Are you good enough?
Michelle is taking her startup international, carving her own path and living out her dreams of success. Still, self-doubt and imposter syndrome have a way of creeping in. Welcome to The Club.
“There will be days where I feel like I’m not enough…
“It’s just about giving yourself compassion and grace during those moments, and allowing yourself to have those feelings, not shut them down.”
As a woman founder, a person of colour, and someone who started her business at the tender age of 24, Michelle Akhidenor is all too aware of the prejudice lurking in the spaces she operates in.
But for her, entrepreneurship means freedom. She’s well aware of what she’s up against, and frankly, she’s not paying it any mind.
Six years ago, after quitting an unfulfilling finance job, Michelle launched The Peers Project, an agency helping businesses create branded podcasts, focused on amplifying diverse voices.
Earlier this year, The Peers Project secured funding to expand into the US, and now the founder is living the hustle life in New York.
But the path to startup success never did run smooth, and Michelle has had her fair share of frustrated moments along the way.
Most recently, despite what felt like unparalleled effort, she says The Peers Project missed its Q1 goals in the US. It hit Michelle hard, on a personal level.
“We’re doing so much. I am doing so much,” she says.
“I’m the sole person on the ground for the company … like, how are we not where I want us to be?”
Facing up to imposter syndrome
The results allowed self-doubt and imposter syndrome to start trickling in — often all-consuming feelings, familiar to women and founders around the world.
“Is it because the business isn’t good enough? Is it because what we offer isn’t good enough? Is it because of me?”
Like so many of us, Michelle is no stranger to negative self-talk. She has, however, developed strategies for dealing with it.
“I’ve learnt at this stage there will be days where I feel like I’m not enough,” she says.
“You really feel the imposter syndrome, so that you can move past it,” she adds.
“It’s just about giving yourself compassion and grace during those moments, and allowing yourself to have those feelings, not shut them down.”
Everything in business is momentary, Michelle says. Everything will pass.
In this case, she was characteristically able to reframe the situation in a positive light. She was dreaming big — as well she should.
“When your goals are so big and lofty, you’re naturally going to fall short,” she says.
“That can be frustrating. But if you’re not falling short on your goals, they’re not big enough.”
The land of opportunity?
For Michelle, the US launch has meant acclimatising a new city and a new startup ecosystem — one that operates a little differently.
“There’s a huge abundance of culture out here, compared to back home,” she notes.
“Everyone is like: who do I know who can help you? Which investor or client can I connect you with? Even if you’re literally almost a competitor, people are so willing to help.”
She’s found herself feeling more comfortable asking for support, and offering value to others where she can, too.
She has also noticed a very different attitude to cold-emails or LinkedIn DMs. Unsolicited outreach is not only acceptable, it’s celebrated.
This, in particular, works for Michelle — an extrovert who, incidentally, first reached out to me via cold email some five years ago, and has stuck around in my network since.
“It’s just the reality of business,” she argues today.
“You aren’t going to know everyone you need to know, or every client you want to have,” she adds.
“You have to somehow put yourself out there and just reach out to them.”
It’s not that Australians are necessarily bad at cold outreach, Michelle says. It’s just not the norm, and can feel awkward or icky.
For many, the ‘warm intro’ is the well-travelled, much-preferred route. But for many more, it’s not exactly accessible.
As a woman of colour, Michelle is still in the minority in the New York startup scene.
“In general, it doesn’t matter what market you’re in. That is still the fact,” she says.
The difference lies in that culture of openness; the collective willingness to share resources and support each other, even the newcomers.
In New York, the barriers to entry — for anyone and everyone — are arguably lower.
Talking to a brick wall
Michelle has spoken publicly about feeling pressure, as a woman of colour, to be a success story and a beacon for other entrepreneurs behind her.
But for her, success is not about global domination, million-dollar funding rounds or achieving a sky-high valuation.
It’s sustainability, longevity, profitability and living up to the values behind her business.
Achieving that means bringing in new sales and revenue, she notes. And the only way to do that is to pitch, pitch, pitch.
Michelle is undeniably the face of The Peers Project; the one in meetings with prospective clients and investors, and directing her team to create what she sells.
So, it’s especially frustrating when she feels like people don’t really ‘get’ her, or what the business is all about — and when the reason behind the disconnect is kinda obvious, but also kinda not.
“You get into a room where you’re the only woman and the only person of colour, and you're pitching something, but you can tell you’re just not on the same wavelength — it feels like speaking to a brick wall,” Michelle says.
“They don’t really understand what I’m talking about. Or they don’t want to understand,” she adds.
“It can be super frustrating when you feel like you don’t have an ally in the room.”
“I feel wise in so many ways”
With all of this said, despite the many roadblocks, the frustrating interactions and imposter syndrome, there’s no doubt Michelle is carving her own path.
She’s looking straight ahead and moving forward, without worrying about what her competitors and counterparts are up to.
Yes, she’s aware of the challenges — the dire stats around funding, and the conscious and unconscious biases at play — she’s lived them, and continues to.
But she’s not wasting time dwelling on them. Instead, she’s focusing squarely on herself and her business.
Michelle recently celebrated her 30th birthday, and the milestone has got her feeling all retrospective.
As a child, entrepreneurship wasn’t on her list of dream jobs, and podcasts certainly weren’t on her radar (or anyone’s).
She didn’t expect to be here. But her business has made her who she is today.
“For me, building your own company symbolises freedom, and the ability to realise your full potential,” she says.
“It symbolises you becoming the best version of yourself, simply because of the personal growth required to progress, and just stay in the game.”
Looking back, she’s in awe of how far she’s come, and she knows she hasn’t peaked yet.
“I’ve just turned 30, but I honestly feel so wise in so many ways… Although, I still have so much more to learn. Every day I wake up and realise there’s something else I don’t know.”
In a tough environment, Michelle is thriving. As far as she’s concerned, that’s because she’s living her dream and bringing her passions to life.
“I love this so much. I love what I’m building. I love what I’m doing,” she says.
“Even though it’s been so tough, and some days I don’t know how I’m going to keep going, I’m really optimistic about where we’re going and how far we’ve come — both the business and in myself as a founder, a person, and a woman.”
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Who are we?
We’re Marie Dowling and Stef Palmer-Derrien, two business buddies navigating the tech, startup and small biz world with toddlers in tow.
👸🏻 Stef Palmer-Derrien is a freelance writer, journalist and word person, specialising in startups, tech and small business. Stef is also the co-founder and editor of The Club as well as media advisor at Newsary.
Stef is a parent to a two-year-old wrecking ball of a child, and also a dog who has absolutely no chill.
👸🏼 Marie Dowling is the other brain behind The Club and a self-proclaimed startup town crier. As the founder of PR startups Newsary and EzyCom, she is committed to democratising PR to share all the stories that make our world move.
She’s also la maman to a beautiful two-year-old and an Australian bulldog who does nothing but chill.