We asked all the companies nominated for the Champion of Women Award at the 2017 San Diego and Orange County, Women of Influence Awards, to provide what we refer to as “Fun Facts” on their company.
They shared serious fun facts and ones we think you will enjoy reading, contemplating, sharing and maybe even implementing!
Please take a few moments to read about these companies who are Champion of Women in business and life! We think you will be impressed!
fiveloaves twofish Clothing (Heather & Kit Designs Inc.)
fiveloaves twofish is a fashion driven lifestyle brand for girls, tweens, and young contemporaries. We design clothing for the up and coming generation’s needs, wants and desires. Everything is made in the heart of San Diego.
fiveloaves twofish clothing was nominated for Champion of Women because the owner makes sure every woman in her company stays creative and forward. They have an open work environment where all ideas are welcome and are led by the amazing head designer.
*Please share the top 5 activities your company has accomplished and implemented successfully to support the advancement of women in business…..
This is hard to answer I don’t think we think of it like a checklist. We are all women so we do what works for our families and us. In reflection these stick out as examples to me:
1. Our biggest impact has not come of age yet…But we are dressing the up and coming movers and shakers of our next batch of ladies from genY and up. We strive to send them a message not to let fashion use them but rather they can use fashion as their own tool. To learn self-expression, confidence and to just have fun. We hope that they will “play” and “experiment” not boxing themselves into being a “girly girl” or “tomboy” but embrace both all sides of themselves. Some days you feel like being a movie star and other days a rocket scientist. We want to empower them to explore, play and create.
2. We donate clothing through different organizations that provide for underprivileged children; Make a Wish Foundation, an orphanage inT.J. Mexico, The Immaculata Christmas Drive, Star. We also donate fabric to Mesa College for its Fashion program and students.
3. We are made in San Diego, California. We employ 3 factories here in San Diego that rely on our work. These factories are the American Dream in action; all were started by first generation immigrants, that began as a single sewer in a factory and now own and run a factory for themselves. They are made up mostly of women and are very family-centered. We rely on each other, we view our relationship as a “partnership” we rely on them and they rely on us. We could very easily move our manufacturing abroad and save money in sewing. But we feel it is worth it to invest in our factories and women here and know that our garments where made by women whose children do not have to work, but can go to school, I like to say “made for children, NOT by children.”. We enjoy knowing who is a part of making our garments. Our goal is always to make clothing that treats people and the planet with respect.
4. We invest in people not machines. There are many jobs we have that we could either source out or buy a program to do it. We always have to weigh is it worth it to pay some one or let a computer do it. Sometimes it is a hard call but since we are driven by creativity and innovation we believe in using technology to propel us forward but not replace the thinker and the creative mind. We have an intern/ mentorship program with all the San Diego schools that offer Fashion/Merchandising and Marketing. When we encounter a sharp creative mind, we find a job for them. We believe in our talent and invest in them, mentor to them and hope we are creating for them a very rewarding job that they are going to turn into a career with us.
5. We embrace the difficulties of balancing life as a woman and offer a flexible work day and week. We believe in working smarter not harder and try to train and grow our staff to be self-starters and independent in their work so that they can balance it to their duties at home. We also view each woman as an individual and make a plan that works for each individual person. Our women really tell us the schedule they need and so far it has worked.
GWEN – Global Women’s Empowerment Network
GWEN (Global Women’s Empowerment Network) is gathering women to join forces to share their brands, projects (films/series/music/books) to provide socially conscious programming, products, and services. Created by Women, FOR Women, this Powerful community celebrates and embraces The arts, advocacy, film, publishing, education and more.
What are the top three tips, strategies, or pieces of advice you would give to other organizations who seek to implement better programs that support the advancement of women in business?
1. Support your local communities, bringing grassroots efforts to the foreground.
2. Fund programs that support women-owned businesses – through scholarships, community out-reach programs, and university/college campuses.
3. Support after-school programs, summer camps, educational outreach to children so that the future generations are ready to take on their dreams to reality.
Want to learn more about what GWEN will be sharing:
“Road to Redemption” feature film starring Akon and Viva Bianca trailer
A Ride Hail App by Women for Women
See Jane Go was named the winner of the 2017 Orange County Women of Influence Awards!
See Jane Go is creating a movement for women that provides an alternative vehicle to earn an income on their terms. Until now, many women have shied away from the business opportunity of driving for a ride hail. See Jane Go offers women an enhanced driver experience and a better option to make a lucrative income driving for a company that supports women worldwide through strategic partnerships and charitable contributions with every ride.
What are the top three tips, strategies, or pieces of advice you would give to other organizations who seek to implement better programs that support the advancement of women in business?
1. Don’t exclude the men! When we talk about organizations that support the advancement of women, it’s often the “obvious” choice to have female focus groups, hire female decision makers and think only in terms of the female gender. But it’s crucial to understand that men in the work place are fathers, husbands, boyfriends, uncles and grandfathers who have women in their lives and a perspective that must be heard and acknowledged.
2. Ask “What If…?” Don’t be limited by what’s been done before. By all means, learn from examples of great companies that have paved the way for women, but regularly act as if you were starting with a clean slate. Prompt innovative conversations that begin with “What if…?” “What if” questions result in innovative solutions. It was this very question that brought our organization into being. “What if there was something like Uber, but for women” asked Savannah Jordan to her father as they drove home from a Laker Game. What if, indeed!
