Mastermind: From Stuck to Start - Your First Step into Self-Employment

Are you a mid- or senior-level professional feeling stuck in your career?

Do you have a business idea and an itch to try it out?

Join me for this 3-week mastermind. Explore entrepreneurship as a way to break free from your career deadlock and create the space to realise your full potential.

This is your chance to gain clarity, build confidence, and make tangible progress toward your next big step.

Find a path to the new YOU in the new year.

Dates: December 10-17-23, 2024.

Is this for you?

This mastermind is ideal for you if:

  • You’ve hit a career plateau and feel limited in your growth or impact.

  • You are curious about entrepreneurship but unsure if it’s the right path—or how to start freelancing, a side hustle or a company.

  • You have a business idea (or several ideas!) but don’t know how to validate or develop it.

  • You feel overwhelmed with content and need practical guidance.

  • You’re unsure if you have what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur but want to find out.

Explore entrepreneurship
as a way out of your career deadlock

What you will achieve:

By the end of this program, you will:

  • Overcome the blockages holding you back from starting.

  • Gain clarity and confidence in your business idea.

  • Develop a plan for your first steps as an entrepreneur.

  • Build connections and exchange insights with a group of like-minded professionals.

How it works

Format:

  • 3 weekly sessions: Small group of up to 6 participants, 1 hour each. All calls are recorded.

  • Practical and interactive: Each session includes exercises with fellow participants to move you forward.

  • Ongoing support: Dedicated WhatsApp group for accountability and progress.

  • Workload: 2,5 hours per week (1,5-hour call + ideally 1 hour of homework). Even if you cannot complete homework, you will take a lot from live sessions.

Schedule:

  • Dates: Dec 10 (Tuesday), Dec 17 (Tuesday), and Dec 23 (Monday),

  • Time: 14:00-15:30 CET / 10:00 - 11:30 BRT / 8:00 - 09:30 EST

Location: Online

Participation Fee: Late bird - 355 EUR.

  • Clarity & confidence: Move from indecision to action with clear steps forward.

  • Practical tools: Frameworks and exercises to validate your ideas and make real progress.

  • Supportive community: Connect with women on the same journey who understand your challenges and aspirations.

  • Tailored support and personalised feedback

  • A path to action: A roadmap for the next 1-3 months plan to take your first steps toward entrepreneurship or abandon this idea and switch to other options.

  • New perspective and possibly, a major life change in the new year and new horizons. Maybe… a new you.

What you’re getting

Your guide

Hi, I am Darya Kamkalova, Founder of Venturing Women. I am an entrepreneur, angel investor, podcast host, speaker, and community builder.

After 14 years in the corporate world, I hit my glass concrete ceiling and quit my job at an multinational corporation. I had spent a more than a decade working in a confluence of two-male dominated industries: data and automotive.

I got tired of working my butt off across 19 time zones, getting pats on the shoulder. praise, stellar annual reviews but no space for growth. I got tired of collecting approvals for my ideas from managers across 2-4 hierarchy levels.

To figure out my path, I experimented with freelancing, launched a podcast, considered building a fintech, and explored opportunities to build my own venture fund to back female founders.

I became a digital nomad and have lived in 4 new countries across three continents.

Venturing Women evolved into a platform helping more women become self-employed and realise their full potential. My own transition from employee to entrepreneur came with a huge mindset shift and has been an exciting yet testing journey. I am here to guide you on yours, whenever you are ready.

Testimonials

  • I attended the Venturing Women Lab, an incubator for first-time women founders. The program's focus on network, idea validation and scalability have been key for my development. The candid feedback gave me the knowledge and clarity to build my startup based on strong pillars.

    Marie Roels
    Architect & Startup Founder

  • Darya is a sharp mind with a kind heart and exhilarating presence. Every interaction with her led me to insights and actions that helped a lot during the early phase of my venture.

    Karin Garcia Moreno
    Founder

  • Your community was the first I found as a founder, and I will always be a Venturing Woman because of you, Darya. Thank you!

    Zaahirah Adam
    Founder at hati

  • By far the best community for founders I've been a part of!

