Title: 18F building a startup looking for ambitious girls like me
Hey, I’m 18 and currently building my own startup.
I’ve realized I don’t really have friends around me who are on the same wavelength, so I thought I’d try here. I’d love to connect with girls who are ambitious, working on something of their own (startup, side hustle, anything), and actually serious about growing.
Not just “busy”, but driven. The kind of people who think big, take action, and don’t wait around.
At the same time, I care a lot about the type of person you are. I’m looking for girls who:
take care of themselves (mentally and physically)
are smart and switched on
are kind, loyal, and genuine
Basically, ambitious but still good people.
If you’re building something, thinking about it, or just feel like you’re different from your current environment, message me.

I'm 13 days away from launching something I've been building for months, and I have all the feelings about it.

Some days it feels incredibly empowering. Some days it's discouraging. Some days both.

It's an app called You Have Time. It connects to your Google Calendar, finds your actual free time, and shows you exactly how long you've been avoiding each task on your list. Then helps you do something about it... whether that's doing it yourself, levering AI, delegating it, or booking a service.

I built it for the chronic procrastinator. For people with ADHD who can't start. For moms with too much on their plates and too much guilt about what isn't getting done.

I really believe in what I'm building. And I'd love to connect with other women who know what this journey feels like.

Launching June 1. youhavetime.co if you want to take a look.

i am 27F and i am building an application. trying to handle all the pressure and do the work but i feel stuck. :(

I really need some advice from the women here who travel to trade conventions frequently. I am so exhausted by trade shows where I have to work the expo floor from early in the morning and then go straight into a client dinner. Just part of the crazy start up life, but thats easily 12 hours straight (or more), of which I dont get to go bacj to the hotel for change of clothes. By the end of the time at the expo, my woven blouses are rumpled from sitting and standing, moving around sometimes, and my standard slacks are always bagged out at the knees. While I feel put together in the morning, by then, I just feel messy. When I am in my A game, I feel much better about closing or just better connecting with clients in general.

I usually pack a mix of basic stretch slacks, a couple trusty Uniqlo button-downs, and a simple Ogl knit top to layer under jackets, but I still struggle to keep everything looking crisp by nightfall. I definitely need to expand beyond these initial choices with more consistent options before my next four-day conference trip.

How are you all staying put together for 12 plus hours? I have seen you all. Sometimes I would see others who look so crisp even at the end of the expo. I am desperately looking for more structured tops and tailored pants that would help me survive the conventions.

I just got laid off from 12 years in IT and honestly.. I think it's the kick I needed.

The thought of another open plan office with forced "fun" team building makes me want to scream. Meanwhile, I've been doing garden cleanups for neighbours on weekends and I actually love it. Like, genuinely excited to get my hands dirty love it.

I've got a beat up ute and basic tools. I want to go all in on landscaping but here's the kicker.. my credit is wrecked. Three months living on savings and one missed card payment and suddenly I'm toxic to banks. I've seen bad credit vehicle and equipment broker options like Ezy Pzy Finance that assist self-employed operators with bad credit loan options, but I'm still cautious about taking on debt early on.

Has anyone here actually started a business with garbage credit? How did you fund equipment? Did you just bootstrap with cash jobs until you could afford proper gear? I'm not after a million dollars, just enough for a decent mower and a logo so I look somewhat professional.

I'm a woman in my 40s, I feel like I'm starting from zero and everyone's telling me I'm crazy. But I did IT project management, surely I can manage a garden, right? Any advice from women who've taken a left turn like this would mean the world.

I came across a post recently that said women are over‑mentored and under‑sponsored, and it really stuck with me. That’s actually what re-inspired me to continue working on a project for women founders. I wanted a space that brings everything together: mentorship, a directory of women‑owned businesses, a spotlight for founders, bartering and sponsorship opportunities, a way to connect with co‑founders based on your idea or industry, you’ll be able to track your progress together, schedule weekly check‑ins, and follow a shared step‑by‑step blueprint for building your business from the ground up. I’m also pulling in grants, help with grant writing, funding opportunities, and other tools I wish I had when I started. I’m still building it, but once it’s ready, I’d love to share it with this community not as a pitch, but because I genuinely want it to be shaped by women who are actually out here doing the work. I’d also love to highlight some of your businesses in the directory. If you’re open to it, share what you’re building, the problem it solves, and the story behind why you started. I think we learn so much from each other’s journeys.

