Month: July 2022

Female Founders: Anastasia Sliusari On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman…

Female Founders: Anastasia Sliusari On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Being a female is actually more powerful than we think. When I first started I was shy, especially because most of the business people I interacted with were men and I thought that I had a big disadvantage in being a woman. Later I found out that we have a big advantage. We are women. And that’s our biggest advantage.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of Anastasia Sliusari.

Anastasia Sliusari is a London based Entrepreneur & Businesswoman. She is the founder of a few companies in the tech, financial and advertising space. Since the age of 16, she has been involved with starting, operating and growing profitable businesses. Some of her clients are backed by incubators and firms like Y-Combinator, 500 Startups, Shark Tank, Sequoia Capital, St James P., Morgan Stanley.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

Contrary to most entrepreneurs, I did not aim to have a business nor to be an entrepreneur. It wasn’t my intention whatsoever to start a company, it just happened along my journey. Funnily enough though, I can remember as a kid I had different ideas. One day I wanted to become an astronaut, the next day I wanted to be a professional horse rider and one week later I wanted to form a band… so I believe at this point I did not choose my path, but instead my path chose me. Entrepreneurship and business are all about value creation.

And looking back it is really funny that I have multiple companies today. I remember as a young kid listening to my uncle -specifically- and other adults always talking about business, marketing, banks, and of course without even understanding what they were talking about I hated it.

My main goal as a kid was to enter one of the best universities which I kind of did. I received really great offers for Politics and International Relations which is what I wanted to pursue, but I decided to reject all the offers. I wanted something more that the current educational system -which is broken- could offer.

At the age of 16 years old I started having really bad depression, and I started self harming. Now, for me it is easy to talk about it and I talk about it very openly because I found that sharing it helps other people who experienced the same, but before it wasn’t. It is not something I am proud of, but it is part of my journey and I accept it without hiding it. Nobody noticed anything, not my ‘friends’, the people I used to call friends at the time, nor my family. Some of them are shocked when I tell them what I have been going through and upset because they did not notice.

The same year while going through severe depression I got a job without my mother knowing, just to distract myself a bit. I was teaching kids between 3 and 5 years old horse riding in central Rome since I used to compete. I remember the first day my employer told me I would have been paid 3 euros per hour. That was a shock for me and I remember thinking “so people go through years of education, they spend time, energy and money to be paid nothing?”

I soon realized that University won’t make you rich.

Graduates made approx. £60k-£100k per year. Not enough for what I wanted. Not enough for the lifestyle I wanted. After paying tax on my income, I’d barely have enough to live and I’d be spiraling further into debt. I’d be a house cat forever unless I figured out a mechanism that would allow me to escape.

In my free time I used to read non fiction books. Books such as Think and Grow Rich, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Principles by Ray Dalio, The Intelligent Investor and Money Master the Game. And meditate almost one hour a day.

At 17 I moved to London and before starting university (which I then rejected) I worked for two ultra wealthy families living in some of the most affluent areas of London — Kensington and Chelsea. I worked as a nanny, as a personal assistant and as an au pair.

It did not take long for me to realize that making £2,000 — £6,000 wasn’t lots of money for a city like London. I had ups and downs, more downs than ups but I gained lots of experience thanks to these families. Experiences and knowledge that allowed me to build multiple successful businesses in the advertising, fintech and digital space and move to Kensington myself at the age of 19. In my own house. Funnily enough the first family I worked for lived in High Street Kensington and I remember thinking at the time “I do not want to work here, I want to own this house”.

Sometimes people see me and wonder what I do and how I can afford my lifestyle at such a young age. I often get comments such as ‘She probably has a sugar daddy’ or she has a rich family. It’s really sad that we are in 2022 and people still make those sorts of judgments without even knowing the person.

One of my mentors says that you either start a business out of inspiration or desperation, sure for me it wasn’t inspiration. I had to. And glad I did.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

That’s a great question, and to be honest I don’t have an answer. Every day I have something interesting going on with my business. Every day there are new things that come up.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

For some reason I thought in order to be in business and have success you had to be boring and always dress in black and super professional. Don’t ask me why, I do not know where it came from.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My mother. I am what I am today thanks to my mother. I grew up without a male figure in my life and my mother has always been there for me and supported me along the way. I am really grateful -and will always be so- for the courage she had in letting me go and take my own path when I was only 16. Most parents would never let their children go at such a young age.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?

Fear. I personally believe women are way more perfectionist than men are and it is not something we should always be proud of. I am surrounded by amazing women with great ideas and unbelievable potential but they do not take action. And that is because of fear. There’s this friend I am thinking of right now. She is only one year older than me -a great person- and the ideas she has have so much potential, but for some reason she is not taking action. I understand everyone goes through their own journey but a door won’t open if you don’t go and knock on it.

Women are some of the greatest untapped resources. Right now there are so many brilliant ideas locked up inside the hearts of women, kept closely guarded under lock and key because of systemic conditioning. That’s roughly 50% of the population who have been conditioned to keep their mouths shut.

I truly believe that now is our time. More than ever. We are needed. Every single one of us.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

Women like us who are already in business should push a bit more for younger women to join, and show them that there’s nothing to be afraid of. Business is a space crowded by men and I thought they were the reason why there are so few women. Let me tell you that it is in fact the opposite. I sincerely believe that in business there are so few women because the women who are already at the top are very keen to keep their power, and with the first competitor they see, they are willing to destroy them.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

Because women have equal power. We can and we should. Why not?

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

There are so many. One of them is that you need money to start a business. Not true. In my opinion you need to know how to leverage two things. OP and OPM means other people and other people’s money. That’s it.

And the second one is that some people believe that if you create a good product then you will be able to sell it, not true at all. First, go and ask the marketplace what they want, then you sell and build the actual product comes last. Most startup companies fail because they build products that have zero need and products that people do not want. They spend huge sums in R&D (research and development) and then nobody buys.

Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?

Yes and no. What I mean by that is that you should become a founder and fund something only if you are passionate about it. If you follow your passions then yes, every woman can be a founder because I believe that every woman has passions. Whether it is cooking, flowers, dogs or art doesn’t really matter as long as they are passionate about it. Coming back to the woman I mentioned earlier, she founded a media agency months ago but was struggling and then closed it and got a job. That’s because she wasn’t following her true passion. Now, as far as I know she is educating herself a bit more on coding, NFTs, the metaverse, DeFi and I truly believe that she will crush it because it is her real passion.

OK, super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

It is simple, but not easy. What I mean by this is that everyone nowadays can Google how to start a business, how to be a millionaire etc. We live in the information era and there’s so much information out there, all you need to do is look for it or ask around. But more information isn’t necessarily a good thing. Furthemore, it takes so much more than that. Teachers, for example, have a lot of knowledge yet are some of the lowest paid people out there. It takes a specific type of information, a specific type of person, passion, persistence and faith in what you are doing.

Age does not matter. When I started I was afraid that people wouldn’t take me seriously because of my age. This was not true at all. They were actually impressed and open to helping. I got my first clients at 16 or 17 I believe.

Being a female is actually more powerful than we think. When I first started I was shy, especially because most of the business people I interacted with were men and I thought that I had a big disadvantage in being a woman. Later I found out that we have a big advantage. We are women. And that’s our biggest advantage.

You can change direction to get to your goal. Keep only in mind the big picture and do not get caught up in the small details. The path does not really matter, what does is the destination. As the saying goes, ‘all roads lead to Rome’.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

First of all, I do not believe I have achieved any success yet. I am at the beginning of my journey. But one thing I am doing is charitable work and supporting different initiatives including female empowerment, environmental change and recently I have been helping in giving support to refugees from Afghanistan.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I’d love to see more young females funding and building companies, sharing their ideas and raising their voices. Girl, take risks!

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

Anna Wintour. I’d like to get some of her wisdom over a breakfast at The Ritz in London. Perhaps in my dreams?

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Female Founders: Anastasia Sliusari On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Dr Tony Daloisio: 5 Things Anyone Can Do To Optimize Their Mental Wellness

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Get a clear sense of who you are by looking in the mirror and asking other people for feedback. Ask and answer the question “how am I really showing up in life, what’s working for me and what’s not working?” Be honest with yourself. Ask people how they see you and how they think and talk about you when you’re not with them. One of the ways that I do this with my clients is to ask him to share three stories about themselves the first story is their public persona how they like to be seen in the world. The second story is the story of their private life how they think and feel inside of themselves in their most quiet moments. The third story is the future story who is it that they want to be what are their values what is your sense of mission and purpose in life.

As a part of my series about the “5 Things Anyone Can Do To Optimize Their Mental Wellness”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Tony Daloisio.

Tony Daloisio is an organizational psychologist, Professor, CEO and author of two books in the field. He works with CEO’s and executive teams as an advisor regarding leadership, strategy implementation, team building and culture change. His books include: Change the Way you Change and The Journeyman Life, both available on Amazon and other booksellers.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

I have always been fascinated with leadership, and how organizational change takes place. The more that I worked with leaders I continued to find that the real key to their success was their own level of personal development and self-awareness. I too have been passionate about personal self-development, and it worked hard on both the inside personal skills for myself and the outer more interpersonal skills to be as effective as a person and leader as I can be. I have come to find out that there are three key areas that are highly correlated with optimal mental health and leadership: The first area involves an in depth understanding of your core operating system as an individual. This operating system originates from your early attachment maps and views of the world and becomes your core beliefs that operate repeatedly over your life producing specific results. The second area is related to the skills and behaviors in your in your relative self-awareness of those skills and behaviors I called that an operating system for your life. The third area that seems to have the biggest impact on optimal mental health we could call spiritual or a sense of meaning in your life and knowledge of your core values or mission in life. I have dedicated my career to the teaching and research and application of these three areas to optimal mental health and overall leadership effectiveness in life.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

In one of my projects helping a major newspaper to evolve itself to keep current with the changing times, I found that until the leader decides to change his/herself, nothing changes. I worked with one leader who I coached through that journey of self-discovery and when he was right with himself, everything changed in the business and the newspaper achieved great success ever sense that moment.

Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?

I was so uncomfortable pricing my consulting work initially, I think it is difficult to put a price on your head! The lesson is that we have to “own” our own value and put it out in the world. If we don’t value ourselves, how can anyone else?

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My dear friend Jonathan, was my teacher and guide, early in my career, he and I learned so much about organizational consulting processes and success through trial and error. Working with a partner and giving and receiving feedback is critical always to success, and you must constantly nurture and feed the relationship and never take it for granted. He and I had a difficult time around a business venture that turned out poorly and he turned away from our relationship and I have always regretted this. The lesson is to cherish these friendships and know that the building of trust is sacred.

What advice would you suggest to your colleagues in your industry to thrive and avoid burnout?

Focus on your values and schedule your life to have balance in all areas, don’t wait for the “white water” of the daily life to take over your life. You must be strong and have standards that are based on those values. As an example, I have always managed my schedule and keep it tight to my own self and care and feed my needs first.

What advice would you give to other leaders about how to create a fantastic work culture?

Get in touch, ask, listen to everyone in the organization to find out who they are and what is important to them in life and at work! Get to know them personally. Relationships that are based on trust and care trump anything else. Research shows that folks at work need three things to feel that their work and culture is meaningful, a sense of purpose, a standard of excellence and a feeling of belonging!

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the focus of our interview. Mental health is often looked at in binary terms; those who are healthy and those who have mental illness. The truth, however, is that mental wellness is a huge spectrum. Even those who are “mentally healthy” can still improve their mental wellness. From your experience or research, what are five steps that each of us can take to improve or optimize our mental wellness. Can you please share a story or example for each?

