As we gear up for Women Entrepreneurship Week at Iowa State University, we want to share a few of the people you will have the chance to meet!
If you haven’t already registered for the Women Entrepreneurship Week events happening October 21–24 at Iowa State University, you can learn more from the following links:
October 22 — Women Who Create | Student Panel
October 24 — Women Who Create Conference| Supporting + Connecting Women Entrepreneurs in Iowa
October 24 — SheTalks | Storytelling to Celebrate Women Who Create
Website: www.pursuitofinnovation.org
I help young people, mainly minorities, girls, and women with exploring opportunities in STEM and entrepreneurship so that we can get the most out of poverty by introducing skills that will help increase their incomes.
My favorite place to create…My mind.
The most courageous thing I’ve ever done is…I started PI 515 when I was in my 30’s. I was a single mum who took a risk and started many things such as magazine named after my daughter Riziki and PI 515. I did see a need and found a solution to it. I was often told, don’t do it, let someone else do it, you can’t do it, but I did it anyway.
If I could go back in time to when I started my business/project I would tell myself…Accept rejections early, learn from failures.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…Define your path, know who is on your table and always find people who will challenge your mindset.
What I would tell other women starting something…Follow your heart. It doesn’t have to be perfect but start anyway. Rejection and some failures will happen and that too is okay. Have fun along the way. Self care is very important.
Website: www.ridecampuscycle.com // www.lyndseyfennelly.com
Can accomplish anything without limits
My favorite place to create…is in the basketball gym.
The most courageous thing I’ve ever done is…given birth to two beautiful children.
If I could go back in time to when I started my business/project I would tell myself…to stop and smell the roses more often.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…at any moment, anything you say can change the trajectory of someone else’s life.
My favorite resource/book/podcast is…The Go Giver
My favorite quote is…“Be the change you wish to see in the world”
What I would tell other women starting something…See no limits. Tap into mentors. Be the hardest working and most humble in the room. Ask others for help. Set goals and always find a way. Recognize the greatest gift you have to offer is yourself. Find joy in everything you do.
Fashion Designer + Owner, Belange Handmade LLC
Website: www.shopbhm.com
I make sustainable clothing, accessories, and home décor using recycled materials like scrap fabrics , plastics etc… With the benefits from my sales I sponsor children in Zinder, Niger to pursue their high school education through a third party non-profit called The Great Academy.
In addition, I am starting my own non-profit called The Global Sisterhood Foundation , to help fight Period Poverty by providing free handmade reusable menstrual pads to women and girls in need around the world. ( FYI the pads are made by me)
My favorite place to create… my dining room for sure since it’s also my craft room.
The most courageous thing I’ve ever done is… open up my business as a way for me to fight depression due to the fact that I was bullied for over 3 years by in high school.
If I could go back in time to when I started my business/project I would tell myself… to stop listening to negative people.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…In the business world, it’s not about what I know but about who I know.
My favorite resource/book/podcast is… The Bible.
What I would tell other women starting something… Age is just a number. Never doubt that you can make big things happen just because of your age! You are never too young, or never too old to make it.
Website: www.MoneyGodmotherBlog.com and www.RootandBloomForever.com
I help women learn and gain confidence to be entrepreneurs and investors so they can build wealth and leave a legacy.
My favorite place to create…Coffee shops, libraries, and walks anywhere.
The most courageous thing I’ve ever done is…Having the confidence to combine being a traditional stay-at-home mom and a trailblazing home-based entrepreneur, when climbing the corporate ladder was considered the only path for aspiring college grads.
If I could go back in time to when I started my business/project I would tell myself…Go bigger than you dream you can. Great risk can offer great reward.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…As my mom used to say… “There’s always a way to accomplish what you want, so use your noodle and be resourceful.” Learn to think outside the box!
My favorite quote is…It’s not one — or even two — big decisions that set you up for financial success. Rather, it’s the many small choices you are making every day. Choose wisely.
What I would tell other women starting something…Twenty years from now, you won’t remember the “coulda-woulda-shoulda moments” or the goof-ups, but your successes and accomplishments should shine through and bring joy. Take a risk. Aim high. Strive to be your “best” self….and don’t under-estimate the power of networking.
Website: www.thedropdsm.com
I help our community with finding the best health and wellness resources in the metro so that they can be happy, healthy, and have a whole lot of fun while they’re at it.
My favorite place to create…A local coffee shop — somewhere with lots of natural light + fresh air always gets my creative juices flowing. I love being surrounded by others in the community, and feeling the buzz of the day as people come in and out is a total motivator.
