The fact that we're building our own businesses, moms to three kids, and we've gone through this life together. It's really amazing.
From love to motherhood to business, female friendships are incredibly powerful in shaping all facets of life.
At Create & Cultivate’s San Francisco Conference, I had the opportunity to sit down with Kourtney Kardashian, CEO of Poosh, a lifestyle website and e-commerce destination, and Allison Statter, Co-Founder of Blended Strategy Group, to learn how their life-long friendship has helped elevate their business success to the next level. Here are three lessons they shared.
Vulnerable conversations
Friends since toddlers, Kardashian and Statter have shared their most intimate details for decades. Now that conversations have shifted towards entrepreneurship, they find themselves relying on one another tremendously.
“When I launched Poosh, one of the first things I did was call Allison and say, "Can we go to lunch? I want to pick your brain," Kardashian explains. “It’s important to open up conversations with friends, and especially ones that you admire, what they're doing with their own businesses.”
Statter expands, “It's easier to work with people that are my friends. We have a different type of communication. We're able to be very open and fluid in our conversations. And it comes so naturally.”
Takeaway: Find a close friend or colleague to have vulnerable and valuable conversations about your business plan to evaluate if it’s a viable venture and product-market fit.
Inspire ideas
Life-long friendships include so many memorable moments, and in the case of Kardashian and Statter, they’ve gone on family trips since childhood and attended school together. Knowing each other, they draw from all their shared life moments when it comes to supporting each other in business.
“We were raised together, so to be able to help her, and for her to be able to help me — that is the ultimate women supporting women. And that I think is what makes it all so fun,” Statter explains. Kardashian agrees, “Friends can remind you like, ‘Oh my God, remember that you love this so much?’ Then it's just a natural thing. I do it with my sisters. It's important to do with your friends.”
Takeaway: Inspiration comes in all forms. When you’re in a creative rut, tap into your friends that remind you of all the things you love. Have your friends over for a brainstorming party or to test your products or ideas. Bring that creative energy into your business and brand.
Trusted advice
In the world of celebrity, there are tons of “yes people” all around you that might not have your best intentions at play. That is why Statter empathizes, “Trust is key. The minute I say to Kourtney, ‘You should consider doing this female-led entrepreneur conference,’ she trusted me to be here. And if she came to me and said, ‘Hey, it would be great for Blended Strategy Group to do X, Y, and Z,’ I trust her because we've known each other our entire lives.”
Takeaway: Radical honesty is imperative within the business world to scale and build community. Find the right circle that’ll tell you the truth, so you make smart decisions.
Words of wisdom
With these three lessons impacting business in a positive growth trajectory, Kardashian and Statter wanted to share words of wisdom to future female entrepreneurs — as the Create & Cultivate Conference focuses on empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs and brand builders.
Kardashian, who has had a multitude of career paths, shares, “Follow your heart and find what fulfills you and makes you happy. That's not necessarily going to be your first job. Keep trying different things, and you can change direction at any time.”
While Statter leaves on a final note of resilience, “With social media, there's this stigma around everyone having to show how perfect it all is, how perfect work is, how perfect their new business is, how perfect their relationships are — and it's not. Sometimes there are days where I feel depleted. I genuinely don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow. And then I wake up the next day and say to myself, "Yesterday sucked, but I'm back on the saddle.”
There are good days or bad in the world of entrepreneurship, but when you have friends by your side, anything is possible.