Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 10

13 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 10 Charlene Brophy, President & CEO of Fonemed, St. John’s, Newfoundland “I would say, not to get so caught up in whether you’re making the right decision or the fear of failing. Because there’s not one business owner or entrepreneur out there who has not failed. And it’s ok… every time you fall down you learn a lesson and you become stronger and more resilient as you build yourself back up. A lot of young entrepreneurs that I talk to, or even start- ups that are middle-aged – and I find even older individuals are getting into this now as well – I tell them not to be afraid to fail and not to be afraid to reach out for help. “As women entrepreneurs, in particular, we try to do too much ourselves and are afraid if we ask for help or advice that it’s a show of weakness in some way. And that’s not the case at all. We need to get that message out there that if there’s somebody in your community or somebody in the country that you’re connected with, you should reach out and ask, “Can I just pick your brain on an idea?” I’ve had some great, supportive mentors over the years and I’ve learned so much. I’m still to this day so proud when someone reaches out to me to run an idea by me. I wish I’d had the guts early on to do that instead of trying to learn it all myself and being afraid to ask” Power Question Business View asked a handful of executives, “What piece of advice would you give a person just starting out in a new career today?”