#3 Ways Shepreneurs Can Inspire Entrepreneurs of the Future We have to agree with the sciences that women are wired very differently from men, which already creates an edge in their role in society
By Ayrin Islam
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"Who runs the world? Girls!"
How far have we progressed on gender equality?
Do we value and trust our girls to an extent that they can actually rule the world by running businesses and working for professions that they were meant for?
Gender inequality still exists globally despite international measures to gap it. Gender inequality prevails in basic education, life expectancy, economic, social and political empowerment and opportunity. Usually cultures, conservative morals and shallow mentality leads to further inequality for women.
To think on a positive note, women, along with men can strive to build a better future. This is exactly what some exceptional women are doing, the present-day female entrepreneurs, who are ruling and empowering businesses and sustaining the economy. They are constantly proving society wrong. It emphasizes on the fact that gender and cultural barriers don't matter: Sheer hard work, skills and talents polished and acquired from education and experience are what matters.
So what can be done to inspire more skeptical women to follow in the footsteps of such powerhouses of global entrepreneurship?
1. Educate Women to be Entrepreneurs
Education is necessary and essential for entrepreneurship. It builds character and personality, boosts self-esteem and confidence in an individual. More women should be highly encouraged in STEM, management and entrepreneurship courses because as history shows business along with science create wonders together. The gender bias on how certain courses are designed for a specific gender needs to be eliminated. Confidence through higher education not only molds and prepares women to face the tough world, but is also a requirement in entrepreneurship. An entrepreneur's confidence is crucial for executing and making important business decisions.
2. Be Edgy and Innovative
We have to agree with the sciences that women are wired very differently from men, which already creates an edge in their role in society. This is what sets them apart. So ladies, use this as your strength to innovate ideas to help shape the world. Based on research and experiences, women entrepreneurs see the world through a different perspective and have a record of maintaining commitment better, which means they will help sustain the company, business and economy longer.
Since most women in several households shop for the family and maintain expenses, they are more likely to better understand the need for a market along with customer care. They clearly understand psychology behind marketing policies and how to implement plans as it comes. As said earlier, no matter the amount of hurdles and bias they face while seeking entrepreneurship, women create an edge in business which makes it even more essential when pitching for investments. Having an edge to business ideas and policies plays a big role in investments because investors need a reason to understand and justify your conviction.
3. Do Not Take Female Entrepreneurship as a Passing Façade, Embrace it
Entrepreneurs need the valor, optimism and confidence for making valid decisions in tough situations when it comes to work. They need to be critical thinkers when managing a company that entirely relies on them and should have a strategic and progressive mindset for developing and executing business plans. No entrepreneur was born with this mindset but had to mold and shape it into their life. Another tip would be to train early on their own privacy which gives them ample time to learn and prepare to know when they are fully ready to plunge into business. Personal growth while taking risks and learning from accepted failures not only catapults an entrepreneur to success but makes them far sharper and knowledgeable than their competitors.
Women need to contribute to the economy and society as much as men do in entrepreneurship. First off, this will provide more jobs in the market for the young job seekers, narrow employment gender gap which will further increase global income per person. And now is the time for female entrepreneurs to shine, as advanced technology of today is also on their side. The Internet along with social media and cloud apps make it much more convenient for women to run their businesses. They can effortlessly integrate businesses in many fields while balancing work and family.
So what does the Future Hold for Female Entrepreneurs?
According to the US Census, the number of women-owned businesses leaped to a 45% from 30% between 2007 and 2016. We are seeing more and more of this as time progresses and it will get even better. Learning from the perseverance, hard work and edge contributed by incredible ladies such as Coco Chanel with her established fashion house empire in the 1920s, Estee Lauder, who turned her passion into a make-up empire, Lilly Singh, a popular internet personality promoting sisterhood and acceptance among women with the concept of friendship and love, and Oprah Winfrey, a media mogul whose company focuses on female empowerment, the future for female entrepreneurs sure seems promising: one in which we will get to see more women entrepreneurs not because women have to prove anything to anyone, but because women want to pursue entrepreneurship.