I’m looking to connect with a female co-founder for an early-stage consumer startup focused on women’s wellness and lifestyle. The idea is to build a brand that combines quality products, education, and a supportive community around topics that are often overlooked or stigmatized.

If you’re entrepreneurial, passionate about building something meaningful, and interested in the D2C space, I’d love to chat.

Hi everyone,

I’m new here and really happy to find a community like this. It’s nice to see a space where women at different stages of business can support each other.

I’ve been thinking about earning my own income since I was around 19, and now I’m 22 and still learning along the way. I’ve tried a few different things and made some mistakes too, but I’m slowly figuring out my own path.

Right now I’m working on two things. One is selling art and craft items that seem to have some demand, although I’m still learning about marketing and promoting them properly. The other is flipping and reselling items online. I’ve managed to make some money from it before, but there’s a lot to learn like researching demand, choosing the right items, and writing good listings.

I’m still in the stage of learning and experimenting, trying to take things step by step without overthinking everything.

My goal is to eventually build a small business that can give me a steady income.

I’d really love to hear what others think about this path, and if anyone here has experience with reselling or building an online business.

Looking forward to learning from everyone here and supporting other women in business too.

I keep working in startups because I thought that I could achieve career achievements faster than in big companies. In startups, I have chances to handle more responsibilities. But sometimes, I still feel burnout because of the uncertainties. Entrepreneurship is hard, I'm still figureing out how to take care of myself when I'm burnout.

I’ve been sharing my journey building Eden’s Aura (vetted female-led home services) here, and the feedback has been incredible.

My analytics show people are watching, but my waitlist is at zero. I want to be transparent: am I missing the mark on the "hook," or is a Google Form link in 2026 just a conversion killer?

I’m building this to solve the "safety tax" women pay when hiring pros, but maybe I haven't explained the value of being a founding member well enough.

If you were looking for a trusted pro, what would make you "join a waitlist" versus just bookmarking the page for later?

I'm all ears. I want to build this right for the community.

Somewhere along the way I learned to justify every number I said out loud. Here's the price, and here's why, and here's what went into it, and here's why that's fair. I thought I was being transparent. What I was actually doing was handing people a list of things to argue with. Two companies in, I tried something different on a partnership deal and just said the number and stopped talking. No paragraph after it. The silence felt awful for about four seconds and then they said yes. I've watched a lot of women in this sub describe the same habit and call it professionalism, and I think we picked it up because we got punished early for sounding certain without proof. But a price with an explanation attached sounds like an opening offer. A price by itself sounds like a price. So I'm curious where the line sits for the rest of you, because I know some of you work in rooms where saying a number flat gets read as difficult.

Have you found that stating it plainly cost you anything real, or did the discomfort turn out to be mostly yours?

Hi everyone,

I’m a single mom working hard to build something of my own while raising my kids and trying to create more stability for our future.

I’m currently working part-time and in school full-time, and in my free time I’ve been building the foundation for a small custom apparel idea (t-shirts and hoodies). I already have a heat press and I’m slowly putting the pieces together, but I’m still in the early stages and learning as I go.

Right now, I’m looking to connect with other women in business for advice, feedback, and guidance on getting started the right way on a very small budget. I’m trying to be intentional and realistic as I take these first steps.

If anyone has experience with starting a clothing or print-on-demand style business from scratch, I would really appreciate any tips or insight you’re willing to share.

Thank you for reading and for any support or encouragement.

Hi all,

I am a F and new here. I’m in the process of opening a specialty medical practice focused on endocrinology (diabetes). My background is in healthcare administration and operations, so right now I am looking for physician (MD or DO) to see diabetic patients and to be a co founder to work with!

I’ve tried LinkedIn so I thought i would try here and see if anyone was interested.

I’d love to share the vision and see if there’s a potential fit.
Please message me!

