When asked about her biggest accomplishment so far, Breann Beasley, the CFO and Creative Director of the Saddle Tramp Leather Goods Brand, replies it was when she 'threw a match on my comfort zone and watched it burn' as she left her secure and placid day job for good so to embark on her own business venture. That pretty much sums up the entrepreneurial spirit that appears to have captured the imagination of the millennials in a big way in the last few years. Below are six female entrepreneurs who were brave enough to tread off the beaten path so that they could follow their passions and make their dreams happen. Their examples also drive the point home, and in a rather strong manner, that entrepreneurship is no longer solely a men's territory and the fairer sex is a force to reckon with in today's new and ever-changing world of business.
Nancy Lu
She is the owner of Fancy PR, a boutique full-service PR agency operating out of Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Nancy, whose childhood dream was to be a model, maintains that now what she loves most about her job is that she gets to interact with people all over the world and more than anything, this gives her a sense of achievement, fulfillment, and satisfaction which she prizes the most. It has already been 2 ½ years since she started her venture and her enterprise is prospering by day! Nancy avers that what is important is that we keep up with our 'good work' and the 'recognition' will come in its good time, too. And that we shouldn't expect it to be the other way round!
Breann Beasley
We have already mentioned Breann and once you meet her, the thing you'll like most about her is her undaunted spirit and her immense self-belief, apart from the genial and positive vibes that seem to exude from her person all the time you are in her presence. Her brand Saddle Tramp has already made quite a name for itself in the high-end leather goods niche, and yet the most surprising fact about Breann is, as she herself tells us, that she never had any training in any facet of design whatsoever. Whenever she is creating something new, she does a bit of research here and there, but the final product she comes up with is always a hit with the ladies! So, our surmise was that it was nothing but her immense belief in herself and her positive approach to life that tides her over each and every time. No surprise then that Breann declares herself her own hero!
Joanna Kahvedjian
Joanna is the owner of the Rolling Brick Food Truck. Before she embarked on her own business venture, which is flourishing at this stage, Joanna had already worked in a flurry of different professions---as artist, actress, model, secretary but in her own words she felt like she was just 'role-play(ing) different professions.' Which is how the urge grew to do something she loves and cares about and which at the same time would provide her a greater opportunity to get involved with the community.
No, none of the above individuals mentioned above has really set the business world on fire (not yet, anyway), so don't misinterpret my title for this post. But what all these gutsy women have shown that with courage, self-belief and rational thinking, it is not really all too hard to follow your passions. Yes, a salaried job will provide you security---but what would you rather choose: security or freedom? It's your pick!