Melinda Gates Is Not Who You Think She Is: 2 Mistakes That Can Ruin Female Founder’s Chance Of Having It All

Take a closer look at any past photos of Bill going back about 10 years and you will notice one thing, Melinda is almost always next to him wearing that signature smile of hers. That perfect couple photo is something that most female founders like myself have idealized for over a decade as the epitome of a happy couple. I mean traveling around the world on a philanthropic mission while still being able to birth beautiful children and raise them as upright members of society is a dream that most female founders find elusive. We view women like Melinda as having it all and attempt to emulate this.

1. Attempting to be a superwoman

One thing for sure is that Melinda was not superwoman, she had Bill who has been very 0supportive and played an active role throughout their careers and their children’s lives. And secondly, for obvious reasons, she could afford the best care for her children and free herself to attend to business without worry. Take a quick look a startupville and you will notice that most successful female founders are single, divorced, or are single parents. This is mostly because we do not have time for it, we are afraid to lose control or we are scared of being distracted from our path. As a result, you find that the more we attempt to be superwomen, the more we strive to have it all, and conversely the further we are pulled away from having it all. Acknowledging that you are not a superwoman allows you to seek and accept much-needed support to help you accomplish more.

2. Assuming we have it all figured out

A famous saying by Melinda is that a woman with a voice is a strong woman but the search for that voice is difficult. Yes, that road is tough, figuring it out is tough and it is okay not to have it all figured out unlike what most female founders like myself have come to believe, most adults are still in the process of figuring it out, even Melinda. In my startup journey, I have come to learn that it is perfectly okay for me not to have it all figured out 100% of the time. For example, I do not have to figure out the nitty-gritty of a business before I can venture into it, I mostly take calculated risks and plunge in then figure things out along the way.

Just like most of us female founders, Melinda is neither superwoman nor does she have it all figured out unlike what most of us have come to believe. This has been revealed vividly in her current ongoing divorce process. As founders, we need to cut ourselves some slack on occasions where we do not have it all figured out. We also ought to practice more gratitude so that we are grateful for what we have and leave room for more to come without necessarily fighting to have it all.