As mentioned earlier on this site; more and more women take the leap into self-employment. Women are supposed to be risk-averse, but this trend speaks for the contrary (another perspective to be found in the attached article). Being an entrepreneur, you have no idea what the next project will be and whether you have enough money to pay your bills the next month.
Women are also supposed to have less self-confidence than men, and I tend to agree – considering my experience as a recruiter, HR professional and member of women networks. This isn’t an advantage when being self-employed! You need lots of resilience and courage – and a good dose of self-confidence to keep going. Luckily there is always help to be found..
There are networks where women can meet to swap ideas and get support, e.g the European Women’s Professional Network (EPWN) mentoring programme and general meetings. And, entrepreneurs can come together on an individual basis to give each other support. Yesterday I got an aha-feeling of how efficient this can be.. I always feel good meeting women in the “official” network meetings, but meeting other women entrepreneurs over lunch to discuss deeper challenges and get advice, well, that was just amazing! Inspiring and motivating! We realized that we had so much in common and were able to coach each other on our blockers and hang-ups. Time will tell whether we will action on the good advice and ideas we got from each other, but I benefit already by feeling stronger in facing my fears (just do it) and knowing that I’m not alone in having them – even if “the others” look so successful and “knowing it all”.
A tip that I would like to share with other women entrepreneurs; find an image, a symbol, a saying or draw a picture that inspires you every day and put it where you can see it all the time.
Related articles
- 10 Reasons Why Women Make Better Entrepreneurs (myventurepad.com)
I was one of those women at lunch and was delighted to be a part of the share and support we brought to each other. It is so good to feel I can share my reservations and fears with women who are feeling exactly the same. The energy and motivation we generated will keep me going for a good month. Thanks Sunniva for sharing your insights and for also sharing some of yourself.