About this episode

In January, I posted a call for Female Founders on our LinkedIn company page with hopes of being introduced to more female founders to feature on The Startup Story. Today’s guest was mentioned more times than any other person. After spending some time with her, I am fairly confident I know why she was thought of by so many other people…because she is someone that is always looking to help others.

This week I am joined by Ilana Zivkovich, the founder of WERQ; a strategic leadership advisory firm. WERQ helps teams look at their strategy, process, and people to ensure all of these pillars will best support their business.

Like many of our featured entrepreneurs, their upbringing had a profound impact on their journey. Most of the founder stories featured on this podcast so far did not include parents that were entrepreneurs. Ilana is our first, and the perspective she was able to attain at a young age about the challenges and perks of being an entrepreneur is pretty inspiring.

In this episode, you will hear a few tactics Ilana uses to combat the internal critic. Plus, we’ll talk about the power of accepting encouragement from others. If there is anything that you take away from Ilana’s story I hope it is about the power of curiosity and passion. Then take that knowledge and let it fuel your momentum forward to execute against your passions. This is Ilana Zivkovich’s startup story.

In this episode you’ll hear

• Ilana’s childhood and early days as a child of entrepreneurs
• The reluctant or defeated entrepreneur mindset
• Her college journey, social work, and shedding a little bit of light on social work in the private sector
• About standing out in the crowd at a company, what was she doing differently than the others?
• Asking the question, “What did you fail at today?” and the impression it left on IIana
• The challenges that came with that role of director and how it set her up for the future
• Realizing she wasn’t able to keep up with a lifestyle or persona that she established
• When and why she quit her job, tendering her resignation, and how it was a gift
• What she learned when she was a consultant
• Her thoughts on being a female founder: is it more challenging, empowering, or a little bit of both?
• Her move from consultant to entrepreneur
• Going after her dream of founding WERQ, and moving to it being active, breathing, and thriving; what it was like and what she is doing now

Resources from this episode

Our Sponsor, MovoCash: https://www.thestartupstory.co/MovoCash
Connect with Ilana Zivkovich on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilana-zivkovich-07a77529
WERQ: https://werqpeople.com
The Startup Story on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thestartupstory

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With your support, we hope to further our reach in encouraging and inspiring the founders of today and tomorrow. Thank you!

Full Episode Transcript

Special Guest: Ilana Zivkovich.

Sponsored By:

• Movocash: Download the Movocash app today!