Being a businesswoman is not easy since women are subject to specific challenges that are not familiar to men, such as being victim to stereotypes and receiving lower pay. Historically, women were underrepresented in society because men were assumed to play the key roles. In this article, we will try to summarise what it is like to be a successful woman in life and business and will offer you some survival ideas for this imperfect world.
Read Women’s Success Stories
Forbes and Harvard Business School provide a great number of women’s success stories. Sometimes we all need support and inspiration to move forward.
When you read stories of success, you understand that you’re not the only one facing challenges. These stories will make you stronger and give you energy. Look at several names of successful businesswomen: Indra Nooyi (CEO of PepsiCo), Margaret Whitman (CEO of Hewlett-Packard, former President of eBay), Rashmi Sinha (owner of SlideShare), and Marissa Mayer (CEO of Yahoo). This is not an extensive list of female successful entrepreneurs. Are you still hesitant that you can reach the top?
Find Successful Businesswomen in Your Field
The experiences of successful women in your field will shed light on how to reach success. Learning from other businesspeople who reached success in your field is always beneficial because they have already covered the distance you’re going to cover in the near future.
Examine their stories, practices, and approaches they used to reach success. Successful women readily share their stories because they want to inspire other women.
Reduce Competition
Traditionally, physics, technology, math, engineering, and computer science are considered the fields of men’s expertise. If you decide to build a career in one of these fields, it can help you reach success with less time and effort. According to Essayontime, there are many grants and educational programs available that can encourage women to develop businesses in these fields.
Be Assertive and Organised
Assertiveness and discipline are the main attributes of an entrepreneur. An opinion that women are too emotional and weak for business is no more than an enduring stereotype. You need to convey assertiveness in your speech and actions to disprove it. Learn the characteristics of business and follow chosen directions with unbending intent.
Success is not just a chance; only those who are able to set a goal, make a good plan and take actions daily can succeed in life. Many women in business state that good organization of work helps one have better time management, prioritize tasks, focus on completion, and observe deadlines.
Find Your Personal Work-Life Balance
Success in business is often associated with success in life, but it is another stereotype. For many businesswomen, success in family life is equally important to success in business. However, finding a balance between work and life is the greatest concern because often women climb up the career ladder at the peak of childbearing activity. In multiple surveys, women state that they often have to stop building careers due to the unfavourable working environment associated with motherhood or caretaking conflicts in their families. Fortunately, many companies are now starting to implement mother-friendly policies, offer childcare compensations, paid maternity leave, and various healthcare benefits associated with raising children.
The Last But Not Least
Before starting a business, think about what you really like to do. Your business must be your passion. It’s significantly easier to motivate yourself to do something if you’re inspired by the idea and excited about what you do. When you like what you do, you will never get bored or tired. Your ideal business will not only bring you money, but make you feel satisfied and happy. You just need to choose a path to follow, work hard, learn more about what you do, talk to people who do similar business, be creative and brave. And remember: nothing ventured, nothing gained.
We can promise that your road to success will be full of ups and downs, but it is a valuable experience. Someday, when you reach the top, you will recall all your troubles and happy moments with a satisfied smile.
