Quesnay Ambassador Margaret Spence is the Founder of The Employee to CEO Project & CEO of C. Douglas & Associates, Inc. presented to current and past participants of our Female Founders program about the ability to lead with power, fostering innovation, and igniting a strategic shift in others.
Margaret is a true believer in self-empowerment, knowing your “I Am,” and understanding that if you believe in yourself anything is possible. This message is important for female founders who face multiple challenges when starting their businesses.
Watch the replay of Margaret’s presentation and see our key takeaways below…
Here are key points Margaret believes all female entrepreneurs should strive to meet:
It's imperative that as women founders, you are clear and specific about what you want to achieve. You must know what you want to achieve with your business and understand why you haven’t done so until now.
When you have clarity on what you want to achieve with your business you will know how to ask for what you need.
Don’t be shy to ask for what you need. When starting a business you are the main focal point and you need to get all the support you can to get your business up and running.
As a women founder, you need to learn how to get a “no” and move forward.
When you get rejected, you have a couple of options - build resilience by standing in your purpose or wither and run away. Find 100 people to talk to about your business and have them tell you "no."
When the going gets tough have the courage to know that your destiny is in your own hands. NEVER GIVE UP!
There's nothing wrong with going through the emotional valley of rejection--shock, denial, frustration, depression, engagement, strategic shift, integration--understand what investors are asking for and make the appropriate changes.
Women must adapt to the reality on the ground - sometimes you're going to do a pitch and investors won’t be comfortable with you. Sometimes you will need to adjust to the environment you're in. Be ok with adjusting your lens and ask what was it about my process that needs to change, rather than what is it about "me" that needs to change.
Ask yourself every day, "What are you building?" and know that as women we need to have each other's back - collectively - it's not a competition, there's no scarcity.