人妻少妇专区

Alumni Gazette

For Jeannine Shao Collins 鈥�86, the 鈥渓ight-bulb moment鈥� for how to help young women become entrepreneurs came from a conversation with her daughter.

After attending a women鈥檚 forum in New York City hosted by Duke University the then 16-year-old Julia Collins returned home full of frustration鈥攁nd full of ideas.

鈥淲e have to do something about this gender equity issue,鈥� she told her mother. 鈥淭he world has to get behind women when they鈥檙e younger.鈥�

鈥淚 knew Julia was right,鈥� says Collins, a successful magazine and media executive. 鈥淭here needed to be a forum for young women who want to be entrepreneurs.鈥�

Three years later, the result is Girl Starter, a New York City鈥揵ased media company whose mission is to give girls the tools they need to develop their potential as business leaders. Cofounded by Collins, the company includes a website (GirlStarter.com), a reality TV show that debuted on the cable network TLC last April, and other media channels.

Collins created Girl Starter with her friend, television writer and Broadway producer Dani Davis. They鈥檙e also cocreators of the TV show of the same name, which offers $100,000 seed funding and services to the winner.

Also involved were her husband, Chris, a former executive with the Wall Street Journal and ESPN; and Julia, now a student at Duke.

Originally planning to major in engineering, Collins switched to economics during her first year at Rochester. After graduation, she moved to New York City and worked in advertising management positions at Prevention and Women鈥檚 Day magazines. In 1993, she joined Meredith Corp., a media company that reaches more than 100 million women through its platforms, serving as chief innovation officer and as publisher of More, a lifestyle magazine geared toward an older demographic of women.

The Girl Starter team spent more than two years developing the company, work that included conducting focus groups with women 18 to 24 years old. 鈥淲e discovered that a lot of women found the word 鈥榚ntrepreneur鈥� intimidating,鈥� Collins says.

With the new company, Collins says she鈥檚 found a new passion.

鈥淕irl Starter is a place to celebrate people doing the right thing.鈥�

Collins offers advice for teenagers (especially girls) who aspire to make it in the business world:

Don鈥檛 be afraid to fail. 鈥淲e learn the most through our failures. We can鈥檛 be so afraid that we don鈥檛 take the leap. Go for it.鈥�

Find your inner circle of support. 鈥淣o one can do it alone. Figure out the people who can help you鈥攁 parent, a teacher, or a store owner鈥攁nd talk to them.鈥�

Listen and ask questions. 鈥淵ou learn the most by doing these two things. If you ask the right questions, your path will open up. Innovation comes when people listen to each other and work toward a mutually exciting goal.鈥�

Don鈥檛 be afraid to change. 鈥淚f something鈥檚 not working, make adjustments. People get emotionally attached to an idea. They don鈥檛 see that it needs to evolve. Adjusting is not a sign of failure.鈥�

Have fun. 鈥淧eople do their best when they enjoy what they鈥檙e doing. The more you put joy and laughter into it, the more you鈥檒l want to do it. And work won鈥檛 feel like work.鈥�

Listen to your heart. 鈥淯nderstand why you鈥檙e doing this and who you鈥檙e doing it for. Is it for you or someone else?鈥�

Collins says parents can play a vital role in getting children to develop entrepreneurial skills.

鈥淓ncourage them to take risks and support them in their journey,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e offering constructive feedback, it shouldn鈥檛 be squelching. Let them be creative. If you鈥檙e directing it, it doesn鈥檛 come from them.鈥� 鈥擩im Mandelaro