We celebrated Valentine’s Day by attending fellow friend and entrepreneur, Lori Cheek’s, mobile dating app launch party in New York City. There is so much that could be said about Lori, but we’ll keep it simple: SHE IS AWESOME! Many people know her from her very popular appearance on ABC’s hit show, Shark Tank, but it’s not until you meet her in person that you truly understand just how amazing of an entrepreneur she truly is. Many people watched the famous sharks tell her on national television to give up on her dream of building this business and walk away. In true entrepreneurial spirit, Lori didn’t listen to the sharks (teaching us all NOT to listen when the critics tell us to give up on anything we are so passionate about). Instead, she revamped, reinvented, and relaunched her business in another medium. She left behind her original idea of the dating cards and decided to develop a mobile app (which we LOVE and highly endorse for it’s brilliance and long-term potential).
Lori herself is an inspiring, warm, down to earth, fierce, driven, and very independent women. She also has a great sense of style (see below), as well as a great sense of humor (which you need, as an entrepreneur). What inspires us the most about Lori is her gusto, drive, and ambition. Lori Cheek is one determined woman! She embodies and exudes enough confidence to simultaneously dominate and light up a room. Her persistence, devotion, dedication and passion for her start-up is refreshing and contagious. The first time we met Lori in person, after being internet buddies for awhile, she preached her ‘never give up’ philosophy with such authenticity and sincerity, that we immediately fell in love with her. She also gave us some advice about going after opportunities and accepting opportunities that come our way. She told us to ALWAYS SAY YES. There is so much we as female entrepreneurs can learn from Lori’s spirit and drive. She has been her own publicist and champion since the beginning, landing herself in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Success Magazine, Inc. Magazine, and Forbes Magazine, just to name a few.
Lori Cheek doesn’t sit on her butt and wait for people to notice her, acknowledge her, or even encourage her. She goes out there and throws herself into the center of it all, knowing very well, people may reject her, criticize her, and ignore her. She doesn’t care because she believes in her entrepreneurial journey and her start-up. Her commitment is so inspiring because oftentimes, we (Esendemir Sisters) and other female entrepreneurs end up being made to feel guilty for devoting so much of ourselves to our business and our passions. It was such a pleasure to meet a fierce woman who is just as determined to make things happen for herself as we are.
Lori’s mobile dating app, Cheekd (aptly named after herself), is simple to use and utilizes bluetooth technology to tell you when connections are nearby. It’s a refreshing and interesting take on dating because it acts more like a connector than a ‘let me look at your photo and decide if I want to hook up with you’ app that is the prevalent characteristic trait of other mobile dating apps. The app is beautiful and user-friendly. Here’s to watching Lori Cheek kick butt in the tech world while inspiring other women to go after what they want, never give up, and remain committed to their passions!
P.S. Cheekd is now available for download. Visit Cheekd.com for more info!
6 responses to “Lori Cheek: Founder of Cheekd App”
She is a great woman, I was so happy to hear that she didn’t let the shark tank people ruin her dreams by saying those things. Never let others affect what you want or what your dreams are!
Loved your article, ladies. She is an inspiration to all women!
I remember her from Shark Tank and am really glad that she has done well. I sometimes wonder about a couple of the people on Shark Tank anyway. I believe that there are always many different paths to success. Of course you sisters know that already. Thanks for all of your rather thrilling postings
She is awesome! The first thing I did after reading this was rush to the app site, of course. This is refreshingly different! A huge change from some of the other cat-and-mouse games. This really gives you the change to meet real, live people and feel the vibes first-hand.
Also, what an inspiration. Two words come to mind. One is “courage” and the other is “cheeky.” It’s a fun-loving version of the unstoppable entrepreneur with just a little sassy thrown in. I think I would really like her if we ever met face to face.
Thanks so much for giving us a glimpse into her world and inspiring us to hang in there and live our own dreams!
By the way, that party looked like a lot of fun!
🙂
It is really nice to see you girls are all very pure of heart. I see this because you always showing respect and encouragement toward other women. It so hard to find women like you guys out there, you all very special 🙂 and very down to earth. Nice!!!
LOVE the article……interesting new app…how fun!