_edited.png)
Professional Networking Essentials – Women Founders’ Advice - Part 13
Updated: 2 hours ago
In the Professional Networking Essentials Series, we feature the insights of 10 women founders who share their lessons on starting before feeling ready, building meaningful networks, finding mentors, and trusting their unique perspectives. Their experiences highlight that growth comes through action, continuous learning, strong foundations, and the support of people who challenge and encourage you. From embracing new opportunities and career reinvention to building systems, protecting your well-being, and giving back to the community, their advice shows how intentional relationships and consistent effort can help women founders build with confidence, resilience, and purpose.
Featured Women Founders
Frida Fernandez Start before you feel ready.
Gillian Sutherland First — start before you feel ready.
Victoria Noack Find a mentor in your industry that you trust and that can help you to open doors
Terry Leavitt-Chavez Follow your passions ,and pencil out time to give back to your community.
Ashley Mullen My advice to aspiring or early-stage women founders is this: build yourself as intentionally as you build your business.
Shannon Feeley Don't be afraid to start and ask questions, find mentors, and just keep going.
Avneet Bhatia Advice to Other Women Entrepreneurs To every aspiring or early-stage woman founder — start before you feel fully ready.
Lisa Craft Trust your unique perspective; don’t wait for a “traditional” background or perfect credentials to start.
Valen Perez Build the foundation before you build the spotlight.
Nicole Giuliano Network as often as you can with other business owners — especially other women.
Frida Fernandez – Start before you feel ready.
Company– FRF SOLUTIONS LTD
Website: www.frfsolutions.com
Advice
Start before you feel ready. You don’t need to have everything figured out to begin — clarity comes through action. Trust your instincts, especially in environments where your voice may be minimized. Learn your numbers, build systems early, and don’t be afraid to ask for help or mentorship.
Most importantly, don’t shrink yourself to fit into someone else’s idea of leadership. Your empathy, resilience, and lived experience are strengths, not weaknesses. Build something that reflects your values, and remember that success doesn’t have to come at the cost of your humanity.
Gillian Sutherland – First — start before you feel ready.
Company– Maxwell Devonshire Realty
Advice
First — start before you feel ready.
Confidence does not come first. Action does. Many women wait until they feel fully prepared, fully polished, or fully certain. Leadership rarely begins that way. Growth happens by stepping forward while you are still figuring it out.
Second — do not be afraid to pivot. Reinvention is not failure; it is evolution. I rebuilt my career at 50 after a life-changing injury ended my sport career. Starting again required humility, courage, and the willingness to be a beginner. But it also proved that experience is never wasted — it simply transfers in new ways. Every skill you’ve built in life will serve you in business.
Third — build discipline, not just passion. Passion gets you started. Discipline sustains you when things feel uncertain. Systems, preparation, and consistency create momentum long before success is visible.
Fourth — own your value early. Women often underprice, over-deliver, and hesitate to advocate for themselves. Set clear standards. Communicate confidently. Lead with integrity, but do not shrink to make others comfortable.
And finally — surround yourself with strong rooms. Community matters. Mentorship matters. Accountability matters. Leadership is not built in isolation; it is strengthened in environments where growth is expected and supported.
Most importantly, remember that leadership is not about perfection. It is about resilience, clarity, and the courage to continue.
Your timeline does not have to look like anyone else’s.
Victoria Noack – Find a mentor in your industry that you trust and that can help you to open doors
Company– Declareme
Website: https://www.declareme.de/home
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/victoria-noack-812a1a15a
Advice
Find a mentor in your industry that you trust and that can help you to open doors
Terry Leavitt-Chavez – Follow your passions ,and pencil out time to give back to your community.
Company– Evelyn's Park
Website: https://evelynspark.org
Advice
Follow your passions ,and pencil out time to give back to your community.
Ashley Mullen – My advice to aspiring or early-stage women founders is this: build yourself as intentionally as you build your business.
Company– Mullen Plumbing
Website: Www.mullenplumbinglbc.com
Advice
My advice to aspiring or early-stage women founders is this: build yourself as intentionally as you build your business.
Confidence doesn’t come before action — it comes from taking action. You don’t need to have everything figured out to start. You just need the willingness to learn, adapt, and stay consistent. There will be moments of doubt, especially in rooms where you may be the only woman, but your perspective is valuable. Own it.
