From the Editor: The Path to Entrepreneurship & An Inspiring Leader

The exhilaration of building a business from scratch is unlike anything else – and for eight young women from across the country, this exhilaration was turned up more than a few notches thanks to TLC’s new reality series, Girl Starter. Having already aired five episodes, Girl Starter throws eight ladies ranging in age from 18 to 24 into a series of surprising challenges with twists, turns and the expected unexpected surprises that television – just like entrepreneurship – has to offer. Joining these hopeful entrepreneurs is Staples, the presenting sponsor of Girl Starter, and a longtime supporter of entrepreneurship initiatives in general.

Taking place in New York City, the ladies of Girl Starter are introduced to seemingly simple challenges – such as making and selling hot chocolate – to more dynamic and complex situations, such as partnering with their competition (each other) and having to create, pitch and ultimately build a brand from scratch. Hurdles that include the unpredictable – such as weather and trademark limitations – prove to be the easier tasks to overcome and instead, dealing with each other and communicating in general standout as the tougher jobs on their to-do-lists. Imagine delivering your quick product pitch on a trapeze or while riding a stationary bull? Or how about preparing a business pitch for what you expect to be a room full of professionals only to discover children will be your target audience? Like all good television shows, Girl Starter keeps its audience on its toes while keeping the ladies competing on Girl Starter undoubtedly on edge, as well.

This reality, however, is the perfect scenario for hopeful entrepreneurs since entrepreneurship, after all, has never been easily defined in black and white.

Having a clear path to entrepreneurship would help any aspiring business owners, yet this isn’t a reality that actually exists. Fortunately, however, the ladies of Girl Starter discover tools and resources along the way that help them navigate their entrepreneurial goals and challenges on Girl Starter. Among them? Having an organized office space, identifying ways to track and manage brainstorming sessions, keeping necessary project details together, communicating thoughts with both internal and external partners and delivering strong presentations thanks to various office tools and services – all of which can be found at Staples. Among the other perks discovered by the cast of Girl Starter include finding out that you can’t always build a business alone. Leaning on industry experts, the ladies of Girl Starter undergo multiple crash courses on building everything from apps to purses to logos and more. Collectively, these experiences introduce these eight hopeful entrepreneurs to a series of six steps of early-phase business building – beginning with ideation and concluding with a pitch, ultimately leading one Girl Starter to a grand prize of up to $100,000 of investments and services.

This week’s Girl Starter finale will feature Staples CEO Shira Goodman as a guest judge – talk about an inspiring expert! Given Shira’s own story as a dedicated and driven female business leader, alongside Staples’s passion for helping entrepreneurs and small businesses succeed, she is the perfect person to help launch the career of America’s next great female entrepreneur on Girl Starter. Make sure to tune in to TLC on Friday night at 7pm, where you’ll gain inspiration and insight to help build your own dreams, while cheering on your favorite Girl Starter from the sidelines.

Till next time,

Nicole Leinbach Reyhle

Founder & Editor | Retail Minded

Photo Details: Staples CEO Shira Goodman with Girl Starter contestant Collette Davis.