MADDIE BREGMAN

I’ve been entrepreneurial for as long as I can remember.

2006

When I was 8 years old, my friends and I set up a rock stand instead of doing the “typical” lemonade stand. I think we made a total of $0.25 from a neighbor who felt bad for us.

2010

My brother and I went door to door asking neighbors if they needed their car washed or lawn mowed. I didn’t own or know how to operate a lawn mower, but I thought that if the time came I could figure it out.

2013

My brother and I started a “newspaper.” We had dreams of it becoming the next LA Times or New York Times. I also started a baking business with the hopes of it becoming the next Sprinkles.

Neither ended up working out.

2014

As YouTube was gaining popularity with creators and influencers, I became obsessed with learning as much as I possibly could about it. While I realized that, unfortunately, I don’t have the ability to become a musician or actor, I could work on the business side.

Soon after, I started a talent management company that worked with musicians and YouTubers.

2017

After watching a car commercial, I started thinking about how companies were marketing to young people and how they aren’t doing it in a way that appeals to us. Around that same time, I realized I’m not a millennial but instead part of an entirely different generation that no one was talking about called Generation Z.

2018

I started GirlZ, a youth marketing consultancy that is focused on helping brands better understand, connect and engage with today’s youth. Since then, I’ve worked with brands like the NFL, Taco Bell, Chipotle, SmileDirectClub and Big Lots.

Publications include Forbes, Digiday and Inc.

2020

I gave a TEDx talk on “The Power of Cold Email.” In it, I talk about how cold emails are how I’ve gotten clients, built relationships and been able to learn from some of the most amazing people in the world.