Today, we’d like to introduce you to Heather MacKenzie.
Hi Heather, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I was raised in Alpharetta, and after graduating from Chattahoochee High I went on to the University of Notre Dame and then a graduate degree at Northwestern in Chicago. Growing up, divorce was one of those things that you knew about (and people gossiped about), but if anyone talked about it at all, it was about how to lawyer up and “win” against your spouse – without regard to the family as a whole.
It always seemed so… mean. And also like you might be shunned from polite society. This has always stuck with me. I was convinced that the legal world was one of the only things left that truly needed disruption. And people really needed help to navigate how messy uncoupling can be.
Hello, divorce launched in Georgia in late 2023 to bring our kinder, less stressful solution to divorce to my home state. Hello, Divorce is leading the way in transforming the divorce experience, providing a supportive, innovative platform that simplifies the legal complexities of divorce with proprietary software to create all the paperwork you need for the process, plus expert help to get you to your best settlement –– all for about a tenth of the price of hiring a full-representation divorce attorney.
I was particularly interested in launching in Georgia because the process is pretty hard to understand here if you can’t afford to hire an attorney –– or more importantly, if you and your spouse have chosen a path for divorce where you really want to agree on your parenting decisions, asset divide, and support on your own terms.
The secret about the divorce process is that, actually, spouses can pretty much agree on whatever they want in a divorce –– but if each one hires a litigation-focused divorce attorney, the stress, mess, and fighting can be amped up, even on issues where there is already consensus.
If you go to trial and a judge decides for you, you are rolling the dice. And the average cost per person for a divorce attorney is north of $20,000. While Georgia does offer some divorce forms online, there is no comprehensive divorce process available outside of each spouse hiring a divorce attorney – until now.
My team and I wrote software to meet Georgia’s divorce requirements, including forms that aren’t available to the public online. Then, a Hello Divorce specialist works with you to review, file, and serve the forms you need for your divorce. We pair this service with local expert help – including Georgia divorce attorneys, mediators, and divorce finance experts – that you can use when and if you need them at any time throughout your divorce process. We are now live in 14 states and plan to launch in 8 more over the course of 2024.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Startups are never a smooth road! While we’ve been working hard and gotten two rounds of venture funding to expand our business, it still always feels like I work 24/7! (And I do – I write most of our divorce software and also handle many of our free 15-minute divorce information calls because I love understanding what people are worried about in divorce so we can figure out new ways to help).
As a female-founded startup, and just, well, because 2024, the investment world is a little dicey at the moment. We definitely experience different challenges and questions than our all-male startup counterparts do. However, we are confident we will be able to successfully navigate the next funding round.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a startup native and consumer digital transformation expert in e-commerce, strategic content, product development, and brand building. My leadership in these areas led my last startup BestReviews (where I was employee 4) to grow 50x in four years, resulting in a majority acquisition by Tribune Publishing (NYSE: TPCO) in 2018 for $110 million, and a full acquisition by Nexstar (NASDAQ: NXST) in 2020 for $160 million.
After my exit from BestReviews in 2020, I joined Hello Divorce two months into a planned year-long vacation from the start-up world because I was convinced that the legal world is one of the only things left that truly needed disruption. Since my expertise (obsession) is making complex, frustrating processes easier – and even enjoyable – for consumers, I have taken the lead of the product, customer service, marketing, and content teams to not only cover every touch point consumers have with the company but to create true economies of scale.
While getting my Master’s Degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, I pivoted from a traditional news career to join the school’s (then-new) tech and entrepreneurship program, focusing on ways to blend tech and content to build amazing consumer experiences. Even at that early stage, I was cut for the scrappy world of startups – I famously taught herself to code because I wasn’t happy with the clunky WYSIWYG web editors of the early ‘00s – and I took that mindset with her to Hello Divorce.
At Hello Divorce, I relentlessly pursue the goal of gaining and keeping consumer trust. In her first year alone, I led the complete digital transformation of the site, implemented scale through technology and systems across teams, added new products and services that extended the company’s reach, and transformed the approach of not only the legal product but the huge amount of consumer content Hello Divorce provides to users.
I have a B.A. in History and American Studies from the University of Notre Dame and a M.S. in Digital Media from Northwestern University. In 2017, I was chosen to be a member of the prestigious Council of 100 for Executive Leadership at Northwestern, where I help with the philanthropy of the school through mentorship and growth for future women leaders. I am also a relatively decent ukulele, piano, and electric bass player, and have recently taken up improv.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Atlanta holds a special place in my heart, particularly for its vibrant fusion of fashion and food culture. Exploring the city feels like navigating a treasure trove of vintage finds, where each corner reveals a piece of history waiting to be rediscovered. From the eclectic boutiques of Decatur to the chic streets of Virginia Highlands, Atlanta’s fashion scene never fails to inspire with its unique blend of contemporary styles and timeless classics.
And when it comes to food, the culinary offerings in these areas are simply unparalleled. The diverse array of eateries mirrors the city’s rich tapestry of cultures, making dining in Atlanta a journey of exploration and delight. For me, Atlanta isn’t just a city; it’s a sanctuary where my passions for fashion and food converge, leaving me endlessly enchanted and eager to uncover more.
Pricing:
- Fully Supported Divorce – $2,500
- Divorce attorney by the hour – $350
- Mediation by the hour – $300
- Do-it-yourself divorce – $400
Contact Info:
- Website: hellodivorce.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellodivorce/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellodivorce
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hmackenz/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/hellodivorce
