At the end of October we’re hosting our 7th Huddle Retreat in a beautiful estate in the Hudson Valley of New York. And ONE spot just opened! Three years ago I started this community and I wanted to share with you a bit more why, and what I’ve learned from it…
Why Female Founder Communities are so Important
My creation of The Huddle was born out of pure necessity from my struggle in running the digital marketing business here of SayYes.com. The reality is that the pipelines available for men that support their business through growth stages and inflection points aren’t available to women, or aren’t happening in female supportive spaces.
I wasn’t the only one feeling this discrepancy….
You probably know about the gender pay gap but do you know about the gender investment gap??
According to Pitichfork Data, female founders receive significantly less funding than their male counterparts .
Only 4.4% of venture capital deals and only about 2% of all funds invested are to female entrepreneurs.
Yet! Female-founded businesses ultimately produce higher revenue—more than twice as much revenue—than their male counterparts.
For every dollar of funding, female startups generate 78 cents, while male-founded startups generate less than half that—just 31 cents.
Here are some more stats to back this up…
First Round Capital found that the female-founded companies it funded performed 63% better than the all-male founding teams.
The Kauffman Fellows Report found that that women-led teams generate a 35% higher return on investment than all-male teams.
Female founders are good at what they do.
In spite of the systemic and cultural biases that make it harder for women to get the resources and funding then need.
According to Forbes, one of the best ways to overcome these hurdles is to form close relationships with other women in business and seek out female mentors and venture capitalists.
New research from Harvard Business Review shows that female entrepreneurs supporting each other doesn’t just result in enjoyable friendships.
They’re actually seeing that women who have an inner circle of other female entrepreneurs are more likely to find the resources they need, grow their business and income, and get the funding they desire than their male counterparts.
The Huddle is here for ALL of that.
We’re all about the inner circle of resource sharing, growth, and community.
Our Huddle Retreats are for ambitious female founders looking to grow and scale their businesses, believe in collaboration over competition, and are looking to leave with a deeply connected and invested peer group of likeminded women.
The NY Huddle Retreat is October 25-28th in a historic estate nestled in the Hudson Valley of New York. Come spend three days basking in NY’s October foliage with an intimate group of ambitious female founders and under the guidance of mentors and coaches.
We take a deep dive into business strategy, Hot Seats, skill sharing, holistic wellness, delicious catered meals, and connection with the guidance of our leadership team: mentor and venture capitatlist Jill Dempsey of VUE Corp, mentor Mimi Chan of Littlefund, and leadership + empowerment coach Ali Dunn.
One of the things that sets our retreats apart are our Hot Seat sessions. Each woman has one dedicated just to her business, harnessing the brilliant power of the group.
This is an incredibly valuable opportunity to solve problems in your business, get honest feedback about direction, and dig into your own growth strategy.
In addition to powerhouse peers, you’ll also have a Huddle mentor and facilitator in your Hot Seat group to give high level guidance and make sure you’re addressing the things that are most important.
Our retreats have a very intentional holistic value. We’ve seen that the ways you feel stuck in your personal life are often the same ways you feel stuck in your business, and we love to help you uncover and explore those at our retreats.
With business growth traditionally being structured in a patriarchal framework, we are all about re-structuring this growth to support you and your WHOLE business.
During the retreat we offer personal coaching in both group and individual formats.
We also daily wellness activities like yoga and meditation, massages, and hiking.
We also have a lot of fun! We have dedicated down time every day, dinners out, professional headshots for your website, and fun surprises. In our NY retreat next month we’re also bringing in a mobile sauna!
One of the main takeaways from The Huddle Retreat is a close knit group of business besties to continue to support each other long term in their business and personal growth.
I’m so proud of all the deeply invested relationships and growth that has happened from these connections.
We’ve had woman start businesses together, collaborative on projects, and find long lasting friendships. Such an incredible community!
Come be part of our Huddle Retreat and be included in this group of kickass, high achieving community of female founders collaborating, supporting, and growing together.
You’ll leave with a deeply connected and invested peer group of likeminded women, fresh eyes and perspective on your business strategy, and new insight into yourself as a leader.
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