Wyse thoughts for October

Oh, how times change! Women today are more confident than their 70s counterparts and can – and do – make their own money without depending on men to provide it – but attitudes towards money and wealth are nonetheless slow to evolve. Everyone has some sort of emotional financial baggage… from believing it’s not ‘polite’ to talk about money, to not wanting to change our lifetime money habits to even feeling embarrassed about making it. Some of us even believe that we’re not worthy of it!

As business founders we know that success and failure can be scary in equal measure – we must also acknowledge tha money plays an intrinsic role in both and that we simply can’t hide our heads in the sand. But we need to have open and honest conversations about it, recognise its importance in relation to our purpose and key values, and understand its role in how we grow our businesses.

Yes, I know it’s scary! Which is why I’ve written three new myth-busting money blogs to help you address those financial hang-ups we all have and reevaluate what money means to you. Trust me, you’ll be feeling better in no time.

Carina’s story
Last month I reminded you of The Founder’s Story, featuring Sophia – a fictional entrepreneur based on my own experiences setting up a business – and highlighted how Anna Zoladkiewicz had identified with the same challenges when setting up her own company aimed at alleviating stress for staff within big organisations. This month, I am focusing on Carina Primavesi’s story and I’m sure you, too, will find it useful. Carina’s business, Beewise Amsterdam, aims to rid the world of single-use plastics, but despite having started out with a very clear sense of purpose, Carina had lost her way, was struggling to delegate and compensating by adding more and more product lines without giving enough care and attention to her strategy. She had forgotten that even if you are aiming big, you still need to take small, strategic steps to get there. Taking time out to read Sophia’s story helped Carina identify not only where she was struggling but also that she was not alone. By identifying what was important to her and setting out a three-year plan, she is now able to see the future more clearly and knows exactly how to take that first crucial step to success. To find out more, read Carina’s story – who knows, perhaps it will strike a chord?

As you’ve probably guessed from the title, the conference is all about women in entrepreneurship and creating opportunities for them to get together and learn from each other – which is right up my street! This year’s theme is all about diversity and inclusion and includes speeches, panel discussions, workshops and opportunities for established and aspiring entrepreneurs to get together. I’m signed up to the ‘speed dating’ events where I hope to meet some inspired and inspirational business founders looking to take the next step on their entrepreneurial adventure. Why not come down and say hi – you can sign up here – you can find us at the Wyseminds stall and there’s a free Lift Off Journey available on the day (worth 89.50 euros)!