Get a clear sense of who you are by looking in the mirror and asking other people for feedback. Ask and answer the question “how am I really showing up in life, what’s working for me and what’s not working?” Be honest with yourself. Ask people how they see you and how they think and talk about you when you’re not with them. One of the ways that I do this with my clients is to ask him to share three stories about themselves the first story is their public persona how they like to be seen in the world. The second story is the story of their private life how they think and feel inside of themselves in their most quiet moments. The third story is the future story who is it that they want to be what are their values what is your sense of mission and purpose in life.
The second step is it critical one it involves searching and understanding the origins of your core beliefs and what I call a core operating system. What are some of the driving forces in your life both on the positive side the values and sense of meaning in your life, and on the negative side the reactive part of you that generates from your voices inside a few that drive a lot of your behavior. Those voices often come from some core fears or beliefs that you have in your life that are not always effective.
The third step involves upgrading your skills and mindset and involves learning, reading, reflection, journaling and “big talk conversations” with others around meaningful topics about yourself, life, relationships and relating in general. In my recent book, The Journeyman Life, I discuss this step as the inner skills and the outer skills of life effectiveness. The inner skills are things like self-awareness, self-regulation, mindfulness, and the ability to choose effective paths in making decisions. The outer skills include having a growth mindset having a positive self-image and having effective communication skills. The idea here is that you can’t expect to have positive mental health unless we work on improving ourselves in these critical areas of our life on a day-to-day basis.
The 4th step it involves upgrading your operating system. Your operating system is how you leave your day-to-day life. This means that you must be very aware of moments of truth in your life that otherwise would cause you to be reactive and say or do things that you would regret. This involves a 3-step process of awareness of feelings or activation, a pause with breath and then a conscious note to yourself to respond based on values, listening, showing care for the other and digging deeply into what is right to do and how to keep open and loving in the situation.
The last step for your optimal mental health is to give back to others, to help another, be in the stewardship of others less fortunate. I know that this sounds a bit strange but the idea of taking care of another and giving back to humanity maybe one of the most effective ways to help yourself to gain some self-respect and increase your health.

How about teens and pre-teens. Are there any specific new ideas you would suggest for teens and pre-teens to optimize their mental wellness?

Read inspirational books, autobiographies of great lives of people and spend time focusing on your own values in life, and what is important to you.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story?

Yes, for sure, the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

You cannot lead others at a higher level than you are leading yourself! Source unknown. It certainly has been critical in my own life and noticing how critical it is to leaders in trying to change their organizations for the better. I find for myself, that when I change and grow my relationships and by surround changes for the better.

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?

www.thejourneymanlife.com or www.changethewayyouchange.com

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

Thank you and the same to all of your readers.

Dr Tony Daloisio: 5 Things Anyone Can Do To Optimize Their Mental Wellness was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Chabeli De Sousa of Akalia On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a…

Female Founders: Chabeli De Sousa of Akalia On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

I love to see the overnight success stories and instant gratification needs out there. All myths, things take time and effort. If you are not willing to put the work in, don’t even try.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Chabeli De Sousa.

Chabeli founded Akalia in 2019 with a purpose to also become a social movement. Akalia donates a portion of its proceeds to non-profit organizations in Venezuela. Chabeli graduated from the University of Miami and graduated with majors in economics, marketing and management.

I didn’t study fashion or have a fashion background; however, I was always a merchant and grew up watching my family doing the same. At the age of 8, I thought selling Coca Cola to people at their house doorstep was a cool idea because it was summer and people were thirsty. After trying my chances with the marketing world and bank industry, I ended up doing fashion with a cause. And what a good idea it was.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

The idea that you inspire people you don’t even know is simply amazing. I am not talking about egos here by the way! Sometimes on those days when you are not sure if you are doing everything right to get to the goal and everything seems a little off, someone may ask you how you got there and how you built something from scratch. I think that’s beautiful. Helping others fulfill their dreams from your experience and sharing what worked for you. I remember being in the middle of a shoot when another founder came to me and told me “ I’m so proud of you.” I started crying because sometimes you don’t even notice how far you are getting.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I was such a perfectionist that I didn’t talk about my business to anyone. I was ashamed that it was still (and is) a work in progress. And that’s a big mistake. Be proud of your work regardless of how much is left to do, you never know who is watching you.

Sometimes I get stuck on small details, and I fear a lot. I would say both my dad and boyfriend encouraged me to remember fear is only four letters. Also, I love constructive criticism.

Pretty simple: stereotypes. As a woman, it is very hard to explain to the world that you can handle many roles at the same time. Also, there is this false idea that you need to choose between one thing and another. There are no black and whites only. Take me as an example, I have always enjoyed being a merchant. If someone comes to me and puts me in a box and tells me that I will be baking banana bread all day from now on and devote myself to the kitchen and cleaning, I’d simply “die” out of sadness. I don’t enjoy that, I’d rather work and pay for someone that’s better than me to help me out. It’s very healthy for all individuals to stick to those small things that make them happy and set their soul on fire. Priorities change during every stage of your life. There will always be time for everything just in different proportions. Maybe you won’t be able to run 10k, work, and attend your daughter’s performance on the same day at the same proportions so you simply adjust the proportion. Long story short: be straightforward about who you are and what you want, ask questions, and establish limits. The same idea holding women back from founding companies is the same one holding back men from showing feelings and thinking they are less of a man if they change a diaper. It’s very illogical specifically when it comes to family, a shared responsibility.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

Yes, for me every change starts with society. A simple change would be to stop using the terms, “girl boss“ or “badass independent woman.” Think about it, you are asking for freedom and equality and you are already putting these female supremacy terms out there. We are all capable of running a business. It’s not rocket science if you really enjoy it and have consistency.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

If you like the highs and lows of having a business, then go all out. Follow your passion, the ones that won’t support you are not meant to be there.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

I love to see the overnight success stories and instant gratification needs out there. All myths, things take time and effort. If you are not willing to put the work in, don’t even try.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with a regular job. If you like it and feel it gives you peace of mind, do it. If you are hungry enough to pursue different things, do it. Just please don’t think the paycheck will come if you don’t show up.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Get a credit line (always needed).
Don’t spend more than what you can afford.
Take calculated risks but take them. It will set you apart.
Don’t compare your business, focus on your customer.
Make sure you know what your goals are. You won’t lack direction.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

I don’t think I already made it! However, I do help around 45 families in Venezuela by donating medical supplies and food. It’s my home country, there is also an emotional attachment there.

I would try to make people feel comfortable about sharing their lows on their businesses. People think everything is perfect and compare your journey to others. I would make a “raw movement.“

As cliche as it sounds I would love to speak with Carolina Herrera, a well-known fashion designer from Venezuela based in NYC.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Female Founders: Chabeli De Sousa of Akalia On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Jennifer Kennedy of HoneyBug On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as…

Female Founders: Jennifer Kennedy of HoneyBug On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Don’t delegate what’s important. Once a day I hear “you should delegate that” when working on the things within my wheelhouse — Product & Marketing. We expect founders to only focus on the “Big Picture” and rely on others to accomplish important consumer facing goals. It doesn’t matter how big or small you are, nothing is more important to a start-up than generating sales and making your customer happy. Don’t delegate that responsibility, stay in the weeds, stay hands on, talk to your customers, make the sale. Those who say otherwise are simply wrong.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing HoneyBug.

HoneyBug is a children’s essentials and gifting retailer, founded by Jennifer Kennedy in San Diego, CA.

Whether you are buying for your child, or gifting to someone else’s, HoneyBug is reinventing how you shop for kids. HoneyBug celebrates the joy of getting and gifting baby essentials through extraordinary convenience, comprehensive selection and a personalized buying experience that helps you make the right choices every step of the way. With thousands of the hottest baby and kids’ items around, moms can find new gems, stock up on old favorites and explore the magical world of motherhood, one milestone at a time.

HoneyBug is known for celebrating all of life’s little (and big) moments. From every holiday to celebrating moments like being “Promoted to Big Sibling” or a “First Birthday.” Whether you are getting ready for a baby shower, birthday, holiday, or other celebration, HoneyBug’s unique children’s gifts will always put a smile on your loved one’s face, because HoneyBug believes it “Takes More Than a Village, It Takes a Hive.”

Buy all your children’s essentials and gifts at www.shophoneybug.com

I grew up in San Diego, CA about 10 minutes from the Southern Border. My father was a SWAT Officer, and my mother was a Librarian at low-income elementary school. My mother is Mexican, and our heritage and culture are a huge part of who I am.

My whole life I was the kid who couldn’t listen but had the ability to create and imagine. After struggling in a traditional school model, my parents moved me into a Creative & Performing Arts school in 4th grade which ended up being one of the most pivotal moments in my life. Even as early as high school I knew that I wanted to do something in business and was drawn to Marketing, but I truly can’t say I gave it much thought other than “it felt right”. Following my intuition became a defining characteristic of my personality, so after giving it very little thought I applied and got accepted to San Diego State University. I ended up being one of the early recipients of an Integrated Marketing & Communication specialization from the College of Business. IMC focused on what was a newly developing concept that unifying all your marketing efforts helps create a stronger brand. Of course, now that’s just a given, but back then it was a cutting-edge concept as the digital space — including social media — was just appearing on the scene in a real way.

After graduating, I had this notion that “success” looked like working at a big brand that garnered respect from my peers or my community. While I quickly achieved success in my career, becoming the Chief Product & Innovation Officer at a multi-billion-dollar brand before I was 35, I always felt like something was missing. In 2019 after having my two children, and working full time, I started building HoneyBug as simply a creative outlet. One year later, HoneyBug started to show some promise, and as many others did during COVID I embraced the Great Resignation making the leap to a Full Time Founder & CEO — and truly have never looked back.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

The most interesting thing that has happened to me since starting the brand has been the evolution of becoming a true CEO. I had been an executive leader for so many years so didn’t expect the level of growth that would come as I evolved into the position. There is a level of confidence that comes with facing new challenges every day and knowing you can survive them.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that? Oh man, I might be too deep in to see anything funny about the mistakes right now… but… I am obsessive about finding a lesson in each of them. One of the biggest mistakes I made early on was we were ALWAYS running out of things. Our supply chain processes were terrible. We have over 2,000 items customers can choose from to create their own custom Baby Gift Boxes, and it was like a game of Wack a Mole when it came to inventory. Something would arrive and we’d realized we were missing something else. I ordered the wrong items — or — didn’t order enough — or ordered too much of things we didn’t need. Packaging, product, shipping labels, you name it, we ran out of it. We finally implemented systems that improved our logistics, but it truly was comical how bad it was at times.

Absolutely my husband. Being a Founder is hard, being a female founder and mother is even harder. I was working full time, starting this brand, trying not miss any important moments with my kids and neglecting myself. You underestimate how much starting a company is a family decision, it takes on a life of its own, so without my husband supporting this crazy dream I would have stopped years ago. You need something cheering you on.

According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?

