Women are disproportionately represented in all levels of business. It’s time to pull back the curtain.

Why start yet another women in business podcast? Great question. As a woman working in male-dominant industries, I’ve seen a lot. Even in female-focused industries like beauty and fashion, we still predominantly see males in executive roles. Something seems off, right? That’s exactly what I thought, and it is why I’ve started the Born to Be Podcast series. We will highlight female-led enterprises and dive into the success and challenges facing women in entrepreneurship or working in Direct-To-Consumer or Corporate brands.  We offer insightful ideas to help women facing the ups and downs of successful leadership in their industry, as well as tips and tricks for optimal personal growth.

More women than ever before are starting their own businesses, despite obstacles

• Women entrepreneurs now make up 43% out of the 582 million entrepreneurs worldwide (source)  
• In 2019, only 20 percent of global startups that raised their first funding round had a female founder, doubling from 10 percent in 2009. (source)
• According to a study by Deloitte looking at diversity and inclusion in the venture capitalist industry, just 14 percent of investment professionals in venture capital in the U.S. are women. 
• Regardless of evidence that women-run, diverse teams outperform male ones, the giant VC funding gap between start-ups founded by men and women has hardly shrunk in the last few years. (source) 
• Research shows that when a woman is at the table, a fund is twice as likely to invest in women-led start-ups, yet most VCS are men. (source)
• While billions of dollars in global venture capital funds were doled out in 2020, female founders received just 2.3%.
• The growth of women-owned businesses in the US is significant. In 2021, 49% of new businesses were started by women, which is an increase from 28% in 2019 (source). 
• 70% of women are motivated to create businesses that make a difference in the world (source)

• Black women are leading the race to starting their own businesses (17% black women starting businesses versus 10% white women)(source)
• Black and Latin American founders accounted for only 2.6% of the total $87.3 billion in venture capital funding (same source as stat below) 
• Yet being leaders in the entrepreneurship space, Black women founders received only 0.64% of all venture capital funding.
  
  

According to Shopify, “Access to capital allows men to invest ~2x as much in their business and make ~3-10x more than businesses owned by women in their first year alone.”

Working women help our economy, so why are they denied resources?

If women are starting businesses, but being denied capital, then we have a systemic issue. Unequal access to capital, resources, and market share shows that there is still a long way to go for women equality. 
That is why I launched the Born to Be Podcast. Women need a space to communicate, share their stories unapologetically, and learn that we can work together to help each other thrive in business.

Meet Your Host Sam McGregor: A Journey From VP of Customer Success to Data-Driven Email & SMS Marketer

I wasn’t always the data-driven fashion email & SMS marketer you’ve come to know. 

I spent over a decade working in customer success, process improvement, and client retention. My passion for data really started when I was working as the VP of Customer Success for a top marketing analytics firm in Toronto. During this time, I discovered the power data-driven campaigns had in unlocking massive hidden revenue streams. 

Unfortunately, life took a turn, and the analytics company I worked for was acquired in 2018.  

Life has a funny way of showing us our true path.

Thankfully I was in a comfortable position and didn’t need to go and find another job right away, so I decided to take some time off and really think about what I wanted next. It was actually a conversation with my former CEO that really pushed me in the direction of starting my own business. I’d mentioned that I was considering doing some consulting in the meantime, and he said he thought it was a great idea, and that I’d make a really good consultant. So, I figured there was no harm in trying!

I started my own consulting business helping SaaS companies expand their reach & build best-in-class customer success departments and then accidentally got into working directly with brands. I fell in love with data, behaviour-driven customer segmentation and personalized marketing campaigns. You could say the rest is history. 

What to expect from the Born to Be Podcast?

Each episode will be raw, unapologetic, and a true story from real women in business. There will be no filters and no biases. Only a candid conversation between Sam and her guests. Let’s continue the conversation about women in business, how we are part of growing our economy and deserve to have funding and the recognition we deserve.

Tune into the Born to Be Podcast on iTunes and Spotify.