Entrepreneurs are dominating the business world, and it’s anyone’s game to step up and throw their hat in the ring. This means you too, ladies! Female entrepreneurs have made great strides in the last few decades and now more than ever, women are opening and operating their own successful businesses in almost every industry. So, if you’ve been waiting for your time to shine, then it’s now! If you’ve had a great business idea sitting on the back burner for years, then turn up the heat and pull the pot forward because it’s time to start investing in yourself and your ideas.
Role Models
It can be scary to feel like you’re the first person jumping into the deep end, but keep in mind you showed up to a pool party. So before you start worrying about small business loans for women, remember there are plenty of famous female entrepreneurs you can look up to while building your own brand. For example, Sara Blakely, who founded SPANX, started her empire when she was just 29 years old with all of her savings and a whole lot of hope. The founder of The Huffington Post, a Pulitzer prize winning news publication, is also a woman: Arianna Huffington. She broke into the male-dominated news industry and created a name known worldwide for reliable news coverage. Even if you aren’t looking to start a traditional business, you can still be an entrepreneur in your own right. Look at J.K. Rowling! She created an entire media empire around her hit Harry Potter series, from books to movies to the entire world at Disney World. And of course, there’s the ever popular Oprah Winfrey, who has founded three separate companies and spent so much of her life empowering women and inspiring people.
The divide in race and gender among successful elites seems to be getting more and more recognition as time wears on. Don’t let this discourage you. In fact, many female entrepreneurs used their differences to their advantage when getting a leg up in their chosen industry. People like Maiko Sakai, founder and owner of Airtight Concepts, used their uniqueness to drive them toward their goals. Maiko is an Asian immigrant who struggled to get people to understand her accent when she moved to New York. But instead of letting that dissuade her from following her dreams, she used it as her mission statement to get everyone to hear exactly what she was saying. Additionally, there’s Simmone Taitt, who founded and is CEO of Poppy Seed Health, an app for pregnant and postpartum mothers. Simmone is a black woman in the tech industry, who uses her viewpoint of the world as a means of creating unique products to help people navigate difficult situations.
Industries
It’s true that women can break into any industry, but there are some that have seen significant growth in female involvement and ownership. One of these is app development. Women are now making apps to reach specific female audiences that others may have overlooked or not considered. Things such as booking hair appointments, scheduling a carpool for school or sports events, or even specialized calendars to keep up with children’s schedules. Some women are even breaking into the world of finance, a traditionally male-dominated industry. They’re going for traditional roles in some areas, but others are taking their compassion to the streets and helping underserved communities better manage their money. Outdoor businesses such as farming or gardening are also seeing more women break in as the move back to local food continues to expand. More and more women are even finding ways to take their favorite hobbies, such as cooking or baking, into the business arena by starting restaurants or catering businesses.
Tips
Sometimes it can be hard to find a job that fits your desired work-life balance as a woman, which is why starting your own business can be so appealing. If you’re looking for something you can do on your own terms and within your own time constraints, consider becoming a freelancer. You can work as a freelance contractor in a variety of industries, such as editing, copywriting, graphic design, photography, and more. If you’re not interested in hustling for contracts with companies, you can even start an online shop on platforms like eBay or Etsy, where you can sell goods from around your house or things you make as a hobby. There’s even potential in building a website and offering services like party planning, meal prep, tutoring, or life coaching.
You should never feel like you’ll hit too many obstacles when starting a business. Use the women mentioned in this article as inspiration to find something you’re passionate about that’s empowering. Then you can bust into any industry you choose and create the business you’ve always dreamed of.
