Led by HER is a business creation support program for women who have suffered violence. In six years, the association has already supported around a hundred designers.
Domestic violence, professional pressure, psychological harassment, sexual assault … In France, more than 10% of women are victims of beatings, patriarchy, professional harassment or exploitation of all kinds. Mona Lababidi and Sophie Taminh are among those casualties of life, but entrepreneurship has allowed them to raise their heads. They now run small businesses and have relaunched themselves by becoming business leaders. The first created Transtelling, a storytelling agency, in 2018; the second took over Valactive, a web communications agency.
Theory and personal development
Both had the chance to meet Led by HER on their way. This association, created in 2014 by Chiara Condi, named winner of the 2017 Women of Economic Influence Prize, supports women in suffering by allowing them to rebuild themselves through an entrepreneurial project. “Our program is comprehensive. It includes a theoretical component, with 300 hours of lessons to understand the different phases of creating a project, and a personal development component, including coaching and personalized mentoring. The theoretical cycle lasts five months, one to two days a week, and the support is spread over ten months ”, Chiara Condi details.
The selection – approximately 20 candidates per class – is made on file for an entry scheduled each year in September. “Exceptionally, we will certainly open a session in January 2021 because the demand is high”, Chiara Condi announces.
“All leave transformed”
About a hundred women have passed through Led by HER since its launch. “The projects are varied: creation of a garage, a fashion brand, Web agencies, an art gallery… There are no limits, but one thing in common: our participants often arrive “Broken”, but all leave the program transformed. We allow them to regain confidence, autonomy and to become the leader of their life ” Chiara Condi continues.
Sophie Taminh can only approve. At the end of the day, after two burnouts between 2015 and 2016, she had lost all self-confidence. “I had a lot of responsibilities in my old job, but I was under a lot of pressure. I broke down, I fell into depression and I searched for myself for several months before finally discovering Led by HER in 2017. I had the project to take over the communication agency created by my husband but I felt it unable. I considered myself worthless. The program, the quality of the speakers and the personal development component really put me back on track ” analyzes Sophie Taminh, who has since followed the training of School 42 and now considers herself “On the road to success”.
To acquire skills
This Stations of the Cross, Mona Lababidi, founder of the Storytelling agency, also experienced it. A victim of psychological violence from her husband’s Syrian family, she eventually divorced and found herself alone, with two children. “I had worked for six years in a translation agency. Very quickly, I had the idea of getting into the storytelling niche for brands. But I needed skills in finance, management, business and most of all support. ” By integrating the 2018 promo of Led by HER, the young woman of thirty-five years has not only rebuilt – “This program gave me wings”, but also created a promising business. His agency has 70 renowned clients, and employs around 50 freelance translators. A beautiful revenge on life.
