How Female Entrepreneurs Can Empower One Another to Rise Together

By: Olivia Liveng and Carly Orris

History has proven time and time again that we can achieve more by banding together than attempting to conquer solo. No one needs to hear this more than female entrepreneurs — who today are still the minorities in business endeavors.

After all, there’s enough space within any industry for everyone to share a slice of that metaphorical success cake. Take a gander at the following advice from three entrepreneurs who’ve found personal success by empowering their fellow females and rising together.

Create your own tribe.

History has also taught us the value of our tribe: The lone wolf was not often the purveyor of success. This sentiment applies today: We need the support of our peers both in the good times and when the going gets rough.

A tribe reassures you that you can succeed and helps build that confidence again. Healthy Lifestyle Expert and Coach Brittany Carbone believes that starting a business is one of the most vulnerable experiences of your life.

“When putting your work out for the world to see, it’s like a piece of you is being exposed, especially for the heart-centered entrepreneur,” said Carbone. When she started her fitness journey after gaining 65 pounds, Carbone couldn’t find anything to help her. When she finally found what it took her to get there, she had a tremendous squad cheering her on.

Carbone believes that when you genuinely see other female entrepreneurs as allies versus the competition, you open the door for possibilities. We can collaborate on projects, celebrate each other’s wins, hold space when things don’t go as planned, and always cross-promote in the virtual world.

Sarah Pendrick, another female entrepreneur and author of Beautifully Brave, shares a similar sentiment. “The only way that female entrepreneurs are going to rise together is through reaching out a hand and supporting each other up the invisible ladder,” said Pendrick. “One entrepreneur is strong, but together we are a force. Suppose female entrepreneurs stay focused on their dreams, goals, and what they want to create for the world while also using their success, opportunities, and contacts to support another entrepreneur in the process. In that case, there will be a continued ripple effect of women-owned businesses and networks of female entrepreneurs, mentors, and success stories.”

In her experience, Pendrick sought out female mentors and built out her network of empowered female entrepreneurs she could lean on and armor with confidence in finding success.

[Related: Advice From Entrepreneurs Who Pivoted During the Pandemic]

Normalize abundance.

The stigma that there’s not enough room for everyone is what holds others — especially women — back from genuinely supporting one another. This false belief prevents growth. And Maria Concha, the Manifesting Ninja and coach, understands this well. She believes that collaboration over competition is what creates individual success.

Concha tells her clients to release the story that they compete with other women, because that’s a lie they’ve bought into. Instead, lean into the knowing that we are all here with our unique gifts and abilities and don’t have to go on these journeys alone.

Concha teaches strong women to create more confidence, self-belief, and abundance as a manifestation coach and founder. Her business concept has shown female entrepreneurs how scarcity doesn’t exist and how accessible and flexible quantity is.

Carbone shares the same sentiment as Concha, believing that speaking about abundance regarding financial aspects of business is a “taboo” topic. Money is simply an exchange of energy, and for it to flow, we have to create space for it.

Carbone hopes that by starting these conversations with your inner circle, you dive into those financial goals and slay the limiting beliefs that come up before they metastasize. “When women create financial freedom, we transform the world,” Carbone said.

[Related: Making Mindful Career Moves]

Don’t worry about people pleasing.

While we desire to uplift others, we want to make sure that we stay true to ourselves, as well. Your ultimate success, after all, is to ensure you’re taking care of yourself and not focusing solely on the happiness of others.

And there is a simple answer for this: Make sure to set boundaries. Boundaries keep us grounded and authentic to ourselves and not compromise anything that goes against our beliefs.

Pendrick is a thorough advocate of throwing away the people-pleasing and getting fierce on your boundaries. “This is your life to live: no one else,” she said. The author has mapped out exactly how to put this into practice and why women who put their energy and health first are unstoppable.

“People-pleasing is a habit of past generations that hold us back, and it’s up to us as entrepreneurs and up-and-coming generations to break that behavior and operate in truth and empowerment,” she said. “When you take care of yourself from a place of empowerment, you influence those around you to do the same and create actual change and influence.”

Leading with your heart enables you to be precisely where you need to be. Concha tells her clients to be clear on the directions they want to take their lives. For an exercise, she encourages them to take a moment to get specific and write out the kind of woman that they want to be. “When you operate from a heart-centered space, you attract these types of people. And what better than to support and thrive with other female entrepreneurs doing great things in the world that align with you,” she said.

Being mindful of the type of woman you are and what you need from others will help you excel in what you’re doing. Knowing what you need from within will help you turn around and empower other women following in your footsteps. You’ll then be able to propel others forward by creating more space for everyone to succeed. Building your tribe, normalizing abundance, avoiding naysayers, and people-pleasing are imperative for your success alongside the brilliant female entrepreneurs surrounding you.

[Related: Three Strategies for Women to Take Control of Their Visibility and Impact]

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Olivia Liveng (nee Balsinger) is an experienced storytelling coach, brand strategist, entertainment producer, and Liveng Public Relations CEO, an agency amplifying hospitality, tourism, and female voices. She’s also an award-winning travel journalist, with bylines in Fodors, Forbes, New York Post, and Business Insider, and LA Style. Find her on Instagram at @livliveng.

Carly Orris is a freelance writer and publicist based in New York. Her writing focuses on female empowerment, travel, entertainment, and lifestyle. Find her on Instagram at @carlyorris.

Originally published at https://www.ellevatenetwork.com.