McGuire Alumni 5 Questions | Lacy Cain ('19)

Lacy Cain founded Wildjoy in May 2019. She is the oldest of six kids and is passionate about mental health and helping others feel better. Growing up in Tucson, she loves Arizona and has always felt so at home here. When she’s not running around the state filming for Wildjoy, she is playing with her two cats, Monet and Jagger, with her long-term partner Ian.

5 Questions with Lacy Cain ('19)

Q. What is most surprising about being an entrepreneur? 

A.  How quickly situations can change and how fast you need to adapt to them! Wildjoy took a big hit with COVID and needed to change our plans very quickly to navigate from a booking platform to a platform that could survive in COVID times. We launched a ton of DIY experiences through our social channels that spearheaded us into what we are today! 

Q. What was the most important lesson you learned in the Entrepreneurship Program? 

A. The best takeaway from the program was the value of networking and how much that can help your business exceed. We went during my year to San Francisco to go network with successful companies and entrepreneurs from the NVD program. I learned SO much about Wildjoy during that week by talking to so many people and hearing their perspectives.

Q. What impact has the Entrepreneurship Program had on your career or life? 

A. It's been everything! It gave me the foundation I needed to launch Wildjoy. I have a 10-year plan that only exists because the NVD had such clear expectations for the kind of company you'd want to build. I am always going back to my lessons on investors, organizational structure, and mentors to ensure I am still on the right path. Without the NVD program, I wouldn't have met Catherine Sharp who has had a huge impact on my business as an advisor and now partner. 

Fun Fact: “I broke my femur doing a jumping picture for my college sorority my first week of senior year.”

Q. What do you consider your biggest entrepreneurial success? 

A. Wildjoy! Wildjoy's social platforms reach 180,000 people and are growing everyday. This is my greatest success yet.

Q. What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs? 

A. Never give up! The only people who win when you quit are the haters. No one can stop you from going for it except yourself. So don't listen to the scary back of your head thoughts and focus on what can I do in this moment to propel myself and my business one step farther.