Photo from #Empowerher17
Last month, I had the opportunity to connect, vibe and network alongside nearly 300 women of color during Blavity’s #EmpowerHer17 conference. Set against the backdrop of the Windy City, we were met with on-site activations from Luster’s Hair Care, Ford and Swivel Beauty. Two days, I was only able to attend Saturday’s sessions and the lineup was solid with Chicago’s very own #GirlBosses representing. From media maven Kyra Kyles speaking about her experience of once leading iconic publication EBONY magazine as Editor-In-Chief, actress, writer, producer of Dear White People Lena Waithe sharing her journey to stardom to a humorous lightning talk from Luvvie on landing her very own TV show with Shonda Rhimes’ “Shondaland.”
Lots of topics were discussed from best business tools, intellectual property, the state of media and self care. Below are the three keys that I took away from this year's event.
1) Fail fast. Boss Babe Academy founder Alex Wolf dropped this major gem during the first session on Small Biz & Entrepreneurship. Too often as entrepreneurs we want to take our time to try to avoid the failures, mistakes and losses. While it’s wise to definitely do our research and use our resources to make sure we’re making the right decisions and moves, spending too much time on figuring out a game plan to avoid the fails and losses (L's) will affect your output. I’ve learned by just simply doing and letting the pieces fall into place. Sometimes they don’t fall - I’ve experienced multiple L's already in my 10 month-journey, but those L’s are simply lessons that will help me later down the road.
2) Don’t be afraid to sit in discomfort. I can't recall who said this but this aligned with something I heard earlier this year from CEO Nicole Sanchez of Credit Hero. “Entrepreneurship will take you through moments of euphoria and terror.” And it’s the moments of discomfort that make it most terrifying for me. However, I’m learning during the discomfort is where my faith, hustle and desire are tested. I will only come out better and stronger on the other side.
3) Live as if you already have the medal. Lena left us with this message at the end of her chat with comedienne and actress Robin Thede. As a woman of faith, I live by affirmations and speaking things into existence. No need to act like you’re not a winner. Walk in the confidence that you already have won and you got it. OWN IT!
Needless to say, I was inspired and motivated from all of the #BlackGirlMagic that was popping during the 8-hour day. I left wanting to grind harder, dream bigger and do my own part to continue to move the needle and tell the story of dope women founders of color.
Understanding this was Blavity's second #EmpowerHer, I enjoyed myself and know the conference will grow and flourish for years to come. While it was great to hear from so many millennial women, having a more seasoned voice is also good for us to understand another point of view while also ensuring there is diversity of thought within the room. Overall, I’m looking forward to attending next year's event and seeing more from Blavity's lifestyle community dedicated to women of color 21 Ninety. Definitely check them out!