My Best Advice for Female Entrepreneurs

After crossing paths with thousands of female leaders, there were 3 things I learned. There were 3 things that made being a female leader fundamentally different and frankly I was going about leading the wrong way. I've kept this video private for a while because I had barely learned these lessons in time for this speech but this is the best advice I've ever given to female entrepreneurs.

What I Learned Turning Off and Tuning In

Picture of me in a hedgehog onesie on a giant teddy bear from New Years 2016, photo by Jane West.

2016 brought a lot of learning and a lot of joy.

My biggest lesson of 2016 was figuring out how to serve myself first in order to serve everyone else sustainably. People had always warned me about "burning out" but I had never hit my limit. Creating the 2nd Annual Women Grow Leadership Summit in Denver for over 1,200 women was my greatest accomplishment. It was also what broke me.

Although I could have blamed external challenges for breaking me. I realized that all my external challenges were reflections of my own inner struggles. So I went about investing everything I had into working on myself. Yoga, meditation, books, dance, music, purpose-driven leadership, cannabis, psychedelics and the School of Womanly Arts were my practices. We found a new CEO to take over my role at Women Grow on July 1st and I focused on myself full-time.

Leaving the CEO role at Women Grow was the hardest transition I've ever made. The unexpectedly tough part of aligning your personal and professional purpose is allowing them to separate when needed. It took me almost three months just to stop thinking of myself and my role as one.

I ran away to play in Spain, speak in Berlin, camp at Burning Man, and work Symbiosis. I traveled 26 weeks of 2016. I learned a lot.

I learned how to love myself unconditionally. I learned how to stop using food to solve problems that food doesn't solve (and lost 30 pounds). I learned how to stop caring about what people who don't care about me think. I learned how to put myself first every day. I learned how to process dark emotions and self-hatred. I learned to stop over-thinking the past at the expense of being present. I learned I didn't have to be afraid of my full emotional range.

I took six months off for myself. The changes I've made to my mental, physical, and emotional health have just begun to benefit me. I'll be back at the 3rd Annual Women Grow Leadership Summit in a few weeks. I invite you to join me at the summit, Feb 1-3. It’ll be an experience like you’ve never had. Click here for more info.

Scroll down to see how I learned how to be in a museum, how to Burn in Spain, new psychedelic treatments, the final Summit at Sea, winning licenses, and at the very bottom, everything else I'm up to this year.

I Learn By Teaching

I perfected the blend of education, inspiration, and community that encourages women to take huge risks. Over 1,200 women gathered in the Ellie Caulkin's Opera House in Denver to hear 32 speakers, including Melissa Etheridge.

I Learn What Burn-Out Really Is

I was wiped after this event. I couldn't think. We tried to do long-term planning but we had exhausted ourselves and the entire team. It was impossible to follow up on this momentum. I'm so grateful to the so many of you who gave me space during this sensitive period to grow and recover. I was no longer taking care of myself and I had failed to care for my team.

I Learn How to Release

I Learn How to Be in a Museum

Being featured in the Oakland Museum's exhibit on Cannabis in California was a first. You sometimes feel like you're both predicting and making history on days like this. I'm grateful we got over a dozen women featured in this exhibit.

I wrote

You have everything you need to start. Every time you are waiting for another teacher, you are wasting time. Learn in practice, not study.

I Learn to Relax in Europe

Grateful to Bar-Keep for showing me the most diverse Burning Man event in the west. 2,000 Europeans gathered on a small plane in the Spanish desert for a week in scorching July to build a humble city and party down.

Grateful for the invitation to speak at Tech Open Air in Berlin. I got to debut my talk on "Clarifying Your Calling with Cannabis" to a packed house.

Grateful to edge pushers like Cindy Gallop on "Why the Next Big Thing in Tech is Disrupting Sex" if you want to know what's up after cannabis.

I Learn About Relationship...

Excerpt from More Than Two

Grateful for the many books I read on relationship this year...including American Savage, Goddesses Never Age, The Law of Attraction, The Art of Everyday Ecstasy, and More Than Two.

