Strong Women Inspire Strong Women
The Small Social Company is a proud woman-owned and operated digital marketing agency. We have a team of strong, intelligent women who support our clients to grow their businesses online. Each member of our team brings something unique to the table, and we are dedicated to making sure women have a seat at the table and a voice in the industry.
Strong women are inspired by other strong women. To celebrate International Women’s Day, we asked our team about the women who inspire them.
Ashley: Tieghan Gerard
Tieghan Gerard is a lifestyle and cookbook writer with a love for food. On her award-winning blog, she provides inspiration for recipes you can make at home. Some are easy weeknight dinners, others are more complex showstoppers you can make for your next party. Her goal is to encourage a love of food for her audience, and give them the inspiration to try something new.
Brooklyn: Jillian Harris
Jillian Harris is a Canadian TV personality known for her appearance on the television series The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Love It or List It Vancouver. She is a female entrepreneur who has built a community online where people can come to laugh, learn and celebrate the art of creative living. Jillian also uses her platform to share businesses, brands, and products that she stands behind and truly loves.
Cat: Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is not only a phenomenal artist, she cares immensely about women's rights and equal pay. She is great at sharing her opinion, giving women a voice in the music industry, and making positive changes.
In
2015, she wrote an open letter to Apple expressing her disappointment of Apple Music offering a three-month free trial to members, as this meant she and other artists were not getting paid for their work. After her statement, Apple changed its policy to pay artists for the music streamed during the trial. Taylor is also incredibly generous. Her charitable efforts range from supporting individual fans in difficult situations, to large donations to educational institutes and more.
Erica: Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton is charismatic, kind, and unapologetically herself. On top of her vibrant personality, she is also incredibly giving. In the early days of the pandemic she donated $1 million for research which helped to fund the Moderna vaccine. Dolly Parton’s Imaginarium Library is a foundation she created that has gifted millions of books to children starting when they are born until they are 5 years old, regardless of their family’s income, to encourage a love of reading and learning. She is also an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, the Black community, and has made countless donations and charitable actions for learning, music, medical research, and much more.
Jules: Kim Scott
Kim Scott is a force in the business and tech landscape. She is the co-founder of the company Radical Condor. Before starting her own company, Kim held many high-level positions including: CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and other tech companies. She was a member of the faculty at Apple University, and before that, led AdSense, YouTube, and DoubleClick teams at Google. Prior to entering tech, Kim managed a pediatric clinic in Kosovo and started a diamond-cutting factory in Moscow. Her book, Radical Condor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss without Losing Your Humanity, is a must-read if you’re looking to build a stellar team and be an effective leader.
Lara: Hayley Paige / Cheval
Hayley Paige is a former bridal designer and advocate for young, female fashion designers. After a contract dispute with the parent company of her bridal line, Hayley was unable to work in the bridal industry and use her name for any other business ventures. Instead of waiting out the time limitations of these restrictions, she pivoted into a new segment of the fashion industry under a new name, Cheval. She is now a voice for young designers to ensure they are treated equitably by their parent brands and encourages them to negotiate their contracts fairly. Instead of allowing a contract dispute to end her career, she pivoted, rebranded and built a new name for herself in the industry she loves.
Madi: Michelle Obama
Former U.S. First Lady and current author, Michelle Obama is inspirational, smart, and loving. Before becoming First Lady, Michelle was a successful Lawyer in Chicago. During her time at the White House, she became a role model for women, and a voice for healthy families, service members, higher education and international adolescent girls education. Michelle demonstrated that you can be a strong leader and care about important issues, while being compassionate and kind. Since leaving the White House, she has written two books about finding your voice and trusting your journey: Becoming and The Light We Carry.
Nicole: Princess Diana
Princess Diana became an international icon and used her celebrity status to raise awareness for a number of causes, including leprosy, domestic violence and mental health. During her marriage, she was the president or patron of over 100 charities. She made headlines in 1987 when she intentionally shook hands with an AIDS patient, working to dispel the myth that HIV/AIDS could be spread through touch. Throughout her life, she fought against stereotypes and stigma for many different groups to bring awareness to social issues and try to make the world a kinder place.
Vic: Joanna Gaines
Joanna Gaines is the founder of Magnolia, a New York Times bestselling author and the Editor in Chief of Magnolia Journal. She and her husband have built an empire focused around home improvement, and making your home a feeling of comfort, not just a place. One key component of Magnolia is the Magnolia Foundation, which supports causes like homelessness and youth. Joanna is also an official ambassador for St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital.
“Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.” – Serena Williams
Happy International Women’s Day from the team at The Small Social Company.
