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7 Business Strategies From This Year's Create Cultivate 100 Honorees That’ll Help Set You Apart

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The path to success is never linear, and this is especially true for women and femmes in business. Despite the challenges they’ve faced, those honored on this year's Create Cultivate 100 list have achieved remarkable success due to the unique strategies they applied to their business practices.

Ahead, we share some of these approaches that set them apart from the rest and how they apply to entrepreneurs at every stage.

1. Prepare to pivot

Beauty nominee, Amy Liu worked at Smashbox, Kate Somerville, and Josie Maran Cosmetics before striking out on her own to start the award-winning makeup brand Tower 28, which she launched at age 40. Even though it took her 18 years to finally say yes to becoming an entrepreneur—she’d thought about it since she was 28—Liu says she never counted herself (or a career change) out. "Part of manifestation," she says, "is just putting your dream out there."

2. Build intentional partnerships

Climate honoree and sustainability activist Jhánneu Roberts is an expert at this. Roberts partners with like-minded brands, like Bank of the West and Grove Collaborative, that further empower her community to live a sustainable life. When sharing advice for up and coming activists and sustainability creators she says, “It’s not just about reducing waste, it’s also about sustaining yourself.” Later this year, Jhánneu plans to launch a course focused on teaching other creators how to work with brands so that they can continue to build their own businesses, sustainably.

3. Follow your intuition

Content Creator honoree Achieng Agutu, also known as the Tantalizing Confidence Queen, has built an incredible community founded on fearlessness. When it comes to making important decisions, she encourages her followers to look within. "When something is for you, it should feel effortless and there should be no overthinking," she says. “If I don't feel a sense of freedom, a sense of happiness, if the energy is not reciprocated, if there is no sense of I see you and I want the best for you then I am out."

4. See every opportunity as a learning opportunity

Pinky Cole, Food and Beverage honoree and founder of Slutty Vegan, a plant-based burger chai based n in Atlanta valued at $100 million, has 20 new locations set to open after a successful Series A funding round. She acknowledges that expanding requires acknowledging what you don't know, being willing to learn, and not getting comfortable with what you do know. Second only to that, she says, is learning that you will lose people who are valuable to you and the business. But, the most important part is having the emotional maturity to move forward without letting it get in the way of your success. 

5. Use representation to tap potential

Finance honoree Simran Kaur, founder of Girls That Invest, aims to make investing more inclusive, starting from an early age. “You cannot become what you cannot see, she says. "More women talking about money or investing is going to encourage more women to come into the door. It feels less intimidating when you know people who look like you and can break down the jargon in ways you understand—without being patronizing. It's about using language and a female-lens that makes it just a wee bit more fun and engaging.”

6. Nurture your interests

Arts and Culture honoree and founder of Utendahl Creative, Madison Utendahl, has been on the founding teams of cultural phenomenons like Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Refinery 29's 29Rooms and the Museum of Ice Cream. She believes in letting what you love lead you to your true north. “The journey to happiness is lifelong and well worth it,” she says. “I hope all women, especially those in creative spaces, know that they are worth their wildest dreams.”

7. Never stop testing new ideas

As the founder of Poppi, Food and Beverage honoree Allison Ellsworth wants to inspire others to bring out their inner disruptive entrepreneur—and not be afraid to try new things. Case in point: Ellsworth's first foray into TikTok a personal story about why she started her brand after not being able to find gut-friendly beverages, garnered 50 million views and $100K sales. This led to Poppi being the number-one searched beverage on Amazon, free endorsements from celebrity fans like Kendall Jenner and Drew Barrymore, and being named BevNet’s Marketing Campaign of the year. All of which taught Ellsworth a valuable lesson: Never let the fear of trying something new decide your future.

Tune in to this week'e episode of WorkParty where Jaclyn Johnson looks to these inspiring founders to answer some of your most-asked questions about owning and running a business.

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