Women are increasingly gaining recognition as aspiring and successful business owners not just locally but globally. They have proved their capability to promote and expand business equally. It would not be stretching of the truth, if we say that women are gaining an edge over their male counterparts in some sectors. Since women are gradually becoming industry leaders by engendering hopes in the market of today, analysing what can help them lead a flawless marketing campaign makes sense.

There is absolutely no denying of the fact that the women business owners are a rising force in the entrepreneurship of today. Firms owned by women are not really a minority. They can’t be called forming a small niche market as they are fast emerging as one of the major forces in the economy – especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in women-business ownership

Business ownership is one idea that has opened up doors for the women entrepreneurs in the current scenario. There is nothing better than being your own boss for all good reasons!  For women, who are often responsible daughters, wives and mothers, business ownership can bring a lot of flexibilities and advantages of working on their own terms. It’s the business ownership that also offers a great deal of opportunities for making advancements in career.

Apart from all this, women business owners unfortunately continue to face some of the challenges that have been in existence since a long time and continue to exist even today. They often face issues like sex discrimination by investors, vendors and even employees. They are often found juggling between the obvious demands of their business and their family and hence it can be said that the road to the journey of success for women as business owners and entrepreneurs of their start-up company is never easy.

Women also face challenges related to the economic climate and the resulting fluctuations in the same while they try to gain access to the capital. In some cases, women also face the issue of gender discrimination that affects their positions as business owners. A lot of women also face challenges while they try to obtain financial support or gains for their business.

How to face the challenges?

There is a wide array of free and the low-cost resources that are available and can assist women in overcoming the challenges and succeed in the business with remarkable achievements. Today, women business owners can also benefit from the in-person assistance and the effective business counselling programmes usually arranged by the concerned centres. These can very well benefit them by encouraging them to start their business, grow and take it to the next level.

Women who are aspiring to become entrepreneurs and successful business owners but lagging economically and socially can still have access to the comprehensive counselling and training programmes that are offered in multiple languages.

Women who are looking to make a mark in future with their skills as business owners can expect to receive training on a wide range of topics such as:

• Preparation for business ownership
• Planning the business
• Business management and strategies involved
• Strategy implementation
• Marketing
• Navigating the processes of loans
• Selling to the government
• Government loan programmes

So what do you think? What makes women better business owners or are they really better than men, when it comes to handling business? Here’s a look at the qualities and skills that women authentically bring to their business tables and things that really benefit them at the corporate levels.

• Multitasking: While men may seem to “switch off” themselves from family affairs to focus on their business whole heartedly and dedicatedly, women still don’t enjoy this advantage. Most of the time, they are found fulfilling their responsibilities as mothers, wives and business owners simultaneously.
• Empowerment: They seem to be better than men when it comes to empowering the entire staff or workforce.
• Accessibility: Women business owners encourage openness and they are often found to be more accessible than men.
• Management: They can be termed as better managers because of their better emotional quotient, ability to tolerate differences, skills that show up when it comes to managing diversity.

Women tend to excel in confidence, decision making, instant problem identification, defining job expectations and provision of feedback.

So, I can dare say that we definitely have reasons to believe their future as business owners is promising.