The Women’s March on Washington (and around the world) concluded with a plethora of social-media posts showing excitement and support for women. Every individual who marched came with her or his own set of values, concerns and voice. Now that the event is over, I continue marching for women entrepreneurs — and here’s why: People often talk about the glass ceiling, but there’s really more than one. And it’s critical for women to understand what each means for them, their career and their lifestyle.
The American dream.
The first plateau is the “American dream” ceiling. It’s how far a woman can go and still have 2.3 kids, a husband and a house with a picket fence. In this world, you still can attend PTA meetings and be on a first-name basis with your child’s third-grade teacher.
If this is your dream, then good news! The world is set up to help you achieve this goal. Many women make it to middle management. You won’t face as much opposition to rise to this level, and the equal-opportunity policies in place at most medium- to large-sized companies makes this role more accommodating for working women (with or without children).
The abundance mindset.
The second ceiling is higher. That’s the one I’m targeting. It’s the “abundance” ceiling, and it means having enough money that you don’t need to worry about your bank balance for the rest of your life. In fact, your children won’t have to worry about money, either. When you’ve shattered the abundance ceiling, you don’t have to make another dollar to live to be a beautiful 100-year-old.
Regardless of your gender, reaching the abundance level requires 100-percent dedication to your work and your goals. I recently celebrated my birthday, and I’m embracing entering my 30s. I don’t have a husband, kids or any other attachments. I don’t have work-life balance. But I do have laser focus on bringing my product to market. I watch less than an hour a week of TV and see maybe one movie a month. Most of my friends — love them as I do — are also business colleagues. They’re older women who offer good advice or younger women whom I invest in because I believe they’re going places, too.
The problem with the middle.
I don’t let people who could hold me back be a part of my life. I don’t have friends who don’t support me. I don’t have relationships with men who add drama to my life. I think I probably could be a single mother and entrepreneur. I imagine I’d hire a nanny to cover when I was in meetings or traveling on business, but I’d still miss important life events. If my child had an emergency, he or she would come first and I’d have to take the chance of seeing my business suffer. Instead of those choices, I make different sacrifices. I don’t even have a fish. My relationships with friends are important, but they rarely require canceling a work trip or putting a deadline at risk.
If women want to occupy the top seats,…