The Badass CEO

Blog Post by Michelle Hayward, Founder and CEO of Bluedog Design Why Mentorship is Crucial for Female Entrepreneurs When I was a young woman growing into my career in the 1990’s, there was no roadmap. No how-to. Not a lot of thought was given, nor advice shared, on how to set up a career, manage it and update goals as my skills and instincts evolved. Unfortunately, I don’t see career management being shaped with greater intention today. Aspiring leaders need a new, better action plan for career-building. I see much professional growth limited by misconceptions and outdated strategies. Business culture seems stuck in the belief that if we get straight-A’s in school, land a good job, follow the rules, and passively wait for someone to notice how great we are, we will garner the right attention and receive promotions. Investing in that theory, young professionals get stuck in the silos of their organizations. The pressure is intense to get noticed internally, but how can we ignore the out...

Photographer: KOBU Agency | Source: Unsplash One common link between most CEOs and entrepreneurs is they didn’t get where they are on their own. So as you embark on your career or starting a company, you must surround yourself with role models or mentors to help you along the way. Only 5% of CEOs are females, and only 1.7% of female entrepreneurs ever reach a million dollars in sales. I believe one of the main reasons is because women don’t ask for help and seek mentors. The path to building your own business or climbing the corporate ladder is unknown and difficult, so having someone with experience to guide and advise you is crucial. Many CEOs and founders have mentors (even after huge success) because they look to these mentors for growth and wisdom over time. Where do you find these mentors? You can hire a business coach. You can look at someone who has done what you wanted to do in the same industry or a different one and learn everything about that person. If they are too po...