Tag: female entrepreneurs

Taylor Swift And Living Life Your Way

Newsweek published an article
about Taylor Swift
in which they said,

“At 34, Swift remains
unmarried and childless,
a fact that some might argue
is irrelevant to her status
as a role model.
But, I suggest,
it’s crucial to consider
what kind of example
this sets for young girls.”

They would never
write that
about a male performer.
(Though they might
be driven to write one
to offset the bad publicity
over this article.)

If Taylor Swift
was married and had kids,
they would criticize
her for going on tour
and ‘neglecting’ her family.

If she produced music
while being at home
with a spouse and kids,
they would criticize that decision
for the same reason.

Women can’t win
over everyone.

We’ll always have someone
(usually a white man)
criticizing what we’re doing.

So live the life
YOU want.

Build your business
the way YOU want
to build it.

Find your own happiness
and stop listening
to small-minded,
insecure people.

Be free.

Barbie And Oscar Nominations

If you were questioning
if the patriarchy is still strong,
the Oscar nominations this year
are proof
that women continue
to be discriminated.
Openly.
And obviously.

Barbie was one of the top
grossing movies of the year.
I didn’t truly enjoy it
yet even I have to admit
it was creatively a masterpiece.
It was innovative
and different
and people responded to it.

Yet Margot Robbie who played Barbie
didn’t receive an Oscar nomination.
Greta Gerwig, the director
and the creative force behind the movie,
didn’t receive an Oscar nomination.

You know who DID receive
an Oscar nomination?
Ryan Gosling who played Ken.

Yep, the guy got the nomination.

F*ck the patriarchy.
It is still strong.

And yes, it is impacting
your female-run business.
Likely in more ways
than you believe.

Succeed despite them.

The Sweetie Block

If you’re female facing
and a male facing person
uses ‘sweetie’
when posting to your message
online,
block that person.

Hell, save yourself
future trouble
and
block anyone
who uses ‘sweetie’ in that way
with any female facing person.

‘Sweetie’ is not only
condescending
and patronizing,
a means of belittling
you and your views,
but it is also
a dog whistle
to women haters everywhere.

By using it,
the person
is intentionally sending
a wave of hate
your way.
They are deliberately
trying to harm you.

The use of ‘sweetie’
is meant
to attract
more of those awful people
to your account
and to you.

You’ll be swamped
by hate
and you’ll have to manage that.

No one has time
for that sh*t.

View ‘sweetie’
as an automatic block.

Dealing With Mansplainers

Dealing with mansplaining
is simply part of navigating
the world
for women,
especially for female business builders.

On social media,
I usually block the mansplainer
and move on.
My time is precious
and he’s not my target audience.

One of my buddies,
however,
has developed a hilarious way
of dealing with mansplainers.

She treats them
as she would treat a toddler.

Toddlers often tell adults
things
these same adults told them
days or hours or seconds previously.
That is how they learn
and retain
new ideas.

We usually listen to these toddlers
and we praise them
for having learned something new.

My friend responses
in a similar way
to mansplainers.

“That’s correct.
You’ve grasped the concept.”
Etc.

This confuses the mansplainer.
They don’t usually know
how to respond.

And it sends the signal
to the rest of the group
that my friend is the person
in the position of authority.

Learn how to deal
with mansplainers.

Don’t allow them
to derail
your presentations or your pitches.

Building Businesses And The Attack On Women’s Rights

The potential overturning of Roe v Wade
in the U.S.
is yet another step toward
taking away ALL rights for women.

That is clearly the end goal.

This isn’t about religion
or saving babies.

They targeted abortion
because they thought
that was the easiest right
to take away first.
Taking away this right
will set a precedent
and make it easier
to take away other rights.

This is about seizing power,
about ensuring women
can’t vote,
can’t have a say
in…well…anything.

Fight this.
Fight this
with all the energy you have.

It will mean
the difference between
living or dying.
Not only now
but in the future.

With climate change happening
exponentially faster,
for example,
resources will soon become
extremely limited.
Groups of people
who don’t have power (votes)
won’t be allocated
sufficient resources.

It will also, of course,
be impossible,
as a woman,
to build a business
under such a regime.

Our options will be extremely limited
and who the f*ck wants that?

Fight like your life depends upon it.

Because it does.

Make Today Count

The past few years
have shown many of us
that every day is precious.

TODAY is precious.
Today, we have the opportunity
to create something marvelous,
to cause someone’s world
to be a bit nicer,
to make a small difference.

This could be as easy
as waving to a neighbor,
as choosing the colors
for your new product,
as telling the tired cashier
at the grocery store
she’s doing a good job.

Do something wonderful.
Make today count.

When Things Go Wrong And Excess Emotion

My first reaction to bad news
is extremely dramatic.
I think the worst.
I get angry with the world.
Sometimes, I cry from frustration.

None of that is helpful
in the situation.

So I walk away from it,
from other people
for a few moments.

I indulge my drama
in a private space
(like a bathroom stall),
and then,
when I’m calmer,
I return to the situation
and address it
with a clear brain.

Issa Rae,
one of the co-owners of
Sienna Naturals,
shares

“When things don’t go my way,
I rarely react in the moment.
And if I do,
I tend to regret it.
I usually take time
to process it,
be mad,
go off in my own space
and vent,
and then try to find solutions
and/or a Plan B.”

It is okay to wait
a few moments
before reacting
to a bad situation.

Purge your excess emotions
and THEN handle the issue.