#Girlboss: Finding Authenticity in a Hashtag Movement

All my girl bosses raise your hands! I see you out there! And if you’re anything like me, you looooove the #girlboss movement that we are seeing ripple through industries across the globe. The hashtag is trending, there are meetups, popups, special Facebook groups, everywhere you turn. It is awesome to see. But here’s the thing…how much substance is there to it? How many of the #girlsupportinggirl and #womanpreneur Instagram posts actually make a difference in your business, and quite frankly, your bank account. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think this movement is amazing, but is it really making a difference?

In this week’s episode, Katrina Sellers of Jules and Vetiver and I take a littttttle bit of an alternative approach to an interview. Background: as we recorded this episode, we were sitting across from each other in the fabulous Link and Pin restaurant in South End Charlotte, just a few blocks from my office, at the tail end of a five hour lunch date. I kid you not. I’ve NEVER lunched for FIVE hours. Side note: find your people that you can lunch with for five hours and STILL have stuff to talk about! It was the day after my birthday (holla 36!!) and, truth be told, we’d been celebrating a little bit. As we were chatting, the topic of the #girlboss movement came up. In this episode, we dive deep into this topic and share our insights and take aways. Here are the key points:

• There is a difference between “support” and “encourage.” Support is heavier, there is a time commitment and sometimes a financial commitment. Encouragement can be thrown around like confetti (and should be!) on Instagram and Facebook or at networking events.
• Finding your true “tribe” is hard. It takes time and it takes work. But anything worth working towards is worth putting in the hours to do so.
• If you walk into #girlboss entrepreneurship with the idea that you will have an insta-community of like minded people, you might be left disappointed and let down. Don’t be too disheartened…your people are out there. You just have to spend the time looking for them.
• When looking for your true tribe, one thing to look for is their goals and how they align with yours. If you are growing your business like gangbusters and plan to sell your company in ten years to retire to a private island, your life story and experience may not line up with someone who is a side hustler. Neither one of these is good or bad, just different. You will get the most value out of relationships with other #girlbosses who’s long term business goals are similar to yours.

Thank you for tuning into this episode! And don’t forget to take our fun little Cocktail Quiz! It’s quick, it’s cheeky, and it’ll uncover some pretty freaky accurate truths about you and your business. Check it out!

Don’t forget to join us over in the Belle of the Business Facebook group! I hope we can help you find your people!