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Dear Female Founders: A Response to Lu Li’s Dear Female Founder

Writer's picture: Phoebe SingerPhoebe Singer


Dear Female Founders, 


I recently read the book, Dear Female Founder edited by Lu Li, which features 66 letters written by female founders. As a review, I wanted to write this response to the founders’ thoughtful and thought-provoking letters. 


From one female founder to another, I found your letters moving and motivating. Some of you shared trouble you had been through in your personal and professional lives, the casual and overt sexism you’d experienced, and the internal dilemmas that come with the territory.


At first, I thought some of your advice conflicted with others. For example, how can I trust my gut while also trusting the advice of others? But as I read more of your letters giving similar words of wisdom, I knew that I could and often was already doing it all as a founder.


Here are some of my favourite nuggets from your letters, to share with my network of current or aspiring founders. 


  1. Trust your gut


Time and again, you female founders gave this advice: Trust your gut. As women, we may well steer ourselves away from trusting our gut feeling because we can see the other options, but almost all of you felt it was important.


This doesn’t mean entering plans blindly (I love planning too much to do that, anyway). It means if you don’t trust someone, don’t go into business with them. It means if a system works well for the team, stick to it even if there are cheaper alternatives. Sometimes your gut will know what research and statistics will not - listen to it.


  1. Surround yourself with supportive and knowledgeable people


A lot of founders find themselves doing it all themselves - possibly due to experience, perfectionism, or the fact that everything needs to be done yesterday. Many of you said that your team or supportive network made all the difference in getting the business moving. In fact, a few of you regretted not bringing in a co-founder sooner.


Having capable and supportive people around you also needs to be tied to trust. As founders, you emphasised the importance of delegation and trust. Even if teams get it wrong, they can learn from those mistakes. 


I have already learnt of the importance of a network as a freelancer - I am very grateful to the many who have referred me to clients or forwarded a role on to me. As a team expands, it is important to recognise you can not and should not do everything yourself. Your business will benefit from the help of others. 


  1. Setting boundaries and resting


Many of you shared this piece of advice, which flies in the face of those who preach about working 24/7 on your business. There is no doubt that the female founders worked incredibly hard to reach where they are, but many also shared that spending time with friends and family, and having the weekends off were important to their success. 


I think this will continue to be important as the next generation of entrepreneurs come through. Work mentalities have changed to prioritise work-life balance, and value-driven careers are more important. My co-founder and I have had conversations about pacing ourselves and communicating any struggles, and having read the letters I am confident we will achieve success while looking after ourselves. 


  1. Listen to customers and build a community


Many of the founders’ journeys started when they experienced the problem they then went on to solve with their business. As a result, they were part of the target audience and were obsessed with matching the service or product to the customers. 


As a marketer, this was music to my ears. Communication between customers and the product offered should be open and lead to a never-ending cycle of improvement. Many of the founders explicitly shared how important their community of loyal customers was for the success of their business. 


  1. Enjoy the madness


Some of the letters were written by serial entrepreneurs, some of them had sold their businesses and moved into other ventures. Almost all of you were positive and grateful for your journey as a female founder, even when times were tough. 


I think it is important to recognise your achievements and the journey you have been on, regardless of where you end up. Many of the founders shared this opinion and had celebrated their own, their teams’ and their businesses’ milestones, and continued to do so. 


Thank you for writing the letters. I have already experienced some of the issues you described and have many more hurdles to overcome, but your positive and practical advice will hopefully prepare me for all the ups and downs of being a founder.


Best wishes,

Phoebe

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