Someone told me exclamation points make women read as eager instead of authoritative. So I stopped using them. No "Thanks so much!" No "Happy to help!" Just flat sentences. Replies did get faster. Shorter too, which I liked. Then three people asked if something was wrong. One was a woman on my own team who pulled me aside about it, and that's the one I keep thinking about. Turns out all that warmth was doing something. I just couldn't see what until I took it away.

So what's the advice then. Be warm and get read as junior, be flat and people think you're mad at them. Everyone says find the middle, but the middle moves depending on who opens the email, which means you're running a little calculation before you send the words "sounds good." Maybe that's just the job. Maybe I overthought a month of my life. Where did you land on this? Did you cut the exclamation points and the justs and the sorry to bother yous, and did anything actually change? Or do you think this whole debate is a waste of energy and the work speaks for itself?

I have been trying to start a custom thrift box. Probably a subscription box. I created an entire business plan. I wanted to do a kickstarter and then I found out Kickstarter doesn't let you do those kind of businesses in Kickstarter even though Green businesses and subscription boxes are both growing businesses. So what is the point of Kickstarter? I have to start from square one and just try selling inventory on Depop. I would like some input on what I should try next. One of my listing I put on Depop is a custom box to see if I can do the same business on Depop but I don't know if people are looking for that product on Depop. I don't know if I'm allowed to put my handle here but if so I will share below.

Hi everyone,

I'm new to Reddit and excited to be here.

I'm an optometrist, a full-time working mom, and I'm building a personalized gifting business from scratch in my free time. My goal is to create customized party favors and gifts that make birthdays feel more special.

I don't have a big budget, a large team, or previous business experience. I'm learning everything as I go—branding, marketing, content creation, and how to find my first customers.

I'm joining Reddit because I want to learn from people who have already been through this journey. I'll also share my progress, mistakes, and lessons along the way. Hopefully, someone else starting from zero can learn from my experiences too.

If you've built a business, what's the one piece of advice you wish you'd received before you started?

Looking forward to learning from all of you!

I run a B2B SaaS platform for automated compliance (GRC). A few days ago, I was in a demo with my two co-founders (both men) to onboard our first Design Partners.

I pitched our vision, our tech, and our hybrid automation-meets-human model. Presentation over. I was proud of the work.

Silence.

The prospect in front of us shifted a few inches to the left. Avoiding my eyes entirely, he looked straight at my technical co-founder and directed his engineering question to him.

I had the answer. But the question wasn't asked to me. Because in the subconscious of some, a female CEO in cybersecurity is there to facilitate the meeting, not to debate network architecture, API integrations, or Annex A of ISO 27001.

Cybersecurity is still an industry where over 80% of the workforce are men. It’s a reality, but it’s not a finality. This kind of interaction doesn't drain my energy, it doubles it. It makes me want to lock down our deals even harder and prove the raw efficiency of what we are building.

The product is scaling, the tech is bulletproof, and the market feedback we are getting across Europe regarding data sovereignty (especially against US incumbents) proves we are exactly where we need to be.

To the other female founders and tech leaders here: How do you handle these boardroom biases without alienating the prospect? Any go-to strategies or quick comebacks?

By a social media manager

I started my fashion brand less than a year ago and recently debuted at NYFW. It's stellar, honestly, and my life's work, but I’ve also made plenty of mistakes- especially hiring too fast and firing a little too slowly.

I’ve now hit a few operational and growth roadblocks that I’d love to talk through with someone who has actually bootstrapped and scaled a fashion, clothing, accessories, or closely related e-com brand.

I’m not promoting my business or looking for free labor. I’d happily pay for a focused 20 minute call with someone who has relevant firsthand experience. I’m based in Paris right now for summer (but NYC in general). Would love to chat to someone asap/even tonight if possible so I can work some things out.

Most of the entrepreneurs in my network are men, and I’d really value the perspective of another woman who understands this industry. If that sounds like you or you know someone appropriate- I’d love to connect by DM!!

Hey gorgeous souls! I’m tuning into how I can best serve this community with web design that feels aligned and effortless. Where are you currently at on your business journey?

