Women Leading Women: The Future of Entrepreneurship

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Future of Entrepreneurship|Women Leading Women: The Future of EntrepreneurshipThere’s a lot of talk in corporate circles about inclusivity and empowering women in business. But why is it that so much of this talk is coming from male business leaders?

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. We need people from all walks of life leading the charge towards equal opportunities for women. But wouldn’t it be amazing if women were paving the way for more females to succeed in competitive markets?

My service-based business is women owned, women centric, and women powered. From the beginning, I have made lifting females up part of my mission and our company culture. After just a year in business, we are thriving in ways none of us thought possible. I attribute a lot of that to being surrounded by incredible women with unique ideas and perspectives, and I know that other organizations can benefit from a similar model.

I want to see more women seeking out ways to bring their fellow females along with them in their entrepreneurial journey. Instead of pushing others aside to get to the top, what if we helped each other along? I’m not talking about simply offering encouragement or mentoring, I’m talking about creating the opportunities we want to see for other women by becoming entrepreneurs who hire and give real power to other women.

Here are three ways I’ve accomplished this in my business:

1. Focus on talent.

Women tend to be hard on themselves. They don’t always believe what they are capable of, even after achieving results. It’s up to women in leadership positions to actively identify talented women and make space for them to shine.

As a young professional, I had a friend reach out and invite me to attend a prestigious aesthetician program. I was in a different industry and happy to just coast, but she saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. This changed the trajectory of my life and directly led to me opening my own business and giving other women jobs.

My business director is a former client of mine who I saw amazing leadership skills in. She wasn’t looking for work, but seemed a little lost in the direction her life should go. I created an opportunity for her and we’re both beyond glad we took the leap.

There’s a ripple effect when women show other women their value.

2. Hire moms.

Motherhood is near and dear to my heart. I built my little business empire from a rocking chair, holding my twin babies. So I know firsthand what can be accomplished.

Not all women choose motherhood as their path, but those who do deserve options. While it is true that sometimes accommodations must be made for working parents, there are so many solutions that don’t put out the organization in any significant way, particularly as work is becoming more modular.

For me, the strongest statement in favor of moms in the workplace is simply to hire them. Use your actions to prove that you have confidence in their ability to navigate the work/life balance. Millions of women with real talent are being left behind, and both moms and corporations will benefit from a new way of thinking about work.

3. Be the example.

Women need to model leadership behavior for their younger counterparts. Young girls need to see women who own businesses, women as CEOs, women holding patents, women innovating, and women teaching and training others.

But that’s not enough.

Women need to see other women creating a work environment that invites female perspectives on their own terms. The workforce was created with men in mind, and it’s time to change that.

If women band together to make the kind of future we’d all like to see for girls everywhere, we’ll get there in no time. Focusing on women’s strengths and giving them tailored opportunities, hiring parents, and leading through example are great ways to start. As women lead other women through the corporate landscape, they will slowly begin to hear more female voices chime into the conversation. What better way to learn how to truly empower women?

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Gia CarterGia Carter is an entrepreneur and the owner of The Brazilianaire Studio, a full-service luxury medical spa in Spanish Fork, UT. As a licensed master esthetician, Gia has developed a proprietary method of Brazilian waxing that minimizes discomfort, along with her own private-label wax line. She has used her talents to expand her clientele and become one of the most sought-after waxing professionals in Utah County. Beyond her professional success, Gia has dedicated her life to empowering women to love their bodies and believe in themselves. When she isn’t changing the world, Gia loves to spend time with her husband, four year old and twin toddlers.

Important Steps For A Successful Sole Proprietorship

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Sole Proprietorship|Important Steps For A Successful Sole ProprietorshipIf you have an entrepreneurial spirit and are the sole proprietor of a business, you know that it is just as important to offer an excellent product or service as it is to understand the business side of your chosen pursuit.

A sole proprietorship automatically forms when you begin offering any services or goods. At this point, there is no differentiation between you and your business from a legal standpoint. To take it a step beyond that point, if you choose to incorporate or register your business then you are no longer operating in a sole proprietorship. While there are pros and cons to initiating a sole proprietorship, it is essential to know what you are getting into.

