Summer D'on Bell’s Post

If you’re still curious about what we get up to at When Life Gives You Lemons and our events, check out my blog post where I discuss my highlights and key takeaways from our recent event! 🍋 #WhenLifeGivesYouLemons #EventRecap

It’s been an epic week at MAD//FEST LONDON 2024! From insightful sessions to laughs with the team, we had the best time. Here are some of the team’s highlights… Consistency was a theme that stood out to Kerry. “Lots of brands were talking about how their consistent messaging creates fame. Specsavers’ 20-year-old campaign 'Should've' is so well-known that people use it for their own humour, as their audience knows it so well. This shows that the need to constantly change campaigns or branding isn't always the winning idea.” Tom Ollerton and Rachel Kerrone’s session from Starling Bank was a favourite for Joanna. “They spoke on the importance of focusing on building a quality customer base when building a brand and that it's not the scale at the beginning but the quality of the customer that matters most. This is what builds trusted brands & loyal customer bases. Paige loved the Barbie session. “Despite the backlash they have faced over the years, they never lost their core objective - that Barbie is a role model for young girls to inspire them to dream big and achieve anything. If Barbie can do it, so can you!” Cheryl’s highlight was listening to the 10 learnings from Who Gives A Crap about how they have built a successful brand. The first one resonated the most; “Everyone loves puppies!" Ben Farren from SPOKE delivered a session on building long-term brand awareness through TV advertising, which was a standout for Fiona. “His quote ‘out of fear of what I might feel if I didn’t try’ resonated with me so much, as this is how I feel with my business. It’s a powerful reminder to take risks and innovate." A statement from Eddie Izzard’s talk stood out to Loren - “Be bold, be brave and never doubt yourself!” Molly’s key takeaway from the event was the sheer variety of speakers and CEOs. “It was great to see a variety of ages throughout the sessions, not to mention all the inspiring female leaders on the Female Leaders' Club stage.” Bring on MAD//FEST 2025! What was your highlight from the event? Let us know in the comments… #BrandChampions #MadFestLondon #FemaleLeadersClub

A Look Book. Andy made 'em for Miranda. Gary was a walking, talking 1 for The Veep. Me: I made them too. You: make 1 for NECANN. It lands in Chicago (Schaumburg), soon. Then, hallways, sidewalks, stages, expo floor, beverage stations & bathrooms will be seeded with cannabis people you want to meet. Thus, a Look Book. A Look Book prepares you to intercept. Let's say, WOMEN. There will be many. Of various expertise: restorative justice, human resources, marketing, manufacturing, cultivation, sales, finance, product innovation, ancillary goods, consumption lounges, content creation, healing, lawyering, entrepreneurship & even, ownership! A "Look Book" features the physical photo of a desired individual you've confirmed will be where you can also be. You research your target in advance, know the Look & are ready! Thus, per the leading ladies of this fierce industry, who are guaranteed to be at NECANN Chicago NEXT WEEK as convention presenters & exhibitors, you might NOT know WHO she's wearing, but YOU WILL know what she LOOKS like. Because you made a Look Book! I'd do research on these women making moves at NECANN 2024: POTLI's Felicity Chen -- the cannabis brand owner is in from Cali to tell us about dropping her infused pantry staples into Illinois. Rashaunah Williams SHRM-CP -- so much wisdom to drop, she's scheduled to speak from stage, a few times. (1 of those times is me, interviewing her!) The 1937 Group HR team, is on a hiring spree across concepts & Illinois locations, thus be ready to resume up with Mary Zolig, Tania Campos and Jordan Burr before and after their senior HR lead, Judge Sonia Antolec, leads a panel discussion on initiatives solving for true DEI in the cannabis workforce. Sonia Antolec (She/Ella/Jej)'s panel concludes 2024 NECANN's session in Chicago! Angie Moreland is growing her expertise into a new business; she's helping us spruce up our expo space to show how we, The 1937 Foundation, has grown strong roots, too. Our Chief Yogi, Yazmin McCamey, keeps us ground. And wants to help you too. You can even make your way to the mat with our Yogi, at noisy NECANN! On the show floor, Brandy Hargrove is going to wire her compli team further into our Foundation work; they've been Friends, forever. Thanks to its Founder, Allen Wills. Kirsten Velasco: I think she, POTLI and Rove Brand's Jo Jacobson are the ONLY female owners as Exhibitors. (Tell me I'm wrong.) Kirsten has propped us up always & innovated her VapeNProp line, steadily. I Can't wait to send business her way. Victoria Williams is an Owner, too and is being lovely & loud about her launch. We'll hear more about it. Barbara Webb, CPA is a financial forecaster I wish I needed in my life. Claire Warne: I want to hear you talk. On stage. And when we are once again bellied up to some sort of consumption bar. I miss you. Maurissa Stone: appears to carry a lot of weight. I want to meet her. Me: also on the lookout for: Phoebe DePree Jenny Dills & Jayneé Benavidez 😎

Das right! 😎🤩 I had to do a little boogie! 💃🏽 I couldn’t help myself. So excited to meet other finalists at the Geelong Business Excellence Awards on October 19th. 😤Auto captions not working (Instagram) so here’s what I say! “Junie: Hey Junie with sunnies: What!? Junie: Guess what? Junie with sunnies: What!? Junie: I’m a finalist of Geelong Business Excellence Awards! I’m Junie Baptiste Poitevien, founder & CEO of Propel Innovations. Propel Innovations is a boutique of inclusive user experience research helping consumer brands include customers who don’t feel represented in their products. 🚀 Can’t wait to meet the finalists at the event on October 19th. Let’s see who wins!” What do you do to celebrate a business win? Video description: Junie, founder & CEO, is a Black women dressed in black. Her character changes between herself and… herself, but dressed with a black leather jacket and black sunglasses. She announces she’s a finalist of the Geelong Business Excellence Awards and they happily boogie together. #inclusivedesign #userexperience #userresearch #customerexperience #brands #consumerinsights #untappedmarkets #workshop #data #insights #awards #finalist

