SheSays DC: Wine and Wisdom from Powerful Creative Women!

Last night in the Delucchi Plus office, something amazing happened. Our lobby filled with some of the brightest female creative talent in D.C. The reason? To sip wine and talk shop about entrepreneurship in the digital age. And most importantly, to connect incredible women with each other and get them inspired about what they do.

The main event was a panel discussion led by SheSays DC, a local chapter of a global organization that provides free events and mentoring opportunities for women in the creative industry. The panel featured rockstar creative entrepreneurs Philippa Hughes of the Pink Line Project (a fixture of the D.C. arts scene) and our very own Chief People Officer, Patty Delk, a marketing maven who helps keep the Delucchi ship running smoothly on a day-to-day basis.

The event was moderated by Karen Goodman, SheSays DC Chapter Founder and Content Director for Under Armour. And when the wine started flowing, the bon mots started flying. Rule number one for making powerful change as an entrepreneur: don’t be afraid to listen to yourself, and stay keenly aware of what’s around you. As Patty put it, “Ask yourself: What are you passionate about? What do you love doing? Entrepreneurship is marrying passion, creativity and a real business need that’s missing. Trust your gut, find data to back it up but also know that not everyone is going to be happy.”

That marriage of the emotional and analytical can open the door for criticism, which can be difficult. In fact, Philippa says “that emotional leap is the hardest part about being an entrepreneur. Over analysis will paralyze you.” The only way to get better at it, she explains, is to keep on keeping on, and push through your critical voices over and over again. “You need to seek out the most uncomfortable thing you can do, which is entrepreneurship for a lot of people. Get comfortable with failure, because that’s what so much of entrepreneurship is.” But on the flip side, Philippa says, “you also need to be naturally optimistic. This is about choosing what your life looks like, and living the life you choose.”

These are some seriously inspiring ladies. Thanks so much, SheSays DC, for letting us host this fantastic event! We’re so proud of our Patty, and we’re ready to go out and conquer all things creative!