Meet Kate Isler: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs

Featured on BoldJourney.com

Kate Isler, Co-Founder & CEO of WMarketplace.

Hi Kate, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

Optimism is about perspective. You can choose the perspective you take on a specific situation, and in my experience, the perspective you take informs the outcome. You hear people talk about self-fulfilling proficiencies, and the way you approach things is the same; your reaction and attitude will have an impact on the outcome. We have all had the experience of walking into a situation thinking, “This is bad and will only end badly,” but what if we turned that around?

It is not my natural state. My business career has been spent in highly competitive situations; however, as I have matured, I have learned that for my own peace of mind, it is better for me to consciously have an optimistic attitude. My mantra is: “What if it all works out?”.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am the Co-founder and CEO of The WMarketplace, an innovative e-commerce accelerator and online sales channel. Beyond my role in business, I am a passionate advocate for gender equality, an entrepreneur, a partner, a mother to three boys, a friend, a sister, and an author. My journey includes years of experience in the technology sector, notably at Microsoft, which allowed me to live and work around the globe.

My commitment to gender equality took a significant turn when I was introduced to International Women’s Day (IWD) during my time living in Eastern Europe. Inspired to broaden the recognition of women beyond motherhood, I co-founded the non-profit Be Bold for Change upon returning to the USA. This organization celebrates IWD and orchestrates programs and events to advance gender equity.

The pivotal moment came in March 2020 when the pandemic hit, affecting women disproportionately, and the world pivoted to online shopping. Recognizing the need to empower women in the digital space, I Co-founded TheWmarketplace.com, an online sales channel, and accelerator program focused on supporting women to develop and expanding their businesses online.

To date, our Accelerator program has supported over 160 businesses. This innovative curriculum addresses current online trends and opportunities. Notably, our program features a comprehensive tool that evaluates 38 key points across major online channels, assisting businesses in deciding when and where to expand.

I am delighted to share that we have recently taken the program global and had success of our pilot program for women entrepreneurs in Ukraine.

I am committed to providing opportunities, fostering growth, and championing women around the world to take advantage of the online sales opportunity.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The most important skill I have learned is to take risks. So often, women self-select out of opportunities because they have familiar responsibilities for parents or children; they don’t believe they are qualified or have the right level of education and financial security to take a risk on an opportunity. I learned early on in my life and career that taking a risk to achieve something that made you happy would make you a more successful person in almost all parts of your life. On the flip side of this, not pursuing something you really want will have an equally negative impact. I leverage my optimism, “What if is all turns out right?”

The second thing I learned was to build a personal “Council”. So often, we think that asking for help or testing out an idea makes us look silly. I believe just the opposite. Find a group of people that will honestly support you. They will tell you when something is great and when something is terrible. You will learn and be much better for it.

Finally, listen! Listening does not equal agreement but will make a big difference in what you know and how you relate to others.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

The Year of YES by Shona Rhimes. This book inspired me to continue to take risks, try new things and live with being uncomfortable.

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