Liability

When you are in a company of one, it is vital to understand that sole proprietorships have unlimited liability and how this will affect the way you conduct your business. Unlimited liability blurs the lines between your company and personal assets. If you are interested in taking the next steps to becoming a sole proprietor, ensure that you engage with professionals to understand what you are embarking upon. Follow this legal guidance when considering whether to become an entrepreneur.

Business Plan

One of the first steps beyond having a marketable product or service is to create a business plan. This plan is not limited in scope. You can add to the plan or modify it as needed. After all, this is your business. You are at the helm of your future, and your decisions are the driving force for your success. To have a productive business plan, begin by asking yourself why you are creating your product or service? What is your end goal or mission? How do you intend to sell and market items? Will you outsource? There are a multitude of templates available online to get you started on creating an effective business plan.

Outsourcing Options

Staying on top of everything by yourself can be difficult. On a good day, all of the business aspects will pull you in a few different directions. On a bad day, you will not be part of your actual product at all. Too much time spent on managing your business will leave you without the energy to focus on the reason you began your business in the first place. Consider alternatives to doing it all yourself. Outsourcing options will afford you more time and creative energy to give your business your full attention. Common outsourcing options for sole proprietors may include marketing and advertising, social media and blog posting, accounting and payroll (if you have other employees), transportation of goods (mail and packages), legal guidance, and customer service.

Ask For Help And Guidance

Whether you are a longtime business owner or just starting, it is beneficial to seek the counsel of others. They may be within your industry or someone that you identify as successful. Consulting with a variety of people will offer you invaluable insight into both your company as well as theirs. You will have the opportunity to ask questions, see what they are doing that works, and even learn from the value of their mistakes. Having another person or group to bounce ideas off and ask for referrals will help you on your path to growth and success.

As they say, knowledge is power. Always do your due diligence and understand what you are getting into when starting your own business. It will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase your talents.

5 Starting Tips for Entrepreneurs

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Tips for entrepreneurs|5 Starting Tips for EntrepreneursSetting up a new business is an exciting move for any professional entrepreneur, but getting into the right headspace and doing the appropriate planning before you begin is key for success. The entrepreneurial journey will be different for every professional, but there are a few key tips every startup can benefit from.

1. Follow Your Passion

This is a key place to start if you’re looking for long-term success. Choosing to start your own business is the prime opportunity to fully follow your passion and create a business from something you truly care about. Without this passionate drive, you may find that your interest wanes in the long run if your business isn’t built upon something you truly care about.

Therefore, if you haven’t settled on a business idea just yet but know that you would like to become an entrepreneur, a good place to start is to think about what you’re passionate about and any lifelong interests.

2. Take Your Time

As a hardworking business professional, you may be extremely eager to get started — especially if you’ve already formed a business plan and have the perfect idea you wish to get the ball rolling with. Nevertheless, having a great idea is only the very beginning. Don’t rush into launching a business or product which isn’t quite ready. It’s much better to spend longer planning a business that will be perfect once launched, rather than launch one too soon that isn’t ready.

3. Get Help Wherever You Need It

Whether it’s help with your business from a family or friend, or help on a professional level by expert services, there’s no shame in reaching out as an entrepreneur. Being a successful entrepreneur doesn’t have to mean doing everything yourself.

What’s important is to plan out the areas you comfortably have the time for and pinpoint those that you might need help with — especially if it’s an area that’s going to affect your business, like new website management or marketing. You can seek help for aspects like this from Pronto Marketing for any areas you don’t have time for as a busy startup.

4. Never Stop Planning

While it’s important to plan as much as possible at the very beginning of your journey and before you launch your business, that also doesn’t mean that the planning is ever done. Plans can — and should — adapt and change within business, and this is crucial as you go along.

It’s a good idea to make both short-term and long-term plans for your business and for yourself as an entrepreneur.

5. Don’t Just Think About the Public Side of the Business

It’s easy to get wrapped up in marketing and building your product or service, and creating your brand. However, becoming an entrepreneur means taking care of a lot of background work, too, relating to legal obligations and finances.

Familiarize yourself as soon as possible with what you legally need to do in regard to a new business, such as licenses and taxes, so that you can start off on the right foot.

Follow these Rules if you Want to Become a Successful Entrepreneur

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Successful Entrepreneur|Follow these Rules if you Want to Become a Successful EntrepreneurIf you are thinking about becoming a business owner, then you are probably wondering what it takes. After all, there is no cookie-cutter answer that applies to every single person. If you want to try and get a list of guidelines to follow that will cut down the chances of you experiencing failure, then the only thing that you need to do is look below.