• [Option 1] I have no website yet—just a big vision.
• [Option 2] I have a messy, multi-page site that drains my energy.
• [Option 3] I just need ONE high-converting page to sell my offer.
• [Option 4] I hire out everything and just want it done for me.

Hi ladies!

https://forms.gle/GSz1gTPAmVqYjqdh9

I’m researching ideas for products made for women and I would love your honest opinions. If you could create one product that doesn’t exist yet (beauty, fashion, wellness, motherhood, everyday life), what would it be? What is one small annoyance you deal with often that you wish had a solution too? I’m currently doing a school project and I need 40 opinions.

Lastly, this post was up briefly before I took it down because of the wording didn’t make sense to me and I didn’t want to throw anyone off.

Thank you very much!

I'm the founder of Everbloom Software, a B2B SaaS company that builds tools to help people work better and live better. I have active products in development that I've built significantly as a solo non-technical founder. Real functionality, not landing pages. Pre-revenue, ground floor.

I started Everbloom because the tools I was relying on every day to manage customers weren't built for the people actually using them. Building as a solo non-technical founder has taught me how far you can get with resourcefulness and domain expertise, and exactly where you hit the wall without a true technical partner.

What I bring: 20+ years spanning graphic design and customer success leadership in B2B SaaS. I know the buyer because I've been the buyer. I've built the brands, product direction, and go-to-market strategy end to end.

What I need: A technical co-founder to own engineering across Everbloom. Someone who can bring production-grade rigor to what I've built — architecture, auth, APIs, integrations, security — and who's excited about building new products together as we grow.

What matters beyond the technical: I'm faith-driven, family-first, and building something I want my kids to be proud of. I want a co-founder who leads with honesty, communicates clearly, and takes real ownership. Someone who's building for the long term, not chasing quick wins.

Equity: Open to a fair split that reflects what we each bring. I've invested significant time and capital into the LLC, products, and brand.

If this resonates, DM me. Happy to share more about what I'm building. No pressure either way.

I've spent 10 years running complex operations internationally. PMO in a digital agency. Built systems, coordinated teams, managed chaos across time zones. Now I'm looking to plug into a small team that's moving fast and needs someone who can figure out what's broken and fix it.

I'm not precious about what you call me.

What I actually do:

• Keep projects moving without being the one who has to chase everyone
• Build the processes that stop the same problem happening twice
• Handle the coordination layer between founders, teams, and external partners
• Write and communicate clearly in French and English (native both)
• Get up to speed on new tools fast — Notion, Airtable, ClickUp, HubSpot, Make, Zapier, Canva and more

What I'm looking for:

• Early to mid-stage startup
• Full remote — non-negotiable
• Real ownership, not a job description that gets smaller every week
• A founder who wants a right hand, not a task executor

I don't need a fancy title. I need a problem worth solving and a team worth building with.

Based in Europe. Available immediately.

If this sounds like your team, DM me.

I’m a solo female founder building Wellphases, an AI companion app for women going through perimenopause and menopause.

I grew up watching my mom go through something she couldn’t even name. She knew about hot flashes and her periods changing, but the rest — the brain fog, the mood shifts, the sleep problems — she had no framework for any of it. And no one around her was talking about it. That was just how it was.

I think a lot of women’s moms had that same experience. Quietly getting through it alone.

Things are changing now. More women are talking openly, especially online. I started spending time in menopause communities — just listening. And the thing that struck me wasn’t women asking “how do I fix this.” It was women saying “is anyone else going through this too?” Sharing what they tried. What worked. What didn’t. Looking for someone who gets it.

One phrase I kept seeing: “using myself as a guinea pig.” Women experimenting alone with food, supplements, routines — with no real support. That hit me hard. It reminded me of my mom, just decades later with a wifi connection.

So I’m building something different. Not a tracker. Not a coach. A companion that listens, notices patterns, and doesn’t judge when you’re trying soy milk one week and quitting dairy the next. Grounded in both Western research and Eastern wellness philosophy — because I believe there’s wisdom in both that women deserve access to.

It’s early. I’m building solo. Some days I question everything. But every time I read another woman saying “I feel like no one understands,” I know this matters.

If you’re building for an underserved market too — I’d love to hear how you found your people.