1. Jessica Weaver: Not Your Father’s Advisor
Jessica is a wealth advisor, bestselling author and blogger of “Not Your Father’s Advisor.” She founded LIFT, a powerhouse community for women to grow their businesses, build wealth, and form their tribe.
What is the most important quality for success?
Jessica: Faith! Stepping out, taking a risk, and trusting your decisions all comes down to faith. There are no rewards, there is no success without risks. Have the faith to take the big risks.
What’s the way forward for women entrepreneurs in 2021 and beyond?
Jessica: For women to stop serving and to step into leadership! You can’t grow if you are stuck in the operations of your business, always putting out fires. Once you begin to delegate, you empower other women while empowering yourself. You know who you are and what your worth is, and you value yourself.
2. Cheryl Ilov: Female Warrior
Cheryl is an award-winning and bestselling author, Ninja, speaker, and recovering physical therapist. She is dedicated to helping women unleash their personal power as well as restoring human dignity, one person at a time.
What is the most important quality for success?
Cheryl: Patience and perseverance. Continue to follow your path and your dream, and never give up.
What’s the way forward for women entrepreneurs in 2021 and beyond?
Cheryl: Consistency, self-awareness and staying true to your goals as well as your belief systems. It’s important not to get distracted by all the noise out there and by what other people might do or say. Stay true to your dreams, and follow your heart and your intuition. And stay the course. Avoid negative self-talk. Find and practice tools that will help you connect to your inner strength and power. You will be amazed at what you can accomplish.
3. Diana Cole: Spirit Translator
Diana is a spirit translator, bestselling author and positive thought influencer to millions. She teaches people how to access internal guidance to find freedom from pain/limitation and live a life of abundance, fun and inspiration.
What is the most important quality for success?
Diana: Be a positive thought warrior by strengthening your internal guidance system. I believe self-talk is prayer. Success comes from what you tell yourself about you, your circumstances and your future.
What’s the way forward for women entrepreneurs in 2021 and beyond?
Diana: Become an inspiration by supporting other women. Know that when you help other people shine their light, your light also shines brighter. There is enough room for everyone to live their dream. I learned well from my father, Dr. Ernest Pecci, a human potential pioneer, the importance of women supporting women. He taught me that women’s circles would be the future of women leading the world.
4. Cindy Constable: Culture Transformation Strategist
Cindy is an award-winning leadership consultant and executive coach who has worked with some of the largest companies in the world. She is a TEDx Speaker, has been published in Entrepreneur, Forbes the Middle East and is editor at “The Good Men Project.”
What is the most important quality for success?
Cindy: Consistency in putting in the growth work that helps you become the best version of yourself.
What’s the way forward for women entrepreneurs in 2021 and beyond?
Cindy: Too often, we base our decisions on the needs of others. To create success, you must make your goals, needs and vision a priority to become a stronger you, and then give from a place of abundance. Putting yourself first as you consistently do the work to become the best version of you is the key to growth and not losing yourself.
5. Trish Ahjel Roberts: The Mind-Blowing Happiness Expert
Trish is a self-actualization coach and a yoga and meditation instructor. She is the Founder of MindBlowingHappiness.com and Black Vegan Life™, and she is an inspirational blogger, podcaster and 5-star author of four books. She was featured on national media including WBLS-FM in New York City.
What is the most important quality for success?
Trish: Persistence is the single most important quality for success. You can have amazing talent and confidence, but if you don’t have the resilience to get up when you get knocked down and the persistence to keep going, it will be impossible to reach your dreams.
What’s the way forward for women entrepreneurs in 2021 and beyond?
Trish: Women entrepreneurs have to stay connected to make their way forward. There is no glory in isolation or a woman trying to do everything herself. Women need to find thought leaders, consultants, content creators, coaches and specialists to provide expertise and keep them focused on short-term goals while laying the groundwork for long-term trends. Even more importantly, they need to stay connected with their core audience.
6. Sarah Anne: Sales and Marketing Ninja
Sarah was previously featured as top-10 women to watch, award-winning business owner and public speaker, as seen on CBS News, Ymag and Boston Herald. She is an expert at helping people sign more clients.
