I recently read a Huffington Post article about female entrepreneurship. During the 2016 Women in wellness Career Summit, the author invited 24 women to a conversation about building a woman owned business. The article summarized what she took from that conversation. What these women said about their journey sounded very familiar to me.
I was by no means ready to start my firm, and it wasn’t something that I thought I would ever do. I am, however, happy that I’ve taken the leap. The women in the Huffington Post article discussed several aspects of female entrepreneurship, including authenticity, relationship building, and not about work-life balance, but instead about life. All of what they had to say rang true for me.
Leaving your Comfort Zone
A common theme amongst these women was the need to leave their comfort zone. They believed to reach their full potential they had to take the leap and lead from the helm of their own business. And doing so, wasn’t wholly about money, but rather about defining them. Becoming an entrepreneur gave these women the opportunity to define themselves, as opposed to being defined by the company they worked for or their boss’s accomplishments.
Build Relationships and Be You
Becoming an entrepreneur allows women to create and to truly solve problems. Using Spanx as an example, the author of the Huffington Post article emphasized that we as women become most prosperous when we solve problems “even if it’s something as silly as a pair of panties that make our tummy look flatter.” Women build relationships as they solve problems.
Coming from a place of authenticity in business can only help. The women in this article found that they became their most successful when they got real about who they really were and what they really wanted. The days of simply doing good work at a good firm and good business will come are gone. Clients expect to deal with real people, and they want to know you. Branding a product from a place of authenticity about its author only serves to create more business. “Women are on the cutting edge of this movement.”{1}
I see this with my female colleagues who have started businesses. Whether they have branched out into their firms or whether they have started selling jewelry. Those women who own it, believe it, and invest themselves in it, are thriving.
Live and Support Each Other
Female entrepreneurs leave the quest for work-life balance behind. When I worked in a firm, I would candidly say that work-life balance didn’t exist. There wasn’t an area of my life where I didn’t feel like I was failing, because there simply wasn’t enough of me. As my own boss, I no longer worry about work-life balance, now I worry about life. I make a living now doing only what I love, and that fits around those that I love.
I’ve also found, as did the women of the discussion summarized in this article that going solo isn’t going it alone. As I stepped out of my comfort zone and into my own business, I have found that women have gone out of their way to support and encourage me. Don’t punk out, right April?
“Women entrepreneurs are re-defining what it means to make a living from living your passion – and the world is changing direction because of it.”{2}
So, thank you to everyone who has called me and trusted me with their time and their story.