Women Supporting Women in Business with Cori Maag
- May 14, 2024
- 15 min read
Updated: Jun 19
TL;DR
How can I build a supportive network as a female entrepreneur without feeling isolated or competitive?”
Women in business thrive when they prioritize collaboration, community, and shared growth over competition. Building intentional relationships and surrounding yourself with aligned peers creates support, accountability, and new opportunities. When combined with practical strategies and authentic connection, this approach leads to more sustainable and fulfilling business growth.
Women in Business: How Community and Strategy Drive Sustainable Growth
Entrepreneurship can often feel isolating, especially for women navigating both business and personal responsibilities. While independence is often celebrated in business, long-term success is rarely achieved in isolation. For women in business, building a strong, supportive network is not just beneficial—it is a strategic advantage that can accelerate growth, improve resilience, and create more sustainable success.
Understanding how to leverage community, while also focusing on practical business strategies, is key to building a business that thrives over time.
Why Community Matters in Business Growth
One of the most common challenges entrepreneurs face is the lack of meaningful connection with others who understand their experience. Without a support system, it becomes more difficult to navigate challenges, make confident decisions, and maintain momentum during difficult periods.
For women in business, this challenge can be even more pronounced due to societal expectations and the pressure to balance multiple roles. Building a strong network of peers, mentors, and collaborators creates a space where ideas can be shared, challenges can be addressed, and growth can be supported collectively.
Community provides more than encouragement—it offers perspective, accountability, and access to opportunities that may not be available when working alone.
Shifting from Competition to Collaboration
A common barrier to building strong networks is the perception of competition. In many industries, it is easy to view others in similar roles as direct competitors, which can limit opportunities for connection and collaboration.
However, shifting toward a collaboration mindset changes how you approach relationships. Instead of focusing on what others are doing better, the focus becomes how you can support each other’s growth. This shift opens the door to partnerships, referrals, and shared learning experiences that benefit everyone involved.
Collaboration does not dilute your success—it expands it by creating opportunities that would be difficult to achieve independently.
Prioritizing Practical Growth Strategies
While community is important, it must be paired with actionable strategies to drive real business results. Inspiration alone is not enough to create sustainable growth. Entrepreneurs need practical tools, clear processes, and actionable insights that can be implemented immediately.
This includes identifying limiting beliefs that may be holding you back, refining your offers, improving your marketing approach, and strengthening your sales processes. When you combine strategic action with community support, you create an environment where both mindset and execution are aligned. This balance is what turns ideas into measurable progress.
Showing Up Authentically in Your Business
Authenticity plays a critical role in both building relationships and growing your business. In a digital world where content is often curated and filtered, showing up as your genuine self creates stronger and more meaningful connections.
For women in business, this means communicating your perspective, sharing your experiences, and allowing your audience to see the human side of your brand. Authenticity builds trust, and trust is one of the most important factors in client decision-making.
When your messaging reflects who you truly are, it becomes easier to attract clients who align with your values and approach.
Balancing Growth with Real Life
Sustainable success requires acknowledging that business growth does not happen in isolation from the rest of your life. Many women are balancing business responsibilities with family, personal commitments, and other priorities. Ignoring these factors can lead to unrealistic expectations and burnout.
A more effective approach is to design your business in a way that supports your current life stage. This might mean adjusting your pace of growth, simplifying your offers, or creating systems that allow for greater flexibility. When your business aligns with your life, it becomes easier to maintain consistency and avoid burnout.
Building a Business That Supports You
The most successful women in business are not just focused on growth—they are focused on building businesses that support their long-term well-being and goals. This includes creating strong relationships, implementing effective strategies, and maintaining alignment between personal and professional priorities.
When you combine community, collaboration, and practical action, you create a foundation for sustainable success. Instead of navigating entrepreneurship alone, you build a network and a business that work together to support your growth.
This approach not only improves your results but also makes the journey more fulfilling and sustainable over time.
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Transcript for Episode 311. Women Supporting Women in Business with Cori Maag
Amy [00:00:03]:
Welcome back into the motivated CEO podcast. Today I am talking with Corey, and she is the founder of the We Rise Conference. Correct. So excited to talk to her, hear her story, and learn more about this amazing event. It's in its second year that she has created for women because, let's face it, this entrepreneurship thing is not easy. And we need each other so badly in this space that can feel kind of lonely at times. But at the end of the day, you're not alone. If you're listening to this podcast, please know that we're here.
Amy [00:00:43]:
We've got your back, and there are women that want to support you and help you. So before we dive into all of the incredible things regarding the event, I would love for you, Corey, to introduce us or introduce yourself to us. Tell us more about who you are, what you do, and who you serve.
Cori Maag [00:01:01]:
So thank you so much for having me on. It's so cool to be here. I'm Corey, and I am a multi passionate entrepreneur, as they say. So I have kind of been in the entrepreneurship game for several years now, making a lot of pivots along the way. And last year, I said yes to finally said yes to becoming social media strategist. And then within a couple weeks of that, we rise was born, which was not even on my radar. But beyond just being an entrepreneur, I am a wife, and I've got three young kids and just taking it day by day.
Amy [00:01:45]:
Life is busy, right? Crazy busy. So let's talk more about we rise. What is it, and how did this come to be?
Cori Maag [00:01:54]:
So, before last year, that isolation and that loneliness that you were talking about was something I really struggled with. My husband worked in the oil field, and so he was gone for weeks at a time, and I had two littles. And then, of course, you know, all of the craziness from a few years ago. So that loneliness really, really sucked me in. And so in my. In Oklahoma City, where I am, there wasn't really a lot of community that I saw. And so we had someone. Her name's Megan.
Cori Maag [00:02:36]:
She actually moved in and started a group called OKC women in business. And then, so I got plugged into that and through that and through saying yes, finally, to the time to. To start. Hello, beautiful. Social media. We rise was born. And it was incredible. Like, from all the struggle of the past, like, all those happened, boom, boom, boom.
Cori Maag [00:02:59]:
And so we really wanted to create an event that was community minded, that was collaboration over competition, and that really empowered women with the tools to take their business to the next level, whether that actually means starting a business or scaling a business or just reigniting that spark that sometimes we lose because of the craziness of life. And so it was just, that's just kind of how it came to be.
Amy [00:03:34]:
Oh, my gosh, that's such a beautiful story. I love when women see that void, that. That missing piece, and it's like, you know why I am not finding my table? So I'm gonna build my own.
Cori [00:03:47]:
Exactly.
Amy [00:03:48]:
And it's scary. It's scary as heck at first because the imposter syndrome kicks in and it's like, well, who am I to do this? Why not you? And I've really adopted that why not me? Mindset over the past several years. And it's really cool to reflect back and look at the growth. And I feel like, okay, by me being the one to raise my hand and go, okay, I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm going to figure it out because I know there's a need that's allowing others to do the same. So I congratulate you and, like, commend you for doing that.
Cori [00:04:22]:
Thank you. It is, and you're absolutely right. Someone has to say yes, and someone. So why not? Why not let it be me right now?
Amy [00:04:31]:
Let's talk a little bit about one of those topics we always hear about, community over competition. And you said that's something that's kind of at the heart of we rise and is so true. Why do you feel like so many women are still stuck in that competition mindset? Like, okay, I see her doing what I really want to do, so I'm not going to do the thing because she's already doing that. Why do you think we do that?
Cori [00:04:59]:
I think there are a few different reasons why we do. For myself, I know that where I really start to feel that creep in is when I'm feeling maybe a little bit threatened because I see someone else, and maybe what they're presenting to the world makes it look more effortless. Or maybe, you know, more people are flocking to them and it's like, okay, well, why not me? What is it that I'm not doing right? Or. And so in the end, it always ends up being. Being that internal reflection of, okay, there's something wrong with me. And it's, I think we all struggle with that. And so when you remind yourself of that and say, hey, she's trying to do the same thing that I'm doing there. And one of the things that I've heard that has stuck with me through all of it is, if you go to the store and you walk down the bread aisle, how many different brands of bread are there? It's the same thing.
Cori [00:06:06]:
It's tight. And so whenever I feel that, that's what I remind myself of. And because there's. There's plenty of room for all of us. And that's really at the heart of it, is you're not alone. Even if we're doing the same thing, we can help each other so that we rise together.
Amy [00:06:26]:
Yes. Oh, I love it. I love how you tied that right back into we rise because it is so, so true, but it's really, truly having that awareness and just nonjudgmental awareness as well, because how quick are we to, like, throw ourselves into that comparison mode and be like, okay, well, she must be better than me. It's like, no, no, we all started out at ground zero. You just have to keep going. And, you know, I ran a community for several years for women as well. And when I would see other women doing similar things, it was like, you know what? This is awesome, because the more of us that come together, we can amplify our reach. It's like, how can we collaborate? How can we link arms together and rise together? Because I don't have the capacity to serve everyone.
Amy [00:07:16]:
I don't have the capacity to be everywhere at every single minute of the day. So the more of these communities that pop up, the better, the more accessible we make it so that we can all have our version of success. And this is where I would love to hear your take from a social media perspective, because something else you mentioned was that for some people, it just, it looks effortless. The reality is, it's not. It's a long game. Building a business isn't something that you just wake up one day and you're like, oh, I have millions of followers. Everybody loves me. Money is just flowing into my bank account.
Amy [00:07:57]:
It's hard, but it's so easy to get sucked into this role on social media and think, oh, well, this is reality. Do you think sometimes social media can kind of skew our perception of reality?
Cori [00:08:10]:
It absolutely does. And, you know, we, I think, have been conditioned to only share the positive and to only appear strong. And the way that we do that on social media is really by sharing the wins or pushing the clutter to the side. So you have the beautiful background or, you know, so we're not making room for the real. And I think that the people online that share the raw and the vulnerable, especially as entrepreneurs, especially as, you know, moms raising kids and building businesses or whatever your thing is, is that's what people are going to resonate with because it humanizes you almost, right? It's like, oh, she's doing it in the pockets of time. So that means it really is possible. And then I think, too, remembering what your own measure of success is. And not like, I'm okay with the slow pace that my business is growing because I don't have all of the time throughout the day to devote to it, to someone who is maybe, you know, doesn't have any kids and, and figured this all out in their mid and early twenties.
Cori [00:09:37]:
And it's like, I can do this all day. And, and so when you kind of remember, like, their life is different than mine, and so these are the boundaries I have to set for my own success, I think that that kind of helps regulate those feelings that we have.
Amy [00:09:56]:
Yeah, that's such a good point. And we're, we forget to humanize our brand. We are consuming all of these things and we forget, like, okay, just be you. And it's hard, it's really hard to share that, like, messy side, that vulnerable, raw side, because we're afraid of judgment. We don't want to appear like, oh, she doesn't have it together. You know, we have this little voice, like, subconsciously, like, holding us back. But honestly, full disclosure, the posts that do the best for me are the ones that I just, like, post on a whim. It's the ones that just organically come to me that I haven't planned out, that I don't have a canva template for that.
Amy [00:10:38]:
I just do want to whim because I'm like, oh, well, maybe somebody needs to hear this message. Those are the ones that get the higher engagement. But it's hard. It's hard to pull back the curtain a little bit and show up as ourselves. It takes practice. I think a lot of it's just that, that fear of judgment. We're so used to viewing success as it has to look a certain way. And especially as moms, you are 100% right.
Amy [00:11:08]:
Like, we gotta get realistic. You've gotta be realistic about what pockets of time you have to devote. And just as you said, you know, you're in a season of life. You're crazy busy right now. Your kids need you. That should be priority number one. But there's going to be a season where they are more independent for me. I've gotten into the school age realm where my kids are at school for 6 hours a day.
Amy [00:11:31]:
So I have that devoted time to my business, but it wasn't always that way. So I think that's a very, very important point to make, to really just get honest with yourself about where you are in life and just know that the best pace for you is the one that's sustainable, the one that you can maintain without feeling burnt out, hold in a million different directions. And, yeah, the growth might be a little bit slower, and that's okay. 100% okay.
Cori [00:12:04]:
Absolutely. And I like to think back to that old childhood story, you know, about the tortoise and the hare, and it's like, they might be getting those goals faster, but the tortoise won the race, and I'm okay with being the tortoise right now. And so that has actually kept me going quite a bit.
Amy [00:12:23]:
Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Absolutely. It's same with me. You know, it's slowing down intentionally to speed up, and it seems so counterintuitive for me. I wiped out my offer suite as of the first of the year, and I have one offer right now, one forward facing offer. And that, to me, is the weirdest thing ever, because I'm always like, no, I want the circus. I want it all.
