When the C&C team flew out to Nashville for the launch of Raising the Bar with The Mall at Green Hills we discovered this vibrant metropolis is so much more than just the music city it’s known for. What really makes this thriving city hum is its hub of female founders who are raising the bar for ambitious women everywhere.

So, we invited the new wave of entrepreneurs to the stage to chat about how they took the leap to pursue their passion and redefined success in the process. This was followed by our editorial director, Sacha Strebe who had a conversation with model and founder (and Nashville local), Lily Aldridge to talk about her recent pivot into entrepreneurship with her fragrance line, Lily Aldridge Parfums.

Read on to hear some of the sage soundbites from the panel and keynote speakers on the day and discover how you too can find your voice and fulfill your dreams.

Panel: Power Notes—The Key Players Who Are Changing the Game and Redefining Success

Panelists:

Jen Saviano | Entrepreneur and Influencer, What Happens in Nash 

Nicole DiGiacobbe | Photographer, Creative Entrepreneur, and Podcaster, The Digi Girls

Mallory Ervin | Founder, Living Fully With Mallory Evin Podcast, YouTuber and influencer

Shannon Ford | Entrepreneur and Influencer, Probably Shannon Ford

Moderator: 

Nada Taha | Entrepreneur and Owner, Blind Copy Creative

On leaving behind a steady paycheck:
Nicole: “You need to ask yourself, are you willing to make that sacrifice?”

Mallory: “A lot of times when you’re an entrepreneur you think you have to have it completely figured out before you get started. My advice to every woman wanting to start something is, do the easiest thing, the thing that you love that’s right in front of you and when opportunities come, you ride that wave. Just be open to doing the next thing.”

Shannon “The blogging world is saturated but don’t get caught up in the ‘I don’t want to do it because everyone has done it first’—everyone has done it first! Whatever you want to do I can promise you it’s been done but do it anyway.”

On growing your audience:

Nicole: “A really great way to grow your email list is to offer a freebie, something that you can create that offers value in exchange for their email.”

Mallory: “If you have an iPhone, every single one of you can grow a seven-figure business within five years if you do it right.”

Nada: “Figure out your demographic and then pivot and shift with that.”

Mallory: “If you create good content, it does well on all of the platforms.”

On showing vulnerability:

Nicole: “Perfectionism can be crippling… but it can be hard to show that real side.”

Mallory: “Don’t polish it up and make it perfect that was something I failed to realize in the beginning but now I totally get.”

Shannon: “You have to own it. It’s 2019 and this (being an influencer) is a job so don’t ever be insecure about that, ever.”

On the challenges of being an entrepreneur:

Jen: There are a lot of struggles and a lot of learning and I don’t think people realize there are taxes (you often have income coming from multiple different sources, and it’s a nightmare when taxes come around) and you’re often playing multiple roles—you’re a model, you’re a photographer—it’s exhausting. There is a lot that goes on behind-the-scenes but at the same time, there is beauty in that because there is no cap to how great you can be and how big you can grow. You’re in control of that and that’s what I love about being an entrepreneur. It’s frustrating, challenging, a lot of learning, but equally rewarding.”

Panel: Keynote Conversation With Lily Aldridge

Panelists:

Lily Aldridge | Lily Aldridge, Founder and CEO, Lily Aldridge Parfums

Moderator: 

Sacha Strebe | Editorial Director, Create & Cultivate

On being kind:

“I was taught at a very young age that professionalism matters, being kind matters, showing up matters. I was always the first person on set, I was always introducing myself to everybody, smiling, making contact. Those are the kind of people that succeed when you are working from the bottom to the top. If you are kind to everybody they want you to succeed as well.”

On believing in yourself:

“It’s all about believing in yourself. The number of people that told me I would not be a Victoria’s Secret model—I was Victoria’s Secret model for nine years and wore the Fantasy Bar—that I would never do Sport’s Illustrated—I was on their cover—that I would never be in high fashion—I did Givenchy—all of these people my whole career told me what I wasn’t going to do it and I proved them all wrong because I really believed in myself.”

On launching Lily Aldridge Parfums:

“It’s been amazing but it’s hard work, I’m like what am I doing? every day. It’s a learning process. I’m messing up daily and I’m learning and growing as a company and a business and setting new standards for myself and what I want in my business and how I want it to run. That’s what a business is—it’s failures, highs and lows, and learning from those moments.”

On breaking out in a sea of competition:

“I truly believe that there is space for all of us. Your perfume is not going to smell like my perfume, your inspiration is not going to be the same as mine and we have to lift each other up. I’ve always believed that if I’m doing good and you’re doing good the whole business is doing good.”

On trusting your gut:

“There have been a few times along the way where I have let somebody make the choice or convince me otherwise, even though my gut was saying something else, and I wish I held my ground and fought for what I believed in.”

On being an entrepreneur:

“Believe in yourself, fight for what you want, and don’t be afraid to speak up and fight for what you believe in. This is the moment of paving the way and being disruptive and making our own rules.”

“Starting my own business has really taught me to step up and not be afraid.”

“You can manifest your own career and create amazing things.”

On her best piece of advice:

“Just go for it. Having those nerves makes it real and exciting and it means you care about your business which is so important.”

Rapid Fire:

The biggest surprise or highlight of my career to date is ... “starting my own brand and being a businesswoman.”

My self-care indulgence is … “bubble baths. I always go to Lush and get some bath bombs.”

If I wasn’t an entrepreneur, I’d be … “a philanthropist but they go hand in hand because I think being a strong businesswoman also means being somebody who will be a philanthropist and give back.”

I feel most fulfilled when ... “I’m at home with my family.”

My best life-hack is … “take time for yourself, believe in yourself, love yourself, own yourself, and don’t be afraid to mess up. We only get one life and we have to enjoy it. You can show up and be your own boss and make your dreams happen, you can do that, so do it.”

My best beauty tip is ... “sleep!”

My guilty Instagram follow is … “all of Instagram is a guilty thing so everybody I follow.”

See more images from the event below!