On the 24th of March I attended the Women in Business: Making an Impact at the ultra-modern and superb co-working space called Common Ground in TTDI.
When I arrived the place was already abuzz with loads of women getting to know each other. There was the smell of freshly brewed coffee and breakfast pastries not to mention a tangible spirit of women wanting to connect with each other. It was also wonderful that were quite a few other Steemians there that day and I am glad that I got to connect with some of those that I missed in other meetups. I had a chance to really chat with @natalielo, @littlenewthings, @karinzdailygrind, @kaerpediem and @joyceann21. There were also some other friends that I met as well and really need to catch up with soon.
Anyway, the event started and we got to listen to the following women speak:
• Claire Sancelot - The Hive Bulk Foods
• Franki Turner Shaik - Frankitas
• Anabelle Co-Martinent- La Juiceria
• Adelina Mahiyudin - Hot Yo Studio
• Freda Liu - BFM Radio Station and her book "Bursting Fixed Mindsets"
• Julia Koh - Brand 360 and WomenWill
It was a great line up of 6 women entrepreneurs who shared the highlights of their journey and took Q&A from the audience of women attendees. Thanks to @yasminep who organised this fantastic event and invited the bunch of us women from Team Malaysia.
Each one of them had made a difference in their area of business, some helping the less fortunate, bringing a different retailing concept to Malaysia, being an inspiration for other women to emulate, writing a book and advocating for a more healthier lifestyle. They all had some really incredible gems of wisdom to share and I believe overall a great motivation to everyone who was there.
Reflecting on the event I realised a few things:-
Of the 6 women, only two were Malaysian born and bred!The other 4 were foreigners in Malaysia having arrived here via different means or have lived overseas for a prolonged period of time.
Please don't get me wrong, the only reason I pointed this out was that I felt that if a foreigner with no friends, no connections or understanding of our local cultures and business environment could grow a thriving business and become successful, what more are the opportunities for the Malaysian woman like us! Each one of them armed only with their dreams literally and the desire to create a business for themselves went out and did it! If you want to hear more about their stories, I would be happy to meet up for a coffee and chat, else you could also google them up.Each of these women believed in giving back and more importantly finding meaningful ways to give back to the community around them.
They gave back time and effort to help other women during events like this. Within their own businesses, they found ways to give back to the refugee community, the less abled person and the environment.They still had time to nurture their children
It amazing how the majority of them are mothers and still manage to create a home, teach good values to their children and run a successful growing business.Lastly, the organiser of the event, the wonderful @yasminep who herself is not Malaysian has really put in so much time and effort into organising something that would benefit more women in Malaysia. She has shared that she is laying the foundation for something more tangible to continue in Malaysia and other parts of the world! If you want to find out ways you can contribute or work together, do get in touch with her directly!
That day a small little fire lit within me. Women in Malaysia have opportunities, we can succeed! We must not be afraid to learn from one other, seek out mentors who will push us out of our comfort zone and most importantly as the organiser shared we must be supportive of each other rather than as competition to tear down. Another friend recently shared with me that her mentor told her that in her corporate career, men have hurt her but women have deeply wounded her as they tried to tear her down.
So here I am calling for all women to stand together, to learn to connect and empower each other. Let's us put aside our petty jealousy and power struggles. Opportunities abound and we can achieve so much more together, we can make a difference!
Do you think women are more prone to tearing down another woman rather than building each other up? Do share your thoughts, I would love to hear from you!
So what is QUESNEY21? @joannewong and I are challenging each other to create great content for the next 21 days. Starting 26th of March and ending on the 15th of April. We needed the discipline and motivation that comes from being accountable to each other. Tell us if this is interesting to you, do you think you could benefit from your own QUESNEY 21?
Check out the other postings for this challenge:
QUESNEY21(Day 5): The Priority
QUESNEY21 (Day4): The Heart of A Child
QUESNEY21 (Day 3): An Analogy For Your Steemit Wallet
QUESNEY 21 (Day 2): Money Conversations with Millennials and Post-Millennials
QUESNEY21 (Day 1): Strangers On A Train
Do check out @joannewong postings too for this challenge!
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