Jenn Kriske - Founder of Machines For Freedom
We are continuing to ring in the new year with our first Featured Founder of 2021, Jenn Kriske (she/her/hers), Founder of Machines for Freedom.
Machines for Freedom is the badass, industry’s first, womxn-owned, high-performance cycling apparel company. Not only is Machines leading the way as a womxn-owned company but they are also champions for ALL womxn and using their platform for progress. We had the chance to catch up with Jenn at the end of 2020 and wanted to share her journey and insights to inspire a new year of growth and evolution.
Favorite motto or quote that keeps you inspired?
Less of a motto, and more like a question I ask daily. ”Would my future self be proud of this decision?” I have one life, and there’s no room for regret.
Book(s) that inspire you/your company?
Right now I'm reading a lot of history. I'm interested in the nuances of how we got to the cultural inflection point we are in now and in the lived experiences of people from different backgrounds and perspectives. Isabel Wilkerson's "Caste", Jon Meacham's "The Soul of America", and Ijeoma Oluo's "Mediocre" are on my nightstand right now. Understanding past patterns helps me to stay one step ahead. It helps me to prepare for the worst while not losing sight of vast potential.
Other content, music, anything that is inspiring you right now?
Music is a constant inspiration for me. When I was little, my mom would practice the piano in the room next to mine and I remember laying in bed listening to her play scales over and over again. I remember feeling so soothed and comforted by the sound. Music still has a strong effect on me and can change the mood in the room. I use it to energize me when I need uplifting, or calm me when I need to focus. I keep an ever-evolving Spotify playlist of songs that fulfill me, with genres ranging from Pop and R&B, to 70's classics like the Doobie Brothers. A recent playlist addition is PJ Moron's cover of "How Deep is Your Love", featuring Yebba.
In your personal life, what is one daily practice or habit you have to keep you centered and grounded?
Moving my body regularly. I love to start my day with a light activity that I can do while drinking my morning tea. This usually consists of a walk or a light spin on my trainer (which I moved to my patio during quarantine). The fresh air is the perfect way to collect my thoughts for the day. And as any entrepreneur can attest, days can quickly get away from you. Blocking off time for myself in the morning guarantees that I'm able to get that movement in.
Who or what was the biggest motivator for you when you started your business?
This might sound selfish, but I'm my own biggest motivator. When you are a business owner there are times when you have to make self-sacrificing decisions. Some of my own include not paying myself for several years, giving up my living room to stock product, and my personal life taking a back seat because of promises I’ve made to investors, employees, and collaborators. If you’re not doing it for yourself, resentment starts to brew, and that’s not healthy for anyone.
How do you hope that your company can create a better world?
I am a big believer in ripple effects and focusing on your own sphere of influence. This helps me break huge, unwieldy, issues into manageable, achievable, chunks. Seeing the daily efforts that have gone into business growth over several years has been an exercise in momentum gained through marginal gains. So as soon as I feel overwhelmed by the state of things, I ask myself, “What can I do to create change in my own small corner of the world?” With each of us taking steps - be it an uncomfortable conversation that leads to personal growth and a new perspective, or volunteering at a local organization - we each create a ripple that influences and inspires another. Then that person inspires another, and another, and so on.
Favorite business tools that your company uses?
Slack, Zoom, and Monday are a few of our favs.
Favorite business/leadership podcast?
Brené Brown's Unlocking Us. Running a business means having countless hard conversations, stepping way outside your comfort zone, and sometimes butting heads with people who think differently from you. I find the compassionate and humble way Brené approaches complex problems to be incredibly grounding, and a great exercise in analyzing a situation from various points of view.
What has been the biggest highlight of running your own company?
The community letters, for sure. Stories about how people have felt seen by the industry for the first time, or had clothing they felt confident in for the first time, are near and dear to my heart.
What are your top three goals for your company this year? AND! How can the LWL Community support you in accomplishing them?
We have some big, audacious, goals this year. Namely, expanding our message beyond the cycling community to compete with the big activewear players. Supporting product launches and connecting us to your community, anything that helps our message rise above the noise would be a huge help.