August 2025
Editor's Note:
Stop Talking, Start Backing: A Call to Power Up Female Founders
When I left journalism after 15 years in the thick of breaking news and high‑stakes interviews, I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to “be a coach.” I retrained. I learned the craft. I built my credibility working with leaders inside organizations long before I hung out my own shingle. And then, when the timing felt right, I took a leap of faith and started my own executive coaching business.
Was it risky? Of course. But it was a planned risk. A calculated one. I knew I could start lean, keep overhead low, and grow client by client until I could bring others in. And let’s be real: that scrappy model worked for me, but not every business can start that way, and not every founder should have to.
The reality is, stepping out on your own isn’t some glossy Instagram fantasy. It’s brave, it’s bold, and for women, it’s still an uphill battle from day one.
In a world where ambitious women are leaving corporate roles - disillusioned, overlooked, or simply burned out - it might sound like entrepreneurship is the promised land. Freedom. Autonomy. No more gatekeepers. Yet let’s not sugar‑coat it: for female founders, the journey is still an uphill climb.
Here’s the reality: women still receive a staggeringly small slice of the venture capital pie. In 2024, only 2% of VC funding went to female founders. For Black and Brown women? Less than 0.5%. The talent is there. The ideas are there. The grit is there. But the capital? Still being gatekept by rooms that don’t look like us, don’t think like us, and too often don’t believe in us.
Even when you manage to raise seed money, or bootstrap your way into existence, the early years are a gauntlet. You’re battling bias in every pitch meeting. You’re building credibility brick by brick while managing cash flow with surgical precision. You’re hiring, firing, selling, strategizing, and yes, sometimes literally mopping the floor. Meanwhile, your male counterparts are more likely to be seen as “visionary” while you’re still fighting to be seen as “viable.”
To thrive, you need more than a good idea. You need resilience that borders on audacity. Emotional intelligence to read a room, pivot fast, and lead people who could easily go elsewhere. Patience, but not passivity. Conviction, but not rigidity. And above all, the courage to stand in rooms where you’re underestimated and still pitch like the market has been waiting for you all along.
And let’s say it louder: we need more women with capital to invest in women with vision. Female investors and advocates - leaders like Debbie Wosskow, OBE, and Karen Blackett, CBE, are changing the landscape by championing equity and inclusion. When women back women, we don’t just raise funds; we raise communities and rewrite the rules.
To every woman standing at that crossroads: the road is not yet fair, but it is full of possibility. Build boldly. Protect your vision. Because when we succeed, we don’t just build businesses - we change the narrative.
-Lynn xo
This month’s highlights
Ask Lynn
Any questions you have, career-led, life choices or situations you need help navigating - I will answer. This month I talk through questions such as:
“How do I set boundaries at work?”
“I'm working harder than the men - why am I still not getting that promotion?”
“How do I survive the work-hard, play-hard hustle?”
Episode II: She Means Business X Vanita Parti, MBE - Founder, Blink Brow Bar
In this edition of She Means Business, I sit down with Vanita, the visionary entrepreneur who transformed a single idea into a global beauty business with over 25 locations and a cult following. A true cultural innovator, she’s navigated the challenges of scaling a purpose-led brand, all while advocating for women’s empowerment, authentic representation, and inclusive beauty.
Beauty Boosters by Female Founders
We love great products that work! Vanita’s signature product is Brow Boost. It aims to transform thin, patchy or parched brows with daily application of this all natural serum. Supercharge the thickness and fullness of your brows with this unique blend of strengthening ingredients, designed to increase the density of each hair.
At the heart of the formula is Rovisome Biotin - a blend of Biotin and Panthenol- chosen to condition, strengthen and help improve the look of density. Caffeine is added to help stimulate and support circulation, while Argan and Coconut Oils offer lightweight moisture and shine. Hyaluronic Acid hydrates. Turmeric and Thyme bring a calming finish, supporting skin wellness and encouraging growth at the root.
Don’t just take their word for it though; in consumer trials 80% of participants said their brow hairs had grown and appeared thicker after eight weeks.
Last but not least
I had a wonderful conversation with US Podcaster Caroline Dodd-Higgins about Business Women and Burnout.There are some gems in this conversation if you want to listen.