shelaunched.

shelaunched is a lifestyle blog for women entrepreneurs Contact info: [email protected]

[shelaunched-blog]

Learn to be an editor at heart and to pivot your idea if the market dictates that. Your first idea will rarely be your best, and that’s okay! Don’t chase perfection. Chase progress.

Shama Kabani talks branding, indulgences, pet peeves and more with SheBrand. Click here to read the entire interview. Shama talks branding, indulgences, pet peeves and more. 

[shelaunched-blog]

"In 2010, the fledgling entrepreneur funded her new PR firm, Kelli Flournoy PR, with savings while working as a bartender. “I kept that job and weighed the options,” Flournoy recalls.

“I said to myself, ‘You don’t have to work a 9 to 5; and you may not necessarily like bartending, but it’s two nights a week and you get to do your business — so suck it up and deal.’ That’s what I had to do.”

Today, Flournoy is at the helm of a growing public relations empire. Her Atlanta-based public relations firm specializing in fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands has worked with notable celebrities and gained national attention after being tapped by WE tv to represent House of Curves cast member Kenyatta Jones, an Atlanta-based designer and CEO of Bella Rene Clothing."

Read more: http://yfsentrepreneur.com/2013/09/09/house-of-curves-publicist-kelli-flournoy/#ixzz2f4PIOIpz 

[studioafrica]

Wax Sellers of Wentworth Street | ph: Jeremy Freedman 

On Spitalfields.com - a website dedicated to documenting the sellers at the market - is a photo series accompanied by interviews with Nigerian businesswomen who buy and sell textiles along with much more. The images are immediately striking and interviews reveal the breadth of the 

Click through to read interviews with these Nigerian businesswomen and to see the full gallery of images

[pocketyogini]

"…be true to yourself…You must be yourself even if that is not very glamorous" Margrit Segesman #gita #yoga #beyourself #betruetoyou #selflove

[pintsizedpillion]

Be true to you! {even if its not so glamorous} ;)

[shestarteditfilm]

In case you missed it, the “She Started It” team interviewed Debbie Sterling of GoldieBlox. Sterling is changing the world one toy at a time by inspiring young girls to try out engineering; people said it would never work but now her toys are available on Amazon and Toys R Us!

[shelaunched-blog]

7 Things I Learned Starting My First Company

A first-time entrepreneur from India with big ambitions talks about what she’s learned on her startup journey so far.

So, I’ve started my first company…

I am 24 and an electrical engineer with the belief that tools like knowledge, money, power, authority, connections, etc. need to be in the hands that can make the best use of them to build a better tomorrow: a tomorrow that future generations will cherish.

I took my first big step to accomplish my mission of building a company that has integrity in addition to impacting a few billion lives. As naïve as this might sound, I decided not to give a damn about what the rest of the world might think about my vision. I realized that the more I care about what others think of me, the more I lose a part of myself. So, here I am being that tough woman who does what she wants.

So, apart from ranting, I am sharing some of my learning since I started up:

Read more at http://women2.com/7-things-learned-starting-first-company/#6JcZW7WuSfVDrjLK.99 

[cmilette]

[thelifestyleeditor]

Designer and maker Nikki McWilliams works from her studio in Dundee, creating functional homeware with a strong injection of fun. The Lifestyle Editor caught up with Nikki to discuss her playful and quirky work, her love for UK manufacturers, and of course tea and biscuits!

Can you tell us a bit about your design background? I studied painting, drawing and printmaking at Duncan of Jordanston College of Art and Design in Dundee, and graduated with a BA (Hons) in 2008. I really enjoyed working across disciplines, which is why I think I felt so comfortable focusing on functional design pieces after finishing my degree. Much of my practice whilst at art school involved interdisciplinary work in textiles, graphics and even edible art! 

What made you start designing biscuit-themed cushions? I’d initially had the idea whilst I was at university, and had experimented with making some quilted, fabric Custard Creams - which I remember took hours and hours of sewing by hand! It wasn’t until I’d graduated and started screen printing, that I was able to realise my idea to its full potential. I made the first batch to decorate our flat and posted a photo on Twitter - I was thrilled that people started asking to buy them!

