The Perks of Being A Woman Entrepreneur

By

India Lindsey

 

I became an entrepreneur very young. I was twelve years old, and I began babysitting for extra cash. My only form of advertising was word-of-mouth. I loved children and knew many people who could use my services. I started pitching my services to my neighbors and someone actually trusted me enough to watch their children! Soon – I was making close to $150 a week – and as a twelve-year-old kid, this was a lot of money! From the first dollar I made on my own, I always vowed to keep my own money flowing in – regardless whether I had a full-time job or not.

In college, I got a taste of entrepreneurship again. I saw an untapped market and opportunity. A friend and I developed an on college laundry business, specifically targeting athletes. She had the car and connections, and I had the marketing and sales skills. We made a great team. We would wash, dry, fold, and deliver our customer’s laundry. “Just like Mama,” was our tagline. We had an enormous amount of clientele but ultimately we let the opinions of others make us close our business down.

Next, in 2011, I created an online community called the Daily Virgo which gave me numerous connections and fully fed my entrepreneur bug. In this business, I learned to use the internet as a tool and began making $300-$400 per week through advertising on my large platform. Later on, I created an ecommerce business which sold close to 50 shirts per month, bringing in close to $1300 extra income monthly.

Officially, I’ve been an entrepreneur now for six years, and through my journey here are the perks I’ve found being a female entrepreneur gives you:

Freedom

I think the greatest perk of being a woman entrepreneur is that it gives you freedom. As women, we are often told that we have to act a certain way, talk a certain way, dress a certain way, style our hair a certain way or take a certain path to achieve success.

According to IWPR, women are paid 21% less than men with the same job experience as them. As a woman entrepreneur, you defy all of those rules. YOU are in charge of your destination and YOU determine your success. It is a feeling of empowerment that I believe every woman should experience in her lifetime.

 

Confidence

Being a female entrepreneur is a confidence booster! Nothing boosts your self-esteem more than being a commodity in your industry. When I first started, I would only have a few leads per week. With hard work, however, my writing calendar is usually booked by the first week of the month. To know that clients will wait months just to work with me is a magnificent feeling!

There is no better feeling than making your own money, on your own terms. It truly gives independence a real meaning. Each time your product or service is needed, you’re sending a piece of you out into the universe — and it is a great feeling.

 

Ability to Make Your Own Rules

If you’re like me, you hate to be micromanaged, and you hate having to follow rules even more. When you’re the business owner, YOU make your own rules. As a female entrepreneur, you don’t have to follow someone else’s rules or do things the way they want you to do them. The only person you have to answer to is yourself — and your customers of course.

 

Time

One great perk of being a female entrepreneur is time. You will have much more free time. The average person spends 40 hours a week at their job. If you calculate their commute, the average person spends 50-60 hours at work. Those hours could be spent towards spending time with your children, traveling, or even building your own business.

I enjoy creating my own schedule and working whenever I want to. There is no time clock, which I hated the most about working. The idea of only getting a half hour lunch break or having to be to work at the crack of dawn has never sat well with me. As a business owner, I’m able to get up as early  or late as I want.

Female entrepreneurs also don’t have to worry about taking days off, scheduling a vacation around vacation time or missing out on any events — because they make their own schedule. I can move deadlines around or take a week long vacation if I wanted to – because my work goes with me. Time is one of the few things in life we can get back; it’s best to spend it wisely.

Extra or More Income

Though it can be rather tough to find leads in the beginning, once you’re established in your industry, the income you see as an entrepreneur is amazing! When I began my writing business, within a week, I was making $300 per week, and gaining new clients consistently daily. With the internet, there is no limit to the extra income you can make.

 

As an entrepreneur, you set your prices, so you are responsible for how little or much you make in your business. If you start off as a part-time entrepreneur, you will find that the extra money helps. It’s essential to picking up a part-time job.

 

It Doesn’t Feel Like Work

Many people, like myself, fall into entrepreneurship from a hobby. Each day, I get up and write.  I love to write; it is my passion. But I was taught that writers don’t make any money. That is the furthest thing from the truth – I found that I can make money in anything I am passionate about.

Writing has been something I’ve loved to do since I was a young girl. Writing comes to me naturally and doesn’t feel like work. There’s an old saying that goes, “when you do what you love, you won’t have to work a day in your life”, and it’s true! While your friends are slaving away at their day jobs, you’re at home working on building your empire, and it feels amazing right?! Doing what you love as a woman entrepreneur and it doesn’t feel like work! A win-win!

More Opportunities

As a woman entrepreneur, the opportunities will begin to present themselves in many ways. Connect in business groups, attending industry events will introduce you to people you can help and people who can help you. Doors you never thought you’d walk in will began to open for you. Just putting myself out there, I’ve connected with many like-minded individuals who in turn have either bought me business or taught me something new.

When I started my writing company, I had no idea on the many streams of income I could develop for myself. Now, a year into my business, I am ghostwriting novels with packages that start at $3,000. That’s a far cry from the $300 a week I was making when I first started.

The opportunities that come with being a female entrepreneur are endless; you just have to get started! So what are you waiting for?