Priceless Tips for Women in Business From Stella Simona, Co-founder of Haati Chai & Amarilo
Sage advice is #Priceless.
In celebration of International Women's Day, Mastercard and Create & Cultivate are teaming up with prominent female leaders and business owners to share their #Priceless advice to inspire and elevate women entrepreneurs.
Stella Simona, Co-founder of Haati Chai & Amarilo
Stella Simona is an LA-based mother, wife, content creator, visual storyteller, creative entrepreneur and co-owner of fine jewelry brands Amarilo and Haati Chai. With a clear love for aesthetics and storytelling, Stella is passionate about skincare, wellness, and design. In addition to her creative ventures, she partners with various organizations that shed light on issues close to her heart, epitomizing the importance of allowing passion to guide your process, and fostering an authentic and impactful connection with both her brand and audience.
In her role as creative director and director of marketing and strategy, she seeks inspiration from the women in her life lives to integrate both brands into the bigger conversations that speak to the identity and values of its consumers.
Below, Stella shares her #Priceless advice to inspire and elevate women in business.
What is one piece of advice you would give to women looking to turn their passion into purpose?
You are meant to do great things. There is someone out there who needs to see you and your work and get inspired to follow their passion.
What is the most important message you have for women advancing their career or growing their business?
Do not underestimate the power of having your own voice. Invest in yourself because the success of your business is rooted in your well being-- and this trickles down to your business growth. Take mental breaks, take small vacations, workout, sleep, eat well, have fun with your family. Don’t sacrifice everything for business. We are living to not work but work to live. Balance is key. Once you nurture heart, body, and your mind your business will thrive.
What tips would you give women entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses, especially in our digitally evolving world?
Always be prepared to pivot. Have a plan a, b, c, etc. Partner with other amazing businesses and entrepreneurs whenever you can. Build a community.
What’s next for Haati Chai and Amarilo?
This past year has taught me to take it back to my roots. I began doing what I do to personally grow as an individual and an artist and giving back to a bigger cause. It’s really important for me to give back whether it’s to important organizations in our community or ones on a larger global scale.
In celebration of women in business, what are (3) small businesses you want to highlight to encourage others to shop, share and support?
Three small businesses I would like to highlight include:
Priceless advice for women in business in two words, or less:
“Love Yourself.”
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Priceless Tips for Women in Business From Lo Bosworth, Founder & CEO, Love Wellness
Sage advice is #Priceless.
In celebration of International Women's Day, Mastercard and Create & Cultivate are teaming up with prominent female leaders and business owners to share their #Priceless advice to inspire and elevate women entrepreneurs.
Lo Bosworth, Founder & CEO, Love Wellness
Lauren Bosworth is the founder and CEO behind the leading clean, personal care brand, Love Wellness. Bosworth has made a name for herself as an entrepreneur, using momentum from her decade-long career in television to shift her focus to creating and running a modern feminine care brand from the ground up.
Love Wellness was born in 2016 after Bosworth began experiencing chronic health issues for over five years and old-school products from legacy brands didn’t address her problems. With the guidance of doctors and some trial-and-error, Bosworth finally found relief through a holistic approach that combined natural products with a healthy lifestyle.
Ultimately, through this journey, Bosworth became aware of the lack of innovation in the women’s healthcare category, and made it her mission to change it by sharing the information she had learned with women everywhere. Love Wellness initially launched with a focus on creating better-for-you feminine care products, but has since grown to include multivitamins, supplements and other products to help women tackle issues like gut health, stress, sex, and skincare.
Beyond products, Love Wellness is committed to giving women support and the space to learn, engage, and share experiences with each other through the brand’s community platform, ‘The Love Club’. Bosworth is seeking to change the narrative around self-care culture and empower women to feel supported, welcomed, and safe during their wellness journeys.
Below, Lo shares her #Priceless advice to inspire and elevate women in business.
What is one piece of advice you would give to women looking to turn their passion into purpose?
If you know you are working on something good, don’t give up easily. Never lose sight of what you are trying to achieve.
What challenges have you faced as a woman in business? How did you overcome them?
I think for me the challenge was the transition from being known as somebody who was on television. When you're on reality TV, you're definitely put into a certain box. It was finally through education paired with effective products that I was able to bridge the gap between being known for TV and being taken seriously as an entrepreneur.
What is the most important message you have for women advancing their career or growing their business?
Growing a business will have low lows and very high highs - embrace the good times and the failure. This will teach you how to adapt and pivot, both of which are important to scaling your business.
What’s your perspective on the importance of mentorship? What advice do you have for women seeking mentorship or looking to become a mentor?
