Was there any specific aspect of your time at Georgetown that influenced you to pursue entrepreneurship?

Yes! I took a class called “Learning the Venture” as a junior, and for an assignment, I created a customized skincare company. I was super interested in skincare at the time, so through the Georgetown Retail and Luxury Association, I was able to go to a talk featuring Marla Beck, the founder of Bluemercury. She founded her company here in D.C., and I became fascinated. I went on the Bluemercury site, and they had an open role for a social media internship. I ended up interning there for almost a year and a half. I learned the ins and outs- they had just been acquired by Macy’s. It was phenomenal to learn how to own a retail store, and how to create your own proprietary line of products.

My first job out of college, I worked for Super Coffee, which was founded by one of my friends from school and his brothers. They would actually make the product in the basement of the football house. Really, being at Georgetown and learning about entrepreneurship had a huge impact on me and is a big part of why I am in it today.

What inspired you to create SPRHRA?

I was sitting on my floor my senior year of college and thought, “When are we going to get uniform shorts that actually fit us?” As a member of the Georgetown women’s soccer team, I kept having this thought and wondered how long it would take until a company decided to make them. This was 2014, so other athleisure brands were becoming popular – but nothing was really for women in sports. Women’s sports aren’t leisure. It was annoying because I felt like I had to pick through four bad practice short options that did not feel good on the field. I had experienced significant body image issues that were amplified by my sportswear, and I saw that this really affected my teammates as well. We didn’t feel good in our sportswear. I didn’t start acting on my idea until 2021. I wanted to look and feel like a female athlete, but the current options felt very athleisure and hypersexualized. That’s when I started the first drawings of what would become SPRHRA, and we launched in 2024.

How did you feel when you saw SPRHRA in the Georgetown Bookstore for the first time? What did this mean to you as an alum?

I had this vision two years ago where I thought, “One day my stuff is going to be sold in the bookstore and I’ll know that I made it.” Fast forward a couple of years, I went to the bookstore and it was all happening. However, as an athlete and perfectionist, I was like, “Oh my God, it’s on the back rack, no one is going to see it!” So I went into athlete execution mode to get the stands moved around, and then when I came back again, I could finally be like, “Oh this is so cool.” One thing that I have learned along this journey is that while you should always think about what you could do next, you really need to enjoy where you are in the moment. I think back to a couple years ago when I dreamed of having my products in the bookstore, and thinking that this would mean that I truly made it. Now, I reflect and think how this is so cool and a huge milestone in the path of creating SPRHRA. In the first year that we’re actually on the market, we’re in the bookstore. It was so full circle as someone who had struggled with imposter syndrome at Georgetown.

What does a day in your life look like?

The hardest part of entrepreneurship is knowing what to focus on. Especially in your first years, when you are trying to get the business off the ground, your focus really determines your success. I try to make a structured schedule, since this worked for me in school and sports. I like making a plan in the morning, so I know exactly what I am doing that day. I like to prioritize deep think and deep work in the mornings and try to delay all meetings until 11am.

After that, I try to sell. I am as focused as possible with reaching as many coaches as possible, within our sales strategy. I try to meet with as many of them as I can in-person. Then, the second half of my day is creating proposals for sales. Selling is the most important thing to us right now, so I really need to focus the majority of my time on it. I don’t like telling people what time I start and end in a day because every day in entrepreneurship is so different. Sometimes you need to take two hours away to really think things through. And this is just as much work as grinding at the computer. Likewise, spending two hours with a coach and getting to know them on a personal level is extremely valuable, even though it might not the quickest meeting.

What is the hardest part of your job?

Saying no to opportunities. Sometimes, everything seems so exciting, but you have to think about if it is in line with what you want to do. Sometimes you have to say no to people you would love to work with but are not the right fit for the business. I really have to take a step back with my decisions and think, “How will this move the business forward?”

Another hard decision was moving from Southern California to Washington D.C. I knew I needed to be in D.C., where I could leverage my sports resume from Georgetown. This decision was, and entrepreneurship can be, very lonely. I am so used to being on a team, but when you’re first trying to make it, it’s just yourself. Something that has really helped me with this is the Georgetown Venture Lab, where I can learn from and find camaraderie with many other entrepreneurs. We have a phenomenal Georgetown Entrepreneurship leadership team led by Jeff Reid, who I am so lucky to be supported by.

What is the most fulfilling part of your job?

For sure, when an athlete says they love our products and that it makes them feel good. It’s the whole reason why I started this. Getting sales is awesome, but this positive impact is the best thing that I could ever ask for. Now that more people know the company and want to be a part of our movement to give female athletes the Freedom to Perform, it’s crazy to me because sometimes it still feels like I’m back in my childhood bedroom designing this at night and over the weekend….back when I would dream, “One day this will be something.” Having people come to me and say they want to be a part of this in a formal capacity is crazy to me.

Is there anything you wish more people knew about your industry?

Female athletes, I never have to convince. They immediately resonate with the mission. For people that are in the position to help women in sports, coaches and things like that, I want them to know that the problem we are trying to solve is the same as when you have an important presentation but your pants don’t fit. That’s how female athletes feel every day when they step out uncomfortable in their uniform. I think everyone can relate to how negatively your mindset shifts when you’re wearing something that doesn’t fit. I think this understanding will get people more on board with what we’re doing. We will be coming out with technology to make more perfect-fitting clothing to make women feel amazing when they step out onto the sports field.

How does Georgetown continue to support you as an alumni?

In so many ways! I thought it would just be athletics, but no, it’s also the Georgetown Entrepreneurship community, the McDonough School of Business, the Georgetown University Alumni Association, the women’s groups – Even alumni that I didn’t know existed until I started looking into my network. My entire team is Georgetown. My lawyer is Georgetown, my COO is Georgetown, my CRO is connected to Georgetown…everything is about Georgetown. This school has the best people, and people that actually care about social responsibility in business. Every spoke of the University has been helpful, and I am so grateful. This is why I moved back here, and am building the business here. It feels like coming home.

Finally, what is one piece of advice you would give to any Georgetown student who might be interested in entrepreneurship?

I would say that if you don’t have an idea for what you want to create, go work for a start-up. Leverage the people and resources at Georgetown and alumni who started companies. Go work for one! I knew that I could do what I’m doing now because I saw Super Coffee go through it. The grind that you go through, I already knew that it would be part of the equation. Had I not had that experience, I would’ve never known all of the crazy things you need to do are just part of the process. You go to Georgetown – have assurance and belief in that and in yourself!

Closing notes

If you know of any teams that we could be introduced to, that would be incredible! Any female athlete sports teams, at any level. Our instagram is @sprhra_ and that is where we post a lot of our content. Also, please feel free to find me on LinkedIn. Don’t forget to buy your SPRHRA gear in the Georgetown Bookstore!

Alumni Spotlight: Marina Paul (B’16, G’17), Founder and CEO of SPRHRA