This is truly a fantastic question that hits home with me. While much of it is based on the things we already know — funding sources not being readily available to women, the stress of balancing family life — for me the biggest reason is that we treat business ideas Women have as “hobbies” or “side hustles” where we treat business ideas Men have as viable concepts that could scale to support their families. I have seen it countless times, but I think we as Women are just as responsible for creating this myth as Men are. Usually when a girlfriend says they’re starting a business, we say “Oh Cute, let me know so I can buy”, we don’t Red Team the concept or work through the challenges of their go to market strategy. We offer a thumbs up and an obligatory “share” on Instagram. Simply wanting to start a business doesn’t mean you will be successful, but imagine how the narrative would change if we helped our fellow Sisters workshop their ideas and found a model that worked? That could be powerful.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

I’d love to see Women have honest and thorough conversations with each other when it comes to our business ideas. As a society, we have become overcome with Internet Business Gurus encouraging you to become a “Boss” just by following their Social Media plan. The truth is, starting a business is really hard and running a successful business is WAY harder. We do each other a disservice when we simply say “that’s so cool” when hearing about a friend’s business idea. I try to spend time talking to them about the idea, their long-term vision for the brand, their logistical challenges and was to streamline the operation. Most importantly, as a Marketer, I think it’s so important to be honest and share feedback about the product itself and if there is a market for it. We take these discussions as hurtful challenges, where Men have these conversations all the time without a second thought. Without these impactful conversations you cannot create a successful business, so if we want to see more Female Founders, we need to decouple the belief that offering insights to success means we’re not supporting each other.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

While we make up half the world, we do not make up half the businesses we give our money to. Women not only bring unique insights to leadership, but we bring a unique insight into the types of products and services people could benefit from. It’s a win, win for everyone. Diversity of thought has started to be championed in the workplace, but if we do not start to encourage our young girls to pursue their wild ideas and take a seat at the front of the table, then we are missing out on ideas that could change the world.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

One of the biggest myths is that founders aren’t rational. The notion that we can’t see the forest through the trees and we’re so blinded by our idea. This is an absolute myth. Most founders know what’s good and bad in their business. They know what is working, and trust me, they know what is not working. What we don’t have is the luxury of letting that be an excuse. Often when you talk to a Founder you will hear them rationalize problems, that’s because those problems can’t be showstoppers, we have no choice but to solve them. Sharing how we’re going to tackle issues doesn’t make us irrational dreamers, nope, it just means we’re finding a way through the problem.

This is one of those honest conversations I was talking about earlier that we should be having. I think anyone can be a Founder because anyone can have a great idea, but the reality is if you do not have certain traits, you will not be a successful Founder. I don’t think this means it’s all or nothing, but if you don’t have these traits than seeking out a Co-Founder who does will be mission critical.

To succeed you need to be:

Self-aware & openminded. You will lose a lot of valuable time if you aren’t willing to listen, learn and pivot. You must be willing to listen when you’re doing something wrong or you’ll fail
Self-motivated to the point people think you have lost your mind. Support goes in waves when you start a company. Sometimes you’re on top, sometimes you’re wondering how you can keep going. You must be able to stay motivated without the help of an audience, because they will not always be there
Unapologetically committed to do what’s right for the brand. As women we often hate having tough conversations, or we’ll try not to hurt each other’s feelings. I have kept partners around for too long or let someone lead something they weren’t capable of because I didn’t want to hurt their feelings. The only thing that gets hurt when you do that is the Founder, the Brand, and the Bank Account. Do what is right for the company no matter what, you can’t make everyone happy
Driven by short term goals. I wish a brand went from 0 to 100 overnight, they don’t. You must be driven by short term, incremental wins that add up to success in the long run. If you’re only driven by achieving overnight success than this journey is not for you

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

This is going to be harder than you think, but so worth it. Even with over 15 years of experience, this has been harder than I expected. As a Founder you can’t really have a bad day. You must always be on, and you have to be good at everything (which of course isn’t feasible). It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s so worth it
The numbers are powerful. As a marketer the brand, product and communication came naturally to me, but the numbers are where the power lies. Make them your friend from the beginning or you’ll be fighting an uphill battle
Don’t delegate what’s important. Once a day I hear “you should delegate that” when working on the things within my wheelhouse — Product & Marketing. We expect founders to only focus on the “Big Picture” and rely on others to accomplish important consumer facing goals. It doesn’t matter how big or small you are, nothing is more important to a start-up than generating sales and making your customer happy. Don’t delegate that responsibility, stay in the weeds, stay hands on, talk to your customers, make the sale. Those who say otherwise are simply wrong
Stay fearless. I had a friend and angel investor recently leave us after a battle with cancer. She was known for her incredible positivity and encouraged everyone she knew to live life fearlessly. Once you see someone live that way, even while facing that battle, you realize there no excuse for you not to. Allison taught me that things are going to be scary, but you cannot let that fear stop you from moving forward without hesitation. She wanted everyone around her to know that living a fearful life is scarier than anything else you can imagine. I truly try to reflect on that anytime the fear starts to creep in
Starting is easy, running it is hard. I almost laugh at this one because it’s so true. Starting HoneyBug was nothing compared to running HoneyBug, but if you remind yourself that this is NORMAL and all Founders experience highs and lows you’ll be just fine. Someone once told me that having a start-up is like having a series of near-death experiences — they were so right!

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

Since its inception, HoneyBug made an unwavering commitment to prioritizing brands that strive to leave our world a little better than they found it — those focused on ethical sourcing, sustainable & organic production, community giveback, fair business practices and progressing female owned & independent businesses forward. We are proud to say over 80% brands meet these standards.

If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I appreciate the platform for this, because there has been an idea I’ve had for some time. I’d love to have a program where we offer Women Owned businesses the opportunity to sell their products at HoneyBug free of charge. The biggest hardship for new businesses is getting exposure, it can be expensive, and you could lose all your money before you even know if the idea has legs. While going to retail could get you exposure, they may not have the margins for that early on creating even more pressure or forcing them to raise capital too early. I love the idea of offering emerging baby & children’s brands the opportunity to sell their product at HoneyBug and keep every dollar until they know the business is viable. After that we could help support in other ways like micro loans, investments and buying product. Imagine how impactful that could be for businesses who just need someone to give them a chance at the beginning. It’s on the roadmap for sure ☺

Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why?

Elon Musk has been someone I’ve been intrigued by for years. While he’s on top now, he had some dark days with Tesla, yet still found a way to push forward. There is something incredibly inspiring knowing someone so successful dealt with all the same challenges I deal with today — not to mention his vision is second to none. Love or hate him, he’s changing the world is ways that happen once in a generation.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Female Founders: Jennifer Kennedy of HoneyBug On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Amanda Melissa On Five Ways For Influencers To Monetize Their Brand

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Create a masterclass on the problem you solve for your audience or how you do a specific thing. An example would be to create 4 masterclasses over the course of a month about how to cook, or how to make funny jokes, etc. You can break these up into 4 parts or teach on different topics.

As part of my series about “How Influencers Can Monetize Their Brand”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amanda Melissa.

Amanda Melissa is a personal brand strategist for women coaches, influencers, and service providers who want to attract the right clients using social media. She helped her client go from zero online sales to earning $30k in 30 days. Her mission is to help women earn more business and influence be being themself authentically online while maintaining their mental health, and running a business that fits their lifestyle.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit more. What is your “backstory”? What brought you to this point in your career?

Absolutely! I worked in corporate marketing after college. Then on the weekends I did freelance social media management for small businesses. But what I learned from talking to so many business owners, was that so many wanted to go viral but so many didn’t have a message. When I asked them what made them different they didn’t know. That’s when I saw the need to help women experts work on their brand and discover what makes them unique instead of only focusing on the vanity metrics. Because when you can clearly communicate your brand message it’s a lot easier to hire a team, save money on ads, and save time and stress by having a simple marketing strategy.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you in the course of your career?

I think the most interesting story is that I’ve had clients say they want to grow their influence and business online only to find out it is a lot more work than they think. I think a lot of people see the “Kylie Jenner” billion dollar brand and they think they can do it too. But it requires a lot of brand strategy, planning, collabs, PR, and content creation than what you see on social media.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I hope I’m inspiring other women and Latina’s especially that they can too build an online brand. Especially as Latina’s we don’t see enough of ourselves represented on social media. I think we as a culture still think that social media careers are a joke when in reality it requires a diverse skill set from creativity, accounting, networking, and content creation.

You have been blessed with great success in a career path that many have attempted, but eventually gave up on. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path but know that their dreams might be dashed?

My best advice would be to read marketing and branding books and stop trying to go viral. I think too many times people forget about the foundations about building a brand or business. Remember that the message is what is most important in growing your community online. And I would also recommend to do a lot of inner work, you can do this by meditating. Take 5 -30 minutes a day trying to figure out what is holding you back whether it’s fear of failure, success, or rejection. You need a huge “why” to have an online business. And I think doing inner work plus strategy is so key.

None of us can achieve success without a bit of help along the way. Is there a particular person who made a profound difference in your life to whom you are grateful? Can you share a story?

I believe you definitely need someone in your corner who is your cheerleader. For me, that is my husband. I recently had a baby and he has been a great cheerleader to help me learn how to balance it all. I’m still learning! But I know I’m doing the best I can!

So what are the most exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

The most exciting project I’m working on is with my clients. I have a several different clients in different niches who are focusing on growing their audience so they can have a community that sees them as an influence and buys from them.

What are your “Top Five Ways That Influencers Can Monetize Their Brand” . (Please share a story or example for each.)

You can monetize your brand so many ways and I think influencers rely too much on collabs. And honestly, I think that’s the fastest way to burn out. I’ve noticed so many influencers feel like they have to stick to a certain niche or do things a certain way to get likes and views and the thing is you can monetize your brand in hundreds of different ways and not sacrifice your mental health. It’s also important to remember as a influencer you have a community that loves you for who you are and not just what you do.

So here’s how influencers can monetize their personal brand:

Offer Private Voxer Support to Your Audience — a mix of text or voice message. You can offer advice on fashion, relationships, health, food, etc.
Sell ad/content strategy to other businesses. Leverage that you built an online audience and now you can sell your advice to other businesses on how they can do the same.
Create a masterclass on the problem you solve for your audience or how you do a specific thing. An example would be to create 4 masterclasses over the course of a month about how to cook, or how to make funny jokes, etc. You can break these up into 4 parts or teach on different topics.
Host a virtual summit to your audience — Can you ask other peers to collab on a summit where you each teach something different to your audience. You can even make this an in-person summit but it is totally up to you.
Create a paid newsletter — I love to think of email subscribers as the VIP members. You could create a paid newsletter about the best places to travel, or best tips on personal finances.

My best advice is to poll your audiences and see which of these offers they’d be interested in. That way you pick the right one for them.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I love this so much! I hope to inspire women to be their authentic selves. I think that especially on social media there are a lot of people trying to be something they are not. I want more women to stop trying to be perfect on social media and do things not because it gets a lot of likes but because it is on brand with the message they want to send to their audience.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this. 🙂

I would love to have lunch with JLO. I think she is so inspiring as a Latina and she is multi-passionate and able to juggle so many projects and still build a successful brand. I think it’s amazing that she has been able to adapt and grow a social media following and stay in tune with her audience for over 20 years.

What is the best way our readers can follow your work online?

Follow me on Instagram — @amandamelissa.co TikTok — @amandamelissa.c

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Amanda Melissa On Five Ways For Influencers To Monetize Their Brand was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Manisha Tare On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s…

Women In Wellness: Manisha Tare On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Learn to set boundaries. This comes with experience and it’s a crucial skill. Having a hard time setting boundaries and giving people open access to your time and energy will 100% drain you. Find a trusted friend or professional to work this one through with because this will benefit your energy, health and well-being.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Manisha Tare.

Manisha Tare is a somatic healing practitioner and mentor for women looking to transform their relationships from one-sided and draining to supportive and thriving. She earned a B.S. in Occupational Therapy from New York University and holds a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University. After many years of working as a pediatric occupational therapist, Manisha pursued advanced training in trauma informed, holistic modalities such as craniosacral therapy and somato-emotional release with the Upledger Institute and expanded her practice to work with adults. She taught public yoga classes in Washington DC for nearly nine years and since 2011, has supported over a hundred individuals to heal from experiences of early trauma and improve their health and relationships. A lifelong learner, most recently, she received a Somatic.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

I’d love to. I was drawn to well being and seeking out a sense of calm from an early age. I recall, as a teenager, I got a book on yoga and remember working through the poses on my own. Though my family is Indian, it’s not something I grew up doing or was taught in any formal way. In college and graduate school, I dove further into practicing yoga and meditation and a few years later, I signed up for my first yoga teacher training. These practices were the start of helping me feel more connected to myself and ‘in’ my body. I lived in NYC, which I loved, but it’s a frenetic place. I didn’t realize at the time how my nervous system was being impacted by my environment, and I can see now that I was intuitively drawn to a practice that would help me counteract the stress. I knew I wanted to help people receive the benefits of this practice.

