Support Does Not Equal Ownership

Can we talk about a pattern a lot of successful women know all too well… especially in male dominated industries.

There are certain men who love attaching themselves to talented women before the world catches on.

Not necessarily because they genuinely believe in them… but because they see potential success they can eventually attach themselves to.

The game usually goes something like this:

Offers “guidance”
Positions themselves as a mentor
Stay close while you’re building

Make you feel like you need their validation or knowledge

Then the second you pop…

It becomes
“Yeah I helped build that.”
“I was there from the beginning.”
“I put her on.”
“She was nothing without me”

Meanwhile… you were putting in the work day in and day out long before anyone decided to stand next to the vision.

Support does not equal ownership.

And being in proximity to someone’s success doesn’t mean you get to rewrite the story later and insert yourself as the reason she made it.

Ladies… protect your story and beware of this type of person.

Not everyone helping you is helping because they believe in you.