I’m combining this month’s book review of “Think Like a SheEO” by Vicki Saunders, with a look at last nights CEO Talk by Vicki on New Mindsets: Rethinking our economy to drive innovation held at Twenty Two at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa.

Vicki has created a feminist disruptive model for financing and supporting female founded businesses through SheEO, her motto “Everything is Broken…What a Great Time To Be Alive!” is spot on.

In last nights talk she mentioned how:

• The speculation economy is 50x > than the value creation economy
• 8 men now have the same wealth as half the planet, 3.5 billion people
• When the market crashed in 2008 we found 17 trillion dollars in 3 weeks to bail them out, that’s equal to 600 years on the planet without hunger
• Only 4% of venture capital goes to women
• Less than 1% of corporate procurement goes to women-led businesses
• There is 12 trillion lost in economic opportunity without gender parity
• Women make 80% of purchasing decisions
• Women are set to inherit 75% of the largest wealth transfer ever
• Women are starting businesses worldwide at 1.5x the pace of men

Something’s gotta give, and it turns out that it’s women through a movement of #radicalgenerosity.

With SheEO, 500 activators per cohort give $1,100 hundred dollars ($1,000 to a perpetual fund and $100 as a program fee), through a voting process, 5 female founded and lead ventures get the funding as a low interest loan to be paid back into the fund in equal installments over 5 years and that money gets continually re-invested into new ventures. The ventures also get coaching and access to the activator community.

The goal of SheEO is to reach 1 million activators and a $1 billion dollar perpetual fund which will support 10,000 women led ventures annually. At it’s current growth rate, this goal will be reached by 2026. I am very proud to be an activator and be featuring some of the entrepreneurs and activators in my FinanciElle “Statements” interviews.

I was honored to meet Vicki last night at the CEO Talk event held at the beautiful Twenty Two space at the Westin, with fantastic views of the city. I was fortunate enough to get Vicki to sign my copy of her book, “Think Like A SheEO”. I read a lot of business books and this has to be one of my favourites because there are so many actionable take a ways and thought provoking exercises.

The book is structured around the 8 SheEO principles:

1. Everything is broken…What a great time to be alive
2. Meaning is the new money
3. You can’t be someone else and lead
4. It doesn’t have to be hard
5. You can have what you want
6. Follow the energy
7. Integration is the new balance
8. It’s a post-hero world

Even though this book is meant for entrepreneurs, and I am not one, pretty much everything resonated with me, particularly:

• Overcoming self-limiting beliefs
• The section on breaking through the fear barrier
• Flipping it, which is about flipping something that you perceive to be a limitation

If you are interested in becoming a SheEO activator or venture, please check out the SheEO website.