Diversifying The Female Corporate World
As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and during this incredibly difficult year Jasmine Douglas, a 24-year-old mixed British American woman with Nigerian heritage, has done just that. During the first lockdown, Jasmine had no time to question how to stay motivated and productive, she was busy finalising her business plans to empower female entrepreneurs and in May 2020 she officially launched Babes on Waves, an inclusive, truly diverse business club for women.
Jasmine’s own experience of the business world as a mixed-race female was an unwelcome one and she had often felt alone and unseen. Shocked at the lack of diversity and determined to prevent other women from feeling the same she decided to set up a network that would actively champion underrepresented founders. Her vision was to build a supportive business community that allowed uniqueness and diversity to thrive, a club which would instil such confidence in its members that they could happily hold their own at networking events, amongst overconfident men throwing around big words in a stiff environment.
Undeterred by the challenge and despite what was happening around her with COVID-19, the idea became a vision, the vision became a reality and within the first two months of launching Babes on Waves, Jasmine watched the network successfully grow to 60 members. 80% of those that signed up were black women and women of colour, bringing her goal of creating a different business space for the benefit of those she believes in and uniting females from all different backgrounds, to fruition. As a collection of diverse, female entrepreneurs working together in a white-male-dominated business world, they have started to build a future that allows gender and race equality to shine.
It’s a known fact that a major obstacle to entrepreneurship among women is their lack of confidence and their personal struggle of battling imposter syndrome. Jasmine recognises the importance overcoming this within the next generation of entrepreneurs and is committed to tackling this problem head on. A big part of the membership helps women to launch, grow and manage their businesses with inspiring workshops and networking events run by industry professionals, but knowing this isn’t enough Babes on Waves also holds regular coaching sessions to give their members the tools to build positive mindsets and to break down the mental barriers that have held women back for too long.
Women celebrating women is a big part of the group’s collective success and shows what can be achieved when we work together. Can you think of a time when you downplayed an accomplishment? It’s another known phenomenon amongst women but recognising and honouring our own successes is one of Jasmine’s top tips for women in business. The Babes on Waves’ members are actively encouraged to champion their individual achievements and to celebrate each other’s accomplishments too. With a protective sisterhood mentality, members build each other up, inspire each other, learn from each other and find that leaning on each other is the secret to success.
The launch of Babes on Waves shows what can be achieved even during times of difficulty. Jasmine says “Staying motivated can be hard at the moment but don’t underestimate the importance of goal setting. Write your goal somewhere visible and give yourself a deadline. If it feels overwhelming don’t be afraid to break bigger goals down into smaller manageable steps and then you can work towards it bit by bit. Sharing your goal with others, even if it feels scary, can also be a great way to hold yourself to account.” The advice is tried and tested as Babes on Waves has an accountability system in place which motivates women to not only set but to reach their business goals.
Feeling isolated especially during the pandemic is another barrier to overcome. Babes on Waves has launched a virtual coworking club to help combat loneliness in entrepreneurship and to help keep members connected. Jasmine has also found this a valuable way of maintaining a positive mental attitude towards her workload, “If you can create your own mini network, you’ll feel more motivated and proactive so try setting up your own co-working club. Agree a time to meet online, allow 15 minutes for discussions about targets and then work virtually side by side for an hour a day. You’ll be amazed how much you achieve by the end of the session.”
To find out more about Babes on Waves visit babesonwaves.club.
