Well, this is a forum post on QV Woman and I am the founder of which, so common sense dictates I'll say yes!
#womenentrepreneurs #femaleentrepreneur #womeninbusiness #sheforshe #qvwoman #womeninnovators
Let me explain why though. Who is an entrepreneur? Someone who thinks out the box when seeking business solutions- be it creating or dispersing products and services. But also, an entrepreneur is someone who are themselves enterprising, who can think out of the box when it comes to designing and delivering regular products and services. And before you say that is just good marketing, I say no, it's not!
We've seen some very clever marketing campaigns that did nothing to save a product. What clinches the deal so to say, is when the entrepreneur is deeply vested in their product or service, have an emotional connection with it, (need not necessarily use the product although that helps) and knows it inside out. And a calculated risk taker to boot. These elements define a woman does it not? As women, we rarely have the luxury of making impulsive choices. We think through every tiny thing, we are deeply involved in almost everything we do (mostly because if we don't, it'll come back to bite us in the back!!) and whether emotional or not, we do create bonds pretty fast and pretty deep- with people and with the things we do.
As businesswomen and entrepreneurs, the hurdles start at step 1: having to 'explain' our ambition to our family! Many countries to date ask for male co-signatories. So here we are, explaining and justifying our ideas to fathers, brothers and husbands. Then there are wary loan officers, investors, contractors and people up and down the supply chain, employees, landlords and other stakeholders! And we, as women have to negotiate all this, in addition to the actual worries and frustrations of setting up a new business!
So when a woman launches a business, rest assured, she is committed, connected and vested. Whether a caterer or plumbing engineering consultant, running a tutoring service or pharma related services, women in business have no option but be innovative, every step of the way! It is the only way! She faces so much suspicion from everyone, including from her own gender, if she's not entrepreneurial, she may as well not exist! She could be designing high end luxury fashion and driving a Tesla, or she could be cooking home meals and delivering it on her scooter….She may have started off as a two member outfit with her husband and grown it into a 4 location 300 member service, or she may have become a one woman show running a creative agency, rest assured, she knows her stuff!
If there is one sect of women who know what they’re all about- it's the woman entrepreneur /businesswoman!
@Yvette Francino , love it!!!!
Someone shared this song with me today and it reminded me of this post: https://youtu.be/FciQeRGYFlw
@kennajmccall's views calls for a reassessment of oneself- at any age or stage of life / career. Sometimes, the older we get, we assume that we know 'more', not stopping to assess whether what we know is useful or just a series of events that happened!! And human nature is to remember unhappy experiences more, so our problems may not be as big or the perceived unfairness might be larger than what it was and time plays tricks too! And this might what we end up passing over to the next generations.
Younger women are definitely unencumbered, and definitely talk the talk. I do wonder however, how many of them can walk the talk. It is one thing to have a full panel of amazing social media showcase, curate a persona, embed videos and so on, (things that women in the 55+ category SHOULD imbibe) but a whole other thing to pitch an idea to an investor or banker. I have personally seen how younger women get into low return ideas like crowd sourcing / funding and pour energy into it, with amazing campaigns that brings no returns, when they should be working on a stronger business plan......it is truly a mixed bag.
everything that has been said, however... In my experience whenever you are asking whether women are better at being entrepreneurs or leaders or whatever, you have to take into consideration the demographic context. Some older women could be but may not be "better" entrepreneurs because they have been subjected to more messaging and experiences that they are "less than". I find that sometimes women entrepreneurs around their 60's+ devalue themselves and other women entrepreneurs. They may still be receiving those messages in their personal relationships so it is difficult to overturn a lifetime of believing that they are second best. I have seen this manifest in frustration, anger and resentment which further impedes their ability to succeed. Thankfully this is a gross generalization as I have many peers who are fabulous at business. But I bring this up not to denigrate elder businesswomen but just to ask those younger to consider what it must have been like to be in business 30 or 40 years ago (or even less). In the meantime, I am refreshed by younger women entrepreneurs, unencumbered by ridiculous notions of inferiority, who just go for it.
@arakalic talks about women caring for kids who are the most difficult of customers. women are also invariably caregivers to the other end of the spectrum- the older and senior population! So this gives women a range of perspectives that are very practical and real so to say.
Not viewing everyone as a potential rival is a double edged sword. We can argue that it allows one to understand the others' viewpoint and even lead to collaborative efforts. On the other hand, it might be seen as not being aggressive enough to sense when someone is making a go at your space/ customer base etc. Whether it is necessary to view someone as a rival in order to retain your space and customer base no one knows!