Several years later, when I was living in Washington DC, a shoulder injury further opened me up to the world of holistic healing, and I studied a modality called craniosacral therapy, a subtle form of bodywork that focuses on the nervous system. I began to explore healing on an emotional and energetic level. Putting some of these pieces together helped me to understand how my early life experiences were showing up in my current life in a way I hadn’t realized before. It solidified the connection between mind, body and spirit for me. As I continued to explore, I learned more about relationship dynamics, attachment theory and now work to support clients to heal the impacts of early trauma through somatic practices so they can create happier, healthy relationships in the present.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

While this isn’t directly career related, it ended up having a huge impact on how I work and was definitely in service to my well-being. After living in NYC and then Washington DC for about nine years each, I moved to a small mountain town in southern Oregon because I desperately needed to reset from living in an urban environment for so many years.

I knew I had a sensitive nervous system, but what I didn’t realize was the level of impact living in very busy cities for so many years had on my body. I was practicing and teaching yoga, meditating, had a pretty healthy lifestyle, and getting acupuncture fairly consistently but I felt tired and drained much of the time. It wasn’t adding up. I was running a private practice and running around DC teaching yoga at various studios, which isn’t always easy so I assumed that’s the way it was. Everyone was tired, weren’t they? After experiencing a second shoulder injury, I knew my body was trying to tell me that something bigger in my life had to change.

The move across the country probably seemed pretty extreme from the outside and looking back, I’m amazed and grateful to have had family and friends support me even though I’m certain most of them were wondering what on earth I was doing. While there were challenges along the way, it’s one of the best things I could have done for my overall mental and physical health. Living in the midst of nature was what I needed to allow my nervous system to unravel years of tension that I simply could not access living in a city. I also met the most amazing people that honestly felt like a soul family and I remain connected with many of them. I recognize it’s a massive privilege to have been able to do something like that and be supported throughout.

I do believe it’s one of the reasons I can support clients through major transitions and healing experiences of grief and trauma. Being in a different environment where I could focus on my own personal healing allowed me to create the internal capacity to hold space for others moving through challenging times.

The main takeaway, I would say, is follow your instincts when you have a strong pull towards something, even if it doesn’t make sense from the outside. It doesn’t mean it will necessarily be a smooth ride, but it’s meant to be a part of your journey. The purpose often becomes more clear when you’re on the other side.

Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Being a goal oriented person, as many of us are, I kept thinking something was wrong when I was being pulled towards a new modality or wanted to travel somewhere to do yet another training. I wondered if I was being flakey or having a hard time committing to something. Other people could choose one thing and stick to it. Why couldn’t I? What I have come to learn is that following those instincts and taking the more winding path is what allows me to blend so many schools of thought and offer an integrated and grounded perspective to my work.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

When I talk to people about somatic healing or the idea of working with their bodies to heal trauma, I get a lot of questions. While mind-body practices certainly are more mainstream, I feel like there is a missing link between emotional stress and its impact on our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. When someone is in physical pain, they tend to focus on solutions that involve the physical body — doctors, medication, physical therapy, and even surgery. While I’m all for physical and medical intervention when it’s needed, as I’ve benefited from it myself, I wish that we could investigate root causes of issues more holistically.

When I have worked with individual clients or students in groups, I’ve taken the opportunity to help them experience this connection in their own lives. Beyond understanding this conceptually, intentionally creating a safe environment in sessions or classes allows them to acknowledge the deeper underlying emotions they may have been pushing away just to get through the days to survive.

For some people, they wonder what the point is of revisiting their difficult experiences and don’t want to rehash them again, which I can understand. What they don’t realize is that when you work with your body and somatic practices, you don’t focus on talking about your issues and get stuck in the stories. You’re giving yourself space to acknowledge difficult times or traumatic experiences and slowly release the tension in your body that’s related to this issue. I have seen, time and time again, that whatever is not acknowledged in our bodies will fester if we don’t attend to it.

As an example, when I was working with a client online to help her process a current stressful experience, memories of a car accident that occured ten years prior came up. As I invited her to tune into her body to acknowledge and unravel the fear from the impact of the collision, she felt a shift in her body. She reported back to me a day later that this constant, dull pain in her neck and shoulders that she experienced for a long time was no longer there. I can not tell you how many times I have heard similar stories.

Unfortunately, I learned that lesson the hard way through my shoulder injuries. Had I paid attention to the earlier signs and listened to my body more, I believe my injuries would not have gotten as bad as they did. I could have avoided a lot of pain and saved a lot of time, energy and money.

The ripple effect of acknowledging and working through your emotional pain is far and wide. Can you imagine a society that was more in touch with their actual feelings and able to process them versus the reactivity we see these days?

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

Start your mornings with quiet time. While I understand this may not be easy depending on your life or family situation, I can’t emphasize enough how even a few minutes of quiet time in the morning has the power to shift your day and overtime, the trajectory of your life. We’re so quick to expose our sleepy, impressionable minds to our newsfeed or email and immediately get on board with someone else’s agenda. Your energy, time and attention are precious commodities. Taking a few minutes every morning to connect with your body and mind and set intentions helps you stay focused on what’s important to you and strengthens your self-trust.
Spend time in nature. Being in nature is incredibly healing. It helps us slow down, check in with our breathing and heart rate, notice the air on our skin and sun on our faces. Simply tuning into the sounds, smells and sights in your environment has the power to decrease your blood pressure, help you calm your nervous system and bring you a sense of peace. It’s the ultimate way to bring you back to the present moment
Move daily. This could look like anything you want it to. A walk in your neighborhood, dancing in your living room, an online pilates class, a run in the park, or going to a yoga studio. Figure out what works for your body and your mind. Movement is especially helpful to shift your energy when you’re stuck in overthinking or self-doubt. Aside from being great for your physical health, having a movement practice that helps you process your thoughts and emotions is a gamechanger for your mental health.
Take time to get to know yourself and your needs. I can not express how much this will change your life. So often, we unconsciously expect others to know what we need. People are not mind readers and the expectations we put on others without realizing it can hurt our relationships over time. Simultaneously, if you relate to wanting to make sure everyone is ok and happy, you probably spend a lot of time focused on other people’s needs without knowing what makes you happy or brings you joy. Taking time on your own to get to know yourself, what you need to feel grounded, strong and in a flexible state of mind is so helpful to your wellness. Once you know what those things are, you can make sure you schedule them in (and learn to ask for support when needed) so you know that each day, you’re taking steps towards caring for your body, mind and spirit. I guarantee this will completely shift how you look at the world and you will be of even greater service to others.
Create intentional community. This is a big one. Well-being does not solely rest on the individual. Though we are a pretty individualistic society in the west, I think we’re learning more and more how a well community contributes to our collective well-being. Notice how you can do this in your own smaller community or circle of trusted friends. How do you feel in your current community? Do you feel supported and uplifted or drained or like you have to be on guard? Sometimes, we end up in relationships with people simply because they are physically close by and don’t think much of it. While having neighbors or colleagues that you feel a true friendship with is a gift, check in to make sure it’s not your default. Is there an interest you can gather around like a book club or running group? Is there a local exercise class where you can meet like-minded people? Noticing how you feel around people (energized versus drained) and being intentional about building relationships that lift you up is so important to our sense of belonging and well-being.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

This is a tough one because there are a few things I believe would massively move the needle on wellness like movement and nutrition but given my area of expertise, I would say creating a culture where reflection and contemplation are prioritized. I find that most people are consumed by what is going on externally, whether it’s excessive time on social media or getting over-involved with those around them. I’m not talking about spending time with people you care about and being in community… that’s a massive plus for our well-being. What I mean is depending too much on the outside (people, circumstances and things) to make you happy.

With so much tech available at our fingertips, people have a harder time with silence. There is always a distraction available. It’s negatively affected our attention and ability to listen to each other and even ourselves. How often do you see a couple or even a family together and each person is on their device? It’s really striking. It’s like we’ve forgotten how to be with ourselves and each other in a relaxed way and cope with being a little bored.

Creating a culture and personal practices where you give yourself even 5 minutes of quiet time (hopefully you can build this up), allows you to connect to yourself. You understand better how you think, your state of mind, what’s going on for you emotionally and what you need. You feel more comfortable with yourself without constantly grasping for attention from the outside, which ironically, strengthens your relationships.

Society is moving faster and there is an expectation to always be available. While each of us can do our best to create some open, quiet space in our days, there also needs to be a culture shift for this to happen more broadly.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

Learn to set boundaries. This comes with experience and it’s a crucial skill. Having a hard time setting boundaries and giving people open access to your time and energy will 100% drain you. Find a trusted friend or professional to work this one through with because this will benefit your energy, health and well-being.
Keep following your instincts. They are leading you somewhere amazing. Our minds always want to know what’s next and a sense of control can offer security; however too much control can stifle you. When you follow those nudges, you’ll discover new and unexpected things, which are often better than we can imagine.
You don’t have to do it alone. I used to think I had to figure it all out by myself and something was wrong with me if I needed help. It’s ok to ask for support and even hire the right professional support for all aspects of your life. You’ll get to where you want to go much faster than trying to do it all alone. The journey will also be much more fun.
Not everyone will understand your choices and that’s ok. It’s hard when people around you don’t necessarily understand your choices. Most (not all) people are coming from a place of love and concern when they are questioning you, but if you truly believe what you’re doing is the right thing, then get comfortable with being ok that not everyone will be on board.
Not every opportunity is worth your time. When you’re starting out, it’s difficult to know what is worth your time and energy because you’re learning. Trust that you will get better at discerning the difference with experience.

Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

If it’s not obvious already, I would say mental health though I feel so much of these are related. We are at a crisis point in society. People feel disconnected from themselves, each other and the earth. This loss of a sense of belonging impacts us on a deep level. As humans, belonging is crucial to our sense of well-being and security. There is a relationship between our individual wellness and collective well-being and ideally, as a society, we can address mental health and wellness from both angles.

What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?

Thanks for asking! I’d love to invite your readers to check out my podcast, The Transform Your Relationship Podcast where my guests and I share personal insights and client success stories related to our unique modalities and approaches to healing.

Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.

Women In Wellness: Manisha Tare On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Melinda Kearney and Michèle Ouellet of Lorenza On The Five Things You Need To…

Female Founders: Melinda Kearney and Michèle Ouellet of Lorenza On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

… Get out of your own way. — the brand may take on an identity beyond what you have planned, and sometimes that looks different than you had imagined. If it’s a success, go with that flow and let it grow to its full potential.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Melinda Kearney and Michele Ouellet.

Lorenza, a collaboration between mother and daughter, was founded in 2008 by Napa Valley wine industry veteran, Melinda Kearney, and her daughter model/vintner Michèle Lorenza Ouellet. Originating from a shared love of Provençale rosé, they shared the same vision: to create a lasting connection, to make true rosé and wine from old vines in Lodi, including the historic Bechthold Vineyard. and share it with sommeliers, chefs, merchants, and friends.

Michèle Lorenza Ouellet: I grew up in Napa Valley in a food + wine obsessed family. When I was a teenager, I was scouted to become a model which brought me to Paris, where I fell in love with rosé. A few years later, my mom and I started Lorenza as a way to stay connected as I traveled the world, while creating beautiful wines together.

