people who share in the vision for Curate Well Co. has been a (very important!) focus for us so far this year.
Another personal struggle I’ve had this year is with my mental health. So many entrepreneurs struggle in this area, so I think it’s important to talk about. One article I read recently said that almost three quarters of entrepreneurs struggle with mental health, compared to just less than half of non-entrepreneurs. Owning your own business brings up so many opportunities for personal development — it’s completely changed who I am (I’d argue, for the better), but it also comes with a certain amount of loneliness and stress. As someone who has struggled with anxiety and depression throughout my entire life, there have been seasons of business (especially during the pandemic and now, coming out of it) that were challenging for me. It can be hard to show up and lead when you’re going through something, but I’ve also learned that being transparent about it actually creates more connection and belonging in our community.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Curate Well Co. is a consulting and community platform for impact-driven innovators and entrepreneurs who want to set a new standard and scale with intentionality by catalyzing community. Through strategy and structure, custom-curated solutions, and the resources you need to access the right opportunity and extend your reach, we’ll partner with you to execute your vision with ease so you can impact hundreds of thousands of lives. We take a community-based approach to brand- and business-building, love to dig into the data to make big decisions, and believe that women can change the world without wearing makeup.
There are a few things we say to our clients that drive our mission:
You are the first: a true leader in your industry. The expert at what you do, you swerve left while the masses step right.
You are leading your industry forward, building a brand and business bigger than yourself, and paving new paths to bring others along with you.
Your work matters. You deserve to create uniquely and get paid generously, but more than that — the people who will be impacted by you and your work deserve it too.
Your industry is calling for something different — and you are it.
How we’re different? We’re an advocate for deep careers who value people over profit. We’re an anchor for smart decision-makers who want to grow without sacrificing the details. We’re a soapbox for revolutionaries who want to tell a different narrative. We’re a bridge for big visionaries who want to put process behind their purpose. We’re a safe haven for real women who want to change the world without wearing makeup.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
This Is Marketing – Seth Godin Little Black Stretchy Paints – Chip Wilson
Essentialism – Greg McKeown
The Gifts of Imperfection – Brene Brown
Lightyear Leadership – https://www.lightyear.co/
Agile Alliance – https://www.agilealliance.org/resources/podcasts
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://curatewell.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curatewellco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/curatewellco
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurateWellCo
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pia-beck/
Image Credits:
EB Combs (@thedeepwell), shot at Realm (@realmdenver)
