Every single woman has the power to become the person they want to be, simply by overcoming these challenges that all female entrepreneurs face. We want all women to be bold and unleash their potential to the world. This is how leaders are made. Bold, empowered and confident women entrepreneurs face many obstacles but can easily overcome all things thrown their way by being unapologetic with their wants and needs career-wise. There are many inspirational worthy women out there, living their dreams. Read our client spotlight for advice from successful female entrepreneurs we have photographed. Unfortunately, women have many things to consider when they finally make the decision to become entrepreneurs. The following are top five challenges women entrepreneurs face and how to rise above them.
Work/Life Balance
Balancing your life with your career is challenging but especially for women. They not only have to factor in families as well as their professional choices. Choosing to have or not have a family and when, is an important decision they must make, which can be very stressful. People tend to look down on women who choose to forsake having children or choosing to work instead of staying at home with the children. Traditional gender roles are unfortunately still in play, but feminism is also on the rise in 2017 . The key is to not feel guilty about the choices you make and be confident that the choice you made is the one that will benefit you and your family in the long run. Watch videos/listen to podcasts that inspire you to keep going, hear others women’s stories; their struggles and successes.
Earning Respect
Female CEO’s may have a hard time earning the respect from males who are not used to accepting leadership from a woman. Many women could simply be dismissed as if they do not know what they are doing or were simply given this position one way or the other, in a way that was not earned. To overcome this simply ignore and demonstrate through your attitude and actions that you do belong in your position. Kill them with kindness, and ultimately make them see how you are perfect for your position or business. Joining female entrepreneur/collaboration groups such as ours, help build a tribe of women that believe in you and will help you grow no matter what circumstance. A big trend right now is that women empower women, and we do, all of us are here for you!
Fear of Failure
Feeling the pressure to succeed is a feeling that all entrepreneurs feel, but for women, often there is much at stake. The voice of self-doubt is often louder for women.
“The shortage of female confidence is increasingly well quantified and well documented. In 2011, the Institute of Leadership and Management, in the United Kingdom, surveyed British managers about how confident they feel in their professions. Half the female respondents reported self-doubt about their job performance and careers, compared with fewer than a third of male respondents.”
Failure should not be viewed as a negative event. Society expects women to always succeed at everything they do, especially at 
their careers. To cope with this, keep in mind that failures happen and as long as you know what the goal is, failing should not be a big deal. Without failure we would not know what success even is. Know that every step taken is a step towards achieving your dreams. Strive to become so good and knowledgeable in your field that no one will care that you are a woman. Being bold requires accepting challenges and facing them, even after failing. This article describes some extraordinary people (some may even surprise you) who have failed and what to learn from it. If you haven’t made mistakes how are you supposed to grow?
Access To Funding
When starting out, women entrepreneurs, face the challenge of getting funding for their businesses.
“Women-owned businesses receive just 7 percent of venture capital investment money, which is highly disproportionate to their role in the economy. Additionally, loan approval rates for female entrepreneurs is 15 to 20 percent less than it is for men. Clearly, something is not right.”
Due to sexism, investors tend to help out like-minded people or other men that they consider them to be part of their own “vision”, so the key is to find investors that support a company like yours. A women investor or feminist is more likely to support a women entrepreneur, as they know what you are searching for and have most likely been in your place before. Funding is out there, you just have to seek it out.
Owning Accomplishments
Women have a habit of downplaying their accomplishments and worth, a habit that most likely started since childhood. Your expertise is valuable and the strides you have made for your company are worth noting and celebrating! Confidence is the key when it comes to competing with anyone. Your ideas may be scrutinized heavily by naysayers but if you bold and demonstrate you know what you are talking about, people will have confidence that you are indeed an expert. At the same time, make sure you aren’t giving away too much. It goes back to realizing your worth. Make sure people are giving you the credit you rightfully deserve. Don’t undersell yourself to a client, colleagues or in the long run yourself.
If you are ready to produce an image that shows your best self and conveys your authentic brand.
Book a Call with Los Angeles Professional Brand Photographer Sandy Grigsby.