May 2024

When you run a company, you need every basic tool available to streamline your communications, content creation, and sales abilities. You also need to operate on a computer outfitted with a capable and robust operating system designed to support modern productivity.

Through 11:59 p.m. PT on May 12th only, you can get The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle on sale for just $69.97 (reg. $438).

Known by many for a long time, Microsoft Office Professional features a suite of apps designed to help you write, present, organize, email, and more. Unlike with Microsoft 365, there are no additional monthly fees with Office. These are the ones included with this lifetime license:

• Access
• Publisher
• OneNote
• Teams
• Outlook
• PowerPoint
• Excel
• Word

This bundle also includes Windows 11 Pro, the latest Microsoft operating system, which offers advanced security features and productivity elements that can help keep any modern professional on task and safe.

On the security front, the system uses tools like Smart App Control, biometric logins, and TPM 2.0 to help keep you protected. When it comes to productivity, it offers tools like improved voice typing and the support of AI-powered tools like Microsoft Copilot. And because Office includes Teams, you get a hub of communication for your team.

This deal has several 5/5 star ratings on the Entrepreneur Store, and Windows 11 Pro is rated 4/5 stars on PC Magazine and TechRadar.

Through 11:59 p.m. PT on May 12th only, you can get The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle on sale for just $69.97 (reg. $438).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Driving safely is always important for you, your team members, and anyone with whom you might share the road. Whether driving your own car to work or a rental car on a business trip, you always need to make sure that you’re using your GPS and any other features from your smartphone as safely as possible. A portable car display can help a lot with this.

For a limited time, through 11:59 p.m. PT on May 12th only, this 6.8″ Foldable Touchscreen Car Display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Support is on sale for just $89.97 (reg. $159).

This widely capable display enables the driver of a car to use hands-free tools to interact with the navigation, make calls, or play music while keeping their eyes on the road. This display’s compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto enables it to offer all those features by connecting drivers to Siri and Google Assistant. It also comes with a built-in FM transmitter, Bluetooth, and an AUX jack.

For those who have compatible rearview cameras, the display supports taking and showing a feed from them. It’s also designed to be widely compatible with a wide range of cars, trucks, buses, RVs, and tractors.

If you’re sending employees out on the road and having them rent cars, it would be a really cool and thoughtful move to equip them with a car display for safety. It can also be a lifesaving tool for you.

Don’t forget that only through 11:59 p.m. PT on May 12th, you can get this 6.8″ Foldable Touchscreen Car Display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Support on sale for just $89.97 (reg. $159).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Clinton is a renowned entertainment mogul, author, speaker, entrepreneur, visionary brand builder, creative executive, and leading-edge innovator when it comes to integrating culture, collaboration, and cross-platform marketing with an outstanding track record of success, and background managing multiple products from ideation to market launch.

He is also a Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum music producer, songwriter and DJ responsible for over 75 million records sold.

Clinton is a VIP writer for Entrepreneur+. Become a member today and see his latest articles and insights. 

It’s no secret that the startup world is hardcore. Half of startups fail before year five, and only one in ten survive in the long run. Recent economic trends aren’t too encouraging either. Last year saw a 38% drop in global startup investment and a 30% decrease in the U.S., specifically. Moreover, of the available funds, a significant amount was gobbled up by trendy artificial intelligence startups. So, if you’re not in AI, the picture may appear even more grim.

Today’s founders have to come to terms with the fact that the VC funding round they’ve been working toward might not materialize. Though this has always been the case, the bar is now so high that a plan B is essential — how will your business survive if it doesn’t receive funding?

Alternative startup funding is one increasingly popular option, e.g., taking out a loan with a traditional credit institution. But this isn’t for everyone and definitely not for pre-revenue startups because the bank needs to see how you will repay the loan. Plus, collateral — or the lack thereof — may disqualify any software or other startups up front, as, unlike VCs, banks don’t operate on faith.

So, if nobody’s giving you funds and you don’t have the runway to hold out until the ecosystem picks up again, there’s only one way your startup can grow — become profitable.

Related: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Building a Successful Business

Why profitability needs to be top-of-mind even if you’re doing well

I have been actively fundraising for my on-demand Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) startup since its inception three years ago. First, we raised $1.9 million in pre-seed capital for building out our business core, which we did — securing the necessary partnerships, putting together a base of operations, developing our software and growing the team.

