The education of the Black woman has always hit very close to home for me. Not solely because I am a Black woman myself but because of the first-hand experiences that have revealed to me its value. I can vividly remember the moment I realized that educational disadvantages for Black women were not merely a topic of conversation but real experiences.
For business owners and entrepreneurs, the overarching aim is always to improve on what you’ve built. While owning a successful and profitable company is an achievement in itself, nurturing that enterprise to become even bigger and better is an end you should never stop pursuing.
Getting ahead in the world of small business is not easy. Gaining a competitive edge will require the use of top-notch technology and innovative ways of thinking. These days, there is a technology solution for every problem a business owner may face.
So how can one achieve a better work-life balance so we don’t burn ourselves out or drive our partners crazy? From setting ground rules for your family to maintaining “work hours,” here are nine tips I implemented for a better work-life balance when I work remotely.
Before launching Kindred Bravely, I was a high school math teacher; I’d never even thought of designing clothes or starting a business. Becoming a mom opened me up to the idea of creating something and ended up changing my life in more ways than I ever expected.
One thing that I love about the SWAAY community is that it provides, not an escape, but a representation of what women can achieve when we have a platform exclusively for us to share our stresses, our successes, and our stories. But I think we can all agree that SWAAY is certainly not the norm; there is a whole wide world out there that doesn't offer the same safety and support of women and their work.A recent study conducted by Aston University concluded that in the United Kingdom, men are more than twice as likely than women to start their own businesses. While this statistic isn't necessarily too surprising, it's still disheartening to know that there is such a stark entrepreneurial gap between the sexes. However, there may be hope yet. The UK is taking these findings and backing new initiatives specifically focused on closing that gap by providing more directed funding and resources to support women entrepreneurs.
On December 11, 2019, I opened my first New York City restaurant, The Banty Rooster, and breathed a huge sigh of relief. The road to opening had been long: I sold my first successful restaurant, Work & Class, in Denver in October 2016 and moved to New York City six months later. I knew virtually no one in the city, but I was determined to take what I'd learned and pursue my biggest dream.
I think we can all agree that we are living in unprecedented times, and many of us are experiencing challenges in both our personal and professional lives. But it is important to remember that often, challenging moments present opportunities for change. Right now, companies and individuals are using this time to rethink how they conduct their business, the resources critical to their success, and how they go about their daily activities. And what we are seeing is that more and more people, especially women, are taking control of their lives by starting their own businesses. While it is estimated that the number of women-owned businesses is one-quarter to one-third of all enterprises worldwide, there are still many women who aspire to make entrepreneurship a reality.
Across the world, women consume nearly as much alcohol as men do. Yet, the liquor business is an industry that primarily targets men— leaving women out as an afterthought. As a former marketer, turned lawyer, turned entrepreneur, I previously worked for one of the world's largest wine and spirits conglomerates, Pernod Ricard.
For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a makeup artist — and because of that, traditional school never interested me. All I wanted to do was go to cosmetic school, but for my parents, a makeup artist wasn't a "real job" so they wouldn't support me financially to pursue that dream.
I'm a change-maker. There is a point in every change-maker's life when she decides that she's going to stop complaining about the current state of affairs and do something about it. I was fed up hearing statistic after statistic about the gap in access to capital for women-led businesses, so I decided to do something about it. Based on my passion, we were able to attract enough investors, team members, capital providers, and supporters to gather $500 million in financing for women-led ventures through EnrichHER.
I'll admit — I'm not naturally a morning person and if I didn't have a family to take care of, my morning routine would probably look something like this: wake up when I feel like it, shower (alone without kids asking for breakfast), take supplements, drink coffee, go for a walk, eat breakfast, then start working. However, my current phase of life doesn't allow me to have such a leisurely morning routine.
The coronavirus outbreak has required everyone to abruptly adjust their entire lives with little to no warning or time for preparation. Schools across the country closed in a matter of days, many businesses were suddenly forced to work from home until further notice, and individuals everywhere were left wondering how to get the basic daily necessities. As the founder and CEO of a company as well as the mother to a young boy, creating and sticking to this new normal has been quite an adjustment and doing it from multiple angles has been nothing short of a challenge.
It's absurdly difficult to launch a product for women, by women. When I moved to NYC, I was bright and full of dreams, my hopes pinned on a colorful career and exciting new friends. Within one year, exciting new friends in tow, I was fully engaged in learning the ropes and climbing the ladder at a global investment banking firm. It was an exciting time of learning new things and my capacity for growth was enormous.
We are living in a time when women are rising to new heights which means they are regularly being confronted with the fear of being "too much". For women in business this is pervasive and costly. A few ways women can be perceived as "too much" are:Speaking up about their successes and achievements. Sharing one too many photos of their cute kids. Telling one too many people about that date night. Looking a little too good in that swimsuit.