For the girls in your life

Share this post with them, especially if they want to be entrepreneurs one day

This post is for the girls in your life, the ones who dream big and want to be entrepreneurs one day. Maybe they don’t even know yet what that means, but you see it in them and want to further and encourage. Please share this post directly with them, as I know how important it is to hear from female entrepreneurs. It's based on a talk I gave recently to local high school students in an incubator program to motivate them to continue growing into problem solvers and entrepreneurs.

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If you want to be an entrepreneur, find mentors or people you look up to. Ask your teachers or guidance counselor if they can recommend someone. 

If they don't have ideas, contact your local chamber of commerce. Use any contacts you can to find women in the field or job you might be interested in. Find female founders, too.

Take more classes. Branch out and take a coding class so you can build your own websites or video games. General Assembly has fantastic resources and courses you can take, too.

Get involved. Chicago, where I live, is full of resources. GET Cities, funded by Melinda French Gates, is pouring millions of dollars to get women involved in Tech in Chicago. 1871 is also a great incubator here.

Don't second guess. Just because I didn't want to "deal with numbers," I thought business classes weren't for me. However, the joke's on me because most of my job is focused on building business and “dealing with numbers." And I love it because it gives me the data I can use to make strategic decisions, and it shows younger women in our company what women leaders look like.

The dating app, Bumble, made for women by a woman CEO, just IPO'd—raising $2.2 BILLION for the company. That could be any of the girls you know. It's not hard. It just takes the right idea and a whole lot of gumption. And girls have it. You have it. I know you do. 

Keep reaching, learning, growing, and going.

You've got this.

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Also, if you or someone you know is looking for mentorship, I’m now offering free office hours to talk about innovation, entrepreneurship, and how you’re tackling gender equity.  They’re available every week on a first-come-first-served basis. To reserve your spot, use my Calendly.