Your Founder Power: Knowing When To Accept Help

You can’t make this up… “During the midst of the pandemic—three years after launching and managing Eternal Fleur solo—I realized in order to continue growing and scaling, I needed the help of a partner with the capabilities and mindset to take the company further; somebody possessing different strengths I may lack in. I wanted this person to be a woman in order to uphold a prominent mission of being woman-owned and dominated.

I searched within my network and really hit the jackpot after reaching out to an amazing woman I met through the Female Founder Collective: Bestselling Author Nicole Lapin, who became one of Eternal Fleur’s best clients and also a close friend after our partnership for her 2019 book launch of “Becoming Super Woman.”

Nicole introduced me to her good friend, Sarah Zurell. I was living in New York and Sarah was living in Los Angeles. Due to the pandemic, we were originally only able to communicate via video and voice calls and messages. Despite never having met Sarah in person, as a mutual friend of Nicole and after getting to know her better virtually on both a personal and professional level, I was beyond impressed with Sarah’s drive and abundance of accomplishments, so I put my trust in her.

I hired Sarah as Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer in January 2021, marking the beginning of not only an incredible business partnership but also a strong friendship with shared goals and values as women.

This experience of making essentially one of the biggest decisions for my company during such an uncertain time reminded me of the importance and impact of women supporting and trusting one another.?

Nicole portrayed the value of having a “Super Woman” friend who will never stop rooting for your success and would do anything to help you reach your goals. The way she continually carries herself with such grace and courtesy throughout her endless success paints a beautiful illustration of the qualities and morals we should all strive to convey as women.

Sarah showed me the beauty of trust and just how powerful the combining of unique forces as women can be. Together, we’ve taken what started as a passion for flowers, the environment, and making others happy and paved the path for our mission of becoming the next floral empire—one that will be fueled by empowering, inspiring, and utilizing the voices of other women.” -Amanda Wojtas

Truly, bringing on a business partner or hiring on a key team member was the best decision I ever made to support the growth of my brand. In the beginning years, when I was experiencing a career trajectory like nothing I’d ever thought possible, the growth could have very easily overwhelmed me.?

But I didn’t let it. The moment that things felt like too much - too many moving pieces that all needed my attention at once - I sat myself down and said, “Okay, Rebecca, what are you bad at? What’s taking up the bulk of your time when it doesn’t need to?”?

Boom. I had my answers. And out of those answers, I began to hire the most hardworking, inspiring team. One that supported me as I grew to become a national figure, pivoted more than once, and still continue to grow.?

One of the most important parts of being a founder is knowing when to ask for help. This week, we hear from Amanda Wojtas of Eternal Fleur and April Frazier of Frwd Coaching, both of whom had help come from unexpected places - and both of whom knew to accept it.?

“She came out of nowhere. I was leaning against a wall on a busy street in the heart of Soho's shopping district to take a break from the crowd. I was in New York City on a self-proclaimed healing mission, to create new memories in a place where beautiful memories had been created with a person who was no longer around. I didn't want my memories of New York to be owned by my past.

The warm breeze was delicious. I relished people-watching; New York offers no shortage of interesting characters, native and tourist.

I turned my head and she was standing in front of me, her eyes intense and direct. She had strawberry blonde hair and brown, intellectual eyes. I stiffened. Was she going to ask for money?

"You have strong energy", she says.

I wrinkled my eyebrows but I said nothing.

There was a palatable pause before she continued: "There is something that you need to let go of.”

This statement struck me like a bullet. Thirty questions came into my head. How could she know that about me? Doesn't everyone have something to let go of? Could she really sense how much pain I was in? Was she offering to help me? If so, how?

Of course, I was curious. But, I was more afraid.

"I'm good, babe." I said gently, making firm eye contact so that she would know that my decision was final. Her eyes told me that we both knew that I was lying. I turned my head just slightly to the right as if to dismiss her. An instant later, she was gone. Not walking away but gone. It was like she had vanished on the street as quickly and as invisibly as she had appeared.?

I stood there stunned. What had just happened?!

I tried to process the experience but regret crept in. I had missed an opportunity to ask for more information, clarity, help. I said no before I knew what I was denying myself.

Mostly, because I was afraid of what I didn't know.

It was a lesson handed to me for free. One that I will never forget. Help is all around us. It may come from a place you don't expect or a person you don't know. We might not be ready for it. But, fear could hold you back from getting what could be exactly what you need in the moment.” - April Frazier

Sometimes, help comes to you from the most unexpected places, like a stranger on a street corner. When I was launching my first book and filled with all the stress that comes with it, I remember picking up the phone to call a trusted colleague, just to have someone to share the experience with.?

You know what she did? She connected me with a vendor who immediately placed an order for 10,000 copies.?

I hadn’t asked her, nor expected her, to do anything of the sort. So the moral of the story? Keep your eyes open and allow help to come at you from all angles. It just might change your life!