This guide outlines the best strategies for any woman to start a small business successfully.
Numerous women go through life with the ‘should’ve and could’ve’ syndrome, never realizing their potential nor their dreams for the simple reason that they may not have known what to do first. Or the fact that they were women and expected to leave the realm of high powered, high stakes, big-money business for the weaker sex:- men. This article looks at the basic steps as to how you as a women can start a small business.
How to start a small business
Many of these steps may be regarded as basic common knowledge, but they are all essential small business tips for you as a woman to get the best start in business as you can.
Use your backstory
One of the most common modern aspects of business is the use of a great backstory to build the business brand. Most businesswomen have a fantastic backstory, simply based on the fact that they are women in business. A minority in a very difficult world, who are also tasked with running homes and raising children. It is thus about telling this story and using such storytelling to build your brand. People who will buy into your brand will need to be inspired, and there is nothing like a struggle and overcoming prejudice and defeating stereotypes to inspire others.
The fact that you are a woman in business ticks all these boxes, and as such, whether you like it or not, there is a remarkable story there that can be told to start a small business and build your business brand. Communicating the brand with consumers and creating brand interest is a time-consuming process and best started with a great back story, where does the brand come from, and how is it related to your own story.
Get registered
Ensure that the business is registered with local authorities and sector/industry-specific bodies to provide you with the best infrastructure and business networks that you can have. If you’re in Australia, for example, you will need to know the local Australian business number requirements, which will allow you to be recognized and supported by the government financial support schemes for businesses like yours. All locations, states, and countries will have similar requirements, and you will need to know about these beforehand and ensure that you have complied with the specific national legislation related to your business type and sector wherever you run the business. Business registrations and licenses can be a tricky process, and for many, it is advised to simply use a professional service to determine which licenses are required to operate and ensure that the business is kept the legitimate and above board in all that you do.
Look for support/have a mentor
A business mentor is one of the best means of success for new businesspeople to start a small business. Being able to approach others who have been through similar processes and challenges will go a long way to enabling success. It is a proven fact that people with a mentor advance in their careers and businesses a lot faster than those who do not have a mentor. The best way to go about this is to have a clear idea as to why you want a mentor and then to look in the sector that you work in or among women’s business forums for the perfect support and advice.
Many businesswomen write a specific job description for their mentor and then simply look to fill the post. This emphasizes the need to know exactly what you want from a mentor and the specific person specifications that you are looking for. It doesn’t always have to be a fellow female businessperson, but this is always useful in that it is an easier relationship to cultivate and starts from the same premise of equality and equity in the workplace and the world of modern business.
Don’t expect any favors
As a woman, you should actually expect it to be harder and more difficult for you to start a small business, rather than expecting any help or favors from others in the business. Just because you are a minority in the business world or a beginner who is in need of guidance and help will; not mean that others will not simply walk all over you to get to the top. It is a ruthless work out there, and a great start-up tip is to expect the worst, prepare for cutthroat business and vicious competition, the red oceans of heightened competition, and then you will be able to handle anything thrown at you from the outset. It is demanding work and this hard work alone that will get you past the glass ceilings and enable you to become a successful female businessperson in a world dominated by old men.
Have (and build) confidence
You must have absolute confidence in your business ideas and yourself to start a small business. Believing in the self is a sure-fire route to success, and as an entrepreneur or start-up business, it will be essential to have such self-belief if you are to make it through all the difficulties/challenges that the world of modern business will throw at you. The truth, as has been written over and over again, is that you will only succeed in getting others to believe in you as an entrepreneur and to buy your products and services if you believe in them and believe in yourself.
You must be tenacious and build your self-esteem and confidence one win at a time until you know that you can make it in whatever you choose to do. It is this self-belief that countless successful female businesspeople have noted as the defining aspect that held them back at the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey.
Final remarks
Starting a business as a woman should be no different, but the reality is that it is. We live in a patriarchal society, and the fact that women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses are still not the norm goes to show how far we still need to go for equality and equity in the world of business.
