Tag Archives: entrepreneurs

All Aboard the Motivation Train

The motivation train is here ladies, with special thanks to the awesome women behind the void. Their platform helps to motivate, inspire, and empower women through life experiences and music, and they’re my new MUST follow on social media.

We had the chance to get to know more about the void and their amazing women-run team through the Q&A below. Take a read, and be on track to a more confident and stronger you.

Q: Bell Family is a women-run business, so we love hearing about initiatives that encourage women to support other women. How does the void help inspire and motivate this sense of community among women?

A: the void was conceived with the sole purpose of women helping other women. We feel, along with many other women, that there is “a void” in the global conversation in terms of hearing the important, and sometimes difficult, experiences that women often go through to achieve success. Our answer to that was to develop a platform where our female followers can be inspired by the raw, honest, and very real journeys of other women, who may or may not be just like them – whether it be through attending our gatherings and interviews, book and music recommendations, or a little daily fun (and sassy) inspo on social media.
Sharing authentic stories by women of different backgrounds is a way to support each other and show that “you” are not alone. We want the void to be a place where strong women are heard and their words are used to inspire.
It’s important to remember that it’s okay to be vulnerable and it’s okay to have tough times, because those are the moments that make you bold, strong and uniquely you, and we think once we all embrace that, that is when the magic happens.
Q: We are in a day and age where social media rules the world. How can women learn and feel empowered simply through your social media presence?

A: We really hope that women relate to what we are saying on social media, but also feel empowered by what we’re posting. To be completely honest, most of the inspiration we share consists of stories or words that impact us personally at that moment in time. We hope that someone feeling a similar way or going through a similar situation is influenced positively by our posts, just like us.

On top of that, we want the void to be your BFF! You know the one… with the sometimes sassy advice, the one that will always tell you the truth (even if you don’t want to hear it), the one that can make you laugh until you cry but you can also have a real convo with.

Q: Tell us about your “gatherings.” Who are some of the speakers that have attended, and what are examples of some of the topics discussed at these events? How can people sign-up to be apart of the conversation?

A: Our “gatherings” are the void’s intimate experiential events that center around honest conversations with badass women from all walks of life. The reason we coined our events “gatherings” is because they are just that – an event that gathers women from all over to engage in some real-talk in a safe space.
Something unique about our “gatherings” is that no matter where they take place, we always make sure that the room is set up in a circle. This is extremely important to us because it creates no barrier; the conversation isn’t an “us” and a “them” but rather an open and in-depth dialogue among everyone in the room.
We have been so lucky to have the most incredible women – both as speakers and as attendees – at our “gatherings.” We have featured: TODAY Show contributor, Jill Martin; co-founder of Derek Jeter’s The Players’ Tribune, Jaymee Messler; Creative Executive at Bumble, Liddy Huntsman; Life coach, co-founder of the Handel Method and best-selling author, Lauren Zander; CEO of MNDFL Meditation, Ellie Burrows; Former Executive Editor at Glamour & author of The Fifth Trimester, Lauren Smith Brody; y-7 Studios co-founder, Sarah Levey Larson and many more!
We are so grateful for all the women who have joined us, supported our message and fostered our community – and we can’t wait for what the future has in store (you can head to our website to check for future events and sign up for gatherings!).

The-Void

Follow the void: instagram: @thevoid_nyc | twitter: @thevoidnyc | facebook: /thevoidnyc | website: www.the-void.com

Written by Taylor Bell, Marketing & Social Media at Bell Family

Who Run the World… Girls!

Bell Family is a company built on the minds of strong and intelligent women. Our collective passion of working hard to achieve both individual goals and goals as a women run business, has allowed us to expand our network and continue to grow year after year.
A lot of our partners and guest blog writers are women entrepreneurs sharing their story of what it means to them to be a leader, and their journey to getting to the top. So, after hearing from our partners on what it means to them, our team got together to share our thoughts on what it means to us to be apart of a women run business.

“There are so many pieces to this women run business puzzle. Determination. Motivation. Comfort. People who truly care about others. Passion to do something because we really want to help. Proving we can do it the same or better than men. Understanding. Proud. Supportive. Appreciating individuality. Willing to overwork when times are tough. All of these wonderful pieces that make this women run business my purpose.”

Lindsay Bell, Founder & President

“I feel so lucky to work for an all women run business. Bell Family is a place where we support each others goals and uplift one another when we need the extra help. To me, it feels really important to be in this place right now, and to show others that a bunch of brilliant women can successfully run a business when we come together! And it also means that we have a platform to inspire and work with other women run businesses.”

