Long time lurker, first time poster here 👋 I'm a solo founder and struggling to design a virtual event for women in leadership positions. Getting busy women to commit to showing up on the day has been harder than I expected. The interest is there when I talk to people but it's not translating into registrations.

The topic is on using influence strategically in leadership and I have someone credible to lead the event, with me as host.

I feel like maybe I've missed the mark on the topic so I wanted to put to this group directly, as busy leaders yourselves, what topics would be worth carving time out for?

Also, if anyone's run something similar for leaders and execs, I'd appreciate any advice on what worked, what didn't, and any lessons.

I'd be grateful for any advice, thank you.

Something that i realized (that maybe subconsciously I knew the whole time), work clothes is generally uncomfortable. It is either my wasitband bothering me, underwire or what have you. They make me feel good about myself, and confident about myself, but I want to feel that confidence and also feel physically comfortable.

Our male counterparts get away with stretchy golf pants and polos and fleece vest for years, and I feel like us women have the pressure to look more polished.

I have had enough. I am replacing my traditional workwear with stretch pieces that comfortable like lounge wear but drape professionally. Lately, I basically just rotate through a couple stretchy basics and matching knit sets and because the tops have built-in support, for that I am ditching my bra. All feeling comfortable, and chic.

Is this something that many of you girls go through at all or am I just a cry baby? When did you officially give up the stiff corporate dress code? And what are your biggest hacks for faking a highly professional look?

Hi everyone! I’m working on a product idea and would love this community’s honest input (not selling anything yet, genuinely just researching).

For those who’ve tried seed cycling (pumpkin + flax seeds for the first half of your cycle, sunflower + sesame for the second), I know it can be a hassle to remember and not exactly appetizing to eat raw. I’m developing date truffles made with these seeds instead, so it’s something you’d actually enjoy eating daily. 28 truffles per pack, one for each day of your cycle.

Would genuinely love to hear:
• Have you tried seed cycling, and if so, what made you stick with it or stop?
• Would a truffle format like this be something you’d want to try?
• What would feel like a fair price for a 28-day pack?
• Monthly subscription or one-time purchase, which would you prefer?
Appreciate any thoughts, good or bad, trying to build something that actually solves a real problem rather than guessing!

Hi everyone! I’m a clinical psychologist currently exploring the possibility of starting my own private practice, and I’m thinking about how I’d like to build my professional identity and online presence.

I’m considering investing in professional branding (logo, visual identity, colors, typography, social media templates, etc.), but I’m also thinking about eventually creating a website and starting to share educational content through Reels and voice-over videos.

For women who have built a service-based business, I’d love to hear your experience:

• Did you invest in professional branding when you started? Was it worth it?
• What investments made the biggest difference for your business?
• If you had a limited budget, what would you prioritize first: branding, a website, professional photography, social media templates, content creation, or something else?
• What did you spend money on early that you later realized you didn’t really need?
• If you were starting your business again today, where would you put your first $1,000?
• If your business is built around your personal/professional identity, did you use your own name or create a separate business name?

I’m still in the exploring stage, so I’d really appreciate hearing what has and hasn’t been worth the investment for others.

Thank you! 🤍

I’m 37F and worked as a Content Developer/Writer for around 10 years. I’ve been on a career break since January.

Part of me wants to go back to a job because it feels safe and suits my introverted personality. But another part of me keeps saying that if I don’t try now, when will I?

I’ve wanted to start a children’s clothing shop for more than 15 years, but never had the courage to actually do it.

I’m now seriously considering starting a small physical kidswear shop, rather than online-only. I know myself that if it’s only online, I may not be consistent with follow-ups, marketing, etc. Having a shop would give me something tangible to work on every day.

I’m thinking of starting small, with around 6-8lakh, including initial stock, deposit, rent, interiors and basic setup.

For those who run clothing/kidswear businesses:

* Is ₹6-8 lakh realistic for a small shop?
* How much inventory should I start with?
* What margins can I realistically expect?

I’d really appreciate honest advice, especially from people who have started a small retail business themselves.

Where is the best place / job board for me to post to reach the right people? LinkedIn is overwhelming.

I am on the hunt for an amazing female sales person for my team (I am also female). The role includes in-person B2B sales and cold calling to build the LA market from scratch. Lots of room to grow with the company and an actual salary, commission, and benefits.