What is the most important quality for success?
Sarah: Quoting the definition of resilience: “the ability to recover quickly from difficulties” without loss of enthusiasm.
What’s the way forward for women entrepreneurs in 2021 and beyond?
Sarah: Given that entrepreneurship is so hyped up right now, full of people chasing quick wins, easy money and a carefree laptop lifestyle, the way forward is to remember that businesses are here to serve, solve problems, create experiences and help people. The best way to cut through the BS and carve out a successful and meaningful path is to become completely committed to the people you serve, giving value, going the extra mile and paying attention to the little details so that the experiences you create are life-changing and unforgettable.
7. Paula Day: Global Expert Feminine Energy Relationship Coach
What is the most important quality for success?
Paula: The most important key is your identity, who you believe you are. I truly believe that you will be congruent to who you believe yourself to be, so why not make your identity that person?
What’s the way forward for women entrepreneurs in 2021 and beyond?
Paula: The way forward for women entrepreneurs in 2021 is to embrace your natural feminine energy and the flow in your business, to consciously connect at a deeper level with those you serve. It’s not enough to just push to work hard and smart because that is exhausting, I encourage you to get curious about exploring how you can tap into your feminine flow so that it feels effortless.
8. Jeanie Y. Chang, LMFT, CMHIMP, CCTP
Jeanie is the author of “A is for Authentic.” She is a Global Mental Health Keynote and Speaker, #1 International Bestselling Author, AAPI Mental Health Expert, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.
What is the most important quality for success?
Jeanie: Embrace cultural confidence™, an intentional, meaningful practice promoting healthy emotionality. Through realizing the powerful intersectionality of self-identity, mindfulness, resilience and mental health, you will experience authentic and impactful transformation.
What’s the way forward for women entrepreneurs in 2021 and beyond?
Jeanie: It’s not about what we haven’t yet done or what we need to accomplish moving forward. For good mental health and well-being, we need to look at how well we pave the way and are our own trailblazers in entrepreneurship. Identifying our successes and achievements is what we must continue to build on. We need to ask ourselves daily: what are our key strengths, skills and resources and how can we consistently bring them to the table?
9. Titilayo Ellis: Unbreakable
Titilayo is a Joy Builder Coach who teaches the value of self-love and introspection and how it is a gateway to unbreakable joy. She is also a marketing strategist who drove millions in B2B revenue. She is the podcast host of “The Art of Balancing It All” and is a speaker and Community Advocate for the advancement of Black entrepreneurship.
What is the most important quality for success?
Titilayo: Introspection, at work and home, where we take inventory of our emotions, strengths and weakness to allow us to glean wisdom from our experiences, stop vicious cycles and build sustainable paths to success that addresses flaws.
What’s the way forward for women entrepreneurs in 2021 and beyond?
Titilayo: For generations, we’ve been taught to see each other as competitors. But reaching across the aisle to collaborate with other women of varying backgrounds who share your passion, purpose and drive can spark movements and spawn innovation, new companies and political change. We’ve waited long enough to be individually invited into the room while carrying the weight of our family, teams and lovers on our backs. Moving forward with other women who understand that will make us unstoppable.
10. Pamela Thompson Smith: Revenue Builder
Pamela is a nonprofit leader, creative revenue generator, and is highly skilled in event planning, fundraising and development. She is a relationship builder, master of experiences, speaker, collaborator and networker. She is also a radio, TV and podcast host and a two-times collaboration author.
What is the most important quality for success?
Pamela: The art of building sustainable relationships is a key driver to success. My favorite quote is “When opportunity knocks, it’s a person knocking.” Build your business by building your relationships.
What’s the way forward for women entrepreneurs in 2021 and beyond?
Pamela: Women entrepreneurs will thrive. We are conditioned to push through adversity and uncertainty. We must continue to be courageous, pressing forward with resiliency and intentionality. We are moving through a season that requires reimagining our businesses, our goals and thinking outside the box with new and innovative ways to win. Creative structure and strategy are the key common denominators for building growth in our businesses. Women entrepreneurs will control the narrative of what success looks like in 2021 and beyond.