<p>Emily Steele went from running neighborhood revitalization projects in Des Moines, Iowa to building pop-up yoga brands, leading FemCity Des Moines into the most successful chapter in the U.S., and launching her own marketing agency, Love Local. Somewhere along the way, she realized the most powerful marketing tool wasn't a billboard — it was a neighbor telling a neighbor. Now she's the CEO and co-founder of Hummingbirds, a creator economy platform that's turned 40,000+ everyday people into brand ambassadors for companies like Olipop, Goodles, and MUSH — across 40+ cities and counting. Oh, and she raised $13M in venture capital. From Iowa. And never left.</p><p>In this episode, Emily gets into why she started building communities long before she ever called herself an entrepreneur, what it's really like to raise venture capital as two women in the Midwest (hint: 100 conversations for 3 term sheets), why nano creators will outlast AI in the marketing world, how she found co-founder Charise Flynn and why that changed everything, and what it actually looks like to run a 40-person company while raising two young kids. If you've ever felt like you're not in the "right" city or don't have the "right" background to build something big, this one will change your mind.</p><p>Find Hummingbirds:🔗 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://hummingbirds.com">hummingbirds.com</a>📲 @hummingbirdshq</p><p>Find Emily:📲 @emily.steele</p><p>Find Womansplain:📲 @womansplainpod✉️ <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="e-10100-text-link e-10100-overflow-wrap-anywhere encore-internal-color-text-announcement e-10100-text-link--use-focus sc-hCqAmr dqIGgU" href="mailto:[email protected]">⁠</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="e-10100-text-link e-10100-overflow-wrap-anywhere encore-internal-color-text-announcement e-10100-text-link--use-focus sc-hCqAmr dqIGgU" href="mailto:[email protected]">⁠</a></p><p></p>