Starting and running your own business is not an easy endeavor. If you are a woman, then starting and running your own business can be even more challenging just because of your gender. For example, in a survey done by Thumbtack, 38% of female entrepreneurs answered that “they had felt like their professional authority or expertise was questioned because of their gender (five times the rate of men)…”.
This is just one example that demonstrates the difficulties that women entrepreneurs can face. If you are a woman and you are thinking about starting your own business, then you will probably face many challenges. Here is some advice that will hopefully help you in your journey of starting and running your business.
Failure May Happen, and That’s Ok
A lot of people have a fear of not being good enough, as well as worries that what they want to do will not work out. It is not uncommon to have these fears, but you cannot let them stop you. Many business people, even ones that are well known, have probably failed at least once or even more in their lifetime. You have to accept that failing is a possibility and that if it does happen, then it is ok. It probably won’t feel great, but you’ve probably heard so many people say that you can learn from your failures, so this is what you are going to have to do if it happens. You will have to accept that you failed, learn from it, and then keep going. By making a plan so you know what you can do if failure does happen to you, then perhaps it will make you less afraid of failing because you know that if it does happen, you will be able to figure out what to do about it.
Funding
When you are starting a business having money to use to start is an important aspect. The amount of money that you will need for starting and running your business will depend on the type of business that you are creating. There are different ways to fund your business from using your own money to getting a bank loan. You can also get money from companies that give money to entrepreneurs. Being a female entrepreneur can make securing funding for a business more difficult, but you do have options.
For example, if you are considering starting a company that has to do with transportation, you could look into trucking small business loans. Even though it can be more challenging to get funding as a woman, something such a crowdfunding campaign could be an excellent way to go. You can also try looking for other women who can help with your funding and also make sure that you have a good team and business plan for when you are pitching to potential investors.
It’s Ok to Ask For Help
Does asking for help make you scared? Do you think that you should be able to do everything all by yourself? Being afraid to ask for help is probably something that a lot of people feel, but you can’t let this stop you from asking for help. Telling yourself that you have to do everything by yourself is a lot of pressure. Remember that everyone needs support and guidance and that by asking for it, you are showing that you know that getting help can make your business better. So, if it is time to ask for advice because you need help with taking the next step in your business or if it is time to hire someone else to do the social media for your company, do not be afraid. Go and find the help you need to succeed.
Never Stop Learning
The thing about life is that you can never know everything. If you want to be good at something, then it is important to continue to learn more about that topic. There is always more to know, and change can happen quite quickly, so if you want to stay on top of trends or important things that are happening in the industry that your business is in, then you will have to keep learning all that you can as you go. If you want to keep learning, it can be helpful to look at blogs, listen to podcasts, or read books. There are also online courses that you could take to learn or improve upon your skills. Continuing to learn things can be an extremely beneficial thing to do for yourself and your business.
Empowerment
If you are a female entrepreneur, it is important to make sure you feel confident and empowered. To do this, first, you have to make sure that you are confident in yourself. For example, if you want to help build confidence in yourself, it may help you to recite affirmations each day or find some other way that helps you build your confidence.
To feel empowered, it may help to look for inspiration from other female entrepreneurs. You could listen to podcasts that other female entrepreneurs have created or read books. Perhaps you can even try and find an online or in-person group that you can join where you can get inspiration and support.
Of course, you can also help provide empowerment for other women as well by having meaningful conversations in the groups that you are a part of and helping other women entrepreneurs if they have questions or need advice. Maybe once you have been an entrepreneur for a while and are feeling more confident, you will decide to write a book or start a podcast so that you can help other women feel confident and empowered to work toward their dream of having their own business.
Being a female and starting your own business can come with many challenges. Hopefully, the advice above can help guide you along your journey of owning and running your business. If you need more advice about business or tips for keeping everything under control for your business, then you can find resources online that can help you with this. Just remember to stay confident and never give up.
