Women in Business We Love to Love

You have a dream of being a successful marketing guru with your own business. You want to go for it but you ask yourself, “Is it just too big a dream?”

All of us have had that self-doubt creep into our sub-conscious. But we say, “Give it the ol’ heave-ho!”

Instead take note of the dreamers and doers out there who have turned their business idea into reality. Take note of these female business leaders who inspire us to say yes to our dreams and live the iMarketer life every day!

Marie Forleo

Her business:

A multi-passionate entrepreneur and business coach from New Jersey, Marie Forleo doles out straightforward sage advice with a dose of humor. Her award-winning weekly show, MarieTV, hits the web every Tuesday, and serves up wisdom and actionable ideas for people in 195 countries who want to succeed in their business and life. Need an extra dose of courage? Watch this episode of MarieTV.

Oprah loves Marie and so does Forbes.com, which named MarieForleo.com one of the Top 100 Websites for Entrepreneurs. What else do you need to know?

Her life:

She uses her unique talents, personality, humor and heart in both her professional and personal life. And she makes time for offline pursuits like hip-hop, riding roller coasters, singing karaoke and playing with her dog, Kuma.

Her struggles:

She was (and still is) passionate about writing, hip-hop, psychology, entrepreneurship, creativity, spirituality, fitness and philanthropy. However, she believed that she had to choose just one thing in life to focus on. She thought to be able to live a “secure” life. She had to work a 9-to-5 corporate job.

Forleo writes on her website: “After several failed attempts at corporate jobs and a lot of angst trying to choose just one thing to be in life, I realized that my unusual combination of interests and skills was a strength, not a liability.” So, she decided to go for it. She slowly built a coaching business while bartending and waiting tables to pay the bills.

In her own words:

“I believe you must bring your whole self to the table if you want to thrive in today’s world.”

Think, Create, Collect

Their business:

Abagail Pumphrey and Emylee Williams, the founders of Think Creative Collective, help time-strapped and overwhelmed entrepreneurs build profitable businesses. Their online classes serve up practical tools, helpful resources and smart advice to keep you organized and sane — which can lead to more time, energy and money. They also deliver helpful business advice via their podcast, Strategy Hour.

Their lives:

They gather and share their love (aka – knowledge) with other movers and shakers who are changing the world. Plus, lots and lots of caffeine, babies – Emylee is a mother, and beagles – Abagail has two fur-babies.

Their struggles:

When they were in their early 20s, both Abagail and Emylee had to reevaluate their paths in life. Abagail graduated college with a degree in design and fine arts and started working in the corporate world. After being laid off from a job she didn’t love, she started blogging and worked for non-profits and start-ups.

Emylee had dreams of going into social work and being a college professor. However, she had a change of heart two weeks before she started grad school, and unenrolled. With a degree in fine arts and photography, she started a photography business in Oklahoma. Their paths converged when they joined a Facebook group that encouraged and supported entrepreneurs. They started TCC in 2015. And, as the saying goes, the rest is history—or shall we say herstory.  

In their own words:

“I didn’t make any excuses for myself and I was willing to do anything to make it work, mostly because I felt like I had this timeline of [how] I have to prove it to other people…but I work well under pressure, especially when the pressure is outside of myself.”
— Abagail Pumphrey

“You have to see where these small opportunities are for you to maybe shift your business a little bit, just to try it, and see if that’s even what you like doing…and seeing what that opportunity then opens up for you in the future.”
— Emylee Williams

Spanx founder Sara Blakely

Her business:

Sara Blakely was in her late 20s and in need of something to wear under her white pants when she came up with the idea for Spanx. Today, Blakely is in her mid 40s and her shapewear is sold in 65 countries.

Her life:

She is the youngest self-made, female billionaire in the world. Her original investment of $5,000 has grown to a net worth of $1.17 billion. Today, she is a mother to four children and is able to help empower women through the Spanx Sara Blakely Foundation. Blakely — promising to give at least half her wealth to charity — signed the Melinda and Bill Gates’ and Warren Buffett’s Giving Pledge.

Her struggles:

She failed the LSAT — twice. But this just showed her that she should choose a different path. And failure didn’t diminish her confidence.

She attributes her moxie to her father, who would ask her the same question week after week when she was growing up: “What did you fail at this week?” He’d deliver a high-five when she’d tell him. In an interview with Fortune, Blakely said, “I didn’t realize at the time how much this advice would define not only my future, but my definition of failure. I have realized as an entrepreneur that so many people don’t pursue their idea because they were scared or afraid of what could happen. My dad taught me that failing simply just leads you to the next great thing.”

In her own words:

“I did not have the most experience in the industry or the most money, but I cared the most.”

 

Feeling inspired? Take action and start your own business. Check out the iMarketer Blueprint.