moving the needle: andromeda raheem, ceo of women by choice
andromeda raheem is founder of women by choice, a platform that empowers and unites women, and is a leader in women’s inspiration. her journey started in early 2014 where after years of negative interactions with women she decided that something needed to change in the global conversation and that the world would simply be a better place if women came together and empowered one another. now her massive online presence has expanded to 100,000 women across the globe and includes the likes of stars such as nicki minaj. andromeda is committed to the success and the rise of entrepreneurial women and their businesses.
(photo credit: andromeda raheem)
the void: what was your biggest fear starting on your path and how did you overcome it?
andromeda raheem: my biggest fear when i started down the path to entrepreneurship was that i would fail. although i was determined to achieve my goals from the very beginning (i don't have a quitters spirit) and believed in my vision, i was terrified when i thought about failing after all of the hard work, sacrifice, and trials. when i started, i didn't realize how uncomfortable and difficult it would be. it makes me take none of my success for granted.
the void: failures happen. what made you pick yourself up and believe in yourself when it felt impossible?
andromeda: faith and prayer are what keep me going. i have had some really low moments since becoming an entrepreneur. the second year seemed to be a test to see how bad i really wanted it because just about everything that could go wrong did. i had many moments where i felt like quitting, but i knew that women by choice was much bigger than me. i knew that people were counting on me when i received messages from women telling me that my daily inspirational messages were life-changing. i knew that people were rooting for women by choice when new members would join the network. whenever i was at my lowest something happened to keep me going. that was when i realized that i am definitely walking in my purpose so i began to have more trust in the process. i learned that there is difficulty and discomfort right before each new level and it happens to stretch you into who you'll need to be on the next level.
(photo credit: andromeda raheem)
the void: what's was the point in your journey where you said "f*ck it, i'm just going to do it" and took the risk?
andromeda: ha! great question! just about every day of my life, but i'd have to say that deciding to quit my unfulfilling government accounting job to walk in my purpose of empowering and uniting women would be in my top 3 "f*ck it moments.
please make sure to follow @womenbychoice and grab a copy of andromeda’s recent book she wins!