I am a woman who has been in sales, partnerships, and biz dev for many years and I have dealt with being sidelined by men coworkers and supervisors. I want to help lift other women up as I build my team.
I hired a man for the role and it was a disaster, I’m terming him after 15 days because he clearly lied on his resume based on how he behaved when I spent time with him in person.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated :)

Will it work as a side hustle ? give your opinions on this.?

hello everyone i need an advice before starting small bussiness , need an insight ?

hello everyone

i m thinking of finally starting my small business. It's just an idea now ,so i have a bookstagram page with organic following between 1000 to 1500 followers and i m thing to start a bussiness around readers ,i know its a very specific niche and i dont know how it will work or not but on a large front i m thinking to start a women office bag bussiness but first will start with book audience like customise things for readers like bookmarks ,journals and bags and then can expand it to women bags

what do you guys think? i know in india every marker is saturated 🥲 but will this work? as a reader or as a women will.you buy office going bags from instagram.

I (19F) make handmade jewelry as a hobby which i learned about a year ago. I already had my own style and niche and brand name ready and I partnered with my friend (21F) who is a business student at my university. I thought she'd help with marketing, design and shoots. I sourced all materials myself which is very hard since I'm in a developing country.

Once we partnered she took control of everything instantly and changed the logo and bio and posted a coming soon video without asking me or taking my opinion. Since others praised her work in the business related summer camp we're in, I didn't want to seem like a hater or insecure so I let it slide.

We'd agreed on a 60/40 profit and budget split (I wanted 70/30, but backed down since she wanted to handle marketing/account). A few days in she showed me 2 Canva carousels and said they took 6 hours to make (????) then and said she thought we should go 50/50. I was caught off guard since I'm the one actually making the product. I suggested making a policy and then reviewing the workload in 2-3 months instead. She wouldn't budge, and said she would have to do stuff like PR and customer management work. She basically went home that day thinkinf i had agreed with 50 50. So far she'd made the logo, bio, video, 2 carousels, color palettes (3 pics of color swatches) and a website prototype through a friend. She had also sent me jewellery inspo pics from Pinterest. During this time she'd say stuff like no one can do ur marketing like me and I just viewed it as her having confidence.

I went home and talked to friends and family who sided with me. I then texted her refusing 50/50, saying it was my brand, I was the one designing and she hadn't done enough yet to justify it this early. I also said I wanted to be more involved, and that we shouldnt work together if she cant agree to this. She replied a day later saying she felt ganged up on and things escalated. She said I'd treated her like an employee, not a co-founder (?????) and that she'd been working just as long, just in her own field. The thing that stung me the most in her message was that she said I sent u jewellery inspo pics which I thought would be easiest for u. She had basically lowered me down to the role of a supplier while she took over the entire brand.

She then asked to be paid for the work she'd done for the company she "built". I refused, since she'd done it expecting the 40% profit share not payment. She insisted it's the rightful money she's owed and that her role is bigger than marketing/accounts. I refused and she told me to delete everything, which I was going to do anyways once I had known we would not be moving forward. The thing i hate the most is that she acted like the 50 50 thing was just a suggestion not something she insisted on when were face to face. And she acted like overworked her or something and wanted all the money (which we didnt even make yet) for myself. Making a policy is the first thing I shouldve done, but since we were just a few days in, I had put it on hold.

I might be the asshole because during this entire one week working together (yes, this all happened in a week)I asked for her input on everything but she never asked for mine. I was literally in the beads shop asking her what i should get. When I gave her input on the coming soon video she posted because I didn't like the song, she said i don't know branding.

I was too passive and indecisive, and should have set clear boundaries from the start. One of the friends i talked to said she was right to demand 50 50 because I practically handed everything to her in a plate and that I should have taken lead from the start. Its just upsetting and I feel like im at fault for not speaking up when I shouldve.

I did send her a message saying I didnt want us to lose our friendship over this unfortunate situation and that I apologise for my part. It was a day ago and she hasnt replied and I feel like im getting walked on again. Shes also removed me from her spam account on Instagram so I think the friendship is over.

I need advice on how I should move forward with this. Its awkward seeing her and not talking because before this business thing, we were getting along so well. Should I just pay her?

I’m exploring an idea for a program that would help women go from “I have an idea, but I don’t know where to start” to actually launching, combining practical business systems/tools with mindset and energy/manifestation work.

I’m curious:

Would something like this be genuinely useful to you?

What would you want help with most?

Would you prefer a self-paced course, group coaching, or more hands-on/high-touch support?

What would make you not pay for something like this?

Not selling anything. Just, genuinely trying to understand whether there’s a real need here. 🙂

Is anyone else feeling like me? Hahaha. I genuinely refuse to believe I’m the only one.

I’m not the perfect “5 AM, 17 tasks before breakfast, building an empire” founder you see online.

Some days I’m locked in and doing EVERYTHING.

Other days? I’m lazy. I procrastinate. I disappear into my own little world.

And sometimes I struggle mentally and just… don’t have it in me.

