Catalina Lauf reacts to Jerry Evans interview with business update of sister’s company

Last Wednesday night, IL-11 candidate Jerry Evans (R, Warrenville) shined bright during his livestream interview with Chrissi Bretz of Freedom Illinois.

Evans had just nailed a question how, as a business owner of his brick-and-mortar business, he had to fight to keep his business open and employ the dozen employees at the height of the pandemic.

Evans shined as a proven business owner with a quantifiable record of results.

By the time, or shortly after, the Evans livestream interview on Instagram Live had concluded, IL-11 primary rival Catalina Lauf (R, Woodstock) posted the following on her Instagram campaign page.

Timing is everything in politics, and given the timing of this message being posted, one can easily rule out coincidence. Lauf knew she had to put something out on social media because of Evans’ substantive interview;

Transcribed for ease of reading:

“Begin Health is so proud to be in our first brick and mortar stores and heading into some major retailers, soon.

“If you would have asked us two-years ago starting this out at the kitchen table if this is where we’d be… believe me, we could have never imagined. But these words are exactly why we’ve seen the growth we have and we are so thankful for those who have believed in us, the mission and the product.

“None of this could have been done without persistence, passion and grit by our founder Madeline Lauf. Mayyybeee with a little help of the co-founder, too🙋🏻‍♀️😏

“Entrepreneurship is not easy. In fact, it’s HARD. It tests you in every way possible and there have been so many moments when you face challenge after challenge (all entrepreneurs know this!) It’s dark. It’s a lot of rejection. It forces you to pivot, innovate and persevere even through the toughest of times and a lot of uncertainty. But it is WORTH IT!

“You can come from humble beginnings & build ANYTHING you want! If you are startup out there or on a new journey… KEEP GOING! THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY 🎯”

Catalina Lauf Instagram post, 4/13/22, around 8:45ishPM CDT

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Lauf’s work at her older sister Madeline Lauf’s start-up has been discussed on McHenry County Blog before, including this disclosure last fall from Catalina’s Financial Disclosure statement (FD) filed last year:

As pointed out on the blog back in October, it is unknown how much money Catalina actually put into the business. Clearly, Catalina had earned no income through the first 6-7 months she documented being employed with Begin Health, which was included in last year’s FD under Schedule F:

Lauf’s next FD is due for filing with the U.S. House clerk by May 16, so any income paid to Lauf from Begin Health will be disclosed.

Lauf’s formal role with Begin Health began at the first of 2021, and her Instagram post indicated she helped her sister begin planning at the “kitchen table” back in…when?

Per McHenry County Blog‘s article last fall about Lauf’s FD, here is the timeline of the official filing of records forming Begin Health:

• 9/27/18 — Incorporation in the state of Delaware for Pureday Labs, Inc.
• 10/17/18 — Filing with the California secretary of state (CalSOS) of corporate registration with a San Francisco address, with the confirmation of formal incorporation in Delaware. Madeline Lauf (Catalina Lauf’s older sister) listed as the CEO and corporate agent.
• 8/7/20 — Filing of name change to Begin Health, Inc. with CalSOS within the City and County of San Francisco, with confirmation of formal incorporation in Delaware.
• Fall of 2020 — Formal launch of Begin Health, Inc.

In late 2021, Begin Health and founder Madeline Lauf, were featured in Forbes The Next 1000 Entrepreneurs:

“After returning from a business trip to Taiwan, serial entrepreneur Lauf was hit with a series of chronic digestive issues, ultimately resulting in doctors’ recommending a life-long prescription to ease her symptoms.

“Determined to heal herself instead, Lauf discovered the power of a healthy gut microbiome and was inspired to start Begin Health in 2019 as a children’s health company focused on providing digestive support. The company says it has over 2,000 clients and has raised $1.7 million in funding to date.”

In light of Madeline Lauf’s proven success, to the point of being recognized on the prestigious Forbes list, which is earned through merit (not bought), one may have to ask — is the right Lauf running for Congress?

One of the biggest knocks against Catalina Lauf is her lack of life experiences, including success in business in her own name. Madeline Lauf has quantifiable success in business, in her own name.

In a February 8, 2022 feature write-up in The Woodstock Independent, Madeline Lauf’s, who’s 32, life story included her business success after graduating from the University of Chicago in 2012.

The bio says the elder Lauf worked on Wall Street, meaning she lived in the east for a time, worked in San Francisco in 2014, and spent time in Taiwan before returning to San Francisco.

Within a year after graduating UC, Madeline Lauf launched the short-lived ReVolt Electric Bicycle, Inc. and the corporate filing through the Illinois secretary of state’s website is below:

While ReVolt was short-lived, The Independent points out Madeline’s lessons learned which led her to learn about start-ups through living in California and Taiwan.

The potentially chronic health challenges Lauf faced, and overcame, and led her to be inspired to start Begin Health, and the formal recognition of her start-up is another American success story by a proven entrepreneur.

Videos of Madeline Lauf discussing her business, and the challenges of baby nutritional health can be found on YouTube.

Life experiences like these is what younger sister Catalina missing when compared to congressional rivals with proven success in business in IL-11, most notably Jerry Evans.

Evans began teaching music lessons at 18 and the Jerry Evans School of Music is the result of 20 years from solopreneur to business owner, including the brick-and-mortar school where he employs a staff of 12.

And unlike Begin Health which is based in San Francisco (per the documentation above), Evans’ business is based in Wheaton, IL.

As Republican primary voters begin casting ballots for the primary election, starting 4 weeks on May 19, the records of each candidate will need to be evaluated with discernment to determine which Republican will be the best candidate to compete with Congressman Bill Foster (D, Naperville) this fall.

Foster’s business record at age 19, Foster and his younger brother started a business in the 1970s that is now known as Electronic Theater Controls (ETC), Inc. and is still in business today, though Foster sold his interest in the company when he entered politics in 2007.

Still, longevity or size not the point, it’s having the proven record when one claims they’re a small business owner. Discernment of a claim will find proof, and to-date, Catalina Lauf does not have proof she’s a successful entrepreneur, or simply an entrepreneur in the private sector in her own name.