Yesterday, a very cool thing happened. I launched my own business and it was covered in the national trade media by a story in PR Week Magazine. Immediately, my life felt different. There is a palpable excitement, a feeling of being in charge of my own destiny and the occasional twinge of fear. I received hundreds of messages, well wishes, calls votes of confidence. Someone said “why did it take you so long?” and a few others said “let’s talk, I may have an opportunity for you!” – all awesome reactions.
One, in particular, said that my move has already inspired some of my friends and colleagues to do the same, and that, is inspirational to me. So, I am creating a weekly edition of thoughts, tips, resources and people who inspire and influence me, aptly called InfluencHer Weekly.
Each weekly edition will be short and will capture the highlight of my experiences in case they can be helpful to you. So here we go…
InfluencHer Weekly, July 26
What has influenced me this week:
- After leaving my job in April, I was very tempted to jump right in to something else. A number of smart friends told me to take my time, which goes against my grain. I need to feel productive and want to be doing “something.” I was afraid of losing my identity. But it was one of the smartest things I did. You can’t figure out the next great thing when you are fully immersed in something else. Taking a few months has given me gifts of time, exploration, flexibility, family togetherness and the courage to create. Which leads me to…
- Many women feel like they need to jump right into the next thing because of financial pressures. I am no different. You need to pay the mortgage, tuition, utilities, food and on and on, especially with kids. Here’s the trick: invest money from the time you start working and do it on a regular basis so you can access some of that money for a career change. Financial feminist, Sallie Krawchek of Ellevest, talks about how investing gives you control, and its true. If you have a few months of financial freedom, you can change your world.
My son and his friends started a business, The Millennial Ad Network. They started from scratch, in a basement, based on what they dreamed of doing. Last week, my son and I presented at the Marketing to Gen Z Conference and he is now receiving inquiries from national clients. As women, we tend to want to have the full plan in place, complete with dates, times and actions. My son and his friends launched a business based on dreams, with the details to follow. I’ve been inspired by their approach and am seeing the opportunity in each day instead of trying to rigidly follow a master plan for success.
Who has influenced me in the past week:
- Jake Skoloda and his presentation at the Marketing to Gen Z Conference
- Dale Bornstein and how she is mentoring generations of business women
- Ron Culp for connecting with me and sharing words of inspiration
- Sallie Krawcheck and her passion for getting women to invest
- Adhithi Aji, Founder and CEO of Addrich, LLC, who is working smartly and tirelessly to secure funding for her business
- Nan McCann, president at PME Enterprsies, who staged the Marketing to Gen Z Conference and so graciously invited Jake and me to speak
- Catherine Merritt, founder of Merritt Group Consulting, whose entrepreneurial courage is inspriational
- Mat Silva, co-founder and CTO at RendrFX, where I am on the board. Mat is totally busting his butt to pivot his business model and create Video Gigs.
I hope these thoughts, resources and people may be of service to you. If so, let me know! And if you have some to share, let me know and I can post.
Until next week…