Khaleej Times

The big 7 challenges of women entreprene­urs

- Chanda Lokendra Viewpoint The author is an entreprene­ur and financial planning consultant. Views expressed are her own and do not reflect the newspaper’s policy.

Although more women are becoming entreprene­urs, they often face a set of challenges not typically shared by their male counterpar­ts. This is in addendum to the challenges that any business owner would face invariably. Lets shed light on the seven big challenges that limit mompreneur­s and womenprene­urs.

4. support system

Women are renowned emotional species. In a US study, about 48 per cent of female business owners/founders report that a lack of available advisers and mentors limits their profession­al growth. This needs a powerful network and support around to consult and council in times of need.

It is important to know where to find the right support network isn’t always easy. It can be an online forum or groups created specifical­ly for women in business. Connectivi­ty is the key word here. Most of the valuable business happens on golf course in UAE, should we take a hint from here?

5. Balancing business and family life

This is more of a cliché. Work-life balance is not any more a worrying fact though. Most of the women have equipped themselves with arms and armor to deal with this. What is concerning is that the traditiona­l gender expectatio­ns often still prevail.

But girls, do not beat up or kill yourself over the little things, such as missing a mother’s day meet with your child at school. Instead, gear up for a coffee evening with your children and live up to your promise more often than not. Rebuilt and not unnecessar­y raise expectatio­ns of your loved ones around you. They know that you are there for them.

6. Coping with a fear of failure

Almost we all have faced it at some point of time. According to Babson College’s 2012 Global Entreprene­ur Monitor, the fear of failure is the top concern of women who launch startups. Failure is a very real possibilit­y in any business and it shouldn’t be viewed as a negative.

Tony Robins also said that you have to have failure to have success. And possibly you need to have massive failure to have massive success.

Success doesn’t have gender. So if you fail or succeed, it is not because of you being a man or women. The bottom line is, if you’re successful, no one cares whether you are man or a woman.

7. Fear of success

Success doesn’t have gender. So if you fail or succeed, it is not because of you being a man or women. The bottom line is, if you’re successful, no one cares whether you are man or a woman

This is latest virus in air. Mostly enterprisi­ng women carry themselves the way they want, find finances, acknowledg­e their worth, can balance work and home, have no fear from failures… but…… they are afraid of their own success.

This limits them to get to the next level and turn their success into massive success. What they actually fear is how they will live up to the success? How will they maintain that success? Growing big and staying big might take them away from their family. The idea of success can be scary, the reality is generally easier to cope with than what you had before. If you’ve been resourcefu­l enough to keep yourself going during the tough times, you’ll probably be able to do the same with the good times. Yes, you’ll have to make changes and learn new things, but you’re creative and adaptive enough to do that. If you experience doubts, remind yourself of all the extra resources success will bring you. Make a fair comparison of what you will gain versus what you will lose, I am sure you will be able to the right thing for yourself. — Concluded

 ?? Getty Images ?? The fear of failure is the top concern of women who launch startups. —
Getty Images The fear of failure is the top concern of women who launch startups. —
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