“Entrepreneurship today means just getting started”: Claudia Chan Virtual Happy Hour Recap
Our April 2015 Virtual Happy Hour guest was Claudia Chan, women’s empowerment expert and founder and CEO of S.H.E. Globl Media. The serial entrepreneur (and mom-to-be) joined Take The Lead’s Gloria Feldt on April 8th for an inspiring chat about the challenges of starting your own business and finding the inner confidence to lead. Some of our favorite quotes from the evening are below.
Advice for new entrepreneurs
““Entrepreneurship today means just getting started.” ”
““Women’s entrepreneurship comes in all shapes and sizes…know that if you go big, you’re going to spend a lot of your time raising capital as opposed to doing other things to grow your business.” ”
““Trust your gut that no matter what, you’re going to figure it out.” ”
““When you take capital from someone else, you’re accountable—it’s not as simple as working for yourself anymore.” ”
““Whatever you can do to get that brand and product going, get started. I’m a huge fan of taking your own money to do that.” ”
““You need to think about your lifestyle, and your appetite for financial risk.” ”
““The success of a business is not just the business—it’s the person behind the business.” ”
““Follow your instincts. Have a plan, but also have flexibility and trust in yourself.” ”
On finding balance while running your own business
““The most successful entrepreneurs are those who integrate their business into their lifestyle.” ”
““Design your values and principles to align with your actions.” ”
““Know that the entrepreneurial lifestyle is very different from having a corporate job.” ”
““When you have clarity on your priorities and goals, you’re able to carve out time to unplug and balance everything.” ”
““When you are the CEO of your life, work, family, finances, fitness, and home all become departments that you can manage.” ”
““Media is a massive force that we need participating in the women’s movement.” ”
How the media impacts feminism
““When Taylor Swift talks about feminism and Beyonce dances at the VMAs with ‘FEMINIST’ behind her, that moves the needle.” ”
““When the media talks about something, corporations start paying attention, and that accelerates getting the information out there and the process of education.” ”
““Get women’s issues out there in any way you can, and do it in a way that gets women and men and society to care.” ”
““The media women were consuming was not about empowerment. I decided to fill that white space.” ”
On the state of the women’s movement
““I believe we’re in the fourth wave of feminism.””
““If we all commit to one issue and work on it, that’s how we’ll get to parity by 2025.””
“ “We need to celebrate the activity and the movement that exists today, and that there has been progress.” ”
“What drove Claudia to create S.H.E. Globl Media: asking, “How do I get to that girl at 18 years old, or 24 years old, and get her to care about the women’s movement sooner rather than later?””
On confidence
““Have a belief system in yourself, and bow to the guru inside of you.””
““As women, we need to realize that the greatest glass ceiling is in our minds.””
““Women tend to be uncomfortable being assertive, and that’s a woman issue.””
“How to go after what you want without seeming pushy? “You need to have a strong vision for what you want, but you need to be charismatic about it.” That goes for men and for women!”
““Trust the path and then walk that path.” ”
If you thought this was great advice, don’t miss our next Virtual Happy Hour on Wednesday, May 13th with columnist Jessica Bennett on Manterrupting and Gender Bilingual Communication. Registration is open (and it’s free)!
And if you want more inspiration from Claudia Chan, register for S.H.E. Summit 2015: October 6th-7th in New York City. (We’ll see you there!)
About the Author
TAKE THE LEAD prepares, develops, inspires and propels women to take their fair and equal share of leadership positions across all sectors by 2025. It’s today’s women’s movement — a unique catalyst for women to embrace power and reach leadership parity.