Washington D.C. is home to numerous museums but not one on the topic of women’s history. The National Women’s History Museum has a mission to pass legislation through Congress in order for Washington D.C. to become a permanent home for a museum to document women as a part of American history. Dermalogica and its FITE program share a mission to empower women. Women’s stories are often left untold, unheard and unknown. In addition, women’s history is part of our American history that cannot be overlooked. We make it a point to make women feel empowered in all aspects of their lives through our products and commitment to Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship.

Dermalogica team member, Laura West, attended the National Women’s History Museum’s 2nd annual de Pizan Honors awards ceremony in Washington D.C. and left the event feeling proud. “I felt proud to specifically be a part of our industry…one that focuses so much on women, putting more women in the workforce than any other industry. Women are doing great things, and Dermalogica does great things for women- around the world.”

Sign the petition for the National Women’s History Museum Act here http://www.nwhm.org/get-involved/promote/sign-petition/.

In early November, South Africa hosted Breaking The Mould 2012. BTM is an initiative aimed to inspire and empower women in particular (and young people in general) through icons who have achieved greatness and enable them to achieve their inner potential. This year’s icons included American tennis players, Venus and Serena Williams. The Williams sisters are a story of how passion, determination, hard work, and belief can turn dreams into reality, despite obstacles that one may face.

BTM’s mission in inspiring and empowering women aligns closely with the mission of joinFITE. Dermalogica and joinFITE’s commitment to helping women and youth reach their full potential takes place far beyond the boundaries of the US, but on a global scale.

To learn more about the work and impact of Breaking the Mould, visit their site.

I am excited to share a little bit about my journey in starting Raven + Lily with my dear friend Kirsten Dickerson. Raven + Lily is an accessories and gift brand that is dedicated to social justice by empowering women through design partnerships and micro-enterprise opportunities. When we first started Raven + Lily, we honestly weren’t really sure what we were getting ourselves into! We both have a passion for design, but an even bigger and more significant passion for social justice issues, especially among women. We decided to combine our love of art, with our connection to some amazing women in India and Kenya which led to the beginning of Raven + Lily.

In my experience of starting businesses, there are certain elements that are always the same- developing a unique voice, having great marketing materials, gathering the right funding, etc. But the challenges are always different because you’re working with different people, materials, locations, etc. Raven + Lily presents unique challenges because we are not only dealing with cultural differences, but also exporting legalities, dearth of materials, and poor infrastructure in developing countries. “You couldn’t work on our order because you didn’t have electricity for a week???!!”

What has motivated us through all of the challenges is our core belief that women are created with dignity and value. We partner with groups that are dedicated to treating women holistically- emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Many of the women in our partnerships are HIV+ or have experienced extreme poverty. Because of their circumstances, they have been outcast by their family and society. By treating the women holistically and training them in tangible skills, they are able to provide for themselves and their children. Through financial independence, they have increased self-worth and self-confidence. This allows them to speak up about their own rights and demand more for themselves and their children. It’s been proven that women use their income to invest in their children’s healthcare and education. This creates a healthier society when all members within a community are able to actively participate.

There have been so many unique stories of redemption and transformation in the lives of the women we work with. Many things are not quantifiable like a woman smiling and looking you in the eyes for the first time because she feels worthy and dignified. But I’d like to share with your readers one story about a sweet lady named Hom Oun, in our Cambodia partnership. (You can read more artisan stories on our site at http://www.ravenandlily.com/our-artisans) She found out she had AIDS while she was pregnant. Her unfaithful husband infected her but thankfully her son was healthy when he was born. Before joining the partnership, she was a street vendor during the day, and a trash picker at night. “[Since the partnership], I stopped begging. With the money I make, I buy rice, and support 3 kids and my mom who is blind. “If I die I can close my eyes because my children are all in school. I have never been to school so I am happy that all my children can go to school.”

I hope this has given you a small glimpse of why female entrepreneurs are so important and crucial to the development of our society. You can read more about how we operate and see all of our beautiful fair trade, handmade, and eco-friendly jewelry and accessories at www.ravenandlily.com

Sophia Lin
Co-Founder and CCO, Raven + Lily

“How to Grow Your Income, AND Have It All…” By Entrepreneur Mentor Ali Brown

It’s really exciting that more women are starting businesses right now than ever before, but why are their revenues stalling at lower numbers? Most never even reach six-figures, which is disheartening.

Many women start a business offering a service or product, and then begin to sell as much of it as possible. Great start. But then they naturally will hit a wall… of time, money, or resources. And here’s where there’s a huge knowledge gap on how they can shift their model to something that can be leveraged.

Over the last 10 years, I’ve mentored and worked with thousands of women business owners. And I do agree with research that shows women typically start a business for lifestyle reasons—not to grow a large company. So it’s also natural that if we don’t see a way to “have it all”, we won’t go farther.

There’s a critical shortage of role models to help women realize how they CAN grow without dishonoring themselves or creating a life they hate. And this is why I love what I do and the women I help.

Here are just a few examples to inspire you:

One of my mentees named Lori is a day spa owner whose schedule is packed with clients. Other spa owners started asking her how she’s built such a loyal clientele, so I helped her create a course she’s now selling online that’s generating her passive income on top of her six-figure spa revenues. The extra cash also helped Lori hire a much-needed assistant to better grow her current business and lessen her stress.

Annette is a personal trainer who’s a member of my Elevate program, and she was tiring of individual sessions with clients. Today she’s increased her client base by also doing consultations online via Skype. Now, she can do more sessions with less stress, and it’s generating her more income as a result.

Another one of my clients, Tania, a single mom, is an astro-numerologist who was doing individual consults via phone. After she maxed out with a waiting list, she began creating online reports, group programs, and workshops to help more people while earning more time per hour. And Tania was able to hire two part-time assistants this year give her more time with her daughter.

These ladies all have six-figure-plus businesses, while enjoying great lifestyles for themselves and their families. But it doesn’t have to stop there. When people challenge me, saying, “Well that’s fine for those types of businesses, but what about when you reach the millions? Then don’t you need a big office and employees and to work like a ‘real’ company? Then you CAN’T have it all… right?”

I say listen up… I myself have a multiple seven-figure business with 10 full-time employees, but we all work from our homes via the Internet and phone. We also don’t work on Fridays so we can enjoy more time with our families or doing things that fuel us. (For me, it’s going out on the ocean on my stand-up paddle board.) One of my other clients, Lisa, took her revenues in a single year from $130,000 to $2.2 million working at home with two toddlers in tow and supporting a husband in surgical residency. Another gal I’ve mentored runs her multi-million dollar business from her ranch in Tucson, spending every morning with her horses. The list goes on and on.

How is this possible? We designed the companies we wanted to work for. Start looking around… there ARE women making great money and living lives they love. You may not see them in the headlines, but we’re creating our own definition of success. And you can too.

About the Author: Entrepreneur mentor Ali Brown teaches women around the world how to start and grow profitable businesses that make a positive impact. You can get a FREE copy of her CD “Top 10 Secrets for Entrepreneurial Women” at www.AliBrown.com