Here at NYMM, we’re no stranger to badass women. We love seeing women who are able to take life by the lapels and make moves happen. However, it’s not everyday that we get the chance to sit down with a self-made female entrepreneur who built her blogging empire from the ground up.
Elaine Rau, founder of LadyBossBlogger, is our Badass woman of the week, and we had a chance to ask her what we were sure our readers wanted to hear. Check out what she had to say about being a real life #BossBabe.
1. We’re always excited to hear about the “ah-ha!” moment that finally pushes women into changing their lives. Was there a moment like that for you that inspired you to commit to entrepreneurism?
The moment that my boss told me I couldn’t attend my fiancé’s brother’s funeral [in Honduras] because “it would affect sales” was the same day I quit. I never wanted to go into business for myself, but my circumstances forced me to adapt. I was living in a developing country with no job opportunities, so I decided that I needed to start making money online somehow to survive.
2. In many of our interviews, women mention obstacles they had to overcome just to be taken seriously as equals in their field. Were there any hardships you faced along the way that might speak to this?
Before founding LadyBossBlogger.com, I worked in the wedding industry, which primarily caters to women. However, the further I climbed up the corporate ladder, the fewer women I saw in leadership. It came to a point where I was the only woman at executive meetings, and I was NEVER taken seriously. This was part of the reason why I decided to highlight female entrepreneurs on [LadyBossBlogger] to show more women what they can achieve.
3. Now that you’re more confident in your skills and obviously more successful in your business, what lessons have you learned that might be something our readers need to hear?
You have to be your own cheerleader first and foremost before anyone will rally behind you. Believe in yourself and your abilities. Sometimes you’re blind to what you’re best at because it comes so naturally to you. For me, it was my skills in delegation. I had a team of interns helping me out from day one. Learn what your superpower is by simply paying attention to yourself!
4. Are there any badass women that encouraged and/or inspired your blog?
Jennifer Lezan was the blogger that I worked for before I started my own. Because of my positive experience writing for her, I attributed creativity and stress relief with blogging which is why when I was wondering what I should do, I decided to start a blog… to get that feeling back again.
5. Lastly, we get a lot of emails from young women who want to change the world, but don’t know how. Is there any advice you could give to those women who are struggling to break into the world of business?
You will never know how strong you are until you reach a point where being strong is the only choice you have. And you want to know something? You are stronger than you think – but you have to take the leap to see how resilient you can be. It won’t be fun, at least not initially, but it will be extremely rewarding.
Be sure to check out more on Elaine and her guides to living your best entrepreneurial, #BossBabe life at LadyBossBlogger.com!
All images courtesy of Elaine Rau
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