This is this week’s ForbesWomen newsletter, which every Thursday brings news about the world’s top female entrepreneurs, leaders and investors straight to your inbox. Click here to get on the newsletter list!
Sunday’s Super Bowl will bring a re-match between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, and so I want to begin this week’s newsletter highlighting an essay from the woman who launched the NFL’s website and the first online livestream of a Super Bowl (in 1995!). That woman is Ann Kirschner, and while she normally contributes to Forbes about education issues, this week she provided a fascinating peek into her time at the NFL.
“With a Ph.D. in English Literature and a career spanning media startups and satellite TV, I was the obvious choice to work at the NFL,” she writes. “That’s obvious in the same way that letting Andy Reid design your wedding dress would be obvious.”
Kirschner admits there was a good degree of culture shock at first, but, “What followed were five years of lessons in how being the ultimate outsider could actually be a secret weapon. When you don’t view something as sacred, you’re more likely to spot opportunities for growth and innovation. You also discover that intelligence comes wrapped in unexpected packages.”
Cheers to that!
Maggie
Featured Forbes Investigation: Lawsuit Claims Proctor & Gamble’s Menopause Test Kit Is A “Fraud”
Two California women are suing Procter and Gamble, alleging that it “exploits mid-life women by selling them useless Menopause Tests.” Procter and Gamble’s “Menopause Stage Indicator” is a urine-based test similar to a pregnancy test stick, and is sold under the Clearblue brand for $30 at mainstream retailers like CVS. But medical professionals who spoke to Forbes said there’s only one definitive way to determine whether someone is menopausal – a full 12 months without experiencing a menstrual period. (Procter and Gamble did not respond to Forbes’ repeated requests for comment. The company has also not yet formally answered in court to the lawsuit.)
ICYMI: News Of The Week
Sunday night’s Grammy awards brought a bevy of notable “firsts” for female artists, including Beyoncé’s first-ever Album of the Year award. Earlier in the evening, the superstar became the first Black woman to win the Grammy for Best Country Album, too, for Cowboy Carter.
Rapper Doechii also made history Sunday night, becoming just the third woman ever to win a Best Rap Album Grammy. “I know there is some Black girl out there [watching,] and I want to tell you that you can do it. Anything is possible. Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes onto you. You are exactly who you need to be… I am a testimony to that,” Doechii said during her acceptance speech.
During her initial stint in the White House, First Lady Melania Trump showed little interest in profiting from politics. This time, she arrives with a business plan, and Forbes senior editor Dan Alexander has an exclusive analysis of the details.
President Trump’s sweeping tariffs on imports from China went into effect after midnight on Tuesday—triggering retaliatory levies by Beijing that some fear could escalate into a trade war—even as the proposed tariffs against Canada and Mexico were both put on pause for 30 days. Monica Gorman, a managing director at Crowell Global Advisors and former Special Assistant to the President for Manufacturing & Industrial Policy, joined ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath for an interview Wednesday to talk about what these could mean for the bottom lines of America’s small businesses and families.
The Checklist
1. Understand how new IRS rules around 1099-K forms affect small businesses. Late last year, the Internal Revenue Service announced a phased rollout of reporting requirements for businesses that receive at least some of their income through third-party payment apps. If you are a small business owner who receives money for goods and/or services through Venmo, PayPal, eBay, Etsy, or other third-party apps, you may be receiving a 1099-K form and there are some things you should know.
2. Get clear on your *most* important work. The pace of the news cycle can create a sense of overwhelm that clouds our judgment and makes it difficult to make decisions about everything, including how to navigate careers. Here’s how to discern the work that is ours to do from the distractions, obligations, and borrowed ambitions that pull us off course.
3. Keep moving forward on your diversity, equity and inclusion goals. One in five employees now view DEI efforts as ‘a bad thing’, according to a new report by Pew Research Center. Yet while this growing number of employees might question the value of DEI initiatives, companies don’t need to win everyone over. In fact, by overly investing in trying to convince the most resistant employees, companies miss engaging the majority of employees who still support DEI.
The Quiz
A pair of actors will reprise their roles from an iconic romantic comedy in a Super Bowl ad this weekend promoting Hellman’s mayonnaise. What movie, which is also celebrating its 35th anniversary, inspired the ad?
- Pretty Woman
- When Harry Met Sally
- Sleepless in Seattle
- Runaway Bride
Check your answer.