Dear FoundHer · Episode 356 · June 16, 2026 · 37 min
She Got Adidas to Back an Idea on Paper | Female Founders and Bootstrapping with Odessa Jenkins
Odessa Jenkins built a professional women's tackle football league before anyone believed the market existed. On this episode of Dear FoundHer, host Lindsay Pinchuk talks with Odessa Jenkins, known as OJ, founder and CEO of the Women's National Football Conference. Her story carries a lesson female founders everywhere need to hear. You don't wait for permission to build something new. You describe your vision so clearly the right people see it before a single game is played. That's how OJ won over ten teams and two major sports brands while the league was still an idea on paper. This is the kind of conversation women in business rarely get to hear. OJ worked a full-time job while selling the league. She convinced her wife to leave a corporate career and build alongside her. Bootstrapping kept the lights on for five years and profit didn't arrive until year three. None of those details show up on a TV broadcast, yet every one of them shaped what the WNFC has become. Sixteen teams, 900 athletes, and a championship game airing live on ESPN2. Female founders will recognize themselves in OJ's honesty about startup funding, partnership marketing with brands like Adidas, and the unglamorous work behind a bold mission. Her message cuts through the noise. Ready isn't real. Ask for what you need. Stop choosing the hardest path when an easier one exists. If you're drawn to real founder stories with heart and grit, this episode will stay with you long after you press pause. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Female Founders Who Build Before the Blueprint Exists 03:05 How Odessa Jenkins Started the WNFC 08:26 Getting Adidas and Riddell to Back a League That Didn't Exist Yet 11:13 Bootstrapping, Profit, and the Real Timeline 14:43 How the Public Responded in Year One 22:41 Fan Growth, Streaming Numbers, and National TV 24:53 Flag Football, the Athlete Pipeline, and What's Coming 27:55 Why the Timing Is Right for Women's Sports Right Now 31:17 Championship Weekend at Ford Center 34:28 Three Things Every Woman Starting a Business Needs to Hear Connect with Odessa Jenkins: Follow OJ on Instagram Follow Women's National Football Conference on Instagram Submit your most pressing business questions for our Q+A Substack on Thursday: https://form.jotform.com/260218655668062 Subscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.