Melinda Kearney: Moving to the epicenter of food and wine, Napa Valley, in 1988 with a restaurant background and a degree in English Lit, it was only a matter of time before the wine business became my front and center. I began in production with a small winery then to VP of Sales for Frog’s Leap, plus many years of being a marketing consultant led me to the journey of running Lorenza today.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

MO: I think the most interesting thing has been my personal journey over the past 14 years. We founded the company when I was very young, so I’ve grown alongside the brand. I never thought I would be so interested in the business side of things and enjoy sitting at my desk working everything out, but I really do. When we started Lorenza, it was unusual for models to have brands or other careers. It’s given me balance in an industry that is notoriously flighty.

MK: The day that I realized that Lorenza needed me full time

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

MK: Mistakes are an essential part of growing a business. We have made many mistakes that didn’t seem very funny at the time. The gift is that each one has helped us to create guardrails as we move forward. As a perfectionist, this has been an important lesson for me.

MK: Our friend Richard Betts who is a celebrated professional in the wine and spirits world wrote about our first vintage years ago in a trade publication and shared our story with his audience. We built many relationships along the way from this original generous endorsement. Our winemaking colleague in Lodi, Joseph Smith, has been an invaluable champion of Lorenza and friend since our third harvest in 2010. Joseph is one of the most wonderful people we know. And finally, Zelma Long, a legendary winemaker, has made herself available to me for mentorship and is a Lorenza regular which has truly been an honor.

MK: The wine industry mirrors the findings of the EY report with a low percentage of female lead winemakers at 14% and female owners/winemakers at 6%. From my perspective, fewer women create wine companies for a variety of reasons including being protective of their time with demanding family responsibilities, lack of access to a powerful sales network, fewer examples and community of female founders.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

MK: I have been both a beneficiary of impactful mentoring over the years and am an active mentor. There is great value to paying it forward and sharing experiences, encouragement, crucial information and introductions with women who are considering starting their own companies. Joining a business group can create context and connection and now with Zoom, we can go beyond the local network. Childcare in the US and lack of decent maternity leave (US has the worst out of all developed countries) and men not doing their fair share of household duties all contribute to women not being able to pursue their own careers at the same rate as men.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

MK: Women are incredibly powerful together and are collaborators who offer opportunities that uplift, inspire and empower. More diversity in leadership and workforce always leads to better products. As women, we know what women want and need more than anyone else. Many companies are leaving a lot on the table by not having a diverse leadership team.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

MO: That being a founder is glamorous! It’s incredibly hard work and requires a lot of time, effort and sometimes can be lonely! My mom and I have worn almost every hat in our business. Recently we have expanded our team and that feels really good.

MO: Probably not everyone is meant to be a founder. You have to have a lot of tenacity, be a self-starter, and be ok with working in a vacuum. There are lots of times when you’ll get little feedback or praise, so if that’s important to you, you’ll want to find that elsewhere! However, as a founder I personally, need a lot of help executing the many projects going on. Capable employees are priceless.

MK: One must be willing to sit (often alone) with the discomfort of uncertainty that is present almost daily as a leader of a company. An employee doesn’t necessarily take that on which can foster a lot of productivity and creativity.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

MO: 1. Get out of your own way. — the brand may take on an identity beyond what you have planned, and sometimes that looks different than you had imagined. If it’s a success, go with that flow and let it grow to its full potential.

2. Get your contracts signed — We had a big order with a national chain, made the extra wine to fulfill the commitment and then the buyer left the company and we were left with the wine. Very frustrating, but we definitely learned that lesson.

3. Bring people in — We did everything ourselves for many years, but at a certain point, ‘retaining complete control’ begins to hold back progress. Growing our team has been key in freeing us up to think big and creatively.

4. It’s important to understand all aspects of business — so learn to love math! While we have a creative business, we both have our eyes on the numbers every day and have continued our education. It’s important to understand financial processes, so you can lead and continue to strategize with a growth numbers mindset.

5. Collaborate, ask for advice, and listen to experts within the field you’re in. There’s no greater gift than learning new and different ways of working from others.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

MO: We believe rosé makes people happy, brings people together and drives connection. It’s been an honor to help spread joy one glass at a time. By now that’s over 1 million glasses of happiness! Each year during harvest we set an intention that permeates the vintage. Love, Connection, Oneness and Joy are recent themes. As our community grows, our responsibility for what we put out into the world becomes more important. We take that really seriously.

MK: The environment is a focal point for us and our customers. We support and encourage our growers’ commitment to farming sustainably per Lodi Rules by paying a premium for their grapes.
Also, we support a variety of charities in the areas of education, women’s rights, the arts and animal rights. Organizations like NEWS, Nimbus Arts, Boys and Girls Club of Venice, Jameson Humane. We recently joined LAIC Collective to promote diversity in the Lodi wine community.

While success in your career is rewarding, at the end of the day, love, family, friendships and human connections remain. Treating people with empathy in a divided world such as ours is today, is very important for the heart and the soul, as well as the planet. If we could inspire a movement, it would be to promote kindness and to lead with love through all walks of life.

MO: I’d love to have breakfast with Oprah or Gwyneth!

MK: Liz Lambert — she’s infinitely creative and smart

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Female Founders: Melinda Kearney and Michèle Ouellet of Lorenza On The Five Things You Need To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Calvaniece Mason On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Female…

Female Founders: Calvaniece Mason On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Female Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Learn when to say NO and know that it’s okay: Oftentimes people will want you to discount your product or service, possibly give it away for free or a social media shout out. Know when the backend may be lucrative for you or when to say “No, at this time I can not do this”.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Calvaniece Mason.

Calvaniece Mason is the Founder of Calvaniece Mason Hair Brands Co., a professional hair care and luxury hair extensions company. As a Professional Hairdresser, Calvaniece has been called upon to work with many leading fashion and beauty professionals around the globe. She has worked backstage at New York Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week at the Élysée Palace, Vogue’s CFDA Awards and The Golden Globes Art of Elysium.

A hair care expert with distinctive knowledge and skills, Calvaniece has served as a Lead Educator at the Aveda Institute of Atlanta. Calvaniece has trained under the Award-Winning Francesco Group in the United Kingdom, Aveda’s Advanced Academy in New York and has earned a certification in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard Business School.

Calvaniece is an Influential Business Leader, Entrepreneur and Humanitarian who has turned her love for beauty and passion for business into a purpose driven sustainable hair care brand for women of color.

I grew up in the beauty industry. I often say I’m an industry baby. My career started in my mother’s hair salon when I was in high school. On the weekends I would style my classmates’ hair and assist my mother with her clients.

After graduating high school I worked a couple of jobs I didn’t like. I even enrolled in technical college to become a surgical tech but after one semester I knew that career path was not for me. After being laid off from a job at a factory in my home town, I decided to follow my dream and go for what I truly enjoy doing. I found the nearest dumpster to throw my steel toe shoes away in and I enrolled in cosmetology school at the Georgia Institute of Cosmetology, and let me tell you, that was the BEST decision ever!

After graduating cosmetology school, I moved to Atlanta and I went on to further develop my skills by training with the Award Winning Francesco Group in Europe. This helped catapult me into other opportunities, and I became an educator at the Aveda Institute of Atlanta. One day I went to my director at the Aveda Institute of Atlanta, Jimmy Montan at that time, and told him I wanted to take a course at Aveda’s Advanced Academy and his exact words were “Let me see what I can do’’. Jimmy had been with Aveda since the beginning days when Horst Rechelbacher started his first school. I went on to attend Aveda’s Advanced Academy in New York where I enrolled in Runway Styling courses. This led me to the opportunity to work with Jon Reyman, who is absolutely amazing.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

The most interesting thing that has happened since I launched my business was discovering the amount of work-related issues for hairdressers.

I remember having a conversation with my Aunt, who was also a hairdresser, and her telling me that she had developed carpal tunnel and that her doctor told her that a lot of hair stylists develop carpal tunnel. I remember her saying “you might develop it over time”, and I was thinking to myself “no ma’am”.

So, I started doing research and discovered that Carpal Tunnel Syndrome was an occupational hazard in the beauty industry. It was extremely common for hairdressers to develop severe hand pain, numbness and weakness and they were at a high risk for getting this condition.

The beauty industry has nearly five times the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome compared to the rest of the population. It’s often due to repetitive improper use of hand tools for long periods of time throughout the years. I remember when I trained with the Francesco Group in Europe, one of their top priorities was emphasizing ergonomics, even when cutting hair.

That was the first time I took a hair cutting training where you cut hair sitting on a stool, because while they wanted to educate you on creating a nice precision cut, your posture was most important. Fast forward to 2014, I was working with my students in Salon Concepts at the Aveda Institute, and something like an epiphany came over me while the students were doing blowouts on clients.

I began researching manufacturers that made hair tools such as hair dryers and flat irons and I started working with one to create a hair dryer that was compact in size but had a powerful motor that would keep the hand in an upright ergonomic position. That’s when I officially launched Calvaniece Mason Hair Brands Co. My first product was the Elite Pro Turbo|Lite Professional hair dryer which I launched in 2015 at the Bronner Brothers International Hair Show.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Oh goodness yes! When I first started I was just at the end of my cosmetology school hours and when you’re in school for cosmetology you do everything from waxing to nails etc. So, I styled one of my friends’ hair and after styling her I was like, “let me wax your eyebrows.” Most of my friends never told me no because for one they knew I was talented, and secondly, they somewhat trusted me. I went to apply the wax and apparently applied way too much because I completely removed her entire eyebrow! When I pulled the wax strip, I had a look on my face like I knew I screwed up and she immediately grabbed the hand mirror and the only thing I could think to say was “ well it’s not too bad it will grow back. At least you have a bang to cover it”. That’s a memory that will last forever, but at least we can laugh about it now.

Jon Reyman is a person I am grateful towards. Jon taught me so much on paying it forward, being kind, being humble and opening the door of opportunity to others. I am forever grateful for Jon Reyman because all of the shows at New York Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, Vogues CFDA’s were available to me because he always shared them with me.

I was able to work shows for designers such as Oscar De La Renta, Nike Kids Rock and so many others. When we wrapped up New York Fashion Week one fall season, he presented me with the opportunity to work Paris Fashion Week at the Elysee Palace, which is the official residence of the President of France. When we came back from Paris I worked at the CFDA’s with Jon. He always shared some of the best opportunities of my career with me and so many others. Being able to be at the CFDA’s at the Chateau Marmont seeing Anna Wintour, Dianne Von Furstenburg, Reese Witherspoon, Chanel Iman, Kim and Kanye was a dream come true.

While we were in Paris, it felt like I was in the movie “The Devil Wears Prada’’, but the Paris Scene, it was really a dream come true. I remember American Salon would always share Redkens backstage Fashion Week DVD Videos and Guido Palau was always the stylist. I remember I would watch those DVD’s until I fell asleep., I would even cut out my favorite runway looks and place them on a pink poster and it’s like somehow I manifested it all for myself.

This is a great question and a topic that I feel so passionate about. While many of today’s women organized efforts have contributed to the development of female-owned and operated companies that enrich the lives of people in their respective communities.

I have come into contact with many young women who aspire to find their voice, pursue higher goals, own their own businesses, start their own brands and become an important active individual in our society. For many women the relationship between entrepreneurship and leadership continues to be fraught with insecurity and confusion.

In interacting with other women, I realized the strong need for women supporting women, being more collaborative as opposed to competitive and sharing resources. Becoming the Founder of your own business takes an extreme amount of faith, especially for minority women and women of color where funding capital is often time more limited.

