Hi {{first_name}},

We’re the founders of Female x Finance, but before any of that, we’re two best friends who decided five years ago that we wanted to change the way women experience the world of Finance.

And with our fifth anniversary coming up, we’ve been thinking a lot about those five years. What we’ve built, what we’ve learned and, apparently, how much people still love to underestimate women.

Last week, we were invited to the Hockey World Cup. During the match, Leo ended up talking to a guy in private equity. The conversation naturally landed on one of our favourite subjects: women and Finance. Leo told him about Female x Finance. His response?

“So, is this your full-time job? Or do you do something else on the side?”

When we talked about it afterwards, we laughed. Because Mel immediately knew the feeling.

Years earlier, as a student, she was selected from hundreds of applicants for the London Banking Tour. Thirty students from the Netherlands got to spend a week visiting Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and all the other big names.

30 students. 25 men. 5 women. Mel was one of the five.

And one of the guys made sure she knew what he thought about that: “You probably only got picked because you're a girl. Your résumé isn't that impressive.”

Different years. Different men. Different moments in our careers. Exactly the same assumption.

For Mel: you’re here because you’re a woman.

For Leo: surely this company isn’t your actual career.

And the funny thing is, sometimes those comments can get to you.

So years later, when we started Female x Finance, we made a decision. We weren't going to make ourselves smaller just because other people didn't immediately understand the ambition behind what we were building.

This was never a side project.

From day one, we built Female x Finance as a business. We launched in English because we knew it had to be global, not local. We thought about revenue streams before follower counts. We didn't leave careers in Finance to make no money. We left to build something bigger.

Maybe that’s what we’re calling the Elle Woods Effect: when someone has already decided what you're capable of before you've even had the chance to show them.

So underestimate us.

Assume we got the opportunity because we're women. Call it a passion project. Think we're less ambitious than we are. We're here to build badass careers, make actual money, create actual impact and pull other women up while we climb.

Female x Finance is turning five (!!!!!) and we have a lot to talk about.

For five years, we’ve watched the ambitious women in our community change careers, ask for more, open doors for each other and challenge what ambition is supposed to look like.

And one thing has become very clear: the old rules of ambition no longer fit. Many of them weren’t written with women in mind in the first place. So instead of continuing to play by them, we want to write new ones.

Not for you. With you.

That’s why we’re asking our community what ambition, work and success actually look like today. Your answers will become part of The New Rules of Ambition: our new report showing employers and brands what ambitious women actually want, not what they assume we want.

Because this anniversary isn't just about five years of Female x Finance.

It's about five years of rewriting the rules together.

P.s. Help us by sharing the link with your friends and colleagues, so we can gather as many women’s voice as possible.

One of our pillars at FxF has always been building wealth. Because ambition isn't only about earning more, it's about knowing what to do with it.

And if there’s anyone who knows how to make investing feel simple, approachable and actually doable for women, it’s our friends at Friends That Invest.

Curious what your investments could look like in 10, 20 or even 30 years? Friends That Invest are sharing their free Investment Growth Calculator, designed to help you see what your investments could grow to over time and how much of a difference consistency and compounding can make.

We have shared with all of our friends, so naturally we had to share with you as well!

Being intentional about your career means asking the questions that move you forward. That's why we're answering the questions you might not feel comfortable asking anyone else. Always anonymously, always with practical advice you can use.

Got a question you'd never ask out loud? Career, salary, office politics, money, send it in. Always anonymous.

We are going to bring our top obsessions every month from the women in our community and our team.

What about you? What are you wearing, using or reading that you’d love to share with us? We’re curious to hear!

Until next time,

FxF Team