Girl Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Success, Sanity, and Happiness for the Female Entrepreneur

Collaboration vs. Competition
Remember that very important secret from 
Chapter One?
 There is more
than enough success and happiness to go around. The universal laws of
abundance prove that there is absolutely no reason to compete. Competition
is sooo ‘90s. Evolve past it and learn to collaborate instead.
Some of the best experiences of my career have involved collaboration.
There is power in numbers, and women must realize that they do not have
to ride this rollercoaster alone. Being an entrepreneur is isolating enough, so
why separate yourself even more by competing with other women? Look
around for people you can connect with and find ways to share, team up,
and help each other out.
I recently did an event in New York City with three other coaches that I
adore – Rachel Luna, Kelly Lynn Adams, and Jenn Scalia. The event was
meant to be an inspirational evening of masterminding and networking for

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female entrepreneurs. When I mentioned to a friend that I was co-hosting
this event, he couldn’t understand why I would work with my
“competition.” I laughed, because I couldn’t even comprehend how he
could view us all as competitors. Rachel and Kelly Lynn have been
alongside my journey for years, and we’ve always supported one another
and been each other’s biggest cheerleaders. I had never met Jenn before the
event, but I obviously trusted Rachel and Kelly Lynn enough to know they
would only bring a positive woman on board, and that’s exactly what she
was.
Are we all coaches? Yes. Do we all work with women on their lives
and businesses? Yes. Technically, one could call us competitors. But we all
know we each bring something unique to the table. We each have our own
flavor and our own style of coaching. We’re confident enough to know that
we attract our clients based on our authentic personalities, and there is more
than enough success available to all of us. Our champagne glasses are
overflowing, if you will. Nobody can be thirsty when there is so much
sparkle to go around!
Our event was a smashing success. We poured love and positivity into
every moment of the evening, and every single woman left feeling like a
better version of herself. Friendships were forged that I know will last a
lifetime. Ideas were born, partnerships were created, and the women who
attended were so grateful to be there. Our event was proof that when
women collaborate rather than compete, they can move mountains.
In a few moments I’m going to introduce you to two women who are
not only slaying it in their business, but are some of the most generous,
thoughtful, supportive, amazing women I have ever met in my life. Before I
share my interview with Ramona Solages and Julie Mella of She Winks
lash studio, I want to tell you about how we met, as collaboration and
friendship is so important in life and in business.
I found these two beauties earlier this year when desperately searching
for a clean, posh, glamorous space I could go to have my first-ever set of
mink lash extensions done before a series of live television appearances. If
you don’t know me well, then let me fully disclose that I am pretty much a
diva when it comes to cleanliness and good practices with beauty salons
and spas. So when I was researching lash extension studios, you best
believe I did my homework. I refused to go anywhere that looked even
remotely sketchy, and I was simultaneously on the hunt for an ultra glam

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space that would serve me a glass of champagne – or two – to help me keep
my eyeballs closed for an hour (I am just a tad bit high energy).
Enter She Winks.
Upon entering She Winks, I pretty much knew it was a match made in
Champagne Diet heaven. The walls were covered in inspirational quotes by
Coco Chanel and Marilyn Monroe, there was a huge chandelier hanging in
the main entry area, and everything was pink, black, and sparkly. Jackpot.
Not only was She Winks a gorgeous space, but my stylist Stacy did a
phenomenal job on my lashes and has been making me look like and feel
like a living doll for months. Seriously, she is major.
Being the business woman that I am, I immediately started researching
She Winks as soon as I got home because I just knew I had to connect with
whoever was running this brilliant brand. I felt an immediate connection
with everything they stood for and was already dreaming up collaborative
ideas before I even got to the train station after my appointment. I read up
on Ramona and Julie and knew I had to meet them in person to learn more
about their journey. So I emailed them, and they wrote back, and within a
few hours we had a plan to meet up.
As soon as I saw the both of them, I felt as though we had been friends
forever. Their energy and passion is infectious, and they are truly the kind
of women you want to spend as much time with as possible. They’re open,
they’re honest, and they’re encouraging. Over cocktails, we shared our own
personal stories about how we started our businesses. We talked about our
triumphs as well as our struggles, and one main theme that kept coming up
was the lack of support among female entrepreneurs. We talked about how
hard it is to meet other women in business and have a forum to openly
discuss all the things that we were discussing that night. We identified a
need for something – and we decided to create it. Fast forward to a few
hours later, and we had our first joint event planned at She Winks – our
Fearless & Fabulous Summer Soiree.
See what happens when you get a few motivated women in a room
with a couple glasses of wine? Pure brilliance!
Less than four weeks later, our event took place. To say it was a
success would be an understatement. Together, we rallied a room
overflowing with ambitious and energetic female entrepreneurs who
showed up ready to learn, network, and support one another. I read an
excerpt from my book Fearless & Fabulous and led a discussion among the

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group with Julie and Ramona by my side. While the champagne flowed, the
women in the room who walked in as strangers began bonding through their
personal stories and experiences. Once again, proof that when women come
together in a positive and empowering space, we truly can move mountains.
The evening felt like a whirlwind and I am still pretty certain we all
experienced magic that night. Ramona, Julie, and I all received countless
emails and messages from the women who attended the event thanking us
for putting it together and begging to know when the next one would be.
I think one of the things that made that night so special was that we
collaborated. We took our own unique stories, our own energy, and we
created an evening that celebrated all of that. What can you create in your
business using this same philosophy? Take a few moments to brainstorm,
and then read on to check out my exclusive Q&A session with the fabulous
mommies of She Winks.
GIRL CODE: Unlocked
Julie Mella and Ramona Solages, Owners of She Winks