Cheers! Your Girlfriends are the key to building a successful empire

To end off the year on a good and positive note, I would like to celebrate the girl friends who have been a tremendous support to my path. Whenever I hear women say things such as “I can’t be friends with other women” or “Women are too catty”, it always makes me wonder what their experiences have been with women and how that impacts how they relate to women in general. A lot of women take their friendships for granted and I must say I have been fortunate to meet some pretty amazing women who I term as friends. Most of the women I know who are successful have very positive girl friendships. For me, I can definitely say that my friendships are what really have encouraged me to keep pushing along with my dreams, in addition to my support from my family. Having a good group of girlfriends is extremely important. One of my core beliefs is that women have to support each other in-order for us to become successful in today’s world. I believe the most important microcosm of an example is that of a really good girlfriend relationship. I recently read an article which stated an opinion I totally agree with that “If women don’t support each other we won’t succeed”. One way I think we can become successful in building an empire is by applying what we have learned in positive girl friend relationships. The girlfriends in my life have really helped shape my view of how I relate to women and people in general and I believe those experiences have been translated into my work as I continue to build my empire of WomenChangeAfrica. I picked a few things that I have experienced due to good girlfriends that can definitely impact any one in their empire which I define as a business, non for profit or the career ladder.

1.       Support and Team work- Good girlfriends support each other

In the wins and trials I have had in my life, it is the women in my life who have been there to cheer me on and wipe every tear from my eye when disappointments occur. Whether it be meeting a weight loss goal, giving a public speaking engagement or my first heart break, the conversations the women have had with me to encourage me to keep going and always make me know that I can overcome and accomplish anything. This sense of humanity translates in the professional world as support and team work and can be applied to when you are building your empire. When building your power team you need positive people who are going to support each other when things don’t go right to help re-strategize on how to become better, and provide that support to continue going.

2.      Providing good and concrete feedback- Good girlfriends give each other critical feedback to help themselves become better.

There have been plenty times when I needed to hear hard truths about a tough situation I was dealing with, whether it be a relationship, situation at work etc, or a friendship dispute.  It is those moments you not only need support but also people who have your best interest at heart to be honest and open with you about the situation. My girl friends have done just this in the past, we tell each other the truth without being judgmental, nasty or negative but asking questions, playing devil’s advocate and providing direct critical feedback about the situation. This holds true for when you own a business/nonprofit, you need constant feedback to strengthen your product. 

 3. Goal setting and planning for the future- Good girlfriends plan their futures together and grow

Every year, my girlfriends and I take a vacation to a different part of the world. It is our time to relax, and enjoy each other’s company while getting away from the hustle and bustle of our lives. We have now established that even if we move on to create families we will always have these vacations. During these trips we talk about our futures, what types of businesses we want to own, what types of families we will have and we brainstorm with each other in very informal conversations on how we will all get there. This is also very critical when you are building your empire, the space to create, plan and develop your future will help you become successful.

All of these experiences are transferable to when you are building that empire of yours. Supporting each other is anything a good team would do, providing feedback is critical to the success and growth of any business, planning for the future and having attainable goals is also critical for the success of your non profit. I hope this article was inspiring to some and affirming to others, yes a good girl friendship helps. You heard it here first, the more nurtured your relationships with your girlfriends are the bigger of a Bosschique you will become.