• Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Money & Career
    • SOKO MRKT
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
    • Essence Holiday Gift Guide 2023
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
      • Hair News
      • Natural
      • Relaxed
      • Transitioning
      • Weave
      • 4C
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Money & Career
    • SOKO MRKT
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
    • Essence Holiday Gift Guide 2023
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home • Money & Career

ESSENCE Network: Architect Jean Brownhill Lauer's Blueprint for a Successful Startup

Home is where the heart is and Jean Brownhill Lauer has helped thousands of New York residents create their dream house through her company Sweeten, completing more than $100 million worth of renovation projects. See her success secrets to bringing your dreams to life.
ESSENCE Network: Architect Jean Brownhill Lauer’s Blueprint for a Successful Startup
jean
By Charreah K. Jackson · Updated October 27, 2020

Home is where the heart is and Jean Brownhill Lauer has helped thousands of New York residents create their dream house through her company Sweeten. The online service matches homeowners with Sweeten’s curated contractors, and has completed more than $100 million worth of renovation projects. Lauer spent more than a decade as an architect before launching Sweeten and was one of nine recipients of the 2011 Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. See her success secrets to bringing your dream to life.

Name: Jean Brownhill Lauer

Age: 37

Title: Founder & CEO of Sweeten.com

Location: NYC

Hometown: New London CT

Twitter: @jvbl @The_Sweeten

The gig: I’m the CEO and Founder of Sweeten.com. We’re renovation matchmakers in New York, we find the best general contractor for your renovation project. Every human being has the right to a safe and well-maintained home. Ideally that home would also be custom to you and reflect who you are and what you prioritize. After my husband and I renovated our home in Brooklyn, I realized this was a needed service.

The journey: Luckily I’ve forgotten most of starting my business, but I do know that there were years without a weekend off, a ton of business books read and a lot of tech meet-ups. I went to architecture school and worked in the field for 10 years before starting Sweeten. Growing up I delivered newspapers, shoveled snow, scooped ice cream and other projects to make some cash.

Confession of a Black startup founder: Tech meet-ups can be lonely. However, women like Kathryn Finney and her organization DigitalUndivided.com are making it a lot more inclusive. Also money is everything and nothing. It buys you time and talent, but you can get both without money. Being an entrepreneur means standing by yourself. It can be scary yet exhilarating.

Her biggest lesson learned: It doesn’t matter how you meant what you said, it only matters how people hear it. Employees, investors and customers all hear differently, so think before you speak.

Her secret weapon: Always stand up to make yourself feel stronger. Even if I’m on a conference call, I stand to be more in control and confident.

Her childhood dream job: A vet, until I realized that I’m allergic to most animals.

Her secret superpower: Smiling. I also know every line to The Pharcyde “Passin’ Me By “ and it’s still one of my go to songs.

Her favorite app: This American Life app, I’m totally obsessed. I’ve listened to every single episode, since 1995, in chronological order.

Her beauty fix: Dominican hair salon in downtown Brooklyn. They can get my hair washed and set in an hour. I wouldn’t be able to live or workout without them.

Her life/work juggle: Forget balance, just try and enjoy what you’re doing at all times.

Her theme song: “I’m Different” by 2 Chainz.

TOPICS:  ESSENCE Network
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now