Learning at the Burn

Getting the bus tuned up before we leave for the Burn.

Playa-bound!

For my fourth Burning Man, I attended for 10 days and lead a camp of 35. Friends from across the world came. I learned to run my first electrical grid (with lots of trial and error). I found a pair of exceptional Tantra Energy Teachers and became enraptured with their workshops.

I Learn About Fear & Love

John Lennon and I share a birthday in October and this thought

"There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life."~ John Lennon

I Learn About Psychedelic Treatments at Horizons

The Horizons conference presented research on MDMA & psychedelics from celebrated universities...NYU, Columbia, John Hopkins.

Multiple studies showed patients experiencing up to 8 months of relief from symptoms with just one "magic mushroom" therapy experience. These "peak spiritual experiences" were leading to increased positive attitudes, altruism, and deeper development of social relationships.I was seeing that we had extended our physical bodies past our ability to fill our lives with meaning. Alzheimer's disease was preventable if we stayed mentally active and engaged. These patients showed how spirituality was actually a component of health, particularly at end of life.

I Learn Prototyping in November

I took Prototyping for Creative Innovation with Megan Goering, formerly of Google. We ran through prototyping techniques and tests until we could do them by habit.I wrote out dozens and dozens of business ideas and then weighted them on factors like start-up costs and market size. I began testing messaging of all the different things. The cannabis helps with ideation but didn't make narrowing down any easier.

I Learn About Sex & Sugar at Sea

On the eve of the election, I boarded a cruise ship for 3,000 "innovators" and we sailed out to the Caribbean. Marijuana was legalized in six states but we were all shocked by the Presidential election. We gathered to build new ways to a future we all want to live in. We workshop. We dance. We drink. We eat. We snuggle.

I attend panels like "Sugar is the New Tobacco" and learn from Dr. Dean Ornish that 86% of 3 trillion dollars spent in healthcare are spent on chronic care for mostly reversible conditions. We've created a food system, which externalizes all the costs of eating cheap food that causes illness.

Dr. Ornish reveals that "bad habits" are developed to deal with the isolation of modern life. He uses lifestyle as treatment by asking people to eat well, stress less, move more, and love more. He's found that fear is not a sustainable motivators for people to change bad habits. You have to fill the voids those habits leave with even more joyful and pleasurable motivators.

I Learn Good Work Pays Off in December

Grateful to the Women Grow community in the Bay Area celebrating two years.

Grateful for the dispensary license process in Maryland where two teams I had advised won licenses.

The Rise of the Design Executive Officer

To solve the world's problems: we need to think like designers, feel like designers, and act like designers. Whether you think of yourself as a designer or not, design is what leads change. Maria Giudice, spoke about her book, The Rise of the DEO: Leadership by Design today at Webvisions in NYC.

Defining the Designer CEO

A creative leader that places the importance of design at the center of the company. It's a combination of creative problem solver and strategic business leader.

Why Do We Need a DEO?

The world is moving faster. In 1937 large companies had a life expectancy of 75 years. Today, the expected longevity of those companies is 15 years. Plus only 1 in 4 employees believe in their company's leadership to sustain their organization.

What Makes a DEO Different?

Design executive officers are:

• Change Agents: They lead revolutionary changes.
• Risk Takers: They take smart risks as opposed to avoiding risk.
• Systems Thinkers: They see patterns and can solve problems by connecting unrelated issues.
• Socially Intelligent: They are people focused.
• Intuitive: They make decisions based on more than just numbers.
• GSD: They get shit done.

