Happy International Women’s Day! As a platform that was started by a woman, it’s important to us to highlight the accomplishments and voices of female founders near and far.
In honor of the holiday, we spoke with 11 female entrepreneurs to share what they’ve learned since starting their businesses, as a way to provide inspiration to future founders.
“No contribution to society is too small. Do not dim your light to blend in. By letting it shine, you allow others to shine, too.”
– Yemurayi Chinyande, Fintech Specialist + Career Strategist at GirlsAtIt
“Collaborative leadership is the most powerful tool in my founder belt. As a female founder you can sometimes feel as though to secure your stance as the leader that you have to take everything on yourself. It just isn’t the case. We hire the best minds for our businesses for very good reasons. Use their insights to propel your brand even further, it will not diminish your leadership role in anyone’s eyes and both you and your team will be better for it.”
– Natalie Athanasiadis, Founder of Ormi Media
https://www.instagram.com/natalie.athanasiadis/
“Get the best people you can around you – family and friends (carefully) included.”
– Fiona Kearns, Chief Business Psychologist at Kearns Consultancy
www.facebook.com/KearnsConsultancyGlobal | www.instagram.com/KearnsConsultancy | www.twitter.com/Fionafkearns
“It’s important to maintain a sense of wonder and curiosity. To cultivate this, I carve out space to paint and meditate before work. Being a founder has many ups and downs and it would be easy to allow stress to lead the show. Instead, my daily art practice has helped me find creative solutions to the problems I face and remain grounded when things become rocky. I still feel stressed at times, but it’s a lot easier for me to get still and remain curious.”
– Courtney Werner, Co-Founder + CMO of KOYA
“If you have an idea, then go for it. There are so many creative businesses that I have come across on my journey, all run by inspiring women and there is plenty of room for more innovation. Don’t be afraid to try different things and put yourself out there. It’s a cliché, but always do things that will push yourself out of your comfort zone, as that’s when you learn the most. Some things will work, some won’t, and that’s ok. Just keep trying and you’ll find your way.”
– Cristina Donovan, Founder of Bean & Fox
“Confidence is key – working hard to be the best version of yourself coupled with unwavering self belief in what you want to achieve and what role you want makes it much easier to succeed. Stay focused on your dream and you will achieve it.”
– Jenny Knighting, CEO + Founder of Nutcracker Agency
“As a female founder, I’ve learnt not to be afraid of being a rebel, of bucking the trend, speaking up and not feeling like you must follow a conventional path. If you have passion for what you do, every day it will propel you faster and harder in your career.”
– Kathryn Jonas, Founder of Wild & Stone
“I’ve learned that to be successful in business, you firstly need to believe in yourself. Also, don’t be afraid to get help from others – you won’t be successful if you try to do everything yourself, you’ll just burn out. It’s also important to take responsibility for your business and understand all areas of it – make sure you have a plan and goals, and take action to achieve them.”
– Tracey Woods, Founder of Landlord Smart
“One of the most important things I have learned as a female founder is how crucial it is to surround yourself with a support system of other women. By connecting with my peers and having honest discussions, I’ve realized that regardless of industry, as women we are fighting very similar battles. When we are unified and empowering one another, we are stronger.”
– Brianna Socci, Co-Founder + Chief Product Officer of UBERDOC
“Make mistakes. It makes the winning even more enjoyable so don’t be afraid to fail and learn from experience. To err is human, and it is our humanity that breathes creativity and inspiration into any successful enterprise.”
– Dee Gibbs, Founder of Liberty Communications
“Value and prioritize your people. At one time, I was challenged by an unexpected disruption of our revenue and an uncertain future. I decided to invest in our people instead of laying them off, as many leaders may have chosen to do. If we didn’t have enough work to keep everyone employed, we would spend the down time on training and innovation. Fortunately for my company, this was one of the best decisions we could have made. We learned to persevere and focused on growing in other ways. Resulting from this experience, we also learned to diversify our offerings and our client base. Putting my team first has proven to be one of the best lessons I’ve learned in my leadership role so far, as we were able to come out of that disruption stronger than ever.”
– Nancy Smith, President + CEO of Analytic Partners
As you go through this amazing journey called entrepreneurship, you’ll find yourself learning so many new things along the way. Every up and every down is meant to bring you closer to where you are meant to be, and as you keep all of this advice in mind, you’ll find your way on the path to success.
