01 Nov For the Win – All for One and One for All

In the last few years, I’ve come to realize that I am a socialpreneur. All for one and one for all. That’s my motto. And I think it’s great. I also think it summons a picture in the minds of most people that I must be living off the land and not having or needing a lot. It’s kind of the same way that people think non-profits are businesses making “non-money.” Neither is true. To me, a socialpreneur has figured out a way to do good and live well and then teach others to do the same regardless of where we started. When I figured out what I really needed versus what I really wanted in my own life, it made all the difference in the world. That’s why when I reach for the win; I’m making sure that I can be of service to others.

My head starts to spin when I consider what winning means to different people. So many factors come to mind. Ultimately, I think it breaks down to how we were raised. When people go for the win they are competing against each other. Now, I didn’t grow up in a competitive household. I don’t have any brothers, my younger sister and I are wildly different people, and my older sister is 15 years older than I am (not that you would notice). Without a basis in comparison or the desire to have something that at least two of us wanted, but couldn’t both have, it doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for competition. I was only ever taught how to have fun.

The three of us were encouraged to go for the win and reach for whatever we wanted in life. I hadn’t contemplated a situation where there wouldn’t be enough or I wouldn’t be enough. That makes competition different for me and weird for just about everyone else. It’s because I’ve never really thought of it as competing against another person. I’m always competing for the win and against the problem we’re trying to solve.

Last week we submitted an application to WeWork’s Creators Award. They are giving away 20 million to innovators this year.   If we win, we’ll be able to build out our digital platform and help even more women to build, launch and grow their businesses. With every woman we meet it becomes even more apparent to us that there is a desire for women to build a business within a community that will support them for their entire journey. Along with motivating talks and informative workshops, we also connect you with other members and support you as you grow. It feels good to-do-good and have those testimonials reflected back to us.   That’s how I know we’re winning.

I don’t think about competition as much as I think about collaboration. I would much rather work with people than against them in order to achieve the same goal. This is not to say that I have never wanted anything for myself that only one person could win. The thing is though, I’ve been in the work force for almost 30 years (don’t do the math) and I haven’t felt a tremendous amount of satisfaction from winning something that I couldn’t share. I suppose that’s who I am even though I’ve never really analyzed it before now. When I think about going for the win, I want to win something for us all.