While I respect the ideology of some people who believe as to why keep one day to celebrate women’s day when we need to acknowledge their efforts every day, I personally like March 8th. To me, it stands to be the day that not only reflects on how far women have come around and rejoice at their success, but also how far we have to go. It’s like celebrating an anniversary where couples take the time to spend time with each other to spark memories of the happy times they shared while also conversing about what their dreams for the future are.
Back in my childhood, I recall playing this game ‘Breaking Chain’. It followed a plain funda – the den first chases one person and after she catches her they both together start running behind the third girl and in this manner form a chain. The game continues till the last person is caught or till the chain doesn’t break. The game while being a lot of fun and thoroughly having us scream at our friends and laugh our lungs out simultaneously also taught me how important it was to ensure that we all were in sync and had a common next target. This way we each didn’t run in opposite directions and always kept guard lest the link got broken. Finally, all of us made merry in the end.
A couple of days back, when I read Nina Shaw’s quote, “If you are a woman who wants to be empowered, then empower other women”, I thought why not celebrate this year’s Women’s Day building that chain, the chain of women entrepreneurs who stand together, guide, help and support one another. And, that’s how #PinkCookiesChain was ideated, to make it a collection of wise sayings from the rodinhoodnis who have been there and done that in their respective start up roles.
Image Source: smileycookie.com
Irrespective of the juncture you are in, in your entrepreneurial journey, you sure have learnt a lesson. Well, since none of us get it right in the beginning and entrepreneurship doesn’t come with a precision manual, we work our heads and break our hearts trying to make sense of the complicated jigsaw puzzle. Nonetheless with our tough, stubborn spirits we sure don’t want to give up. We get ecstatic about pushing ourselves and moving ahead to make our marks. We find delight in falling down, getting hurt and getting back up again. And this whole process leaves us with some precious learning.
So, if there was a ‘lessons throwback’ what is that one thing you would have wanted to tell your less experienced startup self? Share that one wisdom cookie for your kinda fellas in the comments below and tag your sistren to continue the chain. This by no means is like those bucket challenges but has been started with a thought that believes in Inspire and Stay Inspired.
To all those from Mars, tag your friends, mentors, partners or any other woman you know who has navigated the turbulent waters of owning and running her own business.
And to all those from Venus, thanks for the cookie! Spread the word with joy 🙂
You sure can tag more than one person.. in fact it makes me super happy :)))))) ... more tags, more lessons!
Feel free to make this as viral as you would want it to go 🙂
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Updated 10th March
Having got an amazing response and some impressive takeaways, here’s a sneak peak into the comments section that you definitely mustn’t miss. Each one is a gem! If you don’t believe, read it to be convinced.
@Asha Chaudhry – “BEING SUPERWOMAN IS A MYTH…. so don’t fool yourself that you are capable of being one!”
“DO NOT NEGLECT YOUR HEALTH. You are more precious than your startup!”
@Lakshmi Ananthamurthy – “What matters the most is the attitude of an entrepreneur – ability to bend when the wind blows and realise if you don’t, you will break.”
@Tanul Mishra – “Don’t let unpleasant surprises get to you. Laugh it off and move on to doing more important things.”
@Anamika Joshi – “Make yourself competent enough and believe me, it will make things happen at a better pace!”
@Saraswathi Pulluru – “Trust is costly, don’t give it away for free. Let people earn it by keeping their word.”
@Kinnari Thacker Dave – “Gender bias needs to get out of our minds first”
@Shilpi Choudhury – “It is not how many new clients/customers you can acquire but more importantly how many you can keep.”
@Soumya Jain – “Keep updating yourself, keep ‘contemporarising’ yourself.”
@Khushali Gandhi – “Let’s celebrate the smaller things….since they always matter the most”
@Kaanchan Bugga – “Don’t overpromise. Be real.”