So Weekly | March 04, 2021

So celebrates: International Women's Day Green Edition

A trilogy created partly in honor of International Women's Day, but also to applaud the female entrepreneurs we get to work with on a daily basis. A succession of different So brands and their female leaders, a collection of different women, powerful women, diverse women. Women who stand for something, women with a story. We will be sharing the latter in the coming weeks. We asked all female entrepreneurs to answer the following question: what does entrepreneurship mean to you as a woman in 2021?

Starting with women who have the same thing in common: a green view of the world and a sustainable approach when it comes to entrepreneurship. Some of the answers we got:

Kate Broug founder Anna in Bhutan
“To me, being a woman in business in 2021 is much more meaningful than ever before. These past twelve months have allowed for some serious internal searching and I've become so much more aware of my identity as an entrepreneur. I now fully realize that my real aim being a woman in business is to create purpose and meaning to this world.”

Julia Veer founder Clay And Glow
“Commit first, figure it out later. Entrepreneurship means committing to yourself and going all in, even if all the odds are against you. The best thing you can do is to bet on yourself and work hard for it. I know that I am very privileged to do whatever I want now as a young woman. I am aware of the fact that this wasn’t always the case, and I am very thankful for that. But I also feel like: we as women are just human as well. We should not feel or think that we are any less or can achieve less success because we are women. We live in a time now where everything is possible for everyone. Woman, or not.”

Jennifer Rutten founder PJR Care
“It is the passion that ensures the ambition. That will give you the strength to grow and achieve what comes from your heart.”

Jade Drouault founder Poppy Field The Label
"Being a successful woman in business means being able to determine your own life path. Women know best what women want.”

Kristie Tien founder Casey Amsterdam
“To me - being a woman, an entrepreneur and a mother - entrepreneurship means much more than just having a profitable company. A true successful female entrepreneur, in my view, is she who has found one simple thing: balance. Balance between her soft side and telling someone to cut the crap and start delivering. Balance in intuition versus rationale. Between sustainability and profitability. And on a personal level, the woman who simply doesn’t give up on finding harmony in her family-life versus her career. It’s that woman who keeps on asking herself the question: Should I go and play a game with my youngest? Or should I use this time to post my new product on Instagram? Where should my focus be today?”

Marjolein Verhart founder Marr Cosmetics
"Decide what you want, make a plan and work on it every single day. Women are very attuned to their feelings and I really see this as a blessing: I listen to my feelings with every decision I make and this indicates 100% whether it is the right decision or not. Does a company or decision no longer feel right for you? Then make sure you want to continue with it, do not always stick to the familiar, there is something new planned for you! I am also always open to new ideas/promptings from the subconscious mind. By being open to this and listening to it consciously, you get the best ideas! ”