Mentorship is extremely important and helps you look at things through a different lens. My advice for those who are seeking mentorship - remember that mentors are people too. Invite them for a coffee (or a virtual one these days) and have a casual conversation...ask them about how they’re doing. Let the relationship build organically.
What tips would you give women entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses, especially in our digitally evolving world?
Build a team you can learn from and trust. As we continue to work from home and live in this virtual world, it’s important now more than ever to trust and rely on your team. Secondly, you need to hire people who may know more about certain subjects than you do - that’s how you grow and take the business to the next level.
What’s next for Love Wellness?
Our strategy is hyper-focused with a crawl, walk, run strategy meaning we don't bite off more than we can chew. We have some exciting things coming up this year, so be on the lookout!
In celebration of women in business, what are (3) small businesses you want to highlight to encourage others to shop, share and support?
Priceless advice for women in business in two words, or less:
“Trust Yourself”
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Priceless Tips for Women in Business From Monique Rodriguez, Founder and CEO, Mielle Organics
Sage advice is #Priceless.
In celebration of International Women's Day, Mastercard and Create & Cultivate are teaming up with prominent female leaders and business owners to share their #Priceless advice to inspire and elevate women entrepreneurs.
Monique Rodriguez, Founder and CEO, Mielle Organics
Monique Rodriguez is the CEO and founder of Mielle Organics, a Black-Owned global hair and skincare brand. Since founding the beauty brand in 2014, Monique has expanded her empire from one signature product to half a dozen collections. Mielle Organics has been distributed in more than 87 countries and can be found in more than 100,000 stores across the U.S.
The inspiration behind Mielle Organics was born through Monique’s journey of self-discovery after loss. After the passing of her son, she used haircare as an outlet to regain her natural roots and build a community for women to connect and share their stories.
In addition to her work with Mielle Organics, Monique is recognized as a leader in the business community as well as a role model for women of all ages. Gems from Monique on her experience as a Black entrepreneur in beauty, business, and more can be found on her ‘Secret Sauce to Success’ Podcast.
Below, Monique shares her #Priceless advice to inspire and elevate women in business.
What is one piece of advice you would give to women looking to turn their passion into purpose?
One piece of advice I would give to women looking to turn their passion into purpose is to remember your why. There will be amazing days and then there will be hard days where owning a business isn’t always glamorous. So it’s important to remember the why that’s attached to your vision, so you can push forward.
What challenges have you faced as a woman in business? How did you overcome them?
As a Black woman in business, I would say one of the most notable challenges I faced in the beginning of Mielle Organics’ founding was raiding funding. When my husband and I founded Mielle Organics, we backed the company with our own funds. We were later blessed to receive funding from investors, but as new business owners that area.
What is the most important message you have for women advancing their career or growing their business?
The most important message I have for women advancing their career or growing their business is to always remember no one can grow your vision like you can. If you have an idea or a plan, don’t allow yourself to be distracted from executing it.
What’s your perspective on the importance of mentorship? What advice do you have for women seeking mentorship or looking to become a mentor?
I believe that finding a mentor is very important. As you elevate to that next level in life or in business, it’s important to speak with someone who’s already where you want to be. Without a great mentor, new business owners end up working harder and not smarter.
What tips would you give women entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses, especially in our digitally evolving world?
Leverage social media to connect with your customers.
Develop a great team that understands your vision and knows how to creatively communicate that vision to your customers.
Develop quality partnerships that align with your vision and allow you to grow.
What’s next for Mielle Organics?
The next chapter for our business includes continuing to create opportunities that aid Black women succeed in business. Whether it’s through our recent Secret Sauce to Success Retreat or our partnered education program with the Newark Business Hub and Rutgers University, we are dedicated to creating new opportunities for women to thrive in our community.
In celebration of women in business, what are (3) small businesses you want to highlight to encourage others to shop, share and support?
Three small businesses I would like to highlight include:
Priceless advice for women in business in two words, or less:
“Stay motivated.”
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Priceless Tips for Women in Business From Sharon Miller, Bank of America's Head of Small Business
Sage advice is #Priceless.
In celebration of International Women's Day, Mastercard and Create & Cultivate are teaming up with prominent female leaders and business owners to share their #Priceless advice to inspire and elevate women entrepreneurs.
Sharon Miller, Bank of America's Head of Small Business
Sharon Miller is the head of Small Business at Bank of America with over 25 years of bank, wealth management and payments leadership experience, and is a member of the company’s Management Operating Committee. Her team is responsible for providing 12 million+ business owners with a full range of financial products and services through Bank of America’s network of 4,300+ financial centers including 2,300+ Business Advantage centers as well as 17,000 ATMs and its award-winning digital banking platform.
