Do you worry if your daughter is doing all the right things?
- Your daughter is doing well in school
- She is highly engaged in extracurriculars
- You’ve started visiting colleges or attending college prep workshops
But you have a sneaky suspicion. It’s not enough.
You are right.
Having an amazing resume is not enough to succeed in college. Or a future career.
Your daughter needs to know how to market her story and convince others how she can add value.
Enter: Moms & Daughters Inc.
Moms & Daughters Inc exposes young women and girls how to think like entrepreneurs and develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
A young person with an entrepreneurial mindset does the following:
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- She adds homemade wheels to her heavy bookbag before they were commonplace. She sees solutions where others see problems
- She holds a flashlight for a group photo because it’s too dark and no one else will step up. She is not afraid to lead and not be in the picture.
- She sells cookies when her cheer team wins a spot at nationals and funds are tight at home. Opportunities push her past her fears of selling
- She builds networks and actively gives back. When she hits career or financial bumps, people are all too ready to share opportunities rather than waiting in silence.
- She convinces an employer to hire her without experience by sharing examples of her tenacity, stories about selling to tough customers and a willingness to always be learning.
If your daughter develops an entrepreneurial mindset, she will know how to:
- Identify opportunities
- Take ownership
- Be comfortable taking strategic risks and thinking outside of the box
- Innovate and create solutions
- Create long and short term goals
- Turn passions into profits
- Build networks and negotiate for her worth
Why did you start Moms and Daughters Inc?
For over 10 years, I have worked with organizations to help them create and execute youth entrepreneurship programs and experiences. But recently, I realized a dirty little secret about these programs. If you teach youth and don’t expose the parents, you’ll wind up delivering just “another good experience”.
So it started as a workshop to address this challenge. I want both generations in the room to learn how to take strategic risks, get confident presenting their personal brands and practicing financial skills in fun simulations like “The Bake Off’ and “The Negotiator”. I want our next generation of young girls to take their talent to the bank.
Why does my daughter need this mindset?
Here is a great example:
A few years ago, I ran a national entrepreneurship program where two students – a male and female – placed first in the conference’s business plan competition.
After the program, the male student cold-called his local radio station, reached out directly to people on Twitter, and created a massive buzz about winning the award and asking for help to grow his business. He knew little about how to formally write a press release or solicitation letters. But he took the “risk” and asked. This move got him featured on a local cable television show and free office space from a community member who was impressed by his win.
The female student only shared her win with close friends and family. She didn’t outreach pass her immediate circle – even though we had a lesson on the importance of PR. When I spoke with her about it, she shared that it never occurred that she should ask for more. That this might open up more opportunities. She actually referenced her meticulous class notes but candidly starting sharing her fears about dealing with rejection and hearing no. Or the concerns about asking for more than she thought she “should” ask for.
I’ve seen this story happen too many times. Let’s reverse the trend and help our girls leverage an entrepreneurial mindset at all times.
This trend affects women when they become professionals
- 2010 Census – women own 50% of all privately held companies yet 75% of female business owners make less than $50,000 annually.
- Only 2.6% of all female business owners earn $1 million or more annually—compared to 6% of male business owners.
- The number of Fortune 500 CEOs that are women hovers between 1-3% even though women are getting 51% of the undergraduate and graduate degrees
- 20% of adult women ay they never negotiate, even when appropriate
If you are a professional woman, you might understand these stats firsthand. Although women have broken down many barriers—that in many ways it is still a “man’s world”.
So you are invested in “training up” your girls differently. Making sure that they have a quality education, are independent thinkers, have a vibrant social network, etc.
But while your efforts are admirable, it still may not be enough. There are many systematic factors and societal norms that reinforce these concepts. She will need a different set of tools for her future.
So start to engage your daughter’s entrepreneurial mindset and reverse the trend.
- She’ll learn how to channel her creativity and passions into a viable career path
- She’ll gain confidence in negotiating, telling her story in interviews and dealing with rejection
- She’ll learn how to communicate better with admissions reps, employers, etc.
- She will learn the basics of managing finances to help create more intergenerational wealth
Join the Mom and Daughters Inc movement!
