On Friday, May 15th, The DEC Network held its annual WEDallas Mompreneur event in partnership with Capital One to equip, inspire and empower women entrepreneurs in North Texas. This year, attendees grabbed their favorite beverages for a virtual happy hour discussion on being a mom and business owner during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This critical topic brought together women across the community in all stages of their businesses – from solopreneurs to corporate allies and even those just getting started. Together we heard from notable speakers, joined fun and mindful workshops (even a mixology class!) and had the chance to support fellow female entrepreneurs in DFW with a bit of virtual retail therapy.
Featured speakers L. Michelle Smith, Tinsley Merrill, Brittany Merill Underwood and Jenn Garbach sat down and candidly spoke about all things motherhood and business. Discussions included facing adversity through trying times and giving insightful advice pertaining to being a “mompreneur”, like how to adjust to running a business from home while homeschooling your children amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
L. Michelle Smith, CEO, no silos communications llc
Using her 25+ years of knowledge and experience, L. Michelle Smith inspired the audience with a very moving speech that focused on mindfulness, self-care, resilience and encouragement. Smith stated, “It’s so important to tap into who we areas mothers because there are different things that we can do and bring to the table that other folks can’t.” When discussing resilience, Smith said “Guess what resilience does? It weathers storms when others give up.” She added that in order to succeed in business AND motherhood, you must carry resilience and gratitude.
Tinsley Merrill, Co-founder of PAIRR,Brittany Merill Underwood, Founder of Akola
Tinsley Merrill and Brittany Merrill Underwood held a fun and open discussion regarding parenting while focusing on your business, and how to manage the madness of COVID-19 from a female entrepreneurial standpoint. Currently, the sisters have teamed up to create HerStory, a curated collection of items from local, woman-founded small businesses that launched during the pandemic. Brittany Merill Underwood shared the idea that got them started. “People don’t want to leave their houses but want to support small businesses. What if we teamed up with female-founded brands that could be delivered to your doorstep?” The sisters discussed the importance of supporting other female entrepreneurs during these trying times, and that is exactly what their new company HerStory is aiming to do!
Jenn Garbach, Vice President, Head of Brand & Marketing, Small Business Card at Capital One
Jenn Garbach closed out our time together by encouraging attendees to stay the course and find ways to prioritize their well-being. Garbach applauded the spirit of entrepreneurs. “Even when things are in a constant state of flux, you face challenges head-on, often with limited resources. You employ creativity and ingenuity to drive growth in established industries. You are constantly innovating in order to compete against industry giants or bring entirely new ways of thinking to the marketplace.”
She also added, “Entrepreneurs are known for rolling with the punches, and now more than ever you must be creative, transparent and strategic in your problem-solving. And if you’re in a position to do so, find ways to give back to the communities that have supported you over the years or welcomed you with open arms.”
In case you missed out, you can still watch the inspiring keynote from L. Michelle Smithhere and our fun fireside chat with Tinsley Merrill and Brittany Merrill Underwoodhere. Share your thoughts on social using #WEDallas and don’t miss out on our next WEDallas event coming up in July. Sign up for the latest updates here.
