5 Key Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Lessons

Your Network is Your Net Worth

For many WEL participants, the most impactful part of the program was building a genuine community. “My network is my net worth. WEL gave me a group of women who make me feel seen, valued, and capable of anything I want to do as an entrepreneur,” says Adrienne Cole, founder/owner of The House of Marigold and Marigold Catering Co., a restaurant and brand rooted in Southern hospitality located in Louisville, Kentucky. “It reminded me that I’m not an imposter—I belong in every room and at every table. That sense of community and confidence has been everything.”

Holding space for sharing wins and troubleshooting business challenges is a big benefit during WEL, but the power of these relationships continues to pay dividends long after the program ends. "My WEL cohort, as well as the fantastic facilitators at JBF, continue to check in, share resources, and act as sounding boards,” says James Beard Award nominee® Erin Miller, founder of Urban Hearth, a seasonal fine-dining restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “The combination of practical learning and a deeply supportive peer group makes it one of the most meaningful professional experiences I’ve had. This program was life-changing.”

Building Systems Empowers Your Employees

When many WEL attendees started their businesses, they felt like they were doing it all, and that to be successful they had to continue doing so. But learning to delegate, creating clear channels for internal communication, and building systems that support teams and operational processes is crucial for the long-term health of one’s business and staff.

“WEL shifted my understanding of leadership from being the person who holds all the knowledge to being someone who builds systems and develops people,” says James Beard Award nominee® Kaitlin Guerin, owner, baker, and pastry chef of Lagniappe Bakehouse & Coffee, a neighborhood bakery and café in New Orleans that highlights Southern ingredients and connections to West and Central African foodways. As part of her final project for the WEL curriculum, Guerin began developing a structured back-of-house Standard Operating Procedure framework. She shares that by actively codifying processes, building training systems, and creating accountability measures, performance consistency has greatly improved staff-wide and had a meaningful impact on daily operations and workplace culture.

"Leadership isn’t just about setting standards or making decisions,” Miller says. “It’s about creating clarity, building systems that support your team, and taking responsibility for the long-term health of the business.” This has led her to cultivate a more values-driven style of leadership in which she actively prioritizes workforce sustainability with a deeper focus on mentorship and culture, including investing in professional development, creating clear pathways for growth, and fostering a culture of collaboration and respect.

Clarity Refines Your Strategy

One of the biggest challenges facing women entrepreneurs is developing financial fluency and gaining clarity as strategic decision-makers, which can impact ability to effectively fundraise, negotiate, and execute long-term planning. Miller says that WEL helped equip her with the savvy to connect strategy with concrete financial metrics, which allowed her to create a data-backed sales pitch and articulate her realistic-yet-ambitious growth projection. “[WEL] helped me speak about the future of the business with clarity and conviction, rather than uncertainty,” she says. “It directly contributed to securing a second round of financing on significantly more favorable terms.” 

“I had a goal in mind, but not a clear path to get there,” says Laila Ghambari, owner of Guilder Coffee Company which includes three cafés and a coffee roasting facility in Portland, Oregon. “Through the program, I was able to step back and really evaluate where I should be focusing my energy. For my final project, I created a five-year plan, and I was really excited to see that my goal is far more tangible than I imagined. The road ahead doesn’t look easier, but it looks a lot less scary now that I’ve been through WEL.”

Trust Your Instincts

Often, women entrepreneurs find that they lack confidence to articulate their goals or find themselves having to defend their vision or position. Cat Carter, co-founder of L’Ostrica, an intimate restaurant with an approachable, seasonal tasting menu in Charlotte, North Carolina, is approaching her business’s two-year anniversary. Throughout WEL’s educational sessions, Carter realized that at this stage, she needed to shift her focus from day-to-day operations to big picture items. “These priorities might not readily be understood by others, so gaining confidence in my instincts through the program was even more helpful,” she says. “WEL helped me to truly marinate on what assumptions we got right, what really needs to change, and what was a bigger opportunity than we might have realized. Having the opportunity to participate in WEL allowed us to reorient our goals for growth based on this framework.”

“The program and the people gave me so much knowledge and confidence. Some of the information was new to me and some of it was validating to realize I knew more about business than I thought,” Ghambari says. “I feel it deeply in my bones that I am stepping out of the program a savvier business leader than I was before I entered, and it will have a remarkably positive impact on my business as it grows.”

Authentic Leadership Requires Vulnerability

There’s always more to learn when running a business, but several WEL alums said that being forthright about what you're struggling with is key to evolving as a leader and closing gaps in knowledge or experience. “It is not just about learning new skills; it is about being honest with yourself,” Ghambari says of her WEL experience. “The more open and vulnerable you are, the more you will get out of it. The connections you will make are invaluable, and what you bring to the program is just as important as what it gives you.” 

Carter echoes this sentiment with a piece of advice she’d offer to prospective WEL applicants. “Be bold and share what you’re thinking or feeling. Ask the question you’re afraid to ask. Admit the thing you’re scared to admit,” Carter says. “Someone else in the room will be able to relate, and someone else in the room will be the better for it, and someone else in the room can probably help.”

Ready to take the next step in your entrepreneurial journey and get support on how to grow your business, build community, and evolve your leadership skills? Applications for JBF’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (WEL) Program are open through June 1 at 11:59 P.M. PT.