Becoming Fearless, a Guest Post by Elizabeth Zirk
Posted on Tue, Jun 09, 2009 @ 07:36 PM
Fearless.
The word brings to mind a daredevil, a rebel, a visionary. I've learned recently, the word 'Fearless' also applies to entrepreneurs. And I'm learning how to be one.
It all started with a walk through Chinatown to grab some food with my friend, Katie. Both Katie and I had worked or volunteered in the non-profit world for most of our career. We're both young, only just younger than thirty. We both truly believe that empowered women are an unstoppable force. And over a bowl of beef Pho, Katie helped me develop upon an idea I'd had for years: programming and support for study abroad program alumni.
Before we parted ways on the corner of Grant and Sacramento, Katie told me about an event that was happening the next week: an information night about a program for entrepreneurs. I wasn't sold right away, but I checked the website information she gave me. I checked my calendar and saw that I wasn't busy that night. OK, this might be the thing I'm looking for. Besides, if it's not right, it was just an information night...
Before that evening's meeting was finished, I told myself: This is fate. Do it.
Starla Sireno (OMG, what a fantastic woman this is!) and Future Women Leaders, in co-sponsorship with Young Women Social Entrepreneurs, were a shining light for me at that point. I had an idea. I believed in it. I wanted to be fearless about it. So I signed up to Become a Fearless Entrepreneur.
It is now June. For the last three months, I've been learning so much more than I ever anticipated. For our first meeting in March, we covered business plans and had homework assignments to go through at least one informational interview. In April, we discussed demographics, the market, and pricing our services. In May, we got to what I call my 'weak spot', finances (not so weak anymore!). We'll be covering finances a little more this month as well.
But I also learned that I am not alone. Like-minded women with entrepreneurial ideas are out there and ready to rock the world! My peer group (Shannon, Han, and Kirsty) is an amazing set of ladies, who have passion and vision. I'm just a selfish little sponge, gleaning all kinds of support and wisdom from them. This is what I was looking for!
About Elizabeth Zirk
Elizabeth Zirk grew up in the Bay Area, and works at WestEd, a leader in educational research and development. She does a lot of other things too! Check out her blogs at www.aliascrazy.com.