 5 Steps to Improve Your Organization with Design Thinking

• Change Your Mindset about Design and Designers: Design should not be thought of as an expense but as an investment. Design is not a noun, it's an active verb. Design is about radical change.
• Value "We" not "Me": We are no longer in the culture of "me". A lone rock star in the corner being worshipped by interns is outdated. The best solutions will come from multi-disciplinary teams. Once you respect everyone on the team has something to bring to the table, you'll create better work. This also means celebrating diversity, whether job experience, life experience, race, culture, or gender.
• Live in People's Shoes: When you experience and witness the real lives of your customers, you go beyond what you can find out in an interview. Inform your intuition by trying out the lives of your employees and your customers. You will need empathy to figure out how to improve lives in ways that focus groups won't reveal.
• Champion Creative Work Cultures & Make Work Fun: You'll work 90,000 hours in your lifetime so why not create a culture that everyone wants to be a part of. Nailing a creative and fun culture from the top to bottom increases your organization's chance for success. This can also mean getting folks to put away their devices and talk to each other. Try sharing a meal together or meeting during a walk.
• Iterate and Evolve: Be open to constant change. Stay humble by soliciting feedback from your organization continuously. Embrace failure as a way of learning.

*Bonus Tip* Treat People Equally

The success of all businesses lie in people and how we can make powerful connections to each other. When people feel like they're being treated as equal, great things can happen. Instead of treating people based on their status, focus on being present with the people you encounter every day.

How To Become A Female Fortune 500 CEO

As Mary Barra prepares to be the first female leader of a global automaker GM, I wanted to repost a presentation I attended last year from another Fortune 500 CEO.Laura Sen, President and CEO of BJ's Wholesale Club spoke at the MIT Sloan's Women in Management Conference in 2012, about her tips for reaching the top of the corporate ladder as one of only twelve female Fortune 500 CEOs.

Performance is Proof

The result of your work must have a tangible measurable benefit that you can point to and take credit for. In her experience, when you succeed and put up the numbers your gender will be overshadowed by your results. This will also make you a more obvious candidate for promotion.

Follow Your Passion

Laura started as a French major who liked to shop and ended with a career as one of the most successful women in retail. She says that her work never feels like a job because she loves it. Following your passion is the only way to work hard without burning out, even if where you start isn't where you end up.

Branch Out

Try a new class, read a different type of book, or volunteer for something new. Your perspective will be expanded. In Laura's experience, diversification was the key to advancing her career. When moving from a fashion buyer to logistics at BJ's she gained a diverse foundation that helps her in her job as CEO today. She added that the more diverse the background of a candidate is, the more likely they will be promoted to general management positions.

Promote Yourself

In 2002, when the CEO of BJ's stepped down it was between herself and the other VP for the CEO position. She was advised to run a campaign to ask the board to pick her but declined, thinking that the board knew her well enough already. The other VP was chosen and fired Laura 10 months later. In 2006 that CEO was fired and she met with the chairman of the board who re-hired her.

Start With Your Values

The underpinnings of Laura's leadership are values. The BJ values are used in all business decisions from hiring to operations. Although the values are common sense, it is her job to remind everyone to uphold those values even through economic downturns and departmental fights. Respect, honesty, and integrity are values she models to her staff constantly. When the board was in discussions about the company being bought, she worked with her leadership team to create a communication plan to tell all team members in person. This turned a possibly debilitating rumor into a positive experience.

Ask for Feedback

Laura asked store managers what they needed to be more profitable and surprisingly they answered "more community involvement". She hired community managers, which helped turn around some stores. Shealso runs a buddy systems for successful store managers to mentor under-performing stores.

Thank Everyone

When Laura walks around a store she thanks every single person and has conversations with all of them about the company. She tells every employee that she cares about them because without that she can't expect employees to care about customers.

"You Never Regret Taking The High Road"

Some people advised her to sue BJ's after being fired. "It's not worth it," she told the crowd. The decision paid off by not burning bridges with the company, even though she never thought she would work for them again. She was rehired six years later and became CEO soon after.

My Inc. Interview: 7 Networking Tips for Women

Geri Stengel interviewed me about networking tips for women entrepreneurs in conjunction with my monthly Founder Friday events in New York City. I start many meetings reminding the 200 attendees to approach networking events in a thoughtful way designed to make the most of your time. Read the complete article about Networking Tips for Women on Inc.

