Girlboss Rally 2018

The panel presented by Girlboss and the Cadillac House sparked conversations about topics and ideas that we hadn't discussed in awhile. Some of which included times we heard no in our lives, what it must be like to be the only women in a corporate office, and also the strength that the panel showed in their lives, and careers. So Sam surprised us with tickets to the rally on Sunday because she wanted to continue the momentum the panel had created. The event was held at the Knockdown center, an industrial building which had been converted to an amazing space in Flushing. The day was filled with unique speakers, workshops, meetups, free headshots (yay!), and a gift bag of goodies.

Setting the Tone

Sophia Amoruso opened up the Girlboss Rally with her remarks and introduced the poet Amanda Gorman. She performed a moving and empowering act that set the stage for the amazing women that graced the stage after. Our main goal of the day was to be further inspired by women who made their success and went against all odds to make there dreams come true, because isn’t that what we all want to achieve. We wanted to learn their tips and hopefully leave with an idea of how to grow a life that we are proud of.

Building a Brand/Empire

Building a brand or empire takes patience, honesty, authenticity, and openness to name a few. Jennifer Hyman built Rent the Runway from the bottom up and emphasized the importance of creating real honest relationships when networking. The whole process requires patience and grace which can be very difficult when you may be hearing no more times than yes. She has brands that work with her now that originally wanted nothing to do with Rent the Runway, and that would not have been possible if she burned the bridge in the early stages. Instead of buying their products and renting them on her site without permission, she waited for them to see her success and ask to work with her company.

Honesty and openness about your brand is key for it to be a success. Understanding how to turn your idea into an accomplished brand takes feedback and a community. Building a Brand They Can’t Stop Talking About Panel discussed how listening to feedback from customers, clients or even followers can help you build a brand everyone loves and respects. Jennifer Hyman from Rent the Runway would agree that listening to your community and being open to change is important because angry customers equals a failing business. It is okay if your original idea becomes altered a little. It is key to know what is working and what is not working for your brand.  

Confidence

To be confident all the time is easier said than done. When it comes to your life and your qualifications, own it. Swimming in a Sea of Tech Bros, was a panel led by four women who discussed that you must understand your value especially when your field is dominated by men. You should always know that you are just as qualified, if not more and there is a reason you were given your position.

Bozoma Saint John, the Chief Marketing Officer at Endeavor, held a panel about Stepping Into My Own Power. She was adamant about owning who you are and not apologizing for it. Women come with unique personalities and traits so we can’t be expected to fit one mold. So learn how to embrace who you are and use your skills to be successful in your career and even your personal life.

WORKSHOP: Your Story, Creating It

Olivia Christian is a marketing strategist focused on developing other’s personal brands. She also hosts her own sportscast, The Game Last Night. She led this workshop about creating a unique story that fits your brand. The goal of the workshop was to own your story, the ups and downs and demonstrate authenticity for your brand. A story is meant to illustrate how events in your life brought you to this point, how something in your childhood inspired you or overcoming a difficult time showed how strong you are. Creating your story can be difficult and overwhelming because you may have to remember events that upset you. Overcoming these challenges made you who you are in some ways and shows your audience how strong you are, not only as a brand but as a person too. By journaling, discussing, and sharing you can be able to share it confidently (Sidenote: this workshop was our favorite part of the rally!)

Next Year?

If you are thinking of hitting up the event next year, below are some of our pros and cons. Although it was a wonderful experience there is always room for improvement. And a successful business always needs to listen to its audience as we learned from Jennifer Hyman.

Pros of the event:

30 Different speakers from different backgrounds with unique experiences: so inspirationalLoved the workout session with @queenmoves24 around mid-day: re-energized and fun experience! They spread so much fun, love, and positivity! :)They fed us healthy food with snacks we would have never normally had :) FREE professional headshots (and they do your makeup if you want!) :) Swag bag (because who doesn’t love free stuff!)

Cons of the event:

Not enough interactive workshops (wish there was more)Girlboss Rally is kind of glamorized: it was really inspirational, but the small panel we saw at the Cadillac House was just as good/inspirational and free ! Can be expensive for the whole weekendWish it was more interactive between the speakers and audience. They should have taken more questions from the audience.

Featured image taken from https://www.girlboss.com/life/girlboss-rally-recap-nyc-2017.  All other images are original.