What I have come to understand is many women today want to become founders of their own business and ideas, but oftentimes feel as though they don’t know where to start to obtain the funding resources they need for a startup, and are oftentimes afraid to seek it. As a woman, I feel as though this is an issue because some may lack an adequate support system, the fear of failure and still having to deal with equal pay due to gender inequality.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

For Women to claim their power, and see their advice and expertise valued as well as respected, the first step is to conquer internal barriers and continue to work together with other women as well as men to consciously create change in the world we live in today. This may mean lobbying local lawmakers and Congress to combat some of the challenges and obstacles faced. While there are laws and policies that have attempted to create a favorable business environment the actual changes have not been implemented. In the United States, women still earn less than men. Oftentimes in business women are afraid to ask, we underprice our products or services and oftentimes give them away for free! That’s why it’s important that women get confident in their skills, price accordingly, gain respect and grow economically. I feel that women’s empowerment through entrepreneurship should be encouraged by our government and implemented by society as it will include many advantages and economic growth for the economy overall.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

I think women should become founders so that they can see their true strength and capability. The messages around us tell us that we are not able, skilled, nor independent, not leadership or entrepreneurship worthy, not capable of making proper decisions in business as well as for our bodies, nor managing careers that require confidence and strength.

While there are so many women who have come before us and broken glass ceilings, created new lanes and left their mark, there is still a terrifying glass ceiling that is within many of us that needs to continuously be shattered.

There is something I read from Christine Karumba that I clipped out and placed in my affirmation jar, and it’s “One woman can change anything but many women can change everything”.

This is why more women should become founders, to continuously create the change we wish to see in our society, to be able to support the organizations and causes we believe in, and the politicians whose views align with the world we desire to live in.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

That you can become an overnight success! I must put this out there because we are in the prime of social media, where pictures are worth a thousand words and you can create the illusion of success. But, building a business and brand takes work. You need systems in place and the funding to put people in place to handle the things you are not skilled at.

Entrepreneurship, running a business and building a brand is risky and entails many unforeseen circumstances. It takes time to create brand awareness and brand love which are the building blocks of any successful business. You want to be able to scale your business, not just make money quickly. You want to have a purpose behind your business and creating awareness behind your brand’s purpose takes time, it requires consistency.

Speaking for myself, it would be an honor to make it to a 25-year mark in business having employees all over the world changing the lives of others through sustainable efforts.

While everyone is not cut out to be a founder I do feel that no individual woman is as creative, skilled and powerful as we are together. While you may not be great at being a founder, you might be excellent at leading the accounting team of a company, for example.

It may not be a person’s life purpose to own their own medical practice but to save the lives of others by being a top doctor at their local hospital, or a researcher / scientist in medicine and help to create vaccines to save lives. I feel like the passion for independence is what creates the likelihood for a person to be an entrepreneur, such as the time and freedom of being able to create your own schedule while having unlimited earning potential.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Learn when to say NO and know that it’s okay: Oftentimes people will want you to discount your product or service, possibly give it away for free or a social media shout-out. Know when the backend may be lucrative for you or when to say “No, at this time I can not do this”.
Don’t take rejection personally: When a customer doesn’t purchase your product or service at the moment, remember all no’s are not permanent, some are just for that moment for various reasons.
Have a budget for marketing: You have to do the foundational work of building brand awareness and creating brand love and loyalty. This requires marketing and connecting with your consumers. It’s imperative to have an allocated budget per quarter to maximize these efforts.
Don’t quit because it’s hard: Rome wasn’t built overnight, always remember why you started and let that be your driving motivator when tough times come because they do come! Sales can skyrocket one month and the following month it can be like all you hear is crickets. Don’t let this discourage you, use this as your time to strategize and continuously put your best foot forward.
Have accounting software: You want to stay on top of your accounting the first day you are open for business, you want to track your mileage the first time you use your vehicle for business, you want to remain on top of your invoices and most important local and federal taxes. While there are many softwares you can use such as Quickbooks or Gusto just be sure to have one in place.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

I have used my success working with Trinity Girls Network Corp a 501c3 organization that empowers young ladies and girls with opportunity through education and leadership during Georgia’s Girl Empowerment Month at Georgia State Capitol. I have spoken at the United Nations UN Women of Influence and Power Honors Celebration “Empowering Women Economic Sustainability Through Entrepreneurship and Leadership”.

Currently, in my business, I have implemented strategies for recycling to create a more sustainable environment in which we live, by donating used hair extensions to Matter of Trust which is a 501c3 organization that turns them into mats that help clean up oil spills. I also recycle the packaging of my products with local recycling plants to help eliminate the pollution of plastic in our economy.

If I could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people it would be a movement centered around criminal justice reform for people of color. While there are many movements out there and celebrities that are spearheading efforts on criminal justice reform, this is a topic that is also dear to me and I feel strongly about, because I know the impact it would have on the communities and people of color.

Kris Jenner! If I could have a private breakfast or even thirty minutes of her time it would hands down be Kris Jenner. I love what Kris has built for her family and the knowledge she has when it comes to building multiple successful brands. Not only do you see successful brands for her daughters, you see them for their hairstylist and makeup artist as well.

Kris has built a legacy for generations to come in her family and turned the Kardashian brand into a billion-dollar staple, so Kris if you read this, I would love for you to mentor me or just sit down with me for breakfast, maybe even a glass or two of wine. I often catch myself now when making a decision in my business saying “what would Kris Jenner do?”.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Female Founders: Calvaniece Mason On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Female… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Dr Jackie Bouvier Copeland of ‘The Women Invested to Save Earth Fund’ On The Five…

Female Founders: Dr Jackie Bouvier Copeland of ‘The Women Invested to Save Earth Fund’ On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Doing good does not require full-time work in the social sector. The philanthropy and nonprofit sector have no monopoly on “doing-the-right thing.” If not careful, these institutions can exhibit the same money-driven ethical and power-grabbing lapses as their corporate and government counterparts. One can change some parts of the world for the better from the public, social, or corporate sector.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Jackie Bouvier Copeland.

An award-winning innovator, Dr. Jackie Bouvier Copeland bridges diverse disciplines and communities to heal people, society, and the planet. She is the founder and chief executive officer of The Women Invested to Save Earth Fund (WISE), the backbone of other global Black initiatives she has created, such as Black Philanthropy Month and Reunity.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers want to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

It’s my pleasure. This is my fourth year of an Authority Magazine interview, and I appreciate the continued interest. I guess it means that I’m doing something right or at least trying.

I’ve shared most of my career backstory in previous issues. But I keep evolving to meet the times. With escalating social, political, and environmental crises, I’ve reinvented myself for a more profound impact.

Leaders are not impervious to the injustices disrupting society and their constituents. We’re a part of the community. The stresses of the times have taken a toll on my health. And with the California wildfires, I relocated with my family to Northern Arizona, where the climate change disasters are less severe. However, there’s no place to escape them entirely.

In the process of self-reflection, healing, and largely rebounding from many COVID Era traumas, I felt called to enhance my life mission to heal people, society, and the planet in several ways. Giving is not just my occupation; it’s my spiritual calling. After all, the best way to survive and thrive in a crisis is to build the future with all your heart.

I’m primarily a private person. But the past few years I’ve been sharing more of my backstory and opinions. Being in the public view more is a bit unsettling. But soon we’ll look back on these times and realize that we are at the same inflection point as major times in history such as the Civil Rights and other seminal moments in human rights history. Giving voice any way I can is an important way for me to make an even bigger difference.

I am a creator. I always saw myself as blending the sciences, technology, and arts to create movements to make life better. My role as a founder is part art and part science. My poetry, fiction, songwriting, and singing have been private, personal, and spiritual practices throughout my career. The arts and my spirituality sustain me through hard times, giving me the strength and courage to evolve, serve, lead, dream, and manifest the impossible with others in times of challenge. The travesties of the times require policy change and community building but even more to mend broken spirits and rebuild hope.

So, with a lot of support, this year I’ve been writing a new life and career chapter. I wrote, performed and executive produced my debut album, a compilation of nine original, spiritual jazz songs and three covers that I called Blachant (pronounced “Black Chant).” I’ve sung and even wrote some music all my life. It’s how I pray, my communication line to the Creator, especially during tough or joyous times. Since childhood, I have sung in church choirs and volunteered to sing in nursing homes. I noticed that my singing creates calm and joy in people. It certainly calms me and serves as a source of meditation.

For decades, I had a secret wish to share the music more publicly, creating a spiritual jazz album blending my diverse cultural and musical influences from my South Carolina Gullah Geechee family roots to growing up in Philly and the Black Church and global work as an anthropologist and leader in diverse African, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist countries. But frankly, with little formal musical training and then approaching 60 years old, I thought it was too late for me to do an album, especially such a genre-blurring project, combining much of the Black musical continuum — from traditional spirituals to blues, jazz, R&B, a little afrobeats with global sacred music for a diverse audience. The prospect of sharing my voice in a kind of musical giving for change and healing was intimidating. Just as I was about just to dismiss the idea, a series of angels showed up to help me make this giving dream real.

In the increasing violence and terror of white supremacist vigilantes, mass shootings in general, trying to sleep with smoke in my room from California fires, illness, caregiving for infirm elders, and significant family changes, all with the disruption of COVID, my music has been a balm for me.

Recording the songs in a Los Angeles studio last September after surgery for an unexpected health challenge, I released the album under my middle and stage name, “Bouvier,” in mid-April 2022 for my 60th birthday. I’m writing a Blachant healing journal that I hope to finish in time for the holiday giving season and related projects.

Black music is the soundtrack of the world. It’s universal and culturally specific at the same time, expressing the unique pathos and joy of a people often reviled for simply existing and persecuted due to their skin color — just as we still are today from Buffalo to Kyiv and beyond. I think it’s why people of all backgrounds relate to our music and arts in general and try to emulate it.

Our arts express part of the human story — our longing for freedom and the capacity to live through the unthinkable with our love and spirit intact. And our African-inflected music and arts, recreated by our ancestors and today’s innovators, can heal mind, body, and soul if we recognize that it’s not just for entertainment but freedom. Our music was fundamental to civil rights and other movements. I hope Blachant can become a genre on its own, a sort of Black Diaspora protest music to inspire the world in hard times.

Giving by any means necessary has been my backstory. I’m a living testament that it’s never too late to make a dream come true with faith and hard work, especially if it’s part of one’s life purpose and divine calling. The universe will send helpers. I see my singing, songwriting, and executive producing as healing arts. My singing is another gift I can share, another philanthropy initiative using music for positive change. I hope my music and Black chanting style can heal others as they healed me from childhood. All album net proceeds will support Black Philanthropy Month, Black giving circles worldwide, and other WISE economic justice, humanitarian, and climate change initiatives. Stream Blachant or buy the CD at https://orcd.co/blachant.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you first started? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Because I’m telling the story of my latest philanthropy initiative, Blachant, I can share a funny story from the project. So, the Blachant music is my voice as an impassioned, comfortable-in-her-skin, proudly and globally Black American Renaissance woman. I do not limit myself to disciplines, genres, or other people’s boxes. Musically, I am just “am who I am” on the album, sharing my authentic voice with no musical code-switching, shaped by the sonics of many places that have influenced my life, from my family’s deep American South roots to Africa, India, Catholic school mass chants, Yoruba music, ten years of jazz vocal coaching with various teachers, and more.

Soon after the album came out, a jazz industry critic said, “This is a great album. But it sounds too Black. I can see how Black people might like songs like ‘Holla!’ and ‘Brown Baby.’ But maybe you shouldn’t have put these songs at the beginning; they scare white people off.”

As a neophyte in the music industry, the only mistake I made was, for a split second, taking the feedback to heart. Today I think the feedback is funny, albeit ignorant and racist. White and other people listen to all kinds of music. Most jazz critics should know jazz music’s Black American cultural and historical roots. I’m Black; I’m singing a kind of fusion jazz, so, naturally, I “sound Black.” Thank you!

