Women entrepreneurs are redefining business in 2026.

In 2026, women entrepreneurs are not just participating in business, they are redefining it. From solo founders building seven-figure companies from their living rooms to executives leaving corporate careers to build something entirely their own, the stories coming out of the female founder community right now are some of the most compelling in business.

The numbers back this up. According to recent data from QuickBooks, one in three Americans plans to start a new business or side hustle this year, and women are driving a disproportionate share of that growth, particularly in industries that were historically dominated by men.

But statistics only tell part of the story. The real picture emerges when you look at the individual women building businesses in 2026, who they are, what they are building, and what other aspiring female founders can learn from their journeys.

This article celebrates ten of the most compelling business ideas and entrepreneurial paths for women in 2026, drawing on real trends, real industries, and the real experiences of female founders who are winning right now.

Why 2026 Is a Defining Year for Women Entrepreneurs

Before diving into the stories and ideas, it is worth understanding the landscape that makes this moment so significant for women in business.

The barriers are lower than they have ever been. AI tools, no-code platforms, and digital distribution channels have dramatically reduced the capital and technical expertise required to start a business. A woman with a valuable skill, a laptop, and a clear target market can build a profitable business faster in 2026 than at any previous point in history.

Remote and flexible work has unlocked new possibilities. The normalization of remote work has made it possible for women to start and run businesses without sacrificing family responsibilities or relocating to major business centers. Geography is no longer a limiting factor for building a serious company.

Community and networks are stronger than ever. The women entrepreneur community in 2026 is more connected, more supportive, and more resourced than any previous generation. From online communities to local business groups to accelerator programs specifically designed for female founders, the support infrastructure has never been better.

The market is actively seeking women-led businesses. Consumers increasingly seek out and prefer women-owned businesses. Investors are paying more attention to female founders. Corporate procurement programs actively prioritize women-owned vendors. The demand side of the equation has never been more favorable.

10 Business Ideas for Women Entrepreneurs Winning in 2026

1. Digital Consulting and Coaching

One of the fastest-growing categories for women entrepreneurs in 2026 is digital consulting — taking specialized expertise built in a corporate career and packaging it as a service that businesses pay premium prices for.

Whether it is financial strategy, HR consulting, marketing, product development, operations, or leadership coaching, women with 5 to 15 years of corporate experience are discovering that the knowledge they built working for other people is worth far more when sold directly to businesses that need it.

The startup cost is minimal. The margins are extraordinary. And the demand for specialized expertise has never been higher, particularly as small businesses seek affordable access to knowledge that previously required hiring full-time executives.

What makes it work: Deep expertise, a clear niche, and the confidence to charge what the knowledge is actually worth.

2. Real Estate Investment and Property Management

Women are entering real estate at unprecedented rates in 2026, not just as agents, but as investors, property managers, and portfolio builders. The combination of accessible financing tools, online property management platforms, and growing communities of female real estate investors has made this one of the most popular paths for women seeking to build long-term wealth.

From house hacking and short-term rentals to commercial property investment and real estate development, the range of entry points has expanded significantly. Women who once felt excluded from a male-dominated industry are now building substantial real estate portfolios from scratch.

What makes it work: Long-term wealth building, multiple income streams, and an industry that is actively welcoming and mentoring new female investors.

3. Health and Wellness Businesses

The wellness industry in the United States now exceeds $500 billion annually, and women entrepreneurs are capturing a significant share of that growth. From functional nutrition coaching and mental health support services to fitness studios and holistic health practices, the health and wellness space offers women entrepreneurs a powerful combination of purpose and profit.

The most successful women in this space in 2026 are those who have combined genuine expertise with digital distribution, building audiences online before opening physical locations, using social media to establish authority before launching products, and creating subscription models that generate recurring revenue alongside service income.

What makes it work: Deep personal connection to the mission, strong community building, and the ability to generate multiple revenue streams from a single area of expertise.

4. E-Commerce and Product Businesses

Women-founded product businesses are thriving in 2026, particularly in categories like beauty, skincare, home goods, sustainable fashion, and specialty food. The combination of Shopify, social commerce, and creator-driven marketing has made it possible for a solo female founder to build a nationally recognized product brand with minimal startup capital.

The most successful women-led e-commerce businesses in 2026 share a common trait, they are built around a community, not just a product. The founder’s story, values, and personality are as important as what they sell.

What makes it work: Authentic brand identity, community-first thinking, and products that solve real problems for a clearly defined audience.

5. Content Creation and Media

Women are building significant media businesses in 2026, newsletters, podcasts, YouTube channels, and digital publications that attract loyal audiences and generate revenue through sponsorships, subscriptions, and product sales.

The barrier to starting a media business has effectively reached zero. What separates the women building sustainable media businesses from those who create content without financial return is a clear monetization strategy from day one, not an afterthought once the audience is built.

What makes it work: Consistency, a distinctive point of view, and a monetization model that does not require a massive audience to generate meaningful revenue.

6. Professional Services for Small Businesses

Small businesses are the engine of the American economy, and they are chronically underserved by professional service providers. Women entrepreneurs who offer accounting, legal support, bookkeeping, HR services, marketing, and technology support to small business owners are building highly profitable businesses in 2026.

The demand is structural and growing. As more people start small businesses, one in three Americans this year alone, the market for professional services that support those businesses expands proportionally.

What makes it work: Recurring revenue, high client retention, and a market that is growing faster than the supply of qualified service providers.

7. Technology and SaaS

Women-led technology companies are raising more funding, reaching more customers, and achieving greater scale in 2026 than at any previous point. From AI-powered tools for specific industries to software platforms solving niche operational problems, female founders are building technology businesses that are genuinely changing how industries operate.

The most exciting trend in this space is the rise of no-code and low-code platforms that allow women with deep domain expertise but limited technical background to build software products. You no longer need to know how to code to build a technology business, you need to understand the problem deeply and the customer intimately.

What makes it work: Solving a specific problem that the founder has lived personally, combining domain expertise with technology leverage.

8. Education and Online Courses

The global e-learning market is projected to reach nearly $400 billion by 2026, and women entrepreneurs are capturing a significant share of that growth. From professional skill development to personal finance education, parenting support to creative arts, women are building education businesses that generate substantial income while creating genuine impact.

The most successful women in the education space in 2026 are those who have combined their expertise with community, creating not just courses but ecosystems where learners support each other, return for more advanced content, and become advocates who bring new students in.

What makes it work: Deep expertise, strong community, and a willingness to iterate on what you teach based on what students actually need.

9. Food and Beverage Entrepreneurship

Women-owned food businesses are thriving in 2026, from specialty food products and meal delivery services to restaurant concepts and food technology startups. The food industry is being reshaped by changing consumer preferences around health, sustainability, and authentic cultural cuisine, and women entrepreneurs are at the forefront of that transformation.

