A day of celebrating women’s achievements -- and while we have a long way to go to achieve parity, I can’t help but consider how far we have come.

When my mom graduated from college in Korea in the 1960s, having graduated at the top of her class from a high-ranking college (majoring in Math, no less), one of the few jobs open to her was being a bank teller. To add insult to injury, she had to sign a contract when accepting the job that she would quit when she got married! Although she became a “housewife” after marriage and had two girls, she never stopped learning new things.

My most vivid memories of childhood is my mom showing us all the new things she learned in the many, many classes she took -- painting, calligraphy, piano, macrame, cake-making, floral design, batik-making, and on and on. After years of hobbies, my mom eventually became a real estate developer.  The fact that she knew nothing about real estate or construction didn’t bother her. She went out and bought a piece of land, gathered some people together and put up a 12-story building, a pink stucco overlooking a river (and aptly named Riverville). This building would turn out to be the first of many.

In a similar vein to my mom’s, I didn’t know anything about manufacturing, product development, retail, distribution, pricing and the many other things that go into running a viable business. But I forged ahead because I knew that there were others who knew more who could help me, and because I had the support and belief of my friends and family.

I know there are a lot of women out there with product ideas or just dreams they want to achieve.  And I know a great number of these women are hesitant to take the first step in making their dreams a reality because they don’t know the first thing about how to do it (or more likely, they don’t THINK they know enough).

It won’t cost you a penny. For International Women’s Day, if you know someone who keeps on talking about “this idea” she has, take a minute to take her seriously, listen (REALLY listen) and say, “Why not you?” You don’t have to know how to help her get her idea off the ground to help her. You just have to prevent her idea from evaporating into the ether, unfulfilled. You never know if your friend will end up inventing a product that saves lives like these three women did.