Are You An Entrepreneur or a Female Entrepreneur?

Do you have an issue being referred to as a "female" entrepreneur? Here's what Tine Thygesen said after accepting her nomination for Best Female Entrepreneur of 2015:

In my inner heart I have to admit that I’ve also declined the invitations because I was afraid. Afraid that people would suddenly notice that I was a woman. An alien on management level!

If there is one thing we don't need in our life it is drama.  And if there is one thing we do need it's to declare who we are and be proud of it.  Tine goes on to say:

I must have had 50 invitations for speeches, about female business topics, but instead I insist on talking about Becoming An Entrepreneur (of any gender), or decline the invitation.

Read:  Why I was afraid to accept the nomination for Best Female Entrepreneur of 2015

Photo Credit: markleslie1

What Fires Up Entrepreneurship? Have Someone Say You Are Beyond Hope When You're a Kid

Ingrid Vanderveldt was once told by her elementary school principal that she was "beyond hope." As the story goes, she was struggling in fourth grade, in her hometown of Bethesda, Md. Her principal suggested that her parents pursue schooling elsewhere.

What happened after that?  You have to read the full story but let me just say this.  Since then:

She's built and sold two tech companies. She's worked with dozens of others. She's lived on a friend's couch. She's hosted her own TV show on CNBC.

And there's more ... read:  Ingrid Venderveldt has turned her focus from Dell to Empowering a Billion Women (EBW2020)

Photo Credit: torbakhopper

How to Beat Expectations As An Entrepreneur

You may enjoy being a girl but it's not the easiest being a girl entrepreneur.   A recent whitepaper, "Investing in the Success of Women High-Growth Entrepreneurs, their Teams and their Ventures," published by Astia describes the world of high-growth entrepreneurship as “a world of outliers.” I agree because I am an entrepreneur and feel like an outlier.  Being an entrepreneur is hard work and requires great creativity, chutzpah and smarts.  Not everyone is cut out for it.

Here's what the article below purports:

Make no mistake; if you are female company founder, the deck is stacked against you. The focus on increasing gender diversity in investor-funded startups has gathered momentum recently, but it remains more of a philanthropic women’s issue than an economic imperative.

Learn more:  Entrepreneurs are expected to be white and male.  We need to change this

Trusty Serving Tray For Drinks Had Major Design Flaws, Not Now

It took two Dartmouth female engineering students, Krystyna Miles and Shinri Kamei, in a casual conversation with their server at a local diner, to discover the trusty serving tray that has been used since the beginning of time when drinks were poured has major design flaws.

Learn how Krystyna and Shinri invented a simple tray that is intuitive to use and doesn't cause tendonitis for waiters.

Read:  This Holiday Season, See Why Drinks Are About To Spill A Whole Lot Less Often

Visit their website:  Tray Bien  Check out their Kickstarter campaign (completed and successful).

Screenshot courtesy:  Tray Bien