Meredith Hamler, Sitter Services Manager

“Working in a women run business is empowering to me; I feel like I can share my ideas and take charge (run with things) without feeling any insecurity from others. As a team run by women, we are all supportive of our professional and personal lives, and encourage one another to be our best self. We all work hard as individuals and come together as a team to make our work shine. Here, I feel like I am my best self and take a lot of pride in it. We’re also able to share our proud, personal moments (births, races, vacations) to the team and feel appreciated, not put down. It’s always a great feeling!”

Lauren Kruk, Nanny Services Manager

“Working for a women run business is empowering. Especially in our line of business – childcare – we as women can relate to our clients more, as some of us are also mothers or have worked previously in the childcare industry. I am fortunate and proud to be part of this company.”

Courtney Bell Garvey, Sitter Services Manager

“I grew up surrounded by women with thanks to my four older sisters and Mom, so I learned early on what it’s like to have a women support system and the joys that come along with it. This company is much the same. Approachable, open, supportive, driven, focused, fun, friendly. All words that describe what it’s like being part of a women run business.”

Taylor Bell, Marketing & Social Media Consultant
We hope all of the women entrepreneurs out there continue to kick butt, support each other, and inspire more women to rise to the top!
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Written by our Marketing & Social Media Consultant, Taylor Bell

Let's Hear It for Women Entrepreneurs

I was destined for success in a conventional track. I would work hard in grade school, get into a good college, and graduate with a great job in graphic design that would sustain me for decades. Yes, the product of two business owners, hailing from a long lineage of innovators, entrepreneurs, and scrappy survivors looked forward to a nice, stable, corporate career.

I spent the better part of my employment feeling like a square peg in a round hole. Not only was I an entrepreneurial female at heart in a male-dominated industry, but also, I am someone who values good work in addition to hard work.

In hopes that it would provide me with better opportunity, I exited corporate life to work in startups. During my tenure I did time as a designer, software developer, and product manager. Five positions later, I finally figured out what role I was intended to fill: business owner. Shocking, right?

My favorite part about being a business owner, aside from the obvious of setting my own hours, and taking calls #inmyCalvins, is the same thing that drove me to starting my own web development and design business. As an employee of other companies, I found myself constantly frustrated having to sacrifice quality in favor of getting things out the door rapidly. So, the greatest perk of being my own boss and running my own operation is having total autonomy to set and adhere to my own high standards, and treating each project with care and attention to detail.

When I first set out, I was a diehard member of the “Ya Ya WomenInTech Sisterhood”. I was frustrated with the way I was treated as a female in a male-dominated industry. I felt singled out and demoralized by what set me apart. I was disenchanted with being the only female manager in a room of C-level men, so I left, and sought opportunities and partnerships where I could leverage what made me different.

Women bosses, nay, women EMPLOYEES are important because we bring something different to the table; women tend to be more empathetic, pay closer attention to detail, and even problem solve differently (not necessarily better, just different) than their male counterparts. Research shows that gender diversity isn’t just good for moral, it’s good for the bottom line too! Gender diversity is a crucial ingredient when it comes to true innovation. Women and men are objectively and fundamentally different, but it’s not a bad thing. While some may refer to this as “an inability to see eye to eye”, I see it as a great opportunity for collaboration.

I practice what I preach at my business Stacks and the City. We believe in diversity, but not without the advocacy of women in tech and leadership.

I’m no stranger to being the odd person out, and while I resisted it for a long time, learning to grow and accept unconventionality as a superpower is the best thing I’ve ever done for myself and my career. It’s important for us all to reward each other for what makes us different (not just in terms of gender), for the future of innovation as well as acceptance.

Rachel-Stakin

Written by our guest blog partner, Rachel Shatkin, Founder of Stacks and the City

"Tales from the Top" from Female Entrepreneurs

I recently attended the Cornell Tech @ Bloomberg speaker series, featuring three successful female entrepreneurs. While there, they shared their “tales from the top” along with Cornell Tech students, Bloomberg employees, and the New York City tech industry.
Three female entrepreneurs were featured (two of them also mothers) including:
Katia Beauchamp founder of Birchbox,
Brit Morin founder of Brit + Co, and
Nadia Boujarwah founder of  DAI Global, LLC.
After listening to these three women, my takeaway tips for other entrepreneurs are:
1. What are you feeling or looking for? Sit in a silent space and give yourself time to reflect and think about the big picture.
2. Listen for work arounds. What should the core product be?
3. Verge into digital – try doing video rather than editorial. It will save you a lot of time and garner more views.
4. How do you champion other women? Get out there and mentor (i.e., e-mail women back that need help, be supportive not competitive). It’s hard enough out there!
 
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Written by our Founder & CEO, Lindsay Bell