Serena’s Next Serve by Sylvia Obell

Serena’s Next Serve,The tennis superstar has had an unparalleled career, but she still has more to bring to her court by Sylvia Obell

Recommendation

Tennis champion Serena Williams pursues other passionate interests off the tennis court. In addition to her clothing and jewelry lines, she has created an investment firm, Serena Ventures. The firm’s goal is to invest in under-supported entrepreneurs. Reporting in Business Insider UK, journalist Sylvia Obell explores how Williams’ discipline and belief in herself enable her to embrace this new mission. About half of her firm’s investments have gone to female and/or Black entrepreneurs. Telling Williams she can’t do something only increases her motivation, so the naysayers who doubt her ability to provide funding for diverse entrepreneurs will soon discover the depth of Williams’ drive, ambition and commitment.

Take-Aways

• Serena Williams takes a disciplined approach to balancing her needs with her family’s needs.
• Williams moved into venture capital to address the lack of investment funding available to women and people of color.

Summary

Serena Williams takes a disciplined approach to balancing her needs with her family’s needs.

Unlike many others celebrities at her level, Serena Williams arrived on time for a photo shoot, even before her entire hair and makeup team appeared. Such discipline fuels her success as a tennis player, parent, business owner and film producer.  King Richard, which she and her sister Venus Williams produced with Will Smith starring as their father, won several major awards.

Serena Williams now is shifting into a new arena as she works to balance her professional life, the needs of her four-year-old daughter and her own personal and professional concerns.

Williams, who won her first Grand Slam in 1999, is now 40 years old. An injury has kept her out of recent tournaments, but her life remains overflowing. Williams’ record-breaking athletic career, energy, dedication and intelligence have made her an icon.

“Williams has become the antidote to the notion that Black girls needed to be meek or submissive to succeed.”

Williams learned long ago that she had to stand by her own decisions even though some people wouldn’t agree with her. To triumph despite covert — and overt – racism, Williams expects to encounter and bypass many people who don’t see things her way.

Williams moved into venture capital to address the lack of investment funding available to women and people of color.

Williams’ newest effort in venture capital investing reflects this attitude. In the early 2000s, She learned that less than 2% of venture capital funding goes to women and only 1% to people of color. She decided to address that imbalance by launching Serena Ventures, an investment firm that raised $111 million in its first phase of funding.

“The only way that people can get funding is if people like me, women and people of color, are actually writing the checks.” (Serena Williams)

The company has assembled a diverse team that makes the decisions about who receives funding, with the goal of investing in profitable ventures. Williams is avoiding the old boys’ club attitude she found in tennis and in typical venture funding. Women run 53% of the companies Serena Ventures has funded, and people of color head up 47% of them.

She says that the more people there are who doubt her ability to make a difference in this specialized arena, the more she focuses on succeeding. She understands that naysayers only fuel her intensity, just as the support of her family and friends buoys her strength. For example, her older sister, Isha Price, can accurately read her mood from the tone of Williams’ voice when she calls. Williams and her friend Ciara, the R&B singer, create a space to be their authentic selves without the baggage of their work. Ciara notes that on court or off, Williams brings “passion and enthusiasm” to whatever she attempts.

As it turns out, Williams manifests the same energy and focus whether she’s getting groceries, playing tennis in Paris or attending the Academy Awards. As Williams’ business ventures grow, she recognizes that she also will be able to achieve more in Hollywood. The narrative of King Richard ends as Venus Williams finishes her initial professional tournament. In Williams’ mind, this ending sets up future sequels.

“A lifetime disrupter, Williams has mastered the art of turning doubt into a source of energy.”

Williams loves Marvel films, but one crucial difference between her and the movies’ cartoon heroes is that Williams’ superpower of overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds is real. So is her ability to stake out a goal and achieve it. As Williams looks for new approaches to business and to balancing her work and her home life, she hopes to empower underserved entrepreneurs to reach their own heights.

About the Author

Entertainment reporter Sylvia Obell writes about celebrities, hosts podcasts and provides on-camera commentaries.