Women In Charge: Entrepreneurs Building Ventures with Purpose and Kindness

By Brittany Dottolo, Owner of Drenched PR

When I first launched my public relations and advertising agency, I was high on a vision. I had the creative spark to take action, and I was thriving on building this business idea from scratch. I was fully vested in collaborating on the design of my logo, creating my branding kit, identifying competitors, and ultimately dreaming about what my agency would eventually become. My excitement was palpable, even empowering! I would joke with friends and say that I was encroaching on my Samantha Jones era—representing influencers, hosting events, developing brands, and building something glamorous.

But here’s the truth that isn't exactly visible in the montage of it all: once the honeymoon phase of launching a business ends, that is when the really hard part begins.

My initial high on adrenaline wore off once my feet hit the ground grinding to bring this dream to fruition. This is when reality came crashing down, and suddenly, it was no longer fun and games—it was survival of the strongest! Getting just one single client in the door felt like trying to pull a child's loose tooth, iykyk! There were many days I stared at my laptop wondering if I had made a mistake and how much of a fool I must look like to others. The struggle for me to gain one singular client continued month after month. Internally I was questioning everything at this point: my talent, my timing, my confidence, my bank account. I never expected the pressure to be so intense, nor did I expect it would take me so long to gain a business client. P.S., I have a college degree with corporate experience, so I went into this journey with the thought that my experience would grant me immediate credibility. 

I shed many tears through numerous challenges, but being steadfast eventually paid off and I landed my first client. 

Although slow at first, more clients would come aboard and just like that I started tasting my first hit of success, with bragging rights. The fun didn't last though, because another truth set in: the expenses, subscriptions, insurance, taxes, software. Stress was overcoming and I wondered how in the world would I make it! I had a reality check, I was more than a cool "she woman business founder"— I was actually the entire team. I wore the hats of strategist, accountant, salesperson, customer service, janitor. Let's face it, none of this was glamorous; it was raw. 

Somehow, despite all of these difficulties, negative emotions, and imposter syndrome, my purpose showed up.

You see, purpose isn't normally initially apparent. Purpose doesn't walk through the door at the beginning of an entrepreneurial journey. Instead, it finds you in those moments when you're neck-deep in challenges, asking yourself questions like, why am I still doing this? For me, the answer on the surface was seemingly simple—but beneath the surface there were these deep roots that I needed to pull to truly grasp my purpose.

I had one quote I kept close, "Nothing in life worth having is easy, and if it were easy, everyone would be doing it." Still today I have to often say it to myself when things get really difficult. One thing that is guaranteed as a business founder is that you will face challenges, and it will test your commitment and strength deeply.

Being a founder has taught me that the highlight reel is just that, what you want others to see. Internally, it is everything that can't be seen where true resilience and strength lies. Resilience is the daily decision to keep going when things get hard despite the grueling hours and the feeling that you can't stand up another day. It’s realizing that entrepreneurship isn’t a fantasy—it’s a battlefield. But if you let it, that battlefield can build your mission and purpose.

What I’ve Learned (and what I would advise any woman starting out) is this - 

Don't get so caught up in romanticizing the SheBoss dream that you forget about the hustle. 

Starting a business is indeed thrilling, but it’s also extremely tough. 

You’ll wear all the hats—and some won’t fit, you have to fake that to make it.

Don’t wait until you're “ready” to learn the financial, operational, or sales side of operating a business. You have to dive in, mess up, and try again.

Money will come—but so will more expenses.

Celebrate every win, big or small.

Purpose isn’t just what you start with—it’s what you fight for.

Your "why" might evolve. Let it! 

Some of the best missions come from the pain points you never expected.

It’s okay to cry. 

Imposter syndrome, fear, frustration, fatigue, worry. These come with the territory. Feel it—but don’t let any of it stop you.

Looking back, I can now see that my company wasn't created with a distinct mission and purpose, both evolved over time. Speaking of time, time is key, and you must allow yourself to be in that moment of time. My business became mission driven because I learned to be patient through each phase of ownership. And even more so than that, I learned where I am is not in spite of my survival instincts, but because of it. But in that survival, I found strategy. I found strength. I found purpose.

And if that’s not the power of a female founder, I don’t know what is.

Connect With Brittany

www.DrenchedPR.com

Bus Insta: @DrenchedPR

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www.linkedin.com/in/brittanydottolo