The Womens Conference
The Nations Premier Forum For Women
MICHELLE KING ROBSON - Founder, Chairperson & CEO, EmpowHER
I created my company, EmpowHER, because I know women need support and information when it comes to their health.
In my forties I had a complete hysterectomy, which left me very ill and so depressed that I considered taking my own life. Months passed, but no one was able to help me -- until I decided to search for answers on my own. Finally I found a doctor who focuses on female hormonal issues and who was able to give me the care I needed. That was when I began to wonder -- if I had all of these resources at my disposal and still couldn’t get well for so long, what are other women going through?
EmpowHER is the resource I wish I had when I was sick. It provides visitors access to one of the largest women's health and wellness content libraries on the web, as well as the largest online community of women discussing their health and wellness issues.
Creating a company from concept to reality has brought many unexpected challenges, but I have learned so much along the way. Here are some of my top tips for running a business:
- Share your load. CEOs never get less busy, have fewer things to do, or are granted more time to do what needs to get done. But as you build a team you trust, you’ll learn to relinquish control over certain things, which will allow you to focus on the things only YOU can do. Being a CEO is a balancing act, but by effectively prioritizing how you spend your time, focusing on what matters most, really listening to others and communicating effectively, you can manage the balancing act, instead of letting it manage you.
- Pay attention to your team and their needs. It’s one thing to talk to your team; it’s another thing to LISTEN to your team. Your team is your company’s lifeline; they are the ones who are really keyed-into what is working and what isn’t in the business. By really understanding what’s going on with them, you can understand what’s going on with your company. Be open to feedback and ideas, and be willing to adjust your plans and expectations accordingly.
- Always stay true to your core mission. Every day, we think about WIIFH….what’s in it for HER (women visiting EmpowHER)? As long as we know the answer to that, what we’re doing will be of value to HER, which means we’re doing the right thing. If not, then we shouldn’t do it. Period. This approach ensures that we are staying true to who we are, in turn strengthening our brand and our value to the women we serve.
- Be humble enough to seek guidance from others. CEOs sometimes have this notion that they must lead from the top down, and that they must have all the answers. All the time. My philosophy is quite different. My CEO mentor, Jim Myers, has taught me to lead from the bottom up. My job as CEO is to remove roadblocks from my team so that they can be successful -- not lay obstacles for them to overcome. Get yourself a CEO mentor. You can even try CEO forums, which are amazingly helpful whether you're a new or seasoned CEO. Good CEOs are smart. Great CEOs are smart enough to practice humility.
- Believe in yourself and in your success. From the moment I started EmpowHER, I never accepted failure as an option. When you believe strongly that you can succeed, everything you do, minute by minute, day by day will be influenced by that confidence, and amazingly enough, you do succeed!
Michelle King Robson is the founder, chairperson and CEO of EmpowHER.