Last week I attended the WBENC National Conference in Denver. Some people questioned why an alcohol brand would go to a conference that is not really for spirits brands. I'm glad I went and here is why and some of my key takeaways. 1️⃣ There are only 12 - yes, 12 - WBENC certified women-owned spirits companies. (This number includes spirits based RTDs but it does not include wine brands.) I know there are other brands that are female founded and not certified, but certification authenticates that companies are actually owned and controlled by women. The standards to be certified are high and the certification provides an easy way for corporations to ensure that diversity requirements are met. Therefore, of course, I want to be there if companies are looking for women-owned alcohol brands for their retail or hospitality locations. There are not a lot of us to choose from. 2️⃣ I walked in thinking that since it's a women-owned conference, it would be mostly all women in attendance. Nope, there are a lot of men there. So many major corporations showed up with their delegations - men and women - who are seeking diverse suppliers. Seeing how many men were in the room representing their organizations with a commitment to bringing on women-owned suppliers was encouraging. I'm always talking about women supporting women, but we really need men supporting women businesses as well. 3️⃣ WBENC is not just a certification. It's a community. I have done countless cohorts through the organization and this was another way to get more involved. I don't believe in just signing up and not showing up. I make the most of the networks I am part of. 4️⃣ I went to connect with other female founders. There are so many that I have only met virtually and this was a perfect opportunity to meet in person. By the way, the founder story that inspired me the most was not the founder who raised the most money. It was the founder that for years has been able to fund her packaged product that she sells in chain retailers by operating her own retail location and food service business. Wow, totally impressed! 5️⃣ When you're the only alcohol brand there, you become very popular. I had a line for 3 hours during my pop-up. So, hopefully I also found some new customers. #womenownedbusiness #wbencnationalconference #femalefounders

Is The EstablisHer Circle even for you?   I've talked a lot about joining us in The EstablisHer Circle, but one of the questions I've received is, “Is it right for me?”   I've set up this community to help women in business to get clear on their branding and finally have the confidence to put themselves out there. No more hiding!   Does this sound like you:   ✴️ You have your logo (or something at least), but you’re hiding in your business and not really putting yourself out there…   ✴️ You’re unsure how to reach your target audience or even able to work out who they are…   ✴️ You’re confused and have no plan in place to elevate your brand and make more money in your business…   ✴️ You need someone to guide you in your business and help you create a roadmap to brand excellence   ✴️ You feel like you need accountability   ✴️ You want to be part of a community of businesswomen who want the same things in life and who want you to do well.   Sound familiar? Then this is the place for you! We cannot blimmin wait to have you here with us!

What if our doubts are the source of our strength? All women, even the strongest ones, regardless of their paths or experiences, feel doubts, fears, and pressures, and it is precisely these doubts that propel them on their path to fulfillment. That is the message we want to convey at Lancôme with our latest digital series “It’s Within You”, starring three of our brand ambassadors: Penelope Cruz, Joy Sunday, and Hoyeon. These three short stories not only shed light on the common doubts, societal pressures, fear of judgment, and challenge of imposter syndrome faced by countless women, but also highlight women’s unique strengths in confronting and overcoming them. Let’s celebrate and recognize that this power is within each and every one of us, too. Every day, but especially so on International Women’s Day.

Unlocking the Secrets to Rihanna’s Success: Authenticity, Inclusivity, Innovation, Strategic Partnerships, and a Strong Brand Identity. Discover how these key factors have propelled Rihanna’s ventures to new heights, setting her apart as a true industry trailblazer. #brandidentity #marketingstrategist #beautybrands #blackownedcosmetics #bizpreneur #womeninbusiness #productlaunch #productbasedbusiness

-US Business History Tuesdays- Continuing our journey through Richard Vague's book, "An illustrated business history of the United States." Last week we looked at the start of the labor movement in the nation followed by laws coming into play to reign back monopolistic practices of corporate titans. This week we'll take a look at the first set of women-owned brokerage firms and debut of firms at the Chicago World's Fair still in existence today. "Women investors date back to the nation's founding, when Abigail Adams invested in government and war bonds. - The first woman-owned stock brokerage was opened in 1870 by Victoria Woodhull, the noted feminist and free thinker, and her sister Tennessee Claflin." "Woodhull, Claflin & Company opened on Wall Street, thanks to help from Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Woodhull became wealthy advising clients on the New York Stock Exchange." It took almost another century for the first woman to own a seat on the exchange, in 1967 by Muriel Siebert. Looking over to the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, this coincided with the four hundredth year celebration since the discovery of the New World. It drew more than twenty-seven million visitors form forty-six countries. From this fair debuted many brands that we know of today. "Cream of Wheat, Juicy Fruit gum, Aunt Jemima pancake mix, and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. The fair saw the first-ever Ferris wheel and remains one of the most successful world's fairs in history." Which of these brands do you still use today?

A big thank you to Daniel Markovits and Female Founders Rise' Emmie Faust for the concise and so useful webinar on persponal branding on LinkedIn. My key takeaways, don't overthink it, add value, and share your perspective, will certainly influence how I approach my engagement on LinkedIn. Truly grateful for the insights and looking forward to applying them! #PersonalBranding #FemaleFounders #LinkedInTips #WomenInBusiness