International Women’s Day: Why I’m Choosing to Give What I Never Had
- Mar 8
- 5 min read
Today is International Women’s Day, and this year’s theme, Give to Gain, feels deeply personal to me.
Because if there is one thing I know for sure, it’s this: when women share knowledge, support one another, and stop gatekeeping the lessons they learned the hard way, powerful things happen.
And that is exactly where I’m at in this season of my business.
Most people know me as the founder of Flying Dress Aruba, the original flying dress photoshoot company here on the island of Aruba. What many people don’t see is everything that happened behind the scenes to build it.
The long days.
The trial and error.
The mistakes.
The money wasted.
The sabotage.
The lessons learned the hard way.
The moments I had to figure things out completely alone.
When I started, there was no roadmap.
No course.
No mentor.
No guide.
No behind-the-scenes playbook telling me how to build a flying dress business that actually worked.
I was winging it.
I had to test everything, from the logistics and the client experience to the branding, the pose flow, the dresses, the website, the booking system, the marketing, the messaging, the team dynamics, the customer journey, and all the little details that make or break a business like this.
Some things worked beautifully. Some things absolutely did not.
But every lesson taught me something.
And now, after years of building, refining, adapting, surviving, and growing, I’ve reached a point where I no longer want to keep all of that knowledge to myself.
Because truthfully, I know how much time, stress, confusion, and wasted energy it would have saved me if someone had simply said, “Here, this is what I’ve learned. Take what helps.”
So that is what I’m doing.
From Experience to Education
Through The Flying Dress Company, I’m building something much bigger than photoshoots.
I’m creating a growing library of resources designed to help other women build beautiful, aligned, profitable flying dress businesses of their own, without having to stumble through the dark the way I did.
That includes:
free resources for women who are just getting started
paid guides and ebooks packed with practical advice
a future online course for those who want structured support
in-person training and retreats in Aruba
hands-on education for photographers and teams
real-world guidance on the good, the bad, and the ugly of building a business in this niche
And this is only the beginning.
My vision is to not only teach here in Aruba, but eventually travel to other destinations around the world, working with flying dress business owners and teams in person, sharing the techniques, systems, standards, and mindset shifts I’ve learned through real experience.
Not theory.
Not fluff.
Not recycled advice from people who’ve never done it.
The real stuff.
The things that actually help you grow faster, serve your clients better, avoid unnecessary mistakes, and build a brand that feels elevated, professional, and genuinely empowering.
Why “Give to Gain” Matters
For me, Give to Gain is not about giving until you burn out. It is not about overdelivering for free forever. And it is definitely not about making yourself smaller so everyone else can shine.
It is about contribution with purpose.
It is about recognising that when one woman shares what she knows, another woman gets to move faster, dream bigger, and suffer less.
It is about mentorship.
Community.
Honesty.
Collaboration.
Pulling others up without fear that there won’t be enough success to go around.
I believe we gain so much when we choose to give from a genuine place.
We gain deeper purpose. We gain stronger communities. We gain trust. We gain impact. And sometimes, we gain the incredible privilege of watching another woman build something beautiful because we were brave enough to share what we knew.
That matters to me.
The Kind of Support I’m Building
As this side of the business grows, I want to create support that is practical, strategic, honest, and genuinely useful.
Not vague inspiration with no action steps. Not polished nonsense wrapped in pretty branding. Actual support that helps women move forward.
That might look like downloading a guide.
Joining the waitlist for a future course.
Coming to Aruba for in-person retreat training.
Booking a brand audit so I can review your business with honest feedback.
Working with me on your website, your booking flow, your customer journey, or your brand positioning.
Because sometimes the breakthrough is not more guessing. Sometimes it is having someone look at what you’ve built and tell you, kindly but clearly, what is working, what is not, and what needs fixing.
I know I would have loved that when I was starting out.
This Is Bigger Than Business
Yes, this is about business growth. Yes, it is about strategy. Yes, it is about helping women create something profitable and sustainable.
But it is also about freedom.
Confidence.
Ownership.
Independence.
Creativity.
And building something that gives women more choices in their lives.
That is why this means so much to me.
Because what started as me building one company has grown into something else entirely.
A mission.
A platform.
A body of knowledge I want to pass on.
A way of saying, “You do not have to figure it all out alone.”
If you are a woman with a dream, an idea, or a flying dress business you want to build properly, I want this space to become somewhere you can come for guidance, support, inspiration, and real tools that help.
An Invitation on International Women’s Day
So on International Women’s Day, this is my commitment:
To share more.
To teach more.
To tell the truth about what it really takes.
To create resources that genuinely help.
To open the door wider for the women coming behind me.
Because if I had to learn it the hard way, I’d rather let that lesson become someone else’s shortcut.
That, to me, is the true spirit of Give to Gain.
And if that speaks to you, I’d love to invite you to explore what I’m building.
📚 Browse the resource library.
⬇️ Download a guide.
📋 Join the waitlist for future courses and retreats.
🔍 Enquire about a brand audit.
🩷 Or simply follow along as this next chapter unfolds.
Because this is not just about creating beautiful images.
It is about helping more women build beautiful businesses and powerful lives.
With Love & gratitude,
Stacy
Ready to learn from the lessons I had to figure out the hard way?
Explore the growing library of free and paid resources, join the waitlist for upcoming courses and Aruba retreats, or enquire about a brand audit to get honest, strategic feedback on your flying dress business.
Comments