Entrepreneurs will save the world
We recently hosted our first fully digital Ask me Anything event with serial entrepreneur Anna Alex. For her first company Outfittery she raised a $60 M investment and with planetly she is now following the goal of making the business world “planet-positive” say climate-neutral. In our interactive session, Anna answered questions asked by participants, sharing her expertise and experience, as well as forming a personal connection with everyone in an inspiring atmosphere.
You missed the session?! Luckily we’ve summed up the key messages for you in the following, but make sure to be part of the next event. Stay up to date here.
Get yourself a coach
Research demonstrates that teams with diverse founders and different skill sets are performing much better. In reality, diversity is hard and requires extra effort from everyone involved as it means that you naturally don’t have the same thoughts and approaches (which is more likely in a homogeneous team). Being honest with each other is one of the key requirements to leverage the potential of a diverse founding team. Additionally, Anna recommended getting a coach early on, fostering the process of finding common ground in order to become a high-performance team.
Carbon emission: the most important KPI of them all
Fighting the climate crisis is probably the most urgent topic of our time. In this regard the business model “for purpose, for profit” adds major value to businesses. A firm intrinsic motivation is key for this type of business. As entrepreneurs shape the world of tomorrow, it is Anna’s belief that everyone can do their fair share to make the world a better place for us and the following generations. In terms of CO2 emission it is necessary to measure the carbon footprint of a company, to respect it as a relevant KPI and to reduce it – this is what planetly does: helping established businesses with exactly those KPIs.
Be thankful for critical feedback
A feasibility check is a must for every startup. Naturally, as a founder you are telling people in your environment about your business idea and asking for their opinions. Anna`s first advice in that relation is to talk about your startup as if it was someone else`s. That lowers the other person’s resistance to sharing honest thoughts about your idea (as they might be afraid to hurt your feelings, knowing it is your idea in the first place). Following that, Anna’s second advice is cherishing critical feedback. If someone really has the guts to share doubts (in a respectful manner) try to be thankful because: giving critical feedback shows that someone cares.
Network actively
Networking doesn’t start when you meet people in real life. Start connecting digitally and enter online networks and sessions, try to always stay updated. Although it is limited right now, networking events are still relevant (as soon as they are taking place again). Personal intros (so called “warm intros”) to investors or potential business partners can be a gamechanger. If your network is not strong enough yet to get these warm intros, don’t be shy to approach investors and introduce yourself. Let them know what you and your business are looking for – without you telling them, they can`t know.
You have a vision? It’s worth a shot
As a final advice Anna encouraged everyone to take the high road of becoming an entrepreneur: “Life is short. If you want to found a company do it! It is not a decision forever. It is worth it, I love being an entrepreneur!” To decrease your personal risk you can work with a self-managed time box, meaning that you set yourself a certain time frame to try your business idea (for example about 6 months). If it takes off – great! If it doesn’t – great as well, because now you know you tried and can return to a (hopefully) secure job.
Hosted in partnership with AWS
This digital event series is brought to you by Female Founders, Europe’s fastest growing community for female entrepreneurial minds and supported by Austria Wirtschaftsservice Gesellschaft mbH (aws), the promotional bank of the Austrian federal government.
You already have a startup with a female- or diverse-led team and want to get ready for investment? Check out Grow F!
You are a female employee aiming to shape the world of tomorrow and want to embrace your entrepreneurial mindset? Have a look at Lead F!
