Professional Networking Essentials – Advice – Part 7

·         Pamela Mutembei - Build Support, Trust Instincts, Prioritize Work-Life Harmony

·         Devyani Gupta - Increase Luck Surface Area, Network for Opportunities

·         Barbara Buades Sabater - Leverage Networks for Growth

·         Cheryl Lee - Build Relationships and Networks

·         Sonia - Learn and Stay Connected

·         Jacqueline Lapuck - Network and Seek Mentorship

·         Stephanie Teixeira - Learn, Adapt, and Network

·         Angie Ng Ying Ping - Seek Mentorship

·         Maria Scetta - Expand Your Network

·         Karen Stevens - Seek Mentorship

Build Support, Trust Instincts, Prioritize Work-Life Harmony

Build a strong support network of mentors and peers who can provide guidance and encouragement.-Trust your instincts and take calculated risks; innovation often requires stepping outside your comfort zone.-Prioritize work-life harmony to sustain long-term success; self-care is essential for effective leadership.

Pamela Mutembei, Founder, The Walker Group Kenya Ltd

Increase Luck Surface Area, Network for Opportunities

Constantly focus on increasing your surface area of luck. Unfortunately, since there are not s many successful female founders as there are male, it becomes more difficult for us to build an intimate network of mentors (it's always easier to build this with people of your own gender). Hence, you have to constantly be putting yourself in new situations and meeting new people, because you never know when you're going to strike gold and meet someone who could potentially change the trajectory of your startup forever. This happened to me when I first started Arrowhead - I met someone through a founder event where we both volunteered to help with an initiative - we ended up becoming quite close and he then pushed me to do the Antler Residency program, where I met my current tech cofounder. Had I not met this person at the founder event, I don't even want to imagine where I would be with my startup today. Similarly, one user interview I had in December with a company (which, in all honesty, I thought wouldn't result in any value) resulted in us pivoted to our current verticalization of B2C sales teams and got us 2 enterprise clients that we're now working with. Constantly put yourself in new conversations and situations! You never know which one will change your life.

Devyani Gupta, Founder, Arrowhead

Leverage Networks for Growth

Dream big but make sure you test out your ideas on your clients as you go forward. Find people who can help and advise you and don’t try to do everything on your own”. Getting finance can be difficult and the best way to approach an investor is as you would for a job interview. To get hired, you need to convince the employer that you can bring value to the company and it’s the same with investors because they need to be confident that you can bring enough value to make a return on their investment. So, prepare your letter of application to an investor in the same way as you would for a job application. Understand the investor’s motivations, what they want and approach them with empathy Listen to the market to understand their needs.

Barbara Buades Sabater, MEETOPTICS LABS, S.L

Build Relationships and Networks

My advice is to believe in yourself. Set your goals and expectations for your success. Build a strong team of people that are willing to work hard with you and are  passionate as you are about your business. Connect and build a relationship with your customers. Advertising, marketing and social networking. Interaction with other women in business is important. Attend women in business workshops. There are many zoom meetings to attend. Find the right group of professionals that are working in your business industry or the industry that you are interested in.  Don’t be afraid to ask for advice and guidance. Congratulations Ladies on your success as a woman entrepreneur.

Cheryl Lee, Founder, RocaBella Brands

Learn and Stay Connected

Listen to your community, learn from mentors and remain connected.

Sonia, Founder, Figueredo Jovani

Network and Seek Mentorship

Don't give up, make sure to network, and find a mentor. If you work hard and have a great product/service you will suceed.

Jacqueline Lapuck, Founder, Jacqueline Lapuck

Learn, Adapt, and Network

Entrepreneurship is full of ups and downs. Learn from setbacks, adapt to change, and persevere through difficulties. Build a network of women entrepreneurs. Together, you can raise each other up and create a more inclusive ecosystem.

Stephanie Teixeira, PhD, LMFT, Founder, Ser Único

Seek Mentorship

Follow the correct master might shorten the path to success. Get a mentor to guide you through the journey

Angie Ng Ying Ping, Founder, EJS International

Expand Your Network

Building network Building networks is key. Most success is built via a network. By expanding yours, you are expanding your startup's reach.

Maria Scetta, Founder, DeltaBlock

Seek Mentorship

Get a mentor.  Find someone you admire and ally yourself with them.  Also, keep it simple.

Karen Stevens, Founder, ProMind Psychology