Today, many women are embarking on the adventure of entrepreneurship. In fact, 200,000 of them start their own businesses every year. They are a real economic force to be reckoned with. The number of women entrepreneurs has been increasing over the years, but some businesses have difficulty getting started. This may be due to the prejudices that women entrepreneurs hear, or to organizational difficulties, as managing tasks can be difficult. It can also be difficult to accumulate several roles at the same time, such as mother, business leader, and wife...
And yet, women entrepreneurs are the fastest growing category of entrepreneurs in the world.
We give you everything you need to know and do to succeed like a man.
Becoming an entrepreneur: a real challenge
Fighting prejudice
We've all heard remarks about the place of women in a company. If the 21st century has taught us anything, it is that women have their place at the head of a company. In 2020, out of ten people who created a sole proprietorship in France, four were women (Study "A new record of business creations in 2020 despite the health crisis", Insee, February 2021) This figure is rather encouraging, but others show that women have real obstacles to overcome, all based, on prejudice. In 2019, the National Digital Council (CNNum) stated that women were underrepresented in startups. According to a 2018 study by SISTA, a collective of women entrepreneurs and investors, in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group, women founders are 30 percent less likely to raise capital than male founders, and women make up only 9 percent of startup founders. Interestingly, the study also found that startups founded by women earn 2.5 times more from investors than startups founded by men. Women are deciding to start a business today for a variety of reasons. Currently 82% of women in the workforce have already considered starting their own business, compared to 86% of men. Some women want to create a business to give more meaning to their lives. 60% consider that entrepreneurship can be used to change society. This can be explained when you look at the current figures.
Some also feel slowed down by the impression that they lack credibility when they decide to try entrepreneurship. They may fear not being taken seriously by society and men. Most of the time, women who run their own businesses, are allowed to reflect on their personal lives, such as neglecting their families or friends. Therefore, there are many stereotypes that are a source of difference in treatment between female and male entrepreneurs. These stereotypes become a psychological barrier, while we have access to the same resources as men to succeed in entrepreneurship. Some theories show that women do not have enough confidence in themselves, because they suffer from the "impostor syndrome". Imposter syndrome is the feeling of not being worthy of one's place, and of doubting one's self and one's skills. Entrepreneurship is an activity that is accessible to all, and the only thing that holds women back is prejudice. Moreover, in economically more developed countries, women entrepreneurs are more represented in the sectors of activity corresponding to the female stereotypes. Indeed, more women are present in the clothing sector than in the building sector for example.
In addition, one out of three companies in the world is owned by a woman. In some countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Peru, and Indonesia, women are more present in entrepreneurship than men, according to the 2015-2016 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report. One piece of good news is that efforts and programs, put in place around the world to push women into entrepreneurship, have been effective for several years.
Studies on entrepreneurship tend to analyze and criticize women, especially their behaviors. They focus on the "flaws", such as the lack of confidence of women entrepreneurs instead of analyzing the environment that causes these flaws.
It is therefore necessary to dare to start entrepreneurship, because no reason is valid!
Highlighting Women Entrepreneurship
To get women into the partnership, highlight successful women entrepreneurs. Showcasing women's success stories can promote entrepreneurship or business takeover programs. Appreciating their presence can encourage women to start a business and show them that it is possible and available. As mentioned earlier, women are often excluded from fields where male stereotypes prevail. For example, the fields of construction, goods and equipment are predominantly male. In 2019, women made up only 7.7 percent of business owners in the construction sector. Similar observations were made in the petroleum, maintenance, sports equipment and technology sectors. It is therefore important to represent women in these sectors, to give the chance to those who want to join them. Promoting female entrepreneurship is also about gender equality. If we say entrepreneurship, in the collective mind, the entrepreneur is a man. We must not forget that it is only since 30 years that the proportion of women entrepreneurs is increasing. In 1987, 29% of women were in charge of a company. It is therefore important to change this by putting women at the head of companies. Moreover, encouraging women to start businesses helps create jobs in the world, and reduce inequalities in the workplace.
