Founding Females® Receives Women's History Award from Illinois State Comptroller Office for Its Work in Entrepreneurship

If you own a business, you know entrepreneurship can feel like you’re the underdog in the constant push, grind, and pull. So when I received an email from the State of Illinois’ Comptroller Office for recognition during Women’s History Month, it felt like a bright light peeking through the crack.

Recently, Susana Mendoza, the Illinois State Comptroller, recognized Founding Females® for the work we’re doing to impact female entrepreneurs.

Here are the exciting details…

What is Women’s History Month?

Originally, Women’s History Month began as just one week. Congress passed a law designating the week starting on March 7 as “Women’s History Week.” But after petitioning by the National Women’s History Project, the month of March became Women’s History Month in 1987. The month celebrates contributions and achievements women have made to our country throughout American history (Click to view the Women’s History Month official website).

The Backstory of the Women’s History Month Recognition

I received a brief email from Suzanne Mendoza’s assistant asking to “get a hold of Francie from Founding Females®.”

I had to laugh because I wear all the hats, so of course, I opened and responded to the email. She expected to reach an assistant, and I am the assistant.

I was with my kids that day so I shared that I couldn’t talk on the phone but I would love to hear more details about the opportunity.

Aimee, one of Comptroller Mendoza’s team members, and I ended up scheduling a time to talk the following week. As happens many times, I felt like I could have spent all afternoon talking with her. She shared the event’s details and asked for a bio and headshot.

It’s not lost on me that the biggest struggle I faced to make this opportunity possible - childcare - is the same struggle that keeps so many female entrepreneurs from leveraging opportunities in small business.

My husband and in-laws graciously cleared my path despite a crazy busy week for the family and despite the event time and date changes. I am so thankful for our village, and yet there’s a strong magnetic pull that makes it so hard to ask for help.

Someday I’ll have the guts to show up to these events, kid in tow, to normalize what it’s like to be a mom in entrepreneurship.

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Illinois State Comptroller Office

The morning of the event, I woke up early so I could make the drive down to Springfield.

I exited the interstate and pointed my car toward downtown Springfield. Since a State Comptroller is responsible for making sure all the state’s bills are paid (click to read more about Susana Mendoza), it was fitting to travel to the Comptroller’s office located in the state’s capital.

Close to downtown Springfield, I made one turn toward the Comptroller’s office only to see the Capital building staring back at me.

There’s something special about being in the city where decisions about your home state are made. State-level recognition is especially important knowing the women I lead at Founding Females® have businesses contributing to the wellbeing of the state of Illinois.

Women’s History Month Honorees

When I walked into the room where the ceremony was held, I scanned the wall looking at the other incredible nominees. Through this recognition ceremony, Susana Mendoza highlights women who are very much standing toe to toe with the silent struggles of today’s culture.

Let’s meet them…

Evelyn Brandt Thomas, Co-Founder of Brandt Fertilizer

In particular there was Evelyn Brant Thomas, who co-founded a billion dollar corporation called Brandt fertilizer. Evelyn was full of fire. After all, at 100 years old, she still goes into the office everyday. She rolled up to the event in her sports car and announced to the room that life doesn’t begin until you’re 90. I want to be her when I grow up.

At the ceremony breakfast, I saw an opportunity to learn from this iconic woman. After all, Evelyn has been named one of the top 500 women business owners by Working Women. I asked her, “What would you tell your 35 year old self?”

She responded that when she and her brother started Brandt, they weren’t thinking about anything except surviving. For her, starting a business was a means to put food on the table. Together, they grew Brandt into a worldwide organization recognized as one that helps farmers break records in crop yield.

Dr. Eunice Santos, Dean of the School of Information Sciences at University of Illinois

Next, there was Dr. Eunice Santos, dean of the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois. According to University of Illinois’ bio of Dr. Santos, “She works in the areas of complex adaptive systems, human modeling with applications to the biological, physical, and social sciences, large-scale parallel and distributed processing, cybersecurity, and other areas.”

That’s no surprise. Dr. Santos graduated from high school at 13 years old and had two bachelor’s degrees by the time she turned 17. Talk about a trail blazer! Dr. Santos has received numerous awards in her field, as well as excellence in teaching. It was an honor to be in community with her at the ceremony.

Jeanne Keenan, Director of Operations at Sangamon County Animal Control

Next up was Jeanne Keenan, Director of Operations at Sangamon County Animal Control. She’s an animal lover on a mission to save all the dogs and cats.

Animal shelters have particularly carried the weight of people in this economy who have had to surrender their dogs because they can’t afford to buy groceries. Especially in an election year, things aren’t as good as they seem in the headlines, and it’s organizations like these that tend to feel the brunt of the hard times.

During her career, Jeanne has increased resources for animal care by creating training opportunities, restoring the volunteer program, and developing the enrichment program for visiting pets.

Jeanne’s lifelong compassion for pet care was evident as even in her “off hours,” Jeanne provides transportation for pets.

What This Award Means for Founding Females®

Founding Females® is on the map for the State of Illinois, and it won’t be long before we spread across the nation. Moments like these serve as reminders to continue digging deeper for more clarity in Founding Females®. This isn’t a pep rally. It’s a deeply rooted upheaval of the status quo.

This award was a chance to feel grateful to my mentors like Kathryn Spitznagle and Doris Symonds, whose names I couldn’t get out of my head while being in a room of incredible impact. Also reverberating in my head were the names of women in our community who I believe are on the upswing, whose names aren’t well known yet, but who will very much blaze trails alongside me and their own industries.

Words from Comptroller Mendoza about Founding Females®

Here’s what Comptroller Susana Mendoza said about Founding Females®:

“When I learned about Francie in researching the nominees that we ultimately ended up picking, I just thought your story was so cool because you didn’t just stay in an area that you weren’t happy in. Right? And you decided, ‘What do I need to do to spice things up and be motivated and passionate about what I’m doing?’ and that is helping other women succeed as well. And while you’re a newer company, we want to highlight you and empower you and give you that little extra push that the girls need to give each other to keep going and keep inspiring other women because you’re making really important things happen. Because even if it’s one woman you help, but you’re helping so many more. So thank you for being innovative and figuring out how to be your best self. By being your best self, you’re helping so many other women achieve that as well. So thank you and keep going.”

Final Takeaways

I joked that my poster would serve as great wallpaper in my house. And while I fully anticipate using that visual as an example for my daughter, it’s so much more than wallpaper it’s fuel in my engine to continue empowering women in entrepreneurship. At Founding Females®, we’re doing incredible work and blazing new trails, and this award was a chance to prove it.

This incredible opportunity was also a chance for me to pass along two names in my network of women. If you don’t have women speaking about you positively in rooms you aren’t in, you should join us in the Founding Females® Mastermind, because that’s what we do for each other.

About Founding Females®

Founding Females® Founder, Francie Hinrichsen

The mission of Founding Females® is to help build a better future for female entrepreneurs through education, encouragement, and shared wisdom. 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.