Inspiration for Women Entrepreneurs: The Team

I looked up at the three mile point in the race to see the outreached hands of 30 young girls cheering on the runners. Although tired at this point in a 3.1 mile Right to Run race, I made every effort to slap the hands of every single girl who extended their support to me. Their cheers gave me the fuel to run joyfully to the finish line with the Women TIES logo prominently displayed on the finish line banner. I joined in the same spirit shown by the girls by high-fiving the rest of the Women TIES team as they finished their runs.

You might think today’s blog post is another sporting story without a tie to business wisdom but I hope you see it differently. There were lessons learned during this event that I hope inspires you today because that race was no different than any other business event we produce where we gather great women entrepreneurs together at our luncheon programs to meet, create new relationships and “run” together towards individual and collective success.

Identifying ourselves in the race as members of a team, with unified raspberry shirts, you knew we belonged together and yet each of us had to run our own race at our own pace. It is the same for women entrepreneurs who ban together at business networking events, educational programs and personal meetings – we belong to a big team of women entrepreneurs proudly displaying our own business expertise and supporting each other on our own individual entrepreneurial journeys.

Running in a race and running a business really aren’t that different. Both take energy, fortitude, an eye on the goal and focus. If our energy or interest starts to wane, we can rest for a period to recharge and start up again. We can find incredible strength and endurance when the hills come. Joy fills us when we have accomplished a new big goal, hit a revenue mile marker or just completed a big project.

Today be reminded you belong to a team of women entrepreneurs who believe in you and who “run” next to you every day you open your business. We are there to support you, inspire you and cheer you on when you need the encouragement. Although we might run at a different pace, manage different businesses or sell widely different products, we are one body of energetic women who understand what we each go through as business owners.