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

047 | Why Layoffs and Cultural Shifts Are Your Launchpad

• Dawn Andrews • Season 1 • Episode 47

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Ready to seize the moment and turn industry chaos into your launchpad? In this episode, we're exploring how to build something extraordinary on a shoestring budget. I'll share secrets to skyrocketing business growth, igniting the CEO within you, and making bold moves amidst major industry shakeups. 

You'll get the scoop on affordable, accessible tools and strategies to kickstart your venture. Plus, we're dreaming big about a future where women hold 51% of leadership roles—because your success is not just personal, it's a game-changer for all of us. I am already proud of you, My Good Woman!


In this episode,

  • You’ll learn how to capitalize on industry chaos and cultural shifts to launch and grow your business.
  • You’ll takeaway strategies/tips to ignite your inner CEO and make bold moves during times of uncertainty.
  • You’ll discover affordable and accessible tools and strategies to kickstart your venture on a budget.
  • You’ll learn the importance of women in leadership roles and how your success contributes to a larger movement for gender equality in leadership.


This episode at a glance:

[02:42] There are women who have been climbing the ladder who may not have been able to get past a certain rung that are being let go and set loose, and that's ‘possibility’ everywhere.

[03:05] This is a moment of possibility. This is your sign. This is now. This is your time to build and create something. 

[05:27] There were some longer nights, some earlier mornings. Some weekends to be able to learn how to do it all. 

[06:08] You may just need somebody to hold your hand a little bit and mentor you. 

[07:20] What you choose to do and where you choose to spend your time is contributing to that larger future for all of us.


Resources and Links mentioned in this episode:


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My Good Woman
Ep. 47 |  Why Layoffs and Cultural Shifts Are Your Launchpad

Dawn Andrews:

This is a moment of possibility. This is your sign. This is now. This is your time. To build and create something. It is completely possible. The world we are living in has never been a better foundation for doing something extraordinary on a shoestring budget .


Welcome to the My Good Woman podcast where we help female founders break past plateaus and get to the next level of business growth by refining their strategy building systems and streamlining operations. 

I'm Dawn Andrews. The founder and CEO of free range thinking business strategy consulting. Join me each week for candid conversations, with culture, shifting glass ceiling busting trailblazing women who are leading impactful enterprises and grab their strategies to help your business reach extraordinary levels of growth.

It's the late afternoon. I am winding down for the day. I think I'm going to go for a run. I'm sitting here in my messy bun. But I am about to go on a rant. Because I cannot have another conversation with a brilliant, amazing, skilled, incredible woman with high level expertise and visibility and connections and so many amazing qualities.

Who is hiding out in corporate, afraid to push for more. Afraid to ask for more demand, or afraid to leave corporate when they know that they've been trying to, and it is time. Welcome to my good woman. This is where we ignite the CEO in every female founder.

And today I am talking about the fearless woman in corporate, on the brink of making a leap. And I say fearless, because I know that you can be, but I know that maybe you're not right now. And it is your time to rise and lead.

And let's talk about now amidst major layoffs and shifts. Why now, when there is so much change and so much uncertainty, is this your moment to shine?

Well I'm gonna talk about it a little bit.

Okay. 

As you all know, I'm in the entertainment industry. I work with a lot of people in media and in arts and media culture. And the current landscape is really rough right now. All of the major streaming platforms are letting people go. Linear television platforms are letting people go.

Linear television as we know it is dying a long, slow, horrible death. Things are changing and after the strike last year, the eight month long strike. And the potential of an upcoming strike this August; The entertainment industry is really going through a route like a re-evaluation of what it's all about.

And a lot of high level executives are being, let go, which means that there is a huge pool of talent that is being set free. And I find that to be very exciting. That means that there are women who have been climbing the ladder who may not have been able to get past a certain rung. That are being, let go and set loose.

And that's possibility everywhere. 

Like, this is me making the request. Hear it as a a demand that if you are a woman in corporate, not just in media arts entertainment, culture. But in any spot in corporate and you are on the verge of being, let go; this is a moment of possibility. This is your sign. This is now. This is your time. To build and create something. It is completely possible. The world we are living in has never been a better foundation for doing something extraordinary on a shoestring budget to get started. 