...Connections open doors, doors to money, markets and qualified managers and employees.

1. Pick your venue. There are plenty to choose from. If you don’t like the vibe of one organization’s events, try another. You can choose gender-specific hosted events such as Women 2.0 Founder Friday or the National Association of Women Business Owners, industry specific organizations, such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers or general business groups such as Chambers of Commerce.
2. Know your elevator pitch. You are not here to make a sale, so you don’t need to close the deal. You do need to let people know who you are and what you do in a way that makes them want to hear more.
3. Ask questions. Women are great at building closeness and connections through conversation. By asking questions you’ll engage the person and really get to know what they do. Still not comfortable? Pretend you are interviewing people for an article about the event; get the who, what, and why. Make the task less personal.

Read the complete article about Networking Tips for Women on Inc. [author]Geri Stengel is the founder of Ventureneer.com, which connects socially responsible businesses, social enterprises, and nonprofits with the knowledge needed to make the world a better place while thriving as businesses. As a woman business owner herself and past board member of the New York City Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, she understands the unique challenges women entrepreneurs face when growing their businesses beyond $1 million.[/author]

16 First Date Skills That Will Make You A Better Business Networker

You've heard that WHO you know is more important than WHAT you know, but your education focused on facts instead of making connections. Whether you use these skills to connect to your next investor or to meet the love of your life, many of the same principles that make you a great first date will make you a better business networker too.

BEFORE YOU MEET

1. Prepare your soundbites. Almost every meeting will include questions like "what do you do?" and "where are you from?" Instead of the standard answers, prepare short stories that make you sound interesting, fun, and unique. Don't tell your latest acquaintance that you're building the next social network and looking for a technical co-founder. That's predictable and so common it's forgettable. Tell him how you combined your love of website design with yoga to create a video blog that teaches parents how to introduce yoga to their kids and it's gotten far more popular than you could have imagined. If this isn't natural to you, check out books on how to talk about yourself with just the right amount of self promotion such as BRAG! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It by Peggy Klaus.
2. Investigate to find common ground. It's easier to bond with someone when you have something in common. If you've lived in the same states, vacationed to the same places, or went to the same school, you'll want to bring that up early to build rapport. With all the free information available on the internet, there's no excuse to not know that they love shiba inu puppies too. I use tools like 123People to find where my potential connections lurk online. You'll make an amazing first impression if you can start the conversation with "Hey I really loved your blog post on Facebook's inflated evaluation last week, how did you..."
3. Dress up, instead of down. People form judgements about you in the first 15 seconds of meeting you and clothes are part of that equation. I would lean towards looking a little too good instead of the opposite. If you can wear something distinctive, without looking silly, it might help you be more memorable. Gary Sharma, of GarysGuide, wears a red tie to all events, which he even mentions on his business cards and email signature so he's easier to find and remember.

STARTING THE CONVERSATION

1. Practice walking up to people you don't know. You should be able to walk up to anyone at a networking event and introduce yourself. Look for people alone or in pairs at the endges of an event for an easy start and work your way up. People come to networking events to talk to new people but get stuck just saying hello to people they already know. Break out of the rut and you might just meet your next co-founder. If this is a tough skill for you, practice by introducing yourself in low-pressure situations like the person sitting next to you on the train tonight.
2. Add value to join any conversation. The person you want to meet is at the center of a conversation and it seems impossible to break into the group. You can use the same method savvy guys employ to break into a group of girlfriends at the bar. Don't just shove your way into the group and interrupt, stay close and listen for an opportunity to add value to the conversation. When your target brings up how much they loved the gelato at dinner, offer that there's a new gelateria in town that they should try.

