Embrace The Roar: What It Means To Be Fierce In Business
Emma Bowdler
I’m a cheerleader for women and an accountant bursting with personality.
Back in 2022, four words struck us like a bolt of lightning.
We had just launched our Biz Booster Masterclass Series to coincide with the Year of the Tiger. We were busy levelling up our systems and processes all over the place. Arguably, fear had us by the business balls, but we’d never been more grateful for the support of other women who were trying to build the businesses of their dreams.
Not that it’s hard to tell from our business name, but we are accountants and business advisors for women in business. We talk money, wealth, and freedom every day, helping women build their businesses from the ground up.
We are not afraid to tell it like it is, and we do things driven by our values on the daily, even when those things result in temporary hits to our bottom line. Drawing on the symbolism of the Year of the Tiger felt instinctive, a no-brainer.
Just like us, tigers are strong-willed, capable and agile. They are powerful and rare, and among only a handful of species that are capable of roaring (sounds familiar).
According to the Chinese Zodiac, those born in the Year of the Tiger — once they make up their minds, they don’t change them easily. They are confident, straight up, and willing to share their feelings so they can gain others’ trust easily. They are known to push themselves quite hard to succeed, and they are full of a sense of fairness and justice, willing to straighten out others’ problems with a warm-heart. Again, it’s The Women’s Accountant to a tee — literally, because the slogan pounced its way onto our company T-shirts.
Fortune Favours The Fierce
A twist on the ol’ adage ‘fortune favours the brave’, we want to see women be fierce in business and in life, making that money, taking them names — and we are prepared to lead from the front.
As we enter the ever-mysterious Year of the Dragon — another creature all too capable of letting out the occasional fire-filled roar — we wanted to dive into what being fierce in business means to us, and how you can channel your ferocity into fortune this year and beyond.
Fortune Favours The Fierce
For some businesses, a slogan is little more than a few fancy words tacked on to their logo or trotted out in an email signature. For us, it’s a rallying cry for those daring to dream big and bold; a mantra for the audacious, the passionate, and the unyieldingly tenacious.
Recently, we reflected on what it truly means to embody fierceness as a business owner, and as women, and what fortune looks like in the modern world. And while we wholeheartedly encourage each and every woman to define ‘fierce’ and ‘fortune’ for herself, we wanted to share what it means to us: confronting fear head-on, lifting others up, and unleashing laser-like determination to achieve our business goals and live a life only we can live. Let’s do this.
Fortune, Redefined: Not Just About the Ca$h
When we say ‘fortune’, we’re not just counting dollar bills here. It’s high time we give this old-school notion of wealth a glow up, The Women’s Accountant-style. Because fortune? It’s way more than a stuffed bank account.
We’re talking about the real riches here – the freedom to call the shots, the luxury of time and space, the opportunity to run a business in a time and country where it’s possible for women to actually do that — and yes, the money too, but on our own terms.
Success, the way it’s often spoken about (read: for old white men), is synonymous with a fat wallet, a title on the door and awards in the trophy cabinet. And while those things are all nice, it’s well past time to toss out that narrow, yawn-inducing view of fortune.
Instead, we see it as having access to all the things you love and give your life meaning — whether that’s creating a kickass workplace culture, contributing to something bigger than yourself, or using your business as a vehicle to create change for you and your family. This is about redefining fortune on our own terms — not ours, not hers and certainly not his. It’s about wealth in the myriad ways that matter to you, whether that’s time, freedom, or yes, even a bit more of the green stuff.
We’re in the business of building dreams, and those dreams come in all shapes and sizes. If ‘girls’ really do run the world, then fortune is what we make of it, and we’re here to make it fabulous. Write your own damn fortune story. Ok, so if that’s what we mean by ‘fortune’, what about ‘fierce’?
Facing Fear and Doing It Anyway
A pandemic. A recession. Hiring freezes. Labour shortages. Supply chain interruptions. Natural disasters. Global conflicts. To be a business owner these past few years has been to stare uncertainty, disruption and chaos in the eyes. It’s to come face-to-face with the gut-clenching, heart-racing terror of the unknown — and then, with a breath of courage, to leap anyway.