With a solid foundation and proven business model, it was time to scale, and we sought VC partners to help us ramp up our operations. What I expected to be three to six months of active fundraising turned into a year that bled into the next and, to this day, is ongoing.

Despite demonstrably positive business results and a slew of warm contacts and cold pitches, investor response was tepid. Interest came with conditions and homework — “Let’s reconnect when you achieve these figures.” But when we did, the goalposts shifted. Fundraising started to feel like a goose chase, and the increasingly turbulent economic environment didn’t do us any favors either.

Right now, competition is intense and startups that investors would swarm just a few years ago might not get a second look today. With that in mind, founders should avoid placing all their eggs in one basket and hedge their bets by approaching growth in a profit-oriented direction.

Because if you don’t, you have two equally unappealing options: going bust or getting chained to an opportunist investor who will pay pennies on the dollar.

Three things a founder must do to be profitable

Four months ago, my startup reached profitability for the first time. It came after more than a year of active work and planning, and here’s what it took.

1. Change your mindset

The main job of a startup founder is to raise funds — this is something that gets drilled in at incubators, accelerators and other mentorship programs. Accordingly, a founder’s focus often lies in beautifying their startup for investors, i.e. finding ways to boost KPIs even if it’s unsustainable, focusing on design over functionality, and spending big in marketing to demonstrate growth.

When pursuing profitability, this must be unlearned. Growth cannot be cosmetic, and for many, that demands a change in mindset. Goals and priorities must be redefined. Forget maximizing sign-ups; focus on paying customers; forget vanity metrics; focus on conversions; forget your personal wants; focus on business needs.

Note that this doesn’t mean you should stop fundraising, but you probably will have to revise your pitch deck.

Related: How to Fund Your Business With Venture Capital

2. Optimize your business

A changed mindset is not enough—you need to get in the trenches and optimize, optimize, optimize. For a regular business, your runway is limited, and if you don’t bring your balance sheet into the green, then it’s game over.

Here’s one specific area to pay attention to: startups often hyperfocus on client acquisition and neglect user retention. They’ll pay through their nose to get a signup but invest little in ensuring clients stick around, leading to a profitability-killer combo of high CPA (cost per acquisition) and a high churn rate.

As my co-founder always tells our clients: “All you need is 100 loyal customers for a successful full-time business.” We adopted the same mentality, going for quality over quantity.

Tackling this was a cornerstone of our journey to profitability. We went to great lengths to understand specifically when and where our clients churn and put all our effort into answering their pain points to ensure people keep using our services. This way, you’ll get more bang for every buck you’ve invested in acquisition.

3. Expand your offering

Unless you’ve been striving for profitability since day one, chances are it’s going to take you a very long time to reach it. In fact, it may be impossible to reorient your business quickly enough. For this reason, it’s wise to look into additional revenue streams that can support your business while it turns over a new leaf. This can be anything from additional services to new products. For example, my CPG startup allows anyone to start a side hustle or full-blown business selling on-demand supplements, cosmetics, and packaged foods. However, to start selling, our customers need to set up an online store where they can direct their customers.

While our customers found our platform easy to use, they struggled to set up a store – so we began offering assistance with this as a separate service. Essentially, we leveraged our existing expertise to offer ecommerce development services, which was critical in extending our runway.

After publicly exiting the board of Twitter/X rival Bluesky on Saturday, and taking to X to announce it, Jack Dorsey explained his thinking in a Thursday interview with Founders Fund’s Mike Solana.

Dorsey stated that Bluesky was “supposed to be an open source protocol that Twitter could eventually utilize” — not become its own platform with a board and external funding.

Bluesky started as a small research project within then-Twitter in 2019 to create a common operating standard for social media platforms so that apps could work between them. It became its own company in 2022. The platform received $8 million in venture capital funding in July 2023.

Related: Jack Dorsey Announces His Departure from Bluesky on X, Calls Elon Musk’s Platform ‘Freedom Technology’

After Bluesky became a separate entity, “that was the first time I felt like, whoa, this isn’t going in a direction I’m really happy with, or that wasn’t the intention,” Dorsey said.

Dorsey notably claimed that Bluesky, the X alternative he helped fund and create, was “literally repeating” the mistakes he saw at Twitter. Dorsey has deleted his Bluesky account, per the interview.

^{Twitter/X founder Jack Dorsey. Photo Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images}

Dorsey also called out Bluesky for providing moderation tools and blocking certain users.