The path to a food business has also become more accessible. Ghost kitchens, farmers markets, direct-to-consumer shipping, and social commerce have all reduced the capital required to test and build a food concept before committing to a full brick-and-mortar operation.

What makes it work: Authentic products, direct consumer relationships, and the ability to build a brand story around the food itself.

10. Impact and Social Enterprise

One of the most powerful trends in women’s entrepreneurship in 2026 is the growth of businesses built around a social mission. Women entrepreneurs are increasingly building companies that generate profit and social impact simultaneously, in environmental sustainability, community development, education access, healthcare equity, and economic empowerment.

This model is not charity. It is business, often highly profitable business, that attracts mission-aligned customers, employees, and investors who are motivated by more than financial return alone.

What makes it work: Authentic mission alignment, a business model that does not depend on charity for sustainability, and a community of stakeholders who are invested in the success of both the business and the cause.

What the Most Successful Women Entrepreneurs Have in Common

Across every industry and business model, the women entrepreneurs who are winning in 2026 share a set of common characteristics that go beyond the specifics of what they build.

They started before they felt ready. The most common regret among successful female founders is not that they started too early, it is that they waited too long. The permission to start does not come from external validation. It comes from the decision to begin.

They built in public. The women building the most successful businesses in 2026 are not hiding their journey until everything is perfect. They are sharing the process — the challenges, the pivots, the failures, and the wins, and building audiences of loyal supporters long before they have a product to sell.

They invested in visibility. Getting featured in publications, building a personal brand, seeking media coverage, writing a press release to announce milestones, and showing up consistently in the spaces where their target audience pays attention. Visibility is not vanity for women entrepreneurs in 2026, it is strategy. A business spotlight in the right publication can open doors that years of cold outreach never could.”

They asked for help. The myth of the self-made entrepreneur dies quickly when you examine the actual stories of successful female founders. Every one of them built networks, sought mentors, joined communities, and leveraged the knowledge of people who had done what they were trying to do.

Final Thoughts for Women Entrepreneurs

The opportunity for women entrepreneurs in 2026 has never been greater. The tools are more accessible, the markets are more receptive, the communities are stronger, and the stories of what is possible are more visible than at any point in history.

The only thing standing between an aspiring female founder and a thriving business is the decision to start.

If you are building something, or thinking about building something, your story deserves to be told. CEO Medium features women entrepreneurs and business leaders who are doing remarkable things. Because the world needs to hear what you are building.

Is your business story ready to be told? CEO Medium features women entrepreneurs and business leaders across the US. Get Featured Today or email info@ceomedium.com

The post Women Entrepreneurs: 10 Inspiring Stories and Business Ideas That Are Winning in 2026 appeared first on CEO Medium.

What inspired you to develop your idea?

I began book publishing and fell in love with the industry quickly. I was in a position to meet new creatives, work with them closely on bringing their dream to fruition, and watch the results of our labour play out at retailers. For nine years, I was excelling but was also burning the candle on both ends. At this time, I knew I needed to slow down and figure out how to realign my lifestyle so that it wouldn’t cause detriment to my health, peace of mind, and business. I used to rely on coffee to get me through my long days or when I felt moody at the day’s end. Coffee seemed like a great option until I experienced adrenal fatigue. I often heard about the benefits of herbal tea. It wasn’t until I ran across rooibos and discovered how healing it was to my body that I fell in love and wanted to share it with the world. Upland Tea House was born shortly after.

Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently when you were first starting out?

We launched eagerly in April of 2021. After getting logistics underway, our storefront prepared for sales, and marketing campaigns running our biggest hurdle was inventory. We put so much preparation into smooth sales processes that we didn’t take into consideration having enough supply to meet the demand. Especially with shipping still being impacted by the pandemic. While America began to slowly open up India was still under lockdown. This affected our friends and partners’ ability to work but also their way of living. We should have taken all of this into consideration to not overwhelm them during such a critical time.

What is unique about your business? How did you decide where to establish your company?

I believe our focus on building a community around the Rooibos bush is our uniqueness. We have built a tribe that serves as a haven for education, accountability to using tea as self-care, and gathering in real life for fellowship. As with many things in life, having support from like-minded people carries weight in our lives. To fully recognize tea as self-care, you need that consistent reminder and influence from people just like you. We see the value in and love all our tea cousins, lol, but personally have found pleasure and healing through Rooibos. It’s definitely not spoken about as often as the others.

Currently, we offer natural rooibos and rooibos tea blends. Western Cape is what I consider our ‘OG’ flavor. It is rooibos in its natural sweet essence without florals or fruits. This is particularly my favorite offering. Then we have Passion Fruit – our ‘High Vibes’ flavor. It has a citrusy aroma with a pinch of mango and passion fruit. It feels like summer. A favorite among teenagers is Strawberry Hibiscus – our ‘Young and Free’ flavor. It is pure strawberry, sweet rooibos, currant berries, blueberries, and elderberries that are refreshing to your palate. The flavor is very alluring. Last but not least, is our Chamomile Mint. This is what we consider to be a ‘Nourishing’ flavor. The sweet flavor of rooibos with a true mint essence is full of flowery Chamomile and decadent creamy notes. It’s soothing, flavorful, and perfect to wind down the day with or ease into sleep after. We love them all!

What challenges did you have to overcome at the beginning of your journey?

The biggest challenge was not fully understanding the process to harvest, process, and care for my tea. It’s truly an honorable thing to witness – the craft to produce quality tea and taste the difference on the side of the consumer. When I began, I over-steeped the leaves, didn’t conceal the tea properly after use, and didn’t realize the type of pot or presses could yield a different flavor. After learning from some of the best in the field, I have much respect for the harvesters as well as the experience overall. Tea consumption is more than just an alternative to coffee. It’s a time-honored lifestyle for some cultures and a ritual for others.

What advice would you give to someone who is trying to become an entrepreneur?

My main tip is: ‘slow down to catapult faster’. In business, it seems we are so quick to set the trend or move the needle to be recognized that we often miss the details in the journey. When you slow down you give way to learn more as a business person, build sustainable relationships, carve out a niche in your industry, and serve your community better. The sum of all these steps catapults you even further than rushing ever could. Also, if I could save someone a lot of frustration then I would add:

1. The key to success is consistency. So don’t think what you’re about to do is any easier than a 9 to 5.
2. We are all just trying to find our way. Don’t let anyone make you believe they have excelled at that. And as a bonus: No matter what happens, keep going anyway.

The post April Sheris Launches Tea Company appeared first on CEO Medium.

