This week we're talking a lot about your networking and your village---and why both are incredibly important. Growing your network is only half the battle, knowing how to utilize it to your benefit, AND reciprocate is the other half.

While it is obvious to ask people for coffee lunch, drinks etc. sometimes the etiquette surrounding the ask and the follow through can be a bit murky. Check out the best business advice no one ever hares---and make it a goal try it out as soon as next week.

Many of you have asked me when to do right now when it comes to social media and your brand.

I will say one thing: I do not have the answer because there isn't one.

No one wrote a handbook for how to handle or approach social media when dealing with many of the issues we face in today's world. Here are some important steps to consider when deciding WHAT to do.

Even though we celebrate Earth Day in April, every day should honestly be Earth Day. Today we have our friend, award-winning entrepreneur and female business advocate Lindsay Pinchuk, back sharing with us SIX TEXAN FEMALE FOUNDERS who have created some incredible sustainable, clean beauty brands to make our lives safer and healthier---while also making us look great all year round.

If there is just ONE step you should take when you launch (or re-launch) your business...let it be this.

Often times, new businesses don't have the funding to hire a full time team to do everything that you need to get done. Hence---the reason why so many founders wear so many hats. It's the truth, isn't it?

But you don't need to have deep pockets and big budgets to get help. When you're starting out and when you're bootstrapping a business, you just have to be scrappy and get creative.

Here are six ways to get the help that you need....

A collaboration doesn't have to be difficult to implement. There are so many easy ways to expose yourself and your brand to new customers. Here are five ideas...

Never underestimate the power of the people who are right in front of you. In this week alone I've had a half a dozen opportunities (all different kinds!) come out of simple networking conversations. Whether it's today or ten years from now, the world put them into your orbit for a reason.⁠ ⁠

So many of you ask me for best practices for networking...and here are my top tips: ⁠ ⁠

Even if you are not a business owner, we, women, can still support each other in every way possible. This is a notion that runs through my DNA and truly, there is nothing on this planet better than watching others succeed, especially when you help to boost them up just a little along the way.

Over the last two years we've seen many women pivot and shift not only taking on the many roles needed to keep their life and their families lives moving in the right direction, but we've also seen more women embracing the flexibility the pandemic provided as a vehicle to achieve their own dreams. We have some Midwestern based female founders making history as we speak.

When you start a business and begin to take money from others in exchange for goods or services, it's important that you treat your business the way you want others to treat it too. If you want people to take you seriously, it's important that you make it legit so that others do as well.

Here are 5 simple steps to take to legitimize your business:

Business Consultant, Entrepreneur, and Small Business Expert, Lindsay Pinchuk, shares tips for working from home productively with Studio 512, Austin, TX.

Dear FoundHer…

At the pandemic's start, I participated in a 30-day nutrition challenge that was life-changing. Finally! I found a coach who understood that nutrition and exercise had to be realistic for our lives. When I participated in the challenge, I was preparing to transition from my first company, Bump Club and Beyond, to create what is now the Dear FoundHer Podcast and Community, so being prepared physically was a top priority for me.

Owner of Bright Bowls, a health food retailer in Highland Park, Illinois, Lindsay launched her business at the height of the pandemic. Opening her doors wasn't a smooth process, but she persevered to a grand opening that included a line of customers cheering her on. 

I asked Influencer and Founder Jenny Leflore to join us in one of our our first thought-provoking conversations. As the Founder of Mama Fresh Chicago, Jenny welcomes the diversity of motherhood.

In this week's podcast interview, I sat down with Jenny LeFlore for an intimate conversation about My Moments of Reinvention, including working full-time while building my business at night, falling in and out of love with my company, and the wins that made it all worth it for me.

This week on the Dear Founder Podcast, my guest Rachel Rischall, Founder of Three PR, is joining me to share her story on the benefits of being - what she calls" pleasantly persistent.”

If you’re working hard and not seeing the progress you desire, you might want to take a minute to make sure you’re avoiding these common mistakes seen so often among business owners both new and seasoned. Here are ten common mistakes that could be hindering your marketing efforts…

You're overwhelmed with all the content you "need" to put out into the world. Between Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok AND all of the various Instagram posts, reels, stories, etc. you have a lot of ground to cover.

Start with ONE piece of content and put it to work. Each week put up one piece of content on your website or blog and then use it to create multiple pieces of content. Check out how that one piece of content can work for you...

You can support small businesses each and every day without ever spending a dime. Check out how you can give some of your favorites some love this holiday season and beyond.