Luminary Member Julie Schechter is the founder of Small Packages, a curated care package company that helps women maintain their friendships by making connection easy and affordable. She is a former lawyer turned entrepreneur. 

How did you get started with your current career path/business journey? 

I'm a former attorney turned serial entrepreneur. I graduated from Harvard Law School and practiced at an international firm (Gibson Dunn) before leaving to pursue an entrepreneurial lifestyle. I first founded fitBallet, a ballet-based fitness business, which ran for 3 years in NYC. I then closed to it to start Small Packages, because I wanted to build a more scalable business that could reach women everywhere, not just those who live in NYC.

What is the most rewarding aspect of what you do? I love being the conduit for other people's love for each other. We handwrite the customer's message to the recipient in the letterpress card that comes with each package, and seeing the kind, uplifting things that women are saying to each other just makes my day every day.

How are you inviting other women to take a seat at the table? Our whole company is based on this principle, which I love. We also work with a lot of small businesses run by women to get the inventory for our boxes. We were the first wholesale contract for our brownie supplier, and we loved being able to help them get their amazing product off the ground.
What impact has Luminary made in your career? Lots of career connections! It's been invaluable.