Kelsey’s readings allow women around the world to find clarity, peace, and purpose. Because most people are dealing with some sort of trauma, Kelsey uses a trauma-informed approach during her readings. Since trauma often presents itself in the form of physical illness, Kelsey’s readings allow people to find the root cause of their illness. Her own experience gives her insight into how trauma works in both a person’s mind and body.

Kelsey’s Gifts and Background

Kelsey first uncovered her gifts when she was thirteen years old. Throughout her teenage years, she realized that her gifts put her in a unique position to help those around her. Although she knew about her gifts, she didn’t leave her job at the Department of Defense until 2018, when she founded her company.

It was her experience and frustration with western medicine and corporate America that led Kelsey to start her business. She was gaslit by western medicine communities as she faced two cancer diagnoses, extreme heavy metal and mold toxicity, Meniere’s Disease, and PTSD.

Western medicine and corporate America encourage bad dietary practices and unhealthy workloads, putting people on a collision course with extreme burnout. However, Kelsey discovered a better way to overcome her illness. She changed her diet and did intentional spiritual work, allowing both her mind and body to heal.

This experience (and Kelsey’s gifts) led her to found KelseyCrystal LLC. Kelsey wants to use her gifts to help women in the same struggles with western medicine. She believes that no woman should have to endure the same trauma she did at the hands of the western medical community.

The Future of KelseyCrystal LLC

Kelsey is already making an impact in the lives of others. However, her dreams for the future are even bigger. She wants to turn KelseyCrystal LLC into a global brand, expanding beyond the eight countries her clients currently reside in. She sees a future where other psychics will use their abilities to make great and positive changes in the world.

Kelsey uses her platform to help others uncover their own intuitive abilities. Everyone is born intuitive, although societal conditioning inhibits our third eye (the source of our intuition). Kelsey encourages people to always listen to themselves and to their own intuition.

There are two things Kelsey encourages everyone to do: reconnect with their bodies and spend more time in nature (completely alone). When people reconnect with their bodies, they also improve their intuitive connection. The time spent in nature allows people to spend time alone with their thoughts, allowing them to better discern between logical and intuitive thoughts in the future. Both practices, especially when combined, can help people lean into their intuition.

How KelseyCrystal LLC is Helping People Today

Kelsey has conducted over 400 readings for clients in eight different countries. In the near future, she will complete her Certification in Integrative Somatic Traumatic Training. She is also enrolled in her Doctor of Chiropractic program, with graduation a few years in the future. Kelsey plans to incorporate her learning in these areas into her psychic readings.

KelseyCrystal LLC consists of readings alone. She offers 60-minute and 90-minute sessions which allow Kelsey to do a deep dive into current reading sessions.  Kelsey is better able to dig deep into a person’s current issues and past traumas. During readings, Kelsey can hear, feel, and see the past, present, and future of a person’s life.

Kelsey’s readings are conducted with a trauma-based approach. She believes that people dealing with trauma deserve to be respected, honored, and validated. Because of her understanding of how trauma impacts the body, she’s often able to find the root causes of illness in her clients’ lives.

She uses automatic writing as a method during her readings. This method involves allowing her pen to be guided by spirit. Through this method, Kelsey is able to provide spirit-led messages that provide deeper insight into a person’s life.

During her readings, Kelsey is able to help her clients connect the dots in their lives, making sense of both past and present circumstances. This work is so vital, especially for people facing trauma-induced autoimmunity. Kelsey continually uses her voice as a clairvoyant medium to positively impact the lives of those around her.

The post Kelsey Crystal is a Clairvoyant Medium on a mission to change lives appeared first on CEO Medium.

Any and all businesses can reap the benefits of hiring a digital marketing agency. An agency will work with you every step of the way to ensure your goals are met. It’s best to leave your company marketing in the hands of a professional who will properly market your company. It is also more cost-effective than hiring an in-house marketing person. Instead of having one person you will have a team of experts who have proven strategies to help your business grow and flourish!

Tell us about your company are and what you do.

BeBranded is a full-service digital marketing agency here to help bring your business to the next level! We have all the best tips and tricks in the industry while abiding by all rules and regulations. Their team of experts is Google Certified and are seasoned professionals who are here to serve you. BeBranded Agency maintains its 100% customer satisfaction rate by meeting and exceeding the goals of its clients. When working with BeBranded Agency you can focus on what you do best, your business, while they handle everything from website management to social media and email blasts. You can work worry-free and see your web presence skyrocket and track your progress in every monthly meeting. Outsourcing marketing efforts are in the best interest of all parties involved, save money, and get the best results with BeBranded! 

How did BeBranded Agency get started?

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Jawdat sisters found themselves brainstorming ways to generate income after being furloughed from their jobs. They soon realized they could exceed by helping businesses to recover from any loss they had suffered during the lockdown. They both have extensive digital marketing and business backgrounds, so they decided to turn their passion into a company. BeBranded Agency is family-owned and operated, their goal is to make their clients a part of the family and watch their businesses thrive from their digital marketing campaign!

Why BeBranded? Why Is Branding So Important?

“Branding is essential for any and all companies. Branding shows unity amongst the company, consistency, and gives your clients a first impression. What does your branding say about your company? Branding increases your company recognition and gives your company credibility in the eyes of your current and potential clients. Without branding, a company will come off as unorganized, messy, and confusing to clients. BeBranded focuses on creating an impeccable brand that will give your company the edge it needs to generate new clients and retain current clients!” Jackie(BeBranded Founder) says.

What services do you offer?

BeBranded Agency offers a myriad of services to help your business. Branding, SEO, Social Media Management, and web design are their main services. They offer various customizable packages to help your business in whatever areas you need!

Branding is essential for businesses to succeed. BeBranded offers a supreme branding package in which they will create a brand for your company or enhance the existing branding. 

SEO, search engine optimization are crucial in this day and age. If you’re not ranking on page 1 of Google search results, you miss out on 90% of web traffic and potential customers. Ranking in the top 3 results increases your web visibility even further. It’s important to stay on top of your SEO to assure your company’s success.

Social Media Management is another huge aspect of digital marketing. Social media marketing is a rather new form of marketing. Utilizing social media to optimize your companies reach is a great way to find new clients. If your company isn’t on social media, you miss out on tons of exposure and a huge audience of potential customers.

Without a stellar website, you could be missing out on a lot of business. Businesses that have slow and old websites are less likely to convert web visitors to leads or sales. Search engine users are often impatient and don’t want to wait too long for a site to load, the more up-to-date your site is and the easier it is to navigate the more likely you’ll be able to convert a website visitor into a long-term client or customer.

What are the biggest challenges some of your clients face?