3. Be disruptive. While many women of a certain age have been told to “play nice in the sandbox” since they were youngsters, we all need to remind ourselves that the business world not only requires but desires disruption. We need to be brave enough to unapologetically share our ideas, our dreams and even our failures with our coworkers. We need to create and nourish fearless, risk-taking cultures. Thomas Edison found 1000 ways NOT to invent the light bulb before it was invented. Women are hard-wired to create. Give them the opportunity, space, time, flexibility and support to do just that and you will have a happy, productive and loyal work force.
Be sure to try the app out if you are out and about in Orange County this summer!
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Name one trait or behavior that you feel has helped you succeed the most in business:
“Being authentic and creating a spark with each conversation I have. I love truly bonding and leaving a spark that draws people for more. Getting beyond the business and learning those intricate things that matter to them when the workday is over, is what matters to me and makes them friends for a lifetime. Building relationships before business is my rule of thumb.”
What are the top three tips, strategies, or pieces of advice you would give to other organizations who seek to implement better programs that support the advancement of women in business?
OMGosh! I absolutely LOVE this Q!!
1. ASK everyone who works for you… “How do you want to feel?” BUT not before asking “yourselves” that. It starts at the TOP! So… those at the ‘top’ need to do the work as well. I’m not being cheeky when I say this, but… Every organization should start with that Q? – “How do I / How do WE… want to feel?” It’s a game changer!! If you want to Desire Map (and if you’ve not done it, you need to!) then call ME or do it on your own or hire another DM facilitator… but do it!
2. Tell the TRUTH. Be honest and transparent with your team and your organization. Let them know what you stand for, why you’re doing what you’re doing and why it matters. If you don’t know the answers to those Q’s, stop what you’re doing and figure it out. If after that, you still don’t have the answers, then close up shop, stop doing what you’re doing, figure it out, ask yourself “what do I/we really truly want and WHY”, THEN… go do ‘THAT!’
3. Be really generous and not just with money. With acknowledgment. With compliments. With kindness. With the TRUTH. With encouragement. Seriously. ENCOURAGE people to speak up, to share their ideas, the bring their vision to the table. To tell the TRUTH. ASK!! Yes, ask your people what they want (and I mean “what they really want?”). Ask them, how they want to feel? Ask them what’s working + what’s not working? And write a MANIFESTO that matters, that’s true and real and raw and flawed and imperfect and incomplete (which only makes it more honest and relatable and irresistible and you do that by letting go of perfection and unrealistic expectations. (Don’t know what I mean? Read Bruce Mau’s Incomplete Manifesto. It’s sublime!) And for god’s sake, express your GRATITUDE!! (ie: Be grateful for ALL of it!) CELEBRATE… together! TRUST ME! It’s a really big deal. And lastly… you MUST learn to love the hard work. Yes. The really hard work. It’s essential.
The Global Girls Project – A Heart by Design initiative
Empowering Women & Girls Around the World Through Stories of Heart-Aligned Leadership
*Please finish this sentence: “To be a champion for the advancement of women in business an organization should……”
To be a champion for the advancement of women in business, and organization should provide equal access to opportunities, resources, and pay that can help her advance in her own career. An organization should also provide opportunities to nurture women at every stage of their career, while fostering a culture that provides flexibility and alternative paths forward.
The Global Girls Project told us about their major accomplishments and we wanted to share them with you: BE INSPIRED!
1. The Global Girls Project (GGP) developed a not-for-profit storytelling platform that elevates the importance of character and core values in the women’s empowerment conversation. This platform not only elevates the voices of contributors who have shared the role core principles have played in their own leadership journey, but includes an interview series with senior policy-makers and leadership experts who have weighed in on the role personal development plays in advancing economic opportunities for women, both at home and abroad.
2. The Global Girls Project led to a two year role as a Global Community Champion for Women’s Economic Empowerment and later as communications consultant with Empower Women, a UN Women initiative. During which time we launched a global social media campaign (#iamwoman) that highlighted the voices and stories of women who have benefited from being economically empowered and men who have benefitted from a strong, empowered woman in their life. This award-winning campaign elevated the importance of women’s economic empowerment across the globe and led to the development of a book, Voices of Change, presented at the 2016 Commission on the Status of Women at UN headquarters in New York.
3. The Global Girls Project has partnered with the Foundation for Girls (www.foundationforgirls.org) to provide mentoring, financial literacy, STEM, and other skills-based training to at-risk girls in the Charlotte region, with programming designed to nurture the leader in every girl.
Costco
Costco was named the winner of the 2017 San Diego Women of Influence Awards!
Costco shared insight into their internal company initiative JOURNEYS.
JOURNEYS is a strategic business group specifically intended to help professional women at Costco. JOURNEYS meets regularly and invites all female employees to listen to and address a panel of nationally-known guest speakers on diversified topics in a question-and-answer format. Among its speakers are award-winning writers, motivational experts, and top executives from major American corporations, including Costco’s top executive, CEO, Craig Jelinik.
As an example of topics discussed, focus is placed on the concept of GRAVITAS, a collection of qualities all successful leaders exude. Confidence and Grace under Fire ranks at the top of the GRAVITAS list, followed by Decisiveness, Integrity, Emotional Intelligence, Reputation and Vision & Charisma, in that order.
They speak on the balance of health, career and family; wealth management; advancement opportunities and so much more.
In essence, JOURNEYS is a group of dedicated women helping women succeed through education, mentoring, and networking.
Costco sounds like a great place for women to work and succeed!
Champion of Women Award
Recognizes a company or organization that provides internal programs and initiatives that are unique, cutting edge and specifically designed to support the advancement and acceleration of women in the workplace.
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