Sugar and spice
And everything nice,
That’s what little girls are made of.
Sunshine and rainbows
And ribbons for hair bows,
That’s what little girls are made of.
Tea parties, laces,
And baby doll faces,
That’s what little girls are made of.
-English nursery rhyme, author unknown
It’s an old, cynical joke: What can do the work of seven men in a single day? Answer: One woman. That’s countered by Philip Morris Companies’ 1960s and 1970s slogan for Virginia Slims Cigarettes: “You’ve come a long way, baby.” Whether decrying the harsh reality of a woman making her way in a man’s world or celebrating her achievements by promoting equal opportunity vice, the world sends conflicting messages to half its population. Somehow women make sense of it and continue to push for fair treatment and consideration.
From the equal pay for equal work concept in the labor rights movements of the Industrial Revolution to the glass ceiling, a term popularized in 1979 by the National Press Club, human beings bearing that second X chromosome typically get short shrift in terms of compensation, respect, and opportunity. President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to outlaw paying men and women differently for similar work by the same employer, which helped to eliminate many of the barriers to female success. But not all of them. Major business sites identify common themes that describe difficulties that make entrepreneurship more difficult for women than for men.
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- Defying social expectations
- Limited access to investment funding
- Taking ownership of accomplishments
- Building a support network
- Balancing family and business life
- Lack of education
These same sites offer anecdotal tactics for overcoming these hurdles. They range from building the credibility needed for colleagues in the same industry to respect their capability, intelligence, and experience to knowing what to delegate and when to avoid burnout.
Women entrepreneurs have proved determined to turn hardship into success. Some tactics range from sheer, pigheaded determination to wily, innovative, and even subversive ideas. Forbes and Inc. list super-successful female entrepreneurs who mixed determination with daring and added a pinch of dash to identify and dominate markets in apparel, construction, cosmetics, food, media, retail, and technology.
Pioneering women in business from Clara Barton who founded the American Red Cross to superstar author J. K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame take different paths to their success. Some claim to have eliminated the word “failure” from their vocabularies, although most experts point out that failure–or, rather, the lessons learned from failure–begets success. Others state that it’s better to donate one’s skill and knowledge as a gift, rather than diminish respect by accepting less than the fair value for the service or product provided. Regardless of their individual routes to fame and, possibly, fortune, all of them put in the same dues: hard work.
The realistic expectation women have that starting their own businesses and achieving success won’t be easy translates into outstanding ambition, Molly Petrilla corroborates in her article “Women Entrepreneurs Are ‘More Ambitious and Successful’ than Men.” The 2016 data Petrilla uses identifies Millennial women as entering the ranks of entrepreneurs at a higher rate than previous generations, with most making money in retail, professional services, and fashion.
Only 21 percent of Millennial women entrepreneurs, however, reported that they were first generation entrepreneurs. Half of female entrepreneurs in the Baby Boom generation reported being first-generation entrepreneurs. The female Millennial entrepreneurs build upon the inspiration of earlier generations and a more favorable business and legal climate forged by those who encountered seemingly insurmountable obstacles and showed the world just what women were made of.
As a woman-owned small business, The Heggen Group understands the challenges entrepreneurs face, especially women. We have initiated a new program of instruction to help women in business succeed. Contact Jayne Heggen for more information.
#HeggenGroup #IWD2018 #internationalwomensday #instainternationalwomensday
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