Our clients face a number of different challenges throughout the digital marketing process. Some clients come into the process with prior marketing efforts that need to be fixed and updated. Other clients may feel frustrated when they don’t see results right away. SEO and most digital marketing strategies are long-term and the rewards are not seen upfront most clients don’t start seeing results until six months to a year after signing up. It can be incredibly frustrating to pay for a service and not receive tangible results upfront, however, once you put in the time and dedication for a digital marketing campaign, your company will reap the benefits in the long run! 

What to expect when working with BeBranded Agency?

The goal for BeBranded Agency is to help as many clients as they can. “It’s the best feeling to watch your client’s success increase over time. Being able to help them achieve the goals they want is truly rewarding and the more clients we can help the better! We hope to see our company grow and help clients of all different industries.”  

What advice would you give to companies and influencers?

Define your goal and stay consistent. You have to take the first initial step and get started. Working with BeBranded Agency is your first step to success! Schedule a free consultation and develop your marketing strategy, then create a customizable plan that will lead you to reach your goals. BeBranded Agency is here to help you and your brand go above and beyond!

Company name: BeBranded Agency

Email Address: Info@BeBrandedAgency.com

Website: BeBrandedAgency.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/BeBrandedAgency

The post BeBranded Agency: Why Hiring A Digital Marketing Agency Is A Must For Your Business! appeared first on CEO Medium.

Victoria struggled with and overcame an eating disorder in her teens. Overcoming an eating disorder at a young age lead her to fall in love with health and fitness at a young age as well. It was her mission to honor, love, and nourish her body with proper nutrition and exercise. She became a certified personal trainer in 2010 and worked with women to achieve not only their fitness goals but overall improved health with nutrition and self-care. 

In 2016 Victoria was struck with tragedy when she lost her brother due to his struggles with mental health. This lead to Victoria’s long road of struggles with mental health. As she began to recover from the grief of losing her brother, she decided to work in the mental health field and work with individuals with various diagnoses such as PTSD, Major Depression,  Substance Abuse, and Bi-Polar. She wanted to help others improve the quality of their lives and continue to learn more about managing a mental illness. She hoped to help individuals and families so others wouldn’t have to go through what she and her family went through. While working in the mental health field she continued to discover all the connections exercise,  nutrition, and self-care had with mental health and managing symptoms as well as recovering. 

Finding out how everything in wellness was interconnected gave her a new way to help her clients. She gained her life coaching certificate and began to help women with their bodies and their minds. Working alongside clinicians and therapists gave her a deeper understanding of how the mind works, and learning how the subconscious mind works. Learning techniques such as neuro-linguistic programming equipped her with a whole new way to work with her clients that encompass all aspects of wellness. Her methods help women transform mentally and physically. Giving them the tools they need to get the results they want and sustain them.  

Victoria knows the dangers and falsehoods of diet culture. She teaches her clients how to eat intuitively, stopping them from overeating and using food as a coping mechanism (aka stress eating/emotional eating). Her methods equip her clients with the tools, skills, and behaviors that make eating healthily sustainable so they no longer have to yo-yo diet.  

Victoria is passionate about natural ways to take care of yourself without using harsh chemicals or Performance Enhancer Drugs, which, unfortunately, so many fitness industry leaders and coaches do. She believes in representing a natural way to attain fitness by utilizing nutrition and mastering a mindset. 

Fit Fierce Fun is all about learning how to change your behaviors and habits. It’s not just a  workout and “diet” plan. She uses clinical methods used by mental health professionals to heal from emotional eating and reprogram her clients to adopt more healthy habits, behaviors, and coping mechanisms. It’s more than just attaining a goal. “It’s changing your life so you can be  better and healthier mentally and physically.”  

She teaches her clients stress management as well as the reasons why stress management is so important. She explains all the harmful stress hormones do to the body and how to manage stress, as well as cope with automatic thoughts that cause stress. She puts a big emphasis on self-care and how self-care also plays a huge part in transforming lives while sustaining results.  

She and her family’s love for self-care lead her to also create Spa N Party. Spa N Party sells all-natural self-care products such as soaps, body butter, sugar scrubs, and bath salts. Spa N Party uses high-quality essential oils in all of its products. These all serve a different purpose from relieving stress and anxiety, improving respiratory and immune function, and reducing muscle soreness. Spa N Party believes essential oils are one of the keys to wellness and hand-make all of their products with love and care. Spa N Party products also help improve acne, acne scarring, hyperpigmentation, eczema, and dry skin caused by harsh chemicals in commercial products.  

Fit Fierce Fun and Spa N Party are on a mission to improve the quality of life for women while spreading love and knowledge on how to thrive the way GOD intended us to. 

Get in touch

YouTube: FFF Fitness 

Instagram: fit_fierce_fun_coach 

Website: fitfiercefun.com

Instagram: spanparty 

website: spanparty.com

The post Transforming Mentally, Physically & Spiritually With Fit Fierce Fun While Indulging In Self Care With Spa N Party appeared first on CEO Medium.

While she started to follow a traditional path after graduating, thinking she’d go to nursing school, she realized her love was tied to creativity. Going into the hair styling field, she found herself right at home and a natural fit. Not only did she thrive as she advanced in her career, her work was later showcased in magazines, Fashion weeks (both in Australia and New York) and on the broadcast television show, The Voice Australia.

Her specialty lies in creating intricate, detailed, bridal hair designs, and her diligence paid off. She became well-known for that very talent—enough so that people hoped for the opportunity to train with her. Because she felt it was best to train stylists 1 on 1, in person, the idea of an online learning platform didn’t sit well with her at first. In fact, it took some convincing before she put the idea in motion.

While she’s always focused on wanting to help others thrive, she was torn between the best way to help potential students. She wanted to share her heart, knowledge, talent, and ideas, but would it translate via video the way it would in person?

Hair Boss University was born from her desire to help as many stylists as possible learn the ins and outs of the bridal hairstyle business, both the hair portion and the business side. She decided if she was going to invest in an online platform to reach more people, she’d only do it with the highest quality production she could afford. There was also a learning curve when it came to important business details, like what was involved in buying the rights to the video content, who owned the content, making sure there was proper lighting in the studio, and more. Then there was the matter of coming up with enough money to finance the production.

Not only was she stretched financially trying to bring her idea to life, but she was a new mother as well and felt pulled in multiple directions. The family has always been a priority in her life, and the idea that others can follow in her footsteps and enjoy a business they love, while still having time to spend with their family fuels her.

Cara Clyne has revolutionized the way that bridal hair design and the bridal hair business can be learned, via her Hair Boss University. This vital program helps students not only learn about the many details of bridal hair design but also helps them understand how to grow a solid business out of their passion.