DURING THE CONVERSATION

1. Smile a lot. Look like you're having a good time anytime someone can see your face. This is especially useful at events where you'd like to make an impression on the speaker. Sit in the front row and look really attentive by smiling, nodding, and taking notes on key points. Most people sit in an audience with a blank stare or spend the whole time checking their laptop. If you're the friendly and receptive face in the crowd, you'll be a welcome contact to meet after the event too.
2. Focus on how you can help them. Many people approach networking opportunities selfishly trying to find people to help them. Flip your priorities around and focus on how you can help people you meet. Helping someone make a connection or find a resource will give you an excellent reason to trade contact information. Every time I've focused on helping the other person, they've returned the favor when I've needed something.
3. Don't cross your arms in front of your body. I recommend everyone take a basic body language course to learn the visual cues that show you're receptive to the conversation. The very first lesson is to stop crossing your arms across your chest. Although it's a comfortable way to hold your hands, it makes you seem closed off. I take courses at the Nonverbal Group in New York City.
4. Buy the next round. It may seem simple but offering to buy the next round is a skill men mastered ages ago to keep the conversation going. I learned how few women employ this technique when booking event spaces with bar minimums for Women 2.0's Founder Friday events. Events with primarily women sell the least drinks because women aren't culturally tuned to buy rounds. Events with men trying to impress women sell the most drinks for...obvious reasons.
5. Banish distractions. You never know where your next important connection will come from so even if you don't think the person you're talking to is "important", don't check your phone. Don't look around the room. Don't sit there and think about your day or what you need to do next. Be fully present for your conversation partner. It's the best present you can give them.
6. Be positive. Nothing says "steer clear" like somebody who spends half the conversation complaining about their company/ex/apartment/family or whatnot. Keep the first meeting topics upbeat.
7. Don't let the conversation stall. Everyone needs a bank of general questions you can ask a new acquaintance to get them talking and find common ground. You already know the standards like "do you have any siblings" but now is the time to invent questions that make you more insightful. I like, if you had enough money that you didn't have to work, what would you do?
8. Listen more than you talk. We are a culture starving to be listened to. We broadcast our most minor thoughts throughout the Internet, desperate to be read. Listening is much more powerful than talking. Also making people feel like their minor thoughts on the Internet are being listened to can help too so like, retweet, and up vote away.
9. Compliment them. Try to offer at least one honest compliment to your conversation partner. This technique is over used so if you can't say something genuine, skip it.

AFTER THE CONVERSATION

1. Follow up! Follow up! No really, follow up! We all think important people are too busy to respond, so most people never reach out in the first place. I've given out business cards to 50+ people at an event in which every single one promised they'd follow up with me and gotten 2 emails afterwards. If you get someone's contact information, send them a follow-up within 24 hours every SINGLE time. I use CardMunch to import business cards into my address book automatically and send LinkedIn invites. If you see a speaker that you'd like to connect with, the least you can do is tweet a useful tip from their speech with their username, tweet them a compliment, and follow them on Twitter.
2. Personalize every follow up. I use the Gmail plug-in Rapportive to display everyone's social media updates along side every email I write to them. This allows me to personalize each email with something like "hey I saw you were in Chicago last weekend, did you find any good restaurants while you were there?" instead of the general "hope all is well with you" opening.

 

 Jelly Belly photo by Mike Crain. 

Why Don't More Women Go Big With Their Own Business?

With few female entrepreneurs to look to, MIT Sloan hosted a panel on how women can go big with their own businesses. The panel included Joanna Rees (Founder of VSP Capital), Katrina Markoff (Founder of Vosges Haut-Chocolat), Alexandra Wilkis Wilson (Founder of Gilt Groupe), and was moderated by Fredricka Whitfield (Anchor, CNN).

What Is Getting In the Way?

Joanna thinks that fear and giving up after set-backs gets in women's way. Some women quit after their first major failure instead of taking it as a learning lesson and pushing forward. Joanna got rejected by hundreds of investors in the process of starting VSP Capital. Her tips for negotiation meetings was to "ask for the order" and make sure you know where you stand before you leave. Alexandra emphasized listening to all the negative feedback you get while pitching. You may learn that there is a hole in your business plan or way you could explain something better. The road to success is not smooth.

How Important Are Support Networks?

