“Success isn’t about how much money you make, is about the difference you make in people’s lives.”
Nowadays, more than ever, women have the chance and opportunity to set free their brilliant ideas and turn them into creative businesses. Many of them are dreaming to fire their boss one day and start the entrepreneurial adventure, without asking themselves if they have what it necessary to succeed.
Believing or not being a successful female entrepreneur is not anymore about losing sleep or sacrificing your relationship or your family. As an entrepreneur, I’ve come to realize that building a successful business, it’s about being part of a new movement where women are able to redefine the rules of the game, creating them as they unfold their stories. That led to redefining what kind of success is available to all of us.
DRIVEN BY DESIRE
With the risk of making a generalization, women are driven by their own desire to make a difference, to change the world or to add real value, while men are more driven by profits. Perhaps that is why we tend to get more emotional and, sometimes, lose our site from the big picture: the numbers.
2. SALES, SALES AND SALES
Ideas, jobs, opportunities, products or services… anything you want to offer needs your ability to sell. If you think, just for a moment, that being an entrepreneur doesn’t require that anymore, you’re wrong and I would advise you to reconsider. If your organization is relying on sales, your ability to persuade customers to buy your product or to invest in your business is crucial. Love it or hate it, if you are an entrepreneur owning a business and want to make a success of it you NEED TO SELL.
3. OUTSTANDING MEANS OUTSMART AND OUTWORK OTHERS
Women still earn a lot less than men. Today, on average, a woman earns 80.5 cents for every dollar a man earns, and women's median annual earnings are $10,086 less than men's, according to data from the US Census Bureau. As a female entrepreneur, you won't have to worry about not getting a fair pay, because you work for yourself. Fair enough, you might find yourself competing against men. Nowadays it’s more important to add value and to demonstrate longevity in the long run. That is why in order to be outstanding, even if you’re a man, you have to double or triple your efforts, to outsmart and outwork others. I remember a moment in my life when a good friend of mine was promoted first female manager in the history of the company she was working for. After six months she resigned, because she couldn’t handle the pressure. I felt that somehow she slowed us down years of progress and since then every time I was in the position of quitting, I remembered Maya’s Angelou words: I came as one, but I stand as 10000.”
4. MAKE TECHNOLOGY YOUR BFF
Have you asked yourself why technology is so important today? Just look around and you'll know why. Literally, at every instant of time, you are surrounded by technology. Whether you are working or resting, you are always using technology. It is used everywhere and all the time. Its use has made life easy and it helped us to connect easier. No matter what your business is about, using technology it’ll help you grow your business affecting the way you engage with your customers and it will impact the culture of your organization.
5. EMBRACE DAILY CHALLENGES
If you think that being an entrepreneur is an easy job… well… wrong again. You’ll have to face challenges you’ve never faced in your life. Having a business will force you to get creative in different circumstances and to see in each obstacle an opportunity to learn more and become a better entrepreneur..
6. NETWORKING & COLLABORATION
Working together as entrepreneurs is now more important than ever. No matter what industry you are in, access to networks and open arenas is of great importance in order for you to start your business, grow as a business and find new business opportunities. As a female entrepreneur, you can greatly benefit from interacting with others and participating in various networks all of these moving your business forward.
7. PUT YOURSELF FIRST
I know that you put a lot of passion in your ideas and your business, but working until you’re exhausted it’s not a solution. Even if you think you don’t have the time, you have to make the time to take care of yourself. You are the brain and the engine of your business that is why is mandatory to set aside some time for you. If you’re healthy and relax you’ll be able to run your business with clarity and inspiration.
At the end, just for the sake of the knowledge I’ll share some of the challenges you should take into consideration when opening a business:
defying social expectation
finding investors
building a support network
coping with a fear of failure
struggling to be taken seriously
balancing business and family life
On purpose I left something out: THE ABILITY TO TAKE ACTION. As I’ve said so many times before CHANGE BEGINS AT THE LEVEL OF ACTION. So no matter what BIG IDEA you want to implement always ask yourself: What is the next step? What is that small action that you can do already and it’ll help start building your successful business?
I would love if you would share your ideas with us and if we can grow as a community of female entrepreneurs.
I hope you’ll find this helpful and remember that we are in the industry of building people and it’s a proven fact that together we are better. So don’t forget to share this with the world!
Yours in success,
Iva Berghmann