THE ELEVATION NETWORK | Empowering Women Resource

By INDIA YARBOROUGH | Photos by JOHN BURNS

Entrepreneur Danielle J. Martin is the Emerge graduate behind the coaching business, which she’s dubbed The Elevation Network.

According to Martin, The Elevation Network is all about empowering women to become better versions of themselves, so they can develop the confidence to turn thoughts into action. It’s a network where intentional community and meaningful connections help inspire excellence and provide accountability — and it has both in-person and online components that include annual events, digital courses, mentorship opportunities and more.

“I saw that there was a need in this community, and I really just felt so led to create a space for women to succeed,” Martin said. “Why do we think that we are so undeserving? You can hear the fear in the language of many of the women that I speak to. When I look at myself and I see my future best self, I see her thriving in all areas of life, and I just want the woman next to me to believe that same thing.”

In her final weeks of the Emerge program, Martin won her cohort’s pitch competition. That win, she said, came as a surprise but gave her the confidence and clarity she needed to keep pushing forward.

“I was honored and shocked, because I felt like everyone in the class was succeeding the entire time. Everyone had their niche and they were clear, they were moving,” Martin said. “I put a lot of effort in towards the end of the class because I felt like I was getting my clarity along the way. I was getting pieces to the puzzle.”

When it came to pitching, she added, one lesson stood out.

“People just want to know your ‘why,’” she said. “People just want to know what led you to this business, why are you doing it. When I started to change my mindset to ‘Hey, I’m doing this because I truly care about women and I truly care about seeing us succeed and excel beyond where we are and our positions,’ it made all of my fear kind of just leave. It felt like a good moment for me to be reminded that, ‘I can do this. I am more than capable.’”

That message is one she’s had to tell herself about many times over the years, and she’ll soon be driving the same point home for women seeking what her business has to offer.

For Martin, one of the biggest takeaways was that you must start somewhere. To “do it ugly,” she said, is better than never doing it at all.

“I had to let go of perfectionism,” Martin said. “Even when everything is not put together in the way that we want it to be, you have to get comfortable presenting your service or your product anyway. If you don’t talk about your business, who is going to know about it?”

Several pitch opportunities throughout the program helped Martin get more comfortable with being uncomfortable. She said the mix of coursework offered through Emerge — from hands-on business simulations led by facilitators to hearing from current small business owners about their own journeys — helped drive home many of the academy’s lessons.

“We had real-life experiences when it came to how are you going to negotiate your price, how do you operate with budgeting, how do you save your money,” Martin said. “We really focused on numbers throughout the whole process. I think from a business owner’s standpoint, you start out having this idea, but numbers are everything when it comes to your business. For me, I realized I was way undercharging for what I was trying to offer.”

When it comes to the cohort and its members, Martin says the group became really close over the course of about three months. They still communicate regularly through a Facebook group, sharing tips and know-how about getting their small businesses off the ground.

“We kind of keep each other updated with ‘Hey, I just finished this’ or ‘Hey, does anyone know how to get marketing or something done,’” Martin said. “The beauty of the class is it turned into a community to share resources and progress in our business. To see everyone succeeding in their own way and on their own path, just lets you know Emerge has significant information that any business owner or aspiring entrepreneur can learn from.”

Martin recognized that the 12 weeks in Emerge did not come to an end at graduation. “While the time went by fast, our business work is just getting started,” said Martin.

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