This was a big year for Leaders in Heels and as an observer of what has been happening from the very beginning I have experienced lots of learning. I founded Leaders in Heels only 15 months ago. Today we have over 20 regular contributors, a dedicated editor and more women joining my team within a few days. When you open a new venture there is always a steep learning curve; not always easy but that’s just the beginning. Hope you enjoy the ride!
Here are my top entrepreneurial lessons.
1. Everything you do creates an opportunity
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I am the biggest believer that nothing good happens if you do nothing and even if you make BIG mistakes there are lessons to be learnt. That’s how I moved from mining to the beauty industry I was always passionate about and joined a very successful female entrepreneur, Jo-Anne Mason.
Without the long hours and late nights I spent on making Leaders in Heels a beautiful and inspiring space for all women in business, I wouldn’t receive a message from Pip Marlow, CEO of Microsoft Australia saying “Started follow you on Twitter – some great content – well done.” We wouldn’t have caught the interest of over hundreds of expert contributors and I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet Valerie Khoo simply to talk about business :).
With Valerie Khoo, founder and managing director of Sydney Writers’ Centre
I would have also missed the chance to interview some of the amazing women in Australia.
To illustrate the example of perseverance and dedication, Vera Wang failed to make the U.S. Olympic figure-skating team. Then she became an editor at Vogue and was passed over for the editor-in-chief position. She began designing wedding gowns at 40 years of age and today her creations are most sought-after in the business.
It doesn’t matter where you are when you start – you just need to start somewhere.
2. Creating is so much more fun when you do it together
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One year ago it was a lonely space, just me blogging. At the time I didn’t think of making Leaders in Heels a magazine, I just knew I wanted to share my experiences, empower women to be more independent and self-confident. Quickly I realized that there is nothing more exciting than meeting these powerful and successful women for interviews. The magazine started growing like a geometric sequence due to more and more women joining my team. It was also lots of fun observing my friend Arienne Gorlach launching her new business with Kirsten Blatcher, LifeTyped – personalised typographic prints & manifestos. It’s been much more fun for them creating it together. Congrats ladies!
Arienne Gorlach & Kirsten Blatcher, LifeTyped
If you run a business look for people who have the same passions and want to make your business big TOGETHER.
3. The power of plan
I am a list lover and everything that needs to be done lands in the spreadsheet. This way I can track my progress and can easily notice when the progress goes off track. For the new year starting tonight I created a 2013 Manifesto to inspire and motivate you during the entire year. Simply print it and place it over your desk. For a bigger size of the 2013 Manifesto simply register to download it from the members section.
Happy New Year!
