Being a woman in business comes with a unique set of challenges. Women have described it to me as the equivalent of raising a baby or toddler. I’m not saying it’s the same, but this came from a mother and woman in business.
“I have learned that being a business owner is a lot like being a parent. There is never a perfect time to ‘become one’ and every day is a learning experience. Owning a business is just like having a 2-year old. Sure you can leave the room for a minute, but if you are gone too long you are bound to find a mess waiting for you.” – Kathryn Christiansen, CEO, myBusinessBar
You wear every hat imaginable – and sometimes it’s almost virtually impossible to do it all even though we try. But sometimes it’s going that extra mile that helps you dodge a bullet in business, and trust me – it’s worth it.
We do our best to catch mistakes (gosh do I hate it when we go to publish and I see the letter a missing from something as simple as the word and – how didn’t we notice that?) But at the end of the day, those aren’t the mistakes in business that will cost us the most.
As I’ve built my business, I’ve noticed that some of the biggest hurdles we face as women are:
#1 Believing in ourselves (mindset)
#2 Access to Capital
So I am thrilled that we are finally going to tackle this topic.
Money & Marketing – because without marketing, who will know about your product or service? If you don’t have a marketing budget, you should strongly consider setting aside 15% of your dollars towards making sure people know about you. This advice came to me from one of the most successful women in my circle of influence, and she’s proof – when people know about you and your product and your service rocks, your business potential is limitless.
HER magazine loves to feature women-owned businesses with impeccable reputations – I surround myself with many women in business, and one of the things we pride ourselves on the most over anything is integrity.
We won’t always get it right, and when we’re wrong – you can bet we’ll admit our failures.
This business principle is an important one.
I tell you this because I hope it serves as a reminder as to how important our online reputation is when it comes to our businesses.
You come first. And your customers? They should always come first too. If you operate your business with only one mantra, it should be that the people you serve should always be the focal point of your company.
So ask yourself every time you make a pivotal decision, who do I ultimately serve? Then do everything in your power to make sure you do it with honor.
This is my Letter from the Founder which appeared in the March Issue of HER magazine. Like what you’re reading? Access HER magazine’s monthly publication in iTunes or Google Play – it’s where we feature powerhouse women you can learn from and share exclusive content you won’t find here.
