Engage with what scares you — it’ll grow your business

investmentnews.com:

Sheryl Hickerson believes so strongly in the power of networking that she decided to build her own community of women in financial services. Hickerson serves as CEO of Females and Finance, but she stumbled upon her career in financial services quite by accident. 

“Believe it or not, I faxed my resume to the wrong number,” she recalled. “A financial services company called and said, ‘I think you’re looking for something else — but we’re hiring.’ That was my start.”

Females and Finance, a private membership online portal where financial services professionals can share valuable insights, has gained nearly 5,000 members in less than two years in operation. Hickerson’s growth mindset comes from being naturally inquisitive and boldly engaging with new opportunities.

Hickerson staunchly supports conferences such as the InvestmentNews Women to Watch Summit, where she will be a judge this year, and finds such forums essential to connecting with other women who can offer the latest ideas in practice management.

Nominations are now closed but a full rundown of the Women to Watch Awards can be found here. To register for the event, click on this link.

At one conference she spoke at in the past, Hickerson recalled, “I was at an event with 300 advisors. As I was standing behind the lectern and I looked out, I only saw four women. I thought, how can there be 300 people and only four women here?

“I don’t remember seeing a single person of color, and we’re in San Antonio, so that just seemed very odd to me,” she added.

After a male speaker made a sexist joke, Hickerson emphatically pointed out that she manages the money in her household. “I remembered walking down and thinking, ‘I’m going to change everything.’”

This experience led