Embrace the F Word
Flourishing for All: The Feminist Business Model
“So, what makes a business feminist?” This is a question I was asked as a guest on a podcast recently. As I think about my journey as an entrepreneur over the last (gasp) three decades, it wasn’t until I started my current company 10 years ago that I was intentional about creating a feminism-led business. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that feminist beliefs were what prompted me to start a small advertising business in my 20s. After experiencing inequity in salary, lack of opportunity, sexism, and, yes, harassment, my younger self saw that the only way forward was to go out on my own.
Let me pause here, though. With age comes wisdom and clarity (I hope), and looking back I recognize the privilege I had in those early years as a business owner: I am a cis white straight woman, and that alone comes with some inherent privilege. My parents — at that stage in their lives — were “upper” middle class. They were also immigrants who worked incredibly hard to be able to provide for their three daughters so well. I had the security of knowing that if all failed, I could return to the emotional and financial security of their home; I would not be alone or homeless. I’m also proud to say I started that first venture with a combination of my own funds and a business loan (that I paid off on schedule!).
That small micro-sized advertising agency back in Toronto in the mid-’90s was my first step in a varied life as an entrepreneur. My newly minted corporation and I had just two clients, and one of them was my dad. My team was, well, me as the account-manager-sales-manager-proofreader-bookkeeper-clerk-delivery-person, and I had two wonderful freelancers: a writer and a designer. The three of us met when we needed to — often onsite at a client’s office or at one of our apartments — and otherwise worked from home. It was maximum flexibility, reasonable rates, and…often anxiety-inducing due to the great unknown and minimal support from a community of any kind (these were the days before social media!). A few years into it, one of our clients was acquired by a large international financial services provider, and they asked me to join and lead their marketing team in Canada. I jumped at the opportunity for a regular paycheck, paid time off, and a really nice office. And that was the conclusion of my first grown-up business venture. Reflecting on that little company that could, I did not for a second think about a business connection to feminism — I was just finding an alternate path to a career where I wasn’t controlled by or controlling other humans.
Fast-forward 20 years, and it is a different story. I was a new-ish mother and had made a move from the West Coast to the Midwest in my early 40s. I had a yearning to do something new and different in my career that reflected my growth and development as a woman and self-ascribed scholar of women’s history, women’s spirituality, and feminism. The change I wanted to see in the world was not just for women, but for all humans.
I took the leap from my comfy corporate job and started Blu Pagoda (now known as Collabry). And this time, I had a bigger purpose: to build a feminism-forward business. A business that was inspired by incredible writers and scholars, like Jennifer Armbrust who wrote “Proposals for the Feminine Economy.” Armbrust (and her 12 Principles for Prototyping a Feminist Business), and later astrologer Chani Nicholas and writer CV Harquail were pathfinders for me.
But back to the question: What makes a business feminist? There are many definitions of feminism, which is part of the challenge in answering the question categorically. My own is along the lines of dismantling systems, traditions, and institutions that oppress any human being and focusing on ways of working and living that help all human beings flourish (with h/t to bell hooks and CV Harquail). For me, feminism is not about women only, but also about challenging the patriarchy that defines the culture in which we live.
At Collabry, we are building “flourishing for all” into the heart and soul of our company. It started with recognizing my own reproductive labor — that I wanted to work in a way that allowed me to mother my child at hours that made sense for the two of us and to have sovereignty over my body. It continued with creating value in a community of diverse individuals who share a vision of being able to do good work, while being good to one another. It is sparked when we meet together and talk about challenging subjects of oppression, capitalism, suppression. And it is reinforced when we pay equally — regardless of gender, skin color, ability, or sexuality.
The thing about patriarchy is that there is one right way. The thing about feminism is that it is intentionally subjective to suit each person’s lived experience. So it can be difficult to get it right on the first try. Are we doing this perfectly? No — change is messy, and sometimes we lose our way and have moments of feeling hopeless. Are we doing all we can? No — we can always be doing better. And indeed, that is our vision and focus. Will we keep going? Absolutely, positively. For all of us.