Imperative! Gilt was built on personal connections. Alexandra didn't have the money to the buy a marketing list so they had to sign up quality customers through word of mouth and personal networks. Joanna suggests that you need to surround yourself with people you trust that can collaborate with you on solutions. Katrina is working on building her advisory board to supplement the help she already has. We must remember to help each other as well. Joanna revealed that when she ran for mayor of San Francisco she reached out to mayors and legislators across the country. Interestingly, all the men she asked met with her. but all the women sent their staff to meet with her in their stead.

What Role Do Role Models Play?

Alexandra thinks that less women pursue founding companies because there are few female role models. She says female entrepreneurs should share their stories and she has gone as far as writing a book with Alexis (co-founder) on their journey.[box type="shadow"]Women 2.0 offers videos and local meetings where you can hear from successful female founders.[/box]

What Role Does Confidence Play?

Alexandra talked about her father- and mother-in-law. Her father-in-law will spend a few minutes cooking and declare the results the best in the world. Her mother-in-law will spend hours in the kitchen cooking multiple courses and fret it isn't good enough. Why do women always undersell themselves? Katrina opened a retail store in NYC without telling her accountant or banker (who would have told her not to) because following her inner voice has lead to the best results. Going big requires taking big risks, working hard, and be resilient.

Who Is Keeping Women From the Boardroom?

MIT Sloan's Women in Management Conference held a panel around the fact that only 16% of Fortune 500 board seats are filled by women. Panelists included Lisa Carnoy (Global Co-head of Capital Markets for Bank of America and mother of four kids), Jean Hammond (Golden Seeds Co-Founder & Venture Capitalist), and Jennifer Siebel Newsom (Director of Miss Representation and mother of two kids).[learn_more caption="Miss Representation Trailer"]Newest Miss Representation Trailer (2011 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection) from Miss Representation on Vimeo.[/learn_more]

How do we get more women to serve on boards?

If you own stock, Jean suggests voting your proxy and refusing to re-elect all male boards. (The California State Teachers’ Retirement System recently expressed their concern with Facebook for choosing an all male board.) The panel was asked if we should set quotas like the Netherlands has? Lisa says that we should encourage company leaders to publicly set their own goals for board diversity. She also recommends that we change how we look for board members. Many board members are chosen through personal networks or search committees.

3% of Fortune 500 CEOs are Women

These few high profile women are asked to serve on hundreds of boards. Lisa cites historical hiring practices of existing board members hiring more men like them. She suggests that women need to pursue board memberships by talking to existing board members and making their interest clear. Jean suggests starting on the boards of smaller companies like start-ups and non-profits.

How Can You Get On A Fortune 1000 Board?

You are probably going to go through a head hunter for those positions but you might get on the short list through serving on a non-profit board says Jean. Being at the top of your current company or starting your own company is also vital.

How Do We Get More Women in the C-Suite?

It was generally agreed on by the panelists that women are judged more harshly and have to be even better than their male peers to rise to the top. Lisa cites working for months without days off and being on conference calls after delivering twins. Her epiphany was realizing that her boss couldn't read her mind and that if there was something she wanted she had to ask for it. Jean encourages women to start their own companies to create the best working environment for themselves. The next topic was how women can help each other and the conclusion was mentorship.

How Can I Find A Mentor or Sponsor?

Mentorship and sponsorships of women by leaders of all genders is very important says Jennifer. Jean says you can start looking for a mentor by just asking leaders to have a conversation with you about something they have experience in. Everyone is really busy but if you show them that you value their advice, they'll make the time. Jennifer reminds the audience to have three well-organized questions for your potential mentor and then send a hand-written thank you note afterwards.

