I came into this year with a feeling in the depths of my soul that 2025 would be an incredible year for Founding Females® and January understood the assignment!

From one of my favorite speaking gigs ever,

…to growing our Mastermind to over 60 members,

…to launching a brand Meet Up chapter in Indiana,

…to earning “40 Leaders Under 40,”

January paved the way for the purposeful growth to come in 2025.

Let’s dive into it all!

Here’s the latest you need to know about Founding Females®, including:

Membership Week Recap, New Member Introduction, and our February Theme
Where We Were This Month
February Meet Up Details
Founder Spotlight with Krystal Stegmeier of Free and Purposed

Let’s dive in!

#1 Membership Week Recap and February Theme

Founding Females® Mastermind Membership Week is officially over!

We had an incredible week and welcomed 31 new members into our women’s business mastermind for a total of 61 members.

Welcome to the following new members:

Aelsa Woods, founder of Aelsa on Socials
Alma Crotz-Jones
Brittney Arnold, founder of Vitality Wellness
Caitlin Howle, founder of Caiki Creative
Christine Brown, founder of Christine Brown Photography
Jemmie Pearse, founder of JP Virtual Assistant
Jenny Holmes, founder of Jenny Jean Yoga and Wellness
Julia Carlton, Life and Leadership Coach
Lindsay Vlaminck, founder of Survivor RN
Marissa Southern, founder of Daisy and Coe Photography
Mercedes Schlaffer, founder of Fancy Kiddos
Patricia Taylor, founder of Arnold Enterprises
Robyn Cook, Leadership Coach
Traci Kingdon, founder of Daisy Kings Tallow Products
Sara Skolaski, agent with Exp Realty and exiting founder of The Spot Coffee
Julie Blunier, founder of J. Blu Design
Dr. Kristen Strom, founder of Alive to Thrive
Brooke Woods, founder of Virtually B.W.
Jona Kay, Founder and CEO of Illuminate and Zeta Mu Phi
Kelley Gibson, co-founder of Inkling Design
Susan Northrup, new business owner
Amy Stevens, founder of Willow Lane Yoga and Wellness
Cassie Yoder, founder of Cass Concepts Marketing Agency
Nicole Miller, yoga instructor
Abbe Ogle, founder of Maverick Marketing Co.
Nawal Rchidi, founder of Glintuoso Experiences
Angie Hawkins, author of Running in Slippers
Jane Talkington, author of Recognizing Botulism: New Insights from Old Narratives
Yolanda Garrett
Hannah Hernandez, founder of EQBM Design Co
Kimberly Hartman, Hartman Health and Fitness

A big hug and congrats to this incredible cohort! We are so happy to pour into you, provide support, and grow together.

February Mastermind Theme

In February, our mastermind theme is “Cashflow and Finances.” We’ll discuss topics important to female entrepreneurs like:

Profit strategies for creating more cashflow
Ideal ratio of operational costs to labor to profit
How much cash to keep on hand to weather the ebbs and flows of business
Tax strategies
Books and other resources to up-skill when it comes to cashflow and finances
and more!

If you’re interested in joining the conversation, tap the button below.

JOIN THE MASTERMIND

#2 Where we spent time in January

At Founding Females®, we know you can’t build a successful business solely sitting behind a computer. Showing up and building community is so important!

Here’s where we spent time in January:

Purdue University - our founder, Francie, spoke at a conference teaching business owners about The Fundamentals of Effective Marketing
Founding Females® Meet Ups - We hosted Meet Ups for female entrepreneurs, including our Peoria chapter in its new location at Cafe Santa Rosa in Peoria Heights, IL, Champaign/Urbana, IL, Danville, IL, Decatur, IL and helped launch the brand new Carmel, IN chapter.
‘40 Under 40’ Prep - our founder, Francie, joined the Class of 2024 ‘40 Under 40’. The official ceremony is in March 2025 and prep for the event will take place in the interim.

#3 February Meet Up Details

Dates and Locations for February Meet Ups:

Champaign/Urbana, IL - February 4th at 8:30a at The CU Flower House (new location and time for 2025) hosted by Heidi Esther, Joyologist and Andrea Hunt, owner of The CU Flower House.
CU Flower House Address: 2006 S Neil St, Champaign, IL 61820. Champaign/Urbana Meet Ups are always the first Tuesday of the month.
Peoria Area, IL - February 11th at 10a at Cafe Santa Rosa (new location for 2025). Hosted by Hannah Knight of Always Flourishing Photography and Studio on Samson and Francie Hinrichsen, founder of Founding Females®
Cafe Santa Rosa Address: 1327 E Kelly Ave, Peoria Heights. Please note - No outside drinks allowed. Plan to arrive a little early if you'd like to order a drink from the cafe. Peoria Meet Ups are always the second Tuesday of the month.
Danville, IL - February 20th at 12p CT at First Place Coworking Space hosted by Jessica Nemecz of Two Roads Wellness Clinic and Ashton Greer of Westwood Equity Group and Partner, Fred & Ma, LLC. Feel free to bring your lunch. Danville Meet Ups are always the third Thursday of the month.
Decatur, IL - February 27th at 10a at Cass Concepts in Decatur, hosted by Lindsey Kirk of Lindsay the Ladysmith. Decatur Meet Ups are always the last Thursday of the month.
Carmel, IN - Brand New! - February 28th at 12pm ET at The Link Office Suites in Carmel in the "Straightaway Conference Room" (10255 Commerce Drive, Carmel, IN). Carmel Meet Ups are hosted by Amanda Galloway of Country Financial and Crystal Rightor, founder of Indy Brow Boss. Feel free to bring your lunch. Carmel Meet Ups are always hosted on the last Friday of the month.

