The Founding Females® Heartbeat March 2025
Women’s History Month is in the air and it smells oh-so-sweet!
If you’ve been following along, you know that so far, 2025 understood the assignment. oh Heyyyy!
March followed suit with lots of rockstar energy. Needless to say, we’ve got many updates to share!
Here’s the latest you need to know about Founding Females®, including:
✨ The SEO Glow Up ✨ Training is coming back April 29th!
Where we spent time in March, including two members receiving ‘40 Under 40’ Awards!
March Founding Females® Meet Up Details, including a brand new chapter launching in May!
Things I’m Loving Right Now → A ‘fresh off the runway’ addition to the Founding Females® Heartbeat you’re going to love!
Let’s dive in!
#1 ✨ The SEO Glow Up ✨ Training is back April 29th!
We’ve ushered over 15 women through The ✨ SEO Glow Up ✨ Training and it’s coming back April 29th!
Did you know? Search engines like Google are the most likely starting point when customers go to make a buying decision.
I.e. Your customers use social media to be entertained, but they use search engines when they’re ready to spend money.
→ That’s why in order to grow your business beyond your network of friends and family, your website must be optimized.
The training teaches female entrepreneurs a proven process for driving qualified traffic to your website and converting those visitors into paying customers.
Doors open on April 11th. We’re releasing five 50% off and five 25% off coupon codes for the upcoming training. If you want to snag one, tap the button below and complete the form.
Inbox Love
Share your best email for occasional tips, tricks, and free downloads about our female entrepreneurship resources.
#2 Where We Spent Time in March
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 during Women’s History Month:
A Woman’s Voice: The Power of Collaboration Event - A trifecta collaboration between National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Women in Leadership (WIL), and Peoria Women’s Club to celebrate Women’s History Month.
Midwest REI - Learning how to invest in real estate so we can build assets, not paychecks. Who’s with me!?
WIL Financial Panel - Several women in finance industries collaborated on a panel at this month’s WIL Luncheon.
Rotary Club of Peoria - My friend and mentor, Katie VandenBerg, founder of Focused Forward Divorce Coaching, invited me to be a guest at the Rotary Club of Peoria.
NAWBO Panel - Our very own Kisha Woods spoke on a panel all about health: mental, physical and emotional, and the importance of taking care of the whole woman during all phases of life.
The Savvy Sauce cameo - Dream, Build, Grow: A Female’s Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business was featured on The Savvy Sauce Podcast on Episode 256: on Gut Health - Take a listen!
Operation Ambition: A Masterclass on Growth and Prosperity - Two Founding Females® Mastermind members, Lori Watson and Kisha Woods, are collaborating on this empowering event.
‘40 Under 40’ Award Ceremony - Two of our members received ‘40 Under 40’ awards this month - Francie Hinrichsen and Jona Kay!
Champaign-Urbana Founding Females® Meet Up Chapter
Peoria Area Founding Females® Meet Up Chapter
#3 April Founding Females® Meet Up Details
Here, you’ll find dates and locations for April Founding Females® Meet Ups:
Champaign/Urbana, IL Founding Females® Meet Up
April 1 at 8:30a at The CU Flower House hosted by Heidi Esther, Joyologist and Andrea Hunt, owner of The CU Flower House (2006 S Neil St, Champaign, IL 61820). Champaign/Urbana Meet Ups are always the first Tuesday of the month.
Peoria Area, IL Founding Females® Meet Up
April 8th at 10a at Cafe Santa Rosa (1327 E Kelly Ave, Peoria Heights, IL). Hosted by Hannah Knight of Always Flourishing Photography and Studio on Samson and Francie Hinrichsen, founder of Founding Females®
*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 Founding Females® Meet Up
April 17th at 12p CT at First Place Coworking Space (137 N Vermilion Street Danville, IL) 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 Founding Females® Meet Up
April 24th at 10a at Cass Concepts (100 E Main St, Decatur, IL) in Decatur, hosted by Lindsey Kirk of Lindsay the Ladysmith. Decatur Meet Ups are always the last Thursday of the month.
Carmel, IN Founding Females® Meet Up
April 25th 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.
New Meet Up Coming in May 2025!
We are so excited to announce the launch of our newest Founding Females® Meet Up Chapter coming in May 2025 to Flanagan, Illinois! We call it our “Livingston County Meet Up Chapter”!
This incredible female entrepreneur event will be hosted by Christine Brown at Christine Brown Photography (117 S Main Street, Suite 3, Flanagan, IL 61740) on every second Thursday of the month at 10a CT!
The Livingston County Meet Up marks our sixth chapter across Illinois and Indiana.
Start a Founding Females® Meet Up Chapter
Founding Females® is growing! If you don’t live near an existing Meet Up chapter and you’d like to start one of your own, pop into our inbox! We’ll teach you how to create a supportive, inclusive squad of female entrepreneurs to link arms and level up with.
Plus, we’ll travel to help you launch your first Founding Females® Meet Up in your area!
#4 What I’m Loving Right Now
Female Founders’ Journal Kickstarter
I just contributed to this Kickstarter because, #girlpower.
It’s a 90-day guided journal designed to help you manage your mind by pushing past imposter syndrome, celebrating your wins, and building unshakable confidence in your business journey.
The Female Founders’ Journal was created by my friend, Lisa Simone, who realized after a decade in business that her biggest challenge wasn’t strategy—it was the way she spoke to herself. She built this journal to help female founders reframe their mindset and step into their full potential.
Books
I started a new thing this year: Not finishing bad books.
As an Enneagram 1, it still feels off brand but hey…life is short.
However, I finished two books while we were in the Dominican last month and loved them:
Now I’m re-reading 10X is Easier Than 2X by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy for the third time.
Mantra That’s Been in My Head Lately
“Am I moving toward things I want or away from things I don’t want?”
There’s a big difference in the results you get when you focus on moving toward a clear vision of what you want compared to simply moving away from things you don’t want.
Upskilling
Janelle Reeb’s Leadership Trainings - Janelle is the bona fide leadership pro at helping teams (think organizations, sports teams, etc.) rework their mindsets toward leadership, collaboration, and growth.
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)
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
Past Founding Females® Heartbeat Newsletters
Founding Females® Heartbeat December 2024
Founding Females® Heartbeat January 2024
Founding Females® Heartbeat February 2024
P.S. Here are some of my top favorite female small business resources:
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.
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
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
Related Articles for Female 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 latest Founding Females® news on the next ✨ SEO Glow Up ✨ Training, what we’re loving, reading, and can’t stop learning about, new posts to self-educate, and more! Click to view…