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Visionary Leadership – Women Founders’ Advice - Part 23
In the Visionary Leadership Series, we feature the insights of 10 women founders who share advice on trusting your vision, building deep expertise, and leading with purpose and authenticity. Their advice highlights taking action without waiting for perfect conditions, creating meaningful impact, continuous learning, resilience, strong relationships, and staying grounded in long-term value and personal values.
Featured Women Founders
Deborah OMalley Build your expertise deeply and let your work speak for itself.
Jayna Chetan Nandu Trust your inner voice—it carries wisdom deeper than any external validation.
Ira Agarwal Aspiring women founders should focus on building strong domain depth and clarity of purpose, while ensuring their ventures are both impactful and financially sustainable.
Tracy F. Barry My advice to aspiring and early-stage women entrepreneurs is to believe deeply in the value of your vision, even before the world fully understands it.
Mya Thandar Oo @Maya My advice to aspiring women entrepreneurs is to believe in the value of your vision, even when resources, opportunities, or support systems are limited at the beginning.
RENUKA B L Follow your heart and stay deeply connected to the purpose behind what you do.
Pooja Jain My biggest advice to aspiring and early-stage women entrepreneurs is to trust your vision even when it is not immediately understood by others.
Vicki Summersby Firstly, back yourself earlier than you think you’re ready.
Michelle De Lange My core advice to early-stage women founders is to anchor your venture in deep, authentic purpose: when you truly love what you do, you never work a day in your life.
Anita Chinnari FCA With her leadership and determination, Anita is reshaping the narrative of her Profession, making her a role model for the next generation of Female Professionals striving for excellence.
Deborah OMalley – Build your expertise deeply and let your work speak for itself.
Company– GuessTheTest
Website: www.GuessTheTest.com
Advice
Build your expertise deeply and let your work speak for itself. In the early stages, it can feel like you need permission or validation before stepping forward. In reality, confidence grows through action—through testing ideas, learning quickly, and improving over time.
Focus on solving real problems for people. When your work creates genuine value,
opportunities follow. Surround yourself with people who challenge and support you, and don’t be afraid to ask questions or seek guidance from those further along the path.
Most importantly, trust your perspective. Women often bring a powerful combination of empathy, analytical thinking, and resilience to leadership. Those qualities are not weaknesses in business—they are competitive advantages.
Entrepreneurship is rarely a straight line, but persistence, curiosity, and integrity will carry you much further than perfection ever will.
Jayna Chetan Nandu – Trust your inner voice—it carries wisdom deeper than any external validation.
Company– Soul Solace ✨
Advice
Trust your inner voice—it carries wisdom deeper than any external validation.
Build your vision with patience and energy alignment; when you’re grounded, everything you create flows with purpose ✨
Ira Agarwal – Aspiring women founders should focus on building strong domain depth and clarity of purpose, while ensuring their ventures are both impactful and financially sustainable.
Company– AIM Elevate Ventures
Website: https://www.aimelevate.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iraagarwal1/
Advice
Aspiring women founders should focus on building strong domain depth and clarity of purpose, while ensuring their ventures are both impactful and financially sustainable. Confidence will grow through action, so it is important to move forward even without perfect certainty, while continuously learning and adapting.
Prioritize credibility through consistent execution and measurable outcomes, seek mentorship but trust your own judgment, and avoid limiting your ambition. Most importantly, build scalable systems, not just effort, protect your energy, and stay grounded in integrity and long-term value creation, as sustainable success is shaped by both resilience and principled leadership.
Tracy F. Barry – My advice to aspiring and early-stage women entrepreneurs is to believe deeply in the value of your vision, even before the world fully understands it.
Company– Grow Hand Enterprise LTD & Grow Women Leaders
Website: https://www.growwomenleaders.com/
Advice
My advice to aspiring and early-stage women entrepreneurs is to believe deeply in the value of your vision, even before the world fully understands it. Many women spend too much time waiting for permission, validation, perfect conditions, or complete confidence before taking action. Start anyway. Your lived experience, ideas, and perspective have value, and often the problems you have personally faced are the very problems you are uniquely positioned to solve.
I would also encourage women to build with purpose, not just popularity. Focus on creating real impact, solving meaningful problems, and building trust within your community. Sustainable businesses are built on consistency, resilience, and relationships—not overnight success. There will be setbacks, rejection, and moments of doubt, but those moments do not define your potential. Your ability to adapt, learn, and continue moving forward is what shapes your leadership journey.
Another important lesson is to invest in networks, mentorship, and collaboration. No one succeeds alone. Surround yourself with people who challenge you, support your growth, and open doors to new opportunities. As women, especially immigrant and racialized women, we must also learn to take up space confidently, advocate for ourselves, and recognize that our voices belong in leadership and decision-making spaces.
Finally, do not underestimate the power of your story. Authenticity is a strength. The challenges you have overcome can become the foundation of innovation, empathy, and transformative leadership. Build boldly, lead with integrity, and remember that entrepreneurship is not only about building a business—it is about creating opportunities, influencing systems, and leaving a lasting impact for others.
Mya Thandar Oo @Maya – My advice to aspiring women entrepreneurs is to believe in the value of your vision, even when resources, opportunities, or support systems are limited at the beginning.
