Archive for Women Business Owners
Why I Chose to Become an Entrepreneur
Posted by: | CommentsPost by Veronica Eyenga, contributing Women On Business writer
People choose to become entrepreneurs for many reasons. For women, those reasons run the gamut and encompass everything from the need for more schedule flexibility to experiencing a glass ceiling.
In my case, I was unsatisfied working for someone else. I had a desire to be my own boss and lead my own company. I followed my dream, and today I am the President and CEO of a successful marketing and accounting firm outside of Baltimore, MD.
I know why I chose entrepreneurship, but I wanted to know why some of you did. Here’s what I learned from some of my fellow female entrepreneurs:
Ramona Russell, Uptown Liz: Ramona started her company, which promotes products from companies whose proceeds go to charity, after losing her sister, Liz, to breast cancer. Through her company, Uptown Liz, Ramona has been able to create a legacy for her sister and help others at the same time.
Sue Wilkowski, textSAT: Sue started textSAT after her daily SAT review texts to her own children were picked up by their friends. Today, Sue’s SAT tips are written by award-winning educators and sent out daily to streamline and supplement students’ SAT review processes.
Carrie McKean, Scarlet Threads: Carrie started Scarlet Threads in 2009 as a way to help impoverished Chinese families. The company’s core visions of Work, Dignity, and Beauty become a reality by allowing Scarlet Threads seamstresses to work from home, according to the needs of their families. By allowing seamstresses to work at their stated cost of labor and sharing a portion of the profits, Scarlet Threads benefits the communities as well.
Katie Goodman, GoodLife Eats: Katie began her food blog, GoodLife Eats, as a way to marry her two loves – food and family. Through her recipes, stories, and food photography, Katie found a much needed outlet for her kitchen creativity and more opportunities than she could have imagined possible. Today, Katie writes for Paula Deen Online and Craftzine.com while her own food blog serves as a supplemental source of income.
Eileen Parker, Cozy Calm: Eileen began her company, Cozy Calm, as an answer to her disability. After struggling in countless jobs, Eileen, who is autistic, decided to start her own business manufacturing and selling Cozy Calm weighted, hugging blankets. In the year and a half since the business opened, Cozy Calm has continued to grow and Eileen seems to have found her true joy.
These are just a few of the reasons why other women have become entrepreneurs. What about you? Why did you decide to take the leap? What convinced you that it was time to strike out on your own?
Tell us your story in the comments!
Challenges Facing Women in Business
Posted by: | CommentsPost by Veronica Eyenga, contributing Women On Business writer
Inevitably, all business owners will face challenges now and then. However, women business owners tend to face them a little more often than their male peers.
This does not mean that women business owners cannot be successful; statistics show that the success rate for women entrepreneurs is growing rapidly. It simply means that they’ve learned to overcome major challenges.
Some of the biggest challenges women entrepreneurs will face fall into three categories:
- Gender discrimination and stereotyping: Gender lines are clearly drawn during childhood and often extend into adulthood with constant messages that women do not belong in the corporate world.
- Dual career-family pressures: Many women start their own businesses so that they can spend more time with their families. For some, maintaining a work-life balance once a business takes off only adds to the pressure of owning and running their own business.
- Lack of equal opportunities: Despite the fact that women are slowly moving in to male-dominated industries, they still face immense challenges when it comes to things like securing financing and business success rates.
Thankfully, these challenges are not always detrimental to women-owned businesses. Because women are often naturally skilled at negotiating, delegating, and multi-tasking, they can fight through these challenges to success.
In addition to these inherent skills, women in business can choose to face challenges heard on in several ways as well:
- Create a strong network: Build a network of women entrepreneurs that you can trust. These relationships can be used to build a support system, share ideas, and build your businesses.
- Consider a woman-owned certification: A woman-owned certification can be your company’s gateway to federal contracting and the significant advantages that come along with securing government dollars.
