For a while now, I’ve been thinking about the type of content I should really be creating for you. We all love day-to-day outfit posts, glimpses into DIY projects, and beauty product reviews, but I’m sure you’re getting enough of that from other savvy women on the web! I wanted to nail down a unique area of expertise I could offer to you, and after giving it some thought, I felt like one topic that was lacking the attention it deserves was finance. In particular, I’d like to make entrepreneurial finance something we can talk about and learn about in this space.

Whether you dream of being a one-woman shop or imagine yourself heading up a large enterprise, starting a business can be scary and information on the financial risks of entrepreneurship isn’t always straightforward. But just because it’s a big topic to tackle doesn’t mean we can’t make it more approachable. Even just knowing some of the basic tools you should have in place while creating your own business can save you a lot of time, money, and stress in the long run—and who wouldn’t want that?

I’ve been in entrepreneurship for five years now, bootstrapped my business, and worked with many other companies on their fundraises. I’ve also had friends successfully raise equity capital and/or debt to start companies, fund them, and ultimately grow them (we’ll get to all of these topics in this series). I can’t wait to start sharing more of this information with you and hope that you gain the confidence and knowledge to start your own venture, or take on as I like to say, an “entrepreneurial mindset” knowing that you are in the driver’s seat of your career and your professional destiny.

So, what will this series be about?

We’ll cover a range of topics on entrepreneurial finance, small business finance, and personal financial goals. I’ve always noticed that whenever I post about finance or business planning, you seem to be engaged and curious for more. After finishing my MBA at Columbia Business School, I realized that it would make me incredibly happy to share all that I’ve learned both through my own experience and in the classroom. I want you to leave this space feeling empowered to make decisions that will help you grow, and I feel strongly that starting with these basics will be a great first step.

I’ll still share my outfits, décor ideas, and any news about Plan de Ville, but I think we should also talk about interest rates, the real side of entrepreneurship (it’s not all magazine features and wins!), and how to navigate your 401k, among many other things. In order to make this series as beneficial to you as possible, I think it’s important for you to feel involved. Whenever I publish a new blog post, I’ll be sure to share it on my Instagram stories and will always leave a comment box for you. Please feel free to drop in questions about the post, topics you’d like me to cover, suggestions, or anything else that’s on your mind.

Some initial thoughts…

To kick this series off, I want to touch on one important tidbit I recently went over on my Instagram story. If you missed it and would like to tap through, you can find all the info saved in my “Finance” highlight. In the future, that’s where I’ll keep anything relevant to this series.

First things first—If you’re thinking about starting your own business and are debating whether or not you should quit your full-time job in order to launch your dream company, hear me out. I’m a big proponent of covering your bases. Entrepreneurship is an extremely risky endeavor and I’m a fan of starting a business while you have a job, or while you’re in school. I know it’s a huge juggling act to find the balance between two careers (more on this later!), but until you have everything in place to make your business successful, it’s best to play it safe.

For me personally, I started my business small and grew it organically while I was studying at Parsons where I completed my first Masters in Fashion Studies. Doing this allowed me to (1) find structure in my life and have a support system and (2) cover my bases like gaining access to affordable health insurance. It’s also something I talked about in my TEDx Talk which was all about helping to build a pipeline for women to enter entrepreneurship by recognizing the potential in every woman and girl and helping her find the tools and pathways to success – whatever that looks like for her.

Thank you so much for joining me. The best is yet to come!