Giadha de Carcer Will Mix Business & Pleasure, Then Capture it on Film
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from The Bachelor franchise, it’s that sharing your quest for true love with the general public is a recipe for controversy. So naturally, when Capitol Standard heard about a DC-based tech entrepreneur who is making big plans to find romance without quitting her day job, we knew we needed to hear more.
Last month, Giadha de Carcer raised $30,000 on Kickstarter for the purpose of filming a docu-series, featuring herself as the guinea pig, called Love and Business, 90 Days to Launch.
That’s right – she has 90 days to launch a business, attempt to find Mr. Right, and explore the question many women are asking: do we have to choose between love and our careers, or can we have it all?
Ms. De Carcer spoke to Capitol Standard about this project, which she hopes will start a meaningful conversation about the professional and personal choices we make in the pursuit of balance.
Capitol Standard: You are a “serial entrepreneur” – what does that mean?
Giadha de Carcer: I feel a little bad when people ask what I do and I say I’m a serial entrepreneur, because it can sound a little bit obnoxious. In essence, what it means is that I have launched multiple businesses in various different industries. What really attracts me is the challenge of taking concepts and turning them into viable business propositions. I launched my first business at 17, so I’ve been doing this my whole life.
CS: Your Kickstarter campaign mentioned that you are considering three possible business ventures to launch on the series. How did you come up with the ideas for each, and which business are you going to use?
GDC: Snap + Drag (an app enabling users to visualize how large pieces of furniture will look in a room) was the first idea. I’ve had it in the back of my head for a few years now. Then there’s the idea of franchising the Love & Business docu-series. In order to truly capture a well-rounded dialogue about the issues and experiences of career-driven women starting businesses, we need to do it beyond DC. And then there is the idea we’ve been casually calling “the Puffington Times” which involves selling market data and analytics about the cannabis industry. We will announce what project we are going with on July 9th.
CS: How did you come up with the idea for the series?
GDC: Most of the women I’ve worked with have struggled to balance their professional and personal lives, whether they’re married, single, divorced, with or without kids. I’m 39, single, I think I’m relatively intelligent and successful – and yet I’m having the hardest time in the world succeeding in both love and career. I’d ask other women for advice and they’d all say, “you have to choose.” It kept coming back to this idea that we have to make a choice. I was disheartened. Why do we have to choose? This project was driven by my own personal challenges and ignorance about how to deal with it, and the realization that it’s a struggle so many other women face too.
CS: What kind of reaction did you get from other female entrepreneurs and career women?
GDC: Almost 100 percent of the women I talked to were so excited about it, they were finishing my sentences for me. They were just glad that I was willing to talk about these issues. I was a little embarrassed when I first started talking about it because I felt like I was just talking about my own personal vulnerability. I thought people would say things like “she’s chasing fame” or “she just wants to get on tv” but the moment I opened up about why I was doing this and said that I wanted other women to come on board and talk about their own issues, the response was amazing.
CS: What can viewers expect to see when they sit down to watch one of the episodes? How much focus will be given to the dating and business aspects of the show, respectively?
GDC: Roughly 50 percent of the content will be focused on the issues affecting career-driven women in general: challenges, successes, and lessons learned, both professionally and personally. Twenty-five percent will be about dating and the remaining 25 percent will be entrepreneurial coaching.
CS: How much of this is motivated by personal experience? Have you made any mistakes or had your heart broken in love on account of your business and professional commitments and lifestyle?
GDC: (laughter) Yes! My last relationship ended because the guy said I had to choose between him and my job. And it wasn’t that he was a bad guy – he was actually trying really hard to be there for me – but I was totally immersed in a project and it destroyed my personal life.
CS: What kind of reaction has this idea received from the men in your life?
GDC: My close friends have been very supportive and encouraging. All of my ex-boyfriends supported the Kickstarter campaign, which is pretty funny. There have been some who aren’t so supportive, though. I’ve had people tell me that it’s “bad form” and that its not a topic that needs to be discussed in such an open forum. Someone even said it sounds like public masturbation!
CS: How are you going to find guys to date?
I’m committed to exploring every single option. You’ll see me do speed dating. You’ll see me working with a matchmaker. I’m going to go on blind dates. I’m going to do the restaurant and club scene. I’m going to go to meet-ups. I’m going to do online dating, which I’ve shied away from in the past because I’m a hopeless romantic. I’m going to do it all. I’m literally going to try every single option. I can’t tell you if it’s going to work, but I’m going to give it a shot.
CS: Is there anything in particular that you hope to personally gain from this project?
It sounds a little bit cliché, but to be honest with you, I hope to get validation. Validation that the challenges I’ve gone through weren’t just because I did something wrong. Validation that it really is different and difficult to succeed personally when you feel that you’re identified by what you do professionally. I don’t know if it’s the best answer, but it’s an honest one!
Love and Business, 90 Days to Launch is filming now. Ms. De Carcer plans to license the docu-series to a television network or web channel. View the trailer below.