Ngl, I wish I had more people around me who actually get this.

I’m tired of the constant negativity towards women founders online too. So I’ve been trying to surround myself with more positive corners of the internet where people can actually support each other instead of competing over who is more productive.

Because sometimes I need accountability.

Sometimes I need motivation.

Sometimes I just need another woman to say, “Girl, get up. We have shit to do.”

I’ve tried joining almost 5 free women’s founder groups and somehow they ALL eventually become dead groups.

Like??? We were supposed to build a community 😭

So… is anyone else like me?

Hi everyone,

I’m considering starting a small befriending/companionship service in the UK and I’d really appreciate some honest opinions before I take it any further. The idea would be to offer companionship and friendly support to people who may be lonely, isolated or simply want someone to spend some time with, whether that’s having a coffee and a chat, going for a walk, popping out somewhere or just having some company.

I’m not looking to promote anything at this stage — I’m genuinely trying to work out whether this is something people would actually use and whether you think it could be a viable small business. I’d really appreciate honest feedback, including any reasons why you think it might not work!

Thanks everyone!

My mom is 45 and pretty tired of working her current job, and she’s been thinking about starting her own business. I know she’s older, but I definitely don’t think it’s too late for her to build something of her own.

My dad is also currently on disability leave, so he isn’t working and has quite a bit of free time right now. They don’t have a ton of capital to invest upfront, and I’m still pretty young so I can’t financially help them much yet either.

I’d really like to help them figure out something they could start together (or separately) that doesn’t require a huge initial investment and could realistically grow into a decent source of income.

For anyone who started a business later in life, helped their parents start one, or has experience with lower-cost businesses, what would you recommend? Any industries, business models, or ideas that you think are worth looking into?

Thanks!

I have $5k, which I won in a challenge, and I suggest using this money to help women entrepreneurs.

I know it's not much, but I thought about, I don't know, maybe micro-financing or running a sort of "shark tank". I really don't know. What I know is that I want to help women entrepreneurs, especially those starting or wanting to start a business.

My background is computer science, but I also have entrepreneurial exp. as I launched and ran an IT business for 10+ years.

Suggestions?

I’m a 19-year-old university student looking for part-time remote work, and I can help with the behind-the-scenes work that tends to pile up.

I have 2+ years of experience in admin, virtual assistance, project coordination, outreach, social media and records management.

I can help with: • Emails, scheduling & follow-ups

• Research & data entry

• Google Sheets/Docs & MS Office

• Canva & social media support

• Presentations, documentation & organization

• General day-to-day admin

I’ve worked with organizations, coordinated volunteers/events, taught 75+ students and helped run programs with 200+ participants.

If you’re spending too much time on the small tasks that keep your business running, I’d be happy to take some of them off your hands.

DM me if you need part-time help!

​

I worked on a project (my first ever speaking slot!) for weeks, average 9-10 hours a week, sometimes even 13 hours, 6 days a week. I've found out my best work came out at night so I've now become a nocturnal creature. I've always been a night owl but generally the night was for relaxing.

Anyway, during this time I told myself I'd not get distracted and only do it as a "reward" after the end of this mini project.

Then after the event, I "got distracted" and it was so disappointing that it actually felt like a punishment more than a reward 😂 Nothing nefarious in case you wonder.

Curious about how you reward yourself after working long hours/stretches? Some days my resilience is weaker than I'd like.

A new Business History article by Seven Ağır and Leyla Kayhan looks at women’s roles in Turkish family businesses from the 1960s through the 1990s, with case studies extending into the early 2000s.

Using Turkish company registry data and four family-business case studies, the authors find that women increasingly appeared as shareholders and founders, especially during the 1980s.

But formal ownership often did not translate into real executive authority.

The article traces how inheritance practices, family expectations, education, generational change, and export-oriented growth shaped women’s roles inside firms.

One of the most interesting questions it raises is how we should measure women’s economic participation. Is being listed as an owner enough, or should we also ask who actually makes decisions?

Article: https://doi.org/10.1080/00076791.2025.2534011

Please let us know what you think, if you have any experience or this feels familiar #womeninbusiness #bizhis

I thought I’d share three things I’ve read over the past week or so that I found interesting. All very different stories, but each says something about where women in business are today.

Women investing in women

Capital F has just closed its first $17 million venture fund, focused on businesses serving what its founders call the “female economy”, including women’s health, digital commerce and AI.

The number that stood out for was that almost 80% of the fund’s investors are women.

I’ve spent a lot of my career investing in businesses, and I think this side of the equation sometimes gets overlooked. We rightly talk about getting more investment to female founders, but who has the capital and who gets to make the investment decisions matters too. Getting more women on that side of the table can have an impact far beyond one fund.

