You must have been attended by the idea of starting your own business. Imagine you have already come up with a business plan, decided on the main priorities and principles, but you can’t “get started”. Or you have already made up your mind, but you are not sure that the result will be exactly what you expected. It is the “masculine” opinion about doing business that can be blamed. Men themselves claim there is no room for women in business. Is it really so?
Those who think that ladies cannot establish a successful business are wrong – they can do that, but only if they stop pretending they are a “man in a skirt”. All they need is to find their own special approach to managing their projects. No one argues, of course, that women can use men’s positive experience, take it as a basis and add a few female tricks.
Numerous studies of scientists have shown that women find it much easier to cope with multitasking than men. At the same time, ladies pay much attention to details, while men concentrate on the main points. Women prefer to solve the conflict by negotiating and searching for compromises, whereas men often show aggression, thereby heating the situation even more. Therefore, it is logical that they treat business differently. This does not mean that men’s or women’s methods are more advantageous. What is suitable for one sex may not work well for the other, and vice versa.
The main trick of doing business by women is to love what you do and enjoy not only the result, but also the process itself. Men, for example, are focused on numbers and analytics. But women are focused on the atmosphere. If you manage to achieve harmony between these two components, your business will be quite successful and competitive.
Business development experts agree that women regard many issues as a kind of game. In other words, they will get excitedly involved in the process if they feel joy from what they are doing and are satisfied with the final result. For example, ladies feel euphoria and joy from “I want,” but as soon as they replace this concept with “I must,” a woman “switches off” inside them. Their development follows a different scenario. Do you feel the difference between “I want to do business” and “We must do business”? The second option implies a certain weight and responsibility, right?
We suggest figuring out how ladies can build a successful business without “turning off” their femininity at the same time. What should be done by the individuals who dream of running their business, but are afraid to try because they are not sure about the result?
Key points to help you run the processes properly:
Highlight the main processes of your business. In pursuit of the result, people do not notice the process itself and, accordingly, do not derive the joy from what they are doing. Try to shift the focus, noticing important points that you may not have paid attention to before.
Make it a rule to use the word “offer” instead of “sell”. Sell, put under pressure, and convince are the prerogative of men who are accustomed to seeking their own rigidity, intractability and perseverance. “Offer” sounds softer and more comfortable. Many ladies, for example, are initially shy of “selling” something, it makes them leave the comfort zone and feel insecure. Therefore, you can accustom yourself to the fact that you do not “sell / talk into something”, but offer.
Remember that your team is your family. Appreciate and respect the people with whom you work. Your business is not a place where employees should feel ill at ease, being afraid to offer something because they think that they will either be fired or simply not taken seriously. There should be a place for dialogue, support and opportunity. It is the woman who creates the atmosphere, and it depends on her whether mutual understanding and support will prevail in the team, or everyone will stand alone, betray and abandon the business constantly. Remember this when you build relationships in a team; remember that the prerogative of a woman (no matter what position she occupies) is to maintain comfort and give joy (to herself and others). If you have your own business, this is no reason to give up what brings you joy and include masculine qualities. You will not become more courageous and successful this way.
Try not to be the boss at home. As soon as you open the door to your apartment, try to immediately “switch off” the commanding mode and give an opportunity for your partner to guide and take care of you. Ladies forget that at home they are, above all, a wife and a mother. They continue to play their part, which, of course, may not please their spouse. Therefore, do not sound like a boss, save this habit for work. At home, try to relax and fully rely on your partner.
If possible, do not work at home – even if you have a flexible schedule or a remote job, choose a cafe as your workplace and so on. Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to “switch” between the roles. A private work-only room can also be helpful. As soon as you leave it, everything connected with your job must leave your head and remain in that room.
Do not forget about your family. Regardless of how successful you are, remember that for your family you are a beloved woman, a wife, a mother. Therefore, learn how to allocate your time correctly, so that it is enough for work and communication with the loved ones. For example, many ladies are confident that they will not be able to find free time for themselves and their families. As a result, they think they will have to devote almost 24 hours to business development. It is this thought that prevents them from achieving impressive results and taking their project to a new level.
To decide what exactly slows down this process, you need to answer two basic questions:
- How do I feel in relation to those who managed to successfully combine business and family?
- What attitudes prevent me from harmoniously combining my job and communication with relatives?
If you answer the first question and feel jealous of those individuals who succeeded in this, you need to try to organize this energy into a creative flow. Although feelings are not expected to be evaluated, they still exist and it is necessary to learn how to accept and live with them. Learn to consciously feel glad for those who became successful and achieved a little more than you did. Try to “include” your family in the business process. You will see then that your fear was unreasonable and you are doing great.
The main rules of a successful business:
- Think of success (visualize it), and do not tune yourself to failure from the very beginning.
- Love your job, and do not do it just because it is “necessary”. It will not lead to anything good.
- Do not do this just for the money. Enjoy the process regardless of the income from your business. Sooner or later it will grow.
- Think of your strengths and actively use them in the process.
- Do not give up your goals, even if someone tries to convince you that they are a failure. Just believe in yourself!
- Grow, learn and “update” your contacts. Do not “lock yourself up” in yourself, meet new people and improve your skills.
- Learn self-discipline and hard work. Your employees can leave the office, as soon as it is 7:00 pm on the clock, but you should be constantly involved in the process. Even when you come home and turn off a business lady mode, you should still be aware of what’s happening in your company.
- Plan! Many people ignore this point by mistake. Planning helps not to lose sight of anything important and to react in time to certain changes (for example, by finding an alternative).
