This year, a record number of 752 applications from 115 countries poured into BiD Network’s Women in Business Challenge.

BiD Network is one of the largest online and offline community of women and men entrepreneurs in emerging economies. The organization has 1,500 coaches, 2,000 investors and 16 global partners that they actively work with to train, coach, advise and invest in businesses. BiD Network’s professional services focus on equipping high-growth entrepreneurs, especially those with financing needs of US$10,000 to US$5,000,000 over the next five years, with the know-how and capital.

While many talk about gender equality and the importance of advancing the role of women in emerging markets, as part of BiD Network’s women’s business plan competition they showcase women entrepreneurs having real success in business, and those with the potential to further fuel their economies.

In it’s fourth year, the Women in Business Challenge continues to grow. BiD Network recently announced its 2013’s 16 semi-finalists. Five finalists will be announced at a final event to be held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on September 12, 2013.

Founded in 2005, BiD Network is headquartered in Amsterdam. The organization recently launched bidX, an online platform for all types of investors – ranging from incubators, business schools, chambers of commerce, governments, banks and investment funds – and for entrepreneurs. Investors can find tools for engaging promising entrepreneurs, fielding business plans, creating a business plan competition and on community management. Entrepreneurs can find business plan or proposal templates, connect with mentors and investors, and join groups to secure business leads. Hand-in-hand with BiD Network, bixX currently helps two business grow a week. Their goal by 2020, is to help five business a day and generate 10,000 new jobs a year.

For not only women in emerging economies, but anyone passionate about cultivating sustainable, global economic growth, this is a group to watch and  engage with.

To learn more you can join their network for free, follow them @BidNetwork and like them on Facebook.

Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do;” these words describe the path to success for Ishita Gupta, which has been paved precisely with doing things that she never thought she could do.

From a traditional Indian family that moved to the United States to give her and her siblings security and stability, Ishita was on her way to medical school when she felt a stir she could not ignore. Her friends and family were shocked when she dropped the news that she wanted to become an entrepreneur instead.

Her first big transformation came when she moved away from the familiarity of her circle to pursue photography.

“I had to surround myself with like-minded people who were in the trenches of what I wanted to do,” Ishita said. “I had to become strong in myself before I could come back and show my parents what I was doing and why I believed in it.”

But Ishita didn’t just study photography, she made a short film, read as many books and blogs as she could, and was accepted into Seth Godin’s – a revered entrepreneur and online marketing guru – Six Month MBA Program. She went on to helping launch six bestselling books through The Domino Project and in partnership with Amazon.

It was during that time that Ishita’s fear and lack-of-confidence were magnified, screaming for her attention. She was out of her element. But instead of letting fear win out, she founded an online magazine called FEAR.LESS, where she interviews hundreds of well-known authors, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders on how they’ve overcome fear.

“Fear is a signal that you are doing the right things. That you are doing BIG things – and the fear is there for a reason. The most successful people I know shared with me that their fear continues to amplify with their success, but they know how to prepare for it and deal with it.”

“I learned that fear is a signal that you are doing the right things,” Ishita said. “That you are doing BIG things, and the fear is there for a reason. The most successful people I know shared with me that their fear continues to amplify with their success, but they know how to prepare for it and deal with it.”

Ishita describes a the refining process in which she learned that confidence is about taking action when you feel fear. “When you are running your own business and you don’t have self-belief and confidence, that is a long, long road. But you can start building confidence! It is not easy, but it is learnable and trainable.”

“You can start building confidence! It is not easy, but it is learnable and trainable.”

This major life lesson morphed into her own thriving personal business. “Fear has no demographic,” Ishita said, “It is something we all feel.” Exploring this universal feeling through her interviews and the development of FEAR.LESS helped her find her own authentic voice, learn from her mistakes, and help others too.

Today, she is set on helping both men and women unlock their potential, and  “make fear your ally.” Explore her site and download her Confidence Manifesto to build lasting self-confidence; you can also receive one-on-one training, or participate in group sessions. She also offers life-coaching, marketing, brand and business development, and guidance to first-time and veteran authors.

We loved talking with Ishita and the building blocks that influence her work with her clients: sustainability and training. Here were a few more of her most quotable moments, as she so honestly shared her story, passion, and enthusiasm for seeing women succeed globally:

“Our job as women entrepreneurs is to be leaders! We might have more obstacles, but it just means we have more opportunity. We can bust through these challenges in ways no one has before!”

“We have to train…it is imperative and nothing to be ashamed of. Confidence is not a matter of good biology or something you are born with – YOU can have it! We must learn discipline…train to become martial artists and renegades in a sense. Often our parents, our mentors, they do not teach us how to get emotionally fulfilled for what life is throwing at us. Confidence is the big kahuna – it is what every successful person has in droves. It doesn’t mean they don’t have fear simultaneously, it just means they are training so they don’t get off their game. They have tools and preparation to help them.”

“I work with men and women, but primarily in women entrepreneurs I see a fear of not believing in their own story. I see common fears of feeling guilty when we prioritize ourselves over family, husbands or social circles…of not saying no and people-pleasing; a fear of not balancing it all. Rarely do I talk about balance, sustainability and life-force with male clients. As women we have a solid understanding that we want both: we want to be loving moms and sisters and family and friends, as well as devoted to our dreams and what we know is going to help other women. It’s a blessing and a curse, a unique position we are i. It is hard to balance but I try to teach women that I have to be strong in myself first. I have to build what I need to build. Other people will take up all your time and energy if you let them! So we must be present with ourselves, set personal boundaries so we can feel the purpose to do work that matters, that is when you can give the most to others. I tell women that YOU doing the work you ultimately dream of is the best thing you can do for you kids! When we are running around all stressed out, like a mad woman trying to balance it all, part of your soul is unfulfilled. But teaching kids and other people that WHAT YOU WANT is really possible, that is the best feeling!”

“Be the leader in your life! At some point in time you will be the person that others will look to. If I can do this, there isn’t a question that YOU can!”

Called the “unofficial headquarters of Kenya’s tech movement,” iHub began in Nairobi as a business incubator and coworking space in 2010. Angela Oduor joined them as intern. Today, she is increasing the ratio of African women in tech.

The women Angela met at iHub became fellow co-founders of AkiraChix, an organization that helps develop African women in technology. Akira is a Japanese word that means energy and intelligence, which is what they are bringing to the table in an effort to change Africa’s future. Through mentorship, networking and training they work to increase the 15% of women working in tech in Kenya.

And AkiraChix is only what Angela does on the side. She currently works at Ushahidi - a nonprofit tech company that develops open source software – as a software developer. Ushahidi and means “testimony” in Swahili, and its specialty is building tools related to information collection, aggregation and visualisation. Among other things, they are currently kickstarting BRCK, “Your backup generator for the internet.”

We were grateful to interview her about her path to success and vision for the future.

1. Tell me more about what do you now, as a developer for Ushahidi and its vision for Africa.

AO: I started off as a software development intern, before joining the team as a developer in 2011. During that time, my work would involve building in new features, working on documentation and squashing bugs. Beyond that, I have been handling tech support for our cloud-based service crowdmap, helping our users understand how to use the software, and serving as a link between them and our developers. In April of 2013, I became the Community Developer Liaison and work to build and grow the Ushahidi technical community, as well as mentoring members of our open-source developer ecosystem.

2. How did you get to where you are today in your career?

AO: My parents are both engineers, so diving into tech is a case of the apple not falling far from the tree. My dad introduced me to computers at a young age, and was intrigued. After completing high school, I joined Strathmore University in Nairobi, taking up their diploma course in Business Information Technology; I graduated with first class honors with my bachelor’s degree in Business Information Technology. It was during my 3rd year that I was introduced to the iHub by Jessica Colaco, current iHub research lead, who was the iHub manager then. I ended up interning at the iHub between April and June of 2010. It’s during this time that I got to meet my AkiraChix co-founders, and got involved in the Ushahidi community as a volunteer.

3. What do you think has made you so successful?

AO: Of course, God’s grace.  Beyond that, I work with amazing people at Ushahidi and AkiraChix, who I’m constantly learning from, and create opportunities for me to explore my talents and skill. I also have an amazing support system in my family and close friends.

4. What are your future dreams and aspirations? How does working in the tech field play into that?

AO: I’m striving towards gaining enough technical skill to be classified as a good software engineer, and eventually becoming a leading woman in the tech industry in Kenya. Working with Ushahidi is leading me in that direction, as I get to learn a whole lot from my colleagues, and they are constantly creating opportunities for me to explore my talents and skills. Beyond just gaining these skills, through the work we do with AkiraChix, I’d like to help and encourage girls out there to take up a career in tech, and hopefully pass on that courageous spirit for generations to come.

“I’d like to help and encourage girls to take up a career in tech, and hopefully pass on that courageous spirit for generations to come.”

5. Why did you co-found AkiraChix?

AO: During the launch of the iHub in 2010, we realized that there were very few women in the room. Our general aim when founding AkiraChix was to create an avenue to encourage and mentor young women to take up careers in tech, and to be confident in the fact that they actually can. We are trying to create a successful force of women in technology through mentorship, training and networking. We mentor high school girls as well as university students, and introduce them to career opportunities in tech. We train young women from poor socio-economic backgrounds, taking them a free one-year intensive course, hoping that at the end of the course they can use some of the skills gained to improve their economic situation. We also hold networking events, to help women in the tech industry get to know each other and collaborate.

“We are trying to create a successful force of women in technology through mentorship, training and networking. We mentor high school girls as well as university students, and introduce them to career opportunities in tech.”

6. What are some obstacles you faced, and how did you find the pathways around them to overcome or succeed?

AO: When we started the AkiraChix training program in 2010, we had absolutely no funds to run it. It was entirely from our own pockets. We had no laptops, no space to run class from, and juggling our day jobs and training these girls ourselves. At first, classes were running off of a mobile class (a bus fitted with machines), before our friends at the Social Development Network (SODNET) donated an office space for us to work out of. The first year we ran this training program taught us that we require a little structure, and help. For this reason, we applied for funding from various sources, including Google RISE and SIDA, to help offset costs of new computers and space, as well as sourcing for dedicated trainers who are experts in their respective fields, to help give these girls the best quality of education possible.

Follow Angela on Twitter, as well as her work with AkiraChix and Ushahidi.

Given that there are still many more male than female executives, you will most likely need to work with a man to get the most influential sponsor possible.

Unfortunately, women all over the world, and most especially in developing and emerging economies, worry about misperceptions that people tend to have about close relationships between a man and woman in the workplace.

So, what’s a gal to do? I asked business men from the Middle East, Africa and Latin America who have experience and success mentoring and sponsoring women. Here is their direct advice.

The three best ways to participate in a mentor/sponsor relationship with a man are:

1. If you deliver exceptional results and demonstrate high potential, you will increase the likelihood that a successful man in your company or industry will proactively seek you out to advise you and advocate on your behalf. All the businessmen I connected with indicated that they most typically initiate a sponsor or mentor relationship based on the potential and focused drive they observe in women (and men).
2. If you determine that you need to initiate the relationship, the men I spoke with advise that you be very direct and explicit in your request to a male executive. Khaled Kilani, Co-Founder and Chairman at Palma in Jordan, has had a great deal of success accelerating the growth of women entrepreneurs. He recommends:
   • “Be very prepared for the conversation with prospective sponsor/mentor. Do your homework in advance.” Clearly identifying the sponsor’s areas of expertise. “A good mentor will test your seriousness and commitment.”
   • “Engage on a strategic level, not on minor tactical issues that you can get help on elsewhere.”

3. Participate in a formal mentoring or sponsor program initiated by your company or an organization in your community. Abdul-Samed Iddrisu, Director of Transaction Banking at Fidelity Bank in Ghana said that participation in such structured programs the best way to alleviate any misperceptions about the nature of a relationship. If your company or community does not have such a program in place, recommend that one be established.

In order to preempt those who would critically judge a male/female mentoring relationship, the men I spoke with indicated that they take the initiative to communicate very clearly both internally and externally about the nature of the engagement and meetings they are having with their mentees.

Additionally, Olu Omoyele from Nigeria, and Technical Specialist at the Bank of England, tells women that if they develop and maintain a consistent image, strong sense of self, and project a dedicated career/business focused identity, they will minimize opportunities for gossip and speculation.

Omoyele also says that “Although ambitious women should seek mentoring early in their careers, they should be careful not to be sucked in the mindset that ‘women need extra help’ because that is false.”

The most encouraging thing I heard came from Kilani, who has successful sponsored over 20 entrepreneurs. He said “In my experience, female employees have more potential and capability than their male counterparts. A good mentor can polish a raw diamond but he cannot create one!”

“In my experience, female employees have more potential and capability than their male counterparts. A good mentor can polish a raw diamond but he cannot create one!”

After talking with these men who have successfully mentored and sponsored women in the workplace, the key takeaways were not to let societal pressure, people who may be envious of your potential or competitive with you, or your own hesitation about what people might say or think, hold you back.

The path to success will be clearer and faster with a male mentor/sponsor at your side – find yours.

When it comes to pioneering and risk-taking, ‪Wendy Luhabe isn’t an only example, she’s an expert.

I was told before I met Wendy that she freely shares and supports all who seek her council. When Wendy and I sat down this week to discuss the keys to success for women around the world, I learned that her reputation was true. I was especially inspired by two constants she’s maintained throughout her career:

1. An unwavering dedication to increase the economic participation of women.
2. Building her success by making the development of those around her, her key priority.

I’ve captured her key insights and advice to aspiring professional women, below:

On Success

The path to success, for women, lies squarely in their ability to take the road less traveled and to take risk along that journey. It doesn’t matter if what women do works or not.  By its nature, the very act of stepping out in a new direction is already a contribution to the advancement of other women.

The path to success, for women, lies squarely in their ability to take the road less traveled and to take risk along that journey.

Women have the responsibility to pioneer or model a new way of being for other women. Just by virtue of their example, women pioneers give other women permission to venture out and blaze another new path.

 On Permission and Pre-Qualification

Women don’t need permission from anyone to venture out on the road less traveled and they don’t need experience. Men don’t wait for permission and often embark on ventures with no prior experience. Women can do the same if they would just allow themselves to do so. The ramifications for doing so are inconsequential.

On Breaking the Mold

Society conditions women to confine themselves to traditional paths and traditional roles. But, we cannot blame society. Instead, we should blame ourselves and the way we parent. Parents are primarily responsible for shaping their children. If we want women to take risk, to strive and to advance, then we should raise our girls with those expectations.

On Entrepreneurism

Don’t expect to have much support early in your new venture. In the beginning, you will be on your own. You will need to rely on your own passion, sense of adventure and commitment to support and sustain you until you achieve success or have a breakthrough. Difficulties and deceptions are often fostered by those wishing to discourage those who don’t have experience. Don’t let them disrupt you.

Rely on your own passion, sense of adventure and commitment to support and sustain you until you achieve success or have a breakthrough.

On Hopes for the Future

I’m surprised to see senior, successful women not make the advancement of other women a priority. I still don’t see enough senior women take advantage of their positions and power to reach out and help other women. It seems as though women in organizations still perceive that there are limited opportunities for women and that they somehow still need to compete with other women for the few roles at the top. This is not typically the case with women entrepreneurs who don’t feel the same sense of competition with other women and are more likely to collaborate with and promote each other’s success.

For women to advance we must all build bridges between each other and our work.

Follow Wendy on Twitter.

More About Wendy Luhabe

Wendy Luhabe is a globally renowned champion for the economic empowerment for Women
and Co-Founder of Women Investment Portfolio Holdings in South Africa, the first female-owned company to be listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Wendy pioneered another first for South Africa when she launched the multi-million rand Private Equity Fund for women-owned proprietary enterprises. She has served as a chair and director of many diverse industries in the public and private sectors in South Africa and internationally including as Chairman of the Vodacom Group. She is the author of the book Defining Moments and has received significant recognition including from the World Economic Forum and she has been honored as one of the 50 Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World. She is also a member of the International Council for Women Business Leaders on Gender Empowerment. She attributes her success to her core competency of making the development of people her top priority and to the example her pioneering mother modeled for her when she went against societal norms.

To learn from other inspiring African women click here.

What happens when you take one of the most intractable problems in Saudi Arabia and a leading marketing professional in the Middle East with entrepreneurial flair?

The creation of Glowork, the first e-Portal and social enterprise dedicated to women’s employment and empowerment in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

“Women working in Saudi has always been a taboo,” said Khalid AlKhudair, founder and CEO of Glowork. “[But] I want to write a chapter in history books for this great country and leave a trail for others to follow. I wanted to take the most difficult thing in this country – anything related to women – and drive sustainable change.”

Glowork’s entrance into the market has been controversial and disruptive, garnering a lot of attention and growing rapidly. But, Khalid has embraced it:

“When we first started and placed women to work in supermarkets, we were attacked by certain segments of the community, whether verbally or by email. But, we didn’t even think twice about shutting down. We decided to face the challenge head on using a systematic approach in which everyone would look at Glowork and its activities as a benefit to them and their family.”

Glowork and women in Saudi Arabia have seen the fruits of Khalid’s patience and perseverance.

“Receiving a text message or a call saying thank you for creating a stable income for a family is more than enough for me; it gives me a reason to break any obstacles we come up against,” Khalid said. “Saudi is known for its obstacles, what makes us different is we took them as our opportunities. We broke them down and paved the way for a bright future.”

Khalid credits his success and ability to create a clear vision for Glowork to his family, especially his wife who is he calls “a true example of a strong Saudi women and an inspiration for every man and woman out there.” Khalid also upholds his father’s example who supported his mother in her work and education. “They set the bar for me in how a man and women should go about living their lives,” Khalid said. “It’s all about splitting life 50/50 and together, no matter what challenges come up. If both are hand in hand, nothing can stop you.”

Along with his role of Glowork CEO, Khalid was recently named an Ashoka Fellow and won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Global Thinkers Forum by her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan. He is currently the curator for the World Economic Forum Global Shapers in Riyadh, sits on a steering committee for the Ministry of Labor, and is also an advisor to the Minister. He is a board member of four organizations and recently started his own branding/creative agency called Brandbuzz, which supports Glowork and also works on developing Saudi women in the fields of design and creativity.

“I am grateful that at the age of 29, for all the roles I have been given locally and internationally,” Khalid said. “I grew up in Canada and the UK for over 18 years in my life…I want perception of the West about Saudi Arabia treats women to change. I would like to see labor laws for women in Saudi Arabia become a benchmark for global markets. Today, if a Saudi organization has over 50 female employees, it must have a nursery in-place. This examples shows how far we have come as a country and how important equality in the labor market is becoming become.”

“What I see for Glowork in the future is that if we can make this a success in Saudi, we could eventually roll out the model into the neighboring countries and drive change there. We have been approached by several government officials in different countries that have asked us to start but we want to ensure success here before expanding.”

For the rest of the year, Khalid plans to travel and share his story, to inspire others, and help women connect to more and more “glowing careers.”

Follow Khalid andl Glowork on Twitter. You can also stay inspired by liking them on Facebook.

Here’s what successful women do:

Produce: Deliver results that exceed goals and responsibilities.

Participate: Work well with teammates and within the organization.

Problem Solve: Bring ideas and solutions to issues.

Potential: Volunteer for and take on difficult assignments and/or greater responsibility to demonstrate your potential to make greater contribution.

Profitability: Impact the profitability of your organization.

Possibilities: Think strategically, critically and creatively about new opportunities. Share your insights with their team, manager and organization.

Present: Present yourself professionally in dress, manner and communication style.

Professional Development: Keep learning and building your knowledge and skills.

Positive: Project a positive attitude and perspective about your manager, team, organization and self.

Promote: Promote your accomplishments and communicate what you want to professionally achieve.

What differentiates the most successful women from the rest is that they:

1. Take on new or difficult assignments.
2. Directly impact profitability.
3. Think strategically.
4. Promote themselves, their accomplishments and ideas.

But the very most successful women? They see the pathways, not the pitfalls. They don’t let obstacles stand in their way. They believe there is always opportunity, and they find a way.

See the pathways, NOT the pitfalls!

What about you? How are you doing with these traits? What could you be doing more of to be a great employee?

WAYS THAT WORK are quick career tips to help you succeed professionally. Keep your eye out for more in this series.

The good news is your resume or CV is what you make it. It can be boring and run of the mill. Or it can leave an impression and give a powerful snapshot of the mover and shaker you are. Which would you prefer?

If you want to stand out and have a resume that makes someone say, “Wow…”, read on. Or I should say, if you’re willing to do the work to make that happen, then read on. Because creating a great resume/CV takes work. But it will be worth it, we promise.

1. SHOW, DON’T TELL – NUMBERS ARE YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND

Most people are too general when they talk about what they do on their resume or CV. So let’s skip that. I need you to be as specific as possible. SHOW – don’t tell. This means, give me numbers:

• What success can you quantify with a number? How MANY people did you manage? How many projects did you lead? How many partners or sales did you acquire?

• By how much percent did you increase revenue, or visitors, or partners, or sales? What numbers can you use to represent the growth you helped create?

• What did you contribute? What did you start? What did you implement?

• How is the company better for you having been there? How can you show or represent that?

2. USE ACTION VERBS LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT

Every bullet or sentence should lead with an action. What did you do? Accomplish? What skill are you exhibiting? Use terms like:

• Developed
• Created
• Collaborated
• Managed
• Produced
• Led
• Helped
• Collaborated
• Increased
• Built
• Assisted
• Captured
• Published
• Generated
• Served
• Spearheaded
• Conducted
• Added

3. TRIM DOWN THE FAT: CHOOSE WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT

You’ve probably accomplished a lot of really impressive things at your job. So the trick is drawing out what is most important. BE STRATEGIC. This means:

• Highlight the accomplishments that directly relate to the new job you’re applying for. If it is a sales job, then put things on your resume that show skills that relate to sales. If it is a leadership position, highlight accomplishment and skills that show leadership. You get the idea.

• Put things in order of importance. If they only look at the top line, what would you want to communicate? What would you want them to see? If they only read two lines…etc.

• Put things in order of importance overall. You probably want your EXPERIENCE to go first. Then what? Education? Travel? Skills?

• Don’t be too wordy. Again, they probably won’t read it all. So be too the point – focus on the accomplishment, the action, the quantifiable result of your work.

• If you are bad at trimming it down, or knowing what to cut out, recruit a good, honest friend or mentor. Ask for them to trim off the fat to create a lean, sharp resume.

4. PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD…AND THEN PROOFREAD SOME MORE!

After you have the content down and have written all the important pieces you want represent you – proofread like a maniac. This cannot be emphasized enough. Here are some tactics to make it your best:

• You should read your resume out loud. How does it sound? Rewrite to be easy to read. You don’t want the recruiter or employer to stop out of confusion or a typo.

• Send your resume or CV to a few trusted people for their feedback – a mentor, a friend, and someone who is a good writer. Ask for their edits. Ask for their first impressions, their advice. It doesn’t mean you have to take it! But be open.

5. USE DESIGN TO YOUR ADVANTAGE (WHEN APPROPRIATE)

The layout and design of your resume/CV matters. It’s up to you to do the necessary research to see what is most accepted or expected in your field of work.

Since I have been in the communications field, I felt like I could take more design freedom in my resume. I enlisted the help of a graphic artist friend to help. I wanted to keep it simple and clean, with a tiny bit of color and creativity in the alignment so it would stand out in a pile of resumes and make a first impression.

For me, that meant putting my name in big font across the top right, all lower case. I didn’t put my address since I wanted to be more contemporary, and instead just listed my email, phone number, and Twitter handle. I used a little green to accent the layout. The font type was unique, but easy to read. I used dark gray and light gray color type, and used lower case type in the titles (since I did with my name).

But most importantly, I did all of the above things after I made sure the content was solid and perfect. Then the design helped me accent what was an already good resume. Design can’t help you if you don’t have the basics down.

I know this type of freedom would be frowned upon in some areas of business. So use your discretion, or ask someone you trust for advice that is in that line of work. When in doubt, ask others (mentors, role models, experts, etc).

AND REMEMBER: ALWAYS BE PERFECTING

Your resume or CV is a living document, a work in progress. If you don’t update it regularly, be sure you keep track of your accomplishments where you are now – write them down! That way, when the time comes, you can update your resume and quantify your accomplishments with confidence.

One last thing…

I have always liked to dance and to teach. I can say that it’s been my passion since I can remember.

I participated for four years in a dance group back in college, but after I graduated with a marketing degree, I moved to another city and basically stopped dancing altogether.

When I found out about Zumba and learned that you can do it without having any dancing background, I was thrilled.

I learned how to teach Zumba in 2010 and began offering classes. Let me tell you, what I wasn’t expecting was that in just four months my class would grow from eight to 50 students per hour! In less than six months, that number went up to 100 students. I had to pay by  the hour at the school where I was teaching my classes. When people started calling me to offer me their space or centers to teach in, I figured it was time to get my own.

The whole building started shaking. There were a few offices under me, and everybody ran out like there was an earthquake going on.

By December 2011, I found a perfect place, with enough space to fit all my students. It took me a whole month to get it ready. The day I opened, I remember I had 86 students in my class. The whole building started shaking. There were a few offices under my space, and everybody ran out like there was an earthquake going on. We didn’t feel a thing, but by the time I finished my class, everything had changed. The building could not withstand that level of vibration. I was told I had to leave. You can imagine how we went from happiness to sadness in just one hour.

I guess that would bring anybody down, but not me. I just kept walking. I quickly rented some hours in another studio, and started searching for that perfect place again. Within three months I had the place. By April 2012, I reopened my center: DAF Fitness Fun again.

My center is not a franchise. When you get a Zumba license you can use the name on your classes, but DAF Fitness Fun is my own brand and concept.

I was the first Zumba instructor in my country.  Now there are more than 300 instructors. There is a Zumba class in practically every gym, fitness center and dance studio around the whole country.

What I’m really proud about is what I’ve become. I make people smile. I have showed them how to dance, how to move.

I think that what I’m really proud of is what I’ve become. I make people smile. I have shown people how to dance, how to move. Most of my students have spent almost three years with me. Every day they come for more. Having students of three generations in one class is amazing.

At first I wanted my place to be the official Zumba Center in the Dominican Republic. Now, I think that I’d rather have a fitness center where people from ages four to 75 can come and workout in a fun and relaxing way. My next goal is to have a whole gym.

The key to having a successful business is PASSION. There is not enough money to hold your business together if you don’t have passion. Never stop believing in yourself and in your dreams. It is never too late to start a new project.

Ladies, our biggest accomplishment in life is to work hard with passion to get our dreams. But, never stop being a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a grandmother….that is when you can say you are a successful woman.

Check out Dafnee’s studio on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @daffitnessfun.

About Dafnee:

Dafnee de Frias was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic where she started her dancing career as a member of the Dancing Group in the PUCMM University. She was in charge of teaching the new members all the routines and performed as the main dancer in mosts performances. Having merengue, salsa, bachata, mangulina and reggeaton in her repertoire , made it easy for her to become a successful Zumba Instructor in 2010.

Having a Master in Marketing helped her achieve her dream of opening her fitness center called Daf Fitness Fun, based on the Zumba philosophy of making fitness so fun that you forget you are working out.

As a Zumba Instructor, she has presented at conferences in the London, Los Angeles and Orlando. As a women she has accomplished even more. She’s married to a wonderful man, Jose Luis Polanco and has two beautiful girls Marcela and Emilia.

Several countries* will celebrate Mother’s Day this week (and others already have this year). We couldn’t help but think about the influence of not only our mothers, but other women who play powerful roles in our lives, in our development. We know from talking with women all over the world that often there is an inspirational or hard-working woman who inspired their success.

The women who have positively impacted us deserve a moment of honor and acknowledgement. We want to hear about your mom or women-influencers in your life and celebrate them with you!

Join us this week in celebrating the women in your life who have made you who you are today, both personally and professionally.

What did she teach you, about yourself or about work?

What did she show you or model to you?

How did she lead by example?

How did she influence where you are today, professionally and personally?

In a quick comment below, share the name of a woman who made an impact in your professional path, and why. You can tweet to us, or put it on our Facebook page, too.

At the end of the week we will compile everyone’s submissions and share them on our site!

(If you want to send me a photo of a woman you’d like to honor, as well as a short phrase about her, I can put the text on the photo as I did above. Email me here!)

*Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore. South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, United States.

*Photo credit to Sesha Shannon of Convey Studios who captured this beautiful photo of my grandma.