IAM1333 – Serial Entrepreneur Leads a Nonprofit That Empowers Women Entrepreneurs

Heather Wentler is the Executive Director and a Co-Founder of Doyenne Group, a non-profit organization that seeks to empower women entrepreneurs. A serial entrepreneur, Heather is also the founder of Fractal and Madison Soup and a member of the organizing committee for Madison’s Forward Festival.

• CEO Story: Heather was a teacher for 6 years. In 2012, together with her partner, they asked, how can we address what’s going on here in town, and make it better and more equitable for everybody, and that is the starting point of Doyenne.
• Business Service: Supporting entrepreneurs. 1. Develop – programs, and retreats about strategy. 2. Increase visibility – promote business. 3. Funding the ventures – grants loans, equity, and investments. 4. Collaboration – build the network.
• Secret Sauce: Bringing the 4 strategies together. Benefiting the entrepreneurs.
• CEO Hack: Asana, The Bad Feminist 
• CEO Nugget: Set boundaries and take time to take care of yourself
• CEO ReDefined: Setting the course for your company

Website: www.doyennegroup.org
Twitter: @hmwentler
LinkedIn: @heather-wentler
Twitter: DoyenneGroup
Instagram: doyennegroup
Facebook: DoyenneGroup

Check out one of our favorite CEO Hack’s Audible. Get your free audiobook and check out more of our favorite CEO Hacks HERE

Transcription

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Please Note: Our team is using the AI CEO Hacks: Exemplary AI and Otter.ai to support our podcast transcription. While we know it's improving there may be some inaccuracies, we are updating and improving them. Please contact us if you notice any issues, you can also test out Exemplary AI here.

00:02 – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkness values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.

00:28 – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and have a very special guest on the show today. I have Heather Wintler of the Doyen group. Heather is awesome to have you on the show.

00:37 – Heather Wentler

Thanks so much for having me today.

00:39 – Gresham Harkless

No problem. What I wanted to do was just read a little bit about all the awesome things that Heather is doing so you can get an idea of her background and everything she's been able to accomplish. Heather Wentler is the executive director and co-founder of the Doyin Group, a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower women entrepreneurs. A serial entrepreneur, Heather is also the founder of Fractal and Madison Soup and a member of the organizing committee for Madison's Ford Festival. Heather, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

[restrict paid=”true”]

01:10 – Heather Wentler

Of course.

01:12 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. What I wanted to do was give you the mic, so to speak, just if you could tell us a little bit more about your CEO story and what led you to start your business.

01:19 – Heather Wentler

Yeah. So I actually went to college to be a teacher and taught professionally in Madison for about 6 years. And the inside joke was I was either going to pickle my liver or had to figure out something else to do with my life. I was very frustrated in the traditional teacher role of being told what I could and how I could and couldn't teach my students. I mean, just felt like there was such a disconnect between the experiences my students were having in their everyday lives and how we present information in the classroom.

And, you know, research shows if you can make those connections that learners will retain and understand the knowledge and the concepts better. And so that was when in 2011, I pivoted into entrepreneurship and started Fractal and really had no idea what I was doing. I've never taken a formal business class. And so I relied a lot on my community and other organizations in town to try and help me learn how to get this business off the ground, how to move it forward. And Madison has a great entrepreneurial community with tons of resources.

And so when we co-founded Doyenne in 2012, my business partner and I really said, you know, how can we address what's going on here in town and make it better and more equitable for everybody? And so that's really what Doyenne does is how do we work within an ecosystem to say here's what's happening, here's where we're finding gaps, and here's how we can work with you to support that as well as providing opportunities for you know CEO development for the entrepreneurs for part of the organization and giving visibility to their companies and then funding their ventures as well through our evergreen fund.

03:00 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome yeah I am I myself flirted with the idea of being a teacher after I graduated and I was very afraid and decided not to largely for the same reason and same frustration that you have. So I definitely think the world is obviously a better place that you decided not to do teaching anymore. You are empowering these entrepreneurs and business owners. So I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper to kind of hear a little bit more about what exactly is the Doyenne Group doing to empower these female entrepreneurs.

03:29 – Heather Wentler

So Doyenne really focuses on 4 main areas or our strategies for how to support entrepreneurs. Our first one is development. So we believe that entrepreneurship happens within a lifetime, not the other way around. It's not a singular event that happens in isolation from everything else that happens within your life and how do you grow and expand your skills and knowledge to be able to be the best leader that you can be? We offer various programming options such as our 2.5-day strategic retreats, strategic planning retreats, and a year-long cohort that includes coaching and workshops. Through our founder series, we help entrepreneurs create and implement strategies to move their businesses forward.