Prioritize systems early. Chaos feels productive in the beginning, but structure is what creates sustainability. Invest in mentorship, surround yourself with growth-minded people, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Also, give yourself permission to set boundaries. You can be ambitious and present at home. You can be a strong leader and a great mom. Success doesn’t have to look like burnout.
Most importantly, play the long game. Build relationships, protect your reputation, and focus on excellence over ego. Growth takes time — but if you stay disciplined and committed, momentum will follow.
Shannon Feeley – Don't be afraid to start and ask questions, find mentors, and just keep going.
Company– Waterfront Remodeling
Advice
Don't be afraid to start and ask questions, find mentors, and just keep going.
Avneet Bhatia – Advice to Other Women Entrepreneurs To every aspiring or early-stage woman founder — start before you feel fully ready.
Company– Naturefit Healthtech pvt ltd
Website: naturefit.in
Advice
Advice to Other Women Entrepreneurs
To every aspiring or early-stage woman founder — start before you feel fully ready. Clarity often comes through action, not overthinking. If your mission is strong, don’t wait for perfect timing, perfect funding, or perfect confidence. Build, test, learn, refine — and keep moving.
Second, own your space unapologetically. In many sectors — especially health, policy, technology, or institutional ecosystems — you may often be the only woman at the table. Let your preparation, depth, and conviction speak louder than hesitation. Competence builds credibility.
Third, resilience is not optional — it is foundational. There will be funding gaps, slow decisions, rejections, and moments of doubt. What differentiates long-term founders is not the absence of challenges but the ability to stay steady through them. Detach your self-worth from short-term outcomes and focus on building long-term value.
Fourth, build strong networks intentionally. Seek mentors, collaborate across industries, and surround yourself with people who challenge and elevate you. Growth accelerates when you stop trying to do everything alone.
Finally, anchor yourself in purpose. When your work is tied to meaningful impact, it becomes easier to navigate uncertainty. Entrepreneurship is rarely linear — it’s a journey of evolution. Stay adaptable, stay curious, and most importantly, stay committed to your mission.
Lisa Craft – Trust your unique perspective; don’t wait for a “traditional” background or perfect credentials to start.
Company– Adventure Dating
Website: adventuredating.com
Advice
Trust your unique perspective; don’t wait for a “traditional” background or perfect credentials to start. She launched Southern California CPR with minimal resources and Adventure Dating without tech expertise, proving that lived experience, passion, and problem-solving matter more than pedigree.
Surround yourself with people who complement your strengths (like engineers for the tech side), but never outsource your vision—stay deeply involved.
Embrace resilience as a daily practice: setbacks are inevitable, but viewing them as data rather than defeat keeps momentum alive. Prioritize self-care—movement, rest, and boundaries—to sustain the energy needed for the long haul. Build for the people you understand best (in my case, busy adventurers like myself), and focus on solving a real pain point authentically.
Finally, celebrate small wins and community: word of mouth and genuine connections have been her greatest assets. Women entrepreneurs bring empathy, intuition, and tenacity that the world needs—lean into that power, stay true to your “why,” and the right opportunities will follow.
Valen Perez – Build the foundation before you build the spotlight.
Company– Picture Perfect Esthetics
Advice
Build the foundation before you build the spotlight.
Invest in your education. Master your craft. Develop systems. Don’t chase trends — build expertise. Confidence comes from competence.
Also, do not minimize your leadership voice. Whether you come from corporate, military, healthcare, or creative backgrounds, your previous experience is an asset — not something to separate from your brand.
Surround yourself with strong networks. Ask for mentorship. Collaborate, not compete.
And most importantly: bet on yourself. Growth is uncomfortable, but expansion requires courage. If you stay consistent, disciplined, and values-driven, success becomes inevitable.
Nicole Giuliano – Network as often as you can with other business owners — especially other women.
Company– StratiMark
Website: StratiMark.com
Advice
Network as often as you can with other business owners — especially other women. We need to stand and grow together, building a better community for all to thrive in life and business. 1-2-1s are especially powerful and wonderful for relationship building with both mentors and potential mentees.
Teach what you’ve learned from experience but expect that there’s always someone to learn from to avoid future pitfalls.
Comments