What We Learned at the L.A. Girlboss Rally
The Girlboss Rally happened in Los Angeles on March 4. About 500 attendees and 50 speakers—creatives, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and tastemakers—came together in a lovely space to share stories, ideas, enthusiasm, and support and discuss the issues and challenges that come with being a woman in business. Evelyn & Bobbie founder/CEO Bree McKeen had an incredible time. The community she found there is what we all hope to be surrounded by every day.
“The energy was of possibility, support, connection, courtesy, and ambition.”
Here are eight key takeaways from the rally.
1 - LET YOUR CUSTOMERS CO-CREATE YOUR BRAND
Glossier founder/CEO Emily Weiss had something really wise to say: “As a brand, we want to say very little. This isn’t about us.” As a company that serves women, we need to build a sustainable business and give our customers the tools they need to help co-create this company with us.
2 - SLOW DOWN
Women today are under a great deal of pressure to do a lot of things really fast. Many of us find ourselves multitasking and trying to do too much. Hearing this thread across many women’s experiences resonated. Sometimes we can do more by focusing on one thing at a time.
3 - STAY FOCUSED ON THE VISION
We all struggle to cut out the noise and focus on what’s truly essential. When building a brand, repeating your key driving messages, your mission & vision is inspiring. And it reminds us of what is most important. Hearing a consistent message repeated over and over is powerful and empowering.
4 - DON'T DO IT ALONE
The biggest takeaway was: “You can do it yourself but you don’t have to do it alone.” As a female entrepreneur, it was great for me to realize that I’m not the only one having this set of experiences. Being reminded of that somehow make my life feel more normal and helps me breathe easier.
5 - WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
There are few female executives in the world, it’s still very disproportionate. As people, we are all having our unique experiences. But as women, there are some challenges that we all face, often in isolation. By sharing our experiences, we learn from each other. I was talking to a friend last about the importance of mentors. Women can and must mentor each other.
6 - BE COMFORTABLE IN YOUR SKIN
The speaker Samantha Paige was amazing. She was the subject of an Equinox video after having had a double mastectomy. This conversation was specifically about boobs, body image and that complex relationship we have with our bodies as human beings and breasts in particular: there’s so much meaning in them. She said, “I have a young daughter and for me to stand and say ‘I love my body the way it is, this is me and I love myself’ was a really important thing to show her.” It was beautiful. Other women raised their hand and shared traumas that they had been through and how they were coping with them. There was an incredible vibe of support. Her speech made a big impact.
7 - LET OTHER WOMEN INSPIRE YOU
Instagram cofounder/CEO Kevin Systrom spoke about his mom—she is a girl boss who has worked for Zipcar and Monster. She raised him in a technology-friendly environment where he was encouraged to be creative and mischievous. Phil attributes much of his success to her and says that she was a huge inspiration to him. He also gives credit to his wife for Instagram being where it is. She was the one who suggested photo filters, which ultimately lead to the success of the app. It was nice to hear him credit the women in his life for supporting his personal success.
8 - YES, DO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
There were so many women in the room who were martyring themselves for their business while taking care of families. That was a big theme. The message from the veterans is unanimous: get and keep your internal self balanced by healthy eating, meditation, and exercise. You don’t have to kill yourself and things. In fact your impact will be better if you don’t.
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It kind of felt like we all came together in this moment of self-expression and solidarity. I could literally sit down anywhere and instantly enter into a conversation with a group of incredible women who are doing everything they can to make an impact and create something from nothing. Anytime I would share what Evelyn and Bobbie was doing, it was like, “Great! How can I help! Here’s my contact.”
This prelaunch moment is a nervous moment. This product is about to be shared with the world so just feeling that there’s a bunch of kick-ass women out there wanting to support other women and their businesses, it was a good time to hear that.