Her team provides a full suite of financial advice, guidance, products and solutions to companies with up to $5 million in annual revenue. Each client relationship is personalized so that entrepreneurs have the power to achieve their business and life priorities.
Sharon appears regularly on national and local TV and radio, discussing small business issues and advocating for the nation’s entrepreneurs as the engine that drives the U.S. economy. She serves as a council member on Bank of America’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council and is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment within the company.
Below, Sharon shares her #Priceless advice to inspire and elevate women in business.
What is one piece of advice you would give to women looking to turn their passion into purpose?
Many successful businesses are built around a passion. I hear stories about parents creating products to meet their children’s needs, students developing tools to learn more efficiently, and restaurants centered around a family recipe. It is important to do thorough research and think through questions before transforming an idea into a business. Look into the industry at large – where are their holes? What impact will your product or solution have on the marketplace? Will your product or service solve a new issue, or perhaps create a more effective solution? How can you make your offerings unique – which will help them stand out? Following this initial research, work with a banker or tap into mentors in your network to develop a strong business plan. To ensure your best chances of success, lay out your short- and long-term goals, avenues for funding and staffing needs before opening your doors. Planning is essential to successfully starting your business and critical to navigating bumps in the road as you become established.
What challenges have you faced as a woman in business/a position of leadership? How did you overcome them?
Heading up small business for Bank of America – overseeing 2,600 small business associates serving 12 million+ clients that drive the engine of U.S. economic growth – is my dream job! I’m proud to represent the company as a woman in a leadership role.
Most recently, one major challenge our team faced was rapidly creating our Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) application and portal last year. Our team worked around the clock to get the PPP process up-and-running, as we know that getting this funding into the hands of business owners is essential to keeping them operational, their staffs employed and local communities thriving. Bank of America was the first major bank to begin accepting PPP applications in early April. To achieve that, we redeployed and trained thousands of teammates and developed new technology—all in a matter of weeks. It was one of the most challenging but rewarding experiences I’ve had so far during my time with Bank of America. I am unbelievably proud of how our team responded resiliently in an uncertain time.
What is the most important message you have for women advancing their career or growing their business
Throughout my career, I’ve made it a priority to build and surround myself with a strong network of peers and mentors. I would encourage aspiring women business owners – as well as those generally interested in advancing their careers – to do the same. The ability to tap into a network provides women with an opportunity to connect, and share common experiences, which is immensely helpful especially for women entrepreneurs looking to get their feet off the ground and grow their business. A strong network can unlock access to resources, expertise and unexpected opportunities, all of which can help women thrive.
What’s your perspective on the importance of mentorship? What advice do you have for women seeking mentorship or looking to become a mentor?
A good mentor can be an invaluable resource for any business owner—and we know from our recent research (based on a survey of more than 1,000 small business owners nationwide) that a majority of women entrepreneurs believe having a mentor directly contributed to their professional success. I currently serve as a leader and mentor for the Global Ambassadors Program, which has given me the incredibly rewarding opportunity to connect with emerging women leaders and accelerate their leadership and economic empowerment.
For those seeking mentorship or looking to become a mentor, I suggest looking into your local chapter of national organizations dedicated to supporting women in business, whether that be the American Business Women's Association, National Association for Female Executives or other organizations. At Bank of America, we have a longstanding partnership with the National Association of Women Business Owners, or NAWBO, and I would highly recommend getting involved with your local NAWBO chapter where you can tap into a strong professional network, either as a mentor or mentee.
What tips would you give women entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses, especially in our digitally evolving world?
As we’ve seen over the past year, the shift to doing business digitally has only been accelerated by the pandemic. I would strongly encourage entrepreneurs to virtually meet with a trusted advisor to develop a clear business plan to help them navigate the current economic environment. A trusted advisor can be a friend, mentor or even your small business banker. Whether it’s setting up short-term goals, evaluating funding options or discussing different digital innovations that can aid a business, an advisor will be able to provide input that will help a business owner set their own growth path.
As business owners continue to navigate challenges on the road to recovery, it is important to remain resilient, creative and innovative. Our recent research found many business owners stayed open by implementing enhanced safety measures, changing their primary revenue stream (such as distilleries that retooled to make hand sanitizer; or clothing designers investing in the production of face masks) and shifting to a more digitally-focused strategy (such as shifting sales to e-commerce, or boutique fitness studios offering online classes when physical locations close).
