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4 Reasons Women Entrepreneurs Thrive

Guest post by: Anne Bachrach

Article Overview: Ideals surrounding traditional careers are changing, if not completely dissolving. Today, women are taking control of their destiny and financial wealth by becoming entrepreneurs. With the focus shifting from Corporate America to Entrepreneur America, it is projected that small businesses will lift the U.S. out of the current recession into a new economy supported by entrepreneurs - not corporations. Let's talk about 4 Reasons Women Entrepreneurs will Thrive in the New Economy.

4 Reasons Women Entrepreneurs Thrive

It's no secret the major shift in the economy has forced us to stop and take stock of our lives, turning our livelihood - including the global business market - on its head. This is especially true for single women and single moms who do not have the luxury of dual-incomes to help soften the blow. With the worst of economic shakedown behind us (so it seems), many women are left to wonder where to go from here? Ideals surrounding traditional careers are changing, if not completely dissolving. Today, women are taking control of their destiny and financial wealth by becoming entrepreneurs. With the focus shifting from Corporate America to Entrepreneur America, it is projected that small businesses will lift the U.S. out of the current recession into a new economy supported by entrepreneurs - not corporations.

And that's not all. Here are 4 Reasons Women Entrepreneurs will Thrive in the New Economy.

1. From Logical to Soulful

The 80s were a time for computer programmers, lawyers, and accountants - all male-dominated businesses - but today, there is a mass market shift away from logical, analytical businesses toward soulful businesses. (Daniel Pink discusses this topic in depth in A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future.) While men may have dominated the logical, analytical business market, women entrepreneurs are sure to rule the soulful business market.

So what does the soulful business market look like? It is a market that thrives on businesses that provide creativity, artistry, design, originality, empathy, and meaning. This makes it a prime opportunity for women entrepreneurs to use their inherent characteristics to build a business that thrives in the new economy.

Consumers are no longer making decisions based solely on the logical; they're choosing products and services that allow them to experience feeling and meaning. Women have historically been creative artists, nurturing caretakers, empathetic friends, and soulful spirits. You'll find that more and more women are incorporating these roles into their business - and the trend will continue during the next decade.

2. From Mom to Mompreneur

As the number of women entrepreneurs who head new small businesses will continue to grow, more moms will become mompreneurs. Thanks to the accessibility of the Internet, it is no longer necessary to secure large capital before starting a business, making it easy for moms to start an online business, from home, with little or no capital. Without the need for a storefront to get business, women entrepreneurs will be able to start their own business - jewelry designer, life coach, marketing consultant, product designer, virtual assistant, web designer - selling their products or services online. The new economy will allow women entrepreneurs to provide either supplemental or replacement income for their household.

3. From flat to multi-faceted

Women entrepreneurs have an advantage over their male counterparts when it comes to small business ownership. It is generally more acceptable for women entrepreneurs to blend their multi-faceted being in their business; this is not the case for their male counterparts.

In fact, when women blend their many facets into their business, it can attract a wider client base. It may be the way they view child rearing, marriage, single-life, politics, or even personal style that will attract a larger fan following. This leads us to the next reason women entrepreneurs will rule the new economy.

4. From disconnected to relationship

The internet has notoriously created disconnected relationships between humans. Instead of connecting in person or by phone, we connect through email or chat rooms. People, women especially, are naturally drawn to the desire for human connection, which is why the internet was ripe for social media.

Women, typically better than men, are adept at building relationships - even on the Internet. As more women become entrepreneurs, we will see them perfecting the art of connecting with their audience by building an online personality. It will be that online personality coupled with the basic desire to connect that will drive a new kind of relationship. Perhaps it will be a tweet mentioning their children, an announcement about a personal or professional achievement, or blog post expressing an opinion about a hot topic that will be the connecting piece that will bring entrepreneur and client together.

It will be this inherent desire to connect that will drive women entrepreneurs to successfully build relationships with their audience, attracting and growing their client base online better and faster than their male-counterparts.

There is no doubt that business will continue to shift from a logical, analytical base to a more creative, emotional base - making this a prime opportunity for women entrepreneurs to thrive in the business market.

Action Steps

Evaluate whether your current work employs your values and passions. If it doesn't, is now the time to make a change either in your approach towards your work or the nature of the industry?

If your current career is not what you really want to do - what would you like to do? Make a list of changes (minor and major) that would need to happen in order for you to incorporate your passion and values into your business.

Get more comfortable with embracing your non-traditional and non-logical characteristics because it will help you to develop your own business personality. It will be that uniqueness that will help you stand out from the crowd.

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Article Tags: accountability, business owners, business success, communication, results, small businesses, women entrepreneurs, work life balance



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