Work Smarter and Not Harder

Most people see an entrepreneur as being someone who is able to work 18 hours a day and who does nothing other than eat, sleep and breathe business. Of course, hard work is certainly the key to success as an entrepreneur, but at the same time, working every minute of every day isn’t going to make you successful. Overworking will lead to you experiencing fatigue which will of course, lead to errors. Plus, it doesn’t matter how hard you work because you are never going to have the skills required to do everything. You have to learn how to work smarter and not harder because that is the key to success. If you want to help yourself, consider following influencers as they can help you to learn more about the world of business. Trimantium’s Phillip Kingston is always a good starting point.

Hire People to Handle Tasks

It’s a really simple process. You need to hire people who can do the things that you are not really good at. This gives you the chance to focus on the areas of your company that actually deliver the most value. Great entrepreneurs really do know how important delegation is, and even though it may be overwhelming at times, you have to make sure that you trust other people as much as possible. If you don’t, then you may find that your growth is stunted. There are tons of websites out there that you can use if you want some help with your growth.

Get More Done

Hiring freelancers might not be the best solution if you own an established company, but when you are in the early stages, freelancers and even third-party contractors can all be a very effective way for you to do business, and it won’t break the bank either. In fact, it can be very affordable. This all comes down to the supply and demand. This dynamic is generally reinforced by the fact that most freelancers are based overseas. The cost of living there is lower, and this helps your money to go further. This approach is very cost-friendly when you compare it to hiring a full-time employee, but make sure that you are actually getting more done by not micro-managing.

Don’t Be Afraid of Failure

Working smart and finding the right people will certainly go a long way, and it will help you to become more successful as an entrepreneur. The main thing that you have to remember is that there are no guarantees at all. You have to be realistic, and you also need to know that not every company succeeds. Sometimes there may be something wrong with the concept, or you may have competition that is tougher than you would have thought. The more you can make yourself aware of this, the better.

5 Considerations for Thinking Like a Global Business

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Global Business|5 Considerations for Thinking Like a Global BusinessEvery entrepreneur is looking to tackle the world. When you are trying to build up brand awareness they say you should think globally. But thinking globally is not as easy as putting your platforms with a “.com” suffix. Instead, think about what it really takes to think in a global sense. Because it’s not just about marketing, or ensuring a product is able to travel far and wide, it’s about so many significant components.

Strategies

There will be opportunities to get the appropriate strategy underway. There will always be opportunities that others are not able to see or do. Learning to grow your business is about understanding where the market is going. When you start to have a sixth sense for which way the tide is turning, you can start to put little components in place. For example, when you are promoting your company, you can certainly take advantage of multilingual SEO best practices because this will cater to a wide client base, but in order to grow effectively, you’ve got to have the foresight to spot new trends. This is why thinking big is about strategy first and foremost.

The Global Vision

You must think globally from the offset. While you may believe that it’s about thinking on a grander scale, there’s a lot to be said for getting the right advice. For example, there will be numerous jurisdictions and regulations in place. You may also want to acquire tax advice, but also make sure that you have deep insights into your customer base. Growing a business from small to large is about scaling it up. If you do not have an insight into what the customer needs in Timbuktu when you are struggling to get the customers in Tampa on your side, it could very well be because you’ve not thought globally straight from the offset.

The Importance of Restless Innovation

We may have one core product, but it may not prove effective in a variety of environments. Each company has to build upon innovative products. But this isn’t where the line is drawn. It’s about making sure you have an open mind to be successful. Having a constant drive for innovation is about going into new territories, literally and figuratively.

Using Guerrilla Marketing Tactics

Marketing is vital. From search engine optimization to sponsorships, you need to establish credibility, and from there, you can start to build a solid marketing strategy based on providing impeccable customer service with a solid product. Getting an understanding of why you need to set the prices at a certain level is about guaranteeing the right customers can access your products, so you can build upon this, ensuring that you have a business that is global in stature, while also being accessible.

Analyzing and Measuring

In order to determine if a business is working on a global scale, you need a transparent system for measurement. It’s not just you and the marketing team that needs to understand what is going on, but every member needs to realize what their part is in the success of your company.