The League of Superwomen: A Powerful Discussion of Entrepreneurship

(From left to right, Rendel Solomon, Micaela Brown, Keisha Howard, Erica Douglas, Watchen Nyanue, Chris-Tia Donaldson)

Memoirs of a Panel-a-holic,

Confession time! I've been to a ton of panels and I have to admit some of them start to sound the same. Any forum that allows for an open and honest discussion surrounding the trial ,error and triumphs of entrepreneurship gets a sure vote of "h*** yes" from me!

Rendel Solomon of One Stock One Future and the League of Superwomen changed all of that for me and many others in the room. The Chicago Center for Arts & Technology was the perfect backdrop to host Chicago's very own super women leading the way in entrepreneurship. Watchen " The Compass" Nyanue called out the pressures of society; "We carry expectations from our parents, society and so much more. Success is forging your path to freedom". We were challenged to define what freedom meant to us, both on a personal and professional level. FREEDOM! Be unwilling to leave yourself at the door because your professionalism is rooted in your identity, there is NO compromise. PERIOD!  

Erica " Sister Scientist" Douglass gave us all a reality check, "You can save yourself from failure but you are going to have to invest!'. Often times we commit to having everyone else's back but we have to remember ‘I GOT ME!’". She went on to say,"If I can do it for them, I can most certainly do it for myself". Chris-Tia " The Naturalista" Donaldson literally opened our eyes to the blood, sweat, tears of entrepreneurship, " There is nothing pretty about chasing your goals, you have to go after them like a junkyard dog!". You have to be willing to "put skin in the game, put in your own sweat equity before you expect others to!".

Keisha “The Futurist” Howard had everyone in the room jotting down notes of encouragement when she reminded us the learning curve of entrepreneurship is steep but it's totally normal! There was one final question from the audience seeking advice on the quest for mentorship, our panelists provided the perfect answer: “Don’t focus so much on seeking mentorship, focus more on being a person that someone wants to mentor”. I can confirm without a doubt that everyone in the audience had similar thoughts at that exact moment, “Wow, wise words from truly spectacular superwomen!”  Check out the event photos here!