What we need is more women entrepreneurs, more women at the top but most importantly, more women who are not afraid to use their voice and instincts!
@arakalic makes an excellent point about how women entrepreneurs pump money back into the local economy. This is an excellent way of 'giving back' to your community and surroundings. I wonder if there is a more targeted way we can address this, channel this and document it to inform better decision making.
Women are more relationship oriented and this unfortunately is considered a weak thing when it comes to larger enterprises and corporations.
It all comes down to changing the narrative. Thank you for this very deep and insightful analysis of the issue.
#women entrepreneurs #women in business # women innovators.
Are women better entrepreneurs? Asks @aparna in her write up. And the answer is a big “Yes” .No doubt about that.
The way a woman understands human nature nobody else understands. And that is what makes a woman a better entertainer —understanding the nuances, grievances, preferences of the customer.
Any number of academic as well as business studies and surveys by research foundations have confirmed the above view. United Nations has also pointed this out in its various studies. And people keep writing about it quoting theories aNd facts.
Having studied economics and management, my perspective about why a omen is a better entrepreneur is like this.
First Ano Foremost business is all about money management. No one is as careful and respectful about money as a woman. Responsibility of spending comes automatically to a woman. You can call it an inherent asset.
Women are considered more innovative than men.. That is hundred percent understandable as almost all women have to be innovative all along i their lives. Why? They have to deal with that most difficult segment of customers . You guessed it right? Children.!!! As cute and lovely as they are they are not easy customers and no two opinions about that.
Using what they call fuzzy logic, situations are handled and problems solved and this is something that is always there on the go for her. Transposing these abilities to business activities and doing things as the situation demands is not a big problem to a woman.
On the business front, women may be able to open businesses that caters to a different clientele or niche than their male counterparts. Such businesses are required in the interest of the betterment of the economy and stability too within the economy.
Yet another economic advantage with a woman entrepreneur especially in the emerging markets is she ploughs back most of her earnings into the local economy. This has been confirmed by studies of the World Bank They have said that she invests in the family and surroundings.
this aspect is highlighted because of the impact it has. A woman entrepreneur is better that way as she is not only aware of things around her, but also responsive toward that.
These days, so much is talked about impact, awareness , give back etc etc, are not women entrepreneurs doing this without fanfare? Does that not make them better entrepreneurs?
Though the emotion content of a woman is held against s her saying business is a ruthless concept, customers say to the contrary . Customers of women run reprises say they feel valued at a personal level which is very important as both the seller and the buyer are human beings.
Yet another aspect about women entrepreneurs is every one is not viewed as a potential rival. Just to give a small example a hair dresser may link up with a boutique as they are both targeting the same clientele
These are some of the factors that set apart a woman entrepreneur . She has. A Niche for herseif yet with benefits for the community and society in general.
This should be understood by one and all . More so from tthe women and they have to guard it and go ahead .
But then........the number of women coming on the scene is not sufficient at all . While they are 50 percent of the Povulation, their presence in business is hardly 15 percent. This is not a proper equation from any angle - be it business , gender balance or most important overall economic well-being of the society.
So, the million dollar question is “Why more women entrepreneurs are not coming forward ???
Hey, I saw that too!! I try to engage this kind of thinking in every women-dominated conversation I have- at seminars I facilitate and even in my everyday work as an innovation consultant. And try to get answers from other women- why are we stuck with the reputation of being opposite of who we are? You know, we're irrational, freeze at the sign of trouble, cannot handle crises, are poor with money....
Although I suppose the real question is, how can we thwart that image/s and get due credit for what we're doing? Hmmm, maybe this calls for another discussion post!
I saw this article today about the success female leaders have found in their handling of the Coronavirus: https://www.forbes.com/sites/avivahwittenbergcox/2020/04/13/what-do-countries-with-the-best-coronavirus-reponses-have-in-common-women-leaders/?fbclid=IwAR1yMRDCZU8A1KcC7pFabb8pAbIx08_NeHEmZ8tu9BUiKK84KoS4XXFjg-Q#79c9463e3dec
So true, I have always felt women have better entrepreneur skills and we do see around us (at least in our country) women in various categories of entrepreneurship. This growing trend where we see a lot of women stepping out and doing things differently than their male counter parts is inspiring. Cheers to all the Women Entrepreneurs!!!