I’m Fabienne Ami, Wardrobe Style expert, teaching Emerging Brand Entrepreneurs to use the same energy they exhibit in their business to activate their Signature Style. In the years of Styling and building my own brand, I’ve come across several business owners: Lash Studio, Nail Company, DEI Agency, Production Company, Chef, Micro-Influencer, Makeup Artist, Brand Management Consultant, Career Coach, the list goes on and on. What do these titles have in common? These are all BIPOC Women who have chosen to take their destiny into their own hands, start or continue to plant seeds into their own business ventures, and confidently bet on themselves. If there’s anything the last year has taught me, it’s that women are truly magical and literally have 8 hands. I have seen not only myself but also witnessed my colleagues in the game go through so many mental, emotional, & physical changes, all for the underlying goal of being true to themselves, manifesting their destiny, and for a level of autonomy that was only seen in their wildest dreams. At what cost? What’s their story?
Let’s talk Entrepreneurship in today’s world, “It’s never lonely at the top when you have your fellow bad bishhes to share this glow up with, get you some badass bosses & level up!”. Sis, how did you get there though? Where did you find your fellow badass bosses? In the spirit of transparency, our society is telling us that we need to share so much more of ourselves in order to really capture an audience and to gain a following for your business; yet, more and more there is the endless highlight of the “Fast-Forward” effect. You’ve seen it all over social media. “I was able to scale my business to make $84589458758897 in two weeks!’
Things that I’ve learned through this entrepreneurial journey as a Wardrobe Stylist will never be taught in books. Through the many phases of Entrepreneurship, I’ve broken down a few
mini-chapters of what you could potentially identify with or see yourself in. If you feel me, let’s ride.
The “Yes-Woman” Entrepreneur
She’s got to say Yes to every opportunity that comes her way because she can do all the things! The bag is the #1 priority, and who says she can’t be good at this, that, and the other thing? There’s a need to have her hand in several buckets because to be known as the resource feels fulfilling, purposeful almost. What the public sees – Now You know she is Superwoman! I mean what can’t she do? I heard she can do your taxes, you can hire her as a chef, she’s somebody’s consultant doing I can’t remember what, PLUS she can heal your dead plants. Hire her! She’s getting to the coin! What they don’t see – little to any sleep, lack of self-care, skipped meals, body aches, and her flame slowly fading, but anything to get her to quit her full-time job to create space for what she REALLY wants to do.
The Perfectionist Entrepreneur
She is constantly dissecting her work, meticulously editing, reimagining her path (not always bad), and procrastinates. Sometimes in her procrastination, her best work is born. Here’s the problem: Procrastination is stress! It prohibits progress and hides her true potential. What the public sees – She always gets it done! She executes and rises to the occasion with immense confidence / What they don’t see – pitches re-typed, pictures were taken 5011 times just to pick that good ONE, stressing about the best times to deliver your awesomeness to the world, oatmeal for dinner @ 2 am, pacing back and forth in the house to make a simple decision to just do it, just press send!
The Aligned Entrepreneur
She’s arrived. She’s been through the fire. She’s established healthy boundaries, knows exactly when and how to say “no”, and practices radical self-care in order to show up in her business at 100000%. She celebrates her wins – big and small. The struggles she’s gone through have brought her to a place of great wisdom because no one can tell her entrepreneurial journey as she can. She’s got a good tribe, a tight-knit circle of like-minded folks around her, holding her accountable for not only her business decisions but also her tap-out, nap-out times. Maybe she even shares her story with other women who she sees are going through the same challenges. When she needs support, she knows how to ask for it. When she gets a “no”, she understands that the same boundaries she has placed for herself, another woman entrepreneur has the same right to enforce, respect. Her “no” is an amazing redirection from God, Goddess, the Universe since obviously something better is around the corner, thank you. For her, it’s about creating an ecosystem of talented individuals who constantly feed into the growth of each other’s businesses, and the bag too ;), a reflection. Vulnerability and mistakes are not a sign of weakness nor exemption (she’s human), and she welcomes her personal and business life lessons with ease. Oh and about this magnificent word “grace”, WHEW! Grace is given to those who take it, and she grants herself grace in abundance. She treats it like buttercream frosting, her favorite ice cream, a perfectly shaken cocktail, the best nap, you get where I’m going. When she thrives in taking care of herself, she sees the results in her business. She’s focused, wo-man!
So, if any of these Entrepreneurs sound like you, or if you are a combo of these (trust me there’s more), just know it’s OK. Acknowledge your present state, remember your wins, celebrate yourself, twerk a bit for you, and be present for the ride. As a business owner, where you are is NOT where you are staying. The things you learn along the way will mold you to be the very best version of yourself when you let go of those dried-up crumbs like perfection & easy access to you. Look into you. Who are you in your business? How can being a woman who owns her life as an entrepreneur feel more powerful for you? May you straighten up your back, bring your shoulders down, take a deep breath, & fuse your Femininity with your fierceness to succeed at owning your Business Future.