In celebration of women in business, how can we encourage others to shop, share and support?
Despite the challenges of the past year, an overwhelming positive has been seeing the way people are investing directly into their own communities. I have been inspired by just how much communities have rallied around their local businesses—and businesses have returned the favor by investing back into their communities through donations to support coronavirus relief efforts and offering products like face masks and hand sanitizer. Small businesses are a vital part of our communities and by committing to support these businesses, we can help to jumpstart their recovery.
There are so many small businesses deserving of promotion, that I’d be remiss to just pick a few! I encourage everyone to continue to support local businesses in their communities, and shop small whenever possible.
Priceless advice for women in business in two words, or less:
“Foster Community.”
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Priceless Tips for Women in Business From Morgan DeBaun, Founder & CEO, Blavity Inc.
Sage advice is #Priceless.
In celebration of International Women's Day, Mastercard and Create & Cultivate are teaming up with prominent female leaders and business owners to share their #Priceless advice to inspire and elevate women entrepreneurs.
Morgan DeBaun, Founder & CEO, Blavity Inc.
Morgan DeBaun is the Founder & CEO of Blavity Inc., the leading media company for Black culture and Millennials. She is also the Founder of WorkSmart, her signature advising program and The WorkSmart Podcast, both designed to help small business owners scale their business.
Morgan founded Blavity Inc. with the intention to build a media company that is a reflection of the new majority of America, and to create a platform for Black thought leaders, creatives and storytellers. Blavity, Inc. began as one brand with 4 college friends in an apartment, and has grown to encompass 5 brands with a company full of employees dedicated to serving the multifaceted lives of Black millennials.
She is committed to small business owners and helping them scale up their business to employ more people, build their operations and take home more profits through her free WorkSmart Advisor Podcast and her mentoring program WorkSmart Advising Program.
Below, Morgan shares her #Priceless advice to inspire and elevate women in business.
What is one piece of advice you would give to women looking to turn their passion into purpose?
My advice to women looking to turn their passion into purpose is to focus on a core demographic and solve their problem.
What is the most important message you have for women advancing their career or growing their business?
People growing their small business should always keep learning new skills and studying great leaders so they can learn new ways of thinking. Entrepreneurship is a journey and successful business owners will constantly need to navigate changing customer and market environments.
What’s your perspective on the importance of mentorship? What advice do you have for women seeking mentorship or looking to become a mentor?
People looking to find mentors should narrow in on skills or areas of development they are looking to grow in and focus on finding advisors for that specific area.
What tips would you give women entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses, especially in our digitally evolving world?
Entrepreneurs looking to grow their business in today’s digital environment should stay committed to exploring new technologies and tools but try not to spread themselves too thin. There are a lot of digital tools in the business that can help you automate or streamline your process internally in your company or reduce your overhead.
In celebration of women in business, what are (3) small businesses you want to highlight to encourage others to shop, share and support?
Books, wine, and self-care through health & beauty have been staples of my quarantine routine and I encourage others to shop the small businesses that I’ve used continuously throughout the last year. Shelves Bookstore is an incredible online and mobile pop-up bookstore that is committed to celebrating the joy of reading. McBride Sisters has a beautiful story, great-tasting wine and is the largest Black-owned wine company in the US. Golde’s mission is to make wellness accessible and fun through their superfood-filled smoothies and skincare products.
Priceless advice for women in business in two words, or less:
“Think Big!”
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Priceless Tips for Women in Business From Denise Vasi, Founder of Maed
Sage advice is #Priceless.
In celebration of International Women's Day, Mastercard and Create & Cultivate are teaming up with prominent female leaders and business owners to share their #Priceless advice to inspire and elevate women entrepreneurs.
Denise Vasi, Founder of Maed
Brooklyn-native and Los Angeles-based Denise Vasi first became known by many for her high-profile modeling and acting career, but the mother of two has also organically built an inclusive online community. In 2018, Denise launched the digital resource, Maed.co, that focuses on nutrition, beauty and mindful life-balance for women who find themselves juggling careers and parenthood. Growing up in an inclusive community of engaged women, Denise realized that she was consistently being asked to share her tips and suggestions on parenting, beauty and non-toxic living living. With the encouragement of the many women in her community, she created Maed with the intention to inspire, inform and empower her readers.
Since launching Maed, Denise has exponentially grown her close-knit audience with her well-informed clean beauty recommendations, vegan recipes, and conscious parenting tips. The site has since evolved into a supportive community and thriving business, partnering with dream brands and ambassador programs, while helping the community advocate for equal rights and encouraging them to invest in themselves through self-care challenges.
