7 female CEOs on surrounding yourself with supportive women

7 female CEOs on surrounding yourself with supportive women7 female CEOs on surrounding yourself with supportive womenWhetzu sich its aworking momcreating a revolutionaryhands-free breast pump, astrong founderleading theMeToomovement, or a woman working to changeaccess to much-needed feminine products, the camaraderie and support of otzu sich females make a huge difference in the success of many amazing ideas and companies. In the new bookGirl CEO ($13) by Ronnie Cohen and Katzu sichine Ellison and illustrated by Georgia Rucker, trailblazingentrepreneursshare hard-earned advice about how they launched their illustrious careers. The anthology, geared towardtweensandteens, is packed with wisdom. Here, we share tips from the moguls featured inGirl CEOon how they assembled their girl gangs to keep them moving forward in the face ofadversity.1. Find a community that adores what you doRosanna Pansinolaunched herbei own baking show in 2011 when she was a struggling actress. Her tasty treats with a geeky spin, like Apple Pi Pie and a Super Mario star-shaped cake, helped her develop a loyal following on her YouTube channel,Nerdy Nummies. Pansinos dedicated fans were eager for more, and her 2015 bestselling cookbookThe Nerdy Nummies Cookbook($30) cemented her popularity with her 10 million (and counting) subscribers. I always believed in the YouTube community and myself, she says.2.Give backWhen fashion designer konservativer Burch first launched her company, she believed in what she was doing but was often told that no one would buy online. She writes in theGirl CEOforeword that she kept making phone calls and sharing her ideas. I assembled a team of amazing people who could help me turn my concept into a collection, and we all worked incredibly hard, says Burch, founder ofTory Burch Foundationand chairman, CEO, and designer ofTory Burch. Launching her namesake foundation to empowerfemale entrepreneursis her way of giving back to the strong squad that surrounded her in the early days.3. Find partners who support your strengths and weaknessesActress Jessica Alba is well known for launchingThe Honest Company, but the start was full of obstacles and investors were skeptical. Alba didnt have a business or chemistry background to develop the natural home products she wanted to create, so she turned to experts in the field to advise her. Partner with people who are smarter than you and understand your strengths and weaknesses, and surround yourself with people who complement your strengths but could support your weaknesses, advises Alba.4. Surround yourself withdiversewomenKimberly Bryant was used to being the only black woman in her engineering and computer science engineering classes at Vanderbilt University, but years later, when she dropped off her daughter at a coding summer camp and noticed her daughter was the only student of color, she knew she had to change things. As the executive director of the nonprofitBlack Girls Code, Bryant says, You hav e to have women and people of color at the table, or you wont be able to create products that reach audiences in a way that theyll want to use them on a daily basis.5. Support other women in theirgoalsIf youve achieved success in your chosen field, look for ways to support women who aspire to be in the same career. Acclaimed actress Reese Witherspoon foundedHello Sunshine, a media brand dedicated to celebrating womens stories. Im using everything Ive learned along the way and my own money and celebrity collateral - whatever that is - and I will stand next to anyone I believe in that deserves a different opportunity, Witherspoon has said. Likewise, Tory Burch used her platform to ask A-list friends, like Witherspoon, to embrace the word ambitious as a positive quality in women with herEmbraceAmbition campaign.6. Talk about what you want oftenWhile studying engineering at Stanford University, a conversation with a friend about construction toys sparked Debbie Sterlings interest. As the founder and CEO ofGoldieBlox, a toy company geared toward girls, Sterling was often told that her idea wouldnt sell. The more people you talk to, the more you will find those who are inspired by what you want to do and want to be a part of it, says Sterling. That is really the key to becoming a successful entrepreneur. Instead of keeping yourdreamsto yourself, talk about it with everyone. You never know who you might meet who could be a potential ally.7.Network, network, networkThough it may be uncomfortable to network at social events if youre anintrovert, and the thought of makingsmall talkmight fill you with dread, meeting other women is a necessary part of building your crew. Mariam Naficy started her second start-up,Minted.com, by contacting her connections she had made at Stanford, which she found particularly helpful when securing investors. The network really helped me. I think it helps women a lot with tapping into fundraising because its a little bit harder to be taken seriously. A motivated woman with a network is a powerful combination, she says.This article first appeared on Brit + Co.