Attention women! Are you still finding it difficult to
flourish or find your fit in a male-dominated corporate world? You're
not alone, and many women entrepreneurs are making the courageous
decision to set up their own businesses.
In the US alone, women-owned enterprises are starting up at a rate of around 550 per day, and this trend is being mirrored across the globe.
If you are considering making this change and becoming your own boss, here are J's top tips for women entrepreneurs.
1.) Put Your Plan on Paper
Have you had that Shark Tank winning idea in your head for a while, but don't know where to begin? The first step to making it a reality is putting pen to paper (or iPad), and writing a business plan.
Outline your business's mission, highlight what sets it apart from existing companies, determine your target market, and include a detailed financial forecast to ensure people take you seriously and prove invaluable in obtaining believers.
2.) Focus on Your Passion
One of the main reasons to start a venture on your own is to live that dream of doing what you love. And when you do begin your own business, you will need to put your blood, sweat and tears into it to get going the way you want to. Keeping in mind that you will be spending a lot of time building your business, you will want to make it something that you are passionate about.
If you are passionate about your offering, this will also come across when dealing with potential partners and clients, making them more likely to want to work with you or buy from you.
3.) Make the Time - Build on Purpose
As part of your planning process, consider truly how your business meshes with the rest of your life. How much time are you willing to devote to this? Consider all the elements that will affect your time. Will your business cause you to travel? Set aside an actual work schedule. Even if you plan to start your business only part time. You still need to set aside that time for business hours.
Some people set sites on big dreams of taking over the world, while others would prefer a smaller operation which brings them a healthy income. Remember that as your life changes, your business can develop and grow too.
4.) Find a Female Mentor
Starting up a new business is daunting and the chances are you will have lots of questions, especially in the early days. And who better to answer them than someone who has been in the same situation themselves?
A good mentor should be able to challenge you and encourage you.
5.) There's No "I" in Team
It's important to surround yourself with a good team so you can delegate and take advantage of other people's strengths. Your team can help you think of things you may not have thought of on your own. Collaboration is key.
It's always worth finding those right folks that share your passion to grow the business. The root of many business failures is not creating the right team for the business opportunity to prosper.
6.) Be Confident
The idea of leaving a stable job to start your own business or investing your life savings in a start-up is undeniably daunting, so to run a successful business you need to have lots of confidence; in your product and yourself.
Some women can be reserved about promoting their talents, but you'll need to be your own biggest champion when pitching to potential investors and clients. There's no place for false modesty when you are trying to build a business.
7.) Be Social
Have you heard the saying, "It's Not What You Know, But Who You Know?" Networking is one of the best ways to market your company so it's important to attend events both targeted at your industry and businesses in your local area. Also, think about the power of the internet and what is available to you right in your own home. Make connections via social media. Make these sites your best friend and if you need help with this, I'm happy to share what I know.
8.) Keep On Swimming
Dorey the fish nails it when her motivational chant of "Just Keep Swimming" inspired us in Finding Nemo. As women entrepreneurs, we need to always be planning for the future and thinking about the ways in which our businesses can grow. You will face hardships and bumps in the road, but that's what makes it all worth it in the end. Don't take your eye off the prize and always remember your "WHY" for starting in the first place.
In the US alone, women-owned enterprises are starting up at a rate of around 550 per day, and this trend is being mirrored across the globe.
If you are considering making this change and becoming your own boss, here are J's top tips for women entrepreneurs.
1.) Put Your Plan on Paper
Have you had that Shark Tank winning idea in your head for a while, but don't know where to begin? The first step to making it a reality is putting pen to paper (or iPad), and writing a business plan.
Outline your business's mission, highlight what sets it apart from existing companies, determine your target market, and include a detailed financial forecast to ensure people take you seriously and prove invaluable in obtaining believers.
2.) Focus on Your Passion
One of the main reasons to start a venture on your own is to live that dream of doing what you love. And when you do begin your own business, you will need to put your blood, sweat and tears into it to get going the way you want to. Keeping in mind that you will be spending a lot of time building your business, you will want to make it something that you are passionate about.
If you are passionate about your offering, this will also come across when dealing with potential partners and clients, making them more likely to want to work with you or buy from you.
3.) Make the Time - Build on Purpose
As part of your planning process, consider truly how your business meshes with the rest of your life. How much time are you willing to devote to this? Consider all the elements that will affect your time. Will your business cause you to travel? Set aside an actual work schedule. Even if you plan to start your business only part time. You still need to set aside that time for business hours.
Some people set sites on big dreams of taking over the world, while others would prefer a smaller operation which brings them a healthy income. Remember that as your life changes, your business can develop and grow too.
4.) Find a Female Mentor
Starting up a new business is daunting and the chances are you will have lots of questions, especially in the early days. And who better to answer them than someone who has been in the same situation themselves?
A good mentor should be able to challenge you and encourage you.
5.) There's No "I" in Team
It's important to surround yourself with a good team so you can delegate and take advantage of other people's strengths. Your team can help you think of things you may not have thought of on your own. Collaboration is key.
It's always worth finding those right folks that share your passion to grow the business. The root of many business failures is not creating the right team for the business opportunity to prosper.
6.) Be Confident
The idea of leaving a stable job to start your own business or investing your life savings in a start-up is undeniably daunting, so to run a successful business you need to have lots of confidence; in your product and yourself.
Some women can be reserved about promoting their talents, but you'll need to be your own biggest champion when pitching to potential investors and clients. There's no place for false modesty when you are trying to build a business.
7.) Be Social
Have you heard the saying, "It's Not What You Know, But Who You Know?" Networking is one of the best ways to market your company so it's important to attend events both targeted at your industry and businesses in your local area. Also, think about the power of the internet and what is available to you right in your own home. Make connections via social media. Make these sites your best friend and if you need help with this, I'm happy to share what I know.
8.) Keep On Swimming
Dorey the fish nails it when her motivational chant of "Just Keep Swimming" inspired us in Finding Nemo. As women entrepreneurs, we need to always be planning for the future and thinking about the ways in which our businesses can grow. You will face hardships and bumps in the road, but that's what makes it all worth it in the end. Don't take your eye off the prize and always remember your "WHY" for starting in the first place.
Jennifer is a 27 year old marketing executive living in
Washington, DC. Her focus with J's Make Green Go Green is to help other
women entrepreneurs to navigate their similar journey towards happy and
healthy living. If you want to learn more about what Jennifer does and
how you too can join her team of women entrepreneurs, check out J's MGGG Blog and fill out your contact information to set up a free consultation with J.