VIEW MEET UP CALENDAR

#4 Founder Feature with Krystal Stegmaier

It’s my honor to introduce you to Krystal, founder of Free and Purposed! Krystal just hit her one-year anniversary inside the Founding Females® Mastermind.

In that time, we’ve cheered her on through

publishing her first book and journal,
developing a book launch tour,
rolling out her women’s groups across the country, and
developing a series of 12 videos to accompany her book and journal, Captivating Creation: Seasons.

Let’s dive in so you can meet this amazing woman and entrepreneur! Tap the button below to read the feature.

MEET KRYSTAL

2025 Scheduling

If you didn’t know, we have a marketing division under the Founding Females® brand. Since we launched Founding Females® in 2021, we’ve helped over 1000 women grow their businesses and take the next best step in entrepreneurship.

If you anticipate needing any of the following services this year, please let us know so we hold space for you on our calendar:

Website refresh or website management (monthly and quarterly options available - Taking Squarespace clients only starting in 2025.)
Audits for SEO and CRO - SEO stands for search engine optimization and CRO stands for conversion rate optimization
Business and marketing strategy support, including brainstorming strategy sessions
Speaking engagements (topics: ‘The Fundamentals of Marketing,’ SEO, and business strategy)

YES, HOLD SPACE FOR ME!

Let’s chat about your business!

Have a personal business struggle or win you want someone to get excited about with? I’d love to talk through it with you! Comment below or click to email me.

Cheering for you!

Francie, Founder

Recent Blog Posts About Female Entrepreneurship

Featured

The Founding Females® Heartbeat February 2025 Recap

The latest Founding Females® news on the next ✨ SEO Glow Up ✨ Training, events we attended last month, a new post on mentorship, and more! Click to view…

Past Founding Females® Heartbeat Newsletters

Founding Females® Heartbeat August 2024

Founding Females® Heartbeat September 2024

Founding Females® Heartbeat October 2024

Founding Females® Heartbeat November 2024

P.S. Here are some of my top favorite female small business resources:

Dream, Build, Grow Free Resource Suite - free business templates for your business plan, marketing plan, ideal client persona, financial statements, and more!
Founding Females Community - an online female mastermind space for entrepreneurs to connect, support, and get inspired
Dream, Build, Grow: A Female’s Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business available on Amazon- a guided handbook including everything you need to know from business idea to launch to profiting and scaling your business.

Free Downloads for Female Entrepreneurs

Free PDF Download: 25 Ways to Market Your Business (Aside from Social Media)
Free PDF Download: 33 keys to Business Success
Free PDF Download: SEO Tips for Entrepreneurs

Hi, I’m Francie!

Nice to meet you. I’m the founder of Founding Females®. Some call me a business sage because I love to empower female entrepreneurs to breathe life into the business dreams God called them to.

After feeling like a misfit in the corporate world, I discovered a life I loved waking up to through business ownership.

I’m the author of Dream, Build, Grow: A Female’s Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business, a guided journal helping hundreds of women start and grow their businesses.

I’m also a passionate entrepreneurship hype girl, female leader, public speaker, and community enthusiast.

My MBA and 10 years in a corporate career and in business ownership positioned me as an entrepreneurship educator with forward-thinking strategies for starting and growing successful businesses.

As a community leader, I realized other women could thrive with the right guidance and support. I created the Founding Females® Mastermind Community that provides a safe space for women to build better businesses.

I believe that anyone with a dream on their heart can pull up a seat to change the world through entrepreneurship. Looking to grow your own business? Click for info about how to work with me.

About Founding Females®

The mission of Founding Females® is to help women build thriving businesses. We create safe spaces for women to share business challenges and receive peer support.

In addition, Founding Females® offers an online female business mastermind, a how-to guidebook for female entrepreneurs called Dream, Build, Grow: A Female’s Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business, and in-person events, like an annual women’s business conference and local Founding Females® Meet Ups.

Founding Females® was founded by small business educator, Francie Hinrichsen. She believes anyone with a dream on their heart can pull up a seat to change the world through entrepreneurship. Click to learn more about working with Francie.

The Founding Females® Heartbeat January 2025 Recap