“That was the second moment I thought, uh, nope,” Dorsey said. “This is literally repeating all the mistakes we made [at Twitter/X]. This is not a protocol that’s truly decentralized. It’s another app.”

Related: Jack Dorsey Showed Up to the Super Bowl Rocking a ‘Satoshi’ T-Shirt

Bluesky announced in December that it was releasing automated content moderation tools after controversies earlier in the year over whether the platform was safe for all communities. In March, Bluesky decided to open-source its content moderation tool so that users could personalize their feeds.

Bluesky CEO Jay Graber responded directly to Dorsey’s comments late Thursday. In a series of Bluesky posts, Graber wrote that “Bluesky is structurally open in a way Twitter has never been.”

With all due respect to Jack for having the vision to invest in decentralized protocols, we’ve carried out the work in a way I don’t think he fully understands. Bluesky is structurally open in a way Twitter has never been, but the design of atproto allows it to feel familiar and easy to use.

— Jay ? (@jay.bsky.team) May 9, 2024 at 8:32 PM

Graber elaborated: “You don’t have to care about or even understand decentralization to use Bluesky, and that’s on purpose. Keeping things simple on the surface creates a good user experience. But if you want to customize your experience, there are endless options under the hood because we built an open system.”

Bluesky’s protocol engineer Paul Frazee called unmoderated spaces “a ridiculous idea,” bringing attention to app store rules, users, and regulators.

Also: unmoderated spaces are a ridiculous idea. We created a shared network for competing moderated spaces to exist. Even if somebody wanted to make an unmoderated ATProto app, I guess they could? Good luck with the app stores and regulators and users, I guess.

Checks and balances, not anarchy

— Paul “Frazee” ? (@pfrazee.com) May 9, 2024 at 5:24 PM

Dorsey’s most recent post on X at the time of writing was simply: “Show don’t tell.”

As your career grows, your network, ideally, should grow alongside it. A professional network ultimately expands your opportunities, helps you achieve your goals and introduces you to people across industries and experiences. Board positions are a crucial element of any professional network.

I sat on my first board as a preteen when I served as a member of one of the first youth credit unions in my hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts. It was a Black-owned venture that was owned and managed by young people; it showed me the power of people coming together to pursue a goal and share ideas.

Flash forward to now, and, among my other board positions, I currently sit on the National Women’s Business Council, a nonpartisan federal advisory committee serving as an independent source of advice and policy recommendations to the United States President, Congress and the Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. From this position, I can influence the government on issues of importance to women business owners and entrepreneurs.

As I’ve built out a decades-long career as an entrepreneur and thought leader, I’ve seen the power board positions can have on one’s professional life and influence, especially when you’re starting out. More than just a résumé booster, these opportunities can pivot your career in new directions. They can grow your confidence and skills. And, if you’re an entrepreneur, they can attract funding and advisors for your own ventures.

Conversely, companies with more diverse boards tend to outperform their less diverse counterparts. A recent McKinsey Insights report about corporate diversity shows that companies with diverse boards of directors, across genders and ethnicities, financially surpass less diverse companies. I see those results in my day job as the executive director of the Frank & Eileen™ Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership at Babson College. It’s as imperative as ever for boards to seek out new individuals for these positions.

Board positions can include advisory boards for nonprofits and community organizations, boards of directors or trustees for startups and other organizations, as well as government and commission boards. Even if your stint is short or doesn’t feel fruitful in the moment, there are benefits to reap from the experiences. When looking for positions, keep these factors in mind.

Related: Thinking of Joining a Board? Here Are 3 Things You Must Consider First

Think outside your personal box

From commercial businesses to higher education institutes to community organizations, there are dozens of board opportunities to explore. Some boards I sit on now are ones I would have never considered early in my career. Those experiences have only expanded my skill sets and networking opportunities. Don’t let your current role or interests dictate your board position search.

When searching for board positions, pay more attention to the job description than the industry. You can adapt your skills across fields; it’s more important to ensure you get what you want out of the position.

Look at company websites and traditional job boards such as LinkedIn to find what’s out there and how the organization describes the position. Also, see how different organizations define board members vs. directors vs. committee members to determine the level of commitment. From that research, you can see how your viewpoint and skill set could provide value to an organization.

Build on opportunities

The most coveted board positions are paid, but they aren’t usually available at square one. Starting small doesn’t mean you will always be small, though. As you sit on boards, you learn how they function — as well as how you function within them. Each board position is an opportunity to upskill and prepare yourself for the next one.

