Female Founders: Dayna Pereira of The Entertainers Network On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Work to live, don’t live to work. Remember that there is so much more to life than how you make money. You can be passionate about your business, but remember that that is only a small portion of you. Don’t forget to take the time to experience the world, your family, friends, and every other part of what lights you up.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dayna Pereira
Dayna Pereira is a self proclaimed Participation Trophy Wife and mother of four. She runs her business as the Celebrity CEO of The Entertainer’s Network. She’s also the on-air Host of two popular podcast series’ and a Social Media and YouTube personality.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Yes! I started a show a few years ago and I had to grow it myself. I did everything from editing, to writing, to social media posting and learning how to do graphics and video! The show grew over time but I realized how tight to the chest everyone kept their “growth secrets”. After successfully launching two shows and growing on social media, I decided to start The Entertainers Network as a way to help other entertainers get a leg up in the industry.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
I got the idea when someone jokingly asked if I wanted to buy THEIR company! Their company was different, but it really got the wheels spinning in my head. I started to think about all the possibilities and things I would change had I actually bought it. That company no longer exists, but it was the catapult of The Entertainers Network! Since then, I have interviewed several leaders in the industry and have grown my company in a short amount of time@ I am really looking forward to what we can do in the future!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Oh boy! So many mistakes! The funniest was on social media. I have two other shows, my personal social media, AND my company all on my phone. I completely forgot to switch to The Entertainers Network and ended up posting and tagging a bunch of people on That Trophy Wife Life’s social media page. I got so many messages asking me what they were being tagged in before I realized it was the wrong social media profile. MOM BRAIN.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I’ve gotten amazing advice from people in the Industry. Brimstone, my Cohost on The Dirty Little Secrets Club, has been in the entertainment industry for decades. He is always sharing his insight and giving me stellar advice and support. My husband is another one. Although he is not in the entertainment industry, he runs a very successful business and has been such an incredible help when it comes to the business side of things. Also, there have been a handful of celebrities that have contributed to make The Entertainers Network stand out and some of that is coming soon!
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
In my opinion, I think it may be because women are expected to do it all. We are the caretakers, the chefs, the drivers, the housekeepers, the nurses, the snack holders, the cheerleaders, etc.. Running a family, being the perfect wife, the perfect mom, AND running a business can be overwhelming. It can feel like there are not enough hours in the day and that we are dropping the ball in other places. The mom/wife guilt is real! Todays society puts so much pressure on women to be perfect at everything and leaves very little wiggle room for mistakes. We are told we’re bad moms if we don’t have time to volunteer in the classroom, or we’re bad wives if we aren’t measuring up to our 20yr old selves in the bedroom after taking care of everyone else all day. We’re selfish if we want to do something for ourselves, but the same societal pressures aren’t applied to men. I’m not saying men don’t have pressures, of course they do, but they are different. Men aren’t expected to take such an active role in the family after working all day. However, I think that we have been evolving! At least I hope!
Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?
As individuals, it is so important to have a partner that supports your dreams. Like, REALLY supports them. Allows you the time and space to work toward them, and doesn’t mind picking up the slack when you can’t do it all. I think as a society, we should stop glorifying working ourselves to death. So often you hear about a woman that “does it all”, but doing it all is not healthy! We all need time to recharge. Let the laundry go, skip that 4 yr olds birthday party you’ve been dreading, and take time off! I have had to remind myself several times that the only person that cares if I don’t get something done for MY company is ME! And if I allow myself to do it tomorrow, the world is still going to turn. If I keep doing things every day, I will reach my goals. I don’t have to do it all in one day.
This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
Woman are so extraordinary. We are strong, and we are soft. Women have a unique way of being successful because we can be fierce, while also having empathy and understanding. Being firm in your beliefs and in your goals with a flexibility that allows for mistakes and for roadblocks is a unique formula for women to be successful in business.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
Myth: there is only room for a few at the top. I think a limited mindset leads to limited success. I will cheer on other women in their business. I will help when I can and I will clap when they succeed. I like to think with an abundance mindset. Our potential and our successes are limitless and there is enough out there for us all!
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?
I do think that everyone can be cut out to be a founder… with the right tools and mindset! Unfortunately, we have things that are “taught” to us that are beyond our control. We think small because we are told that is what we should do by people we trust. However, there are people that are happy to not worry about running a company. They enjoy doing their part and going home, and that is lovely too! It really boils down to what lights a person up. Everyone has something different and all of the roles are equally important.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Rome wasn’t built in a day: I am a fairly impatient person. If I have an idea in my head, I want to see it come to fruition yesterday. I worked tirelessly to get it started, and I wish someone would have told me that “faster doesn’t mean more successful”. I could have taken a break, thought things over more, took some time to recharge. It probably would have led to less mistakes and do-overs had I taken my time more.
- Ask for help from a coach or mentor! The best way to become successful is to ask successful people! Most successful people are happy to tell you what they learned along the way. Asking someone you look up to can save you a lot of time, mistakes, and headaches in your own business journey! Asking my mentors really helped to put some things in perspective and it also showed me that I am not the only person that went through certain obstacles on my journey!
- Don’t compare your day one to someone else’s day one hundred. Actually, don’t compare at all! You are uniquely you which allows you to put your own unique spin on your business. You will reach the people that you are supposed to, and whether that is 100 people are 1,000,000 people, your journey and business are still relevant and important.
- Slow growth is still growth! As long as you are continuously working toward your goal, you will grow. Your business will grow. There is no such thing as an overnight success. They only call it that because they didn’t see the time and hard work that came before the success.
- Work to live, don’t live to work. Remember that there is so much more to life than how you make money. You can be passionate about your business, but remember that that is only a small portion of you. Don’t forget to take the time to experience the world, your family, friends, and every other part of what lights you up.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I use my social media presence to spread kindness, laughter, and help organizations that are close to my heart! MuttScouts is a great southern CA organization that rescues dogs and I love to support them. I also support Entertainers in all genres by supporting their dreams and lifting them UP. I use my business to feature them, publish, educate, and inspire. There are so many talented and exceptional entertainers out there and I am so proud to be a person that assists them on their journey.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would inspire people to always lead with love. No matter the circumstance. That guy cut you off? Lead with love. Maybe he had an emergency he needed to get to. That waitress was rude? Lead with love. Maybe her grandma is sick and she’s stuck at work. You never know what people are going through and I think the world would be infinitely better if we all chose to lead with love.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Kandee Johnson! I follow her social media and she truly is beautiful inside and out. She’s creative, talented, self built, and spreads so much love and kindness. I admire the way she handles adversity and loves on her family. There is so much that I would pick her brain about. She genuinely seems fun and like she would use her powers for good. Kandee, hit me up! I’ll buy you lunch!
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this
Female Founders: Dayna Pereira of The Entertainers Network On The Five Things You Need To Thrive… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.