The most courageous thing I’ve ever done is…Have a kid. It sounds silly, and I guess it’s not technically “courageous,” but I have a hard time slowing down and thinking beyond this week and all my to-dos and tasks. Prior to launching The Drop, I had another side business that consumed a lot of my time and creative energy, and it seemed exhausting to have a kid on top of that + a full-time job — and to be able to feel like we could afford it. Everyone always says, “you’ll never feel ready or feel like you have enough money,” and that’s 100% true, but having our daughter was the best decision we could have made for our family and our long-term goals.
If I could go back in time to when I started my business/project I would tell myself…Don’t bother with the naysayers. There will be a lot of them, and most of it stems from jealousy. Shrug it off, and let it fuel you in your journey. For every 1 person that has a rude or negative comment, there are 10 others who are supporting you and helping lift you up. Focus on that — the rest is just noise.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…Every meeting is a good meeting. Learn from each encounter and get at least one thing from it. Boy, has this held true for The Drop. From the beginning, when Kati and I first met about the idea, we had a meeting literally that day with a tech team (Ha! Had we only known!). And from there, we’ve had, at the very least, 150 meetings with studio owners, businesses, banks, tech companies, investors, random people who have reached out, the list goes on. I can honestly say, every single meeting got us one step closer to our goal. Even the ones that we left thinking, “well that was a waste,” or when we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, looking back, it still helped us in some way — whether that was a new connection/resource or a reason to work even harder and prove that person wrong!
My favorite resource/book/podcast is…
How I Built This with Guy Raz — when Kati and I were early on in creating The Drop and having second guesses and doubts, a friend of mine pointed me in this podcast’s direction and the SoulCycle episode lit us both up. It resonated with us in literally every aspect. Two female founders, creating something from the ground up, getting told no more times than they could count, bootstrapping to come up with funds, launching a clothing line — it gave us the push we needed at that time to get re-fired up and dive head first into something we knew, deep down, would work.
My favorite quote is…“Work hard and be nice to people.” — Self-explanatory, right? Especially in Des Moines…word travels fast, so be authentic and value each relationship. You never know when it might come in handy.
I help rural Iowans access food with a grocery store on wheels so that everybody in Iowa has access to food.
My favorite place to create… the Browsing Library in the Memorial Union.
The most courageous thing I’ve ever done is… asked for help. Sometimes we women are so busy trying to prove ourselves, we forget that we weren’t meant to do this life alone.
If I could go back in time to when I started my business/project I would tell myself… being busy is a waste of time if you’re not being productive.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is… to focus on people and problems, not ideas and money. If you focus on people’s problems, the ideas and money will come.
My favorite quote is… “You did not wake up today to be mediocre.” -Oscar Wilde
What I would tell other women starting something… A favorite quote from Tina Fey: “Say yes. You’ll figure it out afterward.”
Website: https://www.camparamoni.com
Camp Aramoni is a unique venue for luxury camping and special events that helps people with busy schedules unwind and create new memories.
My favorite place to create…Burgie’s Coffee Shop.
The most courageous thing I’ve ever done is…lead a group of vegan activists in a hostile environment. We advocated for the ethical treatment of animals while kindly encouraging people to think about where the food on their plate comes from.
If I could go back in time to when I started my business/project I would tell myself…Unfriend/unfollow the people who do not inspire and support you. Know your worth and surround yourself with people who value you. Once you do that, everything else will fall into place.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…Not all advice is good advice. When in doubt, follow your gut feeling.
My favorite resource/book/podcast is…The Enneagram Personality Test! This personality test is very thorough, and it has helped me better understand myself and the people around me. Self-awareness is critical as an entrepreneur — You need to know your weaknesses so you can surround yourself with people who excel in the areas you fall short.
My favorite quote is…“Lift as you rise.” This means to always help others succeed as you succeed. Success at the expense of others is not success.
What I would tell other women starting something…Not everyone will understand your vision or your drive. Stay true to your convictions by writing down your goals and visualizing yourself achieving them. Do this daily.
Website: foodbankiowa.org
I encourage my team to be their best so struggling Iowans will have food to eat. My favorite place to create is in my kitchen.
The most courageous thing I’ve ever done is to get married . . . again.
If I could go back in time to when I started my business/project I would tell myself that…it’s harder than it looks and it will take more time than you think, but you’ve got this!
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given…is relax and let life happen.
My favorite resource/book/podcast…Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday.
My favorite quote is… I have two:
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” Oprah
“Life should be touched, not straggled. Relax and let it happen.” Ray Bradbury
What I would tell other women starting something…Create a self-care plan before you launch, commit to be your physical, mental, and spiritual best, and find an accountability partner. And . . . You’ve got this!