Additionally, we provide empowerment workshops, focusing on topics beyond basic financial and technical skills such as QuickBooks or setting up business finances. But it's more like how making the right financial model works best for your business. How do you negotiate contracts or negotiate what you're worth as an entrepreneur to be able to move your business forward? And so that's what that first pillar is really all about in that programming. The second one is increasing the visibility. So we do public events where we highlight our female entrepreneurs and let them stand up on stage and talk about and promote their businesses.

We also do a featured member every month, and then we have a monthly social event, we call our Connect events, where that featured member gets to come and tell their unvarnished, or I talk about it like it's the VH1 show behind the music, well it's like behind the business. So tell us what it's really like. Don't give us your pitch. Don't tell us what you want us to hear. Tell us the real story. Because it becomes much more relatable. And then it also creates an opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs to be like, oh my gosh, I'm not the only one who feels like this. Or even, I've been running my company for 5 years.

And it's so good to know that I'm not the only one who still wakes up every single day that is like, what in the world am I doing? And so that's, you know, our increased visibility area is really how do we highlight and grow the community? Our third strategy is funding the venture. As I mentioned, our Evergreen Fund provides grants, loans, and equity investments for women-led companies based in Wisconsin. This funding is aimed at supporting early-stage businesses, allowing them to test out ideas and gain traction.

The goal is to help position these companies to be ready for additional loans, lines of credit, or investments as they move on to the next stage of financing. And then our fourth strategy is collaboration. So we have over 20 partner organizations that we work with in the Madison community that are all focused on entrepreneurship and how do we build that network so that people are getting the support and the coaching that they need as they move down their journey?

06:19 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, it seems like you guys are doing and making a huge impact and I'm sure you're definitely seeing the benefit of all these kinds of pillars of your organization that you guys have in place. So I guess I wanted to kind of get an idea of what you feel makes your organization kind of unique from another organization that might try to do the same thing.

06:36 – Heather Wentler

Yeah, I think that you know, when we've, you know, we get that question a lot of like, who is your quote unquote competitors, or what is your secret sauce? And I think the big one is, is that bringing those 4 strategies together, when we look at a national lens, what we saw a lot of like, just funding agencies or just networking agencies or you know, The workshops that were offered were much more at that high level. Everybody can benefit from this, but didn't really give you an explanation of how it works within your business.

And so by bringing those all together, that's where we really feel like entrepreneurs are able to benefit from any stage, any background. We really focus on that early stage, from idea to launch to like first 3 years of working with your company. And so that's how we differentiate. And then it does go back to like those collaborations because we already know that we don't want to step on toes or replicate what's already happening within communities.

So how do we make sure that people know what else is available and how each of us, each of the organizations can better support them as they move forward? Because you're right, at the end of the day, we want to see these ventures be successful. And it's how you get them in front of the right people. And Doyane might not always be that person or that group. So how do we work within the community to make sure that they're able to get what they need?

07:59 – Gresham Harkless

That makes perfect sense. And kind of like playing that, you know, obviously, you have programmed yourself, but also playing that facilitator role or that connector role, so to speak, where you know other organizations as well and you have relationships with them so that at the end of the day, the person gets what they need to be successful.

08:13 – Heather Wentler

Yeah, exactly.

08:15 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. This might be like a resource a book an app or something that you feel like you use on a regular, everyday basis that makes you more efficient and effective as a CEO.

08:29 – Heather Wentler

So I am a total type A personality. So I love lists and my co-founder is not. And so it sometimes drives her crazy with all my Post-it notes that I have everywhere with my running lists. But a tool that I have come to love is Asana for exactly that purpose. And I love it not only because I can put my tasks in there, but I can put all of our team members tasks in there and be able to go and comment and change things as things get updated throughout the day without being like, oh crap, I need to send off another email or I have to remember to text or call this person so that they don't send out that newsletter without updating the information.

And so I'm a huge fan of accountability as well and so that is one of the main reasons why I love Asana. Other things you know I'm reading a book right now and the title is going to come back to me in a second, give me a second, but it's all about how do we make sure that we're not focusing on just one type of company or one story to make sure that we're all succeeding, whether it's finding funding or also just building your business. But it's been, I literally just started over the weekend and I'm so glad that I'm reading it because It's really helping me put in more into the lens of how do we tap into underrepresented entrepreneurs, but then also how do we find ways to change ourselves so they feel more included and like we can better serve them.

10:00 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And like you were mentioning as well too earlier, when you said, you know, when you started your organization is having like a new perspective as well for how you can kind of look at things. And sometimes when you're not entrenched in industry or you're looking at it from an underserved community, a lot of times that gives you a new perspective and it helps out the business and the organization and overall culture.

