Kirsten Barker – Page 14 – More from the Institute for Women's Entrepreneurship at Cornell

Two Entrepreneurs Enabling Safer Travel for Women

Srishti Mendhekar and Priyansha Mishra are the founders of On Her Way, a platform that connects women travelers to a local woman who can help them awareness about safe spaces and general information about the area. “Women have needs and issues, which can be broadly categorized into safety and hygiene, and no one is solving that. The current travel ecosystem is made by men for men. We want to change that,” says Srishti. Read more by accessing an article about how they founded their startup in YourStory.com.

Understanding the Impact of the Pink Tax

The “pink tax” refers to the extra money women that are routinely charged for personal care products, services and clothing. While it may only seem like a few dollars difference here and there, when added up over a lifetime, this article in GoBankingRates states that the total can exceed $500,000! To see a breakdown of where the pink tax hits women the hardest, click the link to access the article.

Squashing the Negative

Many successful individuals – especially women – struggle with negative self-talk (sometimes referred to as having an Inner Critic). In this podcast from NPR’s Lifekit, Joy Harden Bradford, Ph.D., an Atlanta-based clinical psychologist and the host and founder of Therapy for Black Girls, shares several strategies to tame those voices. From reframing how you speak to yourself to reducing the time you spend doom-scrolling on social media, her tips are a worthwhile listen!

Top Three Things That Make Female Leaders Successful

In this post on CNBC.com, journalist and writer Julia Boorstin shares insights from what she learned in interviewing 120-plus CEOs, founders and VC investors for her new book “When Women Lead”. Her top three takeaways are that the most successful women leaders stay true to their strongest traits, rely on data rather than ego and find grounding in their purpose. To learn more about the examples behind these findings, click the above link to the piece.

Spreadsheet With Funding Sources

Back in January 2022, we posted a link to a Google sheet we keep updated each day with global, regional and local grant opportunities being offered to small business owners. Updates to this list get emailed out to those enrolled in our program at the beginning of each month, but we are reposting a link to the spreadsheet here (so it is more visible in the list of posts) so all can take advantage of the latest and greatest information we have!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zU5SUCYBopz64FM4q_nqp2wvILmcdItq_PRWQRXFUB4/edit?usp=sharingMore

LOULOU LOLLIPOP Evolves from Side Hustle to International Brand

When co-founders of LOULOU LOLLIPOP, an eco-friendly baby product company, looked to expand their company globally, they realized they didn’t have the right to use their name in Europe and China. It was a three-year legal battle with a hefty price tag to nail down the trademark issues. Co-founder Eleanor Lee shared, “There will be challenges and mistakes along the road, there were for us. They’re stepping-stones. Don’t dwell on them.” To read more about their adventure in launching a global brand, read this piece in Women of Influence.

Making Sure You Are Paid for Your Work

Often in industries that are more creative, there is an expectation that you need to offer time and labor for free or for deeply discounted rates to get work…or “exposure”. In addition, there’s also the problem of the “brown discount,” which refers to a common workplace issue of people of color being asked to provide the “vastness and value” of their experiences, but without fair compensation or resources. But as journalist Juleyka Lantigua-Williams shares, “exposure” doesn’t pay the rent or the grocery bill. This episode from NPR’s Life Kit discusses some of these challenges in greater detail and shares strategies to ensure you are being paid what you are worth!

Impact of Hispanic Heritage on the Entrepreneurial Journey

In this post on Nasdaq.com, site contributor Gesche Haas spoke with nine women from the Dreamers & Doers collective to learn more about their experiences as business leaders of Latina descent and the challenges and successes that they have encountered. Each woman has a unique backstory and fabulous advice – click the link to read the piece on nasdaq.com

Interview with Founder of Hiring Platform, We Are Rosie

This piece in Inc. is a conversation with We Are Rosie‘s CEO Stephanie Nadi Olson. She shares how the challenges of trying to juggle a family and the demands of a high powered corporate job – and then a startup job – led her to launch her own business focused on finding “good work for everyone who needs it in a way that aligns with their life and treats them with dignity and respect”. Her company now has over 15,000 contractors in the marketing and advertising space – whose contracts are capped at 40 hours per week. She states, “For culture to be truly compassionate, it cannot be prescriptive. Leadership decisions cannot happen in a vacuum.” Click the link above to read more about this incredible leader.