Join us on September 18, 2024, to hear from Virginia Frischkorn and a panel of local tech and CPG founders on the Pivots, Pitfalls & Potential of startups at the Women Who Startup Revival during Denver Startup Week!

Virginia Frischkorn is the Founder and CEO of Partytrick. After graduating from the University of Virginia, she came to Aspen, Colorado, for “a year” to ski bum, fast forward nearly 18 years, and still calls this mountain town home. In the past decade, she has found not one, not two–but five!–event-related businesses that have redefined the industry in headline-garnering ways.

To call Frischkorn an “event planner” doesn’t do her expertise and experience justice. Among her many accolades over the years, she was named one of the top 50 planners in the world by several national publications. She is a “Denver Business Journal 40 under 40” winner, and is an “Event Tech Innovator of the Year” award recipient.

Her latest venture, Partytrick, is a digital platform revolutionizing how events and experiences are planned and executed. Imagine a digital Swiss Army knife for event planning, right in your pocket—that’s Partytrick. It provides everything necessary to create and manage transformative events from start to finish, whether you’re a business hosting a conference, a brand launching a product, or an individual throwing a party.

The platform not only simplifies the entire process but also helps track important data that can be used to measure the success of events, understand what worked well, and make future gatherings even more impactful.

Today, Virginia splits her time between Aspen, Denver, and (most recently) New York City with her two children, Elizabeth (8) and Zach (9), and her Bernese Mountain Dog, Cami. She is a runner, traveler, lover of art and beauty, and an avid reader (well, more so a listener of audio books these days!). Since childhood she’s been on a mission to bring people together in new and memorable ways and has dedicated her career to fostering connection and community, one event or experience at a time.

TARRA sat down with Frischkorn to learn more about what makes her tick and tock in today’s fast-paced tech startup world.

IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO SLEEP, WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH THE EXTRA TIME?

Sleep! What’s that? I don’t sleep much right now… I’m up by 3:30 am nearly 7 days a week, making sure I have time for family, exercise, and building my business. If I had extra time, honestly I’d sleep! But, let’s pretend we live in the future and we’ve somehow cracked the code on sleep, making it unnecessary… knowing me, I’d probably use it to start more businesses. I love building things, pushing myself, disrupting industries, and breaking expectations.

WHAT’S THE TITLE OF YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY?

“Woman”

Every woman is a walking, talking kaleidoscope of her own power. I, for one, am constantly shifting, adapting, and creating memorable moments out of whatever life throws my way. One minute I’m a boardroom barracuda, the next I’m kissing boo-boos or doing face masks with girlfriends.

The word “woman,” for me, is about strength, but not just the “I can bench press my own issues AND yours” kind. It’s the strength to be vulnerable, to fail spectacularly and get back up, to love fiercely, and to change my mind (and maybe the world) without apology.
A woman contains multitudes.

And let’s be real – if I added a subtitle, it would probably be something like “Fueled by Caffeine, Held Together by Dry Shampoo, and Powered by Sheer Audacity.” But that might not fit on the spine.

WHEN YOU NEED INSPIRATION, WHERE DO YOU GO/WHAT DO YOU DO?

 

1. Connection is at the very core of my business, so naturally I find my people. I pick up the phone – (I know, ew, who actually uses the phone for talking anymore?) – and whether I call a family member or a fellow co-founder or a childhood friend, these conversations can snap me out of a rut and leave me feeling recharged.
2. I lace up. I’m a big runner (currently training for my next marathon). There’s something about the rhythm of my feet on the ground and the fresh air that clears my mind and lets the ideas flow.
3. I dive into a good book or podcast. Sometimes, losing myself in someone else’s story helps me find new perspectives for my own.
4. I take my kids on an adventure. I am a big fan of living my life with a beginner’s mindset, and the more I can expose myself to new experiences, the more inspiration I am inviting into my life (and my kids’ lives!).

WHAT’S ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’D GIVE TO OTHER WOMEN LOOKING TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS?

Trust your gut, but verify with data. Your instincts are powerful, but back up your hunches with solid research and numbers – it’s like giving your intuition a power suit and a briefcase.

And build your support network early. Roll yourself up in a burrito of people who believe in you, others who have traveled the road you’re on, others who don’t know anything about entrepreneur life but can make you laugh, and so on. You get my drift. Assemble your own Avengers team.

Remember that perfection is the enemy of progress! Launch, learn, and iterate. You’ll figure it out as you go. Your first attempt might look like a kindergartener’s art project, but Picasso was 5 once, too.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of smart leadership. No one is born knowing everything!
Embrace the chaos. Your business plan will change more often than a teenager’s mood. Roll with it. Flexibility isn’t just for yoga class anymore.

Okay, so maybe that’s more than one piece of advice. ;)

WHAT IS YOUR MOST PERSISTENT INTERNAL DIALOGUE AND WHY?

I am always checking in with myself about how I’m spending my time. I am constantly trying to hack the clock! I have experimented with every single time management method out there–Pomodoro, Pareto, time blocking, the Eisenhower matrix, you name it. As a single mom and entrepreneur, I have to juggle priorities like a circus performer with flaming torches every day. And I want to know for darn sure that I’m making the most impact with the limited time I have–building a secure future for my family and a business I can be proud of that makes the world better, showing up with integrity and compassion in all of my relationships, and teaching my kids to dream big. That’s a lot to fit into 24 hours, so–until I learn how to stretch the space-time continuum…there’s coffee.