1. Real life mentoring examples
We found an interesting mentoring example in the association MicroLab. As it is reported in their website, “Anna Basile opened her ceramic workshop, Studio Delta Pottery in 2017 in Turin. The arrival of Covid in 2020 entailed many difficulties, which it managed to overcome, however, also with the support of Marco Barbieri, her Business Mentor. Another lucky meeting of 2020 is the one with Valeria Icardi, founder of Bottega Botanica.”Here you can read her full story.
Similar to Anna Basile is Valeria Icardi’s story. In this video, she explains her business and her work with her mentor (the video is in Italian you can generate English subtitles by clicking the setting button).
Another interesting example is the one about Alice Angelotti and Anita Ballabio. In November 2014, they opened Corteccia, the bookstore of their dreams, with the goal to stimulate quality publishing of children books. In 2016 due to a long period of little visibility (Milan municipality began the construction of a new metro stop in front of their store, preventing the visibility of their windows) they asked support from a mentor. They partly changed their business model, creating a strong connection with their clients with networking sessions and workshops. During the pandemic then they were able to improve their digital skills offering new services and a book delivery. You can read their full story here.
The story of Rebecca Page has a particular interest and is connected with digitalization. Thanks to the help of a mentor, she was able to grow her market and business. “She thought about how she could have a positive impact on her team and customers and worked with a mentor to identify potential pivots and opportunities in the long term.” Now, she has 23 team members and sells patterns and sewing classes worldwide.
Other much more famous mentoring relationships include examples of Steve Jobs mentoring Mark Zuckerberg, Maya Angelou mentoring Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Robinson mentoring Barack Obama, Sir Freddie Laker mentoring Richard Branson, and Larry Summers mentoring Sheryl Sandberg.
2.Successful women e-entrepreneurs (e-commerce)
A quote from an entrepreneur
“If I hadn’t had mentors, I wouldn’t be here today. I’m a product of great mentoring, great coaching… Coaches or mentors are very important.”
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi
Here are some good examples of how women e-entrepreneurs managed to build successful companies:
- Partake foods a company that sells gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO cookies free of the top allergens. It was set up by Denise Woodward after she discovered multiple allergies of her daughter. About her journey, she says “I dreamed of a brand that made products that tasted good, that had ingredients I felt good about sharing with my family, but was cool enough that someone without food allergies would choose to also eat it.” Here you can read and listen to her full story.
- Phenomenal was set up by Meena Harris in 2016, the year Trump was voted. Starting by simply producing a T-shirt stating “Phenomenal Woman” she used social media to get in touch with celebrities and the rest of the world! She began selling this t-shirt and other clothes on line remaining keen to cultural and systemic change. Her story here.
- Tipti is an e-commerce platform in Equador for grocery shopping and delivery. After quitting her job, Pierangela Sierra decided to jump together with her husband in entrepreneurship. They built their business on what is needed more in our society: having more time for ourselves. The name of the platform TIPTI, infact, is the short version of “Tiempo para Ti” (Time for you). A fundamental value that drives her into her journey is to create positive change in her community and for women, so since the very first stage of her company she integrated a social vision and impact in her business.
Click here to read more inspiring stories!
