The Power of Amplifying Women’s Voices Through Productization

The Power of Amplifying Women’s Voices Through Productization

A remarkable transformation is underway in the business world—a new wave of leadership driven by visionary women founders who are building high-impact, high-growth enterprises. This shift doesn't just reshape industries; it redefines leadership itself. These leaders are breaking traditional molds by amplifying purpose, innovation, and scalability in their businesses.

Coco Sellman, host of the #WisdomOfWomen Show, has made it her mission to shine a light on these trailblazers. In her conversations with industry pioneers, she uncovers strategies, challenges, and successes that inspire other women founders to build meaningful, sustainable enterprises. One such guest, Eisha Armstrong, exemplifies this movement. As the Executive Chairman and Co-founder of Vecteris, Eisha's journey of productizing professional services is a testament to the powerful blend of purpose and strategy.

The Rise of Women Entrepreneurs

The landscape of entrepreneurship is rapidly evolving, with women at the forefront of this change. According to a report by Wells Fargo, women-owned businesses now represent 39.1% of all U.S. businesses, employing 12.2 million workers and generating $2.7 trillion in revenue[1]

This surge in female entrepreneurship is not just a trend but a powerful economic force.

Eisha Armstrong: A Visionary Leader

With more than 25 years of experience in product management and leadership, Eisha Armstrong has dedicated her career to helping service-based businesses scale sustainably.

Eisha is a passionate advocate for productization—the process of transforming bespoke services into standardized, scalable offerings. Her work at Vecteris highlights how aligning purpose with innovation can create profound business impact.

Eisha's entrepreneurial journey began with a clear vision. She sought not only to deliver scalable solutions but to foster a flexible, value-driven workplace. At Vecteris, she built a company culture rooted in adaptability, trust, and empowerment. This alignment of values and business goals has been instrumental in her company's success and serves as a model for women founders who aspire to lead with purpose.

The Productization Revolution

Scaling a service-based business often feels like an uphill battle, especially when growth is tied to the time and expertise of its founders. Productization offers a transformative solution. By standardizing services or creating tangible products, businesses can achieve scalability, higher margins, and greater revenue visibility.

Eisha's approach to productization is twofold:

  1. Tech-Enabled Standardization: This involves streamlining and packaging services to ensure consistent delivery. For example, a consulting firm might create templates, tools, or digital resources that automate repetitive processes.
  2. Product Creation: Beyond standardization, businesses can develop actual products—such as software, data services, or subscription-based offerings—that complement or replace their traditional services.

By adopting these strategies, businesses can diversify revenue streams, improve operational efficiency, and reduce dependency on their founders.

Why Productization Matters for Women Founders

Productization is not just a growth strategy—it's a way to future-proof businesses and create enduring value. For women founders, the benefits are especially profound:

  1. Scalability Beyond Time: Productization decouples growth from individual contributions, allowing businesses to scale without constant hiring or over-reliance on the founder's time. This opens up opportunities to reach broader markets with less operational strain.
  2. Enhanced Profitability: Standardized offerings often yield better margins and create predictable revenue streams. Subscription models, for instance, provide steady cash flow and increase business resilience.
  3. Increased Market Reach: Products such as online courses, software solutions, or membership-based models can extend a company's reach to global audiences, unlocking new markets without significant additional overhead.

This approach is particularly crucial for women entrepreneurs, who often face unique challenges in scaling their businesses. A study by the National Women's Business Council found that women-led firms grew by 16.7% in 7 years, outpacing male-owned businesses [6]. However, access to capital remains a significant hurdle, with women receiving only 1.9% of venture capital funding [7]

Productization can help overcome these barriers by creating more scalable and investable business models.

The Path to Productization

Eisha emphasizes that productization requires thoughtful planning and execution. Here are the key steps she recommends for businesses looking to begin this journey:

  • Identify Standardizable Services: Analyze your current offerings to pinpoint repetitive processes that can be packaged or automated.
  • Understand Customer Pain Points: Focus on developing solutions that address urgent, costly problems for your target audience. This ensures strong market demand for your productized services.
  • Leverage Technology: Invest in platforms and tools that facilitate scalable service delivery, such as customer management software, e-learning platforms, or automation tools.
  • Test and Validate Ideas: Engage customers early in the process to gather feedback and refine your offerings. This co-creation approach minimizes risks and enhances product-market fit.

Combining Purpose and Innovation

Eisha’s story underscores the power of aligning purpose with strategy. Her commitment to creating a value-driven workplace while delivering scalable solutions resonates with women founders who juggle multiple roles and responsibilities. By focusing on productization, these leaders can reclaim their time, expand their impact, and build sustainable businesses that thrive beyond their personal involvement.

As Coco notes, this new model of leadership—anchored in purpose and innovation—is redefining what it means to lead in today’s world. By amplifying these voices, we’re not just building successful businesses—we’re creating a ripple effect of prosperity and positive change that inspires future generations.

A Call to Action for Visionary Women

For women founders, the journey toward productization is more than a business decision—it's a step toward unlocking greater freedom, impact, and resilience. Whether you're seeking to scale your enterprise or create a lasting legacy, Eisha's insights provide a roadmap for turning vision into reality. By embracing this approach, you can lead your business into a future defined by purpose, growth, and enduring success.

As Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Meta, aptly put it: "We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women's voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored" [8]. Productization is a powerful tool that can amplify these voices and create lasting change in the business world.

The rise of women entrepreneurs is not just about individual success stories; it's about reshaping the entire business landscape. As more women like Eisha Armstrong lead the way in productization and scalable business models, they pave the path for future generations of women leaders. By embracing innovation, leveraging technology, and staying true to their purpose, women entrepreneurs are not just participating in the economy—they're actively shaping its future.

Watch or Listen to an Interview of Eisha Armstrong with Coco Sellman on the #WisdomOfWomen Show:

Sources:

  1. Wells Fargo report on women-owned businesses
  2. National Women's Business Council study on growth of women-led firms
  3. Data on venture capital funding for women-owned businesses
  4. Quote from Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Meta

Citations:

About the Author:

Coco Sellman believes business is a force for good, especially with visionary women at the helm. With over 25 years of entrepreneurial experience, she has launched five companies and guided over 500 startups. As Founder & CEO of A Force for Good, Coco supports purpose-driven women founders in unlocking exponential growth and prosperity. Her recent venture, Allumé Home Care, reached eight-figure revenues and seven-figure profits in just four years before a successful exit in 2024. A venture investor and advisor, Coco’s upcoming book, A Force for Good, reveals a roadmap for women to lead high-impact, high-growth companies. She is the host of #WisdomOfWomen Show and the Force for Good Business Show.  Coco partnered with ChatGPT and Perplexity to write this article.

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