But the feedback has several lessons. It has built my musical confidence as a protest, inspirational, and spiritual jazz vocalist. If my musical message makes some people uneasy, it’s probably doing its job. I will continue to use my authentic voice. The music is for those who want to hear it, not those who won’t enjoy it. Art is subjective. It’s okay for some people not to like the album for their reasons. But for everyone who doesn’t like the music for some reason and those turned off because, quote, “I sound too Black,” there’s another who thinks, like one music critic, “Bouvier has a gorgeous voice. You can hear the spirituality coursing through it.”

If you feel strongly about a calling, don’t let anyone deter you from it. For years, I didn’t sing publicly because some people close to me discouraged it. Also, in professional circles, I was concerned that singing publicly might make colleagues treat me as a Black stereotype (“they all can sing, you know”) and take me less seriously. So, I generally kept it to myself. But this is supposedly the time of authenticity, bringing your whole self to an integrated life. COVID has taught us that tomorrow is even less promised than we thought. If you have a dream or talent that defines you, manifest it as best you can. Even if it fails, you will grow; be stronger for the next dream or be a better guide for someone else struggling to make their aspirations real.

Focus on your why. Blachant is a spiritual jazz album — a personal healing manifesto from 2018 through 2021, a tumultuous time. While wild commercial success would be fantastic because it would bring more funding to my community’s social and environmental change initiatives, my primary success indicator is how many people feel better in hard times listening to a Blachant song. Not just the album’s name, Blachant is a verb; it’s about self-consciously creating or using music and the arts with Black roots for personal and social transformation as a portal to the world. Whenever people tell me they use Blachant music for meditation, hiking, dancing, crying, or catharsis, I know Blachant is achieving its purpose.

Anti-Black racism is everywhere, nuanced, and complex. In personal and professional circles, I’ve been called “Too Black” all my life, with varying shades of meaning, referring to my dark skin color, cultural expression, heritage pride, career, and more. Somehow although every human being on the planet has a cultural foundation into which they were socialized, a Black cultural base is seen as somehow less universal, biased, and worthy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Black people have a diverse culture with everything we need to succeed with excellence in contemporary times.

Being Black is just one equal expression of our universal humanity. Nobody gets to define what is authentically Black for me. From working in India, Australia, Brazil, and elsewhere, making music, building Black- and women-centered human rights movements, or being in the C-Suite, there are many ways to be Black, a woman, a human being. Blachant is my song for a change. It’s proudly Black and universal, just like me, not neatly fitting into imposed, often gentrified musical or other boundaries.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I can’t name just one and have shared several in the last few years of my Authority Magazine interviews. On my most recent, Blachant leg of my journey, through a series of wonderful coincidences, I ended up being a jazz student of virtuoso vocalist Jose James over Zoom during the COVID lockdowns of 2020 through some part of 2021. We realized that we knew each other about 25 years ago in Minneapolis, his hometown, where I lived for about 14 years. Emboldened by his teaching support and this serendipitous connection, I told him about my secret dream to do a spiritual jazz album combining my Black music foundation and my other eclectic, global influences. I thought I could help give at least some people a release of the natural anger and anxiety, a way to manage stress better, and at least feel momentary joy and hope.

Co-founder of the Rainbow Blonde music label, Jose introduced me to Ben Williams, a genius, Grammy-winning bassist who is my music producer and plays bass on the album. Ben assembled some of the world’s best jazz musicians for the band. Jose also introduced me to his co-founder and life partner, Talia Billig, a brilliant, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter. He introduced me to several reputable industry professionals like Abbey Road of Beatles fame, who mastered the album. Even though the album is an independent, self-funded, personal philanthropy project not sponsored by Rainbow Blonde, I could not have done it without them. They buoyed my spirits and opened up new avenues for funding equity work in the music world, as the industry systems are still very exploitative.

I am eternally grateful for their generous, open spirit and guidance.

I’m also becoming increasingly aware of my deceased South Carolinian grandmother’s continuing influence on my life and creativity. Born in the early 20th century to my great-grandparents, who were emancipated slaves, she was a central, inspirational figure in my life, especially in times of despair. Always singing or humming spirituals, often with Geechee inflection, she was living proof that combining faith, smarts, and the arts could help a person survive unthinkable horrors and thrive.

For example, the Blachant lyrics and music often came fully formed in times of dilemma or heartache through dreams about her. Her constant spiritual singing and belief in my future (her nickname for me was “school teacher”) powerfully shaped me in ways that are still unfolding. My combination of the old-time spirituals with rhythms from many cultures updated for the times is, in a way, a homage to her and my other ancestors, reminding us that we can make a better future by building on their inspiring legacy.

Okay, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still must be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience, what is currently holding back women from founding companies?

I think sexism, inequity, and racism are the primary barriers to women becoming founders. There’s no shortage of brilliant Women entrepreneurs. We just need equal opportunity. As all the statistics show, women are still paid less than men for the same work. As a general rule, they have fewer savings to self-fund their start-ups. Furthermore, unequal childcare, eldercare, and home management responsibilities can also be serious obstacles. With women only receiving two percent of the venture capital, it’s no wonder that only 20 percent of founders are women.

But these statistics don’t tell the whole story. According to a recent study by Harvard University, Black women are the most entrepreneurial. Seventeen percent of Black women created businesses compared to ten percent of white women. Black women have more business starts than white men too. But due to discrimination in funding, only three percent of Black women’s businesses reach maturity. Fair funding would advance women’s rights and power. Actually, maybe that’s why women and people color cannot get fair access to private capital. It would definitely change our country’s and the world’s gender power balance if amazingly qualified diverse people has equitable capital access.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government to help overcome those obstacles?

First, it’s essential to identify the problem plainly without the smokescreen excuses like the pipeline myth. All the statistics show that there is absolutely no shortage of eminently qualified women and people of color entrepreneurs and technologists. The problem is deficits in venture investors’ networks and selection processes. They often mistakenly think that the only entrepreneurs who can be successful are those that look like them and come from their networks. Naturally, because the VC world is still primarily white and male, this produces implicit biases against those who are not white males even when their credentials are equal to or exceed those of their white counterparts. So, we end up with the untenable, unjust situation where women only get two percent of venture funding. And people of color still only get one percent.

Black, Latinx, and Native American women fair the worse with less than one percent. The situation is pretty much the same worldwide. And the predicament is not much better for nonprofit sector entrepreneurs either. People of color and women-led nonprofits are severely underfunded. In response, the venture and the philanthropic world have seen dramatic growth in new women- and people of color-led funds to support high-potential nonprofits and businesses.

It’s one of the reasons I founded The Women Invested to Save Earth Fund (WISE) in the wake of the 2020 COVID era crisis. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for the planet. Funding inequity only serves to sustain the status quo, which, let’s be frank, has only succeeded for an increasingly small elite and is overexploiting our natural and human resources to the point of self-destructive social and environmental instability. As a funding equity enterprise, WISE raises money from the US public, mixing philanthropy and impact investing, supporting early-stage environmental entrepreneurs. Our entrepreneurs revive community economies and natural environments in places hit hardest by climate change.

We also convene Black Philanthropy Month to advance community giving and investment to Afrodescendant communities throughout the US and worldwide. This year we’ll focus on ways communities can blend philanthropy and social investment for funding equity and economic justice. There’s isn’t enough money in all philanthropy to rebuild Black communities in the wake of growing human rights abuses and COVID. I hope all readers will join us for another global action Summit series starting August 3rd with events in the US, Canada, The Caribbean, Africa, and beyond to celebrate our giving while advancing cross-sector funding equity in our communities. Register or replay at bit.ly/FundBlackSummit2022.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder, but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

As a serial founder myself, one of the greatest benefits can be freedom relative to life as an employee. Building movements and organizations around one’s visions and values is an opportunity to create non-sexist and non-racist institutions. Although the hours are long and the pressures are tremendous, entrepreneurship can afford women more flexibility in integrating life and career. Creating economic opportunity and justice for others can promote social change.

All the research shows that investing in women entrepreneurs has enormous benefits for economic development, as women invest more in the development of their children and their communities. Supporting women benefits all.

What “ myths “ would you like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

There’s a certain level of prestige that is associated with being a founder. The hours are long and can be around the clock. The unique life/career integration challenges facing women continue. A life or business coach can be invaluable to helping women entrepreneurs achieve life and career goals.

Sexism or racism will not disappear. Joining business collectives of other women is vital for mutual support, new business, partnerships, mentors, sponsors, and investors.

Often there’s the myth that being ruthlessly competitive and exploitative is good for business, and women are not immune from toxic practices. Women and people of color entrepreneurs have equal accountability for environmentally and socially responsible companies or organizations.

Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder, and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?

A few main traits are vision, dogged determination, the capacity to create systems, and hiring and managing talented operators to run them. The ability to lead and inspire others is critical, as is comfort with uncertainty. The fact is that the majority of business start-ups fail. The most successful entrepreneurs are masters at reinvention, taking failure in stride and learning lessons to propel future success. People without these traits may prefer the structure of leading at an established company or another organization.

The career choice is not strictly entrepreneurship vs. being an employee though; one can be an executive employee of a business start-up. Entrepreneurship may be the right path at a particular point in a woman’s or other person’s life cycle. But not the right move at another life cycle moment.

Most people will have multiple careers in a fast-changing economy and unstable world. Most importantly, in a just world, all women would have and equal opportunity to achieve their full human potential, making their own family planning, careers, and other choices to learn and grow for a fulfilling life.

Okay super. Here is the central question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Imposter syndrome is natural and a personal growth opportunity. Acknowledge that most people experience it. Accept opportunities that stretch you despite doubt. Right out of college, because of the early opportunities, I had to do research and work overseas, I had a fantastic chance to work with an African development organization. Referred by one of my professors for the position, I made it to the last interview. I was secretly concerned that I might not yet be ready for the job, even though the hiring manager thought I was. I unknowingly sabotaged myself, focusing too much on my learning curve instead of the undeniable contributions I also would have made. I never made that mistake again. Once I decide an opportunity is part of my life mission and plan, I pursue it like I’m the best candidate, knowing that I can learn and succeed.
Take care of yourself as well as you take care of others. I’ve worked long hours to care for my family and achieve career goals. There was not much time for other fulfilling activities. I am fortunate that now after a 40-year career, the people in my life are generally doing well, and now I can spend my time on other meaningful pursuits. I strongly suggest making time for hobbies or other activities that may seem self-indulgent. And never defer healthcare. They are vital to a full, long life of wellness and joy.
Never stay in a toxic work position out of a sense of loyalty. I’ve had several C-suite positions that were sexist, racist, and generally unprofessional. They seriously undermined my health and well-being. My sense of loyalty was usually to a CEO or cause. Part of the “Black superwoman syndrome,” I was also determined to stay and succeed despite the challenges as a way to protect my employees and open doors of opportunity for others. The self-sacrificing was too great. No job, no matter its mission, deserves that degree of loyalty, especially since companies and organizations generally do not reciprocate such sentiments. Ironically, I advocated for others better than I advocated for myself.
As I pass the 40-year mark in my career, one of the greatest joys is to see younger women leaders from all walks of life, such as Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, and others, stand up and declare their rights to live a life of wellness-focused on their own needs regardless of others’ often misplaced expectations. My generation’s self-sacrifice opened doors. But let the next generation walk through them without the unfair, self-destructive superwoman expectations.
Personal branding and strategic publicity are vital for a successful legacy. I came of age as a professional, community-minded Black woman in the early 1980s. We were encouraged to be strong leaders but often lead from behind to uplift our communities, collaborators, and embattled men of our community. PR that emphasized our leadership and contributions was seen as self-promoting and selfish. While I still believe in community empowerment and sharing accurate credit where credit is due, I also see that misplaced humility can be a double-edged sword. Significant contributions were made invisible and even appropriated at various points in my career. The appropriators have been of many backgrounds. I generally “keep my eyes on the prize,” satisfied that the broader mission was achieved. Now I don’t tolerate appropriation of my work, just as I always advocate for recognition of others’ contributions. In an information-saturated world, it’s not necessarily true anymore that “good works speak for themselves.” If you don’t tell your own story, someone else will tell it for you, potentially distorting it and writing you out of it. If branding and publicity are not your forte, engage someone with those skills; recognizing your story might positively transform someone’s life.
Doing good does not require full-time work in the social sector. The philanthropy and nonprofit sector have no monopoly on “doing-the-right thing.” If not careful, these institutions can exhibit the same money-driven ethical and power-grabbing lapses as their corporate and government counterparts. One can change some parts of the world for the better from the public, social, or corporate sector.