Your first board position should give you perspective into five key areas:

1. How these opportunities can fit into your schedule
2. What effort you can feasibly extend
3. What training you need (this includes board-specific training)
4. What areas of expertise you feel comfortable guiding people in
5. How a board position can shape your short- and long-term goals

With that knowledge, you can sketch out the positions you want. It’s a great exercise in professional self-discovery, as well as advocacy for yourself, your skills and your influence. The sooner you start, the sooner you can find the optimal board opportunity.

Related: What You Should Know Before Joining a Board

Consider everyone your network

Don’t wait for people to come to you. Your community is a great place to seek out opportunities, especially for young leaders and entrepreneurs. Let it be known that you are looking for new opportunities with everyone in your professional network, and even personal, if you feel comfortable. That includes community organizers and leaders, mentors and former managers, coworkers, people you meet at conferences and clients. Keep in touch with people and inquire about organizations and companies they are a part of.

It’s important to confidently convey how you can leverage your background and skill set when seeking board opportunities. Make sure you know how to sell yourself to these people. Keep your professional branding and social media up-to-date, concise and consistent across platforms.

Also look for positions that let you provide mentorship. Although you may not feel prepared to be a mentor early in your career, one day you will probably want to tap into that role. An advantageous board position will provide both clarity and insights about your professional life and potential ways to give back to your community and networks.

It’s never too early to start building out a portfolio and seeing what board opportunities are available to you. Ideally, your next board position brings you something new, whether it’s a funding opportunity or business partner, an untapped skill or a sense of accomplishment and community.

It’s graduation season, and although hiring is cooling, it’s still possible to find entry-level roles with six-figure median salaries for those right out of college or graduate school.

Fox Business looked at which jobs had the highest entry-level pay based on a Glassdoor analysis of salaries submitted between May 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024. Each job had at least 75 salaries provided by Glassdoor users.

The result is a list of the top 15 highest-paying jobs based on median salary.

Seven engineering positions made the list. The other eight roles were in consulting, medicine, or law.

The latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that employers added fewer jobs than expected, and than the average, in April. Bloomberg noted that the 175,000 overall job gain was the smallest recorded by the BLS in six months.

Related: ‘The Employment Situation’ Report for April Shows Employers Are Taking Hiring Down a Notch

Here are the top 15 jobs with the highest median salaries.

1. Primary Care Physician

Median pay: $130,000

2. Pharmacist

Median pay: $120,000

3. Software Architect

Median pay: $120,000

4. Product Manager

Median pay: $110,000

5. Software Engineer

Median pay: $100,000

6. Data Engineer

Median pay: $93,472

7. Attorney

Median pay: $90,000

8. Hardware Engineer

Median pay: $85,000

9. Information Security Specialist

Median pay: $83,000

10. Chemical Engineer

Median pay: $82,000

11. Management Consultant

Median pay: $82,000

12. Actuarial Consultant

Median pay: $81,150

13. Electrical Engineer

Median pay: $80,500

14. Design Engineer

Median pay: $78,000

15. Mechanical Engineer

Median pay: $75,500

In today’s digital landscape, a strong Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy is crucial for businesses to thrive. SEO helps websites rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), driving organic traffic and boosting online visibility.

However, the world of SEO is also riddled with myths and misconceptions that can lead businesses astray. Let’s debunk some of the most common SEO myths and separate fact from fiction.

Myth 1: More keywords mean better rankings

Gone are the days of stuffing your content with every keyword imaginable. Google’s algorithms have shifted towards natural language processing (NLP), prioritizing content quality and user experience above keyword density. While keywords remain important, focusing on keyword intent and strategic placement throughout your content is far more beneficial than keyword quantity.

Fact: Research relevant keywords related to your target audience and their search queries. Use those keywords naturally within your content, focusing on providing informative and engaging information that fulfills user intent.

Related: Ultimate SEO Guide On How to Get 100,000 Visits Per Month From Google

Myth 2: Meta tags don’t matter anymore

While meta tags may not hold the same weight they once did, they’re far from irrelevant. Title tags and meta descriptions are like billboards for your content, serving as the first impression users see in search results. Compelling and informative meta tags can significantly improve click-through rates (CTR) and user engagement.

Fact: Craft clear, concise, and keyword-rich title tags that accurately reflect your content. Similarly, write engaging meta descriptions that entice users to click. Keep your title tag under 60 characters and your meta description around 160 characters to ensure they display fully in search results.

