Elaine Rau Inspires Women Entrepreneurs with Her Journey from Wedding Sales to Online Empowerment

Elaine Rau, a former wedding sales manager, transformed her life after a tragedy that struck her husband's family in Honduras. Three years after graduating from Wheaton College, Elaine received a devastating call: her brother-in-law had been murdered. This moment prompted her to leave her job, her friends, and the familiarity of her life in the United States, moving to Honduras to support her husband and his family. The transition proved challenging; isolated in a foreign country with a language barrier and a cultural divide, Elaine grappled with her identity and purpose in this new environment.

In the midst of her struggles, Elaine’s husband encouraged her to explore her passions, particularly her desire to empower women. Determined to connect with others and build a meaningful career, she started a blog focused on female entrepreneurship. Lacking resources and mentorship, she turned to online forums, conducting interviews with successful female entrepreneurs to gain insights and share their stories. As her blog gained traction, she discovered that her interviews resonated with a wider audience, leading to her first entrepreneurial income and a growing community of women eager to share their journeys.

Returning to the United States after another tragedy struck her husband's family, Elaine's perspective shifted. Inspired by her experiences in Honduras and the impactful work of The Micah Project—an organization that had once helped her husband—she resolved to dedicate her business to serving the Honduran community. Through her platform, Elaine now strives to alleviate suffering and empower others, turning her personal journey into a mission that uplifts women and fosters positive change.

What motivated you to become an entrepreneur? Is having your own business something you always wanted to have?

I didn’t even know entrepreneurship was a thing until a few years ago when I made some entrepreneurial friends in Chicago. I literally thought you just worked to save up enough to retire then die lol! It took the combination of a toxic work environment along with a family tragedy to push me out of my comfort zone to start living differently.

How did you come up with your business idea? What inspired you?

I had moved to Honduras to be with my fiancé and his family after his brother was murdered. While there, I realized my “skills” in the wedding industry had no impact in a third world country and I had to find a way to make money online somehow.

What were you doing before this?  How did it prepare you for the entrepreneurial life?

I was the National Wedding Sales manager for a global company in Chicago. Prior to that job I had bounced around all over Chicagoland working at various places, but could never justify an hour of my time being traded for 9 or 10 dollars.

I started off at the company as a part sales rep making 100% commission… and I found that I LOVED it. I had no idea that the reward for making a sale would drive me this much. It was thrilling and challenging at the same time.

I also discovered that having a flexible schedule (meaning I didn’t have to be in the office unless I had an appointment) was something that was super important for me to feel like I had a good work/life balance.

All of those elements - setting my own hours, working as a contractor (1099), and being paid on commission only prepared me for entrepreneurship.

How do you generate new ideas to stay relevant on the market? Is it important to innovate in your space?

It’s not about new ideas, it’s about making ideas better and more relevant to the current times.

What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?

Social time with friends. As a blogger, you’re in front of a computer for the majority of your time and you have to be constantly learning, testing, implementing strategies, and producing quality content.

Who is the one super successful person you look up to? Why them?

I aspire to be like Arianna Huffington, she is a game changer. She knew that media was the way to change the world and she is doing just that! Recently she started a new company called Thrive Global which focuses on three core components – Corporate, Content and Commerce.

 “Thrive Global’s mission is to end the stress and burnout epidemic by offering companies and individuals sustainable, science-based solutions to enhance well-being, performance, and purpose, and create a healthier relationship with technology. Recent science has shown that the pervasive belief that burnout is the price we must pay for success is a delusion. We know, instead, that when we prioritize our well-being, our decision-making, creativity, and productivity improve dramatically. Thrive Global is committed to accelerating the culture shift that allows people to reclaim their lives and move from merely surviving to thriving.”

I think this is particularly relevant in American culture where people revolve around ‘burn out culture’. We don’t want to burn out, but we elevate this idea of “hustling hard” which is good to a certain extent, but not if it starts to affect your health. WITHOUT YOUR HEALTH, YOU HAVE NOTHING. Why is it so often that we as entrepreneurs put that last on our list of things to do?!

Arianna has created a platform that addresses this issue and in turn will change the way we think about “hustling”. SHE IS A GAME CHANGER because she is changing the way we see the world. Every single post her company produces is helping change media’s landscape and in turn change the way we think. Media is a powerful weapon and she has learned how to wield it to benefit us all.

What are some pros and cons of having (OR not having) entrepreneurial parents?

Both my parents are professors so that was their mindset and what they passed down to me. Most of my siblings are teachers now too, but I didn’t want that – in the traditional sense. I actually vowed never to teach because I didn’t want to be poor, abused and underpaid haha!

Now, ironically, I teach as well, but instead of in the traditional classroom, I teach people online how to blog and become influencers.

So even though after I found out about entrepreneurship and wished I had a head start, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What is your proudest accomplishment of this year? What are you looking forward the most in the next 12 months?

I was featured on the Huffington Post – . I am working on my feature for ThriveGlobal and BuzzFeed right now so that will be coming next!

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