Conversations with the Inspiring Orit Manham

Today we’d like to introduce you to Orit Manham.

Orit , please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?

I was sitting in a coffee shop on a conference call in downtown Boulder and a woman approached me asking me questions about her business plan. She told me she felt comfortable approaching me because I had complimented another woman on the phone who was working for us at the time. She walked away with renewed confidence about her business plan and some high-level information I shared with her about writing a business plan, doing a demographic analysis for her target market, formulating a cash flow analysis, etc. She thanked me and moved on. That’s when I knew there was an opportunity to create something for women in Boulder.

Women Align originally was envisioned as a physical coworking space. But that approach was sidelined because I knew coworking wasn’t the solution. It didn’t feel right so I worked on creating activations for Align instead. These included collaborations with local businesses to initiate Pop Up Shop Collectives, panel discussions on challenging subjects among local residents, and financial acumen workshops for women-only.

Now, we are collaborating with Potential Realities on a course and the first of its kind event in Boulder, CO called AI.Magine: Promoting Ethics, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accountability utilizing nature and feminine business values. We are trying to change the perspective of those developing and using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to think more ethically in creating these technologies by connecting with and valuing their relationship to nature and those around them. Because as we continue delving deeper into the next technological wave, we need to pay more attention to ethics and our morality, to be made responsible for our actions and interactions with AI, in order to maintain our humanity going forward. aimaginesummit.com has more info.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s never a smooth road. I am not a patient person. I moved to Boulder six years ago from NYC and still have that fast-paced, get things done mentality. Starting something is never easy. What has helped me through this journey the most is listening. Your expectations about what should happen and the reality of the outcome are rarely aligned. So, listening to feedback from others, the marketplace, your competitors, etc. will inevitably give you excellent data to make your next move. Some other good advice which I personally see over and over again with founders is that those who work passionately on creating something from their heart and not necessarily with massive financial gains in mind, achieve the most. The money will come eventually – don’t make it a priority.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Women Align story. Tell us more about it.
My work encompasses many things. I’m a natural collaborator. I like to include other entities and businesses one wouldn’t necessarily expect to find. Different people offer so many rich and varied creations and often combining them makes for the most interesting outcomes. I have quite a varied background, so I can handle large scale thinking and planning while paying attention to the minute details. I also have finance and investment experience in addition to a marketing/creative background, which lends itself to a broad understanding of business. I doubt I stand apart from others that much, but I do travel and read a lot. If there is something I don’t know, I read about it. And traveling is the best way to learn about oneself and the world around them.

What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
Women tend to limit themselves due to an inherent lack of self-confidence. This is likely societal and maybe cultural too, but it happens more so with women in business than men. The mindset of equality between the sexes is changing, albeit slowly. And peoples’ perception of their own roles at home and at work are also changing, but these things take time. Women have a distinct opportunity to raise each other up in many instances. When women feel supported by other women, we tend to gain more confidence and assurance in our abilities to succeed.

Pricing:

• discount code (20%GALV) for 20% off VIP tickets to conference are on the aimaginesummit.com website

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @womenalign
• Website: aimaginesummit.com; womenalign.com

 

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