We can all learn from one another’s experiences, and so we present to you: AccelerateHER Cohort Stories! From what we’ve gathered about this amazing group of women who are part of the first cohort of the incubator program offered in partnership between TWU Center for Women Entrepreneurs and Stoke, AccelerateHER, we knew that you need to get to know them too.
Photos provided by Michelle Schodowski
Like many entrepreneurs, Michelle Schodowski sought to solve a problem with her business, one that was near to her passion and profession: connecting emerging professional musicians with high level teachers, no matter their location. The idea for Radda came from her experience studying to become a professional pianist while in the rural Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee but still being able to learn from experts in New York online.
Read on to learn more about her story.
What does a typical work day (or work week) look like for you?
I typically work Monday-Saturday while trying to keep work on Sundays fairly minimal. On top of my startup, I’m also a piano teacher and administrator for an online music school so I begin my week by scheduling all of my set piano lessons and meetings. In between those scheduled events, I like to operate on a flexible schedule to achieve certain goals each day that build up to my bigger goals for the future.
What has your experience as a musician and entrepreneur been like?
There have been many insecurities including imposter syndrome that I’ve had to learn how to overcome. Coming from a musical background, I struggled with the idea that I’d be the right person to start something like this, and I wondered if I would be able to grow into a position to be able to lead people once I start hiring employees.
I spent most of my life in front of the piano, and once I reached high school and college, that would consume 8-10 hours of my day everyday. So becoming an entrepreneur has been challenging for me, but I’m finally starting to feel like I can fully identify as one along with identifying as a musician.
What skills did you already have in your toolkit and what did you have to learn while launching Radda?
I started Radda while I was finishing my MBA in management so I had many valuable skills I took from that program that gave me the confidence to put together a business plan and pursue the idea. I was also very lucky to have one-on-one feedback and support from all of my professors in that program.
It was a very small cohort, and we had a lot of individualized attention from the professors. I even had the opportunity to present my business plan for Radda as one of the projects in my innovation class, and I remember Dr. Audhesh Paswan gave some wonderful insight into the business model. It was also through this program that I learned how to professionally network and pitch.
How did your experience distance learning with musicians from New York while you were in Tennessee affect your business planning with Radda?
My experience with distance learning was really enlightening, especially after the fact when I realized that many people experience the same problem. Rural areas throughout the world typically don’t attract high-level teachers that advanced students need if they want to pursue a career in music. Many students also run into difficulties with networking with college professors unless they have a warm introduction through mutual contacts.
Where did the name Radda come from? What was the inspiration for your logo?
I wanted to create a brand that wasn’t just music specific because I have plans to expand beyond music in the future. I also wanted to center the branding around the idea of “advice” after being described as “the eBay for advice” in a pitch competition. I wanted to create a name that was short, memorable, and unique.
My dad’s side of the family is Polish, and my mom’s side of the family is part German so I thought it would be neat to incorporate those parts of my heritage into the branding. “Rada” in Polish means advice, and “rat” in German also means advice. I added the extra D in Radda because I liked the look of it and it brought up less search results on Google. The mouse logo is a play on words for “rat” in English and German.
What’s your personal and/or professional motto or mantra?
My parents have been my biggest cheerleaders in my musical and professional life, and they’re both very entrepreneurial. Ever since I was little, they have always encouraged me that anything is possible when you fully believe it. They always taught me to never doubt myself because the moment you do is the moment you allow your goals and dreams to not come to fruition. The higher goal can always be achieved despite any changes in the course or challenges along the way.
Also, I always think back to the meeting I had with G. Brint Ryan, the founder of Ryan, LLC, last year. He had just given a huge donation of $30 million to the UNT College of Business, and I was lucky enough to be able to arrange a meeting with him and chat. He gave some great feedback on my business model, but the biggest takeaway from the meeting was his own motto “The greatest risk of all is not taking a risk.” Every time I feel my confidence faltering or I find myself second guessing any big moves in my personal or professional life, I remind myself of that motto and move forward with decisions that I’d typically find terrifying or paralyzing.
How do you get yourself out of a creative rut or writer’s block?
I’ve come to realize that motivation isn’t nearly as powerful as discipline. I really value the amount of discipline my musical studies instilled in me so I think that’s the most important thing to power through these ruts.
Another thing that has helped me a lot recently is letting go of my perfectionism. My perfectionism has been more of an inhibitor than an enabler, and I often find myself putting things off in the past because I didn’t think I’d be able to do it perfectly. This year I’ve allowed myself to become comfortable with less than perfect results as long as I stay consistent with putting out content and continuing to work.
Name a woman, past or present, whom you admire or look up to. Why?
I admire my mom for many different reasons. Just like my dad, she was able to build a successful career and beautiful family while overcoming various obstacles that could have prevented that. I’m eternally grateful for the childhood she gave me, which set me up to achieve success in my own life. I find one of her most recent accomplishments absolutely incredible, which was her first legal thriller novel, The Association. I witnessed her hard work and dedication over several years come to fruition in a beautifully written story that I finished over two days because I couldn’t put it down. Watching her step outside her comfort zone and make her life-long dream of writing a novel come true is very inspiring.
Find Radda online:
