By: Mamudu Hamzat Gideon
Entrepreneurship has gathered more converts in the past few years than any other time in human history. And recent research by the Gates and Clinton foundation revealed that there are more women in entrepreneurship than the men with countries like Nigeria having as much as 41% of her women involved in entrepreneurship at some level.
However, it is imperative that proper education is given to female entrepreneurs if they’re to thrive in the marketplace.
So here are five tips female entrepreneurs can use beginning today to succeed in business.
- Choose an industry in the area of your passionThe first tip any woman who wants to succeed in building a business needs to pay attention to is simply to get involved in a business in the area of your passion or in an area where at least have some interest in. The reason is simple; building a business is like taking care of a new child, it requires a great deal of your time, energy and resources – especially at the initial stage.
You don’t want to commit an enterprise that will drain you.
- Learn to delegate
Typically, it is not uncommon to see many a female entrepreneur juggling between completely unrelated tasks and spending so much time on the minors that the essential tasks of working on growing the business are left to suffer.
Don’t do this. While it might be tempting to attempt to do everything yourself, if you truly desire to grow a successful business, you must deliberately learn to delegate tasks to others.
An inexpensive way to start is to hire freelancers at the beginning.
- Build a strong support networkBuilding a successful business is hard work. It can sometimes become very daunting, even when your business is built in the area of your passion.
Having a support system comprising of other female entrepreneurs who are on the same journey as you would go a long way to help you weather the storms and go through the difficult times on your entrepreneurial journey.
Be deliberate about building a strong support network.
- Properly integrate your work & life activities to avoid conflict.There’s a lot of responsibilities that come with being a woman and it’s important to know when to work and when to pay attention to your family needs to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
- Connect with a trusted mentor
One thing you can do to ease the stress that comes with being a female entrepreneur is to connect with a trusted mentor; someone who has already passed through the challenges that you’re facing right now.
Reach out to another female entrepreneur that you admire and request to be mentored. Make out time to discuss your challenges and leverage her experience and wisdom.
So there you have it, five startup tips you can start using today on your entrepreneurial journey.
