One advantage of sheltering in place has meant more time for walking outside (socially distanced, of course!). We recently became hooked on listening to Entreprenista podcasts as we get some fresh air. If you are looking for something entertaining and educational to inspire you on your entrepreneurial journey, check out some of their recent episodes!
This interview with ThirdLove founder Heidi Zak shares how her personal experience shopping for bras made her realize that the product AND the industry needed a new approach.
To read about how she grew her company after a bad shopping experience at the mall, click here.
In early February, Netflix premiered “She Did That” a documentary by filmmaker Renae L. Bluitt that provides an inside look into how a four different Black women entrepreneurs are achieving success. The film highlights Luvvie Ajayi (author, speaker and digital strategist), Lisa Price (hair care expert and founder of Carol’s Daughter), Melissa Butler (founder of beauty brand The Lip Bar), and Tonya Rapley (financial expert behind My Fab Finance). To read more about the film, check out this article from Forbes.
While most entrepreneurs will never end up on the reality show Shark Tank, there are interesting lessons to be learned from those who have. From intellectual property protection to accepting feedback to envisioning your outcome to maintaining confidence to believing your gut, this piece on Medium shares important takeaways from ten women who pitched to the “sharks”.
Happy 2020! As we head into a new year and new decade, we thought it would be useful to share this article from Fast Company that highlights four different women and how resolutions they made (ditching a business partner, creating a remote workforce, embracing the present and increasing prices) forever impacted their professional trajectories and businesses.
During Day 2 of the Essence + New Voices Voices Entrepreneur Summit and Target Holiday Market held in mid-December in Atlanta, ESSENCE UnBossed ESSENCE Podcast host Marquita Harris moderated a panel discussion with several successful women entrepreneurs. During the discussion, these women shared accomplishments and lessons learned. Click here to read the article.
Most entrepreneurs don’t begin their professional life that way. Most people who launch their own business have actually spent some time working in a professional setting for someone else. How do you know if you are ready to take the leap and start your own endeavor? This 2017 article from Forbes has some good tips to consider.
Guy Raz from the NPR’s “How I Built This” podcast sat down with Tristan Walker for an interview in front of a live audience. Walker was looking for an idea for a company and his answer ended up being in the mirror. Like him, many men of color were frustrated with the lack of shaving and beauty products for coarse or curly hair.
This led him to launch Bevel, a subscription shaving system built around a single-blade razor. His company grew to include 36 different hair and beauty products and was sold to Proctor & Gamble in 2018. Tristan Walker became P&G’s first black CEO. Check out the podcast here.
After losing most of their 401K retirement savings during the 2008 financial crisis, the Doans needed to figure out a way to recover. Jenny Doan, who had been a stay-at-home mom to her 7 children, found herself looking to enter the workforce at the age of 50 with little external work experience. With help from the kids and some creative thinking, Jenny launched Missouri Star Quilt Company which ended up saving the family and the town of Hamilton, Missouri. Listen to Jenny share her story in the “Without Fail” podcast here
Jenny mentions in the podcast how her YouTube tutorials (her first being from a wheelchair!) rapidly increased her company’s exposure. Read more about how YouTube made a difference for the Missouri Star Quilt Company in a January 2019 Forbes article.
This August 13, 2019 article in Glamour shares Cashmere Nicole’s journey from entrepreneur-minded child to single mom to CEO. Along the way, she has been a breast cancer survivor and has shaken up the cosmetics industry by focusing on all the shades of skin color that women can have!