Do women have a place in the small business arena?

Do women have a place in the small business arena?

 

I have been a small business owner for over 16 years now and I say yes!  In a world where men still rule, and there’s still a glass ceiling for women, I truly believe that there is definitely a place for us.  I am a woman, I am visually impaired, but I’ve managed to make it!

 

Did you know that women are the owners of about 25% of small businesses in America today?  Did you also know that they are the owners of 10% of the top Fortune 500 companies?  Did you also know that women business owners is one of the fastest growing trends in America today?  According to CNN news, the growth of women owners of small businesses outstripped the growth of new companies in 2006 by about 23%.

 

The number of battered women across America continues to increase.  The number of women as single parents also continues to skyrocket, but at the same time and despite all of this, women are still making it in the business world.

 

The challenges for women are many, but it is definitely doable.  Persistence is one of the ingredients for success.  Another is making sure that our voices are heard on a constant basis.  We need to constantly keep reminding the rest of the world that we have something to contribute.  We can think for ourselves and we are independent enough to pay our own taxes, earn our own incomes, and live our own lives.

 

What we need to keep in mind is that we have to keep ourselves focused on the prize.  We need to remember that both men and many of our fellow women will always be questioning our abilities both in and out of the boardroom and we have to find ways to keep proving them wrong.  I know that it’s often hard to keep our cool, but losing our cool will only give them amunition for more attacks on our abilities.

 

So, don’t give up!  As women we have to stick together and help and support each other.