The theme of International Women’s Day 2019 is #BalanceforBetter. The theme focuses on creating a more gender-balanced world that celebrates women’s achievement, raises awareness against bias, and takes action for equality.

A cohort of female business owners in Dallas are doing just that. The “Chicks on Vic”—a group of women who own businesses on Victory Avenue in Dallas—have teamed up to support one another in their businesses. 

These women’s businesses range from foodservice to fitness to art, and beyond. The Chicks on Vic spoke with Dallas Innovates to discuss entrepreneurship, teamwork, balance, and support in Dallas.

Some responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Jencey Keeton
, Sweet Tooth Hotel

Why is it important for female entrepreneurs to band together? How does teamwork help Sweet Tooth Hotel?
At Sweet Tooth Hotel, we love to collaborate with other female entrepreneurs to support their business goals and make connections that help empower the overall community. Some of our current and past collaborators at STH have been Shamsy Roomiani, Dani Goodman of Goodies Cakery, and Tasia Fredrickson and Daniell Glass of A Little Party Co., who have created entire installations or featured art pieces. We love the positive energy of working with women and meeting new artists, as it invigorates the creative spirit of our business.

How are you innovating in the art industry?
We are Dallas’s first experiential art installation and are excited to expand our space to four times the original size this year, as well as add a pop up bar. The mission of Sweet Tooth Hotel is to act as a platform to showcase and support Dallas artists. We will continue to present new exhibitions and artists each year and our third chapter, Discotech, will open May 25! Discotech combines music and new media to create interactive audio-visual installations. Guests are invited to check in, throw on a pair of silent disco headphones, and become a pop star.

What’s it like being a female entrepreneur in Dallas? What do you want people to know about yourself as a female entrepreneur in North Texas?
It’s definitely a mountain of work to follow your dreams, but I truly believe in building a business you’re passionate about. Dallas is the perfect city for new opportunities, and there are so many people moving into the metroplex eager for new experiences and evolving our cultural landscape. I hope everyone I meet feels invigorated to create and will reach out to Sweet Tooth Hotel as a creative center to visit and collaborate with.

Joann Cuccurullo, Classic Pilates Studio

Why is it important for female entrepreneurs to band together, and how does it help Classic Pilates Studio?

It is so important for us to band together because we are such a minority in the business world, and we can help each other through the challenges and obstacles that go along with it.

How are you innovating in the fitness industry?
We are trying to be a one-stop shop for people who want to take Classical Pilates either by taking private sessions or very small classes along with selling them the required attire.

What’s it like being a female entrepreneur in Dallas? What do you want people to know about yourself as a female entrepreneur in North Texas?
Dallas is a very warm and welcoming city, and I think more and more women are becoming entrepreneurs because they see us and our success.

Elizabeth Ging, Sift + Pour

Why is it important for female entrepreneurs to band together, and how does that collaboration help Sift + Pour?
Collaboration is key for success. My motto is that there is always something I can learn from others. Everyone has been given different talents and gifts. My weaknesses are someone else’s strengths—therefore we are stronger together than apart. By embracing this mentality and supporting one another, it frees us to play to our individual strengths and help both of our businesses grow.

How are you innovating in the food and beverage industry?
Sift + Pour’s philosophy involves experimenting with ingredients to create fun, unique recipes. We maintain the mindset of a start-up bakery where we’re open to new ideas and love getting feedback from our customers. I love being challenged to innovate and improve our treats based on requests. There are many bakeries, desserts, and options for sweets out there but what sets us apart is our constantly changing menu. Of course, we have our core products we’ll offer, but you’ll just have to come in to see what we’re baking up in our kitchen!

What’s it like being a female entrepreneur in Dallas? What do you want people to know about yourself as a female entrepreneur in North Texas?
My experience as an entrepreneur in Dallas has been largely shaped by community. I’ve experienced a strong sense of family among business owners at the Dallas Farmers Market and have continued to see that in South Victory. Everyone has been so eager and willing to share their experiences and resources to help me grow as a business owner. We get to celebrate each other’s highs and be reminded we are not alone in the lows.

Businesses don’t tend to show everything under the hood of the car. What I would want people to know about me is that I’m human and my community is the secret sauce. I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for the support and love from the people God has chosen to put in my life. This has been the sweetest dream come true!

Heather Evetts, Simply Elegant Dallas

Why is it important for female entrepreneurs to band together, and how does collaborating with the Chicks on Vic help your business?
Strength in numbers! Actually, at some point, I realized life is not a competition, there is enough business for everyone. Supporting each other and sharing creative thoughts is as helpful to my business as it is to whomever I am talking to.

How are you innovating in your industry?
Being from Santa Barbara, I feel like my design style is a product of the environment I grew up in. Being able to create designs with a Southern California vibe for my Dallas clientele ignites the innovating spark for my designs. I am always trying new things, buying new things and meeting new people. Not staying stagnant in my comfort zone is what pushes me to innovate.

What’s it like being a female entrepreneur in Dallas? What do you want people to know about yourself as a female entrepreneur in North Texas?
I consider myself an entrepreneur, supported by both men and women. I don’t think my gender has anything to do with my ability to run a successful business, create jobs, and support the Dallas community. The IRS certainly doesn’t care. It is always an interesting conversation when people ask me if my husband is my partner or if he is the owner. I have, on occasion, had to educate individuals on this particular subject. I wouldn’t have started this business without the support and encouragement of my husband, and I am proud of that.

Luciana Gómez
, Café Victoria

Why is it important for female entrepreneurs to band together, and how does it help Café Victoria?
Being an entrepreneur is very rewarding but never easy, and having people around you who go through the same issues, have the same questions, struggle with the same challenges—it immediately makes you feel less alone. I have found a group of amazing like-minded women who want to do the right thing for their teams, their businesses, their customers and their neighborhood, and are relentless, fierce and also a lot of fun.

This comes in handy when you need to crash somewhere for support, understanding and kindness from somebody who has been where you are and can help you figure things out or, in lieu of immediate answers, has some perfectly chilled wine ready to talk things over. This encouragement has been such an important perk of my journey as an entrepreneur. I know it is rare to find this kind of amazing champions turned business advisors turned friends, all on one block. For this, I am forever thankful.

How are you innovating in the coffee industry?
The coffee industry in Dallas is still underdeveloped when compared to other cities, even when it has grown significantly in the past few years with new concepts. We are proud to be part of this growth. This underdevelopment provides immense room for innovation. I travel all the time looking for ideas and new recipes that can enhance our offering and keep it fresh.

My shop was designed with these travel experiences in mind, and with an understanding of what works in other places. I like small shops. I feel they provide the biggest opportunities for innovation in terms of space and overall experience, and that is what I think I have done with Café Victoria, which feels very European. I like spaces that feel unique and stand out because they have that je ne sais quoi that brings you in and makes you want to stay and come back (besides the smell of coffee, of course, which is amazing). Every single detail is designed for this neighborhood, which I know well because I am a resident.

What’s it like being a female entrepreneur in Dallas? What do you want people to know about yourself as a female entrepreneur in North Texas?
I love it. Dallas is a wonderful city. I’ve lived in New York and Austin, and my home town of Buenos Aires, and I find Dallas so fun, welcoming, and creative. The city shows an excitement to new ideas I have not seen anywhere else. People here want to try new things. I think Dallas is a traditional city with a curious spirit. This is why the sky is the limit when it comes to entrepreneurship.

People will not shut you down. They will try you. You will need to deliver every time. But if you do, you will win their hearts over. In terms of female entrepreneurship, this city is a good harbor for it. The city has incredible examples of female leadership is many areas including business and politics. This, I believe, has created an expectation for women to keep creative and for Dallasites to support these endeavors. This has been my experience as a female immigrant dipping my toes on this fun world of entrepreneurship.

Michelle “Mia” Weaver, Yoga Pod Dallas

Why is it important for female entrepreneurs to band together, and how does it help Yoga Pod Dallas?
Being an entrepreneur means learning to become a “Jack (or Jill) of all trades” and being a female entrepreneur means not only being a “Jill of all trades” but also going above and beyond to find new and innovative ways to sometimes do the same old thing others have tried, done, or failed doing.

This is where I feel women excel by using creativity and ingenuity to make something fresh out of something others have done over and over or that simply didn’t work as well as it could. At Yoga Pod Dallas, I’ve had to find very resourceful ways to get the word out about our fabulous studio in Victory Park near downtown Dallas. We have done numerous community events with other women-owned businesses, collaborated with other Victory Park businesses (many owned by women), and we have also developed fresh ways of expanding upon our classes.

The support of female entrepreneurs is critically important in Victory Park to keep getting the word out about the new Victory Park and everything our community has to offer!

How are you innovating in your industry?
The yoga industry is a challenging market with a great deal of competition, especially in Dallas. At Yoga Pod Dallas, we have branded ourselves as the HOTTEST classes in Big D, not only because we truly offer the hottest yoga classes at 105 degrees and 60% humidity, but we also have a wide array of non-heated yoga and fitness class offerings as well as incredibly talented instructors in a gorgeously clean and trendy space.

At Yoga Pod Dallas, we work very hard to learn all of our students names and develop a true connection with them. We hear time and again how much our students appreciate our genuine instructors and staff and they feel the sense of welcoming we have to offer.

What’s it like being a female entrepreneur in Dallas? What do you want people to know about yourself as a female entrepreneur in North Texas?
I love living in and owning a studio in Dallas, and I’ll never regret leaving my corporate job to open the studio! Yoga Pod Dallas is an absolute gem and in a beautiful area of town with plenty of free parking with validation. But also know, being an entrepreneur is not all rainbows and unicorns!

Honestly, its hard most days and often 95% of what I do each day is the grind that can really wear on a person, but it’s exactly that perseverance and tenacity I thrive on and choose to do to make Yoga Pod Dallas a success. I remind myself daily, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Being a small business owner and female entrepreneur in Dallas would not be feasible without the help of the community, residential, and businesses around me, and Victory Park is certain to be the next “IT” place in Dallas and North Texas. This is the place to live, work, exercise, play, rest, and recover without ever leaving the SoVI (South Victory) neighborhood! I really hope folks take advantage of all that this neighborhood has to offer by stopping into Yoga Pod Dallas and namaste for awhile!

Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.

Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.