There are 9.9 million female-owned businesses in America, and women represent over one-third of entrepreneurs in the country. Whether you already own your own business or you’re thinking about starting one, there are steps you can take to improve your chance of success. Listed below are the top seven tips for female entrepreneurs.
You’re a business owner now – be proud of it! In order to command respect from your clients and your employees, you need to carry yourself with confidence. Sadly, women are still viewed as lesser members of the workforce in certain areas, so people may automatically assume you are a secretary or sales representative. You can fight those stereotypes by maintaining a high level of confidence for every business encounter.
A lot of people prefer working with women instead of men. Despite the strong growth in female business owners, women are considered the minority gender for entrepreneurship. Use this as an opportunity to gain new clients and encourage other women to start their own businesses in your area. Create a logo, a business name, a business motto, or something else along those lines that showcases the powerful woman you are. People will be flooding your phone line in no time.
With any business startup, you need a business plan to follow. This gives you a list of goals to meet and steps to take along the way. Window Academy provides a tested and proven business plan for starting a window cleaning business, hand-written by two successful window cleaners. We cover everything from naming your business to bidding on your first job. Using a plan like this will give your company a great platform to build on.
Don’t just rely on social media or word of mouth to promote your business. You should take advantage of all the marketing opportunities available to you. Of course, you may need to start small to test out different options (target one keyword with internet marketing, place your business cards in one area, etc.). Once you get an idea of what works for your local audience, you can expand on those concepts to create your empire.
It’s good to know that people have your back. Even if you are running your business completely on your own, you should have a personal support system to call on as needed. Entrepreneurship is stressful no matter what, but you can reduce that stress by keeping good, positive people in your life. If you have employees, make sure they are people that you can get along with and trust. They should be just as passionate about your business as you are because that’s what you deserve.
You want people to recognize your brand as easily as they recognize the Energizer bunny or Colonel Sanders from KFC. That doesn’t mean that you have to have a mascot, but you should have a company name and logo people will remember. It’s also important to maintain consistency with your brand development. Keep the same name, phone number, address, and logo on all of your marketing materials – t-shirts, your website, the side of your work vehicle, your Google My Business page, etc. If you have a short, catchy slogan, maintain the same one across the board. There should be no question in anyone’s mind about who you are or what your business is about.
What sets you apart from similar businesses in your area? Is it just the fact that you, the owner, are a women, or is there something else that makes you stand apart? You have a unique selling point (USP), and it’s your job as a business owner to make that point known. Think about what you can do to make your business stand out from the competition, and you will see tremendous success as a female entrepreneur.