Myth 3: Social media directly influences SEO rankings

Social media shares and likes don’t directly translate into higher search rankings. However, social media plays a vital role in online visibility and brand awareness. Strong social media engagement can drive traffic back to your website, indirectly contributing to SEO by increasing user engagement and potentially influencing click-through rates.

Fact: Utilize social media platforms to share your content and connect with your audience. Encourage social media followers to share your content further, expanding your reach and driving more visitors to your website.

Myth 4: Backlinks are no longer relevant

Backlinks, or links from other websites to yours, remain a cornerstone of SEO. High-quality backlinks from reputable websites act as a vote of confidence for your content, signaling to search engines that your site is trustworthy and authoritative. This can significantly boost your domain authority and improve search rankings for relevant keywords.

Fact: Focus on acquiring backlinks from relevant websites within your niche. Create high-quality content that others will find valuable and link to naturally. Avoid spammy link-building tactics, as they can actually harm your SEO efforts.

Related: 9 SEO Tips to Help You Rank No. 1 on Google in 2024

Myth 5: SEO is a one-time effort

If you think you can optimize your website once and reap the benefits forever, think again. Search engines constantly update their algorithms, and SEO is an ongoing process. To maintain strong search rankings, you need to stay on top of SEO best practices.

Fact: Regularly update your website content with fresh, informative, and engaging material. Review your keyword strategy periodically and adapt to changes in the search landscape. Stay updated on the latest SEO trends and best practices to ensure your website stays relevant.

Myth 6: Mobile optimization doesn’t matter

With the majority of web searches now conducted on mobile devices, having a website that’s optimized for mobile browsing is no longer optional. Search engines prioritize mobile-friendly websites in search results, ensuring users have a positive experience when accessing your content.

Fact: Make sure your website has a responsive design that adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes and devices. Ensure fast loading times and easy navigation for mobile users.

Myth 7: Paid advertising can replace SEO

While paid advertising (PPC) can be a valuable tool to drive immediate traffic, it’s not a replacement for SEO. The benefits of SEO are long-term and sustainable, with organic traffic continuing to flow to your website even without ongoing ad spend.

Fact: Develop a strong SEO strategy alongside your paid advertising efforts for a well-rounded digital marketing approach. Organic traffic can provide a more cost-effective source of website visitors in the long run.

Myth 8: Focusing on local SEO doesn’t matter if I sell online

Even for e-commerce businesses, neglecting local SEO can be a missed opportunity. If you have a physical location or offer local delivery, optimizing your website for local search terms can significantly increase your visibility to potential customers in your area.

Fact: Claim and manage your Google My Business listing to ensure your business information is accurate and up-to-date. Utilize location-specific keywords throughout your website content and target local search queries.

Conclusion

Staying informed about SEO best practices is crucial for optimizing your website and achieving success in the digital marketplace. Don’t be swayed by outdated myths or quick-fix SEO schemes. Focus on creating high-quality content, building a strong backlink profile, and staying updated on the latest SEO trends.

For many people, the dream is to make good money doing something that helps other people, and is good for the planet. Unfortunately, in the trenches of capitalism, opportunities like this are not always obvious.

But back in 2020, Zach Cavacas stumbled upon one such venture. And soon, thanks to a wave of legislation aimed at sustainability, many people across the U.S. will have a chance to follow in his footsteps.

Related: The Author of ‘Million Dollar Weekend’ Says This Is the Only Difference Between You and the Many ‘Very, Very Dumb People’ Making a Lot of Money

Women’s History Month comes around every March, and this year, it led me to reflect on my relationships with fellow successful women. There’s an urban saying that suggests, “There’s a place in hell for women who don’t support each other.” But why is that? Should women be obliged to assist other women simply because of their gender? No.

However, they should support one another if they possess the capability, drive and desire to thrive — and if the other women can provide solutions such as mentorship and connections.

The reality is that there are numerous official and unofficial “boys’ clubs” and societal perceptions that make it challenging for women to access capital, attain promotions or “break the glass ceiling.” A study done by Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management professors Brian Uzzi and Yang Yang and Nitesh Chawla of the University of Notre Dame discovered that successful women maintain close inner circles of female contacts, leading to leadership positions with authority and pay levels 2.5 times higher than their peers lacking such networks.