Below, Denise shares her #Priceless advice to inspire and elevate women in business.
What is one piece of advice you would give to women looking to turn their passion into purpose?
Be consistent, show up every day and don’t aim to replicate what other people in your space are doing. While it might work great for your peers/competitors, what makes your brand and your business unique is your voice, your opinion, and your authenticity.
What challenges have you faced as a woman in business/a position of leadership? How did you overcome them?
I originally pitched a man my idea for MAED, in hopes of finding business support for my idea. He didn’t understand the aspect of what I was trying to do.
If I had the support of his company I would have been able to build my site much faster and have some financial backing. But because he passed and because I decided to go out and do it on my own, I can proudly say I own my business outright, learned every role it takes to run my business and I only have to answer to myself both financially and creatively.
What is the most important message you have for women advancing their career or growing their business?
Hire out your weaknesses! It’s important that you can perform each task of your business but then it’s vital for every entrepreneur to know when it’s time to add people to the team.
What’s your perspective on the importance of mentorship? What advice do you have for women seeking mentorship or looking to become a mentor?
Even though there are men who have taken women under their wing, it’s more the exception than the rule. In my opinion, if you're a woman who has #MAEDit, you should seek out women with talent and mentor them. Show them how you were able to break glass ceilings. If you can mentor other females and show them what worked for you and your business and what didn't, you could save another woman months, maybe years of mistakes.
What’s next for Maed?
I have a lot of big goals for Maed but my immediate next steps are to continue building out my team and delegating responsibilities, expand my community and to collaborate more with inspiring women and business owners. It takes a village!
In celebration of women in business, what are (3) small businesses you want to highlight to encourage others to shop, share and support?
Care Package is female founded. They do incredibly beautiful curated boxes of hand selected items from other small businesses. I love sending these boxes as gifts.
SoCal ISR gives infants and kids the skills to survive in water with Infant Swim Resource Self-Rescue swim lessons. I love businesses that are modeled this way because it affords a lot of mothers the ability to run their own businesses offering them tools, resources, but most importantly credibility.
54 Thrones is a Black-owned clean beauty line that recently made Oprah's 2020 Favorite Things list. The founder, Christina Tegbe, creates intimate skin experiences through African beauty rituals. Their body butter in the bomb!
Priceless advice for women in business in two words, or less:
“Trust Yourself.”
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This Month in Money Moves: Blavity, ClassPass & Framebridge
Are we rich now or nah?
It must be summer because women are on FIRE.
This month we've seen some major money moves from some of our favorite C&C Alumni. Read below for the inspo you need to finish out this week like these BOSSES. Then, go show these ladies some love on their pages.
#SupportFemaleOwnedBusiness
Morgan DeBaun | Blavity
In our new favorite company memo, Morgan DeBaun announced her Series A round of funding for her media company Blavity INC.
"So are we rich now or nah?"
Morgan and Blavity INC raised $6,500,000 in her first very significant round of funding. This means the company will be able to grow faster by investing in engineering to fuel their many brands, investing in employees, and expanding benefits. There was also a mention of increasing the fruit delivery to twice a week. Which is V. IMPORTANT.
"I’m incredibly proud of how our small team has worked together to consistently deliver on our mission to create a platform, company, and a vibrant ecosystem, with our community at the center." Morgan states to her employees in her company memo. We couldn't be more excited to see Morgan become the media mogul she was meant to be.
Payal Kadakia | ClassPass
Founder and Chairman Payal Kadakia announced this week that ClassPass raised $85M in series D funding. This latest round brings ClassPass’s total funding to $255 million. #GOALSAF
So, what's next for everyone's favorite health + fitness app?
#1 Taking ClassPass everywhere. Time to go international, baby!
#2 ClassPass Live! Hi, taking amazing ClassPass classes from the comfort of your home.
Susan Tynan | Framebridge
Susan Tyran was an early Create & Cultivate supporter and we might be some of the most passionate Framebridge supporters out there. Her custom framing company (seen at many C&C conferences), announced the close of a $30M Series C financing. Launched in 2014, the custom framing company has changed the way consumers custom frame the creative and meaningful pieces in their lives. And every single order is produced in house.
Susan explains to Create & Cultivate, “Now that we have a real business, what we've built speaks for itself. We raised $30M because we built a business consumers love. Every nuanced detail we sweat creating this business translates to successful fundraising. Some people might be able to raise based on swagger, but we did because we built something fundamentally good.”
This new round of financing will go towards innovation, expanding manufacturing and refining the delivery process.
Know more ladies making money moves? Share them below!
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