We have come a long way in the business world - especially when we look back to see the role of women leading many popular businesses worldwide.
However, there are still very few women-owned firms as compared to their male counterparts. This is mainly due to the fact that there are still many women who are struggling to start their own business ventures and need some guidance to get them started. Fortunately, Justine Willis Toms serves as the perfect individual to approach for this matter.
As a highly acclaimed American journalist, author, editor, entrepreneur, and workshop leader, Justine Willis Toms serves as the Co-Founder of New Dimensions Foundation - a nonprofit education organization through which they launched the New Dimensions Radio. She also serves as the Managing Director of New Dimensions Radio, including being the Creative Producer and Host of the radio series “New Dimensions” as well as “In Her Company: Women of Wisdom.”
Toms is also the founding convener of the Millionth Circle Initiative, which is an international volunteer organization of women who are determined to repair the world through nonhierarchical and circular designs in organizations and meetings. Additionally, she is also the Creator and Presenter of “Living Life On Purpose” workshops and leads workshops on “Finding Grace in a Chaotic World.”
Moreover, she was also invited by the Association for Global New Thought in 2004, where she was among the thirty wisdom leaders invited to participate in the Synthesis Dialogues with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, India.
Since many women do not have the same experiences as her, she has decided to share a few tips to help women on how to take the first few steps to start their own career.
Investigating Your Target Market
The time you spend understanding the field of similar products or services you are intending to offer is imperative. There’s no shortcut to the need for research. Toms shares the story of the early beginnings of New Dimensions.
Toms says, “We conceived the idea of New Dimensions at a time when there was a collective leap in consciousness and a dynamic sense of change blooming all around us. We were excited about the emerging field of consciousness studies. There were teachers coming to the San Francisco Bay area from India, and psychologists presenting research on parapsychology. Also, a panoply of workshops and talks highlighting spiritual practices beyond those of organized religions. The new field of transpersonal psychology was thriving. Physicists were helping the lay person in understanding the importance of quantum physics and its impact on our daily lives and how the world is truly interconnected. It was a rich time in the study of consciousness.
“The seed of New Dimensions was born out of that excitement. My late partner, Michael Toms, and I realized that there was very little reporting on this building seismic movement. This was pre-internet. There were no books, magazines, or newsletters. So, we decided to be a journalistic organization to report on this historic changing of an epoch.”
Guiding Principle for Sustaining Your Vision
First and foremost: Whatever you give your fullness to, will take you where you need to go. Enthusiasm comes from your authentic self and being in touch with what you truly value. It is naturally sustainable. It is your internal energizer bunny.
If you are not fully excited about your enterprise, you will not be able to manage the momentum it will take to bring it into fruition. Half-heartedness will not take you where you need to go. Follow the joy. Joy is what gives you the energy to persevere in your endeavor. Ask yourself, “Does this dream bring me joy, does it enliven me, and is it aligned with my core values?”
Relationship Networks
It is important to circulate; get out into the corridors of life and allow incidental contact to add the magic of unpredictable, happy coincidences that will support your dreams.
In the beginning of any endeavor, it is not possible to see the whole path before you. She didn’t see her work fully mapped out as it is now and advises that the first step on that path is to seek the advice of people whom you respect.
Toms describes the first steps taken was to run her ideas by several sage elders. She and her late partner received invaluable advice and guidance. Years later, after giving some warnings as to the difficulties in pursuing our project, human potential pioneer, George Leonard apologized for “throwing cold water on our endeavor.” They assured him that they received great benefit from his wisdom and it guided them safely past many obstacles and challenges along the way.
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