More Resources

• Five Steps For Women To Reach The Boardroom on Women 2.0
• Five Important Tips To Get on a Corporate Board on The Glass Hammer

9 Things That Motivate Employees More Than Money

From start-ups to established enterprise, you don't need a ton of dough to do by right by your employees. My favorites include[quote]Get rid of the managers. Projects without project managers? That doesn’t seem right! Try it. Removing the project lead or supervisor and empowering your staff to work together as a team rather then everyone reporting to one individual can do wonders. Think about it. What’s worse than letting your supervisor down? Letting your team down! Allowing people to work together as a team, on an equal level with their co-workers, will often produce better projects faster. People will come in early, stay late, and devote more of their energy to solving problems.Make your ideas theirs. People hate being told what to do. Instead of telling people what you want done; ask them in a way that will make them feel like they came up with the idea. “I’d like you to do it this way” turns into “Do you think it’s a good idea if we do it this way?”Never criticize or correct. No one, and I mean no one, wants to hear that they did something wrong. If you’re looking for a de-motivator, this is it. Try an indirect approach to get people to improve, learn from their mistakes, and fix them. Ask, “Was that the best way to approach the problem? Why not? Have any ideas on what you could have done differently?” Then you’re having a conversation and talking through solutions, not pointing a finger.[/quote]Read the complete 9 Things That Motivate Employees More Than Money on Inc.com. 

Is there a female founder, CEO, or investor whose advice you trust? (Big or small)

Most new entrepreneurs have the same questions. Unfortunately some women are afraid to ask them or don't know which questions they should ask before launching their venture. Women 2.0 is compiling a new book with advice from the startup community titled:

101 Questions About Launching Your Company Answered by Female Investors, Founders, and CEOsWe're looking for female investors, founders, and CEOs that would be willing to answer just one entrepreneur's question on starting her first high-growth venture. If  there is someone whose advice you trust (or would like to volunteer yourself) please email contact information to jazmin@women2.org.Topics We're Looking For Expertise On

• Validating my Idea
• Prototyping
• Pitching my Idea
• Acquiring Customers
• Building Your Founding Team
• Hiring & Salaries
• Outsourcing How & Why
• Legal & Financial Hurdles
• Raising Money
• Running Your Company
• Selling Your Company

Why Occupy Wall Street, When You Could Start Your Own Company?

Over a few weeks, the awfully-organized anarchists (if they were really well organized, would they really be anarchists after all) have turned Zuccotti Park into a real camp that they intend to occupy through winter. Although I can't disagree with their motivations, Jason Calacanis argues that their techniques are outdated. Why protest on the street when you could do something truly disruptive by starting a company?[quote]The Airbnb kids created a billion-dollar business that has made it possible for anyone to stay on another person's couch or in their guest house. They've royally screwed big corporations -- the hotel chains -- by democratizing travel while giving individuals the ability to make extra money.Airbnb is a much more effective protest than shutting down the Brooklyn Bridge.Airbnb is radical.Sitting in a park waiting for RadioHead is not radical.Selling your company for a billion dollars and having RadioHead play your birthday party, which is also a fundraiser for education? That's radical!...Protesting in the streets is outdated in an already free society like ours. In Egypt with a clear-cut message like "Mubarak step down?" For sure, protest away. In America with a clear-cut message of... ummm.... what is the message of OWS again? OWS really needs a mission statement!It's lame to protest for more jobs when you will so easily create them by starting a company....Now get out of your tents, learn to code and make something that changes the world.You're 100% right that the system is rigged and the opportunity to be disproportionally rich has never been so easy.So go get that money that is so easy to acquire and use it to make the world a better place.Time to pack up your sleeping bag and find a co-working space and build something methinks. Or, heck, stay in the park and build a company down there--it's cheaper and I'm sure there are a couple of dozen awesome UX designers and sysadmins down there right?[/quote]Read the complete post on Launch - Be the 1%: Chamath, Airbnb, Occupy Wall Street and the Choice Millennials Should Make.

Interview with Wendy Lea, CEO

Wendy Lea has worked as a bootstrap entrepreneur, corporate executive, and angel investor over the last 25 years. She recently joined GetSatisfaction.com as CEO. She shares her advice about when to admit that you don’t understand, raising capital, and how female leaders can authentically manage effectively.

Check out our latest interviews on the Women 2.0 website.