Making Data-Empowered Decisions w/ Lucia van den Brink of Increase Conversion Rate

Summary

Lucia Van Den Brink’s entrepreneurial journey began in her childhood backyard, where she organized Pokémon card trading events. That early spirit of creation evolved into her first online shop at the age of 11 and eventually led to founding IncreaseConversionRate.com, a bootstrapped conversion rate optimization (CRO) agency. In this episode, Lucia shares the highs and lows of founding a company, how she balances personal values with business growth, and why helping others find their voice—through data or writing—is central to her mission.

With a background in journalism and a passion for experimentation, Lucia’s path was far from conventional. She discusses how she shifted from traditional jobs into entrepreneurship, how her content on LinkedIn helped organically grow a network, and the lessons she learned from both failure and motherhood. Whether she’s giving away her clients before maternity leave or hiring people smarter than herself, Lucia builds a business that aligns deeply with her personal ethos.

This episode is packed with vulnerable insights for founders navigating uncertainty, self-doubt, and the temptation to scale too fast. Lucia’s story is an invitation to take your time, trust your process, and use data not just to grow companies—but to empower people within them.

Takeaways

1. Early entrepreneurial instincts can foreshadow a future career. Lucia began by organizing Pokémon card trades and building her own webshop at 11.
2. Lucia bootstrapped her CRO agency, starting with organic LinkedIn posts that attracted clients.
3. Conversion rate optimization isn’t just technical—it’s cultural. Lucia emphasizes shifting organizations from top-down decisions to evidence-based, team-empowered experimentation.
4. Her background in journalism helps her decipher attention-grabbing, value-driven content—a key driver of client acquisition.
5. Hiring the right person is tough, especially in a bootstrapped business. Lucia’s first assistant didn’t work out, but she learned to hire for complementary strengths.
6. She gave away all her clients when going on maternity leave, prioritizing personal alignment over business continuity.
7. Coming back from that break proved the resilience of her personal brand and business model.
8. Lucia’s mission is to democratize workplace decision-making by giving everyone—interns included—a voice through data.
9. Building a network doesn’t require cold events. Use your natural strengths—like writing—to form meaningful connections.
10. Therapy and personal growth are indispensable tools in running a business. Founders bring their full selves into their work.

Chapters

• [00:01] Lucia’s entrepreneurial roots
  • Trading Pokémon cards and making clay bracelets sparked her early business curiosity.
• [02:50] What IncreaseConversionRate.com does
  • Lucia explains how her company uses A/B testing and data-driven experimentation to drive growth.
• [04:30] From journalism to CRO
  • She shares how her journalism background helps uncover truths in conversion optimization.
• [05:49] Taking the leap into entrepreneurship
  • Lucia describes leaving traditional jobs and confronting the illusion of stability.
• [08:12] Bootstrapping her business
  • How LinkedIn posts and early client traction allowed her to self-fund and grow.
• [11:27] Building a network through authenticity
  • Lucia discusses how her personal voice—not networking events—drove her reach.
• [15:27] Hiring her first employee
  • The first hire didn’t work out, but Lucia learned how to better assess fit and skills.
• [18:53] Differentiating in a crowded space
  • Why mindset, curiosity, and values make her stand out in the CRO world.
• [21:44] Her biggest bet: maternity leave
  • Lucia paused her business entirely to focus on becoming a mother—then successfully rebuilt.
• [27:31] Staying true to her mission
  • Lucia aims to give underrepresented voices power through data-backed decision-making.
• [31:56] Hiring as a way to empower others
  • Revenue is power, and she uses it to support and elevate people.
• [34:33] Caution for fellow founders
  • The key battle is often internal—growth comes from self-alignment and avoiding over-pushing.
• [36:31] Perception vs. reality on social media
  • She explains how people think she’s everywhere, though she’s extremely intentional.
• [38:41] If she had to start over
  • Lucia would embrace free time, move with ease, and trust that good things will come.
• [41:19] Collecting rejections
  • Her method of aiming for 100 rejections as an aspiring author built resilience for entrepreneurship.
• [43:31] Indispensable tool: therapy
  • Understanding herself has been just as critical as understanding business.