When we can work, make good money, have time for self-care, and laugh a lot, well…..life is good. That is what so many women entrepreneurs are deciding is the way to make work work for them. There is a GUTSY quality to saying “I’ll do it my way, thank you very much!”
And that is exactly what my interview today is all about. Meet Lynn Bardowski. Now, go back two decades; it will just take a minute. Women were still playing second fiddle to the men they worked with. There was a protocol to be followed; stay pleasant, you know that pleaser pattern of smile and agree no matter what.
Lynn, a twenty something, fresh out of college got a plum job in the corporate world selling business forms (this is now a dinosaur only for museums). It was a man’s world and she remembers wearing a pink suit and getting a wagging finger pointed at her from Human Resources.
While the income was great, she felt her creativity was shrinking and she had to be too careful not to express her vivacious self (and boy is she ever a bright light). So, with two daughters’ ages three and five she took a GUTSY plunge into the unknown territory of direct marketing.
Somehow her passion for decorating, making her home warm and inviting, and a love of the comfort of candle light sent her in the direction of “PartyLite”. As she tells it, today you can go on-line and get a ton of advice and the “how to” plans for making your business successful. Back then she just figured it out as she went along. It was, she assured me, her passion for the fun of recruiting a team to work with and the great products that kept her sails blowing in the wind.
Today Lynn is a successful entrepreneur with a thriving business. She offered expert advice when she suggested that the word “try” be taken out of the vocabulary. As our little guru friend YODA would say, “THERE IS NO TRY THERE IS ONLY DO OR DON’T DO”.
Her view of the “F” word, “failure” is fab. You have to begin, then at some point, somewhere in the middle is failure and you climb out of that to success. She is so right. There is always feedback that makes you stronger and feedback is a much more agreeable “F” word than failure.
Partylite
Lynn’s daughters are now grown and they are definitely standing on the shoulders of their GUTSY mom. She is going to be a prime example of “can do” when her grandchildren show up and ask her how she made it all happen.
Lynn is supporting our GUTSY WOMEN WEEK-END so call her or us for more information.
Thanks Syliva! I’m so excited about your Gutsy Women Weekend! It’s a perfect fit for our team of women trailblazers who are making a difference.
Kudos to Lynn and to all gutsy women of the world! We’ve come very far from the days of “prim and proper” and women can definitely now tread the path they paved for themselves.
that is great, I think that there are some conventions that are universal, but sometimes you just need to figure things out on your own, and it can be a lot more rewarding if you do.
Thanks Sylvia, a very inspiring read as usual. The world needs more gutsy women!
True leadership can come from anywhere. Let us be a prime example. Now lead on! Thanks for the post about leadership.
I love this blog. Thank you for being such an inspiration to women all over.
The Working Families Party fights to improve the lives of working people and their families by focusing our government on things that make our jobs better, provide security for our families and prosperity for our communities. That includes
