Growth In Women In Business – but there is a problem you must know now

July 2, 2008

Recent surveys show the growth in the number of women in businesses, in the UK and the USA, continues to accelerate rapidly. Even more interesting is that many black African women and African Americans are now starting their own businesses and the trend indicates a steady rise. I am sure many will be wondering what’s going on and what does this mean for the communities these women are from? What is motivating these trends and what challenges do these women face and how can they be best tackled.

Even though the growing trend is exciting, it is not without its challenges. Most of the black businesses are not surviving after their third birthday. Those that survive are not growing fast enough for all sorts of reasons. The support for women in business and black women in particular must be reviewed and tailored to meet their specific cultural needs as the generic approach has not worked in the past and it is doubtful it will in the future.

As I work with women in business and those that are aspiring to start their own business, it is clear to me that there is a lot of work that needs to be done around personal development. The difference between successful women in business and those who are still lagging lies in the way they manage their emotions, mindset and relationships with others. For instance, in my discussion with a successful woman in business, who has made millions in her business with high retention of staff and customers, I found that not only does she have a very clear vision for her business, she has a very pleasing personality and a high regard for her staff, who are treated with respect and well supported. For instance, she always recruits staff that are technically competent in their profession, with great attitude. Contrast this alongside women in business that still find it hard to make significant progress you will find characteristics such as limiting mindset, low investment in personal development for themselves and those they hire, compromise in the quality of products and services. Low emotional intelligence and relationship management, ineffective communication skills and technical incompetence. Improvements in these characteristics are critical ingredients for success. Most women will say that the greatest barriers they face are cultural and this affects some communities more than others. For instance, cultures where entrepreneurial bent is not rated highly create less support for women in business than those with such a bent. Equally, cultures where women are expected to care for their kids very often leave little time for investment in personal development. Moreover, the concept of personal development is an unknown concept in some circles. So how can more women and black businesses access quality personal development support? My take on this is simple, women in business need flexible support that reflects their needs. Flexible support can mean different things to different people. For that reason let me clarify what I mean by this. In my opinion flexible support means, a support that can be accessed any time I want it without an impairment to the quality of the services or product. We live in an age where this is possible with the advent of technological advancement. I would like to hear your views about my thoughts on this subject. Any suggestions, challenges and more will be welcomed.

Whilst on this subject, I want to share with you a system that will help you access invaluable training resources and flexible support to assist you to start or develop your business. All the support can be accessed from the comfort of your home. Our online business startup and business development is designed to provide business management skills, click here – BSS Learning Center to find out more. Our online personal development programme is designed to help you enhance your personal and professional effectiveness. Your comment on this blog will be more than welcome.

Share and Enjoy: