My Barbie Had a Briefcase. Turns Out She Was Preparing Me to Run a Company.

Growing up, my Barbie didn’t spend much time at the beach. She had a briefcase, lived in the townhouse, had things to do. She role-played running meetings, walking to meetings, being in charge. She was independent and was my vision of what a working woman looked like.

Today, running a Women-Owned Small Business, I think about that often. Because being a female founder isn’t about having a briefcase or townhouse; it’s not about being in charge, it’s about opportunity. Women today are building companies, creating jobs, and shaping industries in ways our younger selves could only imagine.

Leadership still has its moments that are very unique as a female founder.

Over the years I’ve experienced situations that many of my peers may recognize. Someone suggests I grab a pen and take notes during a meeting (it’s happened, more than once), asks to speak with my supervisor, or explains how business works to me.

None of these moments are dramatic; many women describe the same subtleties, being underestimated in meetings, having ideas dismissed until someone else repeats them, or being mistaken for someone other than the decision maker.

You learn to handle these moments with confidence, grace, and perspective. Because ultimately, business is about results.

Do you deliver for your partners?

Do you build strong teams?

Do you create value?

At 360 Media Direct, we’ve spent years building long-term relationships with publishers, media companies, and advertisers across the country. Those partnerships weren’t built on titles or assumptions; they’re built on trust, consistency, and performance.

And along the way, I’ve been inspired by women in and around media and leadership who helped shape what was possible.

Gloria Steinem, founder of Ms. magazine, helped bring women’s voices and perspectives into the national conversation and showed how media could influence culture and equality.

Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress and the first to run for president from a major party, embodied fearless leadership with her motto “Unbought and Unbossed.”

Mary Tyler Moore, through her role as Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, showed millions of viewers what an independent, career-focused woman could look like, confidently building her life and career in a newsroom.

That influence mattered. Some creative. Some entrepreneurial. All leaders.

For me, my path eventually led to building a company. And while the occasional moment of being underestimated still happens, those moments no longer define the experience.

What defines it is the privilege of building something meaningful.

A business that serves clients.

A team that grows together.

Partnerships that last for decades.

Being a Women-Owned Small Business today is something I’m incredibly proud of; not because it’s unusual, because it represents progress and it is becoming the norm.

More women are founding companies.

Entrepreneurs like Sara Blakely who built a billion-dollar business from one simple idea and relentless persistence.

More women are shaping media and culture.

Leaders like Oprah Winfrey who showed how powerful storytelling and authenticity can transform industries.

More women are investing in the future.

Voices like Melinda French Gates are driving global progress by supporting women entrepreneurs, education, and innovation.

And across industries, a new generation of leaders continues to emerge; women like Whitney Wolfe Herd, who built a publicly traded tech company designed around empowering women.

Powerful. Progress.

Somewhere out there, a young girl is imagining her own path forward. She may have a Barbie, (or not). Either way, my hope is that when she grows up and builds her business, she walks into every room, owns it, and knows without question that she belongs there.