To be fierce in business is to feel the fear and do it anyway (thank you Susan Jeffers). To us, it’s about embracing the ‘go big or go home‘ mentality, not with reckless abandon but with carefully calculated choices that represent greatness. After all, the tiger doesn’t leap without first sizing up its prey…
In the business jungle, swinging big might mean pitching that revolutionary idea to investors, expanding into uncharted markets, or perhaps rebranding with a bold new image. It’s about not letting the ‘what ifs’ and ‘buts’ hold you back and just going for it.
And sure, there are times when the fear seems insurmountable, when doubts prevent you from taking action. But here’s where the fierce woman shines — she knows that every ‘no’ paves the way to a ‘yes,’ that every setback is a setup for a comeback. It’s in these moments of fear that true fierceness is born, and fortune, as we know, favours those willing to go after it with everything they got.
No Woman Is An Island
So, you’re in uncharted territory. It’s scary. It’s wild. It’s intriguing. There’s so much to learn. And here’s the thing: it’s just way more fun and far less scary when you’re not going it alone.
Fierceness, to us, is about being loyal and committed to lifting others as we climb; to be the one who loves fiercely and shares generously and laughs easily. It’s about recognising that success for any of us is a win for all of us.
As business advisors, we are fierce champions of other women.
Why? Oh, about 3.95 billion reasons, but here’s just a few:
- All the stats show that women in the world live longer, yet far too many of us are reaching older age without the wealth to show for it — the Gender Pay Gap is still over 20%, we are earning 78 cents to every man’s dollar (on average), and that translates to a significant retirement gap as well
- Society still tells women that we’re not good enough, that business is code for men’s business, that we should be chained to the kitchen sink (and be happy about it), and that we’re not good with money — well fuck that — let’s create a world of women high-fiving cos business is thriving
- Life can be shit and stressful enough, and while we can’t wave a magic wand and take all the suffering away, we do know firsthand the power of feeling supported, celebrated, and valued while we’re going through the mill — that is what we want to do for our clients and for our community; to have their backs (and fronts, and sides)
Too much of the world is about tearing people down. We don’t want to reinforce this kind of status quo — instead, we want to walk the walk and show that it’s possible to be better and do better. We want to help create a more equal and wealthy world (in every sense) with more money and power in the hands of more women and gender-diverse people, using business as a driver. And that’s what fierce looks like to us.
Being fiercely invested in this community of women running businesses means actively seeking opportunities to empower and uplift. It’s not just about climbing the ladder; it’s about ensuring we’re holding it steady for those following behind.
Be it through finance services, advice, collaboration, or simply breaking up your inbox with the odd laugh and useful tip (subscribe here, you won’t regret it!), fierceness is at the heart of who we are and what we do. It’s also at the core of what it means to be part of a community of women: a collective force for good, unbreakable and unstoppable in its purpose.
A Laser-Like Focus on our Goals
With other women in your corner and a commitment to not let fear stand in your way, the next step is to set your sights on the prize/s.
Being fierce in business demands a laser-like focus on what you want and the relentless drive to achieve it. It’s about setting goals with precision, then pursuing them with a passion that burns as bright and fierce as any tiger, dragon or baby mama.
We bang on all the time about the power of having clearly articulated and specific business goals, covering everything from brand awareness, to revenue, profit margin, marketing, and even happiness and wellbeing.
This is where your vision crystallises into tangible goals and measurable objectives; where dreams transform into actionable plans. It’s not enough to simply want success — you gotta go after it. This means putting in the work, making decisions, and sometimes, sacrifices. It’s about prioritising what truly matters and having the focus to stay the course. Remember, the tiger stays focused, patient, and gets prepared to pounce. She doesn’t half-ass anything, otherwise she doesn’t eat!
Want help to develop your business plan, complete with quarterly rhythms for the next 12 months and step-by-step actions to achieve your Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals (BHAGs)?
Book an obligation-free Strategy Session and let’s do it!
Embracing Your Inner Fierceness
To be fierce is to be unapologetically ambitious, to roar in the face of adversity, and to blaze a trail so bright, it lights the way for others. It’s about owning your capabilities, getting focused and being prepared to fight for what you want.
Here’s to being bold, being brave, and above all, being fiercely, unapologetically you. In the words of the immortal Maya Angelou, “Each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women.” So, stand up, be fierce, and let’s show the world that fortune does indeed favour the fierce.
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