Entrepreneurial promotion is an important step in highlighting businesses run by women. This can be done through magazines that talk about women entrepreneurs, or simply by transmitting knowledge, sharing experiences, meeting new people. Another important value for women entrepreneurs is sisterhood. Indeed, the more women help each other, the greater the chances to succeed and to overcome obstacles. Associations exist to allow women to exchange with each other, or to accompany them in their steps. Moreover, isolating oneself as an entrepreneur can often happen, and even more so to women.
Helping women to run their businesses
Learn how to manage your tasks and get organized
When you start your own business, it is imperative that you manage your tasks well. Indeed, the organization of your business is the key to success. But a woman can fulfill several roles at the same time: mother, wife, company director... How can she organize herself around her different tasks? Finding the right balance to be able to flourish can be difficult. Creating a company isolates many business leaders. Man or woman, the risks of overtime and project interruptions are often the consequence of severe professional isolation, and that is why you need to be well organized.
Being organized increases efficiency, increases productivity. It also allows you to know how to manage your schedule, to organize your day in an optimal way and to be able to manage your working time. This is why it is important to learn how to get organized. Being organized optimizes our working time, allows us to face unexpected events and develops our ability to overcome distractions thanks to an efficient schedule. It will make your daily life easier. You will have a smoother, less stressful day, which will allow you to go home at night lighter. However, you should know that the process is not so simple to implement.
First of all, to optimize your professional time, try using office tools that will allow you to better manage your time and tasks. Technology isn't just useful at work. It helps you make the most of your time so you can focus on what matters most. For example, Excel is useful for managing your follow-ups. PowerPoint gives you the ability to make detailed presentations. The office tools of the Microsoft Office suite require training, however, to know how to use them properly. We offer online training on office tools, to give you the opportunity to manage your organization well.
Task management is essential for a woman entrepreneur to run a successful business. Tasks can include key areas of your business, such as: marketing, human resources, finance and accounting... No matter how big or small your business is, you will have to supervise or do these tasks. So you have to learn to be good at managing tasks. This can be difficult if none of these tasks are acquired. That's why Évo Formation & Consulting offers hundreds of training courses in 14 areas such as business management, financial management, HR, marketing, website creation, office automation...
Knowing how to perfectly manage the tasks of your company will give you confidence in yourself. Indeed, if you master all the tasks you need to perform, you will be more confident in what you do.
In addition, soft skills, such as stress management, communication, everything that is useful in business life can be learned. Our director Nadia Loukkal gives pitches to associations to help young women develop their businesses and manage their tasks.
Finding help to move forward
One of the problems that prevents women in entrepreneurship to move forward is financial aid. In fact, women have more difficulty accessing the aid given to businesses than men. Only one national aid exists, and it is the Guarantee Fund for Women's Initiatives (FGIF), which makes it easier to obtain bank credits to carry out entrepreneurial activities. Networks have also been created to bring together women business leaders. For example, there are associations to support women entrepreneurs in their endeavors, or to help them get out of the isolation that entrepreneurship can cause.
Competitions are also set up to give them a better visibility. We can mention for example the Responsible Entrepreneur Award, the Michelle Maugain Business Creation Grant, or the Digital Woman Entrepreneur Award. To move forward, you can call on professionals to train you. You can also train at home, because here at Évo Formation & Consulting, we offer you the possibility to follow courses 100% in e-Learning.
In conclusion, being a woman in the business world can be difficult, but you should not give up now. We have come a long way. Prejudices about women entrepreneurs still persist. But they should not stop us, because they are only a psychological barrier. It is important to develop one's ability to manage one's organization, and to learn how to manage the tasks of the company. We now have at our disposal programs and aids that facilitate women to enter the world of entrepreneurship. You can call on professionals to manage your business or create it, such as Évo Formation & Consulting. We can train you in all departments of the company, from its foundation to marketing, HR, office automation and accounting. Moreover, the trainings are 100% in e-Learning, which facilitates learning, and allows everyone to follow the training at their own pace.
