In Conversation with Prue Linehan

Tell us about your background:

I'm an Australian living in Brooklyn, New York, with my husband and our two young boys. Professionally, I've spent my career in marketing, helping leaders in advertising, design, and tech stay ahead. I've always gravitated toward companies with creativity and community at their core, and I'm happiest when I'm building something from the ground up.

People often describe me as a quiet storm who gets things done. My superpower is looking where others aren't. When everyone looks left, I tend to look right. I'm endlessly curious, optimistic by nature, and usually convinced there's a better way to do things if you're willing to ask enough questions.

That mindset led me to start my first company, New New Patch. A few years ago, I found myself repeatedly throwing away perfectly good kids' clothes. Not because they were worn out, but because they were stained, no longer loved, or simply not worth the time and effort required to fix. As a parent, that felt wasteful. As a marketer, I couldn't stop thinking about the problem, so I started exploring solutions.

The idea eventually became Sticker Patches: peel-and-stick fabric patches that instantly cover stains and personalize kids' clothes. What I thought would take a few months turned into a three-year journey of research, development, testing, and persistence. Along the way, plenty of experts told me the product wasn't possible. I wasn't a materials scientist or adhesive engineer, but I kept asking questions, making calls, testing prototypes, and finding people who believed in the vision. We launched three weeks ago, and now the fun can really begin.

Outside of work, I'm a mom who is passionate about sustainability and helping people get more value from the things they already own. I love thrift stores, Facebook Marketplace, community-driven businesses, and creative solutions that challenge consumption for consumption's sake. Some of my favorite weekends involve treasure hunting for secondhand finds, exploring Brooklyn with my family, or connecting with other founders and creatives over coffee.

At this stage in my life, I'm taking an intentional step back from corporate life and designing the life I want. I want to surround myself with thoughtful, ambitious people who are building businesses, careers, and lives they genuinely love and want to sustain. I've found that some of the best opportunities, friendships, and ideas come from generous conversations and unexpected connections. That's what drew me to The Co-Lab, and I'm excited to learn from the community, contribute where I can, and meet others who are building meaningful things.

What do you wish you’d known when you started out?

That expertise is often overrated and persistence is underrated.

When I started building New New Patch, I wasn't a materials scientist, an engineer, or an inventor. I was a marketer with an idea and a problem I couldn't stop thinking about. Plenty of people told me the product wasn't possible, and for a while I assumed they knew something I didn't.

What I eventually learned is that most people are simply speaking from their own experience and limitations. If you're willing to keep asking questions, stay curious, and hear "no" a hundred times, you can often find the one person who says, "Actually, I think we can figure this out."

I also wish I'd known that very few people know what they're doing when they're building something new. The confidence usually comes after you start, not before.

And finally, I'd tell my younger self that the right people matter more than the perfect plan. Almost every meaningful opportunity in my life has come through relationships, generosity, and conversations I didn't expect to lead anywhere.

Best career advice you've ever received?

Don't wait until you feel qualified.

Most of the meaningful things I've done in my career happened before I felt ready. Confidence tends to follow action, not the other way around. If I'd waited until I knew exactly what I was doing, I never would have started a company, invented a product, or launched anything new.

What leadership qualities are important to you?

Curiosity, optimism, and generosity.

I admire leaders who ask questions instead of assuming they have all the answers, who see possibilities where others see obstacles, and who genuinely want the people around them to succeed. The best leaders I've worked with have challenged me, trusted me, and opened doors for others along the way.

What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far?

Becoming a parent, without question.

Having children forced me to rethink everything—how I spend my time, what success looks like, and what I want my life to feel like. Balancing a career, building a business, and raising two boys 10,000 miles from family has been incredibly challenging, but it's also made me more resilient, more efficient, and more purposeful than I ever was before.

How do you define success in your career, and how has that definition evolved over time?

Earlier in my career, I probably defined success by titles, opportunities, and being seen as someone doing great work.

Today, I define success much more simply: freedom, flexibility, and genuine enjoyment. It's having the ability to choose how I spend my time, who I spend it with, and the work I dedicate myself to. It's building a life that feels fulfilling and sustainable, not just impressive on paper.

Ironically, the older I get, the less interested I am in chasing traditional markers of success and the more interested I am in creating a life I genuinely love.

How has networking contributed to your professional growth and success?

Networking has played a huge role in my career, although I've always thought of it more as relationship-building than networking.

Nearly every meaningful opportunity I've had has come through people: a former colleague making an introduction, a client becoming a friend, a conversation leading to an unexpected idea, or someone taking a chance on me before I felt ready.

New New Patch is actually a great example. The product exists because of dozens of conversations with experts, manufacturers, fellow founders, parents, and friends who shared advice, opened doors, and connected me with the right people at the right time.

I've learned that the best networking isn't transactional. It's built on curiosity, generosity, and genuine relationships. When you invest in people and community, opportunities tend to follow.

What are your top networking tips for building strong connections in your industry?

I once read that community is inherently inconvenient. It means making an extra meal for someone, joining the babysitting rotation, showing up when it's not the easiest option.

I think networking is the same.

The strongest professional relationships I've built haven't come from perfectly optimized networking events. They've come from taking the time to grab coffee, making introductions, checking in on people, sharing advice, and staying connected over years.

It's not always efficient, and sometimes it can feel like work. But that's exactly why it matters. Real relationships require investment. In my experience, the people who approach networking with generosity and consistency end up building the strongest communities around them.

Almost every meaningful opportunity in my career has come from those kinds of relationships.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prue-linehan/

Website: https://newnewpatch.com/

Instagram: @newnewpatch