Hellooooo defties!!
Phew, it’s already April, how did that happen?! 😳
Yeah, I’m as confused as you are. The Ever Given got stuck and unstuck in the Suez Canal (producing meme material for all eternity ^^), our friends celebrated the Persian New Year Nowruz, New Zealand is the first country to introduce bereavement leave for miscarriages and stillbirths, the documentary Coded Bias is finally on Netflix (must watch!), scientists taught spinach how to send emails and a Black lesbian called Arlan Hamilton closed the crowdfunding campaign for her VC fund within a few days because she had reached the maximum amount of $5 million. BIG win for overlooked founders around the globe, since that’s basically her investment thesis!
Do you feel at least a little bit more up to date now?
Okay, good, me too!
For those people who attentively read the About page of the defty newsletter, somewhere on there it says "weekly”, which means I have now successfully managed to demonstrate: I’m not perfect 😁
To be honest though, this quest for the most valuable resource on earth was a tad more complicated than I had imagined. I just didn’t expect that it would take me this long to find it…
Right now, you’re probably thinking: What the heck is she talking about?
The most precious resource on this planet is not a mineral, nor is it water or time. If you really think about it, especially as an overlooked entrepreneur giving 200% every day, you’ll come to the conclusion that the most valuable resource on earth is:
Your energy 🔋
Let me serve you another truth right there: When your batteries are low, then your work, your business, your life will suffer.
When you are exhausted it’s hard to be attentive i.e. to your team or your family. And it’s even harder to be creative i.e. to generate new ideas or overcome some obstacles. A machine doesn’t run without power, a flashlight needs charged batteries to do its job, a jet plane needs kerosine to lift off - so tell me:
Why on earth do you think you could be any different?
Your business needs you to be fresh, your team needs you awake and your clients want your full attention.
Capiche? 🧐
Now the question is: How are you supposed to get there?
Simple. We need ground rules.
From today on, this is going to be your mantra 👇
My own batteries were super low, so for the last three weeks, I’ve done exactly that. With every email, request for a call, LinkedIn message, and event invitation I’ve asked myself: Does this make me happy, contribute to my goals or pay me? No? Well, then…
Yes, it was hard - at first. And also so liberating!
You definitely have to try this yourself! Come on, you can do this. Go check your calendar for next week by using the energy mantra above. And the rest you can kindly cancel 😉 Go ahead, I’ll wait right here in your inbox!
Oh, you’re not in the mood? Let me help you with that… *clearing throat*
Let it go, let it goooo, just free up your schedule now,
let it go, let it goooo, and reclaim your en-er-gy!
I very much care, about your business and you,
let’s get your focus back
and invest in recharging your batteries!
[please check your surroundings before entering into roaring applause]
Ooohh, there you are. Welcome back, hope you enjoyed this interlude 🎶
Now that you’ve made space in your schedule, we can move to the next step:
Filling up your energy.
The cure has many names and forms: Mindfulness, rest, self-care, recharging, sleep, self-compassion, digital detox, routines, exercise, meditation.
The best thing is: You are free to pick your favorite ones and combine them however you like. The only goal is to give you maximum energy. This also means if meditation stresses you more than it relaxes you, find something else that works for you.
Because you deserve to take a break and treat yourself, to come back to your workplace with joy, to feel great, and be your true authentic self. Success will follow.
Here’s my personal hot tip, which might sound contradictory at first:
The secret to becoming more productive is to get enough sleep.
And if you need a role model: This fella knows how to pick a luxury chill-out place 🌼
Alright defties, I’ll be off now, enjoying an evening of peace and quiet 🌙
Take care of yourself and talk soon!
✨ NEW: the defty pad ✨
Rockets are taking off into space from a launchpad, of course.
And for defties and their ideas to take off, we’ve now created the defty pad 🥳
Launches mean that you have already invested sweat and hard work. Putting it out there can be scary. So the defty pad is a gift to all of you founders out there to celebrate your courage, your creativity, and your entrepreneurial spirit! 🎉
👉 Whenever you launch a product, newsletter, landing page, podcast, article, course, meetup, etc. feel free to contact us and share your launch so we can include it in the next edition for everyone else to see and cheer you on! 👈
I’ll start with two personal launches:
🦋 I wrote a LinkedIn article on the #startupdiversity initiative to make the German startup ecosystem more inclusive for women and examined the use of gender-inclusive language in their “position paper” [in German]
🦋 Supporting overlooked first-time tech founders has always been close to my heart, so after many conversations and some more research, check out the landing page for The Female Founder Kit - more to come very soon!
And here are some programs and opportunities I want to bring to your attention:
Programs
ACE Incubator
Focus: tech or science-based company by students/researchers/academics
Duration: May 3 – July 12 (10 weeks)
Deadline: April 11
Apply here!
Accelerator Frankfurt - Wave9
Focus: Female Founders who want to become a founder and have an idea or more
Start: end of April, 3 months, part-time, free of charge
Apply here!
Grace Summer Accelerator
Focus: Social Impact, Health & Femtech, Sustainability
Start: 11.08. & Demo Day 23.09., onsite in Berlin and remote, free of charge
Deadline: 23.05. Apply here!
Opportunities
Pitch Perfect by Speedinvest and Female Founders
Focus: female-led startups
Aim: reserve a 20-minute slot on April 19, get honest feedback about your pitch and startup from investment professionals
Apply here until April 11!
1.000€ Growth aid for Female Entrepreneurs
To all the women in DACH, apply here for a Female Micro Grant and get Fiverr credit.
Thanks for this recharge!