Influential Woman · Business

Alisha M. Pennington

Advisor | Growth & Exit Strategy, Pennington Perspective LLC

Phoenix, AZ

1Award received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's of Science in Athletic Training Degree Florida State University Degree 2009 Degree Master's of Science in Kinesiology Degree California State University Fullerton Degree 2011 Member Forbes Business Council

Her Story

About Alisha

I've been in business since 2012, giving me 14 years of experience in this industry. I'm the founder of Exette and currently serve as CEO of Advantage. My main area of expertise is scaling and supporting the female founder specifically in how to scale and exit her company. My most notable professional achievement thus far has been selling my company. I was inspired to enter this industry by a mentor who supported me and made suggestions for me to enter it, as well as seeing opportunity for myself and thinking that there's another way to do things. I'm a member of the Forbes Business Council and an Inc. 5000 recipient. Outside of work, I'm a mom to two small children, both girls, so being a mom and hanging out with them is important to me. I also enjoy reading and doing barre workouts.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Alisha

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to myself, honestly. I think introspection and doing the personal work has been crucial. Staying aligned is really important to me, and I've had to make hard decisions so that I can stay aligned with my values and goals. It's that combination of self-reflection, personal development, and being willing to make difficult choices that has driven my success.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

I don't think it was advice so much as it was permission to go out after what I wanted. That permission to pursue my goals and ambitions was the most valuable thing I received in my career.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would say start with the end in mind and build to ensure that you're not creating a new cage for yourself by becoming a business owner. It's important to think about where you want to end up from the very beginning, so you build your business in a way that gives you freedom rather than trapping you in another form of constraint.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

I think one of the biggest opportunities is for women to build their business differently so that they can have a successful exit. On the flip side, I think one of the biggest challenges is the social and cultural pressures that we as women face to stay in our own businesses forever, and not consider being able to exit or sell them. There's this expectation that we should hold onto our businesses indefinitely, which prevents many women from even thinking about exit strategies.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

Financial independence is definitely a core value of mine. I also deeply value integrity in how the work is done and how we show up and represent ourselves. These two values guide both my professional decisions and my personal life.

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