With the female entrepreneur finding her niche in different industries like hospitality, catering, automotive industries, manufacturing industries, corporate training, heading large BPOs and even in the creative ERP space, the Indian woman has come a long way and has paved the path for the younger women to take charge of the entrepreneurial spirit and help it soar to greater heights. It hasn’t been an easy journey though. Women have had to strike a work and home life balance to begin with, along with gaining enough skill sets to enter the entrepreneur’s shoes.
We have broken ground with our perseverance, patience and passion to make it to the top.
In our quest to compete and collaborate with our male counterparts in the business arenas of board rooms, marketplace and customer acquisition, here are a few pointers that will help us steer better.
- Dive in – As women we pay larger attention to detail and may find it very difficult to let go of our quality concerns. A good idea however, is to jump right in – more than getting it right the first time, it is important to get it started. Even the world’s largest operating systems are a work in progress and keep improving themselves – they never waited till they got it all right to the last T.
- Resource team – Make sure you set up your resource and support network of advocates, auditors, trade associations which will help you in times of crisis. These support networks also add value to your life by becoming a pillar to lean on in times of need, providing the right advice and help to bail you out of any tricky situation.
- Get out of your comfort zone – Doing things you have never done before can help you achieve what you have not achieved before. This will require you to be open to get out of your comfort zone to take that larger leap of confidence and stretch yourself to do bigger things in life. With the help of the right mentors and guides you can do this – it may make you fearful at first, but once you have stretched yourself you will be a new you at the end of the road and that is what matters. You’ll find yourself feeling more fearless and confident than ever before.
- Find a mentor – Remember all that you have set out to achieve in your business has mostly been achieved by someone else. A good idea is to hire a good mentor who can help you follow certain winning strategies and practices to take your business to the next level. Innovating on a process that already exists is a waste of time and effort. Why would you re-invent the wheel?
- Listen – Be a good listener for customer pains – so you can help them with a solution to the same. Listen for opportunities hidden in a conversation when people share the issues they are facing in their businesses. Empathetic listening also wins you brownie points as a compassionate person and people will be more than willing to build a relationship with you, helping you build a sustainable network of support, information and knowledge to help you power up your business.
While there may many books on the subject, there is no clear-cut instruction manual for female entrepreneurs on how to wade their way through. What I am sharing here is from my own experience as a woman entrepreneur and how these simple tips have helped me in my journey.
Happy business times ahead.
