Women Business Leaders Share Career Advice for Young Women

Women have made incredible strides in business in the last few decades, but there’s a whole lot of progress left to be made. In 2018, women accounted for 47% of the U.S. labor force—but less than 5% of chief executive positions in Fortune 500 companies.¹ This Women’s History Month, we asked three women business leaders to share their best advice to help inspire the next generation of female leaders.

“While you need to have passion, you also need to have a plan.” – Lauren Berger, founder of Intern Queen

Lauren Berger knows a thing or two about being a successful entrepreneur. She founded her own company, Intern Queen Inc., in 2009 and since then she’s been teaching young people that being successful is not all about wanting it—it’s about putting the work in too. “You can be passionate about a lot of things, but that passion isn’t going to pay the bills,” she says. “It’s a matter of being passionate but also having a plan.” To Lauren, that means don’t quit your day job before you have a clear plan that aligns with your passion.

And be ready for rejection. Once you go for it, rejection is inevitable and a part of being a successful entrepreneur. “Obstacles come all the time. Rejection comes all the time,” she says. “Fall in love with rejection.” When you’re met with rejection, accept it gracefully and don’t burn any bridges—rejections can turn into successes in the future. Turning rejection into an opportunity is just part of the business. “Most of my business relationships start off with the person saying ‘no’ and then me having a killer follow-up game over three years and turning that no into a yes.”

Lauren has also learned the hard way that being busy all the time does not equal being successful. “The busier does not translate to the better. It’s about the result of your effort,” she says. Lauren is debunking the myth that professionals looking to climb their way to the top or grow their businesses have to be busy all the time to be successful. You can read her new book Get It Together: Ditch the Chaos, Do the Work, and Design your Success to learn more about how to align your time with your priorities. “It’s all about working smarter not harder.”

“Understand the value you add to an organization.” – Jacqueline Twillie, founder of ZeroGap

Jacqueline Twillie, founder of ZeroGap is on a mission to ensure women don’t leave money on the negotiating table. To her, that means empowering women with leadership skills. The hard part? Mastering these skills may not come as naturally to women. “Things that men are taught and expected to do, women have to learn the hard way,” she says. “It’s important for us to mentor the next generation of women so that they can come up to speed and they can learn from our mistakes to accelerate their own development.”

Fast-tracking to the C-suite is possible when women aren’t just grateful for their opportunities. Know your value—the work that you do contributes to the success of the company you work for, so make sure you get paid like it. “By neglecting to negotiate her starting salary for her first job, a woman may sacrifice over half a million dollars in lost earnings by the end of her career.”² Jacqueline came up with the LATTE framework to help women come prepared to the negotiating table. “You don’t want to wing it,” she says. “At any phase of life, information is power. The more you know, the better-informed decisions you’ll be able to make.”

Jacqueline also specializes in coaching women who are entering male-dominated industries. She suggests, “Tap into a professional association. Find opportunities to link into a mentor relationship—by having that exposure to a mentor it’ll really accelerate the development into a male-dominated industry.” You can also read her book, Navigating the Career Jungle: A Guide for Young Professionals for tips on getting ahead.

“Project confidence in everything you do.” – Mariola Suchorzepka, Underwriting Assistant at Sompo International and NAF alumna 

For Mariola Suchorzepka, confidence is the most important skill you can bring to the job. The NAF alumna and Underwriting Assistant at Sompo International has learned that confidence can take you a long way in business and now advocates for other women to build on their confidence. “We’re in a culture where it may seem like we’re in competition with one another, but that’s not the case,” she says. “Strong women who help other women, become even stronger.”

While that may be true, having confidence right out the gate is hard for many people, especially those just starting out their careers. The good news though, according to Mariola, is that confidence is not something you need to be born with—it’s something you continuously work on. “It’s truly more of a muscle and a leadership skill that is built,” she says. “Raising your hand, speaking up for yourself, will truly pay off because people will notice you.”

To sharpen these skills, Mariola recommends developing your public speaking abilities. “It’s not what you say. It’s how you say it,” Mariola says. “That means not being afraid to ask questions and expressing yourself clearly.” Mariola mentors NAF academy students through the Toastmasters Youth Leadership Enrichment Program where students work on their self-confidence while improving their public speaking skills. Mariola, who went through the program herself when she was in high school, believes in giving back “because empowering women is what will make us better.”

Women’s History Month may be coming to an end, but it’s important to continue these conversations year-round. Follow @NAFCareerAcads for more on #WomensHistoryMonth and workforce updates.

¹ Center for American Progress, “The Women’s Leadership Gap,” available at https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/reports/2018/11/20/461273/womens-leadership-gap-2/ (last accessed March 2019).

² Women Don’t Ask – Negotiation and the Gender Divide, “Interesting Statistics,” available at http://www.womendontask.com/stats.html (last accessed March 2019).