Reading: Always Be Reinventing with Adrienne Garland

Adrienne Garland’s first reinvention happened when she was getting her MBA: the investment bank she was working for at the time was fined, and she had to move over to marketing. That’s where she spent her life—working for a toy company, then at a news wire for PR. In 2013, Garland put together a conference for entrepreneurs, and She Leads Media was born.

“Don’t wait to reinvent yourself when the situation arises,” she tells Lesley. “Be in the mode of always reinventing.” The next She Leads conference takes place on November 22, 2019, and will be “looking at different business models that benefit humanity.”

Garland suggests entrepreneurs look for alternatives to venture capital when raising money. She suggests crowdfunding and Goldman Sach’s 10,000 Women program, which she credits for catapulting her business forward.

Adrienne’s Top Tips for Reinvention

1. Always Be Reinventing
   Don’t wait to reinvent yourself when the situation arises. Always be reinventing. Be in that mode of ‘how can I make this better? How can I make this more valuable to me?’ Always be open to reinventing, whether it’s what you’re doing or how you’re looking at things so it doesn’t come to a point where you are forced to reinvent yourself.
2. Be Clear on Yourself
   one of the most important things is to be super clear on who you are and what your values are. It’s easier to make decisions when you know what your bright line is – what is that line that you won’t cross? And the more you can do the work to find out who you are and what you’ll accept and what you’ll compromise on can really be a guiding force so that you’re not sucked in to opportunities  that might not be right for you.
3. Learn the Business Models
   If you are going to reinvent, make sure that you understand a business model that is going to support that reinvention. You can be passionate about something, but if you don’t know how to price it right, if you don’t know what the business model is that’s gonna deliver the revenue and the profit, it’s going to be a failure.

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