Unless you’re brand new to DLM, you’ll note that this issue is a bit of a departure from our usual destination-based programming. As much as we love to jet set, with March being Women’s History Month we were inspired to pull back and celebrate the global sisterhood that connects us all.

All month long, we are going inside the minds of women entrepreneurs who’ve created highly visible and successful businesses, such as Jessica Alba of the Honest Company, Alexa Hirschfeld of Paperless Post and Joan Barnes of Gymboree. (To start, we have an interview with the always-hilarious Jen Sincero, whose money-minded followup to the bestselling You Are a Badass is moments from the shelves.)

These inspiring women are here to remind us that we all have a story. Those of us who’ve been in business for any length of time understand: there are no free lunches. I used to think success must be easier for other people, because they’re celebrities or they have money or connections or special talents.

What I know now is that we all have to get out of our own way, overcome challenges and defy expectations to create our destinies. Every successful endeavor requires the leader and the entire team to be able to course correct. Every entrepreneur has to pull rabbits out of hats and work on the weekend. It’s whatever it takes to keep the dream alive.

This issue is dedicated to the women before us who have championed a certain level of success and shown us what else is possible.

We know now that while success doesn’t come easy, it doesn’t have to be grueling, either. Still—most people aren’t up for rising above the naysayers and the failures. Most people end up giving up on their dreams in the process.

So here’s to the courageous business women, creatives and leaders who haven’t quit. This month we’re sharing their stories of fear, rejection, faith, hustle, balance and triumph. Let them remind us there is always more money and impact to be made. In fact, these days the opportunities for entrepreneurship are bigger than ever and only growing.

Women are opening doors for women and modeling how we can work smarter, not harder. We have access to the global market in our pockets and the tools to offer our services directly to our people. We are co-creating a new economy and showing the world our value, our wisdom and our power.

I really do believe that entrepreneurs are the new celebrities. And unlike the movie stars, singers and athletes who’ve had to land the audition, get picked for the team, and get the green light from the record label, entrepreneurs like us are in charge of our own destiny, not waiting on anyone else to say yes to our dream.

The world is waking up to the fact that people are able to empower themselves, and one of the strongest ways to do so is through entrepreneurialism. It’s part of why women have been starting businesses at twice the rate of men for about a decade now—why wait around for the boys club’s approval to make the money we desire?

Now is the time for women like us to rise to leadership. We may have a long way to go, but there’s no doubt the pendulum is starting to swing. Women are becoming breadwinners and creating wealth and power on the world stage. Like-minded people are coming together across oceans and borders, and anyone you want to meet is ten clicks away. It’s an exciting time to be a woman on this planet, and this month we invite you to give yourself permission to shine.

All My Love,

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