Abigail Gibbons is the creator of the WOW Series, a digital platform advancing women, representation, and the next-gen of social entrepreneurs
I am the creator of the WOW Series, a digital platform advancing women, representation, and the next-gen of social entrepreneurs by giving them a platform to be heard. Hosted on Instagram, IGTV, through monthly zoom events, and our slack channel we connect powerful, everyday stories and experiences of women paving the way with practical advice giving current and aspiring mission-driven entrepreneurs the resources they need to scale and change the world. After successfully moderating our zoom events and IGTV interviews, I have my own platform as moderator working with our WOW series corporate and brand partners to stay connected with their customers during our new virtual world. Want to change the world with us? Reach out!
I stay motivated by… following through on my mission of The WOW Series, which is also my personal mission, to continue to advance equality, representation, and the next gen of entrepreneurs. When times get tough, when I get stressed, or am going through a general challenging time (as we all are facing now), this mission keeps me going. I will not and cannot give up because I believe I am working towards changing the world and making it a better place for all of us along with building a company that does good -- one that I hope my children and their children can continue. On that note, I am a people person and have such passion, energy, and excitement for connecting people - especially like minded people - and the fact I get to do that everyday and one day do it full times keeps me so excited about what is to come!
Three adjectives that describe me are… thoughtful, empathetic, and always ready to talk & listen! (I know that last one isn't a proper adjective but it felt the best!)
If I could have dinner with one person it would be… Oh man, how do I pick one!? At this moment in my career journey it will probably be Deepica the founder of Live Tinted. I found her company in the peak of COVID when I was struggling to navigate what was next for my business and her brand and story gave me a lot of inspiration to move forward. Live Tinted is such a simple idea that drives awareness to such a great cause - I have so many questions for her! (If you ever read this... THANK YOU!)
The most exciting innovation to me is… Wow, so many here. As a social person and networker, LinkedIn and Instagram come to mind first. Talk about connecting the world on a global scale and making networking possible even during volatile times... they nailed it. (Don't get me wrong, I know they have faults when it comes to our mental wellbeing and filtered reality).
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur? Is having your own business something you always wanted?
I love this question, because for most of my life I had a vision that I wanted to have my own empire and successful company. I thought I had to pay my dues in corporate America or I would grow to be CEO of someone else's company. As I actually started my career, I thought I could do everything better my way, I also wanted to be passionate about what I would spend most of my life doing and after countless attempts to find it at different companies, I just couldn't. So, I took the dive to start out on my own. I always had a unique skill for connecting people and bringing them together, and I loved doing it... so I thought, how can I monetize this? What personal challenges have I experienced that I want to change? I used this to create my business, which has evolved month over month for the past year.
How did you come up with your business idea? What inspired you?
I experienced first hand not having any female role models who have started their own businesses at a young age, so first things first, I wanted to solve that. Secondly, after working in male dominated industries I experienced what it was like to be a young woman in a boys club. I did all of the work, but never got the raise. Oh, but the recent male graduate with no experience gets hired and makes more than me? Maybe if I wore heels to the office, I could get a boyfriend. The last straw for me was being part of a group of other young women who were asked to attend a client event full of older man, we all agreed it literally felt like "pimped out" - we served no purpose other than to sit there and look pretty. I mean, we were even told that by some of the attendees.
I want to make sure other women have the resources to navigate this and stop this from happening. All of these experiences combined with what I knew I was good at: marketing, creating, and connecting people and stories, came together to form what is now the WOW Series.
How do you generate new ideas to stay relevant on the market? Is it important to innovate in your space?
This question is more important now than ever before. For example, I was an in-person event planning business and had to strategize on how to go digital. My advice is stay true to your mission and keep moving forward. Leverage staying connected with others in your industry among trends you are seeing on social media and the news. You don't have to make any drastic or crazy changes, just stay true who you are and always know your audience.
What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
Sleep, working vacations, and overcoming a tough chapter of finding out who my true friends and tribe are. It is all worth it, I promise - even among the stress cries, tough feelings, and the unknown.. remembers that the world needs YOU and what you are capable of creating.