Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Brittney Canter-Barbe, Founder and CEO of PowHER, located in Miami, FL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

PowHER. At PowHER, we teach executive women and corporations how to build a better table by enabling women to take control of their professional and personal lives. We provide executive coaching and business consulting to ensure every woman can thrive in her career. We want all women to reach the top and pave the way for others to do the same. While we still can’t have it all, we can certainly make it a hell of a lot better than it is today.

Tell us about yourself

I spent 16 years in Corporate America and realized very early in my career that the workplace was not designed for women to be successful. It was crafted by predominantly white, cisgender, straight men to allow others like them to succeed. Everything from the typical work schedule and networking events to negotiating. If I wanted to succeed in a world that wasn’t designed for me, I had to forge my own path. I did just that and was able to 13x my compensation package in 5 short years in Corporate. Once I did that, I knew I had to test my framework with women from all walks of life to ensure I had a proof of concept. After ten years of testing and tweaking, I knew I was onto something, and that’s when I launched PowHER. We teach women how they can build careers that bring them joy, meaning, and more money than they ever thought possible on their own terms. This is how we build organizations and governments that are truly inclusive because, without 50% of the population at the decision-making table, we will always have a society that is designed by men, for men.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I think so many of us get lost in dollars. Dollars are the only way to achieve success. While money is certainly important for any business owner, my biggest accomplishment is personal growth in this journey. I continue to learn so much about who I am as a person each and every day in this experience. I also learn a lot more about who I am not. Without starting PowHER, I know there is no way I could be as confident as I am today, and with that confidence, I feel like I can weather any storm.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Resilience. When you are starting out as a solopreneur and even when you start building a team, you notice quickly there are no checks and balances the way you had in your traditional 9-5. No one is second-guessing your decisions or asking you, “Do you really think you should drop another 20K in ad spend?” You are going to make incredibly bad decisions in your business, and you must have the resilience to stare that failure in the face, learn from it, and pick yourself back up.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Beware of the experts. When I started my business, I was quickly overwhelmed by the number of experts reaching out to help me build my business. SEO gurus, appointment setters, business coaches, marketers, etc., you name it; it hit my inbox and continues daily. Selecting the right expert for outsourced services is just as vital as selecting the right employees. If you have one red flag pop up…run as fast as you can. They will cost you thousands and leave you feeling like an idiot.
  2. If you are ready to walk away from the traditional 9-5, make sure you build out a strong personal board of directors. I grossly underestimated the lack of support I would have from friends and family when I walked away from Corporate to start my executive coaching and consulting firm. I quickly felt completely alone, and that brought a lot of fear and self-doubt. It made all the difference when I intentionally surrounded myself with as many entrepreneurs as possible who were going through the same challenges.
  3. Stay off social media. I know…seems crazy for an online business owner to say that! While there is no way around harnessing the power of social media for your business, be careful to fall into the comparison trap of following other entrepreneurs. Outsource your social media marketing if at all possible and only use the platforms for social selling - not browsing to see how much better you think your competition is doing.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://claimyourpowher.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittneycanterbarbe/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exec.coach.brittney/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittneycbarbe/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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