July 2018. Magic happened that summer when #SheDIDIT was born. 7 years later we can take a trip down memory lane and still see why our organisation was needed then and now.
In Belgium only 30% of the entrepreneurs are women, and despite women-focused initiatives, this number has not risen significantly over the years. This makes the average entrepreneur still – you guessed it right – a (white) male. Now who is the opposite of this image, not recognizing herself in it or in the average person you encounter in the traditional entrepreneur ecosystem? For me, that was a woman with a migration background. Not because she has less talent or ambition, simply because she doesn’t see herself represented.
I got the idea for #SheDIDIT in the many encounters I had with talented women with a passion for a business idea they had. I had my 2 commercial businesses (Het Naaiatelier and Stoom.Workspaces), and I had people come to me for advice for their own entrepreneurial journey. I remember Nancy, a mother from school who recently immigrated from Nicaragua, whose degree wasn’t recognized. Her kids and family meant everything to her in Belgium, and since she couldn’t find a job to combine with child care, she chose to become a housewife. However, she had ambitions and the urge to add something to society, and so I encouraged her to take her passion for nail care and turn it into a manicure/pedicure business which allowed her to combine it with school hours. There was Farah, another mum, who made awesome kids clothing, and wanted to sell them. There was Alina, with a passion for women’s sports. And many other women I met. All of them wanted to make a business out of their passion and talent, but didn’t know where to start or what entrepreneurship meant.
But I also got the idea for #SheDIDIT when I felt I wasn’t taken seriously at a New Year’s reception of a big entrepreneurial organisation. I, not even young, not even of colour, felt that the people around me were underestimating my potential, and I realised: this must be so much harder for women with diverse backgrounds. I also knew that having my own mother as a role model and as a direct line to entrepreneurial information (and before her my grandfather), gave me an enormous advantage.
Because there is this lack of information, since the Belgian system is really complicated (even if you are born and raised here).
Because having a network of entrepreneurs around you, or an entrepreneurial family, gives you wings and a headstart.
But mostly, because representation matters. Seeing people that look like you, achieving and thriving, can inspire and motivate you to do the same. The path has been made.
I am super proud of our #SheDIDIT team, and how it fulfills these 3 roles: representation, being the entrepreneurial family, and giving access to info and network. It’s true that Nancy, Alina and Farah inspired me for the concept, but I couldn’t dream that our initiative would be this big after 7 years, with more than 1000 women in our coaching programs. This is the result of a joined effort, from our whole dream team.
But why #SheDIDIT was needed, and still is, not only a matter of helping people and not letting talent and potential go to waste. It is also an economic and demographic reality: 1/3rd of all Belgian residents have a migration background. As long as we don’t see this same third represented in the world of entrepreneurship, our mission hasn’t ended.
We will keep on doing what we do, until all entrepreneurial dreams have the same chances. Until that day, we will make sure that she does what she dreams of, and that others can look at her and say: she did it.
💛 Written by Lien Warmenbol, our Founder & Director