Emily Steele trusted her way to CEO of thriving startup, Hummingbirds, by designing her own path. Here's how she did It.
In a recent interview with WorkWise, Emily Steele, co-founder and CEO of Hummingbirds, shared her journey from a small town in Iowa to leading a successful tech startup.
Her story is one of trusting intuition, embracing curiosity, and designing a unique path to success.
Growing up in Pella, Iowa, a town of about 10,000 people, Emily felt the constraints of small-town expectations.
"It didn't feel highly creative," Emily reflected. "It was very much like, 'Here's the playbook of life. Play by the rules.'"
However, Emily always felt drawn to creativity and doing things differently.
A pivotal moment came during her senior year of college when she read "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years."
The book prompted Emily to question the impact of her life choices. "What makes a life worth living and worth sharing about?
I want to do that," Emily realized.
This epiphany led her to make a bold decision: biking across America with a group of strangers to raise money for clean water projects in Kenya.
This experience proved transformative.
Spending hours alone with her thoughts each day, Emily gained clarity about herself and her aspirations.
"When you're with yourself that long, you get to know yourself," she explained.
"I don't think, our culture, living in America, really celebrates that sacred alone time and what bubbles up when you get that space."
Today, Emily leads Hummingbird, a company that matches brands with local content creators to promote local businesses and experiences.
When asked about advice she'd give her younger self, Emily emphasized this theme:
"Trust yourself. Trust your curiosities. They're curious for a reason. Trust that gut feeling you have about a person, a thing, a moment."
Emily's approach to life and business is summed up in her philosophy: "It's your world. It's your party. You get to design every part of it. So design it how you want."
This mindset has driven her to create a company that not only succeeds financially but also aligns with her values of community building and local economic development.
Emily’s experience serves as an inspiration for us to trust ourselves and craft our unique paths to success.