Entrepreneur of Impact: Monique Hill
We're delighted to introduce you to Entrepreneur of Impact Award winner Monique Hill of About Her Business. She is one of the amazing, everyday entrepreneur heroes doing good things for the world & her community during the COVID pandemic. We hope you're just as inspired by her story as we are!
Tell us a bit about your business & how it came to be.
I relocated to Charleston after accepting a position at MUSC. Although I grew up in the upstate of SC, I didn’t know anyone in Charleston, aside from colleagues I met through my interview process. It was important for me to get out and make connections after I settled in. I’m a pretty social person, so I had no issue attending networking events alone, in hopes of meeting some new contacts. But, I quickly learned that most of the events were not really “networking events.” For the most part, people were socializing with people they already knew or attended the event with. I would also attend some of the popular events and there would not be much diversity and it was quite frankly overwhelming and disappointing.
So instead of continuing to spend money and time on these events, I decided to create what I was looking for. I created the Women Entrepreneur’s Brunch series with the goal of connecting women entrepreneurs over an intimate brunch hoping it would allow for attendees to focus on meaningful conversations and relationships. This was the beginning of something great, which later led to the launch of About Her Business.
How was your business affected by the COVID pandemic? What shifts did you have to make in order to continue operating?
I knew when the pandemic was announced, I would need to pivot. Most of my business is live events, so rescheduling events and offering more virtual content was the most important shift. This was important so that I would keep my business visible, while also providing the support to others.
You were recognized by the community as an Entrepreneur of Impact! Tell us about your efforts to create a positive impact during the COVID crisis.
Let me just say, this is an honor to be recognized as an Entrepreneur of Impact. I consider myself the “Queen of Collaboration,” which is truly the spirit of my brand. This COVID crisis abrupted business and most of us didn’t have a plan in place. Everyone was scared and uncertain. Social Media was rampant with discussions, mostly of panic.
One of my mentors actually called me and suggested that I put together an event with some veteran business women that could speak from experience regarding a pandemic. I believe I started working on it before we hung up and I had the first event put together in less than two weeks. At this time, I didn’t realize the true impact it would have.
In fact, I had so much interest, I ended up launching a full series on Business Resiliency and collaborated with experts across the country on critical business topics. I featured close to 20 women and hosted over 200 women on the trainings collectively.
What quote or motto you live by?
My favorite quote is by the late great Dr. Maya Angelou. Her words sum up my life as beautifully as the words are written. “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style.” I couldn’t have said it any better.
What does the world need more of?
The world needs more kindness and compassion. The world needs more patience and understanding. The world needs more laughter and love.
In 3 words, what does it take to be successful as a business owner?
Patience, Perseverance and Resilience.
If you were to impart one tidbit of wisdom to up-and-coming entrepreneurs, what would it be?
If I could impart one tidbit of wisdom to up-and-coming entrepreneurs, it would be to focus on solutions and relationships. Both are the two things that will keep you in business and growing.
We help women entrepreneurs build powerful, purposeful, and profitable businesses. Through actionable education and meaningful opportunities to connect, we cultivate growth-minded entrepreneurs to achieve personal success, while positively impacting their local community, economy, and causes they care about. We believe entrepreneurship is a force for greater good and our mission is to help YOU succeed. Join us inside the Hatch Tribe Collective!