Company– MyJobs Made by Mystories
Website: https://myjobs.com.mm/
Advice
My advice to aspiring women entrepreneurs is to believe in the value of your vision, even when resources, opportunities, or support systems are limited at the beginning. Every impactful business starts with a problem that needs solving and a founder who is willing to take the first step with courage and persistence.
As women founders, we often face additional challenges such as limited access to networks, funding, leadership representation, and decision-making spaces. However, these challenges can also become strengths that shape resilience, empathy, adaptability, and community-centered leadership. Do not wait for perfect conditions to begin — start with your purpose, continue learning, and grow through experience.
Focus on building solutions that create real value for people and communities, not only profit. Businesses that combine innovation with social impact will become more sustainable and meaningful in the future economy. Invest in relationships, partnerships, and collaboration because strong networks can open doors to growth, mentorship, and regional opportunities.
I also encourage women entrepreneurs to embrace digital transformation, continuous learning, and global thinking. The future belongs to leaders who are adaptable, technology-aware, and capable of connecting local challenges with international opportunities. Never underestimate the importance of personal branding, communication, and leadership visibility — your story can inspire others and attract meaningful partnerships.
Most importantly, do not be afraid of failure or setbacks. Every challenge is part of the leadership journey. Resilience, consistency, and integrity are often more important than speed. Stay committed to your mission, support other women along the way, and remember that leadership is not only about business success, but also about creating opportunities and empowering future generations.
Through MyJobs Myanmar, I have seen how empowered women and youth can become catalysts for positive change in their communities. When women lead with purpose, they create impact far beyond business — they help shape stronger economies, inclusive societies, and a better future for the next generation.
RENUKA B L – Follow your heart and stay deeply connected to the purpose behind what you do.
Company– ACE it - Human Skills & Career Discovery
Advice
Follow your heart and stay deeply connected to the purpose behind what you do. Every journey will have roadblocks, but instead of getting overwhelmed by them, focus on finding solutions with clarity and resilience.
Build with empathy, listen closely to real problems, and create from a place of genuine intent. When you lead with purpose and authenticity, people connect not just with your offering, but with the impact and belief behind it. ✨
Pooja Jain – My biggest advice to aspiring and early-stage women entrepreneurs is to trust your vision even when it is not immediately understood by others.
Company– Kineer Services Pvt Ltd
Website: https://www.kineerblessed.com/
Advice
My biggest advice to aspiring and early-stage women entrepreneurs is to trust your vision even when it is not immediately understood by others. Entrepreneurship is not only about building a business, but also about building belief—first within yourself, and then in the ecosystem around you.
There will be moments of doubt, resistance, and limited resources, but consistency and clarity of purpose will always outweigh early setbacks. Focus on solving a real problem rather than chasing validation, and allow your work to speak through impact rather than noise.
Surround yourself with people who challenge you to grow, not just those who comfort you. Learn to take decisions with both empathy and courage, especially when building something meaningful from the ground up.
Most importantly, do not wait for perfect conditions. Start where you are, with what you have, and keep refining as you move forward. Real leadership is built in motion, not in preparation.
Vicki Summersby – Firstly, back yourself earlier than you think you’re ready.
Company– PBT Accountancy Limited
Website: www.pbtaccountancy.co.uk
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/vicki-summersby
Advice
Firstly, back yourself earlier than you think you’re ready. You do not need permission, perfection, or complete certainty to begin.
Secondly, understand your numbers, your value, and your boundaries. Confidence grows when you know your worth and can communicate it clearly – especially in negotiations.
Build a strong support network, but don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. Progress is rarely linear, and resilience is built through experience, not avoidance of failure.
Finally, remember that leadership does not require you to fit a mould. Authenticity, empathy and clarity are strengths. Build a business that aligns with your values, and success will follow in a way that is sustainable and meaningful.
Michelle De Lange – My core advice to early-stage women founders is to anchor your venture in deep, authentic purpose: when you truly love what you do, you never work a day in your life.
Company– Miingle (Pty)Ltd
Website: www.miingle.co.za
Advice
My core advice to early-stage women founders is to anchor your venture in deep, authentic purpose: when you truly love what you do, you never work a day in your life.
Entrepreneurship demands immense resilience, long hours, and navigating constant uncertainty. This exhausting workload transforms from a burden into a calling only when you are fueled by genuine passion for your mission. Do not just build a business to generate revenue; build a business to solve a real human problem. When your daily operations are driven by love for your craft, the inevitable obstacles become stepping stones rather than roadblocks.
Furthermore, recognize that making a tangible difference in the lives of others is the ultimate metric of business success and the most rewarding fuel for longevity. As women leaders, our empathy is our greatest competitive advantage. Lean into that empathy to create products or services that deeply impact your community or global network.
When you witness your vision transforming someone's life—whether it is helping them find lasting partnership or solving a critical pain point—that fulfillment will carry you through financial constraints and lonely launch phases. Build a strong support ecosystem, collaborate globally, and let the profound reward of changing lives be your North Star.
Anita Chinnari FCA – With her leadership and determination, Anita is reshaping the narrative of her Profession, making her a role model for the next generation of Female Professionals striving for excellence.
Company– Practicing Chartered Accountant
Website: www.vnvca.com
Advice
With her leadership and determination, Anita is reshaping the narrative of her Profession, making her a role model for the next generation of Female Professionals striving for excellence.
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