How One Easy Query Altered the Trajectory of This Entrepreneur’s Life

Heather Lowrey was working as VP of Expertise and Touring at Stay Nation City when a single query altered the course of her life.

“I used to be doing a panel, and somebody requested what I used to be doing to help girls in stay music — and I did not have a solution,” Lowrey remembers. “That query haunted me for months.”

Decided to make a difference, Lowrey based Femme It Ahead, a female-led music and leisure firm targeted on celebrating, educating and empowering girls, whereas offering them with a platform to share their voices each on and off stage.

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Femme It Ahead’s debut was a “multi-format sequence” of all-female live shows and occasions, that includes A-list headliners like Brandy, Monica, Teyana Taylor and Cardi B.

“I rapidly realized this was greater than only a sequence,” Lowrey says. “It was the beginning of a motion.”

Femme It Ahead rapidly advanced from a sequence to a full-fledged enterprise, however all the things modified when the pandemic hit. The nationwide lockdown spelled catastrophe for any stay occasions firm. However for Lowrey, it was a blessing in disguise.

“Now I can do all the things I’ve all the time needed to however by no means had time for,” she says.

First on her agenda was becoming a member of the wildly standard Verzuz sequence, created by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. Verzuz, a digital showdown between main hip-hop artists, turned a defining second of early COVID-19 tradition.

Lowrey, a fan of the battles, observed a evident hole: “They weren’t doing any girls’s battles.”

Decided to vary that, she reached out to Swizz’s supervisor and finally acquired on a name with the music mogul himself.

His response? “Present me what you bought.”

Lowrey rapidly secured a Verzuz battle between Jill Scott and Erykah Badu. Quickly after, followers have been handled to iconic face-offs like Brandy vs. Monica and Keyshia Cole vs. Ashanti — among the most-watched episodes of the sequence.

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Flip setbacks into springboards

Whereas Verzuz was a hit, Femme It Ahead confronted the problem of a halted stay programming business. Adaptation turned important for survival.

“I used to be pondering, what can I do proper now, once we cannot do stay occasions?” Lowrey shares.

She launched the Next Gen Femme Mentorship program, pairing business leaders with aspiring talent targeted on the enterprise facet of the music business. Later, she launched the MUSE mentorship program, supporting the artistic group, from songwriters to producers to artists.

“I began Subsequent Gen Femme as a result of I wanted I had a mentor after I was developing,” Lowrey says. “As girls rise within the business, it is essential to elevate up these following behind us.”

Femme It Ahead is constructed on three core pillars: mentorship, schooling and empowerment. These values are mirrored in initiatives like Subsequent Gen Femme and MUSE, the Give Her Flowers awards gala, and the Femme It Ahead Femmeland at Sea Cruise.

Picture credit score: Femme It Ahead

As if that weren’t sufficient, FIF produces music albums, manages stay occasions, and is dipping their toes into short-form documentaries and podcasts.

Regardless of the numerous initiatives, Lowrey explains how every a part of Femme It Ahead is interconnected, supporting each other to embody these core rules. The Give Her Flowers awards gala, for instance, serves as a platform to showcase rising artists like Doechii, connects girls within the business, and raises funds for initiatives like mentorship packages.

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Be the change you need to sea

Femme It Ahead’s newest initiative, the Femmeland at Sea Cruise, is considered one of its most formidable initiatives. Curated for ladies, the cruise affords stay performances from FIF artists Monica and Coco Jones, together with business panels, wine tastings, and salon journeys.

Although the dimensions may appear daunting, Lowrey had a clear vision from the beginning.

“I knew what I needed to see on the cruise already,” she says, describing her course of as inverted — beginning with the ultimate idea and dealing backward. “The simplest half for me is visualizing, strategizing, creating, and executing,” she explains. “I usually see all of it earlier than it exists, then work to convey that imaginative and prescient to life.”

Lowrey continues to be early in her journey with Femme It Ahead, however the positive feedback from her community is overwhelming.

“As a result of I give a lot and help girls in so some ways, I am now seeing that love return to me,” she says. “It feels wonderful.”

Regardless of the early success, Lowrey stays grounded, specializing in her final aim: constructing a robust, supportive group for ladies within the music business. “The most effective recommendation I give myself is an affirmation I repeat usually,” she shares. “Keep in mind who you’re and why you began.”