I was fortunate enough last week to be a last minute attendee of Create & Cultivate San Francisco as a guest of Alaska Airlines, and I was blown away by the attendance of the event! It felt like all of the Bay Area’s entrepreneurial women were there, from finance to tech to influencers. I was able to connect with some people I haven’t seen in months, and listen to inspiring women on panel discussions such as How to Build Brand Equity, The New Disruptors, and Exploring the World of Women’s Finance and Tech.
Although I didn’t spend as much time in panel discussions as I intended (instead I was networking and exploring the brand activations), I did write down a few takeaways from the discussions. Although they are not quoted here word for word, here are 6 things I learned at Create & Cultivate San Francisco.
How to Build Brand Equity
From Angela Tafoya of Lonny Mag, on having a brand voice and personality:
Why are you even picking up your phone to share, and to interact? Make sure you aren’t just writing about a product, but a feeling. Is it inviting, approachable? How is that communicated across the board?
From Julie Solomon of The Influencer Podcast and Pitch it Perfect, on up-leveling excuses:
Instead of finding excuses about not having time or money for a mentor/etc., create a mentorship yourself, even if it’s one sided. Follow, read, and track the people that inspire you in a more meaningful way. Consume their lives from a learning perspective.
Women in Finance and Tech
From Tiffany Ho of ACME Capital, on being able to form bonds in the VC world, and pitch your business:
Finances, comparisons and facts are a man’s language, stories are a women’s language. Women founders need to speak a man’s language in order to pitch and connect with men successfully.
From Yasmin Moaven of Fair, on questions to ask yourself about building a business:
Will it exist in the future? Will it survive changes? Will it thrive? What about in 10 years, 20?
The New Disruptors
From Jesse Draper of Halogen Ventures, on competition:
Don’t look left and right, look forward and beyond!
From many speakers on building trust in the Clean Beauty industry:
If you say you’re going to do something, you have to do it. This means the product has to work, and it’s up to the customer to decide. ‘Clean’ is subjective; it can mean packaging, ingredients, labor, production, but in the end, efficacy is the most important
Many of these learnings may not seem groundbreaking, but I always think that a great speaker is able to remind you of something you already know, but in a much clearer, more succinct way. If we can remember and pull to the forefront of our minds all of these things we know, we will be that much stronger in business and clear headed in creativity!
