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Articles by Dr. Sitterly
for Women
Not
a Glass Ceiling for the Female Entrepreneur
Women
Entrepreneurs Emerge as Economic Force
Women......
Excel!
More
Women SucceedAs Business Owners
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"More Women Succeed As Business
Owners"
©Dr. Connie Sitterly/The Workplace Doctorô
Certified Professional Consultant to Management
Whether disenchanted
with the "glass ceiling," motivated by the need to achieve or, confident
in their ability to drive a dream to reality, more women are starting
their own businesses. Today, 40 to 50 percent of all businesses are owned
by women, and have an admirable success rate -- 75 percent.
Why would women give up the security and benefits of climbing the corporate
ladder to climb their own? Reasons vary from the desire to control their
own time and destiny, to gain flexibility and financial independence and
to believing that there is simply a better way to do "it," whatever "it"
is.
Certainly it takes dedication, as well as creativity, tenacity, confidence
and courage to put your career, assets and energy on the line.
Female business owners face not only the traditional challenges of capitalization,
planning, marketing and staffing, but also more subtle challenges, such
as competing in male-dominated fields. Despite the Equal Credit Opportunity
Act, the subject of borrowing money likely will touch off any number of
stories in a group of female business owners. For that special breed --
female business owners -- the rewards of meeting those challenges can
be worth the long hours and few or no vacations -- whatever it takes to
make the business succeed and still retain some form of a balanced life.
If the entrepreneurial bug bites, it may be hard to find any other remedy
except to join the growing number of female bosses.
Besides being willing to work hard, ask yourself if you possess: o Sufficient
capitalization for a recommended two years. o A workable business plan.
o Family support. o A willingness to reinvest profits back into the business.
o The discipline to sustain both a personal and professional life.
Just because you can make a good cookie, doesn't guarantee that you are
the next Mrs. Fields.
Dr.
Connie Sitterly, CPCM, is an international management consultant, trainer
& author of:
The Woman Manager, The Female Entrepreneur,
and co-authored
A Woman's Place: Management.
Her company, Management Training Specialists,
provides training, consulting on numerous workplace issues.
She can be reached at
P.O. Box 470695,
Fort Worth, TX 76147
817 737-2893
or email president@sittcom.com
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Fax 817 737-7517