WRITTEN BY LAUREN ROSS
Wanna know how to start a Girl Boss group?
Here it is. And it’s pretty simple. Just takes guts.
Jessica: “Working on my real estate biz and I appreciate more and more all the women that I know out there kicking some ass! So, cheers to being girl bosses! And to hard work!”
Lauren: “Let’s join forces on a project. Art and real estate. Oh! And what do you think about a ‘Girl Boss’ monthly happy hour???”
Jessica: “Let’s meet next week!”
Go go getters, goal diggers, and Boss Babes. These are the reasons that over 250 Louisiana hardworking women have joined forces in the matter of a month. “You’re Not the Boss of Me…I Am” , founded by Lauren Ross and Jessica Wimberly, is a movement created to inform, initiate and INSPIRE. The goal is to gather as entrepreneurs, creatives and boss babes to spark conversation and empower women in business. Whether artists, lawyers, realtors, interior designers, chefs, magazine editors, boutique owners, photographers, or doctors (the list goes on) they all get up every morning, maybe champagne hungover, and WORK. Call it a networking group, a social group or drinking buddies, but they’re all here for the same goal, SUCCESS.
After traveling the country and living in larger cities, Jessica and Lauren have finally settled back in Shreveport, their hometown. “If we want North Louisiana to be like the places we’ve lived or want to live, we are the ones that have to make it that way,” says Jessica. The resources are all here. The list of boss babes extends to every profession you could imagine, and it’s only just scratched the surface. Lauren Ross, a local artist and entrepreneur, has traveled with Cirque Du Soleil and Hello Kitty, lived in New Orleans and Nashville, and knows there is a lot to see out there. “I’ve seen what happens in cities when people ban together and support each other;it’s magic. There’s no reason why Northwest Louisiana can’t be part of this empowerment.” Jessica Wimberly is a full time wife, mom and BOSS. She is a graduate of LSU Business and a realtor with Coldwell Banker Gosslee since 2011. She has a passion for art, architecture and interior design, which is sort of where this story started. They plan on collaborating on numerous projects using their love for art and real estate and including a number of the other Boss Babes.
That brings us to the next point. There’s too much competitiveness in this world as it is. We know competition is healthy to a certain degree, but when is it too much? When does it become hurtful? It’s happening all around us and the goal of Boss Babes is to nip it in the bud, call it quits, stop in the name of LOVE! Every Boss Babe has something to offer and teach. “I am a pop artist. I don’t paint certain subjects. So, if a client calls me and I am not up for the job, I want to pass that work onto someone else. It’s the right thing to do. Not everyone is good at every thing. Share with others!” says Lauren. Jessica and Lauren have a personal goal – bring together big hearts and creative minds.
The inaugural “You’re Not the Boss of Me…I Am” kicks off early May and plans of more events, field trips and road trips are already in the works. “Champagne Wishes and Badass Dreams” will include champagne and a speaker, Amy Sins, a well known Boss Babe chef from New Orleans. Amy is not only a chef but an entrepreneur and culinary explorer in constant motion, running a hospitality and urban farm empire with fearless dedication and boundless energy. She is an award winning chef, owner of a cooking school, a bed and breakfast and a cookbook author. OH! And she is also a radio host. Now THAT is a Boss Babe.
As any Boss Babe would, they have plans to grow and spread the badassery as far as it can go. The sky is the limit. One important mission of Boss Babes is to volunteer as a whole to help our communities. Of course it’s not required, but what’s better than giving back??? A long term goal is to attend networking summits to gather inspiration from babes outside of our region and bring the information and resources back to help become even more Bossy.
As you can tell, Boss Babein’ aint easy. Some of these babes are mothers, some volunteer along with their bossin’, some travel, and most all babes have that side hustle (two jobs or more). This movement is to help possibly take some of the load from each other or just be a friendly voice to say, “Girl, you’re kicking ass”. In just a short month, relationships and business deals have been created already. Girls are working together and helping each other. The girlie energy is alive and well! Women are stronger together. Women are better together. Let’s be help to fellow Bosses and be better Bosses because of it.