Picture it. You’ve just gotten engaged to
your love. In celebration of the upcoming wedding, your closest friends and
family put together an amazing bridal shower for you, providing you with
valuable gifts you’ll need to start your new marriage worry-free and to let you
know that you are loved and supported.
A few years later, you decide to bring
life into this world with your husband, and again, your friends and family show
their love and support by throwing a baby shower for you, giving you the
mom-starter supplies you’ll need for the new baby, and reaffirming their support
for you and your new, growing family. Soon after, because of the demands of
raising the child and the costs of full-time care, you and your partner decide that
you should stay home to watch the baby. It “just makes sense” since you make
less and are “better” at taking care of the child.
Although you are passionate
about your career, you decide working from home and launching a business is the
path for you! Armed with enthusiasm (and a business plan), you can’t wait to
tell your closest friends and family about this new adventure…but those once
over-enthusiastic friends and family that came together to support your new
marriage and new baby now seem a bit more hesitant. Many may even caution you
against this venture and most don’t even like the social posts of your new
business online. Feeling dejected, you contemplate whether you made the right
decision after all. . .
Many of us have gone through this. Society
celebrates women choosing marriage and motherhood, but for women choosing
unconventional paths like entrepreneurship, there are no parties. In fact, many
times, we find push-back rather than support. I’m seeking to change society’s
attitude toward women entrepreneurs through my nonprofit Women for Success and
to do this, we are throwing Business Showers!
Society celebrates women choosing marriage and motherhood, but for women choosing unconventional paths like entrepreneurship, there are no parties. In fact, many times, we find push-back rather than support.
I founded Women for Success in the middle
of the pandemic merely 11 months ago, and already, we have seen it have a huge
impact. Within the first three months of the pandemic, it is estimated that
women lost a decade’s worth of economic advancement. This is the first-ever global
female recession, and we launched our nonprofit, Women for Success, in May 2020
with a mission to bring professional and entrepreneurial women together to combat
this wave of unemployment and lift each other up when we were feeling pushed
down the most. (For more on some the stats on the disparity of impact this
pandemic has had on women, and especially women of color, find global stats
here
and see North American
figures here).
And we are not slowing down anytime soon. In
fact, our 2021 vision for the nonprofit impact is even more ambitious. This
year, we’re throwing Business Showers. When I got married about a year ago, I
remember my friends and family coming together and showering me with love and
gifts to start our new life together, and although I cherished their support,
it made me realize, “Where was this support when we launched our law firm?”
That’s when I decided I wanted to shower women launching businesses with the
same love and support we receive for bridal or baby showers. Small shifts in
society make a BIG difference. Especially shifts in how we talk or treat women.
This year, Women for Success is raising money to throw Business Showers for
women launching businesses! Similar to a baby shower or bridal shower, I
believe that throwing these Business Showers will reward women for choosing
this untraditional path, give them the resources they need to start out their
journey, and allow everyone (friends and family) to “buy in” to the success of
the venture. Elon Musk also recently mentioned his support for our business
shower idea, so if anyone has a connection, let him know Women for Success
welcomes support from Queens, Kings, and all Non-Binary Royalty in our Queendom.
I believe that throwing these Business Showers will reward women for choosing this untraditional path, give them the resources they need to start out their journey and allow everyone (friends and family) to “buy-in” to the success of the venture.
Women for Success believes that every woman is
capable of building a successful business – but you can’t do it alone. When
women come together, incredible things happen, and we are working to create
generational impact and close the gender gap. Our month-long WFS Virtual
Conference is coming up in May, and we want you to join us! The theme this year
is #InvestInYourself2021 and we have month-long masterclasses, networking, and
challenges in finance and wellness to level up your life and your business. To
secure your seat at our table, be sure to register to connect with Lauren and
all our amazing speakers this year. (Secure your seat - Click Here).
WRITTEN BY
Lauren Marsicano