Highlight Reel: The Beauty Of Business
The woman’s pants suit: A ‘revolutionary’ way of dressing that became a symbol of women’s emancipation in the US in the 1960s… but do women have to look and operate like men to be taken seriously as business owners, or can the feminine, beautiful, and stylish be just as effective? Is the beauty industry a vapid waste of time or is it a space of female empowerment?
Once a week we feature old episodes and this week we’re reviewing the insightful episode with Mariana Herselmann and her tips for entrepreneurial mums.
Mum of 4, Mariana is an accountant by trade and a serial entrepreneur who established her own accounting practice some 32 years ago.
In her first position, she started working as an accountant by default, starting at the bottom of the corporate ladder, “stuck in a little office”. A seed planted by her mother in law (a strong woman mentor in the right place at the right time!) made her decide to start her own accounting business. Now she owns and runs a beauty salon that trains women and gives them ‘a room of their own’ while providing for ther families.
She started out with one client, as a freelancer, working from home. And from there, she grew her business from accounting, to vet practice management to retail pet store, to now owning and operating a beauty salon. Mariana’s story showed me that doing business like a woman can mean being more connected with people than the masculine norm. So how can you do business like a woman?
1. Be brave.
Have the courage to say no to the status quo: if you want to work from home to be there for your kids, say so.
2. Be willing to ask for help.
Mariana was able to scale her accounting business by recognising when she could no longer handle the load herself.
3. Empower others.
Mariana operates on the learning, growing, sowing cycle. Once you’ve come over the learning curve and grown, sow that into others’ lives.
4. Make connections.
Mariana’s open heart and willingness to make connections with people makes her a powerful force in every business environment. Don’t be afraid to embrace your feminine side when it comes to being friendly.
5. Lean into your strengths.
And let others lean into theirs to form a partnership, rather than trying to do everything yourself.
6. Jump on good ideas (and actually do them).
Don’t let good ideas lie languishing – whether they’re yours or someone else’s. An idea is only that until someone executes it.
7. Bless others by letting them go.
If someone comes to you with an opportunity, don’t try to keep them with you out of fear. Send them off with resources and a blessing.
8. Take that leap of faith.
To begin, you have to begin. Be willing to take risks and trust that the people you’ve surrounded yourself with will come through for you.
9. Work with what you have.
Don’t wait to have the right equipment, budget, or knowledge. Just do what you can with what you have.
10. Take one day at a time.
When things get bust and distracted, focus on what’s in front of you and be present and grateful for each day.
Mariana entered the beauty business to support her daughter, who has a passion for all things beauty. Mariana realised that the beauty industry can be dismissed as frivolous and something that women waste their money on, but she’s seen first hand the empowering impact of giving women the skills to do nails which allows them to bring in an income while working flexible hours – and how having beautiful nails offers women dignity and joy.
Beauty can also be a meeting point between cultures. Mariana’s daughter is adopted, and has African, ethnic hair with different needs from Mariana’s own. Their salon is one of the only hubs for ALL cultures, including other women that have mixed-race families, to come together with their daughters in a powerfully feminine space.
Have you been putting off a business idea because it’s not ‘serious’ or viable enough? There is space for women in business too. Listen to the the entire episode if you’d like more than the summary!
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Or listen to the original podcast episode here.
