In an effort to motivate women to follow their dreams of becoming a small business owner, I feel the need to determine what the challenges are, as well as what practices assist women in achieving success. According to Stephen Morris from the SBA, “Year round the SBA works to improve our outreach and services for women entrepreneurs, and to identify opportunities to empower women entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses. As a part of this effort, we continue to counsel and train roughly 500,000 women through SBA’s extensive resource partner network, including our Women’s Business Centers.”
In the past, I recall speaking with a very successful male entrepreneur who confirmed that women have a much higher fear of failure than their male counterparts. I think of it as a double-sided sword. Business women who operate in feminine ways are often not seen as leaders. Although times have been changing for the better, women have had to take on a more masculine role to ensure their leadership is recognized properly…but if their mannerisms become too masculine, often times they are disliked. According to Forbes WomensMedia contributor Caroline Turner, “While women make up 46.6% of the Fortune 500 workforce and 51.4% of middle management, according to Catalyst, in these companies they represent only 14.1% of executive officers, 7.5% of the highest paid and only 4% of CEO’s.” In my opinion, this is the very reason I say “Go for it!”
Women need to lose the fear of failure and take a wholehearted leap into their deep seated dreams of being a successful business owner [themselves]! The title of CEO or President of your own company can be very motivating and profitable, which will drive momentum and creativity when building a successful business. The sense of accomplishment would be amazing in being able to create jobs in the community, help with economic health, and promote a higher standard of living. Ask yourself how satisfying would it be to wake up every day and be excited to put in the long hours needed to be a successful small business owner, and yet, loving every minute of it?
There are also many challenges women face when starting a business [of their own]: raising the necessary capital, identifying and gaining access to markets, and limited resources. To be successful, small business owners need to [take full advantage of the free] resources available to them. [The Small Business Administration website is an excellent place to start.]
Another way to do this is by using no-cost and low-cost social media platforms. They should be used diligently due to the fact that it helps to promote business. Small business owners can engage their audience and increase visibility by using sites such as Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Twitter, to name a few. Another tip would be [putting your website to better use] by adding an information registration form, so you can easily build a mailing list.
Yes, there will always be challenges. [We as women cannot let fear of failure be one of the biggest obstacles to our success.]
In the past, I recall speaking with a very successful male entrepreneur who confirmed that women have a much higher fear of failure than their male counterparts. I think of it as a double-sided sword. Business women who operate in feminine ways are often not seen as leaders. Although times have been changing for the better, women have had to take on a more masculine role to ensure their leadership is recognized properly…but if their mannerisms become too masculine, often times they are disliked. According to Forbes WomensMedia contributor Caroline Turner, “While women make up 46.6% of the Fortune 500 workforce and 51.4% of middle management, according to Catalyst, in these companies they represent only 14.1% of executive officers, 7.5% of the highest paid and only 4% of CEO’s.” In my opinion, this is the very reason I say “Go for it!”
Women need to lose the fear of failure and take a wholehearted leap into their deep seated dreams of being a successful business owner [themselves]! The title of CEO or President of your own company can be very motivating and profitable, which will drive momentum and creativity when building a successful business. The sense of accomplishment would be amazing in being able to create jobs in the community, help with economic health, and promote a higher standard of living. Ask yourself how satisfying would it be to wake up every day and be excited to put in the long hours needed to be a successful small business owner, and yet, loving every minute of it?
There are also many challenges women face when starting a business [of their own]: raising the necessary capital, identifying and gaining access to markets, and limited resources. To be successful, small business owners need to [take full advantage of the free] resources available to them. [The Small Business Administration website is an excellent place to start.]
Another way to do this is by using no-cost and low-cost social media platforms. They should be used diligently due to the fact that it helps to promote business. Small business owners can engage their audience and increase visibility by using sites such as Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Twitter, to name a few. Another tip would be [putting your website to better use] by adding an information registration form, so you can easily build a mailing list.
Yes, there will always be challenges. [We as women cannot let fear of failure be one of the biggest obstacles to our success.]
