In a normal working week, how many challenges do you think you face? …5? …10? …too many to count?The truth is, you don’t know and you may not be aware of them all,because they are not always clearly task-related.
Businesswomen often face more challenges than businessmen,simply because women have many stereotypes put on them, with the challenges often revolving around issues of confidence, self-doubt, and decision-making.
Fortunately, there are things you can do about it and overcome those challenges.
Defying social expectations
Women are generally expected to stay n the background and not speak up. In fact, women in a meeting room are still too often taken to be the assistant or secretary.
What to do about it: You should develop a confidence and self-belief in yourself to get out of the shadows and show people exactly what you can do by speaking your mind and displaying your skills and knowledge.
Owning your accomplishments
Women not owning their accomplishments can suggest they are hesitant to talk about their accomplishments—therefore downplaying them and their own worth in the process.
What to do about it: You need to realize how amazing your accomplishments are and take pride in having achieved them by displaying awards, accepting compliments (gracefully), and talking about them in appropriate circumstances because you worked hard for them.
Utilizing connections
Women in particular can be hesitant to ask for favors and call on a connection’s knowledge and expertise from fear of coming across as manipulative or self-serving.
What to do about it: Utilizing a connections’ expertise for your own gain should not make you feel bad. It can be a great way for you to build and increase your business and the public’s awareness of it.Besides, you’re not expected to know everything or be skilled in every area possible.
Being decisive
Making decisions can be tough but, the challenge women face in being decisive is self-doubt and questioning whether or not it is the right decision.
What to do about it: You need to develop a sense of confidence in your decision-making skills, stick to your choice,and go forward believing in it—even if it ultimately fails.
Lack of cash flow
Money is always hard to come by—especially when starting a business—with the turn over and profit often being far off into the future. And women can find this harder than men.
What to do about it: You need figure out how much money you need—factoring in a bare minimum, overheads, and employee salary— what you will be spending money on and where you could save.
Undefined niche
Finding your audience can be tough—especially when you don’t know who they are.
What to do about it: You need to think about what your business is and what you’re offering people. When you’ve done that, you will find your audience, advertise to them, and then they will come to you.
Work-life balance
We all want an equal balance between our work and home life so that we can be fulfilled in both areas, but often find it difficult to achieve for various reasons.
What to do about it: To find a work-life balance, you’ll have to realize that you cannot shut one out in favor of the other just because it’s more convenient at the time.
To find success in both areas, you should figure out when you need to be somewhere, what you need to do on a particular day or time, and even delegate tasks to others when need be.
Pressure to act a certain way
Women are often seen as soft and unable to be tough in the workplace and with others, with many women trying to adhere to this all the time and feeling the pressure to act a certain way, i.e. nice and docile.
What to do about it: Get rid of the pressure and fear that you can’t be tough or “one the boys” when it comes to business. This will defy other people’s expectations of you and any ideas that are a soft.
Lack of support
Not having the support of friends and family can be tough and can take a toll on whether you think you can do something. But that is the reason you should keep going.
What to do about it: You have to ignore the negativity and use any lack of support to fuel your drive to succeed and belief that you can and will achieve your goals.
