Female Founders: Rikki Bommersbach Of Artvana On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
It’s okay to take a break. Nothing can burn you out faster than owning your own business. You are so close to it and you care so much that you can’t step away. But you must. If you never get your mind and your eyes off of what you are creating you won’t see things coming that you need to. Just like in painting the Artist has to take a step back to view the whole picture, we need to do that in our businesses. Don’t forget why you are doing this, spend time somewhere you love, with people that you want to be around. We want success so that we can enjoy life to the full, don’t miss out on the journey. Vacation, unplug, delegate. Take care of yourself too.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rikki Bommersbach.
Rikki is an Artist and the founder of Artvana, a company that helps people discover, nurture and grow their creativity. She is passionate about helping others build confidence in their creativity and doing things your own way. She started her first company at the age twenty-six and currently resides in the Pacific Northwest.
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?
Of course! I have always been creative but started painting professionally around the age of nineteen, and by professionally I mean trying to sell my art. I was always intimidated by painting until I really tried it, then I just fell in love with it. People began asking me to teach classes but I wasn’t really interested until a friend asked me if I had heard of fun art nights where you can drink wine and paint, that sounded like a lot of fun to me. From there I started my first company with a partner, more on that later…and I was in the paint and sip business.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
I think the most interesting stories in my company are the people I get to paint with. I’ve painted with a ninety-three-year-old woman who had never painted before, Bill Gates’ flight attendant, a woman that was legally blind, and so many more; I could never list them all. It’s just so fun for me because I get to see these people on their creative journeys even if they didn’t begin until they were in their nineties or if they have major physical challenges. I love watching them grow creatively and face those fears and challenges and make beautiful art.
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?
Well, it certainly isn’t funny but it was the most important lesson I have learned. I made the mistake in my first company of going into business with a partner and not really making sure everything was in writing because we were ‘friends’. It is the single thing I tell anyone that asks me for advice. I lost my first company after two years in a legal battle that I eventually had to quit because it was affecting me physically and mentally. No company was worth my health and I knew I could do even more on my own, so I cut my losses and started all the way over. The lesson being, do not take anyone’s (I don’t care if it’s your grandma’s) word as good enough when entering into a business partnership. Do not take any “let’s figure that out later” excuses or “we can probably draw this up ourselves” type of situations. Cover your butt, get it all in writing, and have it done by a lawyer. Yes, it will cost more in the beginning but nothing will give you more peace of mind and power in your partnership. Or go into business alone which I highly recommend.
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?
I don’t know if I could pick just one, my friend Laurie has always been a support from the very beginning and through some of those rough patches. I currently have an amazing team working with me to make my vision come to life: my brand developer Angela Kelly, my media producer Mike Strickland, my web developer Erik Soper, and my subscription box coach Andrea Fender. They’ve all been so supportive. In fact, I was in a very unhealthy relationship and Andrea told me straight, that if I wanted to be successful I had to ditch the guy! At the time, I thought she was being super rude but over the next year I saw the wisdom behind her words and realized what kind of situation I was in, so I followed her advice, ditched the guy, and things have been growing like never before. I have learned to remind myself that she is usually right, and to remember that these people really want me to succeed.
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?
I think a lot of women feel like they won’t be taken seriously. I have felt this many times, when I am telling someone what I do or writing down my profession as Artist, I get quite a few raised eyebrows, the silent “how could you possibly be making a living being an Artist” look is what I have come to call it. I think women are less creative when founding a business because we already have this feeling that we might not be taken seriously so it’s easier to start a business that is usual, well known, or makes sense to the vast majority of people. When we think CEO I think men come to mind and when we think of women-owned businesses we might think they have an Etsy shop or a cute little bakery, society doesn’t see women as powerful, innovative leaders in the business world. Women in business are women doing things to make a little money in their spare time, not women founding new ideas and companies that will make millions or billions or have super impactful changes. In my experience, this is something that needs to change.
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 far as society goes I think instilling different viewpoints and values in young girls is super important. Raising girls to believe that they can be a CEO, that they can make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, that they can change the world, that they can do it differently and still succeed. I wasn’t really taught that as a kid and it took me a long time to grow a thicker skin and say I deserve a place here and this is what I want to do, and I will succeed even if you raise your eyebrows at me.
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?
