In this inspiring episode of Raw and Real Entrepreneurship®, Susan Sly sits down with Tracey Wheeler Noonan, co-founder of Wicked Good Cupcakes, to uncover how a Shark Tank appearance led to a multi-million dollar exit to Hickory Farms. Tracey shares the behind-the-scenes story of landing a deal with Kevin O’Leary, navigating public scrutiny, building a scalable business from a home kitchen, and what life looked like after the acquisition.

She opens up about reinventing herself after divorce, manifesting success through journaling, and how she’s now on a mission to help women over 50 step into their next chapter with confidence, clarity, and purpose.

Whether you're an aspiring founder, navigating a transition, or dreaming of your own big exit, tune in now to get inspired and empowered—don’t miss this episode packed with grit, wisdom, and hard-won insight.

Tracey Wheeler Noonan is a self-made entrepreneur, author, and speaker who turned a home-based cupcake biz into a multimillion-dollar brand. After striking a Shark Tank deal with Kevin O’Leary, her company was acquired by Hickory Farms. Today, she’s a published author and keynote speaker for Inc. Magazine, AT&T, HP, and more—mentoring others through her course, The Cupcake Analogy.

Connect with Tracey:

• LinkedIn: @traceynoonan
• Instagram:@thecupcakeanalogy
• Instagram: @dont_call_me_cupcake
• Website: www.thecupcakeanalogy.com

Susan Sly is the maven behind Raw and Real Entrepreneurship®. An award-winning AI entrepreneur and MIT Sloan alumna, Susan has carved out a niche at the forefront of the AI revolution, earning accolades as a top AI innovator in 2023 and a key figure in real-time AI advancements for 2024. With a storied career that blends rigorous academic insight with astute market strategies, Susan has emerged as a formidable founder, a discerning angel investor, a sought-after speaker, and a venerated voice in the business world. Her insights have graced platforms from CNN to CNBC and been quoted in leading publications like Forbes and MarketWatch. At the helm of the Raw and Real Entrepreneurship® podcast, Susan delivers unvarnished wisdom and strategies, empowering aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned business veterans alike to navigate the challenges of the entrepreneurial landscape with confidence.

Connect With Susan:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepause.ai/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://susansly.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Trusted Partners:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.susansly.com/trustedpartners⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn⁠⁠:⁠⁠⁠@susansly⁠⁠⁠

Could watching a game show inspire the creation of a billion-dollar company? In this episode of Raw and Real Entrepreneurship®, host Susan Sly sits down with Shawn Nelson, founder and CEO of Lovesac, who shares how a lightbulb moment during The Price Is Right led to 27 years of building a public company—through bootstrapping, winning $1 million from Richard Branson on reality TV, surviving Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and navigating four years of furniture recession.

Shawn reveals the one skill every entrepreneur must master (hint: it's not grit), his morning mantra for managing anxiety, and why his mom's seven-word advice saved his business. From executing immediately to maintaining "top ambition with infinite patience," this episode is packed with hard-won wisdom for anyone building something meaningful.

Whether you're bootstrapping, fundraising, or considering your next move, Susan and Shawn's conversation will equip you with practical strategies, actionable insights, and real-world lessons to help you tackle your toughest entrepreneurial challenges.

Meet Shawn D. Nelson - best-selling author, product inventor, and founder & CEO of Lovesac, the billion-dollar, publicly traded furniture disruptor built on one simple but wildly ambitious idea: design better, last longer, grow sustainably.

Shawn’s not a coach, not a consultant - he’s a real founder who’s still in the arena. His 25-year journey from building a joke-sized beanbag in his parents’ basement to leading a public company is full of grit, near-collapse moments, comeback pivots, and hard-earned growth.

Connect with Shawn:

• LinkedIn: @shawndnelson
• Instagram: @shawnoflovesac

Susan Sly is the maven behind Raw and Real Entrepreneurship®. An award-winning AI entrepreneur and MIT Sloan alumna, Susan has carved out a niche at the forefront of the AI revolution, earning accolades as a top AI innovator in 2023 and a key figure in real-time AI advancements for 2024. With a storied career that blends rigorous academic insight with astute market strategies, Susan has emerged as a formidable founder, a discerning angel investor, a sought-after speaker, and a venerated voice in the business world. Her insights have graced platforms from CNN to CNBC and been quoted in leading publications like Forbes and MarketWatch. At the helm of the Raw and Real Entrepreneurship® podcast, Susan delivers unvarnished wisdom and strategies, empowering aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned business veterans alike to navigate the challenges of the entrepreneurial landscape with confidence.

Connect With Susan:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepause.ai/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://susansly.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Trusted Partners:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.susansly.com/trustedpartners⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn⁠⁠:⁠⁠⁠@susansly⁠⁠⁠

What does it take to launch a female-founded brand in 700 Target stores—with no prior CPG experience? In this raw and real conversation, Susan Sly sits down with Amiee LeMaire, founder of ZEYA, the first true innovation in home fragrance since Febreze. Discover how this former Hollywood producer transformed a deeply personal passion for non-toxic, functional fragrance into a fast-growing brand selling out online and thriving in mass retail.

From bootstrapping prototypes and pitching with just a deck, to overcoming investor rejection and navigating supply chain shocks, Amiee breaks down the real story behind ZEYA’s rise. Learn her strategies for pricing a brand-new product category, raising $2M in seed funding, landing a national retail partnership before launch—and how she balances it all while parenting two young kids.

Whether you’re scaling a product, raising capital, or defining your own entrepreneurial journey, this episode delivers tactical insight, unapologetic truth, and a deep reminder: you can build something that changes how people live—and breathe.

Aimee LeMaire is the founder of ZEYA, a clean home fragrance brand now in 700+ Target stores. After a decade in entertainment, she launched ZEYA to offer luxurious, baby-and pet-safe scents that elevate everyday spaces and promote well-being.

Connect with Aimee:

• Website: https://zeyashop.com/
• LinkedIn: @aimee-blank
• LinkedIn: @zeyafragrance
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeyafragrance/

Susan Sly is the maven behind Raw and Real Entrepreneurship®. An award-winning AI entrepreneur and MIT Sloan alumna, Susan has carved out a niche at the forefront of the AI revolution, earning accolades as a top AI innovator in 2023 and a key figure in real-time AI advancements for 2024. With a storied career that blends rigorous academic insight with astute market strategies, Susan has emerged as a formidable founder, a discerning angel investor, a sought-after speaker, and a venerated voice in the business world. Her insights have graced platforms from CNN to CNBC and been quoted in leading publications like Forbes and MarketWatch. At the helm of the Raw and Real Entrepreneurship podcast, Susan delivers unvarnished wisdom and strategies, empowering aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned business veterans alike to navigate the challenges of the entrepreneurial landscape with confidence.

Connect With Susan:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepause.ai/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://susansly.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Trusted Partners:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.susansly.com/trustedpartners⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn⁠⁠:⁠⁠⁠@susansly⁠⁠⁠