Do you have an urge to become an entrepreneur? (You might want to analyse your entrepreneurial potential here). That's a great start! For everything else, there's Elona, the AI startup co-founder for you! As your AI co-founder, Elona delivers a powerful combination of expertise, support, and motivation to help you conquer the world of startups.
Although the idea of female entrepreneurs has only recently come under public light, women have been in business since forever. Running a business means identifying the problems society has and delivering solutions to them. Some people view gender as an irrelevant factor here, but in fact, some problems require a woman to solve them.
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) found out that more than 200 million female entrepreneurs start or run new businesses in 83 economies around the world. And an additional 128 million are running already established businesses. Tens of millions of women around the world are making a significant impact today, providing strong champions and role models for new female entrepreneurs to come. And despite the fact that many women still struggle to find the proper work-life balance to successfully run a business, their numbers and significance continue to grow.
Looking to apply for EU Funding? Check out the article on writing a successful application here.
How to become an entrepreneur: steps to take
To start an entrepreneurial career, you need to define the area of your business activity. You could begin by exploring the market for solutions with potential for growth. In the same way, offering innovative solutions for already explored areas, such as the fashion industry, is a good idea too. But before you start, there are a few things you need to focus on before rushing to start an enterprise.
- Bet on yourself.
- Search for investors.
- Don’t expect everyone to like you.
- Constantly improve
The challenges business women face
The tips we gave before are derived from the challenges that women face when building a business. Those challenges can be divided into cultural ones that are unique to a country and structural ones that happen essentially everywhere.
The first one that all entrepreneurs face is the fear of failure. The ability to cope with it defines whether your business will be successful. Failure is a very real possibility, and Kristi Piehl, founder and CEO of Media Minefield, advises women not to let their insecurities keep them from dreaming big. She encourages women to work through the moments of self-doubt that every business faces at some point.
The other problem is the struggle to be taken seriously. Female CEOs find themselves in a male-dominated industry that doesn’t want to acknowledge their leadership role.
But the main struggle for every female entrepreneur, especially a mompreneur, a businesswoman with kids, is finding a proper work-life balance. Parental businesswomen bear dual responsibilities for their businesses and their families. Finding ways to devote time to both is the key to achieving success.
The most successful female entrepreneurs
Based on their accomplishments and net worth, we can mention the following ladies who made their names and strong careers.
- Oprah Winfrey, known as "the first lady of talk shows", came from a poor family and experienced a lot of hardships on her way to the top. Her first streak of success came when she won the titles of Miss Black Nashville and Miss Tennessee in her freshman year of college. Then she moved into the TV industry and soon made her talk show the king of ratings. She is now a billionaire philanthropist with her own TV network and magazine.
- Sheryl Sandberg, the American technology executive, her success came when she graduated from school at the top of her class, which helped her greatly when she was admitted to Harvard University. She is best known for her work with Google and Facebook and for her New York Times bestseller, "Lean in." After holding several prestigious positions in giant corporations, she was recruited to be Facebook’s first Chief Operating Officer (COO).
- Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, also known as Lady Gaga, became famous with her 2008 debut album, "The Fame". She goes all out with everything she does, from her risky outfits to her fun dance moves and jaw-dropping theatrical performances.
- Coco Chanel is considered to be one of the most important people of the 20th century. She is the creator of one of the greatest luxury brands in the world—Chanel. She influenced the entire fashion market at the time and launched timeless trends, leaving one of the most desired brands as a legacy.
All these women have managed to achieve success because they have learned to value themselves and manage their time accordingly. Research the market, figure out what other companies are charging for a similar service or product, and think about what you can contribute to making it better. Remember, that you are worth every penny that any other worker on the market. Go get it!
Join Fe/male Switch and build your startup!
Would you like some guidance along the way? Apply for the official launch of Fe/male Switch startup game here and build your own startup!
Don't wanna wait and want to start learning now? Join our Startup School and get access to cutting edge knowledge essential for building a successful startup.