Conversely, women who mirror successful men’s networks often secure lower-ranking roles. Another study highlights how formal women’s business networks (FWBNs) — structured groups that support and empower women entrepreneurs — significantly support them by providing vital resources and opportunities. Especially amidst challenges like the pandemic, FWBNs emerge as essential platforms for networking, shared interests and accessing resources, emphasizing the need for further examination and support.

These studies just strengthen the reason why I manage my networks the way I do. I am a part of both mixed-gender circles and women-only circles, and I’m privileged to be part of several prominent and influential women entrepreneur circles across different countries. Here’s what I’ve learned about being a part of successful women’s circles and how they essentially become a secret weapon for each other’s fulfillment — both socially and professionally.

Related: Women Entrepreneurs Need More Than Capital to Succeed. Here’s What They Also Want

1. We build a culture of support

What I love most about these women’s circles is that we’ve established a safe space where we genuinely compliment, acknowledge and support each other’s growth. We openly recognize each other’s achievements, discussing recent news articles and sharing personal experiences — like when one of our members’ potential clients expressed doubt about her business capabilities simply because she has three kids — and seeking advice from the group on how to handle such situations. We also share valuable resources and tips, including AI hacks that streamline our work. The heart of these communities is celebrating each other. The culture we’ve built is based on acceptance and support, and we carefully select women who align with these values to maintain the group’s integrity.

If you are a part of such female groups or looking to start one, encourage values of acceptance, support and opening up about struggles and failures. To build such a culture within your circle, it only takes one woman to be radically honest and open up, which usually makes the rest feel comfortable to do the same.

2. We can open doors to success for each other

As they say, “People do business with people,” and this rings true in women’s circles where deeper connections lead to increased support. Being part of a women’s circle allows us to strengthen relationships collectively and individually. This deeper connection helps us learn about each other’s strengths and what we’re working on, which often leads to opening doors for each other.

For instance, as an adviser for an external UN-NGO Committee, I had the privilege of inviting accomplished professional women whom I believed could contribute to our gatherings. I feel it’s important to bring qualified individuals to the opportunities I have access to. A colleague from a large tech company began utilizing services offered by several of our group members after connecting with them through our circle. My advice to you is to consider where you can open doors for others — think about qualified women you know who could benefit from similar opportunities. Leverage your influence and support your network.

Related: This Is Why We Still Need Women’s Networking Groups

3. We ditched the notion of competition

Unless you are living in a small village and running an offline business with limited customers, there is always ample opportunity for abundance in business. Remember, clients choose you over others because of your unique differentiation in the market. Sometimes, you may find yourself in a group with women offering similar services to yours. This can be a great opportunity — but only if both parties have the right mindset. In one circle I belong to, there are four women offering the same services that I specialize in. Instead of competing or gossiping about each other, we embrace openness. We share how our approaches differ, learn from one another, publicly acknowledge each other’s strengths and even collaborate by offering jobs to one another when we are unavailable. This perspective on competition is refreshing, and I encourage all women to adopt the same mindset.

4. We become a herd of lionesses when needed

Another hallmark of the circles I’m part of is our refusal to stand idly by in the face of injustice towards other women or causes that matter. We have this unwritten rule that we should lead by example, and as women in our 30s and 40s, we want to pave the way for the younger generation. If one member initiates a project to address an issue, the rest rally behind it, offering their time, resources, network access, social media exposure and more.

One of the group members initiated a campaign against sexual abuse in women, and the group quickly transformed into a functioning business: the PR expert took on the role of spreading news in the media about the cause, the designer contributed her skills and the salesperson found donations. Suddenly, this project was supported by several women from the group. We recognize our responsibility to our fellow women, leveraging our collective power and unity to advocate for what’s right for our sisters.

Going back to the studies outlined about the impact of women’s circles, now you can see how valuable being involved in a women’s circle can be to fulfill yourself and grow personally and professionally.

Related: Seven Lessons For Women In Business (From Other Women In Business)

If you’re not already part of such a group, consider joining these groups by asking your friends about the Facebook groups, female-based communities and WhatsApp groups they are a part of (there are so many out there, both official and unofficial) — or consider creating one yourself. The advantage? You can craft the values and character of the group and invite the right women who can create this amazing ripple effect of impact, joy and special bond.

Additionally, if you’re keen on learning more about how successful women entrepreneurs communicate and achieve their goals, I invite you to watch the webinar I hosted here together with Entrepreneur.com for Women’s History Month.