Cara went into the venture hoping it would be worth the time and money invested. She was relieved and thrilled when people joined her program. While she thought only a handful of people might sign up, she was blown away when over 150 signed on to the very first time she launched her program, just for the opportunity to learn from her.

For Cara, giving back and helping others thrive and build their own businesses makes it all worthwhile. She loves the hair community—and the ability to share her knowledge with people worldwide has been a dream come true.

If you’d like to learn more about Cara’s Hair Boss University, you can find her at HairBossUniversity.co or CaraClyne.co 

The post Cara Clyne is Helping Stylists Build Stronger Businesses with Hair Boss University appeared first on CEO Medium.

I’ve been obsessed with handbags forever. I’m not sure why, I grew up in a tiny village outside of Newcastle, and my mum wasn’t interested at all. I remember, when I got a Saturday job, I’d stare at them through the windows — and, as soon I could, I bought my first brand-named bag; a cream Luella tote at 18 years old, which I thought was the best thing ever.  However, it soon got covered in dye transfer, from my jeans. And, a colleague told me there was a local company, The Furniture Clinic, that did repairs. She gave me their number, but I lost the piece of paper. If I had gone, it turns out I’d have met my future husband, Ben, two years earlier than I did — at a bar in Newcastle. Ben had built up a business with his father cleaning and restoring furniture and leather household items since 2004 and, by the time I met him, it had grown from a small online family operation to a thriving global business with a team of 75 people and a network of distributors around the world, still operated from its North East headquarters. 

 At the time, I was on a fast-track career path having risen through local government ranks to be appointed as a Senior Buyer of pharmaceutical and medical equipment for the NHS.  I was fiercely independent and my career was going from strength to strength but my passion was always luxury handbags – I would spend ages browsing the preowned market and buying and selling at the right time so I could covet the latest It bag – something that’s now been coined as circular fashion. I’d work with Ben to protect the bags and restore them to ensure they held or even increased their value when selling them on. It was incredible what he and his team could do – from removing stubborn stains and scratches to improving color loss and repairing broken zips, worn edges, split piping, and reinforcing shape and stretch straps. Nothing seemed to be unsalvageable. I couldn’t believe how profitable it was. For example, I made £300 on a damaged velvet Gucci cross-body bag.

Ben and I observed the increasing number of handbags that were being sent to Furniture Clinic for restoration and I encouraged Ben to officially incorporate Handbag Clinic as its own independent luxury handbag offshoot in 2013 – all still operated through our e-commerce platform at the time. We opened the doors to our first store on King’s Road in 2015. The restoration was still very much the heart of the business but we had so much retail space and Ben wanted to use this for something more. This was when I had my lightbulb moment. We were having dinner one night, and I suggested integrating buying and selling preowned luxury handbags as a resale operation in our stores. No one else was doing it on a large scale, at the time. Nor were they combining restoration with resale which enables customers to fetch the highest possible price for their bags. There was a clear gap in the market. So I decided to leave my career and board Handbag Clinic as a buyer to develop the preowned resale operation. At this point, we opened the Newcastle store which was designed to also showcase our amazing range of preowned designer handbags as well as facilitate restoration consultations. 

 Ben had seen my addiction, knew I was onto something, and that I’d be the person to do it. So, I started heavily researching for about a year, until I knew everything there was to possibly know about handbags and the preowned market. Ben split his time between Furniture Clinic and raising investment capital for Handbag Clinic whilst supporting on strategy. I took charge of the day-to-day operations, developing a new system from scratch, working out which brands were popular, sourcing and photographing products. It spiraled from there. Within that first year, we launched the integrated offering of ‘Buy, Sell, Restore’ and, in addition to our Chelsea and Newcastle store, we also opened another store in Leeds, followed by rollout into Europe (Monaco) and the Middle East (Qatar). We quickly experienced rapid growth, growing as much as 186% in six months. 

Today, we operate through a chain of four stores, including our flagship store on Kings Road in London, Leeds, and Newcastle. We also have Handbag Clinic franchise stores in Europe and the Middle East. We are the best-kept secret of fashion editors, stylists, and celebrities such as Poppy Delevingne, Storm Keating, Heidi Range, and Frankie Bridge – plus the Made In Chelsea crew who are all regular customers.  Over the years we’ve had offshoots in Harvey Nichols and Harrods and most recently launched in Fenwick. We are the trusted restoration choice for high-end luxury brands such as Chanel, Aspinal of London, and Jimmy Choo. As a one-stop-shop for sustainable luxury, we repair, authenticate, buy and sell the world’s most coveted bags.  Our mission is to preserve the past whilst mindfully reinventing the future and we aim to have customers falling back in love with their handbags all over again.  

Despite the pandemic, which meant we had to temporarily close our stores, we experienced record growth during the height of the pandemic (April /May 2020) with an increase of 500% year on year. Overall, this is now 306% year on year, which still represents rapid and continued growth for Handbag Clinic. 

Sustainability at the heart of our DNA  

I think that one of the reasons we’ve been so successful is that our sustainable brand is built on genuine and authentic foundations. Ben and I have been living and breathing sustainability long before it was considered a movement and I was operating in a ‘circular’ way since I was 16 – buying and selling items I no longer had a use for and repairing those I loved. 

There are so many brands trying to jump on the sustainability bandwagon but it’s not a value-add proposition. To be a truly sustainable brand it has to be at the heart of your DNA; the reason why you exist, to what you sell, and, most importantly – how you relate to your consumer. If your brand is built on genuine foundations – it’s much easier to connect and resonate with your consumer. Because I’m so passionate about luxury handbags and the market as a whole, I understand the customer and can instinctively read what they want – ahead of the curve.

I also would say that as a founder working in this field it is really important to lead by example. You can talk the talk but you also have to walk the walk. I am always striving to ensure sustainability is ingrained in every process within our business – from the products we use to the packaging we ship items out – we keep waste to an absolute minimum. I even go to the extremes of fishing out recycling that has been put in the wrong bin and locate the culprit. 

My advice for any founder trying to build a sustainable brand and business model is: 

• Build from the inside out – a brand architecture that demonstrates authenticity and action will ensure you connect to consumers whilst making an impact 

• Have a clear vision – your brand vision must communicate the ‘why’ in your business model and its relevance to sustainability. Use this to unlock the potential of your brand by inspiring stakeholders with a clear and compelling vision 

• Understand your consumer – Because I’m so passionate about luxury handbags and the preowned market as a whole, I understand the customer and can instinctively read what they want – ahead of the curve. The most important part of my job is being on the front line – engaging with and understanding every need and behavior of my customer.

