On this episode of The Rundown with Ramon Podcast, Ramon Ray sits down with Elyse Stoltz Dickerson, CEO and co-founder of Eosera, a leading ear care company based in Fort Worth, Texas. Elyse shares her journey from corporate executive to entrepreneur, the creation and rapid growth of Eosera, and her commitment to supporting women founders through a pitch competition and foundation. Together, they discuss pitching, resilience, and building sustainable, profitable businesses.

Watch the full interview here

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Key Points

• Elyse Dickerson is co-founder and CEO of Eosera, an ear care company now in 28,000 stores nationwide.
• After being laid off, she and her co-founder identified a gap in the ear care market and created an at-home earwax solution.
• They won $50,000 at a pitch competition that launched the company and later secured CVS as their first major retail partner.
• Eosera now manufactures its own products in-house, expanding beyond earwax solutions into ear pain relief and more.
• Elyse runs a foundation and pitch competition supporting women entrepreneurs with scalable ideas.
• Her pitching advice: keep it simple, show passion, and practice relentlessly.
• Key lessons in entrepreneurship: learn as you go, ask for help, maintain financial discipline, and aim for profitability.
• She stresses the importance of surrounding yourself with smart mentors and preparing financially for business opportunities.

Elyse Dickerson’s Journey to Eosera

Elyse Stoltz Dickerson began her career at Alcon, a world leader in eye care, where she spent over 13 years building brands and learning the ins and outs of global healthcare products. But in 2015, she suddenly lost her job. What felt devastating at first turned into an opportunity to reinvent herself.

Teaming up with her former colleague Joe, she saw a gap in the ear care market—particularly for at-home treatment of earwax impaction. With persistence, research, and experimentation, they created a solution that dissolved earwax in just 15 minutes, something the market had never seen.

To fund their clinical trial, Elyse entered a Dallas pitch competition with a $50,000 prize. After weeks of practice and refining her message, she delivered the winning pitch. That moment kickstarted Eosera, leading to media attention, investor interest, and eventually a pivotal meeting with CVS.

Breaking Into the Market

Securing retail space is one of the hardest challenges for any new consumer brand. Elyse’s pitch to CVS’s buyer was her “second most important pitch,” and she landed big: not 500 stores, but 8,000 stores nationwide.

That deal put Eosera on the map. Today, the company has expanded into 28,000 stores across the U.S., with a growing product line that includes earwax removal, ear pain relief, and other ear care solutions. Importantly, they manufacture their own products in-house in Fort Worth, ensuring quality and control.

Lessons from the Entrepreneurial Journey

Elyse admits the road wasn’t smooth. From recalls to regulatory hurdles, she learned that mistakes are inevitable—but honesty and transparency with investors, retailers, and customers build trust.

She emphasizes a few key lessons:

• Continuous learning: “If I knew what I had to learn, I might not have started,” she says. Every day required figuring out new aspects of manufacturing, regulation, and finance.
• Asking for help: Joining the Tech Fort Worth incubator gave her critical mentorship and resources.
• Financial discipline: Profitability is essential. Elyse stresses that sustainable businesses must make money early, even if modest.
• Transparency in crisis: A 2020 recall could have sunk them, but openness with partners turned it into a moment of support and resilience.

The Power of Pitching

Elyse is passionate about pitching—both from her own experience and through the pitch competition she now runs for women entrepreneurs. Her advice for founders:

1. Keep it simple – Anyone should be able to repeat your pitch after hearing it once.
2. Show passion – Energy and conviction can sometimes win over even a confusing idea.
3. Practice relentlessly – Natural confidence comes from preparation, not talent alone.

She has seen entrepreneurs succeed when they brought passion, clarity, and sometimes even product samples to judges, making the experience tangible and unforgettable.

Giving Back Through a Foundation

Having built a successful company, Elyse is determined to pay it forward. Through her foundation, she funds women entrepreneurs with scalable, multimillion-dollar potential. Each year, her team increases the prize pool, offering not just money but mentorship and exposure.

Stories like Good Dirt, a mushroom-based soda brand, and Audiolo, an audio tracking system for the film industry, highlight the kind of groundbreaking businesses she champions.

Elyse’s Advice for Entrepreneurs

Speaking to a room of entrepreneurs, Elyse shares these timeless principles:

• Surround yourself with smarter people – mentors and advisors are everywhere, often willing to help for free.
• Get your finances in order early – personal savings create freedom when opportunity strikes.
• Prioritize profitability – sustainable businesses make money, even in the early stages.
• Be resilient and transparent – setbacks happen, but honesty builds trust and longevity.

Summary

Elyse Dickerson’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and responsibility. From losing her corporate job to building Eosera into a national brand, she exemplifies how setbacks can fuel success. Along the way, she’s not only solved real consumer problems but also created opportunities for women entrepreneurs through her foundation and pitch competition.

Her message to entrepreneurs is clear: keep things simple, show up with passion, practice until it feels natural, and build a profitable, sustainable business. Above all, surround yourself with people who lift you higher—and then, pay it forward.