Women Breaking Stereotypes

Women Breaking Stereotypes

"What I always noticed is that I would talk to one woman and end up with contact info of five other women. I said to myself, 'This is like a bunch of grapes, you pull one grape and end up with five.'" Susana García Robles-Capria's managing partner, investor, and pioneer in facilitating the process of acquiring capital for women-tells how, when she started an initiative for women entrepreneurs with the idea of strengthening their skills, she understood a powerful reality: a woman never grows alone. When a woman takes control of her life, it has a multiplying effect.

This was one of the experiences shared during the forum "Women Breaking Stereotypes,"which saw the participation of Gabriela Renaudo, Visa's general manager for Argentina and the Southern Cone; Carmela Bustelo, founder of House of Cholas; Lara López, finance expert; and Susana García Robles, Capria's managing partner. The central theme of the discussion was the power of community and sisterhood among women in the business world. The experiences of the panelists kept coming back, time and time again, to the idea that networks of female entrepreneurs and the support of the women in their families are what has brought them to where they are.

"Everything I learned about entrepreneurship, leadership, personal branding, mentorship, it all came from women,"added Carmela Bustelo, influencer and founder of House of Cholas. "It is so important that we support each other and that we start from our own place and from what we can do."

Why is it so important for women to support each other? Why is it so necessary to share with women who break and continue to break stereotypes? In the conversation among the panelists, it became evident that the support can be among women and toward women, and that it has as many origins as different manifestations: relationships with partners, friends or family; mentorships, peer talks, and organizational policies.

For Gabriela Renaudo, Visa's general manager for Argentina and the Southern Cone, for example, this community building can be reflected within companies through non-discrimination policies, formal training on diversity and inclusion, equitable and extendable maternity and paternity leave, and affirmative actions, or as profound changes in the culture,aimed at achieving flexibility with families and the establishment of gender-focused indicators.

And, looking through another lens, it can also be seen as the unconditional support of a mom who, like Carmela's, taught her "everything about the power we women have and always reminded me and my sister of everything we could achieve." Thus, with her guidance, they were able to look at a crisis as an opportunity and create an oncology accessories business that not only changed their lives but also the lives of other women they worked with.Or like Susana's, whose testimony of emotional and practical reinforcement is the legacy that her daughter wants to leave in each of the entrepreneur and investor women she mentors.

That's why one of the strongest pieces of advice from these women to inspire others to break molds is precisely: To have a support network, a support structure from which they can develop personally and professionally, and make decisions. In other words, togenerate good networking.

Other tips to break stereotypes

In addition to networking, the panelists agreed on some fundamental aspects that women should consider to thrive in the business world:

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