This goes back to the next generation again: if we want more of our daughters to be founders and owners they need to have more examples. I didn’t really know any female owners growing up. Having those examples goes a long way when young people think about what they want to be when they grow up. Women are intelligent and emotional so I feel like women can found different businesses than men, not in a competing way but in a diverse way. There could be so many ideas and businesses that don’t exist yet because they are waiting for the right woman to found them. I also think women have a more comprehensive understanding of products that other women may need or want so there is a lot of opportunities there.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
I feel that there is a divide between people thinking owning your own business is either exhausting or the “must be nice” attitude. In reality, it’s both. Some weeks I hustle so hard I think I’m going to have to hibernate for a month, and other weeks are really chill and easy and I get to create things on my own schedule. Whatever the myth is, you are the boss, you make the rules, don’t let your company run you and you will have a great time. And yeah, it is nice!
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?
It is definitely not for everyone. You have to be resilient, you have to be brave, and you have to be a little bit stubborn. You have to be willing to take other people telling you you won’t make it, treating you like you are being irresponsible, asking you when you will get a real job. You must believe in yourself and your ideas more than anything else, more than anyone else’s opinion, which is easier said than done. You have to be able to take those hard weeks when nothing goes right, when you feel like a loser who can’t do anything right and will never succeed and now you are going to be thirty-five with no college degree and no career path if you fail at this, and you have to take that soggy heap of fear and set it aside. You have to choose to be brave and to keep going, to keep believing. You have to be willing to have everything in the world sometimes showing you that you can’t, and still believe you can. So if you are not up for a challenge that will really show you who you are, test your limits, and force you to be uncomfortable and grow, then no, ownership is not for you. But if you have grit and a fire in your soul, you want to get the most out of this time you have on earth, and you want to play and try things and experience as much as you can, then why not? It’s a different way of being and some people don’t want anything to do with it and I respect that, others can’t see themselves ever being an employee, I respect that too.
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.)
- Never own less than 50% of your company — This was the move my first partner made that set the stage for me losing what I had worked for, it was only 1% at the time but it meant so much.
- Hire professionals as soon as you can to help, you do not NEED to do everything. I wasted so much time trying to teach myself how to do everything! This is not what you founded a company for, hire a bookkeeper, graphic designer, website professional, advertising specialist, tax professional, and payroll expert. You will save money doing it yourself but you will be burnt out and not having fun in your business. Also, you will never be as good at it as they are.
- Your staff is just as important as your product. Your staff, your team, whoever you have working for or with you is just as important as what you are doing. They are the face of your company and often who people interact with first. If they don’t believe in what you are doing they shouldn’t be on your team, if they don’t care about your customers like you do, you will have problems.
- You might be afraid of success! This took me a long time to figure out, because when all of your actions seem to say otherwise and you feel like you are clawing your way to the top of Success Mountain, how could you be afraid of it? I encourage anyone getting into business to get clear on this first. For me, this manifested when my company started to grow (like I had always wanted). As soon as it started happening, I started feeling fear and doubt, can I actually do this? What if something happens? What if my supplies don’t arrive on time? What if, what if, what if, and suddenly when I should have been the most excited I felt like running away. Envision yourself at the top, where you want to be, and remind yourself all the time that to get there you have to do these things and you will figure it out. You will have to do big scary things to be successful and claim your success. If you stop halfway through or where your business is ‘making it’ and you get comfy there, that is where you will stay and you will not reach your full potential.
- It’s okay to take a break. Nothing can burn you out faster than owning your own business. You are so close to it and you care so much that you can’t step away. But you must. If you never get your mind and your eyes off of what you are creating you won’t see things coming that you need to. Just like in painting the Artist has to take a step back to view the whole picture, we need to do that in our businesses. Don’t forget why you are doing this, spend time somewhere you love, with people that you want to be around. We want success so that we can enjoy life to the full, don’t miss out on the journey. Vacation, unplug, delegate. Take care of yourself too.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
In a small way, I hope that I have helped others to believe in themselves more. It is like a ripple, a small dose of self-confidence can go a long long way.
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.
Play, if I could inspire people to play more that is what I would do. The human mind and our creativity are so pent up and under pressure all the time to produce, not make mistakes, analyze, problem-solve, and control. Remember when you were a kid and could spend hours playing in the dirt with a stick? We still need that escape, if we allow ourselves to play more. Play in the kitchen with new recipes, just for fun, who cares if it doesn’t turn out, play with our kids, play with paint, play with designing our home, play in our garden. Play with ideas and see where they go. You will feel your mind start to wander its own path and you will feel that creativity coming to the surface. Think about it, when was the last time you played?
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.
I would love to have brunch with Author Jen Sincero. I love her books and they have helped me in a number of subjects. I love her attitude and I’m always calling to mind phrases and quotes from her when I need that extra little push. She is the type of person I want to hang out with and be around because she is tough but positive at the same time, she has this amazing balance between calling herself out on her own excuses and promoting self-love, and I think there is so much I can learn from her.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this!
Female Founders: Rikki Bommersbach Of Artvana 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.