239. BONUS EPISODE: “How your influence can support your entrepreneurial dreams”

Title: “How your influence can support your entrepreneurial dreams”

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH BONUS ENCORE Episode 239

Guest: A’Lelia Bundles, journalist, author and great-great granddaughter of Madam C. J. Walker

THIS WEEK’S TOPIC:

Building influence in your life and career can also help you create and leverage entrepreneurial opportunities— opportunities that don’t just serve your personal purposes, but that can help address an important need or fill a void that exists. When we get that right, it can make a tremendous difference in our ability to connect with our potential client or customer and in ways that help move them to become “raving fans!” It becomes a relationship, and something that’s much more powerful than a simple transaction.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been sharing a special collaboration series featuring women founders and entrepreneurs who are part of The Southern Coterie network. Like she said/she said podcast, The Southern C’s mission is to encourage and empower women personally and professionally and to do so by sharing stories, best practices, and advice. That sharing often leads to some powerful collaborations and some incredible opportunities!

As I’ve been reflecting on entrepreneurship and collaboration, and the connection to influence, I’ve also been thinking about one of my favorite stories about one of the first women business founders who grew her company to become one of the first women millionaires, and the first woman of color to do so. Her story is one of not only entrepreneurship, but also connection, empowering others, and pure chutzpah. It’s a great compliment to our TSC series and also a great way to celebrate Women’s History Month!

THIS WEEK’S GUEST:

A’Lelia Bundles is the great, great granddaughter of Madam C. J. Walker, one of the first women millionaires who built her company in the early 1900s to create products for African American women when few such products were available. With tremendous hard work and the support of her community of women, she propelled herself from laundress to entrepreneur and she did it using so many of the levers of influence that we talk about on this podcast.

In this weeks BONUS ENCORE Episode to celebrate Women’s History Month, I’m sharing my conversation with A’Lelia which we recorded in 2021.

A’Lelia is an award-winning journalist and historian who is the official keeper of her family’s history. Her book “On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker” was adapted into a Netflix series that fictionalizes aspects of Walker’s story.

KEY TOPICS AND WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:

How Madam Walker’s service mindset helped her build a strong customer base.

How Madam Walker used direct marketing to create a connection with her customer.

How Madam Walker drew confidence from her close network of women.

How she turned the investment she made in herself into investments in others in a myriad of ways.

How A’Lelia perspective and commitment to Madam Walker’s story is the reason why we have a better understanding of her incredible accomplishments.

How are you celebrating Women’s History Month? And which women are inspiring you? Please be sure to let me know. You can reach me via the link in the show notes which you’ll find here: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com . or email me and the she said team directly: @ [email protected]

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Looking for more She Said/She Said? You’ll find all of my episodes and content here!

LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 239:

The Southern Coterie

A’Lelia’s book: “On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker”

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