• Lead by example – you can ‘talk the talk’ but must also ‘walk the walk’. Sustainability is not a value-add proposition and should be integrated into every process of your business, from packaging to distribution, supplies, and products used – you must practice what you preach. 

• Ensure sustainability is visible and at the heart of all your comms – selling sustainable change for social good needs to be demonstrated through your marketing channels. At Handbag Clinic, we know that people are fascinated by the art of restoration so we have diversified and showcased these skills to create amazing and engaging content. Our YouTube channel now has 115k subscribers, Instagram 23.9k, and these platforms drive significant sales.  Both platforms are growing fast and have an incredible level of engagement – so much so that we are recruiting more Artisans to our team to ensure we can capture more of the amazing work we do. We are one of the few businesses to be actively recruiting during the pandemic. 

• Your team is your most important asset – At Handbag Clinic, we all work tirelessly and we’re all aligned with the same vision and you can’t even begin to put a price on that. I see it as a tremendous responsibility and a huge honor to develop the people who come and stay to develop their careers within our business. We work hard and have a lot of fun along the way too.

• Be prepared to work harder than you ever dreamed – Success doesn’t come overnight – the ascent towards your vision is long and steep but only you can see it so don’t be too hard on yourself. 

AUTHOR BIO 

Charlotte Staerck is the co-founder and CEO of leading luxury handbag restoration and preowned resale retailer, Handbag Clinic. The Clinic is the result of two passions colliding; a life-long obsession with handbags and a family legacy of leather restoration. Having specialized in leather restoration for over 16 years, the Clinic is the longest established luxe restoration service in the UK, lovingly restoring around 700 bags each month. It was set up by husband-and-wife team, Ben and Charlotte Staerck – they opened the doors to their flagship store on King’s Road, Chelsea back in 2015 and have since become the best-kept secret of fashion editors, stylists, and celebrities such as Poppy Delevingne, Storm Keating, Heidi Range, and Frankie Bridge – plus the Made In Chelsea crew who are all regular customers.  Over the years they’ve had offshoots in Harvey Nichols and Harrods and most recently launched in Fenwick. They are also the trusted restoration choice for high-end luxury brands such as Chanel, Aspinal of London, and Jimmy Choo. As a one-stop-shop for sustainable luxury, they repair, authenticate, buy and sell the world’s most coveted bags.  With a mission to preserve the past whilst mindfully reinventing the future, they aim to have customers falling back in love with their handbags all over again.  

In just five years under Charlotte’s direction, Handbag Clinic stores have been rolled out across the UK as well as Europe, and the Middle East. Since introducing their resale operation (buying and selling preloved handbags) this has transformed the business from a small operation into a £multi-million global business. In the last year alone, the business experienced rapid growth with 306% year-on-year growth – this accelerated to 500% year on year (online sales) during the height of the pandemic in 2020. Charlotte is a valuation and authentication expert and consults to leading auction houses Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and the V&A museum.

WEBLINK & SOCIALS 

www.handbagclinic.co.uk 

Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/HandbagClinicOfficial

Facebook and Twitter @HandbagClinic 

Instagram @handbagclinic

The post How To Build A Brand With a Sustainability Model At Its Heart appeared first on CEO Medium.

I had never known a feeling like it. I had no physical injuries yet waves of excruciating pain surged through my body. Heartbreak, betrayal, confusion, devastation. It was unlike anything else I had experienced.

At this point in my life, I had been life and business coaching for 15 years so I knew that I could turn this around, but I had no idea how. I searched the internet to find some help. I was looking for ways to cope. Ways for me to get my control back over this rollercoaster of emotions so I could start to function again. I googled “how to be a single mum” and “how do I cope when my husband is in love with someone else”. I couldn’t find anything to take the hurt away … so this is where the idea for my business started to grow.

I decided I had to help myself so I combined my coaching skills with what I was learning from the divorce process and I created a tool kit of techniques and strategies that would help me take back control, navigate the divorce and see a light at the end of the tunnel. I tried and tested various ideas until I found a program that worked for me. 

It was my lawyer who commented on how well I was coping and asked me if I would speak with some of her other clients. I soon realized that the tools I had created could help anyone going through a breakup. 

I knew there was a big gap in the market for the tools I had created. Also, the potential market was huge as everyone goes through a breakup at some point in their life. At least one but most likely several. There was also a global demand for this service so I was excited to see the potential. 

It made instant sense to me to specialize in this area and become The Divorce Coach. I had the essential ingredients for an entrepreneur starting– I was passionate about the topic, I had walked in those shoes, I had a vast tool kit of proven methods and I wanted to find flip this traumatic experience into one that could help others. Ever since I set up my first business at 21 years old my mission statement was to make a positive difference to others and this new coaching business was fully aligned with this purpose.

I believe the key ingredients to creating a successful business that you love are:

• You are passionate about it – you will be working long hours for many years so it has to come from your heart
• You are an expert in your field – you can inspire others with your experience if you are able to talk with in-depth knowledge and understanding.
• Your purpose in life is aligned with your business mission
• There is a demand for your product and services
• You have the solutions your clients are looking for to solve their problem

I will never forget my accountant asking me for the name of my business and I said “Sara Davison Global Enterprises Ltd”. He laughed and pointed out that it was just me from my home office in Ascot! However, I believe you have to dream big and set yourself goals to achieve. And now I have grown a global coaching brand with clients all over the world. 

So how did I grow a global brand from the initial start-up business? Well, my business advice would be:

1. Create a strong brand that stands out from the crowd and explains clearly what you do – a confused mind never buys so make sure it makes sense quickly to potential clients. A powerful brand is one that truly reflects you and what you offer. Then it has to flow through everything you do so your brand is easily recognizable. 

2. Work hard – there is no other way. You have to put in the hours which is why it’s essential to be passionate about what you are doing

3. Don’t be afraid to start at the bottom – I began writing for free for anyone who would take my articles and worked my way up to mainstream media. These things can take time so keep going and don’t give up. 

4. Identify your ideal clients early on and focus your budget on marketing to them – Split test your marketing ideas to see which works best and track your results. This enables you to drop what isn’t working quickly and switch that investment into what produces results

5. Learn from your mistakes – anyone who is successful has failed many times along the way to the top. The key is to see failures as learning opportunities and bank the lessons so you don’t have to learn them again!