But it doesn't even have to be like that for you. For some of you out there, you already have extraordinary relationships. You have access to cash. You have tons of ideas in your head that you've been keeping on hold because you're waiting for a moment. 

Now is the time to share and build and leverage your community to make all of that possible. 

I think your expertise is power. It is an avenue and a tool for world domination. And we have sat by too long in an old school paradigm with men leading and believed that we're not enough. 

And you are enough. You have enough, your time is now. 

I'm telling you, that's what's up. Let me be specific about why launching something now is perfect. 

As I mentioned before you got the skills, you got the talents, you got the people. If you've been in corporate for a long time, especially if you've reached higher levels in corporate, like that VP and above level. You've already got the relationship, so that's great. 

You probably have expertise that would pay you cash to consult with the minute you leave the office. What you may not have is all of the stuff that has been gently wrapped around you, keeping you safe for the last, however many years. The sales team, the marketing team, the operations team, your personal assistant. And it's scary to not have all of those. 

You're going to have to learn some new skills and develop some new expertise. But you have Google and YouTube, and other experts to teach you everything that you need to know. You have access to the intelligence of the world through the internet to be able to get you up to speed. 

Is it overwhelming at times? Hell. Yeah. 

Is it completely possible? 100%. 

I didn't know how to podcast two years ago. And look at me, I'm yelling into a mic at you now, so anything is possible. Another reason the time is now is because these tools have been around long enough that they're reasonably inexpensive. So you don't need a ton of cash or big runway or big investors to get going. 

I was having a chat with a client today about launching my podcast and I think all in, it was about $2,000 in equipment and cloud-based tools to get going and a pretty steep learning curve. So there were some longer nights, some earlier mornings, some weekends to be able to learn how to do it all. 

And it doesn't have to stay me doing it all and it isn't me doing it all now. So it doesn't have to be that way for you. But you just have to be willing to get your hands dirty a little bit, to be able to grow and then be able to pass it off to other people. All of these tools are available to you and their inexpensive and they're everywhere on the internet. 

Tools like Descript and Squadcast for recording and editing. Buzzsprout for publishing. Opus for being able to cut up your clips and use them on Tik Tok and socials. So many great tools. Active campaign for being able to send out emails to market. And then of course your free social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok. 

You got it, it's all there. You may just need somebody to hold your hand a little bit and mentor you. And that's okay because it's more community building, which you've already done before. You've already done that if you've climbed the ladder in corporate, so you know how to get that done. 

So let's talk about the bigger picture for one more minute. I have a vision of a world where 51% of all leadership roles are held by women. The reason that vision is important to me is because what got us here is not going to get us there. I don't know how many months we are out from the election.

I'm very trepidatious about it. I got all the ugh In my stomach about it. And I also feel incredibly hopeful. Incredibly hopeful for our country, for the potential of leadership. I feel incredibly hopeful for women even though right now on the surface in the headlines, it does not look good. 

But it's a galvanizing moment. It's a time for us to really think about who do we want to be? 

How do we want to show up? And what do we want to show up for? 

The time is now. 

And what if we had 51% of those leadership roles filled by women. 

What type of world would we have then? 

I think a much better one than we have now. 

So how do we get to that 51%? 

Each one of us is responsible for ourselves and for lifting as we climb. What you choose to do and where you choose to spend your time is contributing to that larger future for all of us. And I would love to see you feel brave and bold, and to reach beyond yourself to know that you leaving corporate and starting your own thing. Actually is giving permission to somebody else, another woman next to you or that's reporting to you to have the courage to do the same. Or to join you in your venture, who knows? 

This benefits, not just each of us with our self-expression, with our incomes, and with total growth. But it raises the visibility and voice for women everywhere. 

Thank you for letting me let all that out. It was all pent up. 

Your expertise is your power. You can overcome your fear and concern. Because you've already built something great if you're inside a company and you can build something even better outside of it. And now is your moment. 

If you're waiting for a sign. If you were watching me, I would hold up something that says, this is your sign. 

So take action towards your goals. If you're stuck, reach out. I'm not shouting into this microphone for nothing. I'm trying to move y'all along. So reach out. You can find me on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. 

Thanks for listening to my visionary rant. I believe in the 51% and I believe in you and until next time. I can't wait for our next conversation, my good woman. 

Take care.

Thank you for joining me, my good woman. 

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