What do you have coming up next for your work? I’m currently preparing to exhibit our 2013 collection at Top Drawer (stand B105). In 2011, I was originally selected to show at Top Drawer with Charlotte Abrahams’ ‘Spotted’ new designers feature - so it’s quite exciting to be returning two years on! This year I’ve introduced some brand new pieces, such as a range of gift wraps, fun sticky tapes and lots more cushions - so I’m really looking forward to showing them all off together on the stand.

Where are your products printed/made? All of my cushions are made from start to finish in the UK, which is something I feel really strongly about. The British textile manufacturing industry has been in decline, but was thriving in the not-too-distant past. I hope that I can play a small part in helping it to return to its former glory.  When I was a little girl, the Scottish town where I lived was surrounded by woollen mills, soft furnishings factories and even Jaeger had offices a mile from our house - it would be amazing if we could get back to this one day.

What is your favourite biscuit…to eat that is? My favourite biscuit changes on a regular basis but at the moment I’d say I’m particularly partial to caramel chocolate digestives- they’re especially good dipped in tea! 

www.nikkimcwilliams.com

[tinytruant]

Great people do things before they’re ready. They do things before they know they can do it. And by doing it, they’re proven right. Because, I think there’s something inside of you—and inside of all of us—when we see something and we think, “I think I can do it, I think I can do it. But I’m afraid to.” Bridging that gap, doing what you’re afraid of, getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks like that—THAT is what life is. And I think you might be really good. You might find out something about yourself that’s special. And if you’re not good, who cares? You tried something. Now you know something about yourself. Now you know. A mystery is solved. So, I think you should just give it a try. Just inch yourself out of that back line. Step into life. Courage. Risks. Yes. Go. Now.

Amy Poehler (x)

[roysterandbrooks]

Fear of failure is a top concern for all entrepreneurs, but new research has found that it is more of a fear for female entrepreneurs than their male counterparts.

Not only were female entrepreneurs more likely to have a fear of failing, they were also more likely to have lower perceptions of...

[sofsocialgood]

According to a new book by Christopher M. Schroeder titled Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East, over a third of the startups in the Middle East are run by women– a higher number than Silicon Valley can boast. And within these women-run businesses, the use of computers and mobile technology is comparable to that of men-run ventures. In Egypt, the trend of female-led technology startups builds upon the existing entrepreneurial rise of women over the last ten years.

Click to read more from Schroeder’s piece for The Daily Beast for which he interviewed Randa Ayoubi, founder of Rubicon Group Holding, a global 3D ani­ma­tion and com­puter graph­ics com­pany head­quar­tered in Aman, Jor­dan.

[shelaunched-blog]

The beauty of the impostor syndrome is you vacillate between extreme egomania and a complete feeling of: ‘I’m a fraud! Oh God, they’re on to me! I’m a fraud!’ So you just try to ride the egomania when it comes and enjoy it, and then slide through the idea of fraud.

Tina Fey offered the quote above in Dr. Valerie Young’s Book  The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer From the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive In Spite of It (Crown Business, Random House)

For more reading on impostor syndrome and how it affects women, visit these links: 

Do You Suffer From Impostors Syndrome? by Olivia Fox Cabane via Huffington Post

The Upside of Impostor Syndrome:Lessons From Women in Tech by Tara-Nicholle Nelson via Forbes

Impostor Syndrome: They ooze confidence, so why do so many career women feel they’re not up to it? by Gaby Hinsliff via Daily Mail Online

Is Impostor Syndrome Keeping Women Out of Open Technology and Culture via the Ada Initiative 

Managing Your Impostor Syndrome by Nancy Ancowitz via Psychology Today

[shelaunched-blog]

Alicia Morga, founder and CEO of No. 8 Media, Inc., an early stage consumer product development company. Source: Emprende.la

[shelaunched-blog]

Blaze your own paths! Yes, follow the examples of anyone who lives with the success or joy you seek. Employ the techniques that transfer well to your goals...but please respect the gift of your individuality. Get to know yourself, take as long as you need to really get to know You! Make it a life-long lesson; never stop learning who you really are because I promise you that you will never stop evolving. That is part of the beauty of being you and of being a woman.

Janice Bryant-Howroyd, Founder and CEO of ACT-1 Group, the largest minority, woman-owned employment agency in the nation.

[shelaunched-blog]

[shelaunched-blog]

[fastcompany]

It takes 66 days until an action becomes something you do without thinking.

So start with easy, micro-goals and be patient. Here, a few tips on building super productive habits. (via fastcompany)