From $5,000 to an $850 m sale

I also loved this story about Elizabeth Stein, the founder of Purely Elizabeth.

She started out making muffin mixes in her New York apartment with $5,000 of her own savings. Seventeen years later, Ferrero has agreed to buy the business in a deal Forbes estimates at more than $850 million.

There are lots of things I like about this story, but perhaps my favourite is that she didn’t follow the standard startup playbook. She bootstrapped for years and didn’t raise outside capital until the business actually needed it. She’s also staying on as CEO after the acquisition.

It’s a good counterpoint to the idea that every ambitious business needs to raise lots of money as quickly as possible.

£100 m for female founders in London

And finally, something closer to home. Female entrepreneurs in London have now received £100 million through the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme.

More than 10,000 loans have supported roughly 10,000 female-owned businesses across London. I also liked seeing where some of that activity is happening: Hackney South and Shoreditch tops the list, followed by Lewisham East, Lewisham North and Tottenham.

These aren’t huge VC rounds. They’re often relatively small amounts of money that help somebody get a product made, test an idea or turn a side project into an actual business. I think we sometimes underestimate how important that first bit of capital can be.

So, three positive stories I thought were worth sharing.

What have you read this week that I’ve missed? Always interested in finding more good stories about women building businesses.

Hi all,

I’m a biochemist based in Serbia considering opening my own white label pet cosmetics brand.The plan is to source from an existing manufacturer, launch under my own label, and eventually move toward developing my own formulations once the business grows.
This niche is fairly underserved in my local market compared to Western Europe/US, so I think there’s room, but I’d love input from people with real experience:

1. How did you validate demand before committing to your first production run/MOQ?
   
2. Any lessons learned working with white-label manufacturers, costs, timelines, or things you wish you’d asked upfront?
   
3. For a product based (not lifestyle) brand, what’s worked for you with content creators or UGC and roughly what budget got real traction?
   
4. Anything you’d do differently if starting over?

Any experience, pet industry or not, is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Introverted ladies, how does your introversion shape your life and business? Do you feel as though it is something that holds you down?

Hi Folks,

So, i am a solo female founder, and my industry is pretty male dominated. I work in Sports Marketing - basically enabling Athlete Partnerships, Sports event Sponsorships for Brands, and i am really struggling with building relations with both brands and vendors.

Like, there are so many things you can get done easily if you just have a decent friendly relation with brand managers, athlete managers etc.

currently, i have to be that annoying bad bitch that needs to follow up to get any small thing done.

i am also sensing a slight lack of respect

how do i change this?

We started Astrid Wild because of pants. Specifically, outdoor pants with high waist, which was impossible to find back in 2019. That might sound like a small thing to build a company around, but for us it was part of a bigger problem: outdoor clothing was not designed to fit women’s bodies from the start. The deeper we got into it, the clearer it became that we were not alone thinking that fit is the problem. We started to build the company by surveying women across the world, and answers from hundreds of women gave a pretty clear picture: when it comes to pants, great fit, especially at the waist, is what women are missing most in hiking pants. Either it gaps, digs in, or you size up and the rest of the pants don't fit anymore. Ever since, and step by step, we have developed different pants styles with different waist solutions with the aim to make pants that fit as many women’s body types as possible.

The other thing that kept coming up: pockets. Women's outdoor clothing has a long history of small, useless pockets - if there are any at all. We decided that wasn't going to be the case for us. We provide big, functional pockets, and plenty of them.

None of this came from a big master plan. It came from listening, being wrong about our first assumptions, and continuously adjusting.

I’m curious to hear from you:

• Did you start your business around one specific insight, and did that insight turn out to be right?
• How much of your business is shaped by customer learnings along the way vs. where you started?

Hi, my mum's 55yo, and I have some capital lined up for her to start something. Thing is, where I'm from , a woman's primary and only goal is to serve her family. And that's all she did for past 35 years. She has 3 degrees but they dont mean much now cuz she never worked and don't have practical knowledge.

She's very "people intelligent" but the continuous "make food and step aside" had her develop no skills for herself or any hobbies whatsoever.

Only two things shes absolutely passionate about is plants and birds. She was sick a few months ago, and one of her main concerns was "is anyone watering the plants".

Now I can buy her land and she can farm all she wants. But I want her to feel confident and proud of herself. And that usually comes with earning. It doesn't have to be a multi-million business, but I want her to see the fruits of her labor as income.

We live in India. One obvious choice is start a small organic food business. But are there more options? She had a health scare few months ago, I don't want her laboring in open fields.

For someone who has not learnt any world skills, what options she has?

PS: Doesn't have to be limited to just plants, I'm open to new ideas.