Inspirational Female Founders Spotlight
Inspirational Female Founders Spotlight
For International Women’s Day, The Successful Founder - a magazine that covers inspiring features and founder spotlight for its entrepreneur based readership - asked our Group Chairwoman, Claire Menzies, to share 5 tips for entrepreneurial success and her top 5 inspirational women.
What would you love to share to encourage other women to start their own company?
Know your value. Don’t let anyone cast doubt on your ability to be successful. Tell all your trusted friends and capable colleagues about your plan – listen to feedback and take note of well-considered and research-based advice. Find a mentor in the early stages and then take that first step.
What are your top 5 tips for entrepreneurial success?
1. Follow your north star – have a big vision
I relate to this in so many ways. Your north star/big vision must be in constant sight, no matter if you’re thrown off course when things go wrong (which they will). Your north star is your very foundation, your compass and your guiding light – it will help guide you through times of real uncertainty and onward to success.
2. Be determined
You must be determined and focused if you want to keep moving forward towards success. There will be challenges along the way and you will experience a lot of uncertainty and fear about how and whether to take the next steps. Always remain determined to move forward.
3. Be prepared to adapt and embrace
No matter how carefully you plan, something may go wrong, so be prepared to adapt your plans. And don’t try to be all things for all aspects of your business – embrace your value and expertise then surround yourself with the experts you need to be truly successful.
4. Leverage time and ideas to promote wellbeing
Research your competition and their successes and don’t waste time trying to reinvent proven results in any area of your business. Be savvy, be better at whatever works, stay lean and resilient and you will preserve more than you realise – you will keep on top of personal energy too, so you won’t burn out. Best business practice and personal wellbeing are directly linked to sustainable success.
5. Don’t take it all too seriously
Work with clients and people you respect and enjoy – life is too precious not to! Where possible, try hard and discipline yourself to stress a little less. Laughter and positivity strengthen your emotional and mental wellbeing and when you feel good it helps to keep those tricky characters from getting to you. When you laugh you light up your true sense of self and that will take you a long way.
Who are the 5 women who inspire you the most?
1. Eleanor of Aquitaine 1122 – 1204, Queen of England and France
2. Rosa Parks
3. Katherine Hepburn
4. Gloria Steinem
5. Ellen Sirleaf Johnson
What is your favourite saying/inspirational quote?
“A feminist is anyone who recognises the equality and full humanity of women and men.”
Gloria Steinem
Istoria’s International Women’s Day Initiative
To celebrate, we asked some inspirational women we know from business to the arts to talk to us about who has inspired them recently, which book has given them courage and guidance and what their advice would be to young women at the start of their careers. Follow the links below.
Q1 - Which woman has inspired you most over the past 12 months and why?
Q2 - Name a book that has given you wisdom or strength and which other women may find useful?
Q3 - What advice would you give to a young woman starting her career right now?