International Womens Day
Promoting the Achievement of Women
International Womens Day originated all the way back to 1909 when it was organized in New York by the Socialist Party of America. Celebrated every March 8th, this day acknowledges women’s rights including gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. It is commemorated in a variety of ways worldwide observing women’s cultural, social, and economic welfare.
According to the Harvard Business Review, gender differences in leadership effectiveness in the workplace favor women. Women are more likely to lead through nurture and inspiration which transforms people’s attitudes and beliefs aligning them with meaning and purpose vs. the male approach which is more pragmatic. John Gray, author of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus says that men and women can be very different in their approaches to communication and relationships and that they might as well be living on different planets. Due to our innate needs, we communicate and operate differently.
The struggle for women in the workplace has been a battle and the gap is closing at a slow pace. According to the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, the number of self-employed women in Canada peaked at 1,065,200 in 2019, (37.2% of all self-employed individuals), before falling to 982,600, (36.8%), in 2021. For small businesses in December 2020, women were the majority owners of approximately 16.8% of SMEs (small or medium-sized enterprises) in Canada, or approximately 205,188 entrepreneurs.
Beauty Hub Magazine has reached out to a variety of strong, intelligent, talented, and innovative entrepreneurial women to applaud their strengths and capabilities and discuss the harsh reality of sustaining a self-made company and how they have dealt with adversity and challenge. We asked these ladies ‘What was the most challenging time in your business and how did you overcome it?’
Natasha Koifman
President NKPR
“It was 2007, and my agency NKPR had been in business for five years. I had a couple of substantial accounts, and that is where my team and I focused most of our attention. One day, unexpectedly, I received notice from my largest client – the CEO was retiring and new leadership wanted their own team in charge of communications. This was an immediate (and valuable!) lesson that we needed to diversify our client roster and look at where we allocate our time and resources. I took a step back and really thought about the types of clients, brands, and people I wanted to work with.
Fast forward to 2023, where we work daily with a diverse variety of accounts, in a breadth of industries including real estate, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, food and beverage, hospitality, and financial services. All are grounded in purpose. I love ALL the people I have the privilege of working with. This was a very important lesson. Time is our greatest currency and gift, so how and who you spend it with is the most important thing to consider.”
Jennifer Lipkowitz
Publisher, Living Luxe Magazine
“The biggest challenge we faced since launching Living Luxe was something every other business owner and founder also has to deal with: COVID-19. We were still newcomers in the Canadian magazine industry and we were determined to survive the global pandemic. We persevered by coming up with innovative ways to engage our readers, and overcame it by increasing our presence digitally and through our social media platforms.”
Lexi Miles Corrin
Founder and CEO WAXON Laser + Waxbar
“I don’t tend to look at things as “challenges” per se. In any business, there will be ups and downs, but staying focused on my ultimate goal for WAXON – is being able to positively impact the lives of women. This allows me to move through challenges and reframe them as opportunities. When we faced over 300 consecutive days in lockdown during COVID, it was that bigger picture attitude that allowed my team and I to persevere. And now, I am so proud and grateful to say that we are tracking for our best year in business yet. It has always helped me to look outside of the specific situation at hand and refocus on the bigger plan.”
Sonya Gill
Founder and CEO THE LINK
“Trying to find the balance between my ‘soft side’ (ie. the more feminine side as society would put it) and my more dominant side. The moment I realized that there was no balance, and actually tremendous power in kindness and the softness we bring as women (and it didn’t need to be seen as this weakness), growing my team and business became easier. Your superpower is being you, you just need to figure out how to own it.”
Kiley Routley
Founder and President Back to Earth Skin
“As a female Founder of Back to Earth Skin, having most recently launched our new product line-up GLOW last month, the timing couldn’t have been better for this question. A new brand and product launch faces a lot of challenges, and hurdles, and takes both time and patience. From navigating product and packaging regulations to building my confidence to share my passion with the world. I’ve overcome many of these experiences by doing my best to lead with grace, listening to my gut instincts, and showing up for people every day.
In order to show up, I have learned to implement specific tools throughout my daily routine and prioritize my focus on not only showing up for work but for my family and friends. Morning meditations help set good intentions for the day, and I make it a priority to sit and eat dinner together most nights with my family, which is a great timeout to reconnect and have meaningful conversations — and ultimately to help fuel my business and passion.
One of the other unique challenges I’ve faced over the years is that competition is healthy and not to be consumed by it. Not only does it keep you striving to do better, it gives you the fire within and the opportunity to drive hard to meet your goals. There’s enough room for everyone, and when you release the ego side of yourself and focus on the goals of the company, this is when you can expect the magic to happen.”
Angie Trovao
Owner Founder Blyss Salon
“The last few years, have taken a huge toll on the salons. The entire industry is still in recovery. This has been by far the most challenging time for us in our twenty-two years of business. We are in the process of overcoming it and are pushing forward.
To get through it, we keep showing up for each other. We have a great all-female team of such supportive talented, valuable women that keep each other strong and positive. We have proven that we are essential.”
Raquel DaSilva
Founder and CEO Lashgod and Modern Aesthetics College
“To answer your question, the most challenging time in my business is the present. With each passing year, the company expands in team members, grows in almost every way, and becomes more demanding.
It requires me to be on at all times, often it’s very overwhelming. In the past, I never would’ve been able to manage the volume of work. I have to do now I had to change my lifestyle a lot to be able to mentally and physically adapt to running a 50-person company. On social media, people only see the highlights, and the excellent part of what I do but truly there’s so much problem-solving and workload behind the final product.
The only reason I’m able to run these companies day after day is attributed to my positive habits. I’ve turned time I would’ve historically spent “hanging out” into gym time, going to the ice bath, gymnastics, farmers market, and walks. It’s a way for me to maintain relationships with my closest friends and family while strengthening and nourishing my body.
Having really positive conversations with myself and saying affirmations each morning in combination with eating healthy and doing at least one form of physical activity every day makes this lifestyle manageable.”
Natasha Ferguson
CEO and Founder Ethelfox Construction & A Women’s Work
“I’m in a male-dominated industry and there has not been enough support for women in regard to programs, opportunities, and education. I’m solving that problem through my organization A Women’s Work which is an organization that supports women in the trades.”
Fun Facts about Women Making History:
1915 Marie Marving first woman to fly a fighter plane in combat.
1932 Amelia Earhart first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
1915 Helena Rubinstein first woman to found a cosmetics company.
1961 Katherine Graham first female to lead a Fortune 500 company.
1973 Rosella Bjornson first female pilot for a commercial airline in North America.
2000 Martha Stewart first self-made female American billionaire.
2003 Oprah Winfrey first female African-American billionaire.
2019 Kylie Jenner first female billionaire under 30.
2020 Rania Llewellyn first female bank CEO in Canada.
