Advice from “Women Who Thrive”
(Crystal A. Proxmire, April 14, 2024)
Southfield, MI – As scores of women business leaders filled the foyer of the Southfield Public Library, a teenage girl who happened to be walking through took notice. She saw this gathering of diverse, successful, and happily-mingling women and the rows of tables with organizations there to support them, and was curious enough to ask a stranger what was going on.
The woman she asked was Dr. Chanel DeGuzman, author and leadership coach, who also happened to be one of the four women set to speak at the event.
Dr. DeGuzman told the young woman about the “Women Who Thrive” event, hosted by Oakland Thrive, the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Great Lakes Womens Business Council, with support form the Southfield Chamber of Commerce. There was networking, resources, and a panel discussion – an evening full of comradery and education in a place for women to uplift women.
She and the teen talked about hopes and dreams, and Hoffman invited her to stay for the discussion, a great opportunity to learn and be inspired. The teen accepted the invitation eagerly.
She told Dr. DeGuzman that she was there with her boyfriend and would have to go let him know that she was staying. DeGuzman watched as the girl approached to her boyfriend to discuss it. They went back and forth for a bit, before the teen eventually just left with him.
As Dr. DeGuzman shared this, the crowd of women gave a simultaneous sigh, with many relating to those earlier life experiences of the demands of others overshadowing their own goals and interests.
Those moments of relating happened over and over during the discussion. And unlike interviews with women in business or political power that reduce the challenges of feminine success to one simple question, this panel was about more than “As a woman, how do you balance work and family?”
That question was asked, almost in jest, with Courtney Morales Hofmann giving a realistic answer.
“There is no balance. There is compromise. There’s days when work wins. There’s days when family wins. There’s days when what I want wins,” she said. “Enjoy the ride. You’re going to be stressed. That’s just part of it.”
Later in the discussion when asked about what advice she wished someone had given her sooner, Hofmann said “I wish someone had said ‘enjoy the ride.’ I had a very stressful three years that was not necessary.”
For Elana Morales, co-owner of SMT Automation, her wish would have been to have more patience with others. “Dealing with people is not easy,” she said. “You never really know what the other person is feeling, so try to put yourself in their shoes.”
Lynn Garrison, Senior Manager at Miller Knoll, shared her view about the expectation of women to always be on top of their game. “It’s okay to not always be okay,” she said. “As long as you don’t stay there.” Having support matters, and being there to support others is rewarding too. “Surround yourself with people who can be your support when you are off balance,” Garrison said.
Mentors are also important. “Mentors are everywhere. It doesn’t have to be a title. We can all learn from one another,” she said.
Finding a mentor and being a mentor about both part of finding success, and simply being visible as a female entrepreneur can help change the world and make it more welcoming for women. The panelists spoke about normalizing the image of women in business.
“For those of us who are entrepreneurs, how often are we talking about this with our kids, with our families or friends,” said Hofmann. “When you’re at parties, when you’re at school events, men tend to separate and talk about their work, the deals they’re making, and the women are by themselves talking about makeup… Talk about your work with your friends.”
“If you’re an electrical engineer, or anything in STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Math], be open to letting young people see you at work,” Garrison said.
And even in meetings or workplace settings, be bold and speak up. “They’re going to assume if we don’t speak, we’re not as intelligent,” Morales said.
“We’re taught to minimize ourselves,” said Amanda Sweet, Community Director of Bamboo Royal Oak and emcee for the panel discussion. “We weren’t born with that, but we can help the younger generation not be taught that.” That includes simply listening to girls, encouraging them to be bold and creative, and not just focusing on appearance and dainty dispositions.
Conversely, women are never too old or experienced to learn from others. Several panelists encouraged women to see out others to learn from, whether one is an entrepreneur or working for someone else. Morales recalled reaching out to people in more senior positions to learn when she was in the corporate world. “We forget that the people in companies are real people,” Morales said. “We think that its only the levels we reach in the company, but they have life experience to share too.”
“If you are looking for a mentor, you already have that thin inside of you, that you’re attracted to in them. And they can related to that in you. Don’t hesitate to reach out and put yourself out there,” Dr. DeGuzman added.
“We’re all people who want to share and give,” Sweet said.
As much of the discussion focused on advice that panelists wished they had received, there that one bit of advice that comes often to entrepreneurs, especially women, which is simply – “don’t do it.”
Sweet is one of many women who had been told that their dreams were not realistic.
“Someone told me that entrepreneurship is not fabulous. It’s hard,” Sweet said. “Well, you need to let me figure that out myself.”
The Women Who Thrive event not only provided inspiration, but resources as well. To learn more about resources for entrepreneurs, check out the following websites from the groups included at the event:
Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Great Lakes Womens Business Council
Southfield Area Chamber of Commerce