Although no one told me this early on, I quickly discovered that a clear impact mission could be achieved through any sector. And the capacity to work across industries creates a more resilient career in volatile national and world economies. Be driven by your vision and mission, remembering there are pros and cons whether you’re an entrepreneur or employee, regardless of sector.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

I’ve talked a lot about this in previous Authority Magazine articles and this one too. I’ve always seen my very survival from a challenging, humble childhood and other life challenges as a call to speak out, make the world more just, extending human rights and economic justice in my community, country, and the world. My education and career choices have all been driven by this calling. Because I’ve always loved sciences, the arts, leading, writing, and fundraising, most of my positions as a philanthropic executive-scholar across sectors have combined these skills.

Now I’m more focused on my life mission and legacy of healing people, society, and the planet, supporting next-generation leadership as the world seems to be rolling back the human rights gains of the last century. I’m serving on boards, raising funds for promising women and people of color entrepreneurs creating climate tech to address environmental decline through WISE, and making Black Philanthropy Month sustainable. I look forward to using more of my time for life and spirituality coaching with my new certifications in these areas. The arts will still be a source of joy, inner peace, and teaching, including my singing-songwriting, executive producing, and several writing projects. I will continue building on my experiences and create new ones to keep learning from and loving people to change the world for the better — my longtime life and career purpose.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most significant number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I’ve influenced three movements: 1) The Black Male Achievement field through the early design of what would become President Obama’s signature initiative, My Brothers Keeper; 2) Black Philanthropy Month as founder; and 3) Reunity: The Pan-African Women’s Funding Movement. I hope these three efforts help establish love and human rights with economic justice for all genders, including Black people worldwide.

Now, through my work, at The Women Invested to Save Earth Fund, I’m trying to show the world that innovation comes in all colors, genders, and nationalities. If we fund innovative entrepreneurs equitably, we may reverse it or mitigate climate change, creating healthier natural environments that revive low-income economies in a post-COVID world.

Finally, I am revolutionizing my life with my art and music, keeping joy and inner peace at the center as a creator and leader, and empowering people spiritually in crisis times that still have superb possibilities for good. I hope that “blachanting” can evolve into a movement, helping all people see that Black spirituals, updated for our times, can be a source of inspiration, change, and unity. I think finishing my Blachant healing journal and movement practice will help.

We are blessed that some prominent names in business, VC funding, sports, and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world or the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? They might just see this if we tag them.

Last year I said I wanted to meet my favorite female jazz vocalist, Dianne Reeves, the most beloved jazz diva of our times. I don’t think she read the 2021 article. But I was delighted to meet and talk with her earlier this year. Maybe just saying who I want to meet for this interview will help me manifest a meeting with them.

I have some novel ideas about how various technologies can be used to create immersive healing arts and community-building experiences so needed in these fractured times. Quincy Jones is one of our most brilliant, wise artistic minds. I had two brief, coincidental conversations with him over the decades.

I’d love some dedicated time to share ideas and get direction on the healing arts applications I hope to design. I developed a sports philanthropy program for a prominent bank about twenty years back. It’d be great to get some sports- and entertainment-affiliated VCs such as Serena Williams, LeBron James, Beyonce, and Jay-Zee involved in a healing arts tech discussion.

The Dalai Lama is one of the world’s most influential spiritual leaders. It would be a blessing to get his advice as I embark on the newest leg of my life’s journey.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

It’s always a pleasure. I appreciate your interest in my work and the chance to catch up to share the journey with kindred spirits. Take good care.

Female Founders: Dr Jackie Bouvier Copeland of ‘The Women Invested to Save Earth Fund’ On The Five… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Marie Stolt, Maria Lager & Yvet Malmveld of Understatement Lingerie On The Five…

Female Founders: Marie Stolt, Maria Lager & Yvet Malmveld of Understatement Lingerie On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

There is no such thing as overnight success. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Success isn’t linear and you might wait a long time before your idea becomes reality — just don’t give up and never stop believing in yourself

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Marie Stolt, Maria Lager & Yvet Malmveld, founders of Understatement Lingerie.

Marie Stolt: Has a background in management consulting from Accenture and Business Development from Carlsberg. Her biggest assets are her strategic sense & analytical thinking.

Maria Lager: Worked in PR, marketing and branding for over 10 years, founding a Swedish PR agency. Her biggest strengths are her broad network & communication skills.

Yvet Malmveld: Has 10+ years of experience in product development, production & supply chain with G-star RAW, HEMA & Kuyichi. Her biggest strengths are her strong knowledge in apparel and leadership skills.

Since that adrenalin-filled day of June 1st, 2017, this business has been a roller coaster in the best of ways. Understatement was born from the desire of creating women’s underwear for women.

We were lacking an underwear brand combining both comfort and style and with a contemporary way of portraying women. So we started with getting rid of all the annoying stuff that never should have been put into underwear in the first place. No more underwire, we said bye-bye to restrictive padding, and so long to itchy bitchy tags.

Since then, we have come a looong way. Building our community, evolving as people, and growing as a team. Always focusing on developing our products. Making better, smarter, and more sustainable choices. Finding solutions to problems we couldn’t imagine facing when we started.

The core of what we are and what we do is all of us coming together. In the joint effort of making every day a bit more exciting for as many women as we can. Boosting each other to live life, knowing that we can be whoever we want to be.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

We receive daily comments from customer service, social channels and even on paid ads — on how we as a brand contribute to increase self-esteem in women by normalizing all body types, ages and ethnicities in our communication. Feedback on an amazing product but more important our inclusive approach of showing women just as they are. We are overwhelmed by all the amazing feedback we have received from women all over the world.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

In the start up phase, we had no clue whatsoever on how to design underwear. We just knew what we wanted out of the perfect bralettes and panties — but not how to actually make them. We found our first factory outside of Riga, Latvia by intensive research on Linkedin and scheduled a first introduction call via Zoom. The owner of the factory asked us if we had patterns for the collection and Marie went on and on about the underwear being in neutral colors, no crazy zig zag pattern etc. only to realize later that she was not asking about the print-pattern, but about the garment patterns! They came back to us with a polite “thank you but no thank you.” Luckily, we managed to find a small factory that welcomed us despite our shortcomings in pattern design.

Well as they say, it takes a village! Starting with our partners, families and friends that encouraged us to just go for it and give this a try, cheered us on, and supported us where they could along the way. We’ve also had advisors & mentors along the way, Stefan Fragner, our mentor since day one being one of them — we ended up recruiting him a year ago.

It feels as if we’re stuck in a bit of a vicious circle. There are more men than women starting companies, and there is more funding going to those men who do so. It’s definitely a bit of a boys club that can be intimidating to try and get into as a woman. It requires confidence to do that, just like it requires confidence to take the leap of faith and start your own business. Women are sometimes a bit too humble about their capabilities, which holds us back from just going for it. We think we need to master all necessary skills ourselves, but that’s not the case. It’s OK not to, and ask for help. It’s OK to do things ‘good enough’ at the start, and from there build a team of people around you that are amazing at things that you may be not as good at, or do not enjoy as much. That’s never stopped a man from just trying.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

As individuals, as women, we should lift each other up whenever we have the chance to do so. Cheer each other on, and help each other out, support other female founders and female-founded companies.

For us as a company and brand, we think it’s important to paint an honest picture that women can identify with. We want women to realize that it’s OK to be as they are by showing our products on bodies they can relate to, as well as share and highlight stories of women that inspire us in different ways. That builds confidence, not only about our bodies but also about ourselves, women and everything we’re capable of — such as creating successful companies.

Sweden might be a bit ahead in this, because there are quite a few initiatives here that aim at encouraging more women to start their own businesses or help female-founded businesses to raise funds. We are very fortunate here in Sweden as well when it comes to paid parental leave for both parents, as well as almost free child care, things you can also benefit from when you are self-employed. This is so important to create a more level playing field for men and women alike, and something we hope other countries will get to as well.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

Women simply bring a different perspective. This leads to services and products that are at the core designed to cater to a different and wider audience, including women specifically. Next to that women have a different perspective at doing business and leadership. It has been proven that this leads to more inclusive workplaces and often better performance for companies. Half the population consists of women and this must be reflected in what the world should look like.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

You have to be bold and strong — Most people think you have to be an “alpha” to make your own business. But to be successful, we believe being naive (a least a bit) and a very humble team-player who gets shit done is the most important capability to be truly effective and successful over time — in the end being a good listener and creating genuine relations with customers, investors and team members will be key to succeed over time.

It’s All About the Product and Timing — Yes the product has to be great, but products don’t win. Businesses, teams and communities do. Key to our success has been to constantly involve, engage and talk to the women using our product and connect with them far beyond the product.

You need Senior competence — Since you usually don’t have the possibility to employ senior people in a startup phase, we believe in hiring talent and training skills. A strong drive and willingness to learn is by far more important when building your core team. If you have a strong vision you will find top talent that are more motivated to create change than solely by money.

First of all you need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. As a founder, you always have the feeling that you’re never done and there are always a lot of things to do and improve. This is both good and bad. Bad because you’re never satisfied with what you’ve achieved, as you always see new goals and challenges, and good as exactly this is what drives you and the company forward, allowing you to make giant steps. We believe that being a humble team player is the key in order to succeed over time.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Don’t be afraid to ask for help — you are going to need it. Just because you’re working for yourself doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. Gather people around you that are not only smarter than you but also are crucial and can challenge you.
Cash (flow) is king. It’s a cliché but so true. If we hadn’t done the nitty gritty stock planning from day one, we’d end up not being able to afford our purchases.
Done is better than perfect. Don’t overthink every single detail. You can always make tweaks, adjustments and improvements along the way.
Just do it. Now. We have learned that circumstances are never perfect for anything in life. Don’t look for the perfect timing, because it might never come. Just do it now.
There is no such thing as overnight success. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Success isn’t linear and you might wait a long time before your idea becomes reality — just don’t give up and never stop believing in yourself

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

With Understatement, we built a new type of underwear brand. Where the measures of beauty, style and comfort are defined by us being women. Our commitment to the women of the world influences everything we do with Understatement. From the women working in the female-run factory in Europe to all the women who wear our products — we want to contribute to a world where every woman can be whoever she wants to be. Through our campaigns, we donate a percentage of our profits to organizations that contribute towards creating a world free of discrimination against women, supporting the 5th goal of the UN.

Understatement is more than a company. We are a rapidly growing movement of women coming together, enabling and encouraging each other to be whoever we want to be. Every single day. So if we can continue to get more women to feel empowered we reached our mission.

There are so many inspiring women we’d be delighted to get to know but we have to say Melinda Gates, badass business woman, philanthropist, and coming out from a rather public divorce from one of the richest men in the world, stronger than ever. A great example of resilience, strength, and using your personal success to make the world a better place.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Female Founders: Marie Stolt, Maria Lager & Yvet Malmveld of Understatement Lingerie On The Five… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.