    No matter what issue I have, there's someone in the Venturing Women community who's been there and is willing to support. And that's priceless 💜

    Irina Alexandra
    Founder at Brightroom

  • An absolute game-changer for me

    The Venturing Women community is my go-to hub for all things startup related connecting me with innovative entrepreneurs, seasoned business angels, industry experts and events.

    Noemi Alvarez
    CEO & Co-Founder at InsightSphere

Get Unstuck

The first step toward something new is often the hardest. With From Stuck to Start, you’ll have the guidance, tools, and support you need to turn your career deadlock into an entrepreneurial breakthrough.

Secure your spot today. The mastermind group is limited to 6 participants.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The programme is designed for mid- and senior career women of different backgrounds who got stuck in their career and consider self-employment as their next step. You should have a business idea or perhaps various ideas you cannot choose from. If you feel you have hit a glass ceiling and realised you will not reach you full potential as an employee, this programme is ideal for you. This is the story of our founder, Darya, and she has an intimate understanding of challenges you are facing.

    If you are currently pursuing MBA or EMBA studies and are reflecting if you should return to employment or build your own business, we encourage you to join us.

    Fresh graduates with no professional experiences may not benefit from this programme as much as more seasoned professionals.

  • If you put in the time and effort required, you will have evaluated not only your business idea but also yourself in a role of a founder to conclude if this is the right path for you. Even if by the end you choose to shelve the plan to build your own business and instead stick to your corporate career, you will have made an informed decision. You will stop wasting time and energy on these back-and-forth contemplations, ‘Is this the right thing to do? Should I pursue this idea?’ Such pondering saps a lot of our energy. You will be able to claim it back and get peace of mind.

  • The program requires participation of live sessions (which will be also available as recordings), work on assignments and community interaction throughout the 10 week duration. If you cannot attend more than one session, the value for you will be very limited.

    It is important to consider that you cannot build a business only by watching webinars and you get out what you put into the programme. This is why we offer some homework (around 1 hour per week or more if you want to go further).

    Treat as an investment of time, effort and energy and discipline as each entrepreneur has to invest resources to build up their business.

    We anticipate the following minimum commitment to achieve programme goals as

    - 1 hour live session once a week, 3 sessions in total

    - 1 hour of work outside of live sessions each week

    - optional: interacting with the group on WhatsApp.

    Total - at least 2 hours of work a week

  • This is a structured programme with live group calls, assignments, elements of accountability, community of aspiring entrepreneurs providing support designed to keep you on track to build a plan and a plan to transition to entrepreneur.

    Self-paced learning programmes allow more flexibility yet require substantially more discipline, long-term motivation and good judgement on what to work on when and how.

    A structured programme like this on the contrary keeps you laser-focused and accountable. Also, as all participants are on the same learning curve, you can tap into peer support and bond with them.

    Since this is a relatively short programme, you will be able to get tangible results in just 3 weeks. With self-paced learning experiences, you may take months and years to move ahead.

  • Yes, you are more than welcome to join and you do not need a technical background to join.

  • The content of the programme is location-independent. If your time zone allows you to join live sessions, please do join us!

    Dates:
    December 10 (Tue), December 17 (Tue), December 23 (Mon).

    Time:
    14:00-15:30 CET / 10:00 - 11:30 BRT / 8:00 - 09:30 EST

  • We will run other programs for those who do not have an idea just yet. Stay tuned!

  • As the program consists of only three live calls, we encourage live participation. If you need to skip more than one session, you may not derive the maximum value from the program. Calls will be available as recordings.

  • Dates:
    December 10 (Tuesday)
    December 17 (Tuesday)
    December 23 (Monday)

    Time:
    14:00-15:30 CET / 10:00 - 11:30 BRT / 8:00 - 09:30 EST

  • Click the REGISTER button

  • During each live session, we will be discussing findings and insights of the group members. Darya will offer her feedback on those.

  • 295 EUR

  • Unfortunately, you are too far ahead on your journey and this program is not a fit for you.

  • You will continue to have access to course materials and be a part of the community.

  • Yes, you can reach out to us through hello@venturingwomen.org to learn more about the program.