Amy [00:12:46]:
You know, I'm going to do this and this and this. Okay. You need that. Let's create it. You know? But really taking the time to slow down has helped me regain that control. So I'm right there with you. I'd rather be the tortoise than the hair. Like, if I'm the hair, I'm not a runner.
Amy [00:13:01]:
I'm going to putter out and be on the side of the road gasping for, no, I want to be the tortoise and just slowly make progress and move in the direction that feels good for me at a pace that feels good for me, because at the end of the day, we can't buy this time back, this moment in time with our littles. We can't get it back. So I love how you said that. Now tell us more about the conference. Tell us all the details, where it is an overview of what to expect and all of the things.
Cori [00:13:33]:
Yeah, so this really is a passion project. It is in its second year. This will be our second one. And really, this is just truly about bringing like minded women together who are ready to take massive action in their business. And our. We have so intentionally designed the experience. It's two days in June, June 27 and 28th in Oklahoma City, and we're really going on a journey. Our theme this year is Bloom, and we have incredible local speakers that are going that are just as excited to pour into the attendees as I am.
Cori [00:14:20]:
And I think that that really makes such a big difference because, you know, as it's not just going to be a motivational, inspirational, aspirational kind of session. It's going to be we're doing deep work and we're going to walk away with practical steps that we can apply and actually grow our business and grow ourselves. And so we start with watering your why with Sarah Golding. And she's just going to give us the direction we're going to take and remind us why we're doing what we're doing, because we have to have clarity on that to keep going on those hard days.
Amy [00:15:01]:
1000%. Preach it, sister.
Cori [00:15:04]:
Then from there, Caleb Birch is going to help us prune the imposter out of our business and really get to the root of our limiting beliefs and then give us the tools to do the work to start to overcome that. And then we're going to spend some time with Gina Fletcher, who is going to help us nurture our why? All of the attendees are going to do the strength finder before the conference. And so we're going, she's going to give us permission to lean in to our strengths and figure out how we can leverage those best for our businesses. And then we're going to end day one with Suzanne Wade, who is a phenomenal creative problem solver. Her session is tending to the chaos in your brain, and we are going to get unstuck, and that is going to be awesome. And again, she's going to give us the tools to keep getting unstuck. And so that is such a big, beautiful day. And we're going to end with a connection hour and dinner together.
Cori [00:16:10]:
All of our meals are together. And then on day two, we have Billy Ferguson, who is going to talk about harvesting your highest self and taking all the bits, the dirty bits, the good bits, all of it. And really, how can we keep showing up as our highest self, no matter the season that we had? And then our keynote speaker is Danielle Throckmorton, and she's going to tie it together with how to bloom in life and business. And the coolest part, I think, is after each session, we're going to have dedicated, guided reflection time. So your brain's not just much, you're going to be able to think back to all of these nuggets that you've just gleaned and then figure out how to actually implement them in your business. And so there's just so much heart and intention and then for those that are interested, we have a third VIp day, which is with all the speakers, and we get to get really hands on in your business. And so it's just, I get so excited.
Amy [00:17:19]:
Oh, my gosh. I can absolutely tell. What I really, really like about this is that it's tactical that you're combining the mindset with taking action, that you're giving participants space to implement. Because how many times have we all been to a conference where you just sit and you leave and you're like, all right, I'm ready to tackle the world. But then you get home and life happens. Like, you go back into mom mode. You're trying to catch up on the laundry and everything that you missed out on, but it sounds like you've really been intentional about seeding those times in so that that attendees can really move the needle forward after each speaker versus. Okay, I'm all fired up.
Amy [00:18:03]:
And then life happens, and then you're right back to square one. So that is brilliant. I absolutely love it. Where can we find more details out about the conference?
Cori [00:18:13]:
So we are on Facebook, Instagram, and then where we rise collective OKC is our handle there. And then all of the information is online at we rise collective OKC.
Amy [00:18:28]:
Oh, my gosh. Amazing. Corey, this was incredible. I am so thankful for you for coming on here and just sharing more about the conference and why collaboration is so key. I appreciate you.
Cori [00:18:42]:
Thank you again so much for having me on. This has been fantastic. Yes.
Amy [00:18:46]:
And until next time, cheers to making the money you want so you can create the impact you desire.
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