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Meet Chanèle McFarlane, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Do Well Dress Well

Chanèle McFarlane is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Do Well Dress Well, a platform dedicated to bridging the gap between competence and confidence for millennial women. Through content, community and opportunities centered around personal branding, networking, style and professional development, her goal is for every woman to live confidently and remarkably. Chanèle also founded “Confidence Through Conferences,” an initiative to provide financial and emotional support for diverse, high-potential millennial women to attend conferences. By providing complimentary passes, covering travel costs and coordinating group trips, her dream is for more women to be able to strengthen their confidence, career and personal brand as they learn and network, especially with other like-minded women. Chanèle was named one of PR in Canada’s Top 30 Under 30 in 2015 and is one of the Top 100 Black Women to Watch in Canada.

 

 


 

 

My first job ever was… A cashier at Giant Tiger!

 

I decided to be an entrepreneur because… I felt as though I wasn’t living up to my true potential and I realized that the work that really lights me up can’t be done within a corporate environment. After hitting a few career roadblocks, I took it as a sign that it was time to take a chance on myself and walk into my purpose.

 

My proudest accomplishment is… Launching the Confidence Through Conferences initiative. I had been trying for a while to find a unique way to support women in my community that aligned with my business mission. I had been covering conferences and networking on the site and on social media for a while and noticed that there was always so much interest. I also noticed something else: financial barriers often stand in the way of women being able to attend. Within a few months, Confidence Through Conferences was born.

 

My boldest move to date was… Resigning from a stable 9-5 job to venture into the unpredictable world of full-time entrepreneurship. It continues to be the scariest thing I’ve ever done yet I don’t regret the decision one bit.

 

I surprise people when I tell them… I’m 26 years old. I’ve been told that I act wise beyond my years and people often believe that I’m much older than I am. Sometimes the response is positive and unfortunately, I’ve encountered negative reactions to my age especially those who believe I’ve managed to accomplish more than them at a “younger” age or convince themselves they don’t need to take me seriously or I’m not in a position to give advice because I’m “only 26”. After those experiences, I tried to avoid sharing my age publicly for a long time but I’m trying to get over that. I shouldn’t feel uncomfortable by my age. In fact, this is the first time in a really long time that I’ve openly shared my age like this and it feels pretty good!

 

My best advice to people starting a business is… Make sure you’re passionate about it. Being a business owner is not easy. The late nights and early mornings are not for everyone. The financial sacrifices are not for everyone. Being a business owner requires an extreme level of sacrifice and commitment and if you’re not passionate about it, you’ll become miserable very quickly. Is it the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing you think about when you go to sleep? When you’re working on your business, does it actually feel like work? Answering those questions are important because when things aren’t working out, you’re sleep-deprived and maybe the money isn’t rolling in as quickly as you anticipated, you’ll need that genuine passion and belief in your vision to sustain you. If not, as soon as you’re faced with the first hurdle, you’ll likely give up.

 

My best advice from a mentor was… I don’t have a mentor! But, I do have a number of wonderful people that I’m lucky to have received advice from over the years. Most recently, Cher Jones of Socially Active gave me some really timely advice: don’t overthink it. This was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment. Just try it and if it doesn’t work out, that’s ok. You move on to the next. It sounds so simple but for someone like me, it’s easier said than done.

 

I would tell my 20-year old self… That you’re capable of greatness. You just need to believe in yourself.

 

My biggest setback was… My self-esteem. I had a lot of confidence issues when I was younger that prevented me from stepping into my purpose for a long time. I had this vision of who I wanted to be but I kept convincing myself that it wasn’t possible.

 

I overcame it by… Taking baby steps towards becoming the woman I knew I was meant to be. It was not an overnight thing by any means but I took small actions each day to push myself out of my comfort zone. I still deal with imposter syndrome sometimes but I constantly remind myself that I deserve great opportunities just like anyone else.

 

Work/life balance is… Personally not something I’m trying to achieve anymore. I’ve found what I’m passionate about and I don’t want my life to be separate from my work because it brings me so much joy. My work has become my life and my life revolves around my work — and I’m happy with that! I live and breathe Do Well Dress Well but I still very much prioritize family time and self-care. I’ve found a “balance” that works for me.

 

If you googled me, you still wouldn’t know… That I have an extreme love for popcorn and it’s my favourite part of going to the movies. It runs in my family. We all eat popcorn regularly and my family alone probably keeps Kernels in business.

 

I stay inspired by… Attending a lot of conferences and networking events to hear from inspiring speakers, coworking at Make Lemonade to surround myself with my fellow female entrepreneurs, and I read a lot of books!

 

The future excites me because… Anything is possible! Becoming a full-time entrepreneur has given me a fresh perspective on life. I no longer see any limits on what I can achieve. I wake up every single morning (even on Mondays!) feeling super excited to get work done!

 

My next step is… Working on scaling Do Well Dress Well in a way that allows me to impact as many women as possible.