Startup Advice from WFN's Top 10 Finalists
Updated: Jul 8, 2021
WFN finalists share some advice from their personal journeys to help other women founders
We asked this year's Top 10 Fast Pitch finalists to share some advice from their personal journeys to help other women founders.
Be sure to reserve your seat for the Fast Pitch event on October 30th to see them pitch!
"It's not easy. Be prepared for the tough patches.
Surround yourself with people that have your back and don't pass judgment, especially if you're a mom and/or a wife. You need a tribe."
"I learned that it is very important that you take the time to self-care. Any effort you put into making yourself better will make your relationship with everyone better, and your business will thrive.
Also, communication is still the key to success. It is very important to communicate clearly and effectively with your team."
"Building a community of mentors, peers and business partners is incredibly important. Perspective is tough when you're always head-down building your business.
You need people who have been there before (and who you trust) to talk through challenges and share what worked."
"Something that I learned is the importance of choosing your team carefully. Think critically about your strengths and weaknesses and consider adding people to balance you (the founder) out.
Having the right people on your team can make or break the company culture and trajectory, especially when the company is still young."
"If bootstrapping your company with little or no seed funding, then you better be a “Jill-of-all-trades.” So often, you just don’t have the luxury of outsourcing everything that needs to get done.
You’ve got to be able to throw on a million different hats to ensure that all the pieces fit together. Basically, you have to think big picture (visionary) while also overseeing all of the “small” details."
"Stay focused on what you are trying to build.
But remember to periodically step back and really evaluate whether you're spending your time and money in the most efficient manner possible to reach your goals."
"Inevitably, we will all face rejection but how we deal with it is what matters most.
Treat every “no” as one step closer to a “yes” and as an opportunity to learn, improve and challenge yourself."
"Don't focus on how you are not (fill in the blank) 'enough' for the big picture dream.
Only focus on how you can exceedingly rise to the occasion for the next step in front of you."
"A big part of building your business includes building strong relationships - with your team members, vendors, mentors, and customers.
You never know who is sitting next to you and who they know, so take every opportunity to meet people and talk about your business. Even if the contact doesn’t pan out, it’s great practice!"
"Bootstrapping the business is an option for a startup that does not get a lot of press. We bootstrapped because we had to, just did not have the luxury of large investment early on.
Looking back, I'm glad we did. I learned a lot firsthand about marketing, sales, delivering projects, client retention, etc."
WFN 2019 FAST PITCH EVENT
OCTOBER 30 from 5-9pm | Covel Commons at UCLA
To hear more inspiration from a WFN alumna, reserve your seat today! See you in October!