6. Identify additional revenue streams for your business – Plan them and execute them one at a time. As the founder of your business, you may have lots of ideas but you have to action them to make them a reality. Long-lasting progress is made by ticking them off one at a time than a scattergun approach in haste to grow quickly

I created a brand that reflected my personality and business objectives and ensures it shines through all my marketing and products. Whilst coaching clients 1-2-1 was my first product I quickly expanded my range so I had something for everyone and every budget:

• Two bestselling books 
• Free breakup advice guides
• Live 2 Day Breakup Recovery Retreats
• Virtual 6-week Heartbreak to Happiness Retreats
• Online video programs
• Breakup and Divorce Coach Practitioner Accreditation Programme
• Podcast Heartbreak to Happiness

The other added benefit is that these products can reach a global market. My books, media articles, social media, podcasts, and international speaking events (live and recently virtual) have enabled me to reach five different continents with my client base. 

One of the more positive changes to come out from the pandemic was that everyone is now much more comfortable using video communication now and it has become the preferred way to be coached. There are no travel expenses, no travel time, and no need to dress smartly from the waist down. 

The widely reported global rise in breakups and divorce following the pandemic has meant this has accelerated growth for my business even more as it has opened up a worldwide market for both my coaching as well as training people to become Breakup and Divorce Coach Practitioners. This is now a fast-growing niche worldwide as everyone at some point in their life goes through a breakup. 

Running a business takes hard work and a lot of passion. There will be ups and downs, wins and failures. But every failure makes you stronger if you learn from it. You can do this, believe that you can, and aim for the stars. One piece of business advice that I value above all else is 

“Be yourself and don’t compare yourself to others”. 

You have your best chance of business success if you are true to yourself and let your personality and strengths shine through. When you have the confidence to embrace that you can do this then you will start to shine. Dream big and go for it!

CREDIT: To book onto Sara’s virtual retreat, Heartbreak To Happiness, or to find out how you can become a Divorce Coach please visit www.saradavison.com

For more advice on how to navigate breakup or divorce, listen to Sara’s podcast at www.heartbreaktohappinesspodcast.com.

AUTHOR BIO – SARA DAVISON, THE DIVORCE COACH 

Sara Davison, best known as ‘The Divorce Coach’, is an authority on break-ups, divorce, and life empowerment. She’s the best-kept secret of society’s elite with a client list that spans actors, politicians, and sportsmen. A bestselling author, Sara’s empathetic and holistic coaching style empowers individuals to take back control and positively transform their lives. An NLP Master Practitioner, Sara combines 20 years’ coaching experience with her own personal experience of marriage breakdown to help clients cope with challenges including heartbreak, betrayal, conflict, confidence building, co-parenting, being effective in the workplace during divorce, and dating again. Coaching is tailored to suit a client’s lifestyle needs, with options ranging from private coaching at Sara’s clinic, home visits, and online video courses to the immersive group environment on her highly acclaimed Breakup Recovery Retreats. Sara also recently launched her Breakup and Divorce Coach Practitioner Accreditation Programme and created a Coaching Community to train others to grow a coaching business in this unique niche. She is passionate about helping coaches reach their full potential as many of them want to use their tough breakup to help others, just as she did. Sara has firmly cemented her reputation as the go-to expert on domestic abuse, joining forces with The Dash Charity as their patron. At the government level, Sara consults on marriage and divorce legislation, most recently the divorce law reform. Sara is a regular media commentator and motivational speaker, and she recently starred as the expert in Heartbreak Hotel, a television show based around the concept of her Breakup Recovery Retreats. 

SOCIAL HANDLES

Instagram: @saradavisondivorcecoach

Twitter: @SDDivorceCoach 

Facebook: Facebook.com/SaraDavisonDivorceCoach 

The post How I Used My Own Experience of Marriage Breakdown to Create a Global Business Spanning Five Continents. appeared first on CEO Medium.

“Human connection means everything to me, I believe in divine timing and the fact that we’re all connected in a really beautiful, kismet, and unexplainable way. Beyond that, I’m a creator at heart, a video producer and photography hobbyist turned international elopement and intimate wedding photographer that is madly in love with capturing love.” The upstate New Yorker born turned Carolinian, said. She currently serves North Carolina along with the coast, and honestly “anywhere my couples decide they want to say I do.”

Leandra started her LLC a few years ago never wanting to do big weddings, being a “competitive extrovert that craves deep connection and having struggled with anxiety and ADHD thorough life”, she says she was uninterested in the idea of shooting big, staged, commercial-ish weddings. She vowed (pun intended) to only shoot other small businesses and brands, and couples. A few months before the pandemic hit in the US, she decided she wanted to try capturing elopements and intimate weddings, “I thought I’d put my fear of a ‘saturated market’ and limited belief about what I was cable of down and decided to go all in.” she proclaimed.

Leandra wanted to share her definition of elopement. “In my eyes, an elopement is a fantastic way to honor your unique love story, a path to vow your partnership to your forever person in a fun, personalized & meaningful way.” We learned that elopements no longer hold that runaway, secretive, frowned upon meaning that we once gave it. “It is an unparalleled intimate wedding experience that allows the focus to be on the love & connection between the couple, and what they want,” Leandra said. “I love capturing elopements because they’re not just for one kind of person, they are for anyone and everyone that values connection over things and quality time, an epic experience and an adventure with your soulmate over the decor, guests, social expectations or “norm,” she said. Leandra is passionate about helping couples have the wedding day of their dreams in a way that works for them, without all the fuss. “I believe they are the best way to get married” she stated. “I believe that creating a day that is authentic to you two and honoring your legacy in a way that feels special, relaxed, and memorable is always going to not only lend space for photographs that will live on as artistic heirlooms for years to come but will actually bring you closer as a couple and showcase the real commitment that you’re making better than a big wedding ever could,” Leandra said.

After learning about elopements, we asked about her brand and what it means to her. “My brand is about more than just intimate wedding and elopement photography, it’s about capturing a legacy. It matters to me that the little moments, glances & touches of couples love is captured, not just the posed moments. It matters to me that my couples KNOW that the person on the other side of the lens has their best interest at heart and is going to capture the all the intimacy, soul & romance in a way that makes them fall in love all over again for years to come I became obsessed with visual storytelling when I lived in Belgium, the multitude of cultures made me realized we all have a story that’s worth telling.” She says she would describe her style as soulful, candid and nostalgic.

Leandra’s love of helping couples have a small wedding that feels more natural for them and her passion for storytelling has her booking elopements in Colorado, Italy, and New York. “My goal is to create heirloom-quality memories and turn them into art..art that turns into legacies while creating lasting relationships in the process.” She holds the unique belief that timeless and extraordinary photographs look and FEEL different when they are created by someone that truly honors and connects with the couple’s love story.

What it was like owning and building her photography empire in such a short time!

Building a photography business is so much more than “taking pretty pictures.” I’ve had people ask, “what do you do when it’s raining?! Must be a great gig.” I used to get frustrated with these comments but now I just rest easy knowing I have the best job in the world and we’re all making it up as we go anyway” She expressed the importance of brand identity and why it is so important for photographers, not just for recognition or to be “cohesive” on Instagram, either. “Your brand is so much more than fonts and colors. Your brand is YOU and this is especially important for wedding and elopement photographers because you are going to be someone’s right-hand person on one of the most important & special days of their life. I believe that sharing your personality in your brand is essential to allow your dream clients to connect with you!” Leandra said! She also offers photography coaching for other soulful photographers and emphasized that this is something she loves teaching because she believes each photographer has something truly unique to share that some couple out there truly needs.

What’s the future of Leandra Creative Co. Photography?

My vision for the future of this business is big, and I don’t want to share too much because I’m a total dreamer” she laughed. “Right now I’m just excited to continue moving more into international destination elopements with rad couples in love and serving my people the best I can!”

What if someone reading this wants to take the leap to start their own biz?

Go get it, she said! “If you’re thinking of taking the jump and starting your own business, please do it. The world needs your greatness! I wish someone kicked me to do it years before I did and now I feel so aligned with my purpose. It’s always going to be scary, it will not be scary. Nothing amazing ever came from our little bubble of comfort, right?! But it doesn’t have to be as hard as we make seem it in our minds. I’m not saying that they’re aren’t long nights, stressful days, and sacrifices, but it’s worth every second. You’re worth it!”

Company Name: Leandra Creative Co. Photography

Email Address : hello@leandracreativeco.com

Website : leandracreativeco.com

Instagram : www.instagram.com/leandracreativecophoto

The post It’s the New Way to Get Married: Insights From a Published Elopement Photographer, Leandra Creative Co. Photography. appeared first on CEO Medium.

Tell us a little more about you and what it is that your blog provides: 

I taught students with autism for 7 years and was in education for over 10 years. After having three daughters, I stepped back from teaching to be home with them. I then started to notice people commenting on my social media platforms- things like “You make this look so easy”, “You are the perfect mom” – the list goes on. It started to rub me the wrong way because I just wanted to SCREAM that Instagram is a highlight reel and it was in fact not the truth. It put a flame under me because deep down I was struggling with postpartum, anxiety and depression, hormone imbalance, and was drowning trying to find myself again. Instagram was hiding the real and I couldn’t let that continue. I created the blog from my experience and wanted to bring people along with me on my journey in order to not feel alone.

How did you get started creating your brand and business?

Starting a blog to spill all that was going on in my life, was the first step in my journey to heal and serve outside of the classroom. I never meant for it to be a career or income stream. I knew that if I was going through these things, I couldn’t be the only one. The sense of loneliness in not talking about these topics, made it worse. 

As soon as the blog launched, a sense of freedom and confidence rose within in me and I knew this was where I needed to be to serve others. After an overwhelming response from followers, I knew I in fact was not alone and my raw and candid approach to the blog gave women a sense of relief that they were not going through these things by themselves.

The blog provides women with empowerment topics and a free space to be their best selves. I have partnered with a wide variety of over 20+ leading brands that have the same mission to provide that space for people to be their authentic selves. My brand serves and when I collaborate with a product or company, it will 100% be something I love, use in my daily life, and believe it will serve my following.

Almost two years later and the blog has grown to produce collaborations that I feel will serve my following the same way my raw words and writing will serve them. Collaborations range from mom needs, clean beauty, lifestyle, and fashion. The collective idea behind my brand is to serve and bring a positive light to all in every partnership and word that I produce. 

Tell us about the initiative the blog takes and how it works?

My brand works in a variety of ways, my servant heart will easily take a text from a struggling mom that needs to vent after reading one of my published blog posts. There are a lot of connections made under the radar that fill my bucket because I am essentially holding the hands of my followers in the good and bad times. I aim to be a hype girl for all in every piece of content produced. If a post provides an issue I am struggling with, I make sure I easily follow it with my plan on improvement and how I can turn it around.

What do you want people to know after reading this article? 

First, I want to thank CEO Medium for highlighting my voice in my blog. I want people to gain from this interview the empowerment of living out a dream or passion- it is never late to start something. You cannot dwell on the opinions of others, have imposter syndrome and think, “who am I to do this”. Following your heart, comes with following your dreams and where you are meant to give, serve, and provide to others. Living authentically is the most freeing thing and it is never too late to do that. 

Explain some of the challenges you were faced with while building your blog and brand creation. Do you still run into these challenges?

As much as I want to empower and encourage others to not worry about the opinion of others, it is a daily struggle for me. I am an introvert. I have never been the most confident person in the world- but something was burning in me to share the truth. This blog has helped my confidence to be my most authentic self in more ways than I could have ever imagined. When you are putting your heart and soul out for all to see, it comes with a lot of good, but there are also negative comments, opinions, and people who do not want to see you succeed. Some truly struggle to watch you change, grow and build something they may not understand. They would much rather you stay in your bubble then see you grow or change. It is a daily struggle to stay focused and in my lane. I keep my eye on the prize and if I get one positive response from a woman that connected with my writing, it was 100% worth any negative opinion received.  There were points of time where I let this get to me and almost make me walk away. What kept me going was telling myself “What advice would I give my daughter.” I would tell her to be the light, to shine above any of the dark comments because they have nothing to do with you. You can’t control what others say or do, but you can control how you react. Be the light!

How does your blog get funded through the services you offer?

The blog is funded through collaborations and partnerships. All affiliate links that I provide within the blog or social media platforms are commission-based and paid collaborations to run on certain rates that are negotiated based on deliverables contracted. 

What is your future vision for your brand? What is your dream for your community you have built?

My future vision of this brand is to be a positive impact on a BIG community.  I want more raw and real than could ever be imagined. I also have a crazy passion to put all of my posts into a book. I would love to encompass my journey into a “tell-all” and help other women that may need a boost. I would also love to create a book for my daughters to look back on. It’s the real and raw of life and I want them to feel my process, my imperfection as a woman and mom, and the way that it turns into a beautiful perfectly imperfect journey. 

What advice would you give to someone who has a plan of creating something of their own and making a living through it for the first time?

Like I said before, it is never too late. There is no right time and when the time feels right, don’t let it feel bigger than you. It is not bigger than you. You can do whatever you put your mind to, your effort into, and your consistent love. When people see your heart, it resonates and that is the purest form of effort you can give to others. Create with your heart and you can never go wrong and you will never regret trying. The only person holding you back is you. Don’t get in your own way. 

Get in touch with Christin Lewis on

Email Address : christinlewisblog@gmail.com

Website: www.wineglassesandwipinasses.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/christin.lewis

The post Christin Lewis: Lifestyle Blog Highlighting the Real and Raw Life Topics to Empower Women appeared first on CEO Medium.