November is Nationwide Entrepreneurship Month, which goals to spotlight small enterprise founders and homeowners and their contributions to innovation and financial influence. In accordance with Fundera, there are 12.3 million women-owned companies in the USA. For a lot of, beginning, rising and scaling is a lonely experience. Jenny Shum, managing director of Chase Ink, says one thing that may assist make the journey much less isolating is counting on a neighborhood of like-minded individuals for help. “That neighborhood connection helps enterprise homeowners discover the sources they should succeed.”
A recognizable position might be performed
Whereas the significance of being a part of a neighborhood is not new, one thing that is much less talked about is the ability of successful awards. “Small companies are on the coronary heart of our communities,” Shum says. “Continued recognition and collaboration with trusted companions and colleagues can typically assist a enterprise overcome potential obstacles and flourish.”
That is why in 2022, Chase Ink partnered with Entreprenista to launch the Entreprenista 100 Awards. The awards honor and have a good time founding girls who’re altering the world. Jessica Abo sat down with the three winners to be taught extra about their companies and the way the award has helped enhance their visibility, credibility and backside line.
Story by Anouck Gottlieb
Anouck Gottlieb
After finding out trend design and dealing at trend homes corresponding to Zac Posen and Natan, Belgian-born Anouck Gotlib grew to become the advertising director of Belgian Boys, which creates fast breakfasts and cookies in uncommon packaging to convey joyful European treats to households throughout the America. . In 2018, she was appointed normal supervisor.
When the pandemic prompted the sudden lack of nearly a 3rd of Belgian Boys’ enterprise from airways, meals service payments and extra, Gotlib not solely donated greater than 80,000 treats to native communities and frontline employees, but additionally elevated income and doubled the crew. She joined the Entreprenista League and says being a part of the neighborhood gave her the power she wanted to get by that difficult time. “Having a neighborhood provides you a way of belonging. It’s seeing individuals and being seen. It is about uplifting others and connecting.”
She used her community to safe Belgian Boys’ first exterior funding in 2021 from Equilibra, the household workplace of KIND Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky, and was acknowledged as a winner of the Entreprenista 100. She says the win and award gave her the boldness to achieve increased and lift the bar on how would obtain a higher impact. Her recommendation for different feminine founders is to “encompass your self with superb individuals and construct the strongest crew round you. Collect individuals who encourage you and collectively you’ll construct nice issues.”
Tori Bell
Story by Tori Bell
Tori Bell found the ability of neighborhood firsthand when she based Black Girls on Fb, which grew to three,000 members worldwide below her management. Her ardour for creating inclusive change in corporations impressed her to enterprise into entrepreneurship herself and launch Inclusion Unpacked 2021. Bell says the largest hurdle was securing the funding to get began. “On common, black girls obtain lower than 1 p.c of accessible funding {dollars},” she says. “I knew the impediment was going to be steep.” She was capable of increase the capital she wanted to create her digital membership neighborhood, which offers schooling, occasions and a help community for founders and leaders devoted to constructing numerous, equitable and inclusive corporations from the bottom up.
“After making use of for quite a few grants and applications, I lastly secured one after receiving the Entreprenista 100 award. The grant got here at an important time for us. Since successful the award, we’ve got secured enterprise capital funding and skilled a rise in gross sales from new clients.” With the help of her trusted neighborhood, Bell has achieved a number of spectacular accomplishments and accolades, together with acceptance into a number of notable incubator applications, in addition to being the primary black girl to win Columbia Enterprise Faculty’s prestigious startup competitors. She says, should you’re beginning out, you need to be seen. “Being a part of a community is crucial. A major a part of your early success is usually the results of others advocating and supporting you.”
Jill Apgar
Story by Jill Apgar
After struggling firsthand to handle her biracial daughter’s curly hair, Jill Apgar was impressed to create an answer for different multicultural households. When she seen that silk pillowcases helped her personal hair, a lightweight bulb went off, and Apgar designed a prototype silk mattress sheet. Her daughter Cora’s tangles and dry pores and skin improved nearly magically in a single day with the smooth sheets of Coco Beans. In 2020, after an unintentional pandemic layoff from her company position, she determined to make the leap and formally launch Coco Beans, a luxurious bedding and sleepwear model particularly designed for youths with textured hair. It has additionally fearlessly launched a brand new line of bamboo pajamas amid market uncertainty, additional diversifying the model’s providing with eco-friendly manufacturing that’s kinder to each pores and skin and planet.
Apgar says she’s needed to cope with her personal challenges, together with provide chain points brought on by the worldwide pandemic. “We have been capable of overcome our financial challenges by transitioning to an natural advertising technique utilizing our small however loyal social media following, in addition to activating the Central Ohio market by a sequence of native pop-up shops,” she says. “My recommendation is to start out small and quick. As a substitute of ready for the services or products to be ‘good’, prioritize going to market and begin constructing a relationship along with your clients. Suggestions will make it easier to ship a greater product or expertise and in the end construct buyer belief – a key pillar of long-term success.”
Apgar says that transitioning from a company setting to proudly owning her personal enterprise was a lonely journey, however being a part of communities of feminine founders like The League was essential. “These girls have been so beneficiant, sharing classes realized from each victories and failures, listening compassionately throughout difficult occasions, encouraging me to maneuver ahead and cheering me on each step of the way in which.” She added that receiving the Entreprenista 100 award has elevated the credibility of her model in addition to her credibility as a founder and is encouraging extra girls to talk up.
Coming Full Circle
As these three founders overcome obstacles with the assistance of mentors and colleagues, they not solely lead fast-growing corporations, but additionally empower the communities round them. This 12 months, he might be within the choice committee for Entreprenista 100 awards. The applying deadline is November 22, 2024.