The neverending ladder...

I work in a field dominated by men so I know what it feels like to climb the ladder SLOW.  Last week we had Tamara Jacobs come speak to our WIN Committee (Women's Initiative Network).  I was instantly drawn by what she was saying.  I always here people say "Be The Brand" but what does that really mean?  Do women and men need to brand themselves differently?

The first line of the the Girl Scout Promise is "On my honor, I will try".  The key word is "try".  From a young age girls are taught to try to do their best and hope it is good enough.  On the flip side, the Boy Scout Oath is "On my honor, I will do my best".  The key word here is "will". 

The funny thing is sometimes I find myself thinking "well if it works then good, if not oh well".  I try my best and hope that it gets noticed and appreciated.  The guy next to me does not try, instead he walks in a demands more money or a promotion.  He is looked at as strong but if a woman did that, they may be called the b word.

Should we accept this?  NO.  I truly believe there is a happy medium.  You do not have to be pushy and demanding but make your goals and objectives known.  If you sit back then year after year, that list of promotions is going to come out and guess whose name won't be on it?!?

Fact: Only 12 Fortune 500 Companies are run by woman.  2%

Even if there is only 12, these woman rock and should be role models for women everywhere.  Don't give up! 

Equal Pay Day

Is money more important for men??  April 17th is Equal Pay Day.  "This day symbolically marks how far into the year a woman has to work to make what a man made during the prior calendar year" (Soraya Chemaly).  It is crazy that this thought and day is even in people's minds.

Stastics from huffingtonpost.com:

• The median annual earnings for working (full-time) white women is 77 cents to a man's dollar.
• For women of color, the gap and its effects are even greater: African-American women earn 61 cents to the male dollar and Latina women earn 53 cents.
• Controlling for factors like education, experience, job type and more reveals that fully one-quarter to one-half of the gap is attributable to unexplained causes.
• Women now make up more than half of the U.S. workforce -- this gap affects hundreds of millions of people and families.

I don't get why in this day and age people still cannot understand that a woman and man can both work equally as hard and efficient and deserve equal pay!  UGH  I better get working :)

~Adrienne

Why Successful Women Terrify Us

Why are women judged negatively, even by other women, for being successful? There always is a stereotype that people in general need to be a certain way (some would say ruthless) in order to climb the corporate ladder. When a man successfully makes it to the top, we slap him five, but when a woman does, people ask themselves how that happened. Did she wear low cut shirts? Did she act ruthless? Now I know some women may get to the top for the wrong reasons, but I am talking about the genuinely smart women who truly make good leaders.

Forbes.com named the 10 most hated and pervasive stereotypes about powerful women:

• Ice Queen - Think Devil Wears Prada



• Single and Lonely - Chose career over family



• Tough - Ruthless and not caring



• Weak - "Stems from women's greater desire to build a consensus" (Laura Chinchilla)



• Masculine - Must look like a businessman to play the part right



• Conniving - Must have done something to get to the top



• Emotional - Prone to emotional outbursts



• Angry - Sign of "status" for men



• A Token - looked at as a token of diversity instead of balancing out the numbers



• A Cheerleader - Condoscending and not looked at as stong leaders

First of all, these stereotypes all contradict each other. Second, maybe some women possess those traits but that does not make them unsuccessful. Plus, let's be honest...men possess them too!!!

More and more women are proving all these stereotypes wrong but it has been a long road to the point we are at now!!! I am on a committee at my work called WIN (Women Initiatives) so I am hoping that more and more women keep stepping over men as they climb the coporate ladder and prove all stereotypes wrong!

~Adrienne

Featured Vendor - Emmaline Bride

I met Emma, from Emmaline Bride, on Twitter and absolutely fell in love with her handcrafted wedding marketplace. The products are amazing, which include card boxes, garters, invitations, decorations & much more.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Sash by Dream Catcher Studio

Clutch by ANGEE W.

Album by Special Occasion Design

Q&A

What inspired you to start your business?

When I planned my wedding, I was disappointed at the lack of quality and customizable options found in big box stores. I turned to the internet to find DIY ideas and handcrafted items instead, to add a personal touch to my wedding day. When I found the overwhelming amount of talent by handmade artisans, I was instantly in love and wanted to spread this love with other brides-to-be! Thus, Emmaline Bride was born.

What exactly does Emmaline Bride entail?

Emmaline Bride is the resource for brides who love handmade. We offer the handcrafted marketplace featuring beautiful items by independent artisans, curated by our team; the blog (fresh daily!) showcases new finds, Real Weddings, DIY ideas, and more, and THE BRIDAL BOOK, our preferred vendor network which highlights local wedding resources (wedding photographers, planners, artisans, and more) that not only support the handmade initiative but also offer creative, out-of-the-box ideas for weddings.

What advice would you give to other female Entrepreneurs?

Three things come to mind: 1) Find your passion – and follow it. 2) Never, ever give up. 3) Network. Find others who also love what you like to do, because it will not only help you to learn but you will build lasting relationships (often that turn into friendships, too!); there is so much to learn from others. Also, it will inspire you to be surrounded by others who share your passion.

What are three things that people do not know about you?

I am a graduate of the University of Detroit College of Business, I have two adorable black cats named Geppetto and Shadow, and my handsome husband and I were high school sweethearts! ♥

Thank you Emma!! You are truly an inspiration :)

http://emmalinebride.com/

http://twitter.com/EmmalineBride

Featured Vendor - Preppy Poppy

Recently, my appreciate for women entrepreneurs has tremendously grown. Since I started networking for my own business, I have met so many great women. I am going to try to feature one every few weeks on my blog to inspire others.

Angela from Preppy Poppy is truly an inspiration to all women. She is the wife of a Navy pilot, a mom and a entrepreneur. Preppy Poppy sells monogrammed/personalized items for children and adults.

Here are a few of my favorite items:

1. Monogrammed Mod Burp Cloth for Baby Boy
2. Personalized Newborn Outfit
3. Personalized Christmas Tutu Outfit

Q&A with Angela:
What inspired you to start your own business?
I started The Preppy Poppy because I love to work. However, my husband has a non-conventional career as a Navy Pilot, so to have a "real" career in the corporate world was not an option. I've always had a great love for monogrammed and personalized items. After great discussion with my husband, we came up with The Preppy Poppy. Now I have the luxury of being home for my children and have a career to call my own.

What types of products do you sell?
The Preppy Poppy carries anything from monogrammed Eco friendly shopping totes to personalized holiday tutu outfits.

What advice would you give to other female entrepreneurs?
I underestimated the amount of hours I would have to put into The Preppy Poppy. There have been numerous times that I worked through the night to complete orders. Balancing your home, family and business takes a great amount of creative planning (usually at your expense). I sleep less - but it is so worth it!

What are three things that people don't know about?
1. I love rap music!
2. I have two sisters who are 10 and 11 years younger than me. I always feel more like their 2nd Mommy than their Big Sister.
3. Before starting my business, I had never sewn a single thing! Oh wait - there was a pair of shorts back in eight grade Home Economics, but Ive tried to forget that ill fitting mess. My point is, don't let any obstacle get in the way of your dream. If you want it bad enough, you will learn and adapt in order to accomplish you mission.

http://preppypoppy.com/
http://twitter.com/preppypoppy

Thank you again Angela for being featured on the Destination Diva blog!

Women on Wall Steet

As most woman in the corporate world, I am surrounded by men everyday. Don't get me wrong, I love the guys I work with, but they don't know how hard it is for us women. It only gets worse when you have kids. I have a few friends who are also in the Investment Banking world who definitely also feel the brunt of the glass ceiling. It makes it even harder when you are a woman who is not going to be ruthless to get to the top. At this point in my life, I realize that it is going to take me a lot longer to move up and I am honestly not sure if I care as much nowadays. The competitive side of me does but the hopefully future mom side of me doesn't care. I am a hard worker so no matter what, I will come into work everyday and do my job to the best of my abilities.

My friend sent me an article titled "Women on Wall Street" and the statistics are frightening.

*Women managers in finance, a group that includes bank tellers as well as executives, earned 63.9 cents for every dollar of income men earned in 2000, based on median salaries, according to Government Accountability Office statistics analyzed by Bloomberg.
*In 2007, the last year for which data are available, the figure was 58.8 cents. The 41-cent gap was the biggest in any of 13 industries surveyed by the GAO, and only two others had a widening disparity.
*The number of women in finance, banking and insurance in the United States fell by 537,000 between the second quarter of 2007 and the second quarter of this year, according to data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

These facts are something us women face everyday. The world is not designed for women to be successful, but all we can do is keep trying to prove everyone wrong and change the statistics!