Full enthusiasm I picked up the magazine FAB. A magazine about female entrepreneurs in The Netherlands. Strong, brave and wise women with courage that started their own businesses. They left their comfort zone of working for a boss from 9 to 5 to start their own career. How great, how wonderful. I love to read these stories to inspire myself. As I turned the pages I saw all kinds of beautiful women passing by. I saw single women, married women, housewives all kinds of women with different backgrounds. I continued and went through the pages to look for a woman just like me. I turned the pages to look for cultural diversity. I looked, and looked until I finished the whole magazine. I got to the last page of the magazine and I couldn't find her. I couldn't find none of the women that represent every day women in the culturally diverse society we are living in today. I was very disappointed cause all I saw were the same women, page after page. But not one looked like women I see every time I step outside my door. Not one woman that looked like the Surinamese, Antillean, Cape Verdean, African, Dominican, Portugese women I know. I'm disappointed how is it possible that I didn't see 1 black female entrepreneur in the magazine. I'm so disappointed because I know that they are out there. These women are great in fashion, they are great in cosmetics, great in designing, great in finance, great in management, great in coaching, great in music. But they are not being portrayed in the media at all. Not here in The Netherlands where I live. Why are these women being covered as a secret to be forgotten?
Why do I have to go to an international magazine to read and see more about black female entrepreneurs. There are many, many black successful female entrepreneurs out here in The Netherlands. But they are not given any platform to share their story so they can be a role model for the ladies out here. I want to see and hear more about black female entrepreneurs I can relate to. Women who made it from the scratch. Women who haven't had mommy and daddy with a business of their own. I want to hear the stories of cultural diverse women who had to fight their way through to learn about businesses, to learn how to adapt into an unfamiliar culture cause they never been taught how to talk or how to negotiate with a CEO. I want to see and hear more of these stories. How did they climb up on that ladder, what steps did they took. What obstacles did they faced when they tried to be somebody in a world where no one knew their names.
I want to hear stories about women who didn't have any money in the bank and still managed to start her own business. All around the world, there are black female entrepreneurs making it. I was very happy I was able to turn into a magazine like the O' magazine or Essence to read about success stories of black female entrepreneurs but very disappointed I couldn't find it in a Dutch magazine.
I love to hear stories about women like Oprah and Lisa Nichols, women who had to deal with life and face their reality. Knowing that if they wanted a change they had to step out and change their whole surroundings. Their thoughts, their thinking and the people they hung out with.
I'm still disappointed that it's hard to find success stories of black successful women in The Netherlands. We live in 2015 and it shouldn't be like that. We still have to fight to be seen, to get a platform to share our stories. So I went on the internet and did some google research about black female entrepreneurs. And I found some amazing stories, that need to be shared. Stories to inspire every day women. Women from all cultures.
I have a short example: You may have never heard about it, I didn't until 2005. It was the year I went to the states with one of my dear friends Melissa van Hetten. Also a very inspiring and creative woman. We stayed in New York in Harlem and she introduced me to a beauty line and store called Carol's Daughter.
I was in 7th heaven when I stepped into the store. She told me about Carol's Daughter being introduced on The Oprah Winfrey Show and that it was used and supported by celebrities like Mary. J Blidge, Jada Pinket, Will Smith and Jay Z. We stepped into this amazing store on that day in October I immediately fell in love with the smell of all the products. Being a perfume lover, I couldn't resist to buy the perfume of Carol's Daughter. A sweet almond flavor. The women behind the brand is Lisa Price. She started making hair products in her Brooklyn, New York kitchen with just 100$. Today her homemade beauty line is a multi million dollar business. Unfortunately, I have to fly to the states or order it online if I want to buy a product from Carol's Daughter. Not that I don't like that, cause everybody that knows me, knows how much I'm in love with the states.
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Madame C.J. Walker
(Hair/Scalp Products)
United States first self-made black female millionaire |
There are more stories of black female entrepreneurs who made it. Starting from the scratch. These stories I want to see and hear more of. While I was researching I found 20 success stories of black female entrepreneurs I wanted to share. Click the link. http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/09/22/20-success-stories-of-black-female-entrepreneurs-you-may-not-know/
Definitely worth reading to inspire yourself and those around you. I know that there are many young ladies out there that want to dream big, that want to achieve more than where they came from but have never been in contact of what is possible. They have never seen ordinary people just like them making it. They never had role models, I believe it's very important to know what is possible to be able to dream about that possibility. If you have never seen success or prosperity how else are you gonna know what success is or how prosperity looks like. If you have never seen beauty how else are you gonna dream and have a vision about beauty.
To the world out there, to publishers, to producers, to the whole media industry here in The Netherlands there are many successful black women out there. Open your eyes and you'll see rich, successful colors all around you.
