018 | Leveling The Playing Field for Female Leaders with Melissa Widner Artwork

She's That Founder: Business Strategy, Time Management and AI Magic for Impactful Female Leaders

You’re listening to She’s That Founder: the show for ambitious women ready to stop drowning in decisions and start running their businesses like the confident CEO they were born to be.

Here, we blend business strategy, leadership coaching, and a little AI magic to help you scale smarter—not harder.

I’m Dawn Andrews, your executive coach and business strategist. And if your to-do list is longer than a CVS receipt and you’re still the one refilling the printer paper... this episode is for you.

Each week, we talk smarter delegation, systems that don’t collapse when you take a nap, and AI tools that actually lighten your load—not add more tabs to your mental browser.

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Proven strategies to grow your revenue and your impact
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She's That Founder: Business Strategy, Time Management and AI Magic for Impactful Female Leaders

018 | Leveling The Playing Field for Female Leaders with Melissa Widner

January 24, 2023 • Dawn Andrews • Episode 18

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Being a female founder is hard. Raising capital and retaining control of your company is harder when only 2.6% of all venture capital goes to female-founded startups. And the cost of getting that capital is giving up your equity in your company. That's why I sat down with My Good Woman, Melissa Widner, the CEO of Lighter Capital.

Melissa deeply understands the entrepreneur's journey and the role a funding partner can play in developing a business. As CEO, Melissa led two companies to successful exits returning more than 10 X to her investors.

She was the founder and CEO of Silicon Valley-based 7 Software and the Managing Director of NAB Ventures, the VC arm of the National Australia Bank. She led NAB’s investments into high-growth fintech, including Lighter Capital, the pioneer and leader in revenue-based financing for tech startups and scale-up. And if that isn't awesome enough for you, Melissa is also the co-founder and chairperson of Sydney- based Heads Over Heels, an organization supporting women entrepreneurs running companies with high growth potential.

In this episode, Melissa and I discuss

Leveling the playing field for female founders
Equity or debt? Which is better when you're building your business?
How revenue-based financing works as opposed to venture financing
How to retain ownership of your company amidst rapid growth

This episode at a glance:

[04:54] There are people that become very successful entrepreneurs, even in their forties or fifties, who wouldn't have seemed to have had an entrepreneurial bone in their body as a kid.

[13:10] Revenue-based financing leverages the strength of women. Women tend to be good at creating relationships, which means they can build community. That would build on that angel funding.

[20:54] I realized timing is something you can't control, but often it's what determines success.

[26:23] We connect our companies to senior business leaders willing to open up their networks because they want to see the numbers change. They want to see more women growing their businesses.

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More about the “My Good Woman” podcast
My Good Woman is a podcast for bold female leaders hosted by me, Dawn Andrews! Grab a seat at the table for candid conversations with culture-shifting, glass-ceiling-busting, trailblazing women who are leading enterprises that are making a change in the world.

Want to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.