Women’s History Month and Contemporary Female Business Leaders

What’s so special about March of 1987? At this time, the National Women’s History Project petitioned to pass Pub. L. 100-9, which determined March as Women’s History Month. During this time, women throughout American history are celebrated for their accomplishments that have carved the path for change in future generations. Their achievements have become the cornerstone of freedom and opportunity women experience today. Contemporary women continue to fulfill this legacy through their contributions to society, especially those conquering the business world.

Throughout history, woman have faced roadblocks towards effective change and have found creative and innovative ways to challenge these problems head-on.

Every stage in our life has its own language,” said Ariam Kesete, owner of AK Development LLC.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) hosted the conference Sisters Conquer Like Me. Students and faculty were offered the opportunity to engage in discussions with three UWM alumni that were recognized in the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40. Topics of discussion included: how to stand out in an innovative workforce, how to maintain creativity, and learning how to grow amongst your female-identified peers.

These female leaders discuss how they hurdle the obstacles that come with running a business. Marquayla Ellison, owner of Elastic Designs LLC, describes a simple way that she faces challenges in the business world.

“Be an advocate for yourself,” said Ellison.

Each of these women mentioned core values they follow that help guide them in their everyday life and enable them to advocate for themselves. Obigage Nwabuzor, Founder of Envision Growth real estate development group, describes humility as being one of those core values.

“Humility gives you longevity, without that you’re not going to last in this world, especially as a person of color,” said Nwabuzor. “Humility allows people to continuously pour into you and seek after you.”

While historically and today women continue to triumph in the face of adversity, Ariam Kesete discusses how she approaches being a woman of color and a leader in the business world.

“Being a black woman has its own disadvantages from another person’s perspective, but at the end of the day I don’t see color when I walk into myself, I know exactly who I am,” said Kesete. “My delivery is all that matters so the product we put together is not to satisfy black people or this person, but to satisfy people in general and that comes before anything else.”

These women help serve as a reminder that running a business does not come without its challenges. Kesete described how she approaches failure by addressing one of her company’s four pillars: Security.

“There is security in knowing that you’re going to make mistakes, but how do you pick yourself up and who do you become after those mistakes is the important part of security,” said Kesete.

This definition of security holds the greatest weight in how a business professional presents themselves in their environment. These three women describe the importance of advocating for oneself by holding true to their values.

“We need more authenticity, we need more people being themselves in business spaces,” said Nwabuzor. “Be who you were called to be, because that’s what’s going to change the world, that’s what’s going to bring innovation, and that’s what’s is going to make the world a better place.”