Community Highlights: Meet Candy Valentino of Founders Organization

Today we’d like to introduce you to Candy Valentino.

Hi Candy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
Candy started her first successful business right out of high school and has spent the last 23 years as a successful business leader, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.

Candy Valentino is originally from a small, rural north eastern town. Born to teenage parents, she started her first business at 19 years old with no degree, no corporate background, and no money.

She successfully started, scaled, and successfully sold businesses in service, retail, e-commerce, and product manufacturing in addition to creating a vast real estate portfolio as a flipper and investor.

At the age of 26, Candy founded a non-profit charity. Through her success in business, she bought and donated a building to the organization. She leveraged her business connections for support, and after completing renovations, the once community center transformed into a no-kill animal shelter. Since then they have saved thousands of lives and later she expanded the mission by adding a second location and creating a 62 acre farm sanctuary. Candy has been actively involved for the last 15 years, personally raising millions for the charity.

During her two plus decades as an entrepreneur she has been named to Top Business Leaders 40 Under 40, Top 50 Women In Business, 10 People Making a Difference, Top 10 Business Consultants by Yahoo Finance, was the youngest female to receive the Governor’s Award in Entrepreneurship in Pennsylvania and recently named Person of Distinction in Arizona.

She’s been featured and interviewed in numerous TV, radio, magazine and newspaper articles – not only for business and entrepreneurship — but for her advocacy, charity and philanthropic work.

Leveraging her 23 years of experience amassed from creating successful businesses in multiple industries, Candy created Founders Organization. Founders Organization is truly unique as it is built by actual founders and entrepreneurs who are teaching, mentoring and giving back to others from their decades of experience.

With an unmatched business community, focus on business development and entrepreneur education, Founders Organization supports entrepreneurs in their pursuit of growth, scale and ease in their businesses. Being the first of its kind, and led by a female, it’s no wonder why they’ve been dubbed the “disrupter” of the business development space.

www.candyvalentino.com

www.foundersorganization.com

Socials:
FB, IG, TikTok @candyvalentino

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?
Being from a small town to two teenage parents, life was about survival. Dealing with abuse as a little girl, attending a non-traditional “cult like” school and experiencing all the challenges that come along with that, navigating life wasn’t an easy road. Growing up in a time where women were either teachers, nurses or stay at home moms, Candy’s decision of entrepreneurship wasn’t yet common for women, let alone a 19 year old.

Dealing with challenges of a start-up while figuring out how to hire employees and grow a team, Candy was running payroll and working with clients twice her age (and 10x her income) all before she could legally order a drink.

Building a business before the internet certainly had its obstacles, and then learning how to navigate the business landscape with the inclusion of the internet and e-commerce brought it’s own set of hurdles.

But like she always says, “With great challenges, comes great learning”. and “Like steel, strength is forged in the fire”. Candy’s journey thru entrepreneurship, philanthropy and life is a testament to that.

We’ve been impressed with Founders Organization , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Leveraging her 23 years of experience amassed from creating successful businesses in multiple industries, Candy created Founders Organization.

Founders Organization is truly unique as it is built by actual founders and entrepreneurs who are teaching, mentoring and giving back to others from their decades of experience.

We support entrepreneurs throughout their entrepreneurial journey. We have incubator and accelerator programs for beginning and early stage entrepreneurs, core business development groups and masterminds for higher level business owners and founders, as well as individual business consulting services, programs and events.

Most “business” coaching, consulting or mastermind groups online today are led by slick marketers who never actually built a successful business PRIOR to teaching “how to build a business”.

Founders is uniquely different for many reasons. Our mentors, teachers, trainers and speakers are ACTUAL 8, 9, and 10 figure founders and entrepreneurs who built successful businesses and are looking to help, support and give back to others.

With an unmatched business community, focus on business development and entrepreneur education, Founders Organization supports entrepreneurs in their pursuit of growth, scale and ease in their businesses.

Being the first of its kind, and led by a female, it’s no wonder why they’ve been dubbed the “disrupter” of the business development space.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
God — as nothing I have done is of my own doing.

The incredible women who I have been on this journey with – from clients and employees, to friends and mentors. Each of these women taught me so much on how I wanted to show up in the world.

The staff and hundreds of volunteers at my non-profit who share my love and dedication for animals.

My dad Clay for his example of relentless hard work and dedication. Even when he thought my idea was crazy, or would never work — he would still roll up his sleeves to help with what he could — he is one of those dads who knows how to fix anything.

The road of entrepreneurship is tough and it even more difficult when attempted alone. I’m immensely grateful for everyone I’ve met on my journey.

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@candyvalentino.com
• Website: www.candyvalentino.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candyvalentino/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mscandyvalentino/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@candyvalentino?lang=en