Everything Was Perfect Until - The Pivot From Hell
Entrepreneur US|September 2022
Many founders pivoted during the pandemic. But not everyone had the FBI show up at their door with guns, take all their money, run them out of town, and turn them into pariahs while they pulled off said pivot. That's what happened to AMY NELSON, founder of The Riveter. This is her story in real time.
LIZ BRODY
Everything Was Perfect Until - The Pivot From Hell

It's 5 a.m. on December 9, 2020, and Amy Nelson is on Zoom in a green camo hoodie, ready for battle.

A week earlier, she'd sent an intriguing email: "Between us," she wrote, "by February I'll have a story of pulling off the world's most amazing pivot...or my company will be at the end of its journey. What a hell of a six months. Dumpster fire is appropriate."

Amy founded The Riveter, which runs coworking spaces for women across the country. At least, that's what it used to do, before the pandemic emptied offices everywhere. In the yesteryear of girlbosseratti, she was the lawyer-turned-founder-the mom with a warm, Midwestern ferocity-hefting law books and diapers, racing through airports in heels to speak on yet another panel. There, she'd expertly julienne gristly issues into precise, debate-worthy points. ("The school system runs on the agrarian calendar, our work system does not," she told a Wall Street Journal video interviewer regarding corporate America's treatment of mothers.) Now, like many founders, she was trying to skid her company into a U-turn as Covid smashed into her carefully laid plans.

Amy wasn't looking for a reporter to cover her pivot-not in its messy early stages, anyway. We'd connected on something else. But when I got her email, it occurred to me that people usually hear about a pivot only after the fact. What would it look like to chronicle one as it goes? How could others gain from seeing this play out in raw, real-time? I proposed that we touch base every week so I could ride shotgun. Maybe there'd be a story. Maybe not.

She responded: "When should we talk?"

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM ENTREPRENEUR USView all
How to Succeed With Gen Z Workers
Entrepreneur US

How to Succeed With Gen Z Workers

People often say that younger employees are different. But are they? We asked six business leaders what they've learned, and how their teams thrive.

time-read
2 mins  |
November - December 2024
There's No Perfect Answer
Entrepreneur US

There's No Perfect Answer

I worked the same job for 19 years. I hated it, but it paid the bills. Then, in 2017, I entertained an exciting but terrifying question: Could I be an entrepreneur? I wasn't sure, so I needed something that felt like a guarantee. I searched for signs that would feel like a big, clear \"yes!\" Instead, what I found was a tarot card deck.

time-read
1 min  |
November - December 2024
10 HOTTEST TRENDS for 2025
Entrepreneur US

10 HOTTEST TRENDS for 2025

Want to buy a brand that buzzes? Here's what to know.

time-read
1 min  |
November - December 2024
BUILD YOUR MONEY MACHINE
Entrepreneur US

BUILD YOUR MONEY MACHINE

A franchise isn't just a franchise. It should be a Money Machine, creating profit even while you're out of the office. Here's how.

time-read
10 mins  |
November - December 2024
The Top Franchises for Veterans
Entrepreneur US

The Top Franchises for Veterans

Are you a military vet looking to become a franchisee, or just want to support a brand that supports the troops? Check out these 150 brands.

time-read
1 min  |
November - December 2024
20 LEADERS WHO ARE DEFINING ENTREPRENEURSHIP TODAY
Entrepreneur US

20 LEADERS WHO ARE DEFINING ENTREPRENEURSHIP TODAY

In a year of disruption, we wanted to know: Whose work will define the years to come? We reviewed hundreds of names and picked 20 leaders across a range of industries and sizes. Meet them on the following pages, and see what it takes to thrive in 2025 and beyond.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November - December 2024
How to Become a Main Street Millionaire
Entrepreneur US

How to Become a Main Street Millionaire

It started when I bought one little laundromat. Now I have a whole portfolio of small local businesses that bring in tens of millions in revenue a year. Here's why following my playbook could be your ticket to financial freedom-and saving America's local small businesses.

time-read
5 mins  |
November - December 2024
Want to Better Serve Your Clients? Become Them.
Entrepreneur US

Want to Better Serve Your Clients? Become Them.

As a designer for brands, starting my own product company gave me a dose of humilityand it changed the way I relate to clients.

time-read
3 mins  |
November - December 2024
I've Been a Publicist for 17 Years.Don't Hire Me.
Entrepreneur US

I've Been a Publicist for 17 Years.Don't Hire Me.

Entrepreneurs often think they need PR. Most don't. Here's why you're probably better off not hiring someone like me.

time-read
5 mins  |
November - December 2024
The CEO's Advice to the MVP
Entrepreneur US

The CEO's Advice to the MVP

Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor knows the formula for a successful launch. NBA champ Jaylen Brown recently launched a shoe and athleisure brand. They have a lot to teach each other.

time-read
7 mins  |
November - December 2024