10:23 – Heather Wentler

Right, exactly. And you know, we talk about unconscious biases all the time. And I think that's a lot of it once we start, I was I was reading a book a couple of months ago called The Bad Feminist. And one of the messages that I really took away from there is how you use your privilege and power to raise someone else up. And that's been something that I've been trying to bring more and more into my everyday life because I'm a white middle-class woman who has this type of background and comes from this type of family, how do I make sure that I'm doing everything that I can use the benefits that have been laid out in front of me to support other people who might not have those opportunities.

11:03 – Gresham Harkless

Exactly. Yeah. And a lot of that has to do with, you know, being conscious and being aware of who you are, what advantages you may have or may not even have, but being able to realize that there are other people and kind of pay it forward, so to speak.

11:16 – Heather Wentler

Exactly.

11:17 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, what to ask you next for a CEO nugget, which is basically like a word of wisdom or a piece of advice that you might have for other entrepreneurs and business owners?

11:26 – Heather Wentler

Entrepreneur, I mean, so when I think about entrepreneurship, it's something that it's not for everybody and that's okay. And I think that the media does a great job of making it look sexy or like it's what everybody should want to do. But I think being honest with yourself and knowing your limitations, but also setting your limitations. So I was talking to one of our entrepreneurs last week who was like, I just need more help with time management.

And I looked at her and I go, I'm gonna be completely honest with you, until you set up your limits and your boundaries, you are not gonna have time management. At the end of the day, people will keep asking and taking, and it's up to you to set limits and boundaries. It's a hard lesson to learn, especially as an entrepreneur. You may feel like you're letting people down or that you'll miss out on opportunities if you don't respond immediately. However, taking time to care for yourself and ensuring that your business isn't the only thing you identify with in life will set you up for more success in the future.

12:34 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And I always tell myself, you know, just like when you get on an airplane, make sure you put your oxygen mask on first.

12:40 – Heather Wentler

Exactly.

12:40 – Gresham Harkless

You also make sure your cup is filled so that that's an awesome CEO nugget. One of the things I wanted to ask, we have different types of quote-unquote CEOs on the podcast. And I'm sure of course you come across a lot of different CEOs as well, you know, through the Doyin Group. So I wanted to ask for your definition of what it means to be a CEO.

13:00 – Heather Wentler

Being a CEO is really setting the tone for your company. You are the one who is setting the leadership, creating the culture, and setting the standards for what you believe is right within your company. So it's not just checking boxes, hitting sales goals, and bringing in new clients. It's also that community aspect of it, of with, you know, even if you're working, even if you're a CEO of just your solo, solopreneur CEO, you create the dynamic within your company.

And so if you don't lead by example, how is your team, how are your clients that you work with going to be able to follow that and also know that this is the expectation? And so taking ownership of your behaviors, your attitudes, also admitting when you were wrong, I think that's a huge one is all part of the bigger picture of what it means to be a CEO more than just overseeing and day-to-day operations.

13:57 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, I mean, I think that's a huge thing. Anybody who's a CEO is obviously going to be a leader. So Heather, I truly appreciate you taking some time out of your schedule. What I wanted to do was give you the mic, so to speak, one more time to see if there was anything additional you wanted to tell us about the Doyenne Group or about any advice or entrepreneurship in general. And then I want to also ask you if people were listening, how best they can get ahold of you.

14:20 – Heather Wentler

Yeah. So, I mean, the exciting thing that we have coming down the pike within Doyenne is we are expanding our programming outside of Madison. And then we're creating a model. We're going to be piloting it in Milwaukee and Green Bay within the next 12 months how do we create a model where any city would be able to call us and say, hey, we really need Doyenne in our community? Can we launch a Doyenne organization here? And so definitely watch our website, which is doyengroup.org.

On the website, you can find out more about membership, find out more about our programming, and our Evergreen Fund, and also sign up to be a part of our newsletter. So you stay up to date with what's going on within the organization. And then the best way to contact me is to send me an email. So my email is Heather at the doyen group.com. And I'm way better. I'm a total millennial. I'm way better at answering my email than calling you back.

Even texting sometimes I'm like, well, too much communication going on here. So email is my preferred mode of communication. But definitely reach out. Let me know if you have questions. I'm always open to feedback. I think that the only way that the organization will grow, evolve, and become better for everybody is by taking people's feedback and comments and trying to figure out how we can implement those things.

15:39 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, that makes perfect sense. Well, we'll definitely have your contact information in the show notes just in case anybody wants to follow up. But Heather, thank you so much for taking some time out and for all the awesome things you're doing. And I appreciate you and hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

15:54 – Heather Wentler

Thank you so much. Thanks for doing this. And I hope to talk to you guys soon.

15:58 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

[/restrict]