By Leyya Sattar and Roshni Goyate
As 2019 draws to a close, our co-founders Leyya and Roshni reflect on what they’ve learned this year as the female founders of a growing business.
Leyya
1. Stop apologising
Growing into a leadership role, I’ve actively tried to become more direct in my communication. I was stunned when I finally clocked how many times I was saying ‘sorry’. I’d apologise for bumping into someone, if I couldn’t make a meeting date, not getting back to an email within 1 second etc. A tip for this is instead of ‘Sorry for the delay in my reply’ say ‘Thank you so much for your patience’ and equalise the power balance. I’ve also removed the word ‘just’ from my vocabulary.
2. Invest in me
At the beginning of 2019, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to be the best version of myself so I started therapy, hypnotherapy and business coaching. Taking control of my mental wellbeing has been so empowering, and the different therapies have allowed me to grow and develop new leadership skills as well as practising self-care.
3. Build resilience
Running a growing company, I’ve learned many new skills on the go and under time pressure. Some of these skills didn’t come naturally to me (more on this below!), so it was sometimes frustrating and demoralising because my style is very much just ‘get shit done’. I realised how much pressure I put on myself so this was a good lesson for practising self-kindness and building resilience.
4. Bootstrap like a pro
At The Other Box, we joke about my alter-ego ‘Barbara from accounts’. Maths was never my strong suit but it’s a skill I’ve had to refine since running my own company. When we first started The Other Box, we launched out of our own pockets, and I’m proud to say that even today (3 years later) we’ve got to where we are with no external funding or investment. It hasn’t been easy, but with the help of my Google Spreadsheet, a business coach and an accounting company who takes a pro-active approach to our business and financial success I’ve learned how to budget on a shoestring and trust my gut when it comes to finances.
5. Collaborate and learn from one another
I became so laser-focused on the day-to-day running of the business and developing our key products, that I neglected the long-term goals and strategy. Now we run an inter-generational company working within the D&I space, it’s made our work so much richer. And by growing the team it’s allowed us to find processes that make us more productive and efficient in our ways of working.
Roshni
1. Make space
I’ve always been guilty of saying yes to things for fear of letting anyone down. The irony is that I take on too much and end up...letting people down! This year, I learned to ask: ‘when do you need it by?’ then consulting my schedule to see if there’s room for it, or what could be moved around to make room for it, before saying yes. It sounds kind of obvious but making space for work makes work much more manageable.
2. Not all growth is visible
I began the year as a mother of a 6-month old baby about to plunge back into the company Leyya had been running solo for those 6 months. Terrified, I paid a visit to Selina Bakkar early in the year – co-founder of Amaliah, a mother, an inspirational leader – and among the many wise things she shared, this was one of them: life, like nature, is made of seasons; not all growth is visible. That evening in my journal I wrote: “when not outwardly flourishing like in spring, I’m inwardly developing, nurturing, priming, preparing.” In the moments where I have almost succumbed to ‘comparisonitis’ where it feels like everyone else is doing so much more than I am, these words have brought me much comfort.
3. Honesty is powerful
Leyya and I started The Other Box because we didn’t see our own stories reflected in the mainstream narrative. So as a female founder I’ve taken the time to share the ups and downs of my own journey as a mother and business founder. Many people have related. When our stories are often under-represented and misrepresented it is a radical act to speak our truths on our own terms. Transparency of the process can be empowering to anyone who thinks ‘I could never do/be that’.
4. Communicate with openness
I’ve always thought of myself as a good communicator, but this year I realised that I internalise quite a lot, especially from fear of upsetting anyone, and because I hate confrontation. I’ve had to learn to step into discomfort to have those sometimes difficult conversations, rather than stuffing my feelings and hoping they’ll go away (they never do!).
5. Dare to dream bigger
Speaking of confrontation...a number of personal and professional breakthroughs this year have showed me that many of the barriers to my own growth and success are within me. Daring to dream bigger means feeling empowered to create the life I want to live, the business I want to lead, and the change I want to see in the world. It has taken hard work to step into that realm of possibility. I’ve had to face up to some harsh truths about my ego, my self-worth, and I’m grateful that Leyya has helped facilitate that growth in a way where we can continue to to take the business to new heights in 2020.
What were your top lessons from 2019? Follow us @_TheOtherBox on Twitter and Instagram and share yours.
Header image by Francis Augusto