- Stay positive, get involved: Stay up to date on current issues and trends in female entrepreneurship. Work with your fellow women entrepreneurs to overcome challenges and remain strong in the face of adversity.
Every business owner will face challenges now and again. As women business owners, we’re more likely to face challenges than others. However, if we’re prepared and know how to overcome these challenges, nothing can stop us from continued growth and success.
Resources For New Entrepreneurs
Posted by: | CommentsIf you have always thought about becoming an entrepreneur, or have recently started your own business, there are many resources you can use to help guide you. I have gathered together some of the sites that I visit and that I think are useful for those interested in taking the entrepreneurial route.
Do I have what it takes?
Some fun online tests to help you determine if you’ve got what it takes to make it as an entrepreneur. There are many more tests online, but here are some to get you started:
http://www.liraz.com/webquiz.htm
I’ve got what it takes – what now?
Sites to help you create your business plan and start your business.
http://www.bdc.ca/en/business_tools/business_plan/default.htm
http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/sme/create-plan/business-plans.html (or your local bank might have their own small business section)
http://www.ontario.ca/en/communities/entrepreneurs/index.htm?openNav=businesses
I’ve started my business – what’s next?
Some useful tips on how to grow your business, how to market your company, etc.
http://www.inc.com/growth-strategies
http://www.growingbusiness.co.uk/growth-strategies
Staying informed
Sites that will help keep you knowledgeable about entrepreneurship and other fun facts.
http://www.successmagazine.com/
http://www.forbes.com/forbeswoman/
Now that I’ve provided you with some links, you should be able to browse and visit sites everyday that will help motivate, support and push you to become a successful new business owner. Feel free to share some with me – there is a wealth of information out there for entrepreneurs, especially women, so spread the word and let’s get to work ladies!
Give Others the Opportunity to Help You
Posted by: | CommentsI was in Rhode Island last Friday giving a workshop on Promoting Your Brand to Rhode Island Networking to Open Doors to Jobs. I arrived early and was, therefore, able to sit in on the facilitated networking exercise at one table. All of the people at the table were highly qualified and competent individuals who held director or executive level positions before being laid off.
The facilitator at the table asked each person to give a little information about their background, their strengths and expertise, and what kind of position they were seeking. I was impressed how well each person articulated their strengths and what types of companies and jobs they were targeting for employment. Everyone around the table responded enthusiastically with potential contacts and leads for their colleagues.
We worked our way around the table to one woman who told the group that she was an architect and was now in limbo and trying to decide what she wanted to do going forward. She told the group that at this time she was looking for any type of job. Interestingly enough, the group who had previously been so helpful to others, now remained quiet. They simply did not know how to respond.
The lesson from this is: People really want to help. In fact, most people are eager to assist you in getting a new job or getting clients, but YOU need to give them enough information so that they CAN help. When we are vague and unclear about what we want ourselves, we cannot expect others to come up with the answers for us.
If you are a business owner or entrepreneur, the more specific you can be about who is your target audience, the easier it is for people to refer business.
If you are looking for new employment, be clear about what type of company you want to work for and what kind of position you are seeking.
People sincerely want to help. Give them the opportunity to be helpful.
Women Leaders and Male Partnership
Posted by: | CommentsIn any learning process, there is a tendency to go to extremes before finding middle ground. Take driving, for example. Most teens start by driving very, very slowly, learning when to accelerate and when to put the brakes on. Then there is a time when we all want to experiment with speed, until either fender hits fender, or a ticket is handed by an unsmiling policeman.
Most of us then find the safe space of the middle ground where fast and slow are dependent on the territory.
So it is with all relationships. Sometimes a hug is perfectly timed, in other situations a metaphorical “right to the jaw” is called for. In all partnerships, all life happenings, it is all in the timing.
Margaret Thatcher was a woman leader who had a great sense of timing. She was strong and gracious. She entered the territory of male domination early on and set the stage for women to follow, to learn the art of push and pull.
I am reminded of a Margaret Thatcher story: she was disappointed with her cabinet, one she felt was weak and unwilling to take stands. Her frustration came out at a dinner, so it has been told, when the waiter taking meal orders asked her “Chicken or Steak” to which she replied “Steak please”. Next question was “And what about the vegetables”. She looked up and said “Oh, they will have steak also”.
We are now in an era where the fine art of timing is even more important because the world is moving so fast. There is not the luxury to ponder, to hesitate. As women, we need to become experts in timing, when to hug and when to hit.
Patterns of behavior handed from generation to generation have kept many women in the “hug” category. Often, the extreme of “hit” has been indiscriminate. This is a major learning process for men as well as women, and what we can learn from leaders like Margaret Thatcher is not so much about policy perspectives as about the push and pull of power.
The most important learning for leaders is how to find that magic balance.
Work for a Jerk?
Posted by: | CommentsAt one point or another, we have all worked for a jerk. Trending analysis, client feedback and underground communication clearly indicate that mismanaged employees and boundary violations are on the rise. Managing through tough times and poor leaders is often time more difficult than the work itself. Poor leadership can range from an immediate supervisor to poor HR leadership. Noone is exempt.
Taking charge of your career and disengaging from negative forces, including a jerk of a boss is within your reach. As a Career Strategist with an organic and practiced track record of problem solving, I am focusing this weeks blog on the employee relations aspect of managing poor leadership, self preservation and maintaining your sanity.
5 Strategies to Activate NOW
#1 Document…Document…Document
Venting is short lived whereas documenting is soothing, has long range positive effects and will set you up for a chronicle of events if you need to take legal action.. Hand write your discontent in a strategy journal. This is a journal specifically dedicated to you, your work, your accomplishments and your discontent. Keep it is a safe place and use it daily. Date, time stamp and openly journal details of what is occurring. Always be sure to credit yourself for one or two accomplishments per writing. When leadership is lacking, you need to start truly leading yourself. This means crediting your daily accomplishments and cheering for yourself!
#2 Keep the Personal Out of Professional
Remind yourself that you accepted your position to offer professional skills in lieu of pay. That is it! Nothing more! While it is a bonus if you make a friend or two in the workplace, your primary focus must be on your skills and honing them. If you have a jerk as a boss or a leader who leads you to feel uncomfortable, steer clear. You are under no obligation to take part. If you think you can out maneuver the person…perhaps you can but you will be far better served if you develop a strategy focusing on your accomplishments and becoming successful than trying to “play the game”.
#3 Remove Fear from your Vocabulary
There is a reason the famous quote “there is nothing to fear but fear itself” has stood the test of time. Use it. Get out from behind your fears and exercise your courage. This does not mean randomly acting out, but rather, put a plan in place on making your move to either sustain the existing workplace dysfunction OR exit the company. Planning your work and working your plan is powerful. Have dedicated hobbies outside of work. This will give you something positive and productive to look forward to and feed your focus on you.
#4 Stop living above your means NOW
If you cannot quit your job due to financial restraints, start cutting back on your luxury spending and live beneath your means. Start paying yourself first by banking as much as you can. Make a game out of stashing away extra money. You will gain power over yourself which will bring a heightened sense of confidence into the workplace. Your boss may be curious about seeing a change in your however, never needs to know why the change. Remember Rule #2??? Keep personal to yourself.
#5 Take Action.
If you have been spoken to inappropriately, asked to divulge personal information, felt emotionally violated to the point of crying or coerced to conform in what may be perceived as a borderline “touchy feely, cultish” environment, stand your ground and exercise your voice. The EEOC is always available to file charges especially if on the job allegations are not being dealt with. Environmental harassment is NEVER ok. Once you speak up, you are protected